Chapter 4: Difference Among Muslims Regarding Him
A study of different points of view among Muslims regarding Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj) is having a number of aspects. We present below a summary of different sects and their stances on this matter:
We should know that there is no difference of opinion among Muslim sects that the Messenger of Allah (S) informed about the advent of a person known as al-Mahdi (‘aj) in the last period of time and that he would be the namesake of the Prophet. He will reform the religion of the Prophet and fill up the earth with justice and equity as it would be fraught with injustice and oppression.
Rejection of the tradition: There is no al-Mahdi, except ‘Isa Ibn Maryam
No one has disputed so much, except a weak statement, which some Ahl al-Sunna have narrated: There is no al-Mahdi, except ‘Isa (‘a), who will descend from the heavens.1 And they have narrated a report regarding it, which that group itself has ruled to be weak and rare, what to say of the Imamiyah. And its example in weakness and foolishness is what Mibdi in Sharh Diwan has narrated from some people that the soul of ‘Isa (‘a) will transmigrate into al-Mahdi (‘aj) and the descent of ‘Isa (‘a) is an allusion of this transmigration and according to this is the tradition: There is no al-Mahdi except ‘Isa Ibn Maryam…and so on.
Among the numerous books written about the proof of
Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj) and his circumstances, like:
Manaqib al-Mahdi, Hafiz Abu Noaim Isfahani; Sifat al-Mahdi Also, by the same author and it is Also, called as Naoot al-Mahdi or it is another book of his.
Al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib az-Zaman, by Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad Ibn Yusuf Ibn Muhammad Shafei Ganji.
Iqdud Durar fi Akhbar Imam al-Muntadhar, by Abu Badr Yusuf Ibn Yahya Salmi.
Akhbar al-Mahdi, by Sayyid Ali Hamadani.
Khasf al-Makhfi fi Manaqib al-Mahdi (‘aj), although the author of this book is a Shi’a, but all its 110 reports are taken from books of Ahl al-Sunna.
Malaahim, by Abu al-Hasan Ahmad Ibn Ja’far Ibn Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Manadi, alias Ibn Manadi.
Book of Saaduddin Hamweeni, successor of Najmuddin.
Al-Burhan fi Akhbar Sahib az-Zaman, by Mulla Ali Muttaqi, author of Kanz al-Ummal.
Akhbar al-Mahdi (‘aj), by Ibad Ibn Yaqub Rawajini.
Arf al-Wardi fi Akhbar al-Mahdi (‘aj), by Abdur Rahman Suyyuti and other books.
In many common heavenly books, statements are mentioned, which testify to what the Holy Prophet (S) has said about him; on the contrary they were famous among soothsayers. And the words of Satih Kahin and his report about his qualities and circumstances are well-known and he was promised to Persian kings. Thus, Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ayyash has in Muqtadhab al-’Asr2 narrated that the last Persian king, Yazdgird wanted to flee from Madayan and he stood in the Hall of Kisra and said: Peace be on you, O hall! At this I am going away from you, but I will return to you. I or one of my descendants, whose time has not yet arrived.
Sulaiman Dailami came to Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (‘a) and asked him about his statement: Or a man from my descendants. He replied: This companion of yours is Qa’im (‘aj) according to the command of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime he is the sixth of my descendant, who would be born from Yazdgird. Thus, he is from his progeny.
Thus, mention of so many reports in books of occultation as is usual, except memorization and seeking blessings and some partial benefits present in them, there is no benefit. As it would not be a proof for non-Muslims and there is no difference among them needful of mention, on the contrary the difference is from some aspects:
First Difference: From The Aspect Of Lineage
There are a few statements on this point.
First: al-Mahdi (‘aj) Is A Descendant Of Abbas Ibn Abd al-Muttalib
In Zakhaaer al-Uqbah3, Muhibbuddin Tabari has narrated from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah (S) told him: From you is the al-Mahdi of the last period of time. Through him guidance would be disseminated and through him the fires of misguidance would be distinguished. Indeed, Allah, the Mighty and Sublime initiated this matter with me and He will end it with your progeny.
Also, a report of almost same meaning is narrated by Abu Huraira.
Also, ‘Uthman has reported that he would be from the descendants of Abbas4. And as the falsity of this statement and contradiction of these reports with widely related traditional report of both the sect, which are clear to all rational beings and that he is from the descendants of the Messenger of Allah (S) as is very much clear. Therefore, Ibn Hajar etc. have justified these reports saying that Abbas is having paternity for him, because the grandfather of al-Mahdi (‘aj) had nursed from Umm al-Fazl, wife of Abbas; therefore, it can be said that al-Mahdi (‘aj) is from his descendants.
If they interpret these reports to be fabricated for flattering the Bani Abbas Caliphs as was the custom of that age; it was better than this weak justification, which due to excess cold silenced the lightning of Ibn Hajar.
Second: He Is A Descendant Of Amir Al-Mu’minin Through His Son, Muhammad Ibn Hanafiyyah
This is the religion of Kaisaniya. Thus, the venerable Shaykh Abu Muhammad Ibn Musa Naubakhti, nephew of Abu Sahl Naubakhti, a scholar during the period of Minor Occultation, has said in his book of Firq wa Maqalaat5: After the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (‘a), a sect believed that Muhammad Ibn Hanafiyyah is the guide and the Imam and he is the successor of Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a).
No member of his Ahl Al-Bayt can oppose him without going out of the pale of Imamate; no one can wield the sword, except through his permission. And Imam Husayn (‘a) did not go out to fight Yazeed, except after taking his permission. And if he had gone out without his permission, he would have been destroyed and deviated.
That anyone, who opposed Muhammad was a disbeliever and a polytheist. It was Muhammad, who appointed Mukhtar as the governor of Basra and Kufa after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (‘a) and ordered him to revenge the killing of Imam Husayn (‘a) and to eliminate his killer and in their struggle everywhere they were present and he named him as Kaisan due to his expertise and since it was recognized from his uprising and religion it was named as Mukhtariya and was called as Kaisaniya.
When Muhammad Ibn Hanafiya passed away in Medina during the year 81 A.H. his companions split into three sects.
One group claimed that Muhammad Ibn Hanafiya is the al-Mahdi and Imam Ali (‘a) had named him as al-Mahdi. And he is not dead. It is not right to say this. He has gone into occultation and it is not known where he is. He will soon return and fill up the earth will justice and there is no Imam after him, till he returns.
After the mention of sects, which believe in the divinity of Muhammad, their corrupted beliefs say that Muhammad Ibn Hanafiya is alive and he is not dead; and he is living in the Razwa Mountain between Mecca and Medina. The beasts of the wild have accorded permission to him and he goes to them morning and evening and drinks their milk and consumes their flesh. To his right is a lion and to his left is another lion, they will guard him till the time of his advent. Some have said that to his right there is a lion and to his left is a leopard; because for them Muhammad is the awaited Imam about whom the Holy Prophet (S) gave glad tidings that he would fill up the earth with justice and equity. They remained on this religion till they became extinct, except a few from his descendants and they are one of the Kaisaniya sects.
Then he has mentioned all the sects, some of whom believe in his death and regard his son, Abu Hashim ‘Abd Allah Ibn Muhammad as the promised al-Mahdi and others; who all have become extinct and this is sufficient to prove their falsehood and contradiction of their statements to consensus and widely narrated traditions and the occurrence of the death of their al-Mahdi, who did not for a single day, fill up a single village with justice in view of all scholars of community from Imamiyah and Ahl al-Sunna.
Third: al-Mahdi Is A Descendant Of Imam Hasan Mujtaba (‘A)
Ibn Hajar and others have supported this statement through the saying of Tirmizi that the Messenger of Allah (S) said: al-Mahdi is from the sons of Hasan6.
In As-Sawa’iq7, Ibn Hajar says: Its secret is that his abandoning of Caliphate was due to his affection on the Ummah. Thus, the Almighty Allah placed Qa’im for the rightful Caliphate in his descendants and the tradition of his being a descendant of Imam Husayn (‘a) is absurd; and in that case there is no proof in it, for what the Rafidha (Shi’a) think that al-Mahdi (‘aj) is Hujjat Ibn al-Hasan al-’Askari (‘a).
Till he says: Among their misunderstandings and foolishness is that some Rafidha think that al-Mahdi is from the descendants of Hasan (‘a). It is only a conjecture. And they Also, think that Ummah reached consensus that he is from the descendants of Imam Husayn (‘a) and how can they attribute conjecture and mistake to narrators of traditions; and change consensus into conjecture8?
Reply
Firstly
Since the report is narrated by Uyyana in Jama’ Bayn as-Sihah as-Sitta with the word of Husayn and not Hasan; thus, in that case the report would be disturbed according to its text and will come down from the rank of certainty and cannot be used as proof.
