Al Mahdi (a.s)
 

Authored by:
Ayatollah Sadruddin al Sadr

Presented by:
ShiaOfAhlulbayt

http://groups.msn.com/shiaofahlulbayt

(Note: All references provided in this book are from Quran or Sunni Sources unless stated otherwise)

Table Of Contents

The reasons for writing this book and the writer's style

A glancing view

Chapter one

The holy verses about mahdi (a.s)

From the sayings of the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.)

From the sayings of ali (a.s.)

From the sayings of scholars

Poetry and prose about mahdi

Chapter two

Mahdi is from the arab descent

Mahdi is from this ummah (nation)

Mahdi is from kanane

Mahdi is from quraish

Mahdi is from bani- hashim

Mahdi is from the progeny of abdul- muttalib

Mahdi is from the progeny of abu-talib

Mahdi is from the descendant of muhammad (s.a.w.a.)

Mahdi is from the progeny of the holy prophet

Mahdi is from the family of the holy prophet

Mahdi is from kinsfolk

Mahdi is from the offspring of the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.)

Mahdi is from the progeny of ali (a.s.)

Mahdi is from the progeny of fatemah (a.s.)

Mahdi is from the progeny of sebtain (i.e. hassan and hussein)

Mahdi is from the offspring of hussein (a.s.)

Mahdi is from the ninth descendant of hussein (a.s.)

Mahdi is from the offspring of sadeq (a.s.)

Mahdi is from the offspring of reza (a.s.)

Mahdi is from the offspring of hassan askari (a.s.)

Chapter three

Mahdi and his looks

Mahdi and his character

Mahdi resembles the messenger of allah (s.a.w.a.)

Mahdi and his disposition

Mahdi and his knowledge

Mahdi and his justice

Mahdi and his generosity

Mahdi and his rule

Mahdi and his reforms

Mahdi and his allegiance

The awaited mahdi is unique

Chapter four

Mahdi and his distinction

Mahdi and his lofty position

Mahdi and isa (a.s.)

Mahdi and ummah

Mahdi and paradise

Mahdi and submission

Mahdi and truth

Mahdi and succession

Mahdi and treaty

Mahdi and angels

Mahdi and the people of the cave

Mahdi is the proof [hujjat] of allah

Mahdi and completion of religion

Mahdi is the twelfth caliph

Mahdi is the twelfth wasi (legatee)

Mahdi is the twelfth imam

Mahdi is the imam of the age

Messengership in childhood and his imamat

Chapter five

Mahdi and his birth

Mahdi's name, title and agnomen

Mahdi and his parent's name

Mahdi and his long life

Man's long-life

Views of a magazine by the name of al-muqtataf

Mahdi is alive and is given sustenance

Mahdi and those who have seen him

Chapter six

Traditions on ghaibat (occultation)

Mahdi and the manner of his occultation

Mahdi and his place of occultation

Sardab (cellar) and its visitation

Philosophy and reasons behind occultation

Questions about mahdi's fear

Mahdi's minor and major occultation

How people benefit from the hidden imam

Mahdi's deputies during the period of his occultation

Mahdi's deputies during minor occultation

Mahdi's deputies during major occultation

Chapter seven

First introduction

Second introduction

Heavenly voice

Heavenly signs

Eclipse of the sun and moon

Discord and pessimism amongst the people

Cruelty and oppression

Anarchy

Killing and death

Calamity and tribulation

Sayed khorasani

Killing of nafs-zakkiyah

Dajjal's uprising

Sufyani's uprising

Number of signs of mahdi's emergence

Traditions about the year and day of mahdi's emergence

Chapter eight

Virtue of awaiting for mahdi

Forsaking the matter of fixing the time of emergence

Mahdi's emergence at the end of time

Mahdi's qualities on the day of his emergence

Place of mahdi's emergence

Place of mahdi's allegiance

Rudiments of mahdi's truimph

Incidents which will occur in the near future

Mahdi's helpers

The angels will assist mahdi

Descension of isa- ibn-maryam (a.s.)

Blessings of mahdi's emergence

Mahdi's actions and invitation

Mahdi's virtuous way

Mahdi's praiseworthy morals

Religion will terminate in mahdi

The jews and the christians

Manifestation of the religion of islam

Mahdi's reforms

Victories and developments under mahdi's rule

The period of mahdi's caliphate and rule

Conclusion: the number and place of mahdi's helpers

Second conclusion - references

Notes

In the Name of Allah, The Exalted

Dedication

This book is dedicated to you 'o abul-qasim - muhammad-ibn-hassan-askari, 'o "baqia'tallah" (allah's remainder) on the earth and his proof over his servants. i hope to be graced with your acceptance. in reality, the value of presentation is tantamount to the capacity of its giver.

Sayyid Sadruddin al-Sadr.

In His Exalted Name

This (book) is a collection of a series of traditions which have been narrated from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.), his progeny and companions - all taken from our sunni brethren sources. it also contains sayings and writings of sunni scholars about the awaited mahdi who is from the progeny of muhammad (s.a.w.a.).

It is hoped that this book remains a means of my remembrance and a vision for others. i have arranged this book by bringing one preface, eight chapters and a conclusion. i ask allah for its success and humbly request him who is the best of the helpers for his favour.

Sayyid Sadruddin al-Sadr.

«The reason for writing this book
and the writer's style»

Some of my learned friends joined me in a noble and scholarly gathering. discussions followed concerning the authencity of traditions until it took us to the subject of the 'awaited mahdi' - a subject which we (the twelve imami'ah shias) believe and which constitutes one of the principles of religion.

Then, some of those present asked: 'what do our sunni brethrens say in this regard and whether any tradition(s) has been narrated from their sources which is compatible with our traditions or not'?

I replied: 'yes. as per their own research, they are possessing, diffused (mustafiza) and authentic (mustawatir(1) and some among them have also written books in this regard. however, a few of them have spoken about this subject from the view-point of its originality, characteristics and other points which we believe.

Yes, to them there exists controversies and (uncertainties') improbabilities which one generation usually inherits from the previous one and they speak about them and mention them in their books or writings with differences only in wordings but similar in meaning.

Thereafter one inquired: 'can you write an article with regard to this matter and restrain yourself in your writing to only those traditions which have also appeared in their references and then mention those difficulties and improbabilities (which they are disturbed with) and then give its reply'?

I replied: 'entering into such kind of affair will cause the lines of friendship to tear apart and i do not wish such a split to happen especially at present when we are in need of unity among the muslims.'

Then one of them said: 'discussions in matters pertaining to knowledge will not bring any harm if such a discussion proceeds through observing the rules of debate and if one's words do not go beyond the boundaries of courtesy and morals. in fact no one has any right to speak harshly or rebuke the others.

Indeed, man is free in his views and doctrines and it is his right to stand by them. however we see in this respect that some have harmed others through their words and hence should bear the responsibility.

Thereafter i replied: 'i accept your reasoning and shall enter this field by depending on the strength and power of allah and by observing the customary etiquettes. indeed allah guides to the right path whomever he whishes.

From among the books written by our sunni brothers in this respect which will be made use of, is only a few in my possession. i examined all of them one after the other and how inquiringly i performed my task! in most of them, the traditions about mahdi have not been mentioned in the specific chapters. thus i collected a sufficient number of the traditions needed to serve our objective and arranged them under specific topics.

I wrote every tradition under the specific topics which were related to them and with regard to those traditions which comprised of many points, i have brought each one of those points under the same related topics and then mentioned the severance of the tradition.

Let it not remain unsaid that i have narrated the afore-mentioned traditions from the very books which i had (those traditions) in my possession and with regard to those particular books which were not in my possession, i have narrated them by relying on their respective honourable scholars.

Furthermore, in narrating the traditions, i have confined myself only to those books which have been printed in sunni printing houses. moreover i have avoided narrating from those books which have been printed in iran such as 'al - bayan - fi - akhbar - saheb - e - zaman', 'al - fusool - al muhimme - fi - ma'rifat - ul - a'imma' and 'tazkerat - ul - ummah - fi - ahwaal a'imma' - except for some points extracted from the book of 'tazkerat - ul - 'aimma'.

Similarly i have refrained myself from narrating traditions from our own great scholars and from what has been deposited in our own books and writings for the simple reason that perhaps it may become a cause of suspicion (i.e. they might think that the quoted tradition is false and fabricated). however i have used some references from the book 'al - durar - al musuwia - fi - shar - al - aqa'ed - al - jafaria' written by our master ayatullah abi muhammad sayyid hassan - al - sadr kazemi who has a great right and to whom we owe a lot. i have used his references not with the intention of reasoning and argumentation but only as a means of supporting the subject at hand.

I bear witness to god that i have treated these traditions and the sayings of the past prior people from the view-point of justice only and avoided the path of injustice and deviation. i deemed it necessary upon myself to conform my belief to reason and not adapt reason to whatever i believe. anyone who reads and examines the contents of this book shall agree to what i have said.

Indeed, it is incumbent upon everyone, particularly in religious matters, to release oneself from following the track set by others and from delusions or assumptions. one should be on guard against prejudice and bigotry and only the truth should be kept in mind. what is advisable is the truth and if anyone finds it at any place, it shall embrace him.

«A glancing view»

A researcher who does research in the books of great scholars in matters such as «usul-e-din» (fundamentals of religion) or «furu-e-din» (subsidaries of religion), particularly the books of our sunni brethrens will find less an issue like mahdaviyat which has been discussed from all aspects creditibility, reliability and innumerableness of its narrators who are the leading authorities in traditions irrespective of their differences in status and standards.

Indeed, there are many topics which are a matter of consensus and rather unanimiously accepted by both sects whether in 'usul' (fundamentals) or 'furu' (subsidaries). among them the most widely written topic by ahl-e-sunnat is the topic of 'mahdi'. it is surprizing to note that they have discussed and spoken about the matter of 'mahdaviyat' for days and nights.

Indeed, as per their own research they have narrated traditions about 'mahdi' from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) himself, some from his noble companions and some from his wives with the differences in the length of the traditions.

They have taken out lengthy and brief traditions concerning 'mahdi' from their leading traditionists such as bukhari, muslim, nesa'ee, abu dawoud and ibn-maaja.

And among the experts of traditions we may mention such names as imam ahmad-ibn-hanbal, abul qasim tabarani, abu naeem esfahani, hamaad-ibn-yaqub raujani and hakem, the author of 'mustadrak'.

Similarly names such as ganji, sebt-ibn-jauzi, khaurazmi, ibn hajar, mulla ali muttaqi, the author of 'kanzul-ummal', shablanji and qunduzi too cannot be overlooked.

Some of their books in this regard are: 'manaqib al-mahdi', 'fourty traditions from abu na'eem esfahani, 'bayan-fi-akhbar-saheb-uz-zaman' from abi abdulla ganji, 'al-burhan-fima-ja'a-fi saheb-uz-zaman' from mulla ali muttaqi the author of kanzul-ummal, 'akhbar-al-mahdi' from hamaad-ibn-yaqub raujani 'arf-ul-wardi- fi akhbar mahdi' and 'alamaat al-mahdi' both from jalaluddin suyuti and the book of 'al-qaul - ul mukhtasar - fi -alamaat mahdi muntazar' from ibn-hajar - asqalani.

Indeed traditions from the holy prophet about 'mahdi-e-muntazar' and the qa'em from the progeny of muhammad (s.a.w a.) which have been narrated through the sunni sources are numerous in number. rather they are 'mutawatir' (authentic) regarding their own statements.

Such says ibn hajr on page 99 of 'sawa'eq' 'abul hussein abri says that the traditions which have come from the holy prophet (s.a.w a.) about the advent of 'mahdi' and the fact that he is from ahl-ul-bait have come from successive transmitters.

Shablanji, on page 231 of 'nur-ul-absar' says: «the tradition from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) stating that mahdi is from my progeny and shall fill the earth with justice has come from successive transmitters.»

In the second volume of 'fotouhat-e-islamiah' on page no. 322, zaini dehlaan says: «the traditions which speak about the advent of mahdi are many in number and are 'mutawatir' (authentic). among them there may be traditions which are 'sahih' (correct), 'hassan' (favourable) or 'za'eef' (weak). however considering the numerousness of such ('sahih') traditions and the multiplicity of its narrators, one cannot but accept them to be authentic.

In the second volume of the same page he mentions that allama sayyid muhammad-ibn-rasul - barzanji has specified in the end of his book «ashshat - fi - ashraat - e - sa'ah», that traditions about mahdi are 'mutawatir' (authentic). he also says: 'the fact that the matter of 'mahdaviyat' is decisive and that he shall be from the progeny of fatemah (a.s.) and he shall fill the earth with justice are all authentic.(2)

What we have said has been a part of specification of such scholars about the authenticity and reliability of the traditions concerning mahdi, the awaited one.

On this basis, as per the fixed principles in traditions, there remains no room for any doubt, leave aside denying them.

If we do away with those specifications and testemonies and examine the traditions of this chapter from the view - point of the chain of transmission and significance, we can divide them into three parts:-

First part: those traditions whose chain of transmission and expression are evident and are devoid of any doubt. moreover, as per the research undertaken by leaders of ahl-e-sunnah and their leading authorities (in traditions) they have confessed in the authenticity and reliability of such traditions. hakem in his 'mustadrak' has acknowledged the authenticity of some of them, based on the views of bukhari and muslim(3) and there is no doubt in the necessity of accepting such traditions and acting upon them.

Second part: those traditions where their chain of transmission are incorrect and their falsity evident and moreover the fixed principles (of traditions) also necessiates us to accept them because on the one hand they are as strong as the first part and, on the other hand, accepting them appears to be more common and general. rather its contents have been verified by common consensus.

Third part: those traditions which include both aspects - correctness as well as weakness. however, due to its incompatibility with all the other authentic traditions, they need to be rejected and not taken into account. in other words, if it is not possible to esoterically interpret them so that they come in agreement with all other traditions, like the ones which express the name of mahdi to be ahmad or his father's name to be the same as the name of the holy prophet's father or that he will be from the progeny of abu muhammad hassan zaki and not abu muhammad hassan askari, are all to be rejected. moreover, as far as research shows, such traditions are few in number and what is generally known is that they have been turned aside.

It is possible to say that the first point (i.e. mahdi's name) may have sprung due to the traditions specifying that the name of mahdi is the same as the holy prophet's name. then it was thought that by the holy prophet's name is meant ahmad; although what we derive from the diffused traditions is muhammad. similarly it is believed that the second and third points too have been forged and shortly you shall come to know of its details and facts.

The point which we are compelled to mention in this regard is that a few traditions of the first and second parts (apparently one or two traditions) comprises such contents that it necessiates their rejection and history as well as examination of such traditions will testify to their falseness. the fixed principles in the code of fundamentals stipulates that whenever a tradition includes some sentences where each one possesses independence or conveys its own meaning and the general consensus rejects a part of them, the very sentence has to be discounted and the rest of the tradition is to be kept. although faazel farid vajdi afandi, the author of «da'eratul-ma'aref» (a sunni scholar) has repudiated this principle and considers it incumbent to cast away the full tradition, we, too, shall agree with him (although our opinion differs) and disregard such traditions. the remaining traditions will be sufficient enough to prove our point.

Chapter One

«The Holy Verses»

Nahjul balagha: wise sayings of ali (a.s.) - no 205

«The world would bend towards us after having been refractory just as the biting she-camel bends towards its young.»

A metaphoric remark that just as during the time of the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) the apparent and esoteric 'vilayat' (mastership) were both found in his household, in the same way and at the time of the reappearance of hazrat mahdi (a.s.), the apparent government and esoteric 'vilayat' will be made ready for that leader).

Thereafter, he recited this verse-

(and we desired to bestow a favour upon those who were deemed weak in the land, and to make them the imams, and to make them the heirs)

Ibne abil hadeed mo'tazali in his commentary on nahjul - balagha says on page 329 vol. 4 as such: 'our companions mention that is this verse, allah has promised the imam and leader that he would have possession of the land and gain control over all the nations.

In the seventh chapter of «eqdud - durar», abu abdulla na'eem - ibn - hemad narrates as such: 'imam abu ishaaq salbi in 'tafseer' (interpretation) of the divine saying of (hamaasaq) has quoted ibn - abbass as saying: (the 'h') refers to the battle between quraish and the slaves in which the quraish would be the victors; (the 'm') refers to the kingdom and government of bani - umayyah; (the 'aa') is the sign of exaltation and honour of bani - abbass; (the 's') refers to the age of mahdi and (the 'q') is a symbolic sign of the coming of isa at the time of emergence of mahdi. the author says that some have interpreted (s) as the brightness of mahdi and (') as the power of isa-ibn-maryam. (i.e. jesus christ)

Ibn hajar in his sawa'eq (page 16) interprets the divine saying « as such:

'among the exegetists, maqatel - ibn - sulaiman and his followers have said that this verse has been revealed in favour of mahdi. es'aaf - ur raghebeen too has written the same on page 156.(4)

The author of «nur-ul-absar» on page 228 has narrated from abu abdullah ganji as such: «about the interpretation of allah's words

Sayyid-ibn-jubair says; 'it refers to mahdi from the progeny of fatemah - the one who, by decree of this verse shall dominate over all other religions.»

In «yanabi-ul-mawadda» page 443 it is narrated from manaqib - khawrazmi from jabir-ibn-abdulla ansari a lengthy incident wherein a jew approaches the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) and asks him various questions which results in his converting to islam. one of the questions which the convert had asked was about the successors to the holy prophet himself and the prophet's reply that they were twelve in number. he counted each one of them by name until he got to the name of imam muhammad hassan askari. thereafter he said: 'after him shall come his son muhammad who will be known as mahdi, qa'em and hujjat(5). then he will disappear temporarily, reappear again and when he does so he shall fill the earth with equity and justice. since by then the earth would have been filled with cruelty and oppression. blessed are those who are patient during the period of his occultation and blessed are those who are steadfast in their love towards him. they are those whom allah has praised in his book with such words-

[(Quran is a guide to those who guard (against evil), those who believe in the unseen i.e. mahdi and his occultation]

Also, allah says:-

[They are those who belong to the party of allah; know that the party of allah are the victorious ones.]

«Tradition ends»

In the afore-said book, on page 448 he quotes from the book of «fara'ed-us-semtain» a tradition which hassan - ibn - khalid has narrated from abu hassan ali-ibn-musa reza (a.s.) about mahdi where he mentions that he would be the fourth from his descendants and that when he reappears, the earth would be engulfed with the divine light. thereafter imam continued as such: he is the one whose reappearance shall coincide with the call of a caller from the sky such that all the inhabitants of the land shall hear this cry:- 'know that the hujjat (proof) of allah has appeared near the house of allah. so follow him since the truth is in him and with him. the word of allah too refers to the same.

[If we please, we should send down upon them a sign from the heavens so that their necks should stoop to it.]

Naishabouri in his «tafseer» (vol. 1.) in interpreting the verse of ( ' )-says: some of the shias believe that (i.e. unseen) in this verse refers to mahdi, the awaited one; the one who allah has promised about him in his book as such:

[Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that he will most certainly make them rulers in the earth.]

Moreover, about him the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) has mid the following:

«If there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, god almighty will set the day so long, until a person from my progeny who carries the same name as mine, shall appear and fill the earth with justice opposite the extent it had been filled with injustice and oppression.(6)

Naishabouri further says that according to the ahl-e-sunnat, the afore-said verse gives indication to the imamate of «khulafa-e-rashedin» (rightly-guided caliphs) because the word of «menkom» in the holy verse indicates 'part' (of) and it is necessary for this 'part' (of) to be present at the time of addressing. also, it is well-known that those four caliphs (abu bakr, omar, osman and ali) were men of faith and virtue and at that time were present. consequently the matter of caliphate and victory was certain for them. therefore it becomes necessary to say that this verse refers to them.

Thereafter he says: a group have gone against them arguing why it is not permissible to say that the word of denotes exposition. they consider succession over the earth to mean possession and domination over it just as it was so in the case of bani isra'il.

Again he says: let's accept that the term «'» denotes the meaning of 'part' but on what basis is it not permissible to consider that 'part' is to denote the caliphate of ali and say that has been used here in its plural form just to show the honour and great position of ali or as a reference to hazrat and his eleven offsprings after him.(7)

«From The Sayings of The Holy
Prophet»

Abu dawoud in his 'sahih' on page 87, vol. 4 narrated from abdulla a tradition from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as follows: 'if there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, god almighty will set the day so long until he appoints a person from my progeny.'

Thereafter he says - similarly it has come in hadith sufyan that the holy prophet has said: 'the life of this world shall not end until an arab from my progeny will rule over the world.'(8)

The same book on the afore-said page and volume mentions a tradition from ali (a.s.) who narrates from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as follows: 'if there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, surely god shall appoint a person from my progeny.'

Tirmidhi in vol. 2 of his 'sahih' on page 270 narrates a tradition from abdullah who narrates from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) that he said: 'the life of this world shall not cease to exist until an arab from my progeny shall come and rule.'

Tirmidhi says: this tradition is (acceptable) and (correct) and the same has also been narrated from ali, abu sa'eed, umm-salma and abu huraira.

Also, in the afore-said book on the same page of the same volume, a tradition has been narrated by abu hurair from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as follows:

'If there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, god almighty will set the day so long until a person from my progeny shall come and rule.' then he says: this 'hadith' is (acceptable) and (correct).(9)

Ibn-hajar in his «sawa'eq» on page 97 says: abu ahmad, abu dawoud, tirmidhi and ibn maaja have narrated from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as saying:

«If there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, surely god shall appoint on that day a person from my progeny.» es'aaf-ur-raghebeen too has narrated the same on page no. 147(10)

Ibn hajr in the afore-mentioned book on page 97 writes: abu dawoud and tirmidhi narrate from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as such:-

«If there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, surely god will set that day so long until he makes a person appear from my progeny.»

Esa'af-ur-raghebben too has narrated the same on page 148.

Ibn hajr, in the afore-mentioned book on page 97 says: abu dawoud and tirmidhi have narrated from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as such: 'the life of this world shall not cease to exist until a person from my progeny shall come and rule.'

Es'aaf-ur-raghebben too has narrated the same on page 148.

Ibn hajar in «sawa'eq» (page 97) writes: abu dawoud and tirmidhi have narrated from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as such:

'If there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, god will set the day so long, until he appoints a person from my progeny.' es'aaf-ur-raghebeen too has narrated the same on page 148.(11)

In 'nur-ul-absar' page 229 a tradition has been narrated from ali (a.s.) who narrates from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as such:

'If there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, surely god will make a person from my progeny to appear' (on that day).

Then the author continues: 'this hadith has also been narrated by abu dawoud in his 'sunan'.

In the same book on page 231, it is narrated from abu huraira who narrates from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) that:

'Qiyamat shall not be established until a person from my progeny comes and rules.(11)

On page 151 of es'aaf-ur-raghebben it is mentioned that ahmad and mawardi have narrated from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) who said:-

«Glad-tidings to you (all) about mahdi.» the same has come in 'nur-ul-absar' pg. 151.

Author of 'nur-ul-absar' writes on page 230 as such: ahmad narrates from abu sa'eed khudri that the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) has said: 'i give you glad-tidings about mahdi.'

In «yanabi-ul-mawadda» (page 432) it is narrated from qetaada who said: "'i asked sa'eed-ibn-maseeb: "is there any truth in mahdi?" he replied, 'yes, he is the truth and he is from the progeny of fatemah.'"(13)

In the same book, on the afore-said page it is narrated from ali (a.s.) who has narrated from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) that: 'if there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, indeed god shall make a person from my progeny to appear.'

Thereafter he writes: 'this hadith has also been narrated by abu dawoud, ahmad, tirmidhi and ibn-maaja.'

Also, in the same book on page 432, a tradition is narrated from 'musnad' of ahmad who has narrated from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as such:-

'Qiyamat shall not be established until the earth is filled with cruelty and oppression. then a person from my progeny shall appear and fill it with equity and justice.(14)

Again, in the afore-mentioned book on page 440 he writes: mufeq-ibn-ahmad akhtab narrates a sermon of khawarazm who takes reference from abdur-rahman-ibn-abi laili who narrates from his father who said:- 'in the battle of khaibar, the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) handed over the banner to ali (a.s.). then allah ordained victory by his hands. later, at ghadir-e-khum he reminded the people that ali was the 'maula' (master) of all believing men and women and continued until he expressed few sentences about the virtues of ali, fatemah, hassan and hussein. thereafter he said: «gabriel has informed me that after my departure they shall be subject to injustice and, oppression and this oppression shall continue until a movement is brought about by their «qa'em» and at that time their creed will be raised high, people shall turn towards their friendship, ill-speaking towards them shall diminish, those having unpleasantness for them shall be degraded and those eulogizing them shall increase. such kind of events will occur when cities shall collide with each other and people become weak and helpless of respite. at that time shall appear the «qa'em» (mahdi) from my progeny and god will manifest the truth through him and extinguish the falsehood by his sword. thereafter he said: 'o people, glad-tidings to you of relief and respite. surely the promise of allah is true and he never breaks it and his decree never gets refuted. he is all-aware and all-seeing and the victory of allah is near.(15)

In the same book on page 447 he narrates from the book of «fara'ed-us-semtain» from shaikh abu ishaaq ibrahim-ibn-yaqub who narrates from jabir-ibn-abdulla ansari that the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) has said: «the one who denies the emergence of mahdi has surely disbelied to whatever god has revealed upon muhammad and the one who denies the coming of isa (jesus) has surely become a disbeliever and the one who denies the revolt of dajjal has surely become a disbeliever.»(16)

«From the Sayings of Ali [a.s.]»

Nahjul-balagha - sermon no. 91 - statements of ali (a.s.) about mahdi (a.s.). it is a part of the sermon which he delivered with regards to bani-ummayid and their mischief towards the people until he reached to the point where he said: 'thereafter, allah shall unpleasantly widen difficulties and other occurrences upon you and (only) when the skin is cut off and the flesh is peeled off, the calamities will be obviated.' then he continued, allah shall bring this freedom and salvation through a person whose behaviour with that tribe will be harsh and severe and he shall make them suffer and he will quench them with bitter cups,(of hardships) and not extend them anything but sword.(17)

Mutazali on exegetist, in the second volume of his book (page 178), under the afore-mentioned sermon says: 'this sermon has been commemorated by a group of historians and it is common, recounted and reached the level of (estefaze) (superabundance).

After the battle of nahrawan ali (a.s.) spoke in such words: no one except me had the courage to remain steadfast and withstand those seditions and turbulences. (perhaps steadfastness at that time is refered to the khawarij because, when the companions of muawiya by the tricks of amr-aas fixed the quran on top of spears and by this way wanted to save themselves from the blow of hazrat's sword, the soldiers of ali (a.s.) by witnessing such scene hesitated in obeying his commands and in fact opposed him stating: we should not dare draw our sword on these people. or perhaps it refers to the battle against the people of jamal where those participating in it were such personalities like ayesha, thalha and zubair who were enjoying esteemed status and position in the eyes of the muslims. for this reason they did not have the courage to fight them except ali (a.s.) who fought and defeated them.)

Then ibn-abil hadeed says: a statement which razi has not mentioned is an address which he delivered about bani-ummayid, the contents of which are as follows:-

«Then surely allah will liberate the people by the hands of a person from our chaste family. may my father be sacrificed for him, whose mother is the best amongst the ladies of paradise.» thereafter he confesses to this point that ali (a.s.) in this statement is referring to mahdi, the awaited one.

Nahjul-balagha - sermon no. 148 - amongst the statements which hazrat has spoken about the news of the unseen is the following sentence:- (o' people, this is the time for the occurrence of every promised event and the approach of things which you do not know. know that whoever from among us (ahle bait - the family of the holy prophet) in the future will continue in our way with a burning lamp and will tread on the footsteps of the virtuous, in order to unfasten knots, to free slaves and to unite the divided. he would be in concealment from the people such that a track-finder would not find his footprints even though he may pursue him.)

Mutazali in the second volume of his book on page 436 under this sermon says: 'hazrat here is referring to mahdi, the awaited one and his concealment.'

Nahjul-balagha - sermon no. 180. amongst the sermons which ali (a.s.) pointed out to the people of kufa is the following sermon:- however, before narrating the sermon it is good to mention that nufil bukali relates that ali (a.s.) delivered this sermon standing on a stone which joda-ibn-hubaira mukhzumi had erected for him. ali (a.s.) had a woollen apparel on his body, the belt of his sword was made of leaves and the sandals on his feet too were of palm leaves. his forehead had a hardened spot like the knees of a camel. he spoke as such:-

'He would be wearing the armour of wisdom, which he would have secured with all its conditions, such as full attention towards it, its (complete knowledge-and exclusive devotion to it. for him it is like a thing which he had lost and which he was now seeking, or his need which he was trying to meet. if islam is in trouble he would feel forlorn like a traveller and like a (tired)camel beating the end of its tail and flattening its neck on the ground. he is the last of allah's pleas and one of the vicegerents of his prophets.'

Ibn-abil hadeed who has written a commentary on nahjul-balagha writes on page 535 of his second volume as such:

«Each group has interpreted these sayings according to their own expedient beliefs and the twelve imamiah shi'ites reckon that the person who has been referred in hazrat's speech is none other than mahdi.»

Thereafter he writes: 'as i see it, it does not appear difficult to believe that reference over here has been made to 'al -q'aem' from the progeny of muhammad (s.a.w.a.).

The author of «yanabi-ul-muwadda» on page 46 narrates from the book 'durrul-munazzam' as such: 'amongst the sayings of amir-ul-mumineen (a.s.)about mahdi and/or qa'em from the progeny of muhammad is the following sermon:

«The standard-bearer of muhammadi and the ruler of government of ahmadi shall be manifested. he is someone who will revolt with his sword, straighten the crooked, conquer the earth and revive the forsaken aspects of religious obligations and sunnah».

The author of «yanabi-ul-muwadda» on page 467 writes: some of the men of intuition and vision have narrated from amir-ul-mumineen as having said: «soon god shall bring forth a group whom he loves and they too are his lovers and the one who is like a stranger amongst them shall take over the government. verily, he shall be the 'mahdi'; his face rosy and hair golden in colour. he will fill the earth with justice without any difficulty. in his very childhood, he shall get separated from his mother and father and from the view-point of training he shall be rare and matchless. he shall rule over the muslim countries with utmost calm and security and time shall be favourable and friendly towards him. his words will be accepted; the young and old shall humbly obey him. he shall fill the earth with justice just as it had been filled with oppression. then, at that moment his imamat shall reach its perfection and viceregency will be established for him. moreover, allah will make the dead to rise from their graves and return them back to this world. then, like people who get up from their morning sleep, they shall see nothing but their own houses. the land will flourish and by blessing of his (i.e. mahdi's) existence, it shall become fresh and fruitful. seditions and disturbances shall vanish and blessings and welfare will increase manifold.(18)

«From the Sayings of Scholars»

Mo'iddin arabi, in the 3rd volume of his «futuhaat makkia» (chapter no. 366) says: «certainly allah possesses a vicegerent who shall appear when the earth will be filled with cruelty and oppression and then he shall fill it with equity and justice. if there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, allah will set the day so long until this vicegerent from the progeny of the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) and offspring of fatemah (a.s.) appears.»

Author of «eqdud-durar» in the preface of the afore-said book, after reproaching about the situation at that time and the excessiveness in seditions and disturbances says: some reckon that these circumstances will always continue whereas such kind of people have followed the superficial or external aspect of (only) some of the traditions. then i said these traditions are worthy of our acceptance and we are bound to accept and follow them. however, there is nothing in these traditions which give indication to the continuity of those circumstances until the day of qiyamat (the last day). it seems that the obviation of seditions and appearance of comforts will occur at the time when imam mahdi shall manifest himself because, many traditions which the 'ulemas' and scholars have brought in their books have given glad-tidings of his manifestation and the fact that god shall appoint a person who will be provided for his kingdom, such means which could shake the mountains and his kingdom will spread far and wide.

So he shall rule the entire earth and fill it with equity and justice. at that time will be revealed the hidden treasures and when the powerful appear, he shall present them to the people....

Author of «yanabi-ul-muwadda» on page 410 writes: shaikh kamaluddin-ibn-thalha in his book «durrul-munazzam» says as such: 'as per research, there is for allah a vicegerent who shall appear at the end of time when the earth will become filled with cruelty and oppression and indeed he shall fill it with equity and justice. if there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, he shall make this vicegerent to appear from the offspring of fatemah zahra. men of disposition shall recognize him by his protracted nose, black eye-lashes and a spot on his right cheek. his name shall be muhammad; his height above medium, his face handsome and his hair beautiful in appearance. through him, allah shall soon destroy the innovations (in religion), make upright every living thing and satiate his soldiers from the land of eden. the most prosperous before him will be the people of kufa. he shall distribute the booties equally and deal with people righteously and during his time altercations shall vanish. the clouds shall not allow but rains to descend and the land except to flourish. this imam is the same mahdi, the upholder of the commands of allah to such extent that he will banish all the false religions. then there shall remain no religion but the pure one(s)....

Author of «yanabi-ul-muwadda» on page 432 has narrated from sharif allama samhoudi from his book «jawahar-ul-nagdin» the following:

'As per research, blessing of the holy prophet's prayers at the time of ali's marriage with fatemah has been manifested in the offspring of hassan and hussein because, from their generation were those who have passed away and are those who shall come (in future). and if nobody comes in the future except imam mahdi it will be sufficient (i.e. for fulfillment of the promises and bringing into order the chaotic conditions).

Ibn athir jazari in his book «nehaya» while explaining the word «jalâ» writes: «about the qualities of mahdi it has been said that he is «ajlal-jibha» and that is the delicate hair between the eyes and ears from above and he will be the one who shall put up his hair from his face.»

Also, in explaining the word of «hudâ» he says: mahdi is the one who has been guided by allah towards the truth. this quality has been utilised in names to such extent that it has become like the names which out of prevalence, have found nominal meaning and for this reason has been named as mahdi, the one whom the holy prophet has given glad-tidings about his coming at the end of time.(19)

In the second volume of fotouhat-e-islamiah, on page 322 the author after specifying this point that traditions about mahdi are to such extent that takes one to the level of certitude, says: «what is sure in this regard is that his manifestation is certain. surely, he shall be from the offspring of fatemah and he will fill the earth with justice.». thereafter he says: sayyid muhammad-ibn-rasul barzanji has referred to this very matter in his book «al-asha'ah».

Ibn-abil hadeed in his commentary of nahjul-balagha in the second volume on page 535, while mentioning some of hazrat's speeches (which was previously narrated and we hinted in them the subject of mahdi) he says: as per research, all the muslim sects are unanimous in their opinion that the world and obligation shall not end but after the advent of mahdi who shall come at the end of time.

«Poetry and Prose About Mahdi»

The author of 'yanabi-ul-muwadda', on page 438 has attributed a poem to amir-ul-mumineen ali (a.s.) where hazrat says (to imam hussein): 'o hussein! when you shall find yourself alien in some place, associate yourself with its habit and custom! as if i see my soul and my children in karbala and its battle scene. our beards will be dyed with blood just as the dress of a bride gets dyed. i see that calamity but not with my naked eye. the key of its worth has been given to me. may allah grant a good given to me. may allah grant a good reward to our 'qaem' who is the upholder of justice'

'O hussein! qaem shall seek revenge for my blood. rather he shall seek revenge for your blood too. so be patient upon your hardship and suffering!'

On page 439. of the same book, he narrates from ali-ibn-abi talib (a.s.) the following poem:

'May allah shower this mercy and divine grace upon that valiant imam who shall make the army divisions of the polytheists object with his victorious sword. he shall manifest this religion on every part of land and will disgrace the polytheist oppressors. i have not spoken these words out of pride and vaunt. rather it has been given to me by the chosen one of al-e-hashim (i.e. holy prophet).'

Again, in the same book, on page 454 he narrates the famous ode from de'bel khuza'ee who recited it before imam reza (a.s.). he quotes de'bal as saying: i recited my ode till i came upon this part: 'the emergence of the imam who shall rise in the name of allah and his blessings is inevitable. he shall distinguish the truth and falsehood for us and reward the virtuous and punish the evil.'

Imam reza (a.s.) shed tears and then said: 'o de'bel, the trusted spirit has spoken through your tongue....

In vol. 3, chapter 366 of 'al-fotouliat-ul makkiyah' we see the following poem: 'know that the last of the saints shall be martyred and the light of universe shall become extinguished. he is the mahdi, al-e-muhammad. he is like the hindi sword, a destroyer. he is the sun's rays which brightens every cloud and the darkness. he is the first drop of rain which bestows munificence and bounty.

The author of 'yanabi-ul-muwadda' narrates on page 416 a poem from the book 'durrul-maknun' of moyiddin arabi. it is as follows: 'when time shall move ahead by means of the letters of 'bismillah', mahdi shall emerge. after keeping fast, he shall emerge from the ka'aba. send greetings to him on my behalf.'

The author of 'eqdua-durar', in section 4, writes: 'we and this chapter by a few lines of the valuable ode said by allama adab abdullah-ibn-bashar wherein he has mentioned about al-e-muhammad and the killing of 'nafs - zakkiyah':

On the occasion of killing of 'nafs-zakkiyah' there are true signs for the one who remembers it. another 'nafs' which is at work and who shall be killed near ka'aba, will emerge and invite (the people) towards imam and he shall inform that at sun-rise when a part of the day has passed, a fire shall be kindled in kufa along with a flow of blood. consequently kufa shall burn. the people of syria shall despatch towards 'baida'h' an army against them and they shall be swallowed in the land. horsemen with valiant men (like the wind which moves dust and smog) shall move forward. shoaib-ibn-saleh who is the herald and vangurad shall take them towards a sayyid who shall emerge from amongst al-e-hashim - that sayyid who on the right of his face i.e. between eyes and ears exists spot.

Also, in the preface of the same book its author has brought a poem in praise of mahdi but has not mentioned whether the poem belongs to himself or someone else. the poem is as follows:

'It is by blessings of mahdi that the goodness of religions shall be put in order. it is by blessings of mahdi that degradation of religions shall be put to an end.

It is through his help that the deserts too will become void (of cruelty and oppression).

It is through mahdi's goodness that the darkness of cruelty and oppression shall be obviated.

Greetings and salutations of allah be upon mahdi on each day.'

The author of 'yanabi-ul-muwadda' on page 466 writes: this poem is from shaikh abdul-karim yamani:-

'Its people are living in prosperity and tranquility and you shall see the light of guidance who is from the progeny of 'haider' and ahl al-bayt appears by means of «'»he shall be called as 'mahdi' and will emerge for the truth. first and foremost, he shall give commands based on the 'sunnah' of the best creature (i.e. hazrat muhammad (s.a.w.a.)).

In the same book, on page 461 he narrates the following poem from shaikh abdul-rahman basthami, author of 'durrat-ul-ma'aref'.

The eminent and the great one from the progeny of ahmad shall emerge. first of all he shall manifest the divine justice amongst the people just as the same has been narrated by hazrat abul-hassan reza (a.s.) and has also been recorded in the treasure of knowledge'.

The following poem too has been narrated by basthami on the afore-said page:

The letter of «'» after its shall triumphly emerge in mecca from the holy ka'aba. this is the same mahdi who shall emerge with truth and soon he shall be sent by allah for the truth. he shall fill the entire earth with equity and justice. first of all, he shall erase and destroy the darkness of cruelty and oppression. his custodianship for the divine affairs is from allah's side. he has been chosen by allah to be the caliph and the successor of the best prophet.

Again, in the afore-mentioned book, on page 468 he narrates the following poem in praise of mahdi from shaikh sadruddin qunawi:

'Mahdi shall emerge and rise on the earth for the sake of divine affair. besides, he will destroy all the infidel satans. the destruction of all mean persons shall occur by his hands, by the mighty sword which if you would know its true worth it would make you fall sick. the reality of this sword and this 'qaem' who has been appointed for the establishment of religion on the true path, is a divine affair.

Once again, in the book of 'yanabi-ul-muwadda' on page 474 quanduzi has narrated «'» (an ode which ends with d) from which is as follows: 'how often they ask me about love of ahl al-bayt should i now conceal or deny them? i swear by allah that love of ahl al-bayt has been mingled with my flesh and blood. they are the torch of guidance. after hazrat (i.e. holy prophet) came haider and hasnain. after them, came ali, muhammad, jafar sadiq and musa. after musa came ali who is the place of refuge for the people i.e. ridha. after him came his son muhammad and after him came his virtuous son ali and then hassan and muhammad. they are my imams and my master although a group has rebuked and reproached me (for having this belief).

They are the imams whose names we often hear. they are the hujjat (proof) of allah upon his slaves. they are the path of guidance towards allah. they are imams who keep fast during the day for the sake of allah and pass their nights by bowing and prostrating before allah. they are a group to whom belongs mecca, abtah, kif, jama and the graveyard of baqi. they are a group to whom belongs mina, the two sacred monuments, the two 'marwa' and mosque. they are a group who possess a tomb in every place. nay, rather they are having a tomb situated in every heart.

Muhammad-ibn-thalha shafa'ee says in 'matalib-us-su'ool' as such: [in the twelfth chapter while giving account of abul-qasim muhammad-ibn-hassan-ibn-ali-ibn-muhammad-ibn-ali-ibn musa-ibn-jafar-ibn-muhammad ibn ali-ibn hussein-ibn ali-ibn-abi talib that he is the 'mahdi', 'hyjjat' 'khalaf-e-saleh' and 'muntazar'.] he is the successor and 'hujjat' (proof) who has been approved by allah. moreover, allah has guided him on the true path and given him his temperament and raised his status. allah has bestowed upon him the ornament of his grace and he too has put on the dress of virtue. the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) has said something which has been narrated for us and the one who becomes aware of the prophet's saying will comprehend its meaning. a learned person knows that news about the signs of mahdi (a.s.) has come and the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) has revealed the name, lineage and qualities of mahdi. suffice it is to mention the saying of the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) who said: 'the light on mahdi's face will be from my light. the one whose place of care is zahra (a part of his own self)., none shall receive a position similar to the position which i have bestowed upon mahdi. then, the onewho says thathe is the mahdi has spoken the truth.

Apart from what we have written, there are yet other poems in persian and arabic which anyone investigating into them will become enlightened. the author of 'yanabi-ul-muwadda' has narrated many such poems like the poems of shaikh ahmad jaami, shaikh athar naishabouri, shaikh jamaluddin rumi and others. however what we have narrated is adequate.

Chapter Two

«Mahdi Is From The Arab Descent»

Author of «eqdud-durar» in chapter one section 4 narrates from abu abdullah na'eem-ibn-hemaad (from his book «al-fatan») who is turn narrates from ali (a.s.) who said:- «the kingdom of bani-abbass is such that if the turks, deylamites, and the inhabitants of indus valley and india were to attack them they would fail to destroy them and bani-abbass would continue to be successful until they become aggressive towards the slaves and the weak. then god will make a 'gusale' (the wicked one who will revolt against bani-abbass and destroy them) to dominate over them which shall come out from a place where their kingdom will be disclosed. he shall not pass any city but that which conquers; no flag will be hoisted before him but that which he destroys and he will not come across any bounty but that which he misuses. woe be to the one who takes his side. this shall continue until victory is achieved by the the hands of an arab who shall rise fore the truth and act upon it.»

It is apparent that 'on arab' in the above sentence refers to mahdi, the awaited one who shall appear at the end of time and his signs are the very ones which have come in the same chapter of the aforesaid book which has been taken from the book of «al-fatan», where its author, imam abu abdulla na'eem-ibn hemaad narrates from abi qabil as such: «people shall always be in comfort until the kingdom of bani-abbass comes to an end. then they will live in disturbed conditions until the advent of mahdi.»

Author says: history bears witness that right from the time of holaku's revolt, the east has not enjoyed liberty. disturbed conditions and discord among the rulers and kings has always continued to exist. thus ali's saying that: «until he gains victory and hands it over to an arab» is perhaps referring to this point that that discord and disturbed conditions are all incidental to the coming of holaku and his subsequent revolt and it shall remain till the advent of mahdi. thus, as one of the causes and means of mahdi's victory and his success in inviting the people (towards his mission) and his domination over the cities is the discord and disturbed conditions which shall follow the revolt of holaku. it is like this that holaku himself will surrender the affairs of government to hazrat (a.s.). another factor which shows that mahdi is from an arab line is the diffused traditions which have come with regards to determination of his family and relatives. ragheb in his «mufradaat» says: 'arab are the children of ismail (-ishmaeel) and (-aarab) its plural form. later on, the nomads were called by that name.'

The author of «saba'ek-uz-zahak», on page 4 says: 'the city-dwellers are called as «- arab» and the desert - dwellers as «- aarab» and what is common is that the word of is used for both groups.'

Jauhari in «sihah» says: «- arab» is a tribe and they are the city-dwellers. they have been called arabi by the title of a'raab-e-erabi. but what is commonly used is the word of «- arab» at all levels. the same has been written in the dictionaries.'

The author of «ebar» says: 'the word of «- arab» is constructioned from «- aarab» and its meaning of expression (speech) has been taken from those who say:- at the time when a person expresses and describes his need and since they possess the faculty of expression and eloquency in speech they have been called by this name. so know that every non arab - whether iranians, turks, romans or europeans are all - ajam - non-arab) and it is not what the people commonly believe that the word of is particular to the persian - speaking nation. rather, the people of west have hitherto used this word for the french and those who fall in the same category. however the word of (by an addition of «- a») is used for the one who does not clarify his speech even though he may be an arab.

«Mahdi is From this «Ummah»
(nation)»

Tirmidhi is his «sahih», on page 270 narrates from abu sa'eed khudri who said: 'i feared that after the holy prophet, something bad might take place, so we asked the prophet and he replied as such: 'indeed mahdi is from my «ummah» and he shall emerge from amongst them.'

The magazine «hudal-islam» in its 25th publication, line no. 3 has narrated the same tradition from ibn-maajah who in turn has narrated it from abu sa'eed.

The author of «eqdud-durar», in the first chapter narrates from abu muslim abdur-rahman-ibn-auf and he from his father and he from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) who said:-

'Surely god shall appoint a man from my «ummah» (nation). he continued to the point of saying: he shall fill the earth with justice.'

In the 3rd chapter of the same book, the author narrates from the book of «sefat-ul-mahdi» written by hafez abu-na'eem who in turn narrates from abu sa'eed khudri and he from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) who said:

'Mahdi is from us, the ahl-ul-bait (i.e. people of the house). he is from my «ummah».

The author of «fusul al-muhimma» narrates from abu dawoud and tirmidhi and these two from abdullah-ibn-mas'oud and he from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) who said:

'If there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, god will set the day so long until a person from my «ummah» and progeny who carries the same name as mine appears (and fills the world with justice.)'

The author of «yanabi-ul-muwadda» has narrated (on page 433 of his afore-said book) a tradition from the book «jawaher-ul-aqd'ain» of abu sa'eed khudri. in that tradition the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) says: 'mahdi is in my ummah.' also the afore-said author narrates from abu abdullah na'emm-ibn-hemaad (from his book of «al-fatan» and he from hisham-ibn-muhammad and he from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) who said:- "mahdi is from this «ummah» and he is the one who shall lead isa-ibn-maryam.(20)"

Ragheb in his «mufradaat» says: «ummah» is any group of people which is formed through things like custom, time or place - making no difference whether that thing brings them together voluntarily or involuntarily and the plural of «ummah» is «-ummam».

One group has said as such:- 'the «ummah» of every prophet are his followers and the one who does not follow his custom will not be included in his «ummah» even though he may have lived during his time. therefore, the «ummah» of islam are those people who follow the islamic rules and all that the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) has brought making no difference whether he has visited him or not or whether he has lived during his time or not. moreover this applies to all, without any difference in families or tribes even though they may differ from each other from the view-point of language, time and place.

The author is of the opinion that: 'it is apparent that the 'object of making known' i.e. (- 'a' & 'l') in (al-mahdi) is for covenant; meaning that mahdi - the one who has been remembered in the heavenly books and about whom the prophets have given glad-tidings to their nations, - shall be from this same blessed «ummah» and not from any other «ummah». so this «ummah» deserves to rejoice and be happy for being honoured such a virtue. it is true that in some of the exceptional and less common traditions we find such contents like this one - «mahdi is not but isa-ibn-maryam (a.s.)».

Ibn-hajar has written (this tradition) in «sawa'eq» on page 89.

Ibn-maaja and hakem have brought one tradition from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as such:- 'it will not be long when difficulties and problems will dominate the people and the world shall turn away from its inhabitants and the people will resort to greediness. the hour shall not be established but upon the wicked and mahdi is not but isa-ibn-maryam.

Ibn-hajar quotes hakem as saying:

"This traditions did not distrurb me as such but rather astonished me greatly."

Baihaqi says: 'only muhammad-ibn-khalid has narrated this tradition'.

Hakem says: 'he (i.e. muhammad-ibn-khalid) is unknown and there exists differences in the chain of transmission of traditions narrated by him.'

Nesa'ee too rejects such traditions.

In the 10th volume of da'erat-ul-ma'aref (page 475) the author after narrating the afore-said tradition mentions the views of ibn-maaja as such: imam qurtabi says:- 'this tradition is not inconsistent with what the previous traditions have mentioned about mahdi because, this tradition only aims to respect the dignity of isa-ibn maryam (a.s.) over mahdi. that is to say, there is no mahdi but isa from the view-point of .his position of immaculateness and perfection. so it does not contradict existence of mahdi. it is identical to this saying that there is no stalwart but ali. moreover, this view can be supported with the tradition which says that mahdi is from my progeny; he shall fill the earth with justice and will emerge along with isa (a.s.) who shall help him in the killing of dajjal at a place called «lad» in the land of palestine. indeed, he shall rule over this 'ummah' and isa-ibn-maryam will pray behind him and god almighty is all-knowing.(21)

The author of «eqdud-durar» in the preface of his afore-mentioned book writes as such: «and amongst the people, there are those who reckon that mahdi is none other than isa-ibn-maryam, the pure and holy. so i told them - the one who denies the emergence of mahdi is not actually referring to hazrat isa because there is no reason to believe that that reference is made to him and the one who thinks that mahdi is the same as isa ibn-maryam and insists on the authenticity of this tradition has indeed made the zeal of prejudice and error to bring him to the point of precipice. thereafter he says - "even though this tradition may be proverbial among the people yet, how can it be considered authentic when the traditionists have rejected it." after accurately examining its references and deliberating on its authorities if a person still relies on this tradition, it will be a matter of grave falacy.

The proof of this statement is that imam abu abdur rahman has emphasised on its denial and his view is worthy of acceptance because the tradition returns back to muhammad-ibn-khalid jundi. moreover, imam abul-faraj jauzi narrates in his book «elal-mutanahiya» the weakness of this tradition from the words of hafez abi bakr baihaqi who said:- «this tradition is connected to jundi and he is an unknown person. moreover, jundi narrates from aba'an-ibn aiyaash and he too is a rejected and un-laudable person. aba'an too narrates from hassan and he from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) and there is an interval in his transmission (i.e. all the sources have not been narrated). anyhow, there is no reason to consider this tradition to be authentic.

Baihaqi narrates from his master, hakem naishabouri (and his words are sufficient enough to make you understand the technique of tradition and the position of its narrators) as follows:

«Jundi is an unknown person and ibn-aaiyaash, a rejected one and with such transmitters this tradition is severed. almost all the scholars of traditions have brought traditions about imam mahdi and all have mentioned his name and remembered him and for those who are clear-sighted and are also aware, it is clear that a part of those traditions are a rectification for the other parts and this is the highest proof of those traditions being better than this rejected tradition.

Also, hafez abu abdullah hakem has spoken on this subject in his «mustadrak» which has (also) been mentioned in «sahihain» and this makes us needless of other talks.

He reminds that if a tradition has been narrated by a large number of people it is having priority over those traditions which are not as such and while coming across this tradition he discusses its position from the view-point of credibility and un-credibility.

Thereafter he writes:

'The reason i have brought this tradition is not to argue upon it but to express my surprise'. this statement of hakem finally proves his inattention towards this tradition.

He further says: 'better than this tradition is the tradition of sufyan suri and his adherents.'

Thereafter, he mentions the tradition of the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) which says; «his name is the same as my name» and then writes as such:- 'the eminent scholars are of the view that what hazrat intends to say by this statement is that mahdi's name is the same and similar to his name.'

Thus the above statement reveals the truthfulness of this statement that mahdi is someone other than isa-ibn-maryam (a.s.). besides, even if we assume this tradition to be correct, we cannot take it in its apparent form. rather, we should resort to its esoteric interpretation, since we have not found any reason for giving up those genuine traditions which are in opposition to this tradition and perhaps its esoteric interpretation may be like the esoteric interpretation of (22) from this angle that a part of the wordings of the two traditions are near to each other and the number of such traditions are numerous.

Thus rejection is not the factual aim so that we may conclude that mahdi is the same as isa-ibn-maryam. rather, it should be said that this sentence has come in honour of hazrat mahdi and/or isa or perhaps it might be having some other interpretation.'

Author of «yanabi-ul-muwadda» on page 434 says: «indeed the fabrication of this tradition from ibn-khalid is apparent from various aspects:-

Firstly, if this tradition was correct then the oppression and cruelty which was prevalent during the time of yazid and hajjaj should have increased manifold and until today there should have not remained any goodness in this world. however, after the afore-mentioned period, that is from the time of omar-ibn-abdul aziz and the abbasside caliphs up to now, peace and goodness has been settled by the grace of allah.

Secondly, before the appointment of the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) to the position of prophethood, the subject of mahdaviyat was not prevalent among the arabs so that it could possibly reject this saying (there is no mahdi but isa-ibn-maryam).

Thirdly, god has hinted about mahdi in many verses of his book and as such the holy prophet too has given glad-tidings about him to his followers just as the previous prophets (a.s.) had given glad-tidings to others about the coming of our prophet and the circumstances concerning mahdi. i have collected and mentioned these glad-tidings in a book entitled «mashreq-ul-ekwan». (end)

What we can derive from the sayings of these great men in reply to the afore-mentioned tradition is the following:-

Firstly, it is a fabricated one; secondly it is null and void and hence weak; thirdly it is contradicting the widely transmitted tradition and fourthly its actual interpretation differs from its apparent meaning.

It is possible to conclude from this tradition that the advent of mahdi and the descending of isa from the heavens are two related affairs connected to each other where none can be separated from the other. therefore it is correct to say that reference to one applies to the other and it seems that both are one and the same or it can be said that something is missing from the tradition and in reality it was as such: (mahdi is not but that isa is with him) moreover, the diffused traditions prove this meaning to be correct. thus isa is one of the signs of authenticity of the subject of mahdi (a.s.).

«Mahdi is from Kanane»

Author of «eqdud-durar» in his first chapter narrates from 'sunan' of imam abu amro osman-ibn - sa'eed muqari who narrates from qatada who said: «i asked sa'eed-ibn-maseeb whether mahdi is the truth and he replied: 'yes, he is the truth, i then asked: 'to which tribe does he belong? he replied: 'to the kanane.' i again asked: 'to which clan does he belong? he replied: 'to the quraish' i further asked: 'to which family does he belong? he replied: 'to the bani-hashim' again i asked: 'to which one of the families does he belong? he replied: 'to the progeny of fatemah.'

Author says: 'by kanane is meant the same son of kazima, who was the son of madraka, son of elyaas, son of mazar, son of nezar, son of sa'ad, son of adnan.'

Author of «saba'ek al-zahab» says: 'banu kanane are a family from mazar and mazar had a son in whom the lineage of the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) terminated and he was called as nezar. moreover mazar had children who were from the holy prophet's lineage and they were: malik, malkaan, haaris, amr, aamer, saad, ghanam, auf, mujraba, jarwal, jazaal and gurwaan. abu ubaid says: 'they were all from yemen' and in the book called «ebar» it has come that their place of stay was in the outskirts of mecca.'

«Mahdi is from Quraish»

In the first chapter of «eqdud-durar», the author narrates from imam abu abdullah na'eem-ibn hamad who narrates from ibn-wa'el who narrates from imam abul hussein ahmad-ibn-jafar manawi who narrates from qatada who said: 'i asked sa'eed-ibn-maseeb whether mahdi was on truth and he replied: 'yes'. i asked: 'to which tribe does he belong? he replied: 'quraish'. i asked: 'to which clan does he belong?' he replied: 'bani-hashim'. i asked: 'to which family does he belong: 'he replied: 'he is from the offspring of abdul-muttalib'. i asked: 'which one of the families?' he replied: 'from the progeny of fatemah'. i asked: 'which one of her sons?' he replied: 'that is enough now.'

Also, the afore-mentioned book narrates (in the seventh chapter) from the book «al-fatan» of hafez abu abdullah na'eem-ibn-hemaad which in turn narrates from ishaaq-ibn-yahya-ibn-thalha who narrates from ta'oos who said: «omar ibn-khattab was on death-bed and bidding farewell to his family members. he then said: 'i do not know of any treasure which i can bestow. the house, and all that it contains from wealth and weapons should be spent in the way of allah.

Then ali (may allah be satisfied with him) said: 'o amir ul-momineen, leave aside this matter because you are not the owner of (this) wealth. rather its owner is a young man from the tribe of quraish who shall, at the end of time distribute it in the way of allah.(23)

Ibn - hajar writes on page 99 of his book «sawa'eq» as such:-

'Ahmad and maawardi have brought a tradition from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) who said: «glad-tidings be to you about mahdi. he is from the quraish; from my progeny.(24)

Esa'af-ur-raghebeen too has narrated the same in his book on page 151. the author believes: 'quraish is the same nazr-ibn-kanane. in ja'ame-ul-latif we read as such: 'know that there exists differences in quraish as to why they were called by this name. so it is said: they were titled in the name of a beast living in the sea - a beast which eats and itself is not eaten; conquers and itself is not conquered (a metaphoric remark signifying power and magnificence) and this tribe too is similar to that beast due to their toughness and significance'.

In madarek we read: quraish is a mighty beast which plays with the ships and except for fire it cannot be repulsed by any other thing. its diminutive form is due to reverence.'

Some others say: the reason they were called as quraish was that the leader of their tribe ibn-yakhled ghalib-ibn-fahr was named as quraish. thus it was said: the tribe of quraish came; the tribe of quraish went and in this way they became famous by this name.

Still some others have said: qusi (--) who was one person belonging to their tribe gathered them together and brought them to mecca and «qurash» means «to gather together». thus, as he gathered them together he was named as «--» (gathering) just as we saw in the poem of fazl-ibn-abbas-ibn-utba and also in his following poem:

We were the residents of mecca from quraish
and it was due to us that the tribe of quraish was called by this name.

It is also said that quraish was the name of qusi and it was because of this reason that his tribe was named as quraish. what is more common however is that his name had been zaid just as it was previously mentioned.

Yet others have said: the word of is derived from which means «to earn» and because they were carrying on business and earning they were called as quraish.

It is also said that since «nazr» was called as quraish, his family too became famous by this name.

Some say: they were called as quraish because they were doing «taqrish» of goods of the pilgrims going for haj and «taqrish» means 'to inspect'. thus they erected inspection points in their way and prevented them from moving ahead unchecked. the proof that this statement is correct is the saying of haaris-ibn-khulatul-yashkari who says:

'O' the speaker who investigates us in front of amr;
is there for us any to affair be faithful upon?

«Mahdi is from Bani-Hashim»

The author of «uqdud-durar» in the first chapter of his book, narrates from imam abul-hussein ahmad-ibn-jafar manawi and imam abu abdulla na'eem-ibn-hamad and these two from qatada who said:

I asked sa'eed-ibn-maseeb: 'is mahdi the truth?'
He replied: 'yes.'

I asked: 'to which tribe does he belong?'
He replied: 'to the quraish.'

I asked: 'to which clan does he belong?'
He replied: 'to the clan of bani-hashim.'

I asked: 'from which of its families?'
He replied: 'from the offspring of abdul-muttalib.'

I asked: 'from which one of them?'
He replied: 'from the offspring of fatemah.'

I asked: 'from which one of her offspring?'
He replied: 'that is enough now.'

The author says: hashim was the same son of abd-munaf who was the son of qusi, son of kalab, son of marra, son of ka'ab, son of lui, son of ghalib, son of fehr, son of malik, son of nazr, son of kanane.

In ja'ame-ul-latif it has come as such: hashim's name was amrol ala and the reason he was called by this name was that during the period of famine he used to provide food and water for his tribe.

In generosity and beneficence he had reached to such high level that he used to provide food to the beasts and birds and slaughter camels for them on top of mountains. whenever a famine would occur in mecca, he would feed its people by his own doing and persuaded the rich men of mecca to donate their wealth to the poor and indigent up to the time when god caused rain to descend. thereafter, he travelled to syria, went to caesar (king) and took from him an order vouching the freedom of quraish. he also sent abdul-muttalib towards yemen and in this way took a letter of trust from the king of that place. thereafter he ordained the traders and merchants of quraish to move out in the winter and summer seasons for the purpose of trading. thus, they would move towards syria in summer and proceed for yemen in winter. as such, from then on their subsistence and means of livelihood got extended through such tradings and by blessings of hashim, god delivered them from fear of (loss of) life and hunger. abd-munaf was the father of hashim who was named as the 'moon of the fourteenth night' because of his good-looking face and beneficence. after him, qusi succeeded him and the post of ruling and giving water to the pilgrims was transfered to him. he was called by the name of mughaira and his agnomen was abu abd-shams the name of qusi (father of abd-munaf) was zaid and also yazid. the reason he was called as (qusi) was that he along with his mother fatemah daughter of sa'ad, left the tribe of bani-uzra and started living with his uncles and distanced himself from mecca. thus, for this reason he was named as and this word is derived from which means «distant». it also carried the meaning of «gathering» because, when he grew up and returned back to mecca he gathered the quraish who had been scattered in the deserts and got them back to mecca and then expelled the tribe of khaza'e. fazl-ibn-abbass-ibn-abu lahab says:

Your father was named as (gathering) because god gathered the tribe of «fehr» through him.

«Mahdi is From The Progeny of
Abdul-Mut talib»

The author of «eqdud-durar», in the seventh chapter narrates from the books of a group of traditionists such as imam abu abdulla-ibn-maaja in his sunan, hafez abul-qasum tabarani in his mu'ajam and hafez abu na'eem esfahani and others like anas-ibn-malik who said: the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) said:-

«We seven, (i.e. ali, my brother, hamza, my uncle, jafar, hassan, hussein, mahdi and myself) the sons of abdul-muttalib are the leaders of paradise.»

The author says: this denotes the subject which had previously been mentioned in the tradition of qatada narrated from saad-ibn-maseeb. in ja'ame-ul-latifit is written as such:-

Abdul-muttalib's name was «shaibat-ul-hamd' and sometimes he was also called by the name of aamer. he was called 'shaibat-ul-hamd' because of the appearance of signs of whiteness on his hair. abul-haaris was his agnomen since he had a son by the name of haaris and he was called as abdul-muttalib because, when his father hashim who was living in mecca was about to die, he told muttalib, his brother as such: 'take care of your (servant) in yathrib.' so from then on he was called as abdul-muttalib. some say that when his uncle muttalib was taking him to mecca he had an undeserving appearance. for this reason when muttalib was asked about his nephew's condition he felt ashamed to say that he was his nephew and instead said: he is my (slave or servant). later on when they entered mecca itself and he had put on a decent look muttalib revealed that he was his nephew. in this way he became famous by the name of abdul-muttalib. it is said that he had a pale face and so when he left for mecca with muttalib, people were under impression that he was his (slave) and were saying: muttalib has brought one (slave). as such he became famous by the name of abdul-muttalib.

«Mahdi is from the Progeny
of Abu Talib»

The author of «eqdud-durar» in the fourth chapter of section no. 3 narrates from saif-ibn-omaira who said: 'i was near abu jafar mansoor. he addressed me as such:-

O saif! it is inevitable that a caller from the heavens shall call out in the name of a man from the offspring of abu talib. i said: 'may i be sacrificed for you 'o amirul-momineen. are you narrating what you just said.' he replied: yes, i swear by the one in whose hand is my life. i am narrating exactly what my ears have heard. i said: 'but until now i had not heard such a tradition.' he said: 'o saif, indeed he is the truth and at the time when this affair takes place we will be more worthy than others in answering (his call). however mahdi will be someone from our cousins'. i said: 'someone from the offspring of fatemah!' he replied: 'o saif, if i had heard it from someone other than abu jafar (hazrat baqir) i would have not narrated it for you and indeed i was told about this matter by the most wise person on earth.

In saba'ek al-zahab we read as such: ibn ishaaq says: 'abu-talib's name was abd-munaf while hakem abu abdullah says: 'abu-talib's name and agnomen is one and the same.'

The author of «tazkerat-ul-aaima» writes:- 'with regards to his lineage we have mentioned that he is the son of abdul-muttalib and when the latter was about to die, he recommended abu talib about the holy prophet (s.a.w a.).

In the book of «tabaqaat» muhammad-ibn-saad narrates from a group of ulemas (scholars) such as ibn-abbass, mujahida, atha, zahri and the like of them that abdul-muttalib passed away in the second year of «aam-ul-feel» (the year of the elephants) and the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) at that time was eight years old. in fact, abdul-muttalib passed away at the age of one hundred and twenty and was buried in hejwan.

Umm-aiman says: i saw the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) walking and crying under the coffin of abdul-muttalib while it was being carried away.

According to another saying, abdul muttalib was eighty years when he left this world. however the first saying appears to be more correct. mujahid has narrated from ibn-abbass that when a group of people from the tribe of «qaafa» from 'bani-muzhaq' saw the footsteps of the holy prophet they told abdul-muttalib as such: 'o aba lebatha, take care of this child, for we have not seen any footsteps which are similar to the holy prophet's footsteps resembling those in position.

Then abdul-muttalib turned towards abu-talib and said: 'listen to whatever they have said. indeed there shall be a kingdom for this son of mine.' from then on, abu talib stood up, in the best possible manner, to help the messenger of allah and made himself responsible for assisting him in his affairs so much so that he would never get separated from him. he was so much attracted towards him that he would give more preference to him than his own sons and would sleep only when hazrat was besides him. he would tell him: 'you are well-paced and your future is bright.'

In the book of «tabaqa'at», ibn-sa'ad writes: once abu talib went to «zil-mujaaz» along with the messenger of allah. when the latter felt thirsty, abu talib said: 'o nephew, you have become thirsty and there is no water.' then the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.)came down and striked the ground with his heels. very soon, water gushed out and hazrat drank from it. historians have written that as abu talib arose to support hazrat and would often drive off the enemies from him, the quraish once approached him and said: «your nephew has insulted our gods, called our great men as insane and reckoned our fathers to be deviated ones. therefore, you surrender him to us or else, there shall occur a war between us.»

Abu talib replied: «may your mouths be shut forever. i swear by allah that i shall never surrender him to you.»

They said: «emara-ibn-walid-ibn-mughaira is the most handsome and noble young man among the quraish. you may keep him as your son instead of muhammad and surrender muhammad to us so that we can kill him. let us exchange our man with your man.»

Abu talib replied: «woe be upon you people. may allah turn your face dark and gloomy. i swear by allah that you have indeed spoken the evil. do you mean that i should hand over my son to you so that you can kill him and will give me your son in exchange so that i take care of him! i swear by allah that if i do so, i would be but an evil man.»

Thereafter he said: i would like you to separate the baby-camels from their mother. if the mother camel gets attracted towards the other baby-camels (and not her own ones) then, i shall hand over muhammad to you. he then recited a poem.

Then, from the eighth year of his birth until the tenth year of his appointment which totally amounts to fourty-two years, abu talib stood up in support of hazrat and prevented the enemies from harming him.

He spared no effort in taking care of him till the end of his life.

In «nur-ul-absar», the author mentions the date of demise of abu talib to be the first of zilqada after the removal of economic sanctions which lasted for 8 months and 21 days.

In «mawaheb-ul-ladnia», the age of abu talib at the time of his demise is mentioned to be eighty-seven. it was in the same year that umm-ul-mumineen, khadija passed away and the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) named that year as the year of sorrow (aam-ul-huzn).

For knowing more about abu talib please refer to historical books like seera-ibn-hisham and tarikh-e-tabari and to recent writings, especially the book of «bagyat at-talib-fi-ahwal-abi talib by zaini dehlan who is also the author of al-fotouhat islamiah. also refer to the book of «shaikh-ul-abtah» written by our cousin sayyid muhammad ali sharafuddin aamali which thought to be the best book in this regard.

«Mahdi is from the Descendant of Muhammad»

Abu dawoud in the fourth volume of his 'sahih' (page 87) narrates from abdulla-ibn-masoud that the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) said: «if there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, god will set the day so long until he appoints a person from my descendant.»

In the afore-mentioned book on page 81, he narrates from abu sa'eed khudri that the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) said: «mahdi is from me.»

The author of «nur-ul-absar» on page 230 narrates from tirmidhi who narrates from abi sa'eed khadri who in turn narrates from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) one such similar tradition. thereafter, he writes that tirmidhi has reckoned this tradition to be firm and genuine and that tabarani and others too have narrated this tradition.

Ibn hajar in his «sawa'eq» on page 98 has written that ruyani, tabarani and others have brought a tradition from tile holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as such: «mahdi is from my progeny».

In «es'aaf ur-rhagebeen» (page 149) and «nur-ul-absar» (page 230) the same tradition of the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) has been narrated from shirviya who in turn has narrated from hazaifa-ibn-yamaan.(25)

Also, the author of «nur-ul-absar» on page 231 has narrated from ali-ibn-abi talib as such: 'i asked the holy prophet whether mahdi would be from us, the descendants of muhammad or from others' and he replied: 'he is from us.'(26)

The author of «matalib-us-su'ool» writes: 'i have reviewed the views of the people about the exegesis of (descendants) and found out that a group believes that by «descendants» is meant his family-members.

Another group says: of the holy prophet are those upon whom «zakat» (alms-tax) is forbidden and instead «khums» (one-fifth levy) is permissible.

Yet another group says: refers to those personalities who follow his religion and adhere to his manners.

Thereafter he says: «these are the three views which are more famous than all other views in this regard.

However the reason that the first view is correct is a tradition which qazi hussein-ibn-mas'oud baghwi has brought in his book «commentary of sunnat ar-rasul» (which is a collection of all those traditions which are in agreement) and he quotes its reference from abdur-rahman-ibn-laili who said:- 'ka'ab-ibn - ajza met me and said - «should i present you-with something which i heard from the messenger of allah?» i replied: 'yes give it to me.'

He said: i asked the holy prophet as to how one should send salutations upon them - the ahlul-bait.

The holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) replied:

('O allah, send salutations upon muhammad and his descendants just as thou sends salutations upon ibrahim and his descendants and send blessings upon muhammad and his descendants just as thou sends blessings upon ibrahim and his descendants. surely thou art all-praiseworthy and all-glorious).

Thereafter he says:- the holy prophet interpreted his ahlul-bait as his - aâl». thus both are similar as far as their meaning is concerned and hazrat interchanged one word for the other in a manner that his are his ahlul-bait and his ahlul-bait are his ». therefore, on this basis, - aâl» and - ahl» are similar in meaning. the reality of this affair can be discovered from here that the root of had been » and - h» was changed to «- ?» for this reason that the letter of «- h » becomes «tasgheer dimunitive form and «--»(27) tasgheer of «--» becomes «--» as per this rule which states that "tasgheer" returns back every noun to its original form.

The reason that the second view is correct is a tradition which the traditionists have brought in their books. moreover, imam muslim-ibn-hajjaj, abu dawoud and nesa'ee are unanimous in the authenticity of this tradition and each one of them have, in their respective «sahihs» narrated from abdul-muttalib - ibn rabiya - ibn - haaris as such:

'I heard the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) saying:- it is not that alms is filth and is not permissible for muhammad and his «--» to eat from it.

Moreover, they have supported their view by a tradition which malik-ibn-anas has narrated in his «mutha» referring to the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as saying: «alms is not permissible for » (descendants) of muhammad because they are the dirt and filth of people.» thus, he mnade alms specifically un-permissible for his » and those upon whom alms is forbidden are bani-hashim and abdul-muttalib. it was asked from zaid-ibn-arqam as to who are the (descendants) of the messenger of allah upon whom alms are forbidden and he replied:- «--» of ali, «--» of jafar, «--» of abbass and «--» of aqeel and this second view is nearer to the first view.

However the reason which the supporters of the third view give is the sayings of exalted allah:

(Except «--» of lot; we will most surely deliver them all) where, as per the consensus of the exegetists, in this verse refers to those who have turned towards him and followed his path. thereafter he says: now, keeping in view all that has been said about it becomes apparent that its meaning, comprehensively fits them because they are his ahlul-bait. «zakat» (alms-tax) is forbidden for them and they have followed his religion and adhered to his path. ascribing them with «--» and naming them with this word is accidentally true.

«Mahdi is From the Progeny of the
Holy Prophet»

Abu dawoud, in the fourth volume of his «sahih» on age 87 has written a tradition which has been narrated by umm-salma from the holy prophet as such:

«Mahdi is from my progeny.»

In «esaaf ur-rhagebeen» page 147 a similar tradition from the holy prophet has been narrated by nesa'ee, ibn-maaja, baihaqi and others.(28)

Ibn hajar in «sawa'eq» on page 98 writes: abu na'eem has brought a tradition from the holy prophet as such - «indeed, god will send a man from my progeny.» thereafter he said - «he shall fill the earth with justice.»

The same has also come in «es'aaf ur-rhagebeen» page 149.(29)

In the afore-mentioned book on page 97, the author writes: abu dawoud, tirmidhi and ibn-maaja have brought a tradition from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as such:- «if there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, indeed god will make a man to appear from my progeny.»

In another tradition the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) says: «he is from my progeny, the one who shall fill the earth with justice just as it had been filled with oppression.»

The same can be seen in «es'aaf ur-rhagebeen» on page 147.(30)

The author of «mataleb-us-su'ool» writes:- 'the meaning of (progeny) in arabic is said to be (family) and as per the saying of others it means (offspring).

Thereafter he says:- "both the meanings can be found in them because they are his family as well as his offspring. however they are considered to be his (family) because are the near kinsmen and they too were as such. they are reckoned to be his (offsprings) for this reason that are considered to be children of a daughter and they were as such because allah speaks about ibrahim as follows: "

Thus allah, the exalted placed all the afore-mentioned personalities including hazrat isa among the offspring of ibrahim where the relation of isa with ibrahim is only through his mother maryam and no one else.

Thereafter he writes:- 'it has been narrated that shobi who was one of the sunni 'ulemas' living at the time of hajjaj-ibn-yusuf saqafi was among the lovers of hassan and hussein such that whenever he would remember them he would say. "those two are the children and offspring of the messenger of allah." later some of the people informed hajjaj about this matter as a result of which he became angry and started to imprecate him. once hajjaj called him in one of his gatherings where the aristocrats and 'ulemas' (scholars) of basra and kufa and the quraish were present. shobi entered and greeted but hajjaj did not pay any heed and did not reply his greetings which was indeed the right of shobi. when he sat down, hajjaj said: 'o shobi, do you know what i have heard about you which indeed proves your foolishness?
shobi replied: what is it?

Hajjaj said: don't you know that sons of men are those who are allied to him and kinship is only through fathers. thus, on what basis do you say that the sons of ali are the children and offspring of the holy prophet! except for their mother fatemah, are they having any other connection with the holy prophet considering that kinship is not from the daughters' side but rather from the fathers' side. shobi put down his head for some time until hajjaj exceeded the limits in his disavowal and notified the others in the gathering about this matter. shobi continued his silence and the more hajjaj witnessed his silence the more he rebuked him. thereafter, shobi raised his head and said: 'o amir, i do not see you but a speaker who is ignorant of the book of allah and the 'sunnah' of the holy prophet and one who has grown weary of them. then the anger of hajjaj intensified and he addressed shobi as such: 'woe be upon you, how dare you speak to me in these words!'

Shobi replied: yes, those present in your gathering - the chanters (of quran) from egypt and the bearers of knowledge of the book who are dear before you are all aware of what i say. is it not that when allah wishes to address his slaves (i.e. servants) he says - 'o bani (sons of) adam or 'o bani-isra'el. about ibrahim, allah says .... (and from his offspring) until he mentions yahya and isa. therefore, 'o hajjaj how do you see the relationship of isa with adam, isra'el and ibrahim? is it through his father or any of his fore-fathers? is it not that he is connected to them only through his mother maryam! moreover, as per the genuine narrators, the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) with regard to hassan has said: indeed my son (and he pointed out to hassan) is «sayyid» (chief).

When hajjaj heard such reasonings he lowered his head in shame. later he showed kindness and politeness towards shobi and felt ashamed of those present in the gathering.

Now that the matter has become clear (progeny) is the very offspring, children and family of the holy prophet and in reality, all the meanings are applied to them.

«Mahdi is From the Family of
the Holy Prophet»

Abu dawoud, in the fourth volume of his «sahih» on page 17 has brought a tradition which has been narrated by ali (a.s.) from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as such:

«If there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, indeed god will make a man from my family to appear.(31)

Tirmidhi, in the second volume of his «sahih» on page 270 has brought a tradition which has been narrated by abu huraira from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as follows:-

«If there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, god will set the day so long until a person from my family shall appear.»

Thereafter he says: 'this is a good and authentic tradition.;

Moreover, a similar tradition from the holy prophet with a slight variation has been narrated by ibn hajar (on page 97 of his sawa'eq) and shaikh saban (on page 148 of esaaf ur-rhagebeen) from abu dawoud and tirmidhi.(32)

The magazine «hudal-islam» no. 2, in the third of its weekly publication no. 25 mentions:

Ibn maaja has brought a tradition narrated by ali (a.s.) from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as such:

Mahdi is from my family.(33)

Shaikh saban on page 148 of «es'aaf ur-rhagebeen» and ibn-hajar on page 99 of «sawa'eq» have written that ahmad, abu dawoud, tirmidhi and ibn-maaja have brought a tradition from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as such:

'If there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, god shall indeed make a person from my progeny to appear. as per some other tradiitons, we find the words 'my family'.(34)

Ibn-hajar on page 97 of «sawa'eq» and shaikh saban on page 148 of «esaaf ur-rhagebeen» have written that ahmad, abu dawoud, and tirmidhi have brought a tradition from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.)as follows:-

«The world shall not pass, or perhaps he said: the world shall not cease to exist until a person from my family comes and rule.(35)

The author of «nur-ul-absar» on page 231 has brought a tradition narrated by abu dawoud who in turn has narrated from zar-ibn- abdullah that the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) has said: «the world shall not pass until a person from my family comes and rules among the arabs». thereafter he said:- 'he shall fill the earth with justice'.(36)

In the afore-mentioned book, the author writes on page 229 as such:

Abu dawoud has narrated from ali (may allah be satisfied with him) who in turn has narrated from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) who said: «if there remains not more than a day from the life of earth, god will indeed make a person from my family to appear on that day and fill the earth with justice just as it had been filled with oppression.(37)

The author of «matalib-ul-su'ool» in the chapter of «asking one's whish from ahlul-bait» writes: some have said that «ahlul-bait» refers to those people who are nearer in relation to a person in ancestorship. some others have said that «ahlul-bait» are those who gather together in one womb. still others have said: ahlul-bait are those who are attached to him by kinship and relation. all of these meanings can be found in them because, their lineage returns back to the holy prophet's grandfather, abdul-muttalib.

Also they have gathered together with him (i.e. the holy prophet) in one womb and they are connected to him through kinship as well as relation (son-in-law).

Thus they are in fact his (progeny) and «--» and (ahlul-bait) are one and the same whether they differ in meaning or not. thus the meaning of these two terms are fixed for them.

Muslim in his 'sahih' narrates from zaid-ibnhasaan who said: 'i went with hasain-ibn-seera and omar-ibn-muslim to visit zaid-ibn-arqam. when we sat down, hasain began to speak and said: 'o zaid, verily, now that you have numerous good actions in your record, have seen the holy prophet, have heard traditions from him, have fought beside him and prayed behind him, so narrate for us what you have heard from the messenger of allah (s.a.w.a.).

Zaid replied: 'o brother, surely i have turned old and my memory has become worn out. as a result, a part of what i have acquired from the holy prophet has been forgotten by me. so accept whatever i narrate to you and do not bother me about what i do not narrate to you.'

Thereafter he said: 'once the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) stood near a place called «hema'a» situated between mecca and medina and delivered a sermon. after praising and extolling god almighty and then exhorting the people, he said: 'o people, i am a human-being and it seems that my lord's emissary (i.e. izra'eel) is going to come and take away my soul. i am leaving amongst you, two precious things. the first of them is the book of allah wherein you will find guidance and light. so take hold of the book of allah. in this regard, he incited and exhorted the people toward the book of allah. thereafter he said: the other is my ahlul-bait. i remind you of allah with regards to my ahlul-bait. i remind you of allah about them.

Then hasain told zaid-ibn-arqam as such: 'o zaid, who are his ahlul-bait? are his wives the ahlul-bait!?

He replied: 'no, his ahlul-bait are those upon whom alms is forbidden.(38)

«Mahdi is From Kinsfolk»

When it is proved that mahdi (a.s.) is from the progeny, descendant and family of the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) and from the offspring of ali, fatemah, hassan and hussein then it is automatically proved that he is from « - zolghorbâ» (kinsfolk) where their friendship has been made obligatory upon all.

The author of «yanibiul-muwadda» narrating from bukhari and muslim writes on page 106 of his book as such: 'it was asked from ibn-abbass that to whom in the verse of « - alghorbâ» referred to? then sa'eed-ibn-jubair said: they are the near ones of the progeny of muhammad (s.a.w.a.).

The author of «matalib-us-su'ool» narrates from tafseer of imam abul-hassan ali-ibn-ahmad wahadi (the chain of transmission which ends in ibn-abbass) as such: when the verse

Was revealed, it was asked: 'o messenger of allah! who are these people whom allah has commanded us to love?

The holy prophet (s.a.w.a.). replied: "ali, fatemah and their children." ibn-hajar in his «sawa'eq» (page 101) and qunduzi in «yanibi-ul-muwadda» (page 106) have brought a tradition (bearing the same contents) under the afore-said verse narrating from the great mu'ajam of tabarani, tafseer-e-ibn-abu hatim, manaqib of