Imam Al Mahdi, The Twelfth Khalifah In The Sahih Sunni Ahadith

1. The Awaited Mahdi ====================

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, predicted that a time would come when oppression, injustice and aggression would become extremely rampant all over the globe. At that period, a man from the offspring of Muhammad would rise to power over the entire earth, and he would successfully make oppression, injustice and aggression very rare on its surface. Imam Ahmad (d. 241 H) records the hadith in his Musnad:

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – al-Hasan b. Musa – Hammad b. Salamah – Abu Harun al-‘Abdi and Maṭar al-Warraq – Abu al-Siddiq al-Naji – Abu Sa’id al-Khudri:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “The earth will be filled with oppression and injustice. Then, a man from my offspring will come out. He will rule by kingdom for seven or nine years. He will fill the earth with equity and justice.”[^1]

Shaykh al-Arnauṭ states:

It is a sahih hadith, with the exception of his statement: “he will rule by kingdom for seven or nine years.”^2

Imam Ibn Hibban (d. 354 H) also documents a mutaba’ah for it:

Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. al-Muthanna – Abu Khaythamah – Yahya b. Sa’id – ‘Awf – Abu al-Siddiq – Abu Sa’id al-Khudri – the Prophet, peace be upon him:

“The Hour will not occur until the earth is filled with injustice and hostility. Then, a man from my Ahl al-Bayt, or my offspring, will come out. So, he will fill it with equity and justice just as it had been filled with injustice and hostility.”[^3]

Al-Albani (d. 1420 H) says:

Sahih^4

And al-Arnauṭ concurs:

Its chain is sahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.^5

This man will be “sent” by Allah Himself, in the same way that He sent His prophets and messengers, to purify His earth. Imam Abu Dawud (d. 275 H) in his Sunan – under the heading: “The Book of al-Mahdi” (Kitab al-Mahdi) records:

‘Uthman b. Abi Shaybah – al-Fadhl b. Dukayn – Fiṭr – al-Qasim b. Abi Barzah – Abu al-Tufayl – ‘Ali, may Allah the Most High be pleased with him – the Prophet, peace be upon him:

“Even if there remains only one more day left before the end of Time, Allah will surely SEND a man from my Ahl al-Bayt. He will fill it with justice just as it had been filled with injustice.”[^6]

‘Allamah al-Albani says:

Sahih^7

Dr. al-Bastawi, commenting upon the same hadith, states:

Its chain is sahih.[^8]

The same word has been employed to describe the appointment and mission of the prophets and messengers, ‘alaihim al-salam, as well in the Qur’an:

Mankind were one community and Allah SENT prophets as givers of glad tidings and warners.[^9]

And:

Verily, We have SENT within every Ummah a messenger.[^10]

Of course, this man will not be a prophet or messenger. However, he obviously will occupy a separate divine rank which will certainly be very similar in nature to both. One of the top Imams of the Ahl al-Sunnah from the senior Tabi’in, Ibn Sirrin (d. 110 H), indicated the status of this man in one of his brave pronouncements. Imam al-Maruzi (d. 288 H) records:

Dhamrah – Ibn Shawdhab:

Muhammad b. Sirrin mentioned a sedition that would occur. Then he said, “When that occurs, sit in your houses until you hear from the people about the one who is superior to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both.” So, it was said, “O Abu Bakr, someone superior to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar?!” He replied, “He is even superior to some prophets.”[^11]

Al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) says about the first narrator:

Dhamrah b. Rubay’ah al-Filisṭini, Abu ‘Abd Allah, his origin was Damascus: Saduq (very truthful), hallucinates a little.[^12]

Concerning the second narrator, he equally states:

‘Abd Allah b. Shawdhab al-Khurasani, Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman, he lived in Basra, then Syria: Saduq (very truthful), a devout worshipper of Allah.[^13]

So, the sanad is hasan.

Al-Maruzi has included the report under the heading “Way of Life of the Mahdi and His Justice and Length of His Time.”[^14] We know from this then that Ibn Sirrin was describing “the Mahdi” – the same man mentioned in the hadith of Abu Dawud above - as being superior to some prophets in rank.