Or we can say: The copy with the word of Husayn is supported by traditions of Shi’a and Ahl al-Sunna, thus, it is correct and preferable and the report that al-Mahdi is from the descendants of Husayn (‘a) is having consensus, which can be used in debates and that what enmity is unique by it; will be expressed and this implication is from a consensus, which is claimed in this instance and Ibn Hajar did not understand it and he attributed it to an accident. After that the report of Tirmizi should be interpreted in another way to give concession to Ibn Hajar:
First: Wrong abrogator or narrator: as these two words are very close in meaning and are always confused with each other, and there are many names mentioned in Rijal books of the two sects, where it is discussed whether it is Hasan or Husayn. And among the intricacies of this position is what Ibn Hajar Asqalani, who preceded Ibn Hajar Makki, author of As-Sawa’iq and was a unique scholar of his time regarding science of traditions and narrators of traditions; and also, a contemporary of Allamah Hilli (r.a.); he says regarding Hasan in his book of Ad-Durar al-Kaminah fi Ahwal al-Ma’it as-Samanah9: Hasan Ibn Yusuf Ibn Mutahhar Hilli Jamaaluddin, famous as Ibn Mutahhar Asadi mentions about Husayn; then he says regarding Husayn: Husayn Ibn Yusuf Ibn Mutahhar Hilli Motazali Jamaaluddin Shii10; then he mentions his brief biography of His Eminence and indicts such scholar in a book, whose appearance is for recording this matter, the name of such a person, who was famous as well as his contemporary, whom he has himself quoted has been confused, confusion of abrogator or narrator is not unlikely from the reporter as there was no need of it and centuries passed on it.
Second: Interpreting it to be a fabrication in emulation of Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd Allah Ibn Hasan Ibn Hasan (‘a) who regarded himself to be the al-Mahdi and who staged an uprising and was slain in Medina, as is mentioned in books of history and biography.
Third: The attribution of al-Mahdi to Hasan is like his attribution to Husayn (‘a); it is from the Messenger of Allah (S) that he is related to Imam Hasan (‘a) from his mother’s side. It is mentioned in numerous traditions that the Holy Prophet (S) considered Imam Hasan (‘a) as his son and progeny. And he named him as such. Thus, al-Mahdi (‘aj) who is related to Imam Hasan (‘a) through his mother as the mother of Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (‘a) was Umm al-Hasan daughter of Imam Hasan (‘a). Therefore, it can be said that al-Mahdi (‘aj) is a descendant of Imam Hasan (‘a). It does not contradict the report that he is a descendant of Imam Husayn (‘a), and it is supported by what Hafiz Abu Noaim Ahmad Ibn ‘Abd Allah has narrated in Manaqib al-Mahdi (‘aj) from Ali Ibn Hilal from his father that he said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (S) and he was in his terminal illness. I saw Fatimah (‘a) seated near the bed of the Prophet weeping, till the sound of her weeping became loud. The Holy Prophet (S) raised his head to her and asked: Why are you weeping?
Till he said: And from us are the grandsons of this Ummah and they are your two sons: Hasan and Husayn (‘a), chiefs of the folks of Paradise and their father is better than them. O Fatimah, by the one, who sent me as a rightful Prophet, from these two is the al-Mahdi of this Ummah, when the world would be in turmoil11.…till the end of the report, which is quite lengthy.
It is the limit of prejudice that previously Ibn Hajar has reconciled the tradition that al-Mahdi is from the descendants of Abbas and justified it saying that his grandfather has nursed from Umm al-Fazl, even though neither the chain of narrators of that report is valid nor is it having currency; but in this instance, he refuses to accept the same explanation, even though many other contexts are present here as well:
Firstly: Reports, which prove that al-Mahdi (‘aj) is from the descendants of Imam Husayn (‘a) are extremely reliable.
Secondly: Numerous Ahl al-Sunna scholars have admitted to it.
Thirdly: They are supported by the widely narrated traditions of Imamiyah and statements of all their scholars.
Fourthly: Aspects, which we mentioned for reconciliation are more valid in this instance, because Imam Husayn (‘a) nursed from Umm al-Fazl as mentioned in Manaqib12 quoting from Fadha’il as-Sahaba etc. from Umm al-Fazl, wife of Abbas, that she said to the Messenger of Allah (S): O Messenger of Allah (S), I dreamt that a piece of your body was with me.
His Eminence said: Fatimah will give birth to a son, if Allah wills; and you will take care of him and nurse him.
Fatimah gave birth to Husayn (‘a) and gave him to Umm al-Fazl and she nursed him when Qatham Ibn Abbas was born to her.
Fifthly: To rely on fabrication of the author of Tirmizi, who in his enmity of Imamiyah has fabricated a report and written. Thus, in that book many fabrications are present; some of which are blatant. Thus, in the report of the journey of the Messenger of Allah (S) to Shaam and his meeting Bahira the monk; after its mention and his being seen by Bahira, Bahira adjured Abu Talib to take him back. And Abu Bakr sent Bilal with the Prophet.13
Zahabi and some scholars, quoting whom exactly would be too lengthy, have clarified that at that time Abu Bakr was a child, as the journey of the Prophet took place during his ninth year and Abu Bakr was two years younger to the Prophet; and apparently at that time Bilal was not yet born; and apart from that thirty years after that journey did Abu Bakr come to own Bilal, who was a slave of Bani Khalaf from the Jahmieen clan; and since he had embraced Islam they used to punish him; thus, Abu Bakr purchased and emancipated him14.
Ibn Hajar Asqalani has explained that the narrators from the chain of tradition are all reliable, but nothing can be denied in its text, except the point that Abu Bakr sent Bilal with the Prophet.15
Also, Ayesha has narrated that the Messenger of Allah (S) said: It is not lawful for people among whom Abu Bakr is present that anyone other than him should be the leader.16
Ibn Jauzi has in the book of Al-Ma’uzuat17, clarified that this report is fabricated from the Messenger of Allah (S).
Also, it is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (S) said: O Allah, bestow honour to Islam through the most beloved from these two persons, Abu Jahl or Umar Ibn Khattab and the dear-most from these two was Umar18. In this report, a strange distortion is made even if we suppose that it is genuine, according to the explanation of their scholars.
In the treatise entitled Durar al-Muntashera fi ‘l- Ahaadeesil Mushtahera, Suyyuti has narrated that they asked Ikrima, son of Abu Jahl about this tradition. He said: Allah forbid, the religion of Islam is more honourable than that the Prophet should say: Give honour to Islam through Umar or Abu Jahl.
In Seerah Halabiyya, Burhanuddin Shafei has narrated from Ayesha that she said: The Messenger of Allah (S) in fact said: O Allah, honour Umar through Islam, because Islam bestows glory and others do not honour it.19
Also, it is narrated that a bier was brought to the Messenger of Allah (S), but he did not pray on it and said: He was inimical to ‘Uthman.20
Ibn Jauzi has in the book of Al-Ma’uzuat21, considered this tradition to be fabricated and it is narrated from Ahmad Ibn Hanbal that Muhammad Ibn Ziyad, one of its narrators, was a liar and a wicked man and he used to fabricate traditions.
Yahya Ibn Moin says: He was a wicked liar.22
Saadi and Daarqutni have said and Bukhari23 and Nasai24, Falas, Abu Hatim Raazi25 have said that his traditions are rejected.
Ibn Hibban26 said that he has attributed falsehood to trusted persons and fabricated traditions; thus, it is not allowed to mention him in books, except in his condemnation.27
Most surprising is what is narrated from Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) that he said: Abdur Rahman Ibn Auf prepared dinner and invited us; he served us wine; thus, we were intoxicated and the time of prayer arrived. They made me lead the prayers, in which I recited:
Say O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship and we worship what you don’t worship.
Thus, the Almighty Allah revealed the following verse:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْرَبُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنْتُمْ سُكَارَىٰ حَتَّىٰ تَعْلَمُوا مَا تَقُولُونَ
“O you who believe! do not go near prayer when you are intoxicated until you know (well) what you say” (4:43).28
The revelation of the verse in prohibition of wine was before this verse. Thus, may Allah forbid, His Eminence consumed wine in that condition and the invalidation of this report cannot fill up reams.
However, the prominent academic scholar, sword of Shi’a and a lamp of Shari’ah and incomparable critic, the contemporary
Mir Hamid Husayn Hindi, may Allah help him, in the first volume of Al-Istiqsa al-Afhaam has fulfilled the rights of Islamic faith and compiled half of their scandals. May the Almighty Allah reward him with the best of rewards.
Secondly
Thus, his saying that “the report that al-Mahdi (‘aj) is from the descendants of Imam Husayn (‘a) is invalid” it is not issued after proper understanding; as most Shi’a sects and all Imamite scholars and reporters of traditions have narrated it.
In Iqdud Durar29, Yusuf Ibn Yahya Salmi has narrated from Imam Abu ‘Abd Allah Naeem Ibn Hammad in the book of Fitan from Amash, from Abu Wael that he said: Ali glanced at Hasan (‘a) and said: Indeed, this son of mine is the Sayyid. Thus, the Holy Prophet (S) named him and very soon will appear from his loins a man, who will be the namesake of your Prophet, he would fill up the earth with justice and equity as it would be fraught with injustice and oppression.
