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Guys yesterday i was watching some video and reading some articles regarding the Arrival of imam mehdi .. there were many interesting things which i found but , what makes me a bit disturb that lots of peoples have different opinions about him ...regarding his Appearance , time , place and time of his rule ... but here one thing what i find interesting that in every major religion including Jews and Christians are also waiting for their saviors and we can not deny this fact that somehow their recent acts proves ...
few points that comes in my mind after reading some hadith ...that we ( muslims ) are in the worse position since the islam came to earth ... and probably this is the same position which prophet Muhammad pbuh has foretold and warn us about ... i have read about all Khulfa rashideen Abu bakr , Omar ibn khattab , Uthman , and Ali R.a ... and what i find common that all show their concerns on different time and occassions that they never fear poverty and piety for muslims but they fear that God will give you wealth and make you kings ... and this will cause your destruction .. like God did in past with many nations ..
today if you look at ME situation , you will realize where we are heading ..I am not asking to believe in any Conspiracy theories but to follow basic Hadith of Prophet Muhammad pbuh .. and than look at the current situations ..
The Demand for the Savior is so much as it was never before .. we have seen many things and changes which changed the world maps forever .. and somehow its continuing.. right now Arabs have no rule over arab land .. peoples might disagree , but this might be their patriotism ...
After having a look at recent changes in middle east , destruction everywhere , war on terror , a war against islam , today how muslims are treated in world , how kharjie's are fighting in different countries in the name islam and Allah ... looking at the current divided and weak Arab world , today any knowledge person will agree that Arabs are now looking for a person who will lead them.. obviously peoples here can ask the question that from which sect of islam this Leader will be ? Shia Sunni etc ?? which is another open debate which in on going from decade and centuries .. but we can not deny the fact of arrival of Imam mehdi , Hazarat Esa pbuh and Dajjal before End of times ... peoples might differ on their roles and other aspects but all believe that they will eventually come ..
here are some Hadith which are credible in this particular topic ...
The following are the collection of Sahih (authentic) Hadith regarding Mahdi.
Hadhrat Abdullah bin Mas'ood(RA) reports from the Prophet(SAW), who said:
The world will not come to pass until a man from among my family, whose name will be my name, rules over the Arabs.
(Tirmidhi Sahih, Vol. 9, P. 74; Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 5, P. 207;
also narrated by Ali b. Abi Talib, Abu Sa'id, Umm Salma, Abu Hurayra)
The Prophet(SAW) said:
Allah will bring out from concealment al-Mahdi from my family and just before the day of Judgment; even if only one day were to remain in the life of the world, and he will spread on this earth justice and equity and will eradicate tyranny and oppression.
(Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Vol. 1, P. 99)
Hadhrat Ali(RA) narrates that Rasulullah(SAW) said:
Even if only a day remains for Qiyamah to come, yet Allah will surely send a man from my family who will fill this world with such justice and fairness, just as it initially was filled with oppression.
(Abu Dawood)
Ali b. Abi Talib(RA) has related a tradition from the Prophet(SAW) who informed him:
The promised Mahdi will be among my family. God will make the provisions for his emergence within a single night.
(Ibn Majah, Sahih, Vol. 2, P. 519)
Hazrat Umme Salmah(RA), Prophet's wife, narrates that she heard the Prophet(SAW) say:
The promised Mahdi will be among my progeny, among the descendants of Fatima.
(Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 2, P. 207; Ibn Majah, Sahih, Vol. 2, P. 519)
Rasulullah(SAW) announced:
The Mahdi will be of my family, of the descendants of Fatima (the Prophet's daughter).
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 2, Tradition No. 4086)
The Prophet(SAW) taught:
Al-Mahdi is one of us, the members of the household (Ahlul-Bayt).
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 2, Tradition No. 4085)
Abu Sa'id al-Khudari(RA) narrated that the Prophet(SAW) said:
Our Mahdi will have a broad forehead and a pointed (prominent) nose. He will fill the earth with justice as it is filled with injustice and tyranny. He will rule for seven years.
(Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 2, p. 208; Fusul al-muhimma, p. 275)
Hadhrat Abu Saeed Khudri(RA) relates that Rasulullah(SAW) said:
Al Mahdi will be from my progeny. His forehead will be broad and his nose will be high. He will fill the world with justice and fairness at a time when the world will be filled with oppression. He will rule for seven years.
Hadhrat Umme Salmah(RA) narrates that Rasulullah(SAW) said:
After the death of a Ruler there will be some dispute between the people. At that time a citizen of Madina will flee (from Madina) and go to Makkah. While in Makkah, certain people will approach him between Hajrul Aswad and Maqaame Ibraheem, and forcefully pledge their allegiance to him.
Thereafter a huge army will proceed from Syria to attack him but when they will be at Baida, which is between Makkah and Madina, they will be swallowed into the ground.
On seeing this, the Abdaals of Shaam as well as large numbers of people from Iraq will come to him and pledge their allegiance to him. Then a person from the Quraish, whose uncle will be from the Bani Kalb tribe will send an army to attack him, only to be overpowered, by the will of Allah. This (defeated) army will be that of the Bani Kalb. Unfortunate indeed is he who does not receive a share from the booty of the Kalb. This person (Imam Mahdi) will distribute the spoils of war after the battle. He will lead the people according to the Sunnat and during his reign Islam will spread throughout the world. He will remain till seven years (since his emergence). He will pass away and the Muslims will perform his Janazah salaat.
(Abu Dawood)
The holy Prophet(SAW) said:
A group of my Ummah will fight for the truth until near the day of judgment when Jesus, the son of Marry, will descend, and the leader of them will ask him to lead the prayer, but Jesus declines, saying: "No, Verily, among you Allah has made leaders for others and He has bestowed his bounty upon them.
(Sahih Muslim)
It is reported from Abu Hurayra(RA) that the Prophet(SAW) said:
What will be your reaction when the son of Mary (Jesus) descends and your Imam is from among yourselves?
(Sahih Muslim, bab nuzul 'isa, Vol. 2; Sahih Bukhari, kitab bad' al-khalq wa nuzul 'isa, Vol. 4)
The holy Prophet(SAW) said:
What would be your situation if the Son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends upon you and your Imam is from among you?
(Bukhari, kitabul-Anbiya, Chapter Nuzul Isa bin Maryam)
According to these reliable, authentic, and universally accepted narrations, Mahdi will:
1. Be from among the family of Prophet(SAW), among the descendants of Fatima(RA);
2. Have a broad forehead and pointed noise;
3. Appear in one night;
4. Appear just before the day of judgment;
5. Have same name as hazrat Muhammad(SAW);
6. Escape from Madina to Makkah where people will pledge allegiance to him;
7. Receive pledge and help of Iraqi people;
8. Fight in battles;
9. Rule over the Arabs for seven years according to Sunnah;
10. Spread justice and equity on earth;
11. Eradicate tyranny and oppression;
12. Lead a prayer in Mekkah which Jesus(pbuh) will follow in;
13. NOT be the same individual as the Promised Messiah (Jesus).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sahih Muslim And Sahih Bukhari And Traditions About The Mahdi
It is important to emphasize that if the traditions about the Mahdi were not recorded by Bukhari and Muslim, this does not mean that the reports were weak in transmission. After all, these two compilers had no intention of shedding light on all the traditions. According to Bayhaqi, Muslim and Bukhari did not intend to search for all the traditions. The evidence is provided by the inclusion of numerous traditions that were recorded by Bukhari and which are not part of Muslim's collection. At the same time, there are traditions in the Sahih of Muslim which were avoided by Bukhari.1
Just as Muslim claimed to have recorded only the authentic traditions in his compilation, so did Abu Dawud in his collection. This latter fact has been observed by Abu Bakr b. Dasa who heard Abu Dawud say: "I have recorded 4,800 traditions in my collection of which all are either reliable or close to reliable." In addition, Abu al-Sabah confirms that it was reported to him that Abu Dawud made a similar claim about the traditions in his compilation, Sunan, adding that if he included a weak tradition he made that clear. "Hence any tradition about which I have not made any comment should be regarded as reliable." A similar positive opinion about Abu Dawud's Sunan has been related from Khatabi in the introduction to the present edition by Sa'ati.2
In short, the traditions in Muslim and Bukhari are not different in reliability from the
____________
1 Sahih muslim, Vol. 1, p. 24.
2 See the introduction to the Sunan abi Dawud by Sa'ati. traditions recorded by other authors of the Sahih. What is important is that their transmitters should be investigated in order to establish their credibility or the lack thereof. To be sure, the Sahihs of Muslim and Bukhari, whose authority is accepted by all the Sunnis, are not completely devoid of traditions about the Mahdi, although the term mahdi has not been used to express this belief among Muslims. Following is one such hadith: It is reported from Abu Hurayra that the Prophet said: "What will be your reaction when the son of Mary descends and your Imam is among yourselves?"1 There are a number of other traditions on a similar theme in these two compilations. It is also important to bear in mind that Ibn Khaldun has neither totally falsified all the traditions about the Mahdi, nor has he claimed that he does not accept them. The context of Ibn Khaldun's remark about these traditions is provided by his opening statement in this section when he says: It has been well known (and generally accepted) by all Muslims in every epoch, that at the end of time a man from the family (of the Prophet) will without fail make his appearance, who will strengthen Islam and make justice triumph. Muslims will follow him, and he will gain domination over the Muslim realm. He will be called the Mahdi. It is evident that he has briefly accepted the fact that the belief in the awaited Mahdi is common among Muslims. Moreover, after his critical evaluation of the traditions and their transmitters he concludes the discussion with the following observation: This is the situation of the traditions about the awaited Mahdi. It has been seen in the books that, with the exception of very few, most of these traditions are regarded as unreliable.2
Hence, even at this point he has not rejected all the traditions on the subject. Rather, as he confesses, some of them are authentic. Furthermore, it is relevant to point out that the traditions on the subject of the Mahdi are not confined only to those mentioned and critically evaluated by Ibn Khaldun. Quite to the contrary, most of the books on hadith, both by the Sunnis and the Shi`ites, narrate traditions in an unbroken chain of transmission which actually comes close to their verification as being credible. Had Ibn Khaldun known about the existence of all these traditions, he would have probably regarded the belief in the Mahdi as deeply rooted in the Islamic revelation. To conclude this discussion, we can say that it is incorrect to maintain, as some scholars do, that Ibn Khaldun rejected the tradition about the Mahdi. On the contrary, it is these authors who have read into Ibn Khaldun such an opinion. Other Opinions from Ibn Khaldun: Ibn Khaldun concludes this section on the traditions concerning the Mahdi
____________
1 Sahih muslim, bab nuzul 'isa, volume 2; Sahih bukhari, kitab bad' al-khalq wa nuzul 'isa, volume 4.
2 Muqaddima, p. 322.
thus: The truth one must know is that no religious or political power's propaganda can be successful, unless power or group feeling exists to support the religious and political aspirations and to defend them against those who reject them, and until God's will concerning them materializes. We have established this before, with rational arguments which we presented to the reader. The group feeling among the Fatimids and Talibids, indeed, that among all the Quraysh, has everywhere disappeared. The only exception is a remnant of the Talibids -- Hasanids, Husaynids, and Ja'farites -- in the Hejaz, in Mecca, al-Yanbu', and Medina. They are spread over these regions and dominate them. They are Bedouin groups. They are settled and rule in different places and hold divergent opinions. They number several thousands. If it is correct that a Mahdi is to appear, there is only one way for his propaganda to make its appearance. He must be one of them, and God must unite them in the intention to follow him, until he gathers enough strength and group feeling to gain success for his cause and to move people to support him. Any other way -- such as a Fatimid who would make propaganda for (the cause of the Mahdi) among people anywhere at all, without the support of group feeling and power, by merely relying on his relationship to the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him) -- will not be feasible or successful, for the sound reasons that we have mentioned previously.1
In response to this assertion by Ibn Khaldun it must be pointed out that there is no doubt that anyone who wishes to revolt and gain power so as to establish a government must have the unquestioning support of his followers in order to reach that goal. Similar conditions must be fulfilled in the case of the awaited Mahdi and his universal revolution. However, it is not necessary to require that his supporters be among the descendants of 'Ali and the Quraysh. The reason is that if the government and leadership is based on ethnic and group feeling then the support has to come from that feeling. Moreover, these should be the ones to support him unquestioningly. This was certainly true in the case of ethnic groups and dynasties that came to power by means of this sense of loyalty and solidarity. In general, a government that comes to power through the specific and limited sense of group feeling is necessarily dependent upon a specific and limited group of supporters. This is true in all such cases of nationalistic, ethnic, and ideological states. However, if a government is founded upon a specific program, then it has to gain support of those who favor it. And this order can succeed only if a group recognizes the value of the program and desires to implement it by supporting the leadership that is committed to it. The revolutionary program of the Mahdi is of this kind. The
____________
1 Muqaddima, p. 327.
Mahdi's program is profoundly universal. It desires that humanity, which is being driven into extreme forms of materialism and opposition to divine commands, respond to the divinely ordained system which rests upon moral and spiritual goals. It wishes to resolve the problems facing humanity by clarifying the boundaries in such a way as to remove any cause of conflict in society. It wants to bring people together under the banner of the Unity of God and universalize submission and service to God. Such a program, if implemented, would end tyranny and injustice and spread peace through justice all over the world. In order to achieve this universal goal it is not sufficient to rely on the leadership of the descendants of 'Ali, who are spread all over the Hejaz, and to expect that the group feeling would help the Mahdi to reach his universal goal. To be sure, there is a need for the peoples of the entire world to prepare themselves to respond to the call of the Mahdi. Besides the divine endorsement of this program, the Mahdi's victory is dependant upon a reasonably large and earnest group of people, who, being aware of the merits of the divinely ordained system, would seriously aspire to see such an order implemented. Moreover, they would be willing to sacrifice their lives for that cause. Consequently, if the people see an infallible and incontestable leader who has access to the divine plan for humanity and has divine endorsement of his program, they would not hesitate to assist him in establishing the ideal public order, even if this means that they would have to sacrifice their lives.
The Existence Of The Mahdi Is Certain
There are numerous Prophetic traditions about the Mahdi, reported by both the Sunni and the Shi'i sources. Close examination of the contents of these traditions proves that the subject of the future coming of the Mahdi and the Qa'im was a well established tenet during the Prophet's life time. People anticipated someone who would take upon himself to establish truth and spread the worship of God. Moreover, they expected that person to take charge of purifying the earth and instituting justice. The belief was so wide spread among the people that having verified it in principle they were engaged in discussing its details. Sometimes they would ask: "From which family would the awaited Mahdi arise?" At other times they wanted to know his name and patronymic. Still at other times they wanted to know the reason why he was called the Mahdi. They wanted to know about his revolution and asked about the signs of his appearance. They also wanted to find out if the Mahdi and the Qa'im were one and the same person. They were told about the Mahdi's occultation and wanted to understand the reasons and the obligations of his followers while he was in occultation. The Prophet also, from time to time, used to inform people about the existence of the Mahdi. He would inform them saying: "Mahdi will be among my descendants. He will be among the sons of Fatima, among the descendants of Husayn." At other times he would announce his name and patronymic and give information about the signs of his reappearance and other related matters.
everyone here , Shia or Sunni Ahmadi etc .. has the right to give there Point of View ... but in a formal way without hurting anyone...
i would like members from Arab world , Pakistan and turkey to share what they believe regarding this topic , along with their notable scholars and books and findings ..
honestly i dont know much Arab, Pakistani and Turkish member who will be credible for such discussions because i have notice that lots of secular muslim in way the deny of this fact .. and they have their own reasons from which i have no objections ..
So lets start this Discussion only in formal way ,regarding Authenticated and reliable sources , i dont even know the Hadith i quoted are much reliable or not .. so if you find any mistake, my Apologies ..
P.S : this Thread is not for indians Hindus , and secular peoples ...kindly stay away from it ..
i would like to know the point of view from Jews and Christians who believe that the story of Coming of their Messiah is real and they can quote reference from their books ..
@Zarvan @al-Hasani @Kaan @Hazzy997 @500 @Multani @dexter @Informant @KingMamba @Leader @Jazzbot @cb4 @Akheilos @haman10 @Aether @DESERT FIGHTER @Irfan Baloch @Azlan Haider @HAIDER @Secur @Chak Bamu @Neptune @AUz @Armstrong @Pakistanisage @JonAsad @The SC @HRK @tarrar @Aeronaut @batmannow @Marshmallow @hasnain0099
and if any of the above member know that certain member can provide better opinion on this so please tag him ..
few points that comes in my mind after reading some hadith ...that we ( muslims ) are in the worse position since the islam came to earth ... and probably this is the same position which prophet Muhammad pbuh has foretold and warn us about ... i have read about all Khulfa rashideen Abu bakr , Omar ibn khattab , Uthman , and Ali R.a ... and what i find common that all show their concerns on different time and occassions that they never fear poverty and piety for muslims but they fear that God will give you wealth and make you kings ... and this will cause your destruction .. like God did in past with many nations ..
today if you look at ME situation , you will realize where we are heading ..I am not asking to believe in any Conspiracy theories but to follow basic Hadith of Prophet Muhammad pbuh .. and than look at the current situations ..
The Demand for the Savior is so much as it was never before .. we have seen many things and changes which changed the world maps forever .. and somehow its continuing.. right now Arabs have no rule over arab land .. peoples might disagree , but this might be their patriotism ...
After having a look at recent changes in middle east , destruction everywhere , war on terror , a war against islam , today how muslims are treated in world , how kharjie's are fighting in different countries in the name islam and Allah ... looking at the current divided and weak Arab world , today any knowledge person will agree that Arabs are now looking for a person who will lead them.. obviously peoples here can ask the question that from which sect of islam this Leader will be ? Shia Sunni etc ?? which is another open debate which in on going from decade and centuries .. but we can not deny the fact of arrival of Imam mehdi , Hazarat Esa pbuh and Dajjal before End of times ... peoples might differ on their roles and other aspects but all believe that they will eventually come ..
here are some Hadith which are credible in this particular topic ...
The following are the collection of Sahih (authentic) Hadith regarding Mahdi.
Hadhrat Abdullah bin Mas'ood(RA) reports from the Prophet(SAW), who said:
The world will not come to pass until a man from among my family, whose name will be my name, rules over the Arabs.
(Tirmidhi Sahih, Vol. 9, P. 74; Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 5, P. 207;
also narrated by Ali b. Abi Talib, Abu Sa'id, Umm Salma, Abu Hurayra)
The Prophet(SAW) said:
Allah will bring out from concealment al-Mahdi from my family and just before the day of Judgment; even if only one day were to remain in the life of the world, and he will spread on this earth justice and equity and will eradicate tyranny and oppression.
(Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Vol. 1, P. 99)
Hadhrat Ali(RA) narrates that Rasulullah(SAW) said:
Even if only a day remains for Qiyamah to come, yet Allah will surely send a man from my family who will fill this world with such justice and fairness, just as it initially was filled with oppression.
(Abu Dawood)
Ali b. Abi Talib(RA) has related a tradition from the Prophet(SAW) who informed him:
The promised Mahdi will be among my family. God will make the provisions for his emergence within a single night.
(Ibn Majah, Sahih, Vol. 2, P. 519)
Hazrat Umme Salmah(RA), Prophet's wife, narrates that she heard the Prophet(SAW) say:
The promised Mahdi will be among my progeny, among the descendants of Fatima.
(Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 2, P. 207; Ibn Majah, Sahih, Vol. 2, P. 519)
Rasulullah(SAW) announced:
The Mahdi will be of my family, of the descendants of Fatima (the Prophet's daughter).
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 2, Tradition No. 4086)
The Prophet(SAW) taught:
Al-Mahdi is one of us, the members of the household (Ahlul-Bayt).
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 2, Tradition No. 4085)
Abu Sa'id al-Khudari(RA) narrated that the Prophet(SAW) said:
Our Mahdi will have a broad forehead and a pointed (prominent) nose. He will fill the earth with justice as it is filled with injustice and tyranny. He will rule for seven years.
(Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 2, p. 208; Fusul al-muhimma, p. 275)
Hadhrat Abu Saeed Khudri(RA) relates that Rasulullah(SAW) said:
Al Mahdi will be from my progeny. His forehead will be broad and his nose will be high. He will fill the world with justice and fairness at a time when the world will be filled with oppression. He will rule for seven years.
Hadhrat Umme Salmah(RA) narrates that Rasulullah(SAW) said:
After the death of a Ruler there will be some dispute between the people. At that time a citizen of Madina will flee (from Madina) and go to Makkah. While in Makkah, certain people will approach him between Hajrul Aswad and Maqaame Ibraheem, and forcefully pledge their allegiance to him.
Thereafter a huge army will proceed from Syria to attack him but when they will be at Baida, which is between Makkah and Madina, they will be swallowed into the ground.
On seeing this, the Abdaals of Shaam as well as large numbers of people from Iraq will come to him and pledge their allegiance to him. Then a person from the Quraish, whose uncle will be from the Bani Kalb tribe will send an army to attack him, only to be overpowered, by the will of Allah. This (defeated) army will be that of the Bani Kalb. Unfortunate indeed is he who does not receive a share from the booty of the Kalb. This person (Imam Mahdi) will distribute the spoils of war after the battle. He will lead the people according to the Sunnat and during his reign Islam will spread throughout the world. He will remain till seven years (since his emergence). He will pass away and the Muslims will perform his Janazah salaat.
(Abu Dawood)
The holy Prophet(SAW) said:
A group of my Ummah will fight for the truth until near the day of judgment when Jesus, the son of Marry, will descend, and the leader of them will ask him to lead the prayer, but Jesus declines, saying: "No, Verily, among you Allah has made leaders for others and He has bestowed his bounty upon them.
(Sahih Muslim)
It is reported from Abu Hurayra(RA) that the Prophet(SAW) said:
What will be your reaction when the son of Mary (Jesus) descends and your Imam is from among yourselves?
(Sahih Muslim, bab nuzul 'isa, Vol. 2; Sahih Bukhari, kitab bad' al-khalq wa nuzul 'isa, Vol. 4)
The holy Prophet(SAW) said:
What would be your situation if the Son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends upon you and your Imam is from among you?
(Bukhari, kitabul-Anbiya, Chapter Nuzul Isa bin Maryam)
According to these reliable, authentic, and universally accepted narrations, Mahdi will:
1. Be from among the family of Prophet(SAW), among the descendants of Fatima(RA);
2. Have a broad forehead and pointed noise;
3. Appear in one night;
4. Appear just before the day of judgment;
5. Have same name as hazrat Muhammad(SAW);
6. Escape from Madina to Makkah where people will pledge allegiance to him;
7. Receive pledge and help of Iraqi people;
8. Fight in battles;
9. Rule over the Arabs for seven years according to Sunnah;
10. Spread justice and equity on earth;
11. Eradicate tyranny and oppression;
12. Lead a prayer in Mekkah which Jesus(pbuh) will follow in;
13. NOT be the same individual as the Promised Messiah (Jesus).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sahih Muslim And Sahih Bukhari And Traditions About The Mahdi
It is important to emphasize that if the traditions about the Mahdi were not recorded by Bukhari and Muslim, this does not mean that the reports were weak in transmission. After all, these two compilers had no intention of shedding light on all the traditions. According to Bayhaqi, Muslim and Bukhari did not intend to search for all the traditions. The evidence is provided by the inclusion of numerous traditions that were recorded by Bukhari and which are not part of Muslim's collection. At the same time, there are traditions in the Sahih of Muslim which were avoided by Bukhari.1
Just as Muslim claimed to have recorded only the authentic traditions in his compilation, so did Abu Dawud in his collection. This latter fact has been observed by Abu Bakr b. Dasa who heard Abu Dawud say: "I have recorded 4,800 traditions in my collection of which all are either reliable or close to reliable." In addition, Abu al-Sabah confirms that it was reported to him that Abu Dawud made a similar claim about the traditions in his compilation, Sunan, adding that if he included a weak tradition he made that clear. "Hence any tradition about which I have not made any comment should be regarded as reliable." A similar positive opinion about Abu Dawud's Sunan has been related from Khatabi in the introduction to the present edition by Sa'ati.2
In short, the traditions in Muslim and Bukhari are not different in reliability from the
____________
1 Sahih muslim, Vol. 1, p. 24.
2 See the introduction to the Sunan abi Dawud by Sa'ati. traditions recorded by other authors of the Sahih. What is important is that their transmitters should be investigated in order to establish their credibility or the lack thereof. To be sure, the Sahihs of Muslim and Bukhari, whose authority is accepted by all the Sunnis, are not completely devoid of traditions about the Mahdi, although the term mahdi has not been used to express this belief among Muslims. Following is one such hadith: It is reported from Abu Hurayra that the Prophet said: "What will be your reaction when the son of Mary descends and your Imam is among yourselves?"1 There are a number of other traditions on a similar theme in these two compilations. It is also important to bear in mind that Ibn Khaldun has neither totally falsified all the traditions about the Mahdi, nor has he claimed that he does not accept them. The context of Ibn Khaldun's remark about these traditions is provided by his opening statement in this section when he says: It has been well known (and generally accepted) by all Muslims in every epoch, that at the end of time a man from the family (of the Prophet) will without fail make his appearance, who will strengthen Islam and make justice triumph. Muslims will follow him, and he will gain domination over the Muslim realm. He will be called the Mahdi. It is evident that he has briefly accepted the fact that the belief in the awaited Mahdi is common among Muslims. Moreover, after his critical evaluation of the traditions and their transmitters he concludes the discussion with the following observation: This is the situation of the traditions about the awaited Mahdi. It has been seen in the books that, with the exception of very few, most of these traditions are regarded as unreliable.2
Hence, even at this point he has not rejected all the traditions on the subject. Rather, as he confesses, some of them are authentic. Furthermore, it is relevant to point out that the traditions on the subject of the Mahdi are not confined only to those mentioned and critically evaluated by Ibn Khaldun. Quite to the contrary, most of the books on hadith, both by the Sunnis and the Shi`ites, narrate traditions in an unbroken chain of transmission which actually comes close to their verification as being credible. Had Ibn Khaldun known about the existence of all these traditions, he would have probably regarded the belief in the Mahdi as deeply rooted in the Islamic revelation. To conclude this discussion, we can say that it is incorrect to maintain, as some scholars do, that Ibn Khaldun rejected the tradition about the Mahdi. On the contrary, it is these authors who have read into Ibn Khaldun such an opinion. Other Opinions from Ibn Khaldun: Ibn Khaldun concludes this section on the traditions concerning the Mahdi
____________
1 Sahih muslim, bab nuzul 'isa, volume 2; Sahih bukhari, kitab bad' al-khalq wa nuzul 'isa, volume 4.
2 Muqaddima, p. 322.
thus: The truth one must know is that no religious or political power's propaganda can be successful, unless power or group feeling exists to support the religious and political aspirations and to defend them against those who reject them, and until God's will concerning them materializes. We have established this before, with rational arguments which we presented to the reader. The group feeling among the Fatimids and Talibids, indeed, that among all the Quraysh, has everywhere disappeared. The only exception is a remnant of the Talibids -- Hasanids, Husaynids, and Ja'farites -- in the Hejaz, in Mecca, al-Yanbu', and Medina. They are spread over these regions and dominate them. They are Bedouin groups. They are settled and rule in different places and hold divergent opinions. They number several thousands. If it is correct that a Mahdi is to appear, there is only one way for his propaganda to make its appearance. He must be one of them, and God must unite them in the intention to follow him, until he gathers enough strength and group feeling to gain success for his cause and to move people to support him. Any other way -- such as a Fatimid who would make propaganda for (the cause of the Mahdi) among people anywhere at all, without the support of group feeling and power, by merely relying on his relationship to the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him) -- will not be feasible or successful, for the sound reasons that we have mentioned previously.1
In response to this assertion by Ibn Khaldun it must be pointed out that there is no doubt that anyone who wishes to revolt and gain power so as to establish a government must have the unquestioning support of his followers in order to reach that goal. Similar conditions must be fulfilled in the case of the awaited Mahdi and his universal revolution. However, it is not necessary to require that his supporters be among the descendants of 'Ali and the Quraysh. The reason is that if the government and leadership is based on ethnic and group feeling then the support has to come from that feeling. Moreover, these should be the ones to support him unquestioningly. This was certainly true in the case of ethnic groups and dynasties that came to power by means of this sense of loyalty and solidarity. In general, a government that comes to power through the specific and limited sense of group feeling is necessarily dependent upon a specific and limited group of supporters. This is true in all such cases of nationalistic, ethnic, and ideological states. However, if a government is founded upon a specific program, then it has to gain support of those who favor it. And this order can succeed only if a group recognizes the value of the program and desires to implement it by supporting the leadership that is committed to it. The revolutionary program of the Mahdi is of this kind. The
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1 Muqaddima, p. 327.
Mahdi's program is profoundly universal. It desires that humanity, which is being driven into extreme forms of materialism and opposition to divine commands, respond to the divinely ordained system which rests upon moral and spiritual goals. It wishes to resolve the problems facing humanity by clarifying the boundaries in such a way as to remove any cause of conflict in society. It wants to bring people together under the banner of the Unity of God and universalize submission and service to God. Such a program, if implemented, would end tyranny and injustice and spread peace through justice all over the world. In order to achieve this universal goal it is not sufficient to rely on the leadership of the descendants of 'Ali, who are spread all over the Hejaz, and to expect that the group feeling would help the Mahdi to reach his universal goal. To be sure, there is a need for the peoples of the entire world to prepare themselves to respond to the call of the Mahdi. Besides the divine endorsement of this program, the Mahdi's victory is dependant upon a reasonably large and earnest group of people, who, being aware of the merits of the divinely ordained system, would seriously aspire to see such an order implemented. Moreover, they would be willing to sacrifice their lives for that cause. Consequently, if the people see an infallible and incontestable leader who has access to the divine plan for humanity and has divine endorsement of his program, they would not hesitate to assist him in establishing the ideal public order, even if this means that they would have to sacrifice their lives.
The Existence Of The Mahdi Is Certain
There are numerous Prophetic traditions about the Mahdi, reported by both the Sunni and the Shi'i sources. Close examination of the contents of these traditions proves that the subject of the future coming of the Mahdi and the Qa'im was a well established tenet during the Prophet's life time. People anticipated someone who would take upon himself to establish truth and spread the worship of God. Moreover, they expected that person to take charge of purifying the earth and instituting justice. The belief was so wide spread among the people that having verified it in principle they were engaged in discussing its details. Sometimes they would ask: "From which family would the awaited Mahdi arise?" At other times they wanted to know his name and patronymic. Still at other times they wanted to know the reason why he was called the Mahdi. They wanted to know about his revolution and asked about the signs of his appearance. They also wanted to find out if the Mahdi and the Qa'im were one and the same person. They were told about the Mahdi's occultation and wanted to understand the reasons and the obligations of his followers while he was in occultation. The Prophet also, from time to time, used to inform people about the existence of the Mahdi. He would inform them saying: "Mahdi will be among my descendants. He will be among the sons of Fatima, among the descendants of Husayn." At other times he would announce his name and patronymic and give information about the signs of his reappearance and other related matters.
everyone here , Shia or Sunni Ahmadi etc .. has the right to give there Point of View ... but in a formal way without hurting anyone...
i would like members from Arab world , Pakistan and turkey to share what they believe regarding this topic , along with their notable scholars and books and findings ..
honestly i dont know much Arab, Pakistani and Turkish member who will be credible for such discussions because i have notice that lots of secular muslim in way the deny of this fact .. and they have their own reasons from which i have no objections ..
So lets start this Discussion only in formal way ,regarding Authenticated and reliable sources , i dont even know the Hadith i quoted are much reliable or not .. so if you find any mistake, my Apologies ..
P.S : this Thread is not for indians Hindus , and secular peoples ...kindly stay away from it ..
i would like to know the point of view from Jews and Christians who believe that the story of Coming of their Messiah is real and they can quote reference from their books ..
@Zarvan @al-Hasani @Kaan @Hazzy997 @500 @Multani @dexter @Informant @KingMamba @Leader @Jazzbot @cb4 @Akheilos @haman10 @Aether @DESERT FIGHTER @Irfan Baloch @Azlan Haider @HAIDER @Secur @Chak Bamu @Neptune @AUz @Armstrong @Pakistanisage @JonAsad @The SC @HRK @tarrar @Aeronaut @batmannow @Marshmallow @hasnain0099
and if any of the above member know that certain member can provide better opinion on this so please tag him ..