Meanwhile, here is another riwayah about this Mahdi, ‘alaihi al-salam, from the same Abu Dawud:

Sahl b. Tammam b. Buzay’ – ‘Imran al-Qaṭṭan – Qatadah – Abu Nadhrah – Abu Sa’id al-Khudri:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “The Mahdi is from me, with a broad forehead, a curved nose. He will fill the earth with equity and justice just as it had been filled with oppression and injustice, and he will rule by kingdom for seven years.”[^15]

Al-Albani says:

Hasan.^16

Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 H) also declares:

The ahadith that are relied upon as hujjah (proof) for the coming out of the Mahdi are sahih ahadith.[^17]

So, he will be “the Mahdi”, from the blood and flesh of the Messenger, and “will rule by kingdom”. He will be “sent” by Allah to reduce oppression and injustice on the earth to the barest minimum. He will rule the whole planet as a just, righteous and rightly guided royal khalifah, assisted by his Lord.

Interestingly, his personal name will be Muhammad, like that of our Prophet. Imam al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 H) documents:

‘Ubayd b. Asbaṭ b. Muhammad al-Qurashi al-Kufi – my father – Sufyan al-Thawri – ‘Asim b. Bahdalah[^18] – Zirr – ‘Abd Allah (b. Mas’ud):

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “This world will not end until a man from my Ahl al-Bayt rules the Arabs by kingdom. His name will correspond with my name.”[^19]

Al-Tirmidhi says:

This hadith is hasan sahih.^20

And al-Albani agrees:

Hasan sahih.^21

His government, obviously, will be that of the House of Muhammad, and he will bring the supreme glory to Islam all over the universe. He will achieve the impossible, with divine help, and will fulfill the dreams of all the prophets and messengers.

Meanwhile, there are certain quick points about the Mahdi that must not be overlooked. First, belief in his coming in an ‘aqidah of Islam, and has been so named by ‘ulama of the Ahl al-Sunnah too. For instance, al-Albani states:

These people are only like those who deny the ‘aqidah of the descent of ‘Isa, ‘alaihi al-salam, at the end of Time - whose mention has reached the level of tawattur in sahih ahadith – simply because some impostors claim it, such as Mirza Ghulam Ahmad al-Qadiyani. Some of them, like Shaykh al-Shaltut, have explicitly denied it. Also, I am fairly certain that everyone who denies the ‘AQIDAH of the Mahdi also denies it too.[^22]

This means that whoever does not believe in the descent of Prophet ‘Isa, ‘alaihi al-salam, during the End Time or in the coming of the Mahdi and his mission and activities, has a defective iman (faith). Shaykh Ibn Baz (d. 1420 H) puts the matter forward in an even stronger manner:

Sahih and mutawatir reports have been reported from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, concerning the descent of the Masih Ibn Maryam from the sky during the End Time, and concerning the coming out of Yajuj and Majuj and the coming out of the Dajjal during the End Time, and concerning the arrival of the Mahdi. All these four are well-proved - the Mahdi during the End Time who will fill the earth with equity after it had been filled with oppression; the descent of the Masih Ibn Maryam; the coming out of the Dajjal during the End Time, and the coming out of Yajuj and Majuj – each of these is well proved through sahih**,** mutawatir ahadith from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. THEREFORE, denial of them is kufr (disbelief and apostasy) and dhalal (heresy).[^23]

We also read this Q&A by the same Shaykh:

(Question) There is a man with us who denies the Masih al-Dajjal, THE MAHDI, the descent of ‘Isa, ‘alaihi al-salam**, and Yajuj and Majuj, and does not believe any of it**, and rejects the authenticity of the ahadith narrated about (all) that …. And he performs salat and fasts, and fulfils the obligatory duties (of Islam). So, what is his status?....

(Answer) Anyone like this man is a kafir.^24

It is thus absolutely obligatory upon all Muslims to believe in the coming of Muhammad the Mahdi from the offspring and Ahl al-Bayt of the noble Rasul to overturn oppression and injustice in our world. Failure to uphold this belief may kick a Muslim out of Islam.

Another point is that the supplication ‘alaihi al-salam (peace be upon him) is added after the name of the Mahdi too, like in the case of prophets and angels. Al-Albani again says about ‘Isa b. Maryam:

He (‘Isa) himself will be led in salat by the Mahdi, ‘alaihima al-salam (peace be upon them both).[^25]

And:

It is like how some sects did in the past when they denied the existence of divine destiny in order to invalidate the doctrine of fatalism, and how some contemporary ‘ulama deny the ‘aqidah of the descent of ‘Isa and the rise of al-Mahdi, ‘alaihima al-salam.[^26]

Imam al-Mubarakfuri (d. 1282 H) submits too:

Al-Khaṭṭabi (d. 388 H) said: “That will occur during the time of the Mahdi or ‘Isa, ‘alaihima al-salat wa al-salam (peace and blessings be upon them both), or during the time of both of them.”[^27]

However, we have seen Sunni scholars who prefer to say radhiyallahu ‘anhu and other supplications instead.

Lastly, one of the titles of the Mahdi is al-Muntazar (the Awaited). Imam al-Kattani (d. 1345 H) gives this heading in his book:

The coming out of the Promised Mahdi, the Awaited (al-Muntazar) al-Faṭimi (i.e. from the offspring of Faṭimah).[^28]

Al-Mubarakfuri also writes:

Al-Qadhi al-Shawkani (d. 1250 H) said in al-Fath al-Rabbani: “What I have been able to study from the ahadith documented about the Awaited Mahdi (al-Mahdi al-Muntazar) are fifty ahadith.”[^29]

The title of one of Dr. al-Bastawi’s books bears the appellation as well:

The Awaited Mahdi (al-Mahdi al-Muntazar) in the Light of Sahih Ahadith and Athar and the Statements of the Scholars and the Views of Different Sects.

In that same book, he mentions this book by Imam Ibn Hajar al-Haythami (d. 974 H):

A Concise Statement on the Signs of the Awaited Mahdi (al-Mahdi al-Muntazar).[^30]

He further cites a book by Shaykh Mur’i b. Yusuf al-Hanbali (d. 1033 H):

The Benefits of Thinking about the Appearance of the Awaited Mahdi (al-Mahdi al-Muntazar).[^31]

He gives also the title of a treatise by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Muhsin al-‘Abbad, whom he identifies as a former Vice Chancellor of the Islamic University of al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, published in the journal of the university of Dhu al-Qa’dah 1389 H, pp. 126-164:

The ‘Aqidah of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Athar Concerning the Awaited Mahdi (al-Mahdi al-Muntazar).[^32]

This again reminds that the issue of the Mahdi is a matter of ‘aqidah.

‘Allamah al-Albani mentions this as well:

رأس سنة (1400) هجرية، وزعم أن معه المهدي المنتظر، وطلب من الحاضرين في

Among them, for example, are those who follow someone who calls himself the Mahdi or ‘Isa, like the Qadiyanis, who follow Mirza Ghulam Ahmad al-Qadiyani who claimed first that he was the Mahdi, then he claimed that he was ‘Isa (b. Maryam), then he claimed prophethood. Another example is that of the Saudi group (Juhayman)[^33] that perpetrated the crisis of the Haram of Makkah at the beginning of 1400 Hijri, and claimed that the Awaited Mahdi (al-Mahdi al-Muntazar) was with it, and demanded allegiance for him from those present (in Makkah).[^34]

[^1]: Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurṭubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnauṭ], vol. 3, p. 70, # 11683

[^3]: Abu Hatim Muhammad b. Hibban b. Ahmad b. Hibban b. Mu’adh b. Ma’bad al-Tamimi al-Darimi al-Busti, Sahih Ibn Hibban bi Tartib Ibn Balban (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 2nd edition, 1414 H) [annotators: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani and Shu’ayb al-Arnauṭ], vol. 15, p. 236, # 6823

[^6]: Abu Dawud Sulayman b. al-Ash’ath al-Sijistani al-Azdi, Sunan (Dar al-Fikr) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 2, p. 509, # 4283

[^8]: Dr. ‘Abd al-‘Alim ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Bastawi, al-Mahdi al-Muntazar fi Dhaw-i al-Ahadith wa al-Athar al-Sahihah wa Aqwal al-‘Ulama wa Ara al-Firaq al-Mukhtalifah (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm; 1st edition, 1420 H), p. 238

[^9]: Qur’an 2:213

[^10]: Qur’an 16:36

[^11]: Abu ‘Abd Allah Na’im b. Hammad al-Maruzi, Kitab al-Fitan (Dar al-Fikr; 1414 H) [annotator: Prof. Dr. Suhayl Zakar], part 5, p. 221

[^12]: Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Aṭa], vol. 1, p. 445, # 2999

[^13]: Ibid, vol. 1, p. 501, # 3398

[^14]: Abu ‘Abd Allah Na’im b. Hammad al-Maruzi, Kitab al-Fitan (Dar al-Fikr; 1414 H) [annotator: Prof. Dr. Suhayl Zakar], part 5, p. 220

[^15]: Abu Dawud Sulayman b. al-Ash’ath al-Sijistani al-Azdi, Sunan (Dar al-Fikr) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 2, p. 509, # 4285

[^17]: Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad b. ‘Abd al-Halim b. Taymiyyah al-Harrani, Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (Muasassat Qurṭubah; 1st edition, 1406 H) [annotator: Dr. Muhammad Rashad Salim], vol. 8, p. 254

[^18]: There are valid objections to the reliability of this ‘Asim. We will be examining them later in this book. So, this hadith has a dha’if chain due to this ‘Asim. However, its matn is confirmed in sahih Sunni ahadith, as our esteemed reader can see.

[^19]: Abu ‘Isa Muhammad b. ‘Isa al-Sulami al-Tirmidhi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih Sunan al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 4, p. 505, # 2230

[^22]: Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah wa Shayhun min Fiqhihah wa Fawaidihah (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1415 H), vol. 4, p. 43, # 1529

[^23]: ‘Abd al-‘Aziz b. ‘Abd Allah b. Baz, Fatawa Nurun ‘ala al-Darb (Dar al-Waṭan; 1st edition, 1428 H), vol. 1, p. 355

[^25]: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Qissat al-Masih al-Dajjal wa Nuzul ‘Isa (‘Amman: al-Maktabah al-Islamiyyah; 1st edition, 1421 H), p. 54, footnote # 1

[^26]: Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah wa Shayhun min Fiqhihah wa Fawaidihah (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1416 H), vol. 6, p. 368, # 2668

[^27]: Abu al-‘Ala Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Mubarakfuri, Tuhfat al-Ahwazi bi Sharh Jami’ al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1410 H), vol. 6, pp. 514-515

[^28]: Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Ja’far al-Idrisi al-Kattani, Nazam al-Mutanathir min al-Hadith al-Mutawatir (Egypt: Dar al-Kutub al-Salafiyyah; 2nd edition), p. 225, # 289

[^29]: Abu al-‘Ala Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Mubarakfuri, Tuhfat al-Ahwazi bi Sharh Jami’ al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1410 H), vol. 6, p. 402

[^30]: Dr. ‘Abd al-‘Alim ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Bastawi, al-Mahdi al-Muntazar fi Dhaw-i al-Ahadith wa al-Athar al-Sahihah wa Aqwal al-‘Ulama wa Ara al-Firaq al-Mukhtalifah (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm; 1st edition, 1420 H), p. 42, # 7

[^31]: Ibid, p. 42, # 9

[^32]: Ibid, p. 137, # 33

[^33]: This is a reference to Juhayman b. Muhammad b. Sayf al-‘Utaybi (September 16, 1936 – January 9, 1980), an ultra-Salafist from Najd in Saudi Arabia, who militarily took control of the Ka’bah in Makkah on November 20, 1979 and held its pilgrims hostage. He was an ex-student of Shaykh Ibn Baz, and had become very dissatisfied with the Salafi credentials of the Saudi monarchy. He led a small militia of 1300-1500 to seize the Haram Mosque, and then announced his son-in-law – Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Qahṭani – as the Mahdi. He was eventually defeated, after three weeks, by a combination of the Saudi army, the Pakistani army (who were called upon for help by Saudi authorities), and French commandos (similarly invited) who tactically converted to Islam in order to be able to take part in the military operations. He was publicly beheaded, along with 67 of his fighters, on January 9, 1980.

[^34]: Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah wa Shayhun min Fiqhihah wa Fawaidihah (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1415 H), vol. 5, p. 278, # 2236