Almost similar in meaning is what Abu Ishaq has narrated30 and Shaykh Hadith of Ahl al-Sunna Abu al-Hasan Daarqutni Shafei has narrated and a large number of people, whose names we shall mention, have relied on him and we will quote it as Ganji Shafei has quoted in the book of Bayan. There he says:
Topic Four: Clarification Of The Holy Prophet (S) That al-Mahdi (‘aj) Is From The Descendants Of Imam Husayn (‘A)
Informed us Hafiz Abu al-Hajjaj, Yusuf Ibn Khalil Ibn ‘Abd Allah Damishqi read out to me and I heard it in Aleppo: He said: Informed me Abu al-Fath Nasir Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Fazl Sarraj: Informed me Abu Tahir Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Abd al-Rahim: Informed me Hafiz, Shaykh and leader of Ahl al-Hadith, quotes Abu al-Hasan Ali Ibn Umar Ibn Ahmad Ibn al-Mahdi Ibn Masud Shafei, alias Daarqutni has narrated: Informed us Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Saeed has narrated: Ibrahim Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ishaq Ibn Yazeed has narrated to us Sahal Ibn Sulaiman from Abu Harun Abdi that he said: I went to Abu Saeed Khudri.
I asked him: Were you present in Badr?
He replied: Yes.
I asked: Would you not inform us of what you heard from the Messenger of Allah (S) in favour of Ali (‘a) and his excellence?
He said: Yes, I will inform you about it.
Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (S) was indisposed with a sickness from which he recovered. So Fatimah came to visit him and I was seated to the right of the Messenger of Allah (S). When Fatimah (‘a) noticed his weakness, she began to weep till her tears flowed. The Holy Prophet (S) asked: Why are you weeping O Fatimah?
She replied: I fear destruction, O Messenger of Allah (S).
He said: O Fatimah, do you not know that the Almighty Allah through the glance of His power and knowledge glanced at the earth and chose from it your father. Then He sent him as a prophet. Then He looked at the earth the second time and chose your husband. Then He revealed to me and I married you to him and appointed him as my successor. Do you not know that by way of honour the Almighty Allah married you to the most intelligent, knowledgeable, forbearing and foremost one in Islam?
So she smiled and became happy. Then the Holy Prophet (S) decided to further mention the goodness, which the Almighty Allah bestowed on Muhammad and Aali Muhammad (‘a).
He said: Fatimah, Ali is having eight teeth; that is eight excellences: since through them their owner defeats the opponent: Faith in the Almighty Allah and His Messenger and wisdom and his wife and his two grandsons: Hasan and Husayn (‘a) and his enjoining of the good and forbidding of the evil.
O Fatimah, indeed we Ahl Al-Bayt (‘a) are bestowed with six qualities, which are not given to anyone from anyone of the formers and neither will anyone from the latters be given that except us, Ahl Al-Bayt (‘a).
Our prophet is the best of the prophets and he is your father.
Our successor is the best of the successors and he is your husband.
Our martyr is the best of the martyrs and he is Hamza, the uncle of your father.
From us are the two Sibts (tribes) of this Ummah. And they are your two sons.
From us is the al-Mahdi of this Ummah, behind whom ‘Isa (‘a) will pray.
Then he tapped on the shoulders of Husayn (‘a) and said:
From this one is the al-Mahdi of this Ummah.31
Ganji said: This report is mentioned in whole by Daarqutni, who is the author of Jeerah wa Tadeel32. That is among Ahl al-Sunna scholars, his Jeerah wa Tadeel in the science of Rijal and traditions is well-known and authoritative. And the prominence of Abu al-Hasan Daarqutni in view of Ahl al-Sunna is more than what Zahabi has hinted in Al-'Ibar33 in the events of 385 A.H.: Daarqutni, Abu al-Hasan, Ali Ibn Umar Ibn Ahmad Baghdadi, famous Hafiz, author of books, has narrated from Baghawi and Hakim has mentioned his rank and said: He was the unique person of his time in memory, understanding, piety and leadership in recitation (قرأت); I happened to meet him and he was much above my description.
Khatib said: He was the matchless one of his age and the Imam of his time; knowledge and divine recognition of that time ended with him, from the causes and names of reporters with truth and the correct belief; in terminology and in sciences, except the science of traditions and one of them is Qiraat.
It is narrated from Qazi Abu Tayyab Tabari: Daarqutni was the chief of the believers in traditions.
End of quotation.34
We will soon praise of Ganji and testimony of other scholars regarding the genuineness of this report. If Allah, the High wills.
Thirdly
After what he has narrated about secret of al-Mahdi (‘aj) being from the descendants of Imam Hasan (‘a) is opposed to the obvious and stronger secret, which has come from numerous chains from Ahl Al-Bayt (‘a) and it is that the Almighty Allah in lieu the martyrdom of the chief of the martyrs (‘a) bestowed some excellences to Imam Husayn (‘a), one of them being that the Imams shall be from his progeny35. And this matter is clear for all Muslims that the series connected to Imam Husayn (‘a) from Imam Sajjad (‘a) to Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a), each of them were perfect in knowledge, pious in religion and owners of high ranks and honour, who were worthy of rulership of the people; even though apparently, they were unable to get power.
It was previously mentioned regarding the titles in interpretation of the verse:
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَمَنْ قُتِلَ مَظْلُومًا فَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا لِوَلِيِّهِ سُلْطَانًا فَلَا يُسْرِفْ فِي الْقَتْلِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ مَنْصُورًا
“And whoever is slain unjustly, We have indeed given to his heir authority…” (17:33).
So the oppressed is Imam Husayn (‘a) and his Wali is al-Mahdi (‘aj), who is assisted and who would seek his revenge.
In Mustadrak36, Hakim has narrated through some channels, which Ibn Hajar has admitted that the Messenger of Allah (S) has narrated from Jibra’il that the Almighty Allah said: I eliminated seven thousand persons to revenge the killing of Yahya Ibn Zakariya; indeed, I will eliminate seventy thousand for the killing of Husayn Ibn Ali (‘a).
Fourthly
Thus, what they say that his being from the descendants of Imam Husayn (‘a) is not proof that he should be the son of Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a), it is correct, but till date no one from the common Shi’a people, what to say of their scholars, have reasoned through this for that claim; it is to reject their claim that the Imam is from the descendants of Abbas or Imam Hasan (‘a), as the specification of that person, whose father is al-’Askari (‘a) is needless from this aspect and there is hardly any Imamiyah scholar who relies on this argument or a need should arise for them. If this attribution had been correct, why it is not mentioned in their books? It is their own style that they rely on every baseless thing and present it to be a proof of a great claim; and were it not to lead us beyond the scope of our discussion, we would have presented some examples of this.
Fourth: That Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj) Is From The Descendants Of Imam Husayn (‘A)
As mentioned previously, this statement is the religion of all Imamiyah and most Shi’a sects and some Ahl al-Sunna are Also, in agreement with the Shi’a as regards the identity of Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj) as will be mentioned and their basis regarding this and the next chapter will be clarified.
Second Dispute: Regarding The Name Of Father Of His Eminence al-Mahdi (‘aj)
As for the Imamiyah: Their belief as learnt from the special statements of the Messenger of Allah (S) and other Holy Imams (‘a), whose Imamate is proved and whose statements are proofs for their veracity that they consider it to be Imam Hasan Ibn Ali Ibn Muhammad (‘a) and Ahl al-Sunna traditional reports say that the Messenger of Allah (S) said: al-Mahdi will be my namesake and in some he has added and he will have the same Kuniyyat as mine.37
Some Ahl al-Sunna believe that the name of the father of Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj) is same as that of the father of the Messenger of Allah (S); that is ‘Abd Allah.
Objection Of Ibn Hajar
In As-Sawa’iq38, after the statement quoted above, Ibn Hajar says: There is no proof for the Rafida, who think that…and so on, he says: Because, among the points, which refute them is a report that the name of al-Mahdi is same as the name of Messenger of Allah (S) and the name of his father is not same as the name of the father of the Prophet and also, considered it ignorance of the Rafidha that they think that the narration of the name of his father, name of the father of the Holy Prophet (S) is just conjecture.
Reply
Firstly: Imamiyah traditions of the prophet regarding the advent of al-Mahdi are not having this addition. On the contrary, in some of them it is mentioned: His Kuniyyat is same as my Kuniyyat.
Also, this addition is not present in majority of Ahl al-Sunna traditional reports; and this addition was made by Zaida, whose habit, according to the statement of Ganji Shafei was that he made spurious additions to traditions. This matter is explained in more detail in his book of Bayan after the mention of report through his chains of narrators from Sunan Abu Dawood of Sulaiman Ibn Ashas Sajistani, the author of one of the Sihah Sitta. It is narrated from Musaddad from Yahya Ibn Saeed from Sufyan from Asim from Dharr Ibn Jaish from ‘Abd Allah; that is ‘Abd Allah Ibn Masud from the Messenger of Allah (S) that he said: If only one day of this world remained. Allah would lengthen that day (according to the version of Zaidah), till He raised up in it a man, who belongs to me or to my family, whose father’s name is the same as my father’s, who would fill up the earth with equity and justice as it has been filled with oppression and tyranny.39
Then he said: Hafiz Abu al-Hasan Muhammad Ibn Husayn Ibn Ibrahim Asim Abri has mentioned this report in the book of Manaqib Shafei and said: Zaidah has added the following words to his report: Till He raised up in it a man, who belongs to me or to my family, whose father’s name is the same as my father’s, who would fill the earth with equity and justice as it has been filled with oppression and tyranny.40
Ganji then says: Tirmizi has mentioned this report, but has not mentioned that the name of his father will be same as the name of my father; and Abu Dawood has mentioned traditional reports of Huffaz and reliable scholars, in Moazzam that his name is same as my name… and that’s all.
One, who has narrated that the name of his father is same as the name of my father; it is Zaidah, who has made additions to tradition41. Then he has mentioned the second reply as follows:
After that he said that the most preferable view in this instance is that Imam Ahmad, with all his discipline has narrated this tradition in his Musnad from Yahya Ibn Saeed from Sufyan from Asim from Dharr from ‘Abd Allah from the Messenger of Allah (S) that he said: This world will not end…till: His name is same as my name.42
Hafiz Abu Noaim has reconciled the channels of this tradition through numerous people in Manaqib al-Mahdi (‘aj) all of whom have narrated from Asim Ibn Abu al-Najud from Dharr from ‘Abd Allah from the Messenger of Allah (S), one of them being Sufyan Ibn Ibn Uyyana as we have mentioned and for him, he has mentioned some channels:
From them - that is from those from whom Asim has narrated - Fatar Ibn Khalifa, and from him also, he has quoted some channels.
From him is Amash and from him Also, some channels have narrated.
From them is Abd al-Ishaq Sulaiman Ibn Firoz and from him Also, some channels have narrated.
From them is Hafas Ibn Umar.
From them is Sufyan Thawri, and from him Also, some channels have narrated.
From them is Shoba, through some channels.
From them is Wasit al-Hars.
From them is Yazeed Ibn Muawiyah, Abu Shaibah and for him two channels are there.
From them is Sulaiman Ibn Qaram, and from him Also, some channels have narrated.
From them is Ja’far Ahmad, Qays Ibn Rabi, Sulaiman Ibn Qaram and tribes, who through one chain have gathered them.
From them is Sulaiman Ibn Mundhir.
From them is Abu Shahab, Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim Kanani; and through them some channels have narrated.
From them is Umar Ibn Ubaid Tanafas and from him some channels have narrated.
From them is Abu Bakr Ibn Ayyash and from him some channels have narrated.
From them is Abu al-Hajjaf, Dawood Ibn Abu al-Awf and from them and some channels have narrated.
From them is ‘Uthman Ibn Shab (Night)arma and from him some channels have narrated.
From them is Abd al-Malik Ibn Uyyana.
From them is Muhammad Ibn Ayyash from Amr Amir and from him some channels have narrated and mentioned the chains of narrators and said: Informed us Abu Anaan: informed us Qays and he did not attribute it to anyone.
From them is Amr Ibn Qays Malai.
From them is Ammar Ibn Zareeq.
From them is ‘Abd Allah Ibn Hakim Ibn Jubair Asadi.
From them is Amr Ibn ‘Abd Allah Ibn Bashar.
From them is ‘Abd Allah Ibn Ahus.
From them is Saad Ibn Hasan, nephew of Thalaba.
From them is Maaz Ibn Hisham that: My father has informed from Asim.
From them is Hakam Ibn Hisham, who has narrated that report from others than Asim from Dharr and he is Amr Ibn Murrah; and all of them have narrated that report in the following manner: His name is same as my name; but the manner in which it is quoted from Ubaidullah Ibn Musa from Zaida from Asim that he said in that group that the name of his father is the name of my father.
No doubt that it is not more nominal than that according to the consensus of all these imams as opposed to that. End of Ganji’s statement.43
Its summary is that this report originates from ‘Abd Allah Ibn Masud who was a prominent companion of the Prophet and from him Dharr Ibn Jaish has narrated, who was a distinguished associate of Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) and from him Asim Ibn Abu al-Najwad has narrated, who was one of the famous reciters of Qur’an and more than thirty persons have narrated from Asim, who are well-known among the scholars of traditions to be reliable in narration; on the contrary some are even reliable according to Shi’a standards, like Amash, the two Sufyans and Abu Bakr Ibn Ayyash and their like; thus, how can we accept that they made this addition or intentionally made deletions or that Asim reported that addition to Zaidah and not these people.
The fact is that Ibn Hajar should bow down his head in shame or he should conceal himself in his cage of animals as he is in favour of condemning all these Imams, these traditions and the surplus, which by the declaration of Ganji Shafei, is increasing in traditions as was his custom, he prefers it on all of them, only that objection should be raised on the Imamiyah.
Khwaja Muhammad Parsa has narrated that on the margins of his book of Fasl al-Khitab after the mention of the report of Zaidah, he has written in the text: Ahl Al-Bayt (‘a) have not approved these traditions due to what is proved in their view from his names and the name of his father and the majority of Ahl al-Sunna have narrated that Zaidah used to make additions in traditions and narrate them. Imam Hafiz Abu al-Hatim Busti has written in the book of Majrooheen az Mohaddeseen that: Zaidah; the freed slave of ‘Uthman; Abu Ziyad has narrated from him; his reports are false and he was a Medinite. His reports cannot be used in debates, unless approved by trustworthy scholars. Then how if it is solitary and Zaida Ibn Abi Raqqad Bahili from the people of Basra narrates his famous evil deeds, one must not argue through his reports and they should not be written, but only as examples.
After it has become clear to everyone with insight that this addition is only related to Zaidah, it will not be a proof for anyone. Especially for the Imamites and the order of rejection of the addition is to the extent on quoting which, there was consensus, as is customary among them.
As Fakhr ar-Razi has, in Nihayat al-’Uqul after the judgment regarding the weakness of the tradition of Ghadir only by way of pretense, he admits to its correctness, but objected that the main subject of that tradition, which is the statement of the Holy Prophet (S): Am I not having more authority over the believer than they have on themselves; and reasoning from this tradition is not complete according to his belief, except being the infinitive of that statement is an addition of the Shi’a and is not from the text of Ahl al-Sunna chains; thus, it is not having the rank of reliability and proof.
The aim of quoting this statement is only that this method is customary, and his statement is deceptive from some aspects. The poor man, in his rational ideas in which he has spent his life, what did he did to commit excess in traditional sciences and from his books of traditional reports it is learnt that more than thirty persons from experts of tradition, before him have narrated the main part and it is present in their books, praise be to Allah.44
It was mentioned that this addition45 might have been for popularizing Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd Allah Ibn Hasan that Mansoor before his Caliphate, used to walk along with him when he rode and used to say: This is our al-Mahdi from Ahl Al-Bayt; or it was from the aspect of flattering of Abu Hanifah as he is Also, mentioned to be a proponent of this Muhammad.
Secondly: If we suppose that the tradition is authentic, there is no option, except to justify the apparent meaning of the tradition by reconciling with other traditions that the word of ‘father’ is used to imply ‘grandfather’. Thus, the word of ‘father’ is used to mean grandfather a number of times in the Holy Qur’an. In the instance that it is said:
مِلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ
“The faith of your father Ibrahim” (22:78).
And Prophet Yusuf (‘a) said:
وَاتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ آبَائِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ
“And I follow the religion of my fathers, Ibrahim and Ishaq” (12:38).
And the sons of Yaqub (‘a) said to their father:
نَعْبُدُ إِلَٰهَكَ وَإِلَٰهَ آبَائِكَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ
“We will serve your God and the God of your fathers, Ibrahim and Ismail and Ishaq” (2:133).
It is mentioned in the reports about the night of Mi’raj that Jibra’il said to the Messenger of Allah (S): This is your father, Ibrahim and here the implication was as Muhammad Ibn Talha Shafei Ganji has said that it should imply Imam Husayn (‘a) and ‘name’ might imply ‘Kuniyyat’ since the Kuniyyat of the Imam was Abu ‘Abd Allah and from the aspect of it being a name, they have called it as name and it is clear that Kuniyyat is called as ‘name’ as Bukhari and Muslim46, both have narrated in their respective Sahih books from Sahl Ibn Saad47 that he has narrated from Imam Ali (‘a) that the Messenger of Allah (S) named him as Abu Turab, and no name was more liked by him than this name and it is found in ‘‘Arab poetry as well48.
On the basis of this possibility the second reply can Also, be given so that its avoidance is reduced from the fact that father implies Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) whose Kuniyyat was Abu Muhammad and the Kuniyyat of ‘Abd Allah, of the Messenger of Allah (S) was Also, Abu Muhammad. Thus, it is mentioned in Ziya al-Alameen and Ganji has mentioned the third possibility that perhaps the original was ‘the name of my father is the name of my son’; that is Imam Hasan (‘a); thus, later the phrase of ‘my son’ was changed by mistake and the report was corrected and it is obligatory to say in reconciliation of traditions that the decisive statement is that which was mentioned before49.
Third Dispute: Ascertaining Who The al-Mahdi (‘aj) Is
Here will be discussed another dispute - that whether he is born or not?
As for the Shi’a, who are not Imamites there are many extraordinary beliefs, views and different sects among them, most of which by the grace of the Almighty Allah, have become extinct and the explanation of their words is waste of time and from the aspect of discipline we will only hint to their statements:
First: Kaisaniya
A sect from them considers Muhammad Ibn Hanafiyyah to be the al-Mahdi and a sect from them regards his son, Abu Hashim ‘Abd Allah as al-Mahdi; as was mentioned previously and another sect regards ‘Abd Allah Ibn Muawiyah Ibn ‘Abd Allah Ibn Ja’far Ibn Abu Talib as al-Mahdi.
Second: Mughiriyya
The companions of Mughira Ibn Saeed, who after the passing away of Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (‘a) invented a sect and they regard Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd Allah Ibn Hasan Ibn Hasan Ibn Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) to be the al-Mahdi due to the same report of Zaida, which was mentioned; and they say that he is alive and has not died; and he resides in a mountain known as Ilmiya on the route of Mecca in the limits of Hajiz from the left, which leads to Mecca and that is a huge mountain. He will remain there till he reappears and Muhammad staged an uprising in Medina and he was killed there.50
Third: Nawusiya
Who became deniers in the death of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (‘a) and regarded him as the promised al-Mahdi51.
Fourth: Real Ismailiya
They are deniers of Ismail’s death and after Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (‘a) they regard him to be the living Imam and the al-Mahdi52.
Fifth: Mubarakiya
It is a sub-sect of Ismailiya, which believes in seven Imams after the Messenger of Allah (S) and not more: Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a), who was the Imam and a prophet, Hasan and Husayn, Ali Ibn Husayn, Muhammad Ibn Ali and Ja’far Ibn Muhammad and Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ja’far (‘a); the last being the supreme Imam, prophet and al-Mahdi and they say that the meaning of the Qa’im is that he will be raised with prophethood and a new religious law, through which, he will abrogate the law of Muhammad (S).53
Sixth: Waqifiyya
In whose view, His Eminence, Musa Ibn Ja’far (‘a) is the Qa’im and al-Mahdi; but some have admitted to his death and they say that he would become alive and the world will be controlled by him. Some say that he came out of the prison of Sandi and no one saw him. The associates of Harun have made mistake about persons, who died and did not die and disappeared!54
Seventh: Muhammadiya
After the passing away of Imam Ali an-Naqi (‘a), they regard his son, Muhammad, who died during his lifetime to be the Imam and they say that he is not dead; he is alive. He is the Qa’im and the al-Mahdi. While the fact is that the tomb of this Sayyid Muhammad is said eight farsang from Samarrah, near the village of Balad. He was a prominent member of Sadaat and his miraculous acts are widely narrated even among Ahl al-Sunna and nomadic Arabs, who accord great respect to him because of this, and they fear His Eminence and do not take a false oath in his name and they make offerings to him.
On the contrary, a large part of his mission was in Samarrah and the surrounding areas. I have repeatedly seen that on the basis of swearing in his name even the denier delivers the monies to its owner and if he took a false oath in his name he was invariably visited by ill fortune. During these days, some obvious miracle acts were seen from this saint of Samarrah and some scholars have initiated their compilation and writing a treatise on his excellence. May Almighty Allah give success to them.
Eighth: Al-’Askariyya
They regard Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) to be the Qa’im and the hidden Imam. They say that he is not dead. Some have said that he has passed away; and after that he will become alive. The base of this sect is a weak report, which only they have related or a reliable report, which does not unequivocally prove their claim, or it is misinterpretation of reliable reports without witness and proof or incidental, which does not exceed conjecture.
How can any rational person accept that such a great matter should be proved for a person in whose control is the religion, life, inheritance and wealth of all the people and who is responsible for their well-being and protection through a weak report, even though it might not negate him, except Ahl al-Sunna who have before them done this and proved this complete rulership and Caliphate of the people for their Shaykhs through consensus and when they wanted to prove the validity of consensus they relied on a solitary report: My Ummah will not have consensus on error. Which it neither has a proper chain of narrators; nor is it sufficient to fulfil their aim; as is clear in the science of the principles of jurisprudence and scholasticism.
Ninth: The True School, The Delivered Sect And The Guided Group Of Twelver Imamites, May Allah Assist Them
According to widely narrated statements of the Messenger of Allah (S) and Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) as will be briefly hinted at in the following pages. They regard His Eminence, the righteous successor, Hujjat Ibn al-Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) as the promised al-Mahdi and the awaited Qa’im, who is unseen by people and who tours the provinces and all the past Imams have clarified his name, qualities and description and also, reported about his imminent occultation. And it was recorded before the birth of the Holy Imam (‘a) in reliable books of their trusted scholars that some of them even exist today and a large number of people saw him and described him as he was mentioned in those books.
Thus, for the fair-minded persons, there remains no reason to doubt in the being of this promised al-Mahdi, who is prophesied by the Messenger of Allah (S) and the description of the Imam is mentioned in the heavenly scriptures and writings of the people of the book, namely Jews and Christians also, which were accessible to them and led to some of them embracing Islam. In spite of the fact that the qualities mentioned in their sources belong to the lower ranks than what occurred in this instance; and in spite of long periods of the prophets most of what they said remained safe. So much so that even some of the opponents have narrated them as will be explained in the coming pages.
Some Ahl al-Sunna people have agreed with us in following this belief and we are compelled to mention their names and hint at their respectable position in that sect so that in the instance of their criticism they will be compelled to be ashamed of their own scholars and traditionists in spite of the fact that in this instance they do not have anything to say, except expression of ignorance and some improbabilities and doubts; which they bring with their replies, they do not have any way to refute the Imamiyah and would be explained further, if Allah wills.
Ahl Ul-Sunna Having Similar Views
First: Abu Saalim Kamal ad-Din Muhammad Ibn Talha Ibn Muhammad Quraishi Nasibi
He has, in the twelfth chapter of his book of Matalibus So-ool proved this point with decisive belief and eloquent insistence and mentioned some of the objections of the deniers and has refuted them. Then he has Also, extolled the Holy Imam (‘a) through eloquent verses and lucid texts. A version of this book was published in Tehran and also, in Lucknow, India.55
Asad Ibn ‘Abd Allah Yafai Maruf says in Tarikh Mirat al-Jinan56 in the events of 652 A.H.: In that year died Kamal ad-Din Muhammad Ibn Talha Nasibi Mufti Shafei and he was a leader of great awe, a very religious person and an expert of various fields. He held an important office of the ministry; then turned to religion. Then he narrates his miracle acts, but this is not the place to mention them.
Shaykh Jamaaluddin Abdur Rahim Ibn Ali Usnuwi Faqih Shafei, author of many well-known books has said in Tabaqat Fiqhhai Shafiya after his mention in the above manner that he was an expert on principles of jurisprudence and scholasticism.
He was a great respected leader and rulers used to correspond with him and he resided in the Madressa Aminiya Damisqh. Malik Nasir wrote the proclamation of ministership for him.
He became aloof from it and excused himself. He interacted with people for two days and then left all his property and went away to an undisclosed location. He listened to traditions, and he narrated them…and so on.
Taqiuddin Abu Bakr Ibn Ahmad Ibn Qazi Shab (Night)a has said in At-Taqabat al-Fuqaha’ ash-Shafiyah57: Muhammad Ibn Talha Ibn Muhammad Ibn Hasan Shaykh Kamal ad-Din Abu Saalim At-Tusi Qarshi Adwi Nasibi has written a book called Iqd al-Fareed. He was a prominent and important leader. He was an expert in jurisprudence and an important scholar of principles of jurisprudence. After the mention of his ministry and important posts in his community, he says: He became interested in esoteric sciences and produced objects from nowhere.
Sayyid Izzuddin said: He was a famous scholar and a well-known leader. He was close to the rulers of his time and frequently received letters from them. At the end of his life, he took to abstinence in religion and giving up material activities focused his attention on what was meant for the hereafter. He passed away from the world with rightfulness and in a beautiful manner.58
Abd al-Ghaffar Ibn Ibrahim Alawi Akki AdSaani Shafei has written in the book of Ejaalatur Raakib wa Balaghatut Taaleb that he was a famous scholar. And Katib Chalbi Qustantuni says in Al-Kashf az-Zunoon fi ‘I-Asamiyy al-Kutub wa al-Funoon59 that: Shaykh Kamal ad-Din Abu Saalim Muhammad Ibn Talha Adawi Ja’far Shafei died in 652; in brief: Praise be to Allah, one, who informed His righteous servants of the hidden secrets.
He mentioned that during his seclusion, a tablet was exposed to a righteous brother having a circle of letters whose meaning he did not know. In the morning, he went to sleep. He saw Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) in dream that he mentioned some things in explanation of this tablet which he did not understand, and he hinted to him to go and meet Kamal ad-Din, as he would explain to him. So, he came to him and explained everything to him.
Kamal ad-Din wrote a treatise for him, which became famous as Jafr Ibn Talha.
Buni has said in Shams Al-Ma’arif Kubra that this righteous man was in Etekaf in the Bait al-Khitaba in the Aleppo Mosque and most of the time his supplication to the Almighty Allah was to teach the Isme Aazam to him. So, one night he saw a tablet of light on which some sketches were drawn. He examined the tablet carefully and saw that it had four lines: and in the middle of it there was a circle inside within another circle.
Basahi has said that this righteous man was Shaykh Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad Ibn Hasan Akhimi and his student, Ibn Talha made derivations from his secret hints on the discoveries of the world in a secret way.60 End.
So clear it is that this book is authored by him that even Ibn Taymiyyah in spite of his malice and bigotry and in spite of denying some widely narrated facts, in his book of Minhaj, has attributed this book to him. Praise be to Allah and has mentioned some of his books in Al-Kashf az-Zunoon.
Second: Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad Ibn Yusuf Ganji Shafei
Who has written a separate book about this belief of Mahdawiyyah, consisting of twenty-four chapters, and has quoted genuine traditions from reliable books. He has in this way proved the belief of Imamites and has refuted the objections of his co-religionists. In Al-Kashf az-Zunoon61 it is said that the book of Al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib az-Zaman is the work of Shaykh Abi ‘Abd Allah Muhammad Ibn Yusuf Ganji, who died in the year 658 A.H. and he has Also, said: Kifayat ut Taalib dar Manaqib Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) is written by Shaykh Hafiz Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad Ibn Yusuf Ganji.62 And in Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah also, he is described to be the Hafiz Imam and in the traditional terminology of Ahl al-Hadith of Ahl al-Sunna, Hafiz is one, who knows a hundred thousand traditions by heart including the text and chain of narrators.
This humble author is having an ancient copy of Kifayat ut Taalib written during the lifetime of the author and at the back of it is inscribed in the handwritings of some scholars that:
The book of Kifayat ut Taalib fi Manaqib Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) was dictated by our chief, Shaykh Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad Ibn Yusuf Ibn Muhammad Shafei.
Third: Shamsuddin Abu al-Muzaffar, Yusuf Ibn Qazali Ibn ‘Abd Allah Baghdadi
Hanafi Abu al-Faraj Abdur Rahman Jauzi, whose biography is mentioned in the books of Tarikh Ibn Khallikan, Mirat al-Jinaan of Yafai, Ra’udha al-Manaazir, Kifayat al-Muttatela, Al-Kashf az-Zunoon, Alamal Akhbar of Kafwi.63
Fourth: Shaykh Nuruddin Ali Ibn Muhammad Ibn Sabbagh Maliki Makki
Who, in the book of Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah fi Ma’arifah al-A’immah64, has presented an exhaustive account of His Eminence and proved the Imamate and Mahdawiyyah of Hujjat Ibn al-Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) according to the belief of Imamiyah and he has refuted the baseless objections of Ahl al-Sunna against it although he is Also, a well-known Ahl al-Sunna scholars. He says in the account of Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a): Abu Muhammad Hasan (r.a.) left a son as his successor, who is the Hujjat Al-Qa’im, Al-Muntadhar (‘a) for the kingdom of God and he concealed his birth and kept his matter hidden due to the difficulty of the matter and the fear of the tyrant ruler and his summoning the Shi’a to apprehend and imprison them.
Ahmad Ibn Abd al-Qadir Ajili Shafei has in Zakheerat al-Maal said in problem of matter of Khunsa; that this matter occurred during our time in the land of Hira. On the basis of what my chief informed me Allamah Noor Ibn Khalaf Khairati and he mentioned that Khunnasi died in such a way that a child was in her womb and another child was in her back. And he left a huge heirloom. The scholars were confused how to divide the inheritance. At last, they went out to inquire about this from scholars of west, especially the scholars of Mecca and Medina and after reaching consensus after two years they found the judgment of Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) in the book of Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah dar Fazl A’immah (‘a) written by Shaykh Imam Ali Ibn Muhammad alias Ibn Sabbagh, a Maliki scholar.
Shaykh, in the terminology of tradition scholars is one, who is the perfect teacher and ‘Abd Allah Ibn Muhammad Masturi Madani Shafei Mazhab Ashari Itiqad Naqshbandi Tariqat in the sermon of the book of Riyazuz Zaahera fi Fazle Aali Baitun Nabi wa Itratut Taahera (‘a) said: I compiled in this book what I was informed of in this regard and paid attention to quote those well-known scholars and most of it is mentioned in Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah of Ibn Sabbagh Maliki, which is an excellent book…and so on.
Their scholars have quoted from this book and have trusted it, like Nuruddin Ali Ibn ‘Abd Allah Samhudi has in the book of Jawaaher al-Iqdain and Burhanuddin Ali Ibn Ibrahim Halabi Shafei in Insaan al-Uyoon fi Seeratil Ameen al-Mamun and the author of Tafsir Shahi, Fadhil Rashid and some scholars of India. Mir Hamid Husayn Maasir (may Allah assist him) in the sixth volume of his book of Abaqat al-Anwar, has quoted his exact lines, which we have not quoted here for the sake of brevity.
In the first volume of Istiqsa al-Afhaam, it is quoted from Zoo Laame fi Ahwaalil Qur’anut Taase, by Shamsuddin Muhammad Ibn Abdur Rahman Saqawi Misri, student of Rashid Ibn Hajar Asqalani, author of Fath al-Baari dar Sharh Bukhari, who has said in the biography of the author of Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah that Ali Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn ‘Abd Allah Nooruddin Asfaqsi Ghizzi al-Asal Makki Maliki, who goes by the name of Ibn Sabbagh was born in the first ten days of Zilhajj 784 A.H. in Mecca and he grew up there only. He memorized the Qur’an and a treatise on jurisprudence, Fayya Ibn Malik, till a group of scholars have quoted it on his authority and they say that he has written a number of books.
One of them being Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah for recognition of the Imams and they are twelve persons, and he Also, wrote Al-’Ibar fi Khabar man Ghabar fi man Sifun Nazar and he has permitted me to narrate traditions and he died on 7th Zilqad 885 A.H.
Fifth: Shaykh Abu Muhammad ‘Abd Allah Ibn Ahmad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Al-Khashshaab
Who has, in the book of Tarikh Mawalid wa Wafat Ahl Al-Bayt (‘a) explained the Imamite religion and thereafter mentioned that Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) said in the account of the Khalaf Salih (‘a) that Sadaqah Ibn Musa informed me that his father reported that Imam Ali ar-Ridha’ (‘a) said: Khalaf Salih is the son of Abu Muhammad Hasan Ibn Ali and he is the Master of the Age and he is the al-Mahdi (‘aj)65.
Informed me Jarrah Ibn Sufyan that informed me Abu al-Qasim, Tahir Ibn Harun Ibn Musa Alawi from his father, Harun from his father Musa said: My chief, Ja’far Ibn Muhammad (‘a) informed me: Khalaf Salih is my descendant and he is the al-Mahdi; his name is Muhammad and his Kuniyyat is Abu al-Qasim; he will reappear in the last period of time; the name of his mother is Saqil66.
Abu Bakr Zare67 has narrated to me that in another report, his mother is Hakima and in the third traditional report, she is called as Narjis and some have said that: on the contrary she is called as Susan; and Allah is the most knowledgeable about it and his Kuniyyat is Abu al-Qasim; and he is having two names: Khalaf and Muhammad. He will appear in the last period of time. A cloud would shade him from the Sun. It will follow him everywhere he goes and call out in a clear voice: This is the al-Mahdi68.
Informed me Muhammad Ibn Musa At-Tusi that he said: Informed me Abu Sikkeen Bazi, a historian has said that the mother of Muntadhar (‘a) was Hakima69.
Informed me Muhammad Ibn Musa At-Tusi: Informed me ‘Abd Allah Ibn Muhammad from Haitham Ibn Adi that he said: They say that the Kuniyyat of Khalaf Salih is Abu al-Qasim. He is having two names.70 End.
In his Tarikh, Ibn Khallikan said: Abu Muhammad ‘Abd Allah Ibn Ahmad Ibn Ahmad, famous as Ibn Khashshaab Baghdadi, a well-known scholar of literature, grammar, Tafsir, traditions, genealogy, Islamic laws, mathematics, memorization of Qur’an, recitation of Qur’an: he was an expert of many sciences. His writings are excellent71; and after the mention of some of his books, said: He was born in 492 A.H. and he died in 567 A.H.72 In Tabaqat al-Naha73, Suyyuti has praised him greatly.
Sixth: Muhyuddin Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn Muhammad Arabi
Hatim Tai Andulasi Hanbali, in chapter 366 of his book of Futuhat74, said what Sherani has narrated in Yuwaqit75:
We should know that the advent of al-Mahdi (‘aj) is imminent; but he will not reappear till the earth is not filled with injustice and oppression; then he would fill it up with justice and equity; and even if a single day remains from the tenure of the earth, the Almighty Allah would prolong it to an extent that this Caliph becomes the ruler. He is from the progeny of the Messenger of Allah (S) through the descendants of Fatimah (r.a.).
His great grandfather is Husayn Ibn Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) and his father is Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) son of Imam Ali an-Naqi (‘a) with ‘nun’, son of Imam Muhammad at-Taqi (‘a) with ‘taa’, son of Imam Ali ar-Ridha’ (‘a) son of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (‘a) son of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (‘a) son of Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (‘a) son of Imam Zayn al-’Abidin Ali (‘a) son Imam Husayn (‘a) son of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a). His name is same as that of the Messenger of Allah (S). Muslims would pledge allegiance to him between Rukn and Maqam. He is similar to the Messenger of Allah (S) in Khalq (make up) with the vowel ‘a’ on ‘Kha’ and he would be lower than him in ‘Khluq’ with the vowel ‘u’ on ‘Kha’ because no one is more resembling to the Messenger of Allah (S) in manners and the Almighty Allah says:
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
“And most surely you conform (yourself) to sublime morality” (68:4).
He has a wide forehead and a long nose.
The most fortunate are the people of Kufa. He will distribute wealth equally and will act with justice among the subjects. A man will approach him and say: O al-Mahdi, give me and there will be a heap of wealth before him. Thus, he will give him as much as he can lift. He will appear at a time when the religion will be weak. The Almighty Allah will restrain through him people from prohibited and disobedience, before they glance at the Qur’an.
A person would be ignorant, coward and miserly at night and in the morning he would be knowledgeable, valiant and generous. Help will move ahead of him. He will live for five, seven or nine: that is years. He will follow the tradition of the Messenger of Allah (S) and will not commit errors. There is an angel for him, who would be testifying for him in such a way that he will be seen. He will bear hardships and render help to the weak; he will be equitable to the rightful. He will do what he says and he will say what he does. He will know what he testifies. The Almighty Allah will reform his affair overnight. He will conquer the city of Rome with Takbeer along with seven thousand Muslims from the descendants of Ishaq.
He will be present in the great war, which is the table of the Almighty Allah in the pasture of Akka, that is large numbers will be killed, whom vultures will devour. He will destroy oppression and the oppressors and will establish the religion. He will blow the spirit into Islam and the Almighty Allah will exalt Islam through him after its degradation and will enliven it after its death. He will abolish Jizya and call to Allah with the sword. Thus, whoever refuses would be killed by him and whoever confronts him would be humiliated.
He will reveal from religion the real truth; so much so that if the Messenger of Allah (S) had been alive, he would have commanded in the same way. Thus, there will not remain during his time, except faith pure of personal opinion. He will oppose most of the religious judgments of scholars. Thus, they would because of this shy away from him; because they will think that the Almighty Allah will not create any Mujtahid after their Imams.
After some words regarding his dealings with the scholars, he says: when the al-Mahdi appears all the Muslims, Shi’a and Sunni would be pleased. There is a divine man for him, who will establish his call and assist him and they are his ministers who will be in charge of administrative duties and they will help him in what the Almighty Allah has made him responsible for.
‘Isa Ibn Maryam will come down to him at the white minaret in the east of Damascus while he would be leaning on two angels: an angel at his right and an angel at his left. People would be engrossed in the al-’Asr Prayer; thus, the Imam will move away. He will stand in the front and lead them in prayers on the day of the battle according to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (S).
Then he will break the cross and kill the swine. He will leave the world in a pure state. During his time, Sufyani will be killed near a tree at the fall of Damishq; his army will sink at Baidha. Thus, whoever cannot join that army depending on his intention and indeed his time has reached you.
Indeed, he will appear in the fourth century after the passage of three centuries: Century of the Messenger of Allah (S), which was the century of companions. Then the next century and the next, and then there was a period of Fatara in between; and the issues that shall appear and vices will spread and blood will be spilt. Thus, he will go into hiding till he appears at the known hour. His martyrs are the best of the martyrs and his protection is the best.
He Also, said: For him the Almighty Allah will appoint some persons as his ministers, whom He has kept concealed and has bestowed them knowledge of reality through the medium of direct realization. He has made them aware of realities and that in which lies the command of the Almighty Allah between His servants and they are equal to the number of companions who fulfilled the covenant that they had given to the Almighty Allah. And they will be from the Persians. There is no ‘‘Arab among them, but they will speak Arabic. There will be for them a protector, who will not be from their species, who will never have disobeyed the Almighty Allah. He is the most special and the most knowledgeable of the ministers.76
After that he has explained in detail the circumstances of the Kingdom of al-Mahdi (‘aj), his infallibility, and unlawfulness of analogy on him, as it will prolong the discussion.
High ranking and honourable Ibn Arabi is such that there is no need to describe his status among Ahl al-Sunna; and they refer to him as the great Shaykh.77
In Lawaqi al-Akhbar fi Tabaqat al-Akhyaar, Shaykh Abd al-Wahab Sherani said: Divine scholars have reached consensus on his expertise in all the sciences.
Safiuddin Ibn Mansoor and others have compared him to the Great Wilayat, reform, knowledge and gnosticism and said: “He is the Shaykh and Imam of scholars and an important gnostic; he had expertise in esoteric sciences and spiritual arts. He possessed a strange insight in matters related to esoteric matters, a penetrating insight and the apparent realities. He had a lofty status among people and a sweet rose from the signpost and long and high station from stages of proximity and strong step in gaining the absolute conditions and having discretion in laws of Wilayat and is a member of his sect.”
In Wafi al-Wafiyat78, Safadi has said: He had equal expertise in the natural as well as in the derivative sciences in a restricted form that in any period he wanted, he could see it and he has Also, mentioned that I saw his belief, he followed the beliefs of Shaykh Abu al-Hasan Ashari and there was in it, which might have opposed his view.
In Sharh Diwan79, Mibdi has quoted some statements from Sharh Fosus Jundi that he took to seclusion in Muharram in Ashbiliya in Andulasia. He did not take food for nine months and emerged in the beginning of Eid and was given the glad tidings that he is the seal of the Awliya of Muhammad and he says that the proof of his finality is that between his shoulders was a mark similar to the mark on the back of the Holy Prophet (S); but in depression of the limb; it is a hint that the sign of the finality of prophethood is apparent and active and the seal of Wilayat is esoteric and passive.
In addition to these words and texts that since his prejudice against our sect was more his praise among his sect is more than others and in Kitab Samarrah, he has explained that the Rafidis (Shi’a) are in the form of swine and he considers Umar infallible. On the contrary, he says in Futuhat: Most of what has become apparent from deviation with regard to the principles of Shi’a and particularly in their Imamiyah sect is that satans imbued them with love and devotion for Ahl Al-Bayt (‘a) and they believed that they are the most proximate ones to the Almighty Allah and their messenger is as such that - that is love for Ahl Al-Bayt (‘a) - if they raise it on him, they will not increase in abusing some companions.
Also, he has written under the circumstances of the (Aqtaab): And among them are those who reveal the command and the apparent Caliphate is lawful as is lawful the esoteric Caliphate from the aspect of position of Abu Bakr, Umar, ‘Uthman, Ali and Hasan and Muawiyah Ibn Yazeed, Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz and Mutawakkil.
This Mutawakkil, whom he considers to be the apparent Caliph and the pivot of the universe; he is the same regarding whom Suyyuti has written in Tarikh al-Khulafa’80: In the year, 306 A.H. Mutawakkil ordered razing the tomb of Imam Husayn (‘a) and demolished the houses surrounding it so that it may be converted into agricultural fields. He prohibited people from going to the Ziyarah of the Imam and ploughed that area and Mutawakkil was well-known from his malice to Ali (‘a) and his descendants and how beautifully someone has said:
By Allah, if Bani Umayyah has accomplished
The elimination of the son of the daughter of their Prophet
Then came the sons of their father like them
This is for Amari; that his grave is demolished
Regretted those who did not participate in
His killing so they emulated them with shooting arrows.
Also, he has quoted a story the summary of which is that there were two Shafei persons, who were apparently righteous. One of the Awliya said: I saw these two in form of pigs and I was astonished till I came to know that both of them were in fact Rafidi.
There is no scope to quote more than this here.
Seventh: Shaykh Abd al-Wahab Ibn Ahmad Ibn Ali Sherani
The well-known gnostic saint and the author of popular books has written in the discussion number sixty-six of Al-Yawaaqit wa al- Jawaaher fi Bayan al-Aqaaed al-AKa’aber81:
This discussion is about all the signs of Qiyamat, about which the Holy Prophet (S) has informed that they are imminent and true and they will definitely come to pass before the Qiyamat; and they are the advent of al-Mahdi (‘aj), at that time Dajjal, ‘Isa, the advent of Dabba and the rising of the Sun [from the west] and the lifting up of the Qur’an and the opening of the dam of Yajuj and Majuj; so much so that even if a single day remains from the tenure of the world, all this is bound to occur.
In his Aqidah, Shaykh Taqiuddin Ibn Abu Mansoor said: All this would come to pass during the last hundred years as the Messenger of Allah (S) has promised his Ummah through his statement that if my Ummah becomes righteous there is a day for it and if it is transgressive, there is half a day for it: that is the days of the Lord, which are hinted at in the verse:
وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَلَنْ يُخْلِفَ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِمَّا تَعُدُّونَ
And surely a day with your Lord is as a thousand years of what you number. (22:47).
Some gnostics have said: The initial one thousand should be calculated from the passing away of Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a), the last of the Caliphs; because this is the total period of the prophethood of Messenger of Allah (S). Thus, the Almighty Allah made the lands favourable and peaceful due to the caliphs and his implication of a thousand, if Allah wills, is the power of the authority of Shariat till one thousand was complete. Then the turmoil began till religion became strange as it was in the beginning and the first turmoil occurred after thirty years in the eleventh century and in that time the advent of Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj) is expected. He is the son of Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) and he was born on the night of 15th Sha’ban, year 255 A.H. and he is alive till he would be joined by ‘Isa Ibn Maryam; thus, his age till date (958 A.H.) is 706 years.
Among them is Shaykh Hasan Iraqi; who is buried at on a mound in Egypt; He lived to the age of around one hundred and thirty years.
I have narrated the story of Shaykh Hasan Iraqi from the book of Lawaqi al-Anwar of Sherani, which is quoted at the end of the seventh chapter under the discussion of long-lived personalities according to some worthy Ahl al-Sunna scholars. So much so that Shahabuddin Ramli Shafei says: No one has disputed that none has written like it. Another scholar says: No one has condemned the matter of this book, except the bigoted enemy or a blatant liar.
Eighth: Shaykh Hasan Iraqi
That this Sherani has in the book of Lawaqih, described him to be righteous and a pious Shaykh, one has the realization of truth and his incident about meeting the Imam will be mentioned later in this book.
Ninth: Sayyid Ali Khawas
He was the respected teacher of Abd al-Wahab Sherani, as the latter has explained in Lawaqih and Yuwaqit that he has testified in favour of Shaykh Hasan Iraqi about his claim of meeting His Eminence, al-Mahdi (‘aj) and the age of the Imam till that date.
In Lawaiq al-Anwar al-Qudsiyya fi Madah al-Ulama wa Sufiya, he has written that he is one of my Shaykh and teachers; he was a perfect, the unlettered Muhammadi, Ali Khawas Darlasi, owner of divine realization in which he never made any mistake, even though he was unlettered. He neither could read nor write, yet he spoke from the tablet of the heart and he explained the meaning of the Qur’an and Sunnah in a fine discourse and his sight was like a tablet protected from being erased.
As Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Dawood informed me about him: I lived with him for twenty years and learnt about the occurrences of people and I sent numerous brothers to him to seek his counsel in various matters. Thus, he said to one of them in his first meeting: undertake a journey or don’t, get married or not; till he mentioned about all his excellences and miracle acts and, in the end, said: He died in Jamadi al-Aakhir, 939 A.H. and is buried at Zawiya Shaykh al-Barakat outside Baab Nasr, opposite Hauz Tayyar in Egypt.82
Tenth: Nuruddin Abdur Rahman Ibn Ahmad Ibn Qawamuddin Muhammad Dashti Jami Hanafi
Well known as Mulla Jami, whose lineage goes up to Muhammad Ibn Hasan Shaibani. He was a student of Abu Hanifah and a leader of his time in bigotry and enmity to the Imamiyah. So much so that he injured Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) with the tongue like Abdur Rahman Ibn Muljim committed this act with a wielded sword. In this way in the book of Shawahid an-Nubuwwah, which the famous scholar Qadi Husayn Ibn Muhammad Ibn Hasan Dayar Bakri Maliki at the beginning of the Tarikh Khamis Dar Ahwal Anfus Nafees has regarded it to be a reliable book. He regarded him to be the twelfth Imam and has presented the account of the birth of His Eminence according to the Imamite reports along with some reports, which declare his Caliphate and Mahdawiyyah and some of them will be mentioned below.
In Alam al-Akhyaar min Fuqaha Mazhab al-Noman Al-Mukhtar, Mahmud Ibn Sulaiman Kafawi said in his biography: He was a Shaykh, who had divine realization of the Godhead and he was totally attentive to Almighty Allah according to the path of gnosis and the interpreter of reality, Maula Jami Nuruddin and so on as there is no need to quote here after his status among Ahl al-Sunna has become clear.83
Eleventh: Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Mahmud Hafiz Bukhari
Popular as Khwaja Muhammad Parsa, who has explained in his book of Fasl al-Khitab as his statement will be mentioned at the end of Chapter Seven and in the marginal notes of this book, Maulavi Mir Hamid Husayn, has quoted from a reliable copy, after the report of Motazid Abbaside in a way, which will come in the following chapter quoting from the book of Shawahid an-Nubuwwah: He says: Regarding this matter, there are so many reports that they cannot be computed about the excellence of al-Mahdi (r.a.), the master of the age, who is concealed from common people. He is present in every age. Reports about his advent are in excess and well-known and the spread of his effulgence is such that he will revive the Shariat of Muhammad; he will fight on the way of the Almighty Allah, as it deserves to be fought and he will purify His lands from evil.
His time has been specified and his companions are purified of doubt and they have become perfect from defects. They have adopted his style and guidance. They tread the path of truth leading to certainty; and Imamate and Caliphate ends with him. He is the Imam from the time of the passing away of his father till Judgment Day and ‘Isa (‘a) will pray behind him and will support his claim. He will call people to the path he is on; that is the religion of the Holy Prophet (S).
In Alam al-Akhyaar min Fuqaha Mazhab al-Noman Al-Mukhtar, Kafawi says: Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Mahmud Hafiz Bukhari, known as Khwaja Muhammad Parsa was the honourable Caliph of Khwaja Bahauddin Naqshband from the descendants of the great Hafizuddin, student of Shams al-A’immah Karodi. He was born in 756 A.H. and learnt the Islamic sciences from the scholars of his time and became an accomplished personality of his time. He studied the principles and secondary matters of religion and also, learnt the rational and textual sciences.84 A book of Mulla Abdur Rahman Jami is commentary on the statements of Khwaja Parsa.
Twelfth: Shaykh Abd al-Haq Dehlavi
He is a author of authoritative books, which are popular among Ahl al-Sunna. He is well-known for his expertise in the science of traditions and narrators of traditions etc. He is the author of Jazb al-Qulub Ilaa Dayar al-Mahbub85, which is a history of holy Medina and so far, it continues to be published repeatedly. In a treatise of excellence and circumstances of the Holy Imams (‘a), he says: Abu Muhammad Hasan al-’Askari and his son was Muhammad (r.a.) - it is known to the special companions and the trustworthy men of his family have narrated that Hakima Bint Abu Ja’far Muhammad al-Jawad (‘a), aunt of Abu Muhammad Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) wished and prayed to the Almighty Allah that may he be blessed with a son and she had chosen for Abu Muhammad Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) a slave girl called Narjis.
On the eve of 15th Sha’ban, 255 A.H. Hakima came to Abu Muhammad Hasan al-’Askari and prayed for him. Hasan al-’Askari requested: Stay with us for the night as an important matter is to take place.
Hakima stayed there for the night at the request of Hasan al-’Askari (‘a). When it was dawn, Narjis developed labor pains. Hakima came to Narjis and saw a circumcised newborn, who was born absolutely clean and washed. She brought him to Hasan al-’Askari (‘a), who took him up and passed his hand over his back and eyes; he gave his tongue into his mouth and recited the Adhan in his right ear and the Iqamah in his left. He said: O Aunt, take him back to his mother. So Hakima handed him to his mother.
Hakima further says: After that I visited Abu Muhammad Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) again one day and saw that the child before him, who was wrapped in a yellow cloth. I found him to be illuminated and handsome and I automatically became attached to him. I said: My chief, do you know anything about this blessed child, which you can tell me about?
He replied: Yes, aunt, this child is our Awaited One, about whom we had received glad tidings.
Hakima said: I fell down in a prostration of thanks.
I continued to visit Abu Muhammad Hasan al-’Askari now and then; I came to him one day and did not see the child.
I asked: My master, where is our Awaited Sayyid?
He replied: I have entrusted him to one to whom the mother of Prophet Musa (‘a) had entrusted him.
This Abd al-Haq is a reliable Ahl al-Sunna scholar and people of India have always trusted his writings on traditions and science of narrators of traditions. His biography is mentioned in the book of Sabhat al-Marjaan fi Aa thaar Hindustan and it is mentioned there: He has written almost a hundred books and he died in 958 A.H.
Thirteenth: Sayyid Jamaaluddin Husayni Muhaddith
Author of the book Ra’udha al-Ahbaab, which is a popular and well-known book among Ahl al-Sunna and Qazi Husayn Dayar Bakri at the beginning of Tarikh al-Khamis has considered it to be a reliable book. It is mentioned in Istiqsa that Mulla Ali Qari in Mirqat and Sharh Mishkat and Abd al-Haq Dehlavi in Madarijun Nubuwwa and Sharh Rijal Mishkat and Shah Waliullah Dehlavi, father of Shah Sahab Abd al-Aziz, famous for his book of Izalat al-Khifa has repeatedly quoted from this book and has reasoned and argued from it.
In that book, it is mentioned: Statement regarding the trusted Twelfth Imam, Muhammad Ibn Hasan, whose auspicious birth, as is generally believed, was in 255 A.H. on 15th Sha’ban in Samarrah. It is Also, said that he was born on 23rd Ramