The Blessed Birth of Imam Mahdi

The Birth of the Savior of the World

The first moments after the birth of Imam Mahdi, his shining and holy body was before the very eyes of Lady Hakimah. In the beginning of this chapter, we will see that the infant boy testifies to God Almighty’s oneness, to His Prophets’ prophethood, and to the boy’s forefathers’ divinely ordained leadership (i.e. Imamate).

We will then see that angels descend from the skies to compliment and congratulate Imam Hasan for the birth of the newborn. The infant boy will then recite the verses in the Celestial Books of the Prophets who came before the Holy Prophet Muhammad in front of his father Imam Hasan, which is another miracle of the greatness of Imam Mahdi. Finally, we will see that the Archangels take the infant boy up to the heavens and specifically to the Throne of God Almighty.

The Birth of the Awaited Son at Dawn

On Friday sunrise, the fifteenth day of Sha`ban AH 255, corresponding to July 29th, AD 869, the Last Promise of God Almighty came in this world. Imam Mahdi the Patron of the Age spread his holy light to all over the world!

At that moment, Lady Hakimah, who was beside Imam Hasan, was asked by him to re-enter Nargis’s room. Complying with Imam’s order, stopped suddenly in front of Nargis’s room stunned, because the room was full of pure and Divine light! She then saw a beautiful, sweet infant boy who was bowing down toward the kiblah direction and praising God Almighty.

Astonished, Lady Hakimah saw Nargis’s face and forehead shining more splendidly than the midday sun!

Bowing Down Towards the Kiblah Direction

While Imam Mahdi bowed down towards the kiblah direction, he also raised his index finger towards the sky and uttered these words: “I testify that there is no god but Allah! I also believe in a single, unique God and there is no partner for Him. I testify that my ancestor is the Messenger of God and I testify that my father the Commander of the believers was the Proof of God!”

Then, Imam Mahdi said the names of his illustrious ancestors and called them Proofs of God Almighty. when Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) uttered God’s Holy Names, he added: “O God Almighty! Please, fulfill Your promise for me and help me finish my duty! Make my steps constant and firm and spread Your justice and equity all over the world at my hand!”

The Companions of Imam Mahdi

After having pronounced those holy prayers, Imam Mahdi sat on his knee, raised his head and his index finger toward the sky, and sneezed a few times. After each sneeze, Imam Mahdi uttered, “Praise be the Lord God and the Creator of the worlds! And may God’s greetings and blessings be bestowed on Muhammad and his holy Family! I am a servant of God, submissive without any pride, and I will always invoke and remember my Creator, God Almighty! The power of darkness thinks wrongly that the Proof of God has been destroyed so far; if we were permitted to talk, surely all doubts and hesitations would have vanished!”

After that, a multitude of white birds descended from Heaven and rubbed their sweet, white, and pure wings on Imam Mahdi’s tender feet, hands, and holy face. When Lady Hakimah narrated these events to Imam Hasan, he smiled and said, “Those are the purest angels of God! They have come down to consecrate themselves! They are to be his companions on the Day of Resurrection.”

Transferring WilaYah to Imam Mahdi

The Archangel in charge of Paradise is called Rizwan. He had the honor of washing the holy body of the newborn baby in the Pond of Kawthar and Salsabil. Then, Lady Hakimah washed once again the baby, held him tightly in her arms, and smelled the ethereal perfume of the holy body of the infant boy. She then saw a inscription written on the right forearm of Imam Mahdi: “The truth has come and the falsehood has vanished. Surely, falsehood is a vanishing thing.”

Nargis and Lady Hakimah spoke and played for a few minutes with the infant boy while he was laughing. Then Imam Hasan said, “My dear aunt! Would you please bring on my son here to me?”

Lady Hakimah smiled once more at the baby, enveloped him in a silk cloth, and went to Imam Hasan’s room. Imam Mahdi while in the hands of lady Hakimah saluted his father. Imam Hasan replied to his son’s greetings, sat him on his own knees, and recited the adhan statements in his right ear and the iqamah statements in his left ear. He then placed his tongue over the eyes and ears of his baby boy and then inside the mouth of his son. This was done because he wanted his son to see, hear, and talk with justice and Imam Hasan transferred the pure elixir of his wilayah to his holy son.

Having performed these important acts, Imam Hasan embraced his newborn most tenderly, kissed his hands, feet and face, and pressed him tightly to his chest.

The First Words of the Newborn

Imam Hasan pampered the face and head of his son tenderly and said to him with a fond smile, “O living Proof of God Almighty! O essence of the Prophets’ difficulties! O last Imam appointed by our God! O possessor of the shining Return! O shining light from inside the deep oceans! O successor of pious men and women! O one and only light of all Prophets and Imams! Now, by God’s will, speak up!”

Imam Mahdi thus spoke: “In the name of God the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Greetings of God Almighty to Muhammad the well-chosen and last Prophet of God, to `Ali the well-pleased, commander of the believers, and father of Imams, to Fatimah Zahra' the holy mother of the Imams, to Hasan and Husayn the sons of `Ali, the glorious martyrs, and the chiefs of the youth of Heaven, to `Ali ibn Husayn, to Muhammad ibn `Ali, to Ja`far ibn Muhammad, to Musa ibn Ja`far, to `Ali ibn Musa, to Muhammad ibn `Ali, to `Ali ibn Muhammad, and to my father Hasan ibn `Ali.”

Imam Mahdi prayed then for his companions and for his Shi`ite followers and then stopped talking.

Reciting the Holy Books of the Prophets

Imam Hasan asked, “My son! Do recite all the Holy Books of the passed Prophets.”

Imam Mahdi thus recited the Book of Abraham in Syrian; the Books of Prophet Noah, Prophet Idris, Prophet of ¯alih, the Torah of Moses, the Bible of Jesus, and the Holy Qur'an of his forefather Muhammad the last Messenger of God. He then told their life stories.”

Imam Hasan said to him, “My son, you are the living argument of God against the peoples and nations! You are the Face of God towards which those who pray Him turn their faces! You are the protected trust of God! You are a memory of one of the branches of the Heavenly Tree Tuba! You are the child of the farthest lote-tree! You are the successor of virtuous men and women! You are the core of mysteries and secrets of God! You are the memory of the Pure! You are the Final Day of the world! You are the child of the Glorious Names of God Almighty! You are the child of the Greater Monotheism! You are the huge and prominent veil of God Almighty! You are the connection link between the earth and the heavens! You are the Face of God Almighty; from the past until the present time, pious men have always been aware of your high rank! Because of your holy existence, God Almighty sustains His creatures! Your holy existence on earth is the reason of the survival of the creatures of God Almighty! Your existence is the reason of the constant, firm condition of the earth and the heavens! You are the argument from among many other arguments of God Almighty! You are the safeguard of the believers! You are the last savior of the virtuous men! You are the remembrance of the Prophets! You are aware of the entire knowledge and science! This child is the completion of the signs of God Almighty and the traditions of the holy Family of Banu-Hashim! He is the memory of the light of God! He is the memory of the Holy Prophet! He is the memory of the Straight Path of our God! He is the memory of our merciful, clement Prophet! He is from the holy Family who possess the most eminent, the highest rank, and the greatest position in the Presence of God Almighty! He is the successor of the mysteries and secrets of prophethood, Imamate, caliphate, leadership, purity, and Divine wisdom.

He is the child of the shining, the clear signs, and the child of the splendid fourteen stars of Imamate who govern all the creatures on earth and who know all the mysteries of the universe and all the things that are usually hidden to humankind. They [the Imams] know everything in the mind and hearts of the people and are witnesses of the people’s deeds and actions.

Our Holy Qur'an, which is an obvious, shining proof, is testifying and approving all these aspects, which belong to them. That is so because the Imams are the first and the last lords on earth! They are the possessors of everything and everywhere by the will of God Almighty!

God Almighty has given a little drop from the ocean of our existence and a shaft from our shining light and a piece of knowledge from our Divine, vast knowledge to His Prophets! That is because just a unique word from the Glorious Name of Allah was among the Prophets, and they could accomplish so many miracles! While all the seventy words of the Glorious Name of Allah and also what had been in the possession of the other Prophets were beside the holy Family of Muhammad!

Greetings of Imam Mahdi to his mother Nargis

Then Imam Hasan said, “My dear aunt! Please take Mahdi to his mother so that she may feed her son. Then, come back here again along with my son. Give Mahdi to his mother and make her happy, for truly God’s Promise is constant and firm!”

Lady Hakimah gave the baby to his delighted mother and Imam Mahdi with a sweet, innocent smile greeted her. Nargis embraced joyfully her son, pressed him tightly to her bosom, smelled his sweet, pure perfume, and kissed him a lot. She then breastfed him happily.

Greetings of the Servants

By God Almighty’s permission, Imam Hasan called some of his faithful, loyal servants he was sure about their manners. He knew that they would never disclose the news of the infant’s birth to strangers. He called on them to enter the room and be the witnesses of this birth. Imam smiled and said, “Come! Come here and greet my son. You may also kiss him. Then, you may bid farewell to him and leave.”

A few minutes later, the loyal servants who lived in Imam Hasan’s house entered the room. They were very excited and happy that they could offer their greetings to Imam Mahdi. They then left them alone. Imam Hasan said, “My aunt! Please bring Nargis here to bid farewell to her son.”

She came in the room and bid farewell to her newborn while she was deeply sad.

The Green Birds

Suddenly, a lot of beautiful green birds appeared and surrounded Imam Hasan, Imam Mahdi, Nargis, Lady Hakimah. Imam Hasan greeted, talked to one of them, and then said, “Please, take my son and protect him until you reach the Presence of God Almighty.”

That same bird took Imam Mahdi and along with its companions left Imam Hasan and his family and flew high above to reach the heavens. Imam Hasan closed his eyes and said, “My son, I entrust you with the Hands of the Merciful God, just as what the mother of Moses did.”

After a while, Lady Hakimah asked, “My lord! Who were those birds?” Imam smiled and said, “The one to whom I gave my son was Archangel Gabriel! The others accompanying ones were the Angels of Blessing.”

When Nargis saw that the birds had gone away with his newborn, she started silently to cry. But her husband Imam Hasan comforted her tenderly and calmly and said, “My sweet wife! Do not worry. Soon the will of God Almighty will give your son back to you just like Prophet Moses when he was returned to his mother! Know that no one has the permission to feed our son except you!”

In the Presence of God Almighty in the Empyrean

When Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) soared high up to the sky, two other archangels took him to the empyrean. God Almighty from His Glorious Throne spoke to him saying, “Welcome! Greetings to you, My chosen servant who are sent down to support My religion and put into practice My commands! I swore and promised to Myself that by your hand I will reprimand and torment the wrongdoers, and bless and forgive my believers! O My archangels! Take My chosen servant with honor and respect to his father! Tell him his son is verily My last living proof on earth. Mahdi will be under My pledge and protection until the day when I will fulfill an eternal justice and truth. I will then destroy the wicked wrongdoers and all things vain and futile and make my last religion eternal and everlasting through his hands.”