Imam Mehdi: The End Times Caliph

In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful.

May the peace and blessings of God be upon you all.

I will start today's blog with a du'a that I probably should have been making for all my posts. O God, if there are any errors in this blog, or more importantly, if I am committing any sins in any of the statements or comments I make, then I ask that You, in your infinite mercy and grace, for forgiveness.

I make this du'a because a lot of what I preach and write about is beyond what is confirmed in Islam. For example - I concentrate a lot on philosophical issues, such as the nature of God, the status of the prophets (a), and I touch up on a lot of issues in which I differ with tradition Muslims of all sects. Some of these issues are not set in stone. I try my best to base ALL of my theories on clear Qur'anic proofs as a base of support, and I use hadiths for an extra punch.

However I will be writing this post purely based on hadiths. Now, God has not promised to protect the Sunnah of the Prophet (s), nor has He promised to protect any of His other revelations found in books like the Bible.

The topic for today's discussion is IMAM MEHDI (a): THE END TIMES CALIPH

As a Sunni Muslim growing up, I knew nothing of Imam Mehdi. He was never talked about, despite being raised in a religious, pious family and surrounding. This, though, is not the fault of my parents or teachers - Sunni Muslims generally just do not talk about Imam Mehdi. The first time I had heard his name was when I had learned more about Shi'ah Islam, and through that journey for knowledge, I had learned the three major opinions of Imam Mehdi.

#1. Skepticism

About 86% of the world's Muslims fall into the mainstream Sunni sect. From personal experience as a former Sunni Muslim, I had realized that most of my brothers and sisters had either known nothing about the Mehdi, or they were not sure of his existence. Till today, my family has no formal belief regarding his existence. Many scholars and sheiks of the sect have even refused to talk about him.

#2. An End-Times Muslim reviver

The Sunni, Sufi, and other Muslims who do believe in some form of an Imam Mehdi find their beliefs in hadith books such as Tirmidhi and Sunan Abu Dawud. The overall message portrayed in these books is that the Mehdi is simply a Muslim who will be born in the end times, and will rule among the Muslims at the time of the Anti-Christ and the return of the Messiah Jesus (a).

#3. The 12th Imam

The opinion held by the Twelver Shi'ah is that Imam Mehdi (a) was born in 869 CE, and was the son of the 11th Imam, Hassan al-Askari (a). Shortly after the death of his father, the Mehdi had gone into occultation - where he was hidden from public view - but he had kept in contact with four deputies, who had relayed his messages. A few days before the final deputy had died, the Imam had gone into his major occultation, where he is in contact with no human being, until God pleases.

In my transition of beliefs, I had gone through all three of these beliefs: first starting off with disbelief in the Mehdi, followed by a partial belief, a full belief in the Mehdi as simply a reviver, and finally as the 12th Imam.

EVIDENCES OF IMAM AL-MEHDI (A)

I would first like to clear up who the Mehdi is. He is NOT the Messiah. The Messiah is Jesus (a) and only Jesus. The Mehdi is simply a figure who will unite Muslims in the end times, fight against the Anti-Christ, and finally establish a peaceful Islamic rule with the Messiah Jesus (a) in the end times. A utopia.

The Mehdi is also the Muslim Caliph today, in a period where Muslims have no leadership, no government, and no guidance. He has been hidden away until we as an Ummah are ready for his return, and when God had decided his reappearance.

IT IS A POPULAR MISCONCEPTION in which some say the Mehdi was not mentioned in the Sahih Books (Bukhari and Muslim). I will narrate hadiths from Sahih books first.

Sahih Bukhari V4 Tradition #658

"What would be your situation if the Son of Marry (i.e. Jesus) descends upon you and your Imam is among you?" – Prophet Muhammed (s)

What needs to be noted is that this translation is not found in the English translation of the hadith. What you do find instead of the words "your Imam is among you" are the words "he will judge people by the law of the Qur'an and not the law of the Gospel". This is simply a mistranslation, because the Arabic text of this hadith clearly says "Wa Imamakum minkum?" which means "And your Imam is with you". Don't take my word for it, check the source yourself, and you will see what I am speaking the truth.

As a side note, anyone who studies comparative religion, the Bible and the Qur'an, would know that the Injeel and Gospel does not have a Law. Jesus (a) followed the Law of the Torah and did not bring down a new Law like Moses (a) or Muhammed (s).

So, what this hadith indicates is that when Jesus (a) returns, he return when our Imam (literally means "leader") is among us. This means the Muslims will have a leader at the end times. But this hadith isn't sufficient to prove that such a leader will be a Caliph, and that this person is Imam Mehdi so let us take a look at more hadiths.

Sahih Muslim, Kitab al Imara, Hadith 4477

“The Caliphate will not end until there have been 12 Caliphs among them… All of them will be from Quraysh. – Prophet Muhammed (s)

This hadith and many others like it in the Sahih books confirm a Caliphate of 12 successive Caliphs. There have, of course, been dozens of what Sunni Muslims call “Caliphs” from different branches of the Islamic rule, including the 4 Rashidun (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali), Hassan ibn Ali, 14 Umayyad Caliphs, and 37 Abbaside Caliphs. That’s a total of 52 if you don’t want to include the 10 Imams of Ahlul-Bayt who have not ruled. So how is it that the Prophet Muhammed (s) prophesied 12 successors after him, when in fact there were 52? Which Caliphs would you miscount? What authority will you go by and what methods will you use?

The only real solution to this conundrum is to accept the 12 consistent successors in the family of the Prophet (s). After all, the Prophet Muhammed (s) did appoint Imam Ali (a) as the Master of the believers in his farewell pilgrimage, and many Sunni Muslim sources confirm that Imam Mehdi will be from the family of the Prophet (s) and will rule as a Caliph in the end times.

But the evidence I have provided really is not enough to prove the Mehdi undoubtedly. What we have covered so far is that there has only really been 12 Caliphs, and that there will be an Imam in the end times. How could we prove that this Imam will actually rule over the Ummah like the prophecies state? What if the Caliphate is gone for good?

Sahih Muslim, Kitab al Fitan, Tradition #67

“There would be a Caliph in the last period of my Ummah who would freely give handfuls of wealth to the people without counting it” – Prophet Muhammed (s)

As the hadith clearly transpires, there will be a Caliph in the end times. This means the Muslim Caliphate will see a return, and we will have a leader of the Ummah once God wills it.

Sahih Muslim, part 2, p 193

“A group from my Ummah will fight for truth till near the Day of Judgment when Jesus, son of Mary, will descend and the leader of them (the Muslims) will ask him to lead the prayer, but Jesus declines, saying “No, verily among you God has made leaders for others and He has bestowed his bounty upon them”.

At the time of the return of the Messiah Jesus (a) where he will be finishing and fulfilling his duty as the Messiah, he will appear to this Leader. The Leader will ask Jesus (a) to lead the prayer, but Jesus (a) insists that God has made this individual and others as leaders from among the Ummah and God has bestowed His bounty on them. The leaders that Jesus (a) talks about in this hadith are of course the righteous 12 Caliphs mentioned in the other hadith, because logically, God would not shower his bounties on corrupt leaders.

So far we have gathered, using ONLY Sahih sources:

-The Prophet (s) had prophesied 12 Successors

-There will be a Caliph in the end times, and he’d therefore be the last (12^th)

-He will come from Quraysh (the tribe of the Prophet)

-He will be an Imam (leader) among us

-He will be around at the time of the return of the Messiah Jesus (a)

-The Messiah Jesus (a) will recognize his authority

These hadiths by themselves confirm the Imam Mehdi as an end-times reviver of the Muslim Ummah. As it stands, the Ummah is in turmoil, and we are facing wars, genocides, ignorance and division – these hadiths confirm, at the very least, that there will be a reestablishment of some form of the Caliphate in the end times.

IMAM MEHDI IN SUNAN AT-TIRMIDHI

Sunan at-Tirmidhi is a compilation of the traditions of the Holy Prophet (s) throughout his lifetime. It is regarded by the main body of Sunni Muslims and their scholars as being the third (and sometimes fourth) most authentic compilation of the Prophet’s life. It notes many famous Sahih and Hasan hadiths, and is a testament to the coming of the Imam Mehdi (a).

Sunan at-Tirmidhi, v2, p86, v9, pp 74-75

“Even if the entire duration of the world’s existence has already been exhausted and only one day is left [before the day of judgment], Allah will expand that day to such a length of time, as to accommodate the kingdom of a person from Ahlul Bayt, who will be called by my name. He will fill out the earth with peace and justice as it will have been full of injustice and tyranny.” – Prophet Muhammed (s)

This hadith is also related in Sunan Abu Dawud, and Musnad Ahmed ibn Hanbal, which are both considered to be part of the six major Sunni Muslim hadith compilations. The very narration contains a wealth of incredible information, and is widely related by Muslims of all sects, as it is seen as an authentic hadith. The Prophet (s) guarantees that this ruler, who is even named Muhammed and from his Ahlul Bayt (relatives), will establish a peaceful and just kingdom on the earth in the end times, even if only one day remains until the day of judgment. There are two specific interpretations to what is meant by this – either Muhammed (s) is simply guaranteeing the kingdom of his progeny in the end times by using the expression “God will expand that day”, or God will literally expand that day before Doomsday by means of His ultimate power.

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud narrates a similar hadith of the Prophet Muhammed (s) in Tirmidhi, where he is said to have proclaimed “This world will not come to an end until one person from my progeny rules over the Arabs, and his name will be the same as my name”.

From the gathered information, we must summarize that:

-This Caliph will definitely rule at the end times, possibly even the last term before the Judgment

-He will come from Ahlul Bayt, the family of the Prophet

-His name will be Muhammed

-He will have a kingdom from among the Arabs (this may signify the Middle East)

-He will fill the earth with justice and peace

NARROWING IT DOWN USING SUNNI MUSLIM SOURCES

Using the above evidences in hadith, it would be impossible to deny this end-times figure. He is clearly mentioned several times by the Prophet Muhammed (s) as being a Caliph, who will emerge from Ahlul Bayt and rule in the end times. So far, this description fulfills that of theories #2 and #3 in the beginning of this analysis. How could we know exactly who this Mehdi is?

In this portion, I will be using the famous Sunni Muslim compilations for Sunnah, such as the Sunan Abu Dawud, Sunan ibn Maja, and Musnad Ahmed ibn Hanbal.

Sunan Ibn Maja, v2, Tradition #4085

“The Mehdi is one of us, [from] the Ahlul Bayt” – Prophet Muhammed (s)

Sunan Abu Dawud, Chapter 36, Tradition #4271 (narrated by the Prophet’s wife Umm Salama)

“The Mehdi will be of my family, of the descendants of Fatima” – Prophet Muhammed (s)

Simply stated: Imam Mehdi will be from the descendants of Fatima (a). This points out that he would also be a descendant of Imam Ali (a), the husband of Fatima (a). Does this not open the possibility that Imam Mehdi may actually be the son of Imam Hassan al Askari (a)?

If so, this must mean Imam Mehdi has already been born. The belief held by the twelver Shi’ah and myself is that the 12^th Imam had disappeared shortly after praying the funeral prayer of his father, and had only kept in contact with four individuals, who would then relay his message to the people. Following this period is the period of the major occultation, where Imam Mehdi has been put away from our vision for the time being, and will then “re-emerge”, or “re-appear” when God wills, at the end times.

One may ask the question, is this notion of a sudden reappearance supported by any hadiths in the Sunni Muslim sources? The answer is yes:

Musnad Ahmed ibn Hanbal, v1, p 99

“God will bring out from concealment the Mehdi from my family and just before the Day of Judgment…” – Prophet Muhammed

The fact that the hadith says God will bring him “out of concealment” would suggest that God had concealed the Mehdi at one point. It does not say he will be born just before the Day of Judgment, but rather he will be revealed. This very specific wording the Prophet (s) had used fits the 12^th Imam like a glove. This is what is called an occultation. Of course, the hadith does not need to identify how long the occultation of the Mehdi will be, because only God Himself knows when the Hour is.

Sunan ibn Maja, v2, Tradition #5083

“The Mehdi will appear in my Ummah. He will appear for a minimum of 7 or a maximum of 9 years; at that time, my Ummah will face a bountiful favour like never before. It shall have a great abundance of food, in which it need not save anything, and the wealth at that time is in great quantities, such that if a man asks the Mehdi to give him some, he will say ‘Here, take!’”. – Prophet Muhammed

The hadith describes just some of the bounties in which God will give the Ummah at the “appearance” of the Mehdi. Shi’i sources claim the 7-9 years will be a period in which the Mehdi will fight to build his kingdom, and will then rule until the Judgment. God knows best.

Some may try and argue that this narrations of the Mehdi being “brought out of concealment” and “appearing” are simply stories of the Shi’ah that have made their way into Sunni Muslim books. I would like to point out that Ahmed ibn Hanbal had died BEFORE the birth of the 12^th Imam, and that Ibn Maja had died before the major occultation had taken place. Therefore, these are not Shi’i legends, but rather real Sunni Muslim hadiths that have been passed on for long.

Some people still have a hard time believing that the Mehdi can possibly be hidden till this day. I would like to remind my readers that God managed to hide the people of the Cave for over 300 years in Surat al Cahf, and that He also had hid the Messiah Jesus (a) for almost two thousand years now – as Muslims we believe neither the people of the cave nor Jesus Christ had died, but rather God kept them alive. Similarly, God can conceal the Mehdi for whatever length of time necessary.

Sahih Muslim, Kitab al Imara, Hadith 4476

“The Caliphate will remain among the Quraysh even if only two persons are left on earth” – Prophet Muhammed (s)

Where is the Caliph today? The standard definition of what one would call a Caliphate does not exist today, and yet this prophecy says it will remain, even if only two people are left on the entire earth. This means we have a Caliph today, and by using the hadiths and proofs provided, I can conclude that the Caliph of today is the concealed, awaited and expected Imam Mehdi (a).

THE MEHDI WILL BE:

-Named “Muhammed”

-The 12^th Successor/Caliph to the Prophet Muhammed (s)

-From Quraysh, more specifically from the Ahlul Bayt, a descendant of Fatima (a)

-Concealed until the End Times

-Our Imam, our Caliph, and our Leader in the End Times

-Recognized by the Messiah Jesus (a)

-Ruling among the Arabs

-Filling the earth with justice and peace

-The Caliph of Today

IN CONCLUSION

Imam Mehdi (a) can therefore be Muhammed al-Qa’im al-Mehdi, the 12^th Imam, the son of Imam Hassan al Askari, the 11^th Imam. May God guide us all to the truth, may He forgive me if I had made any mistakes, and may He bless the Prophet (s), his family, and his followers until the Day of Judgment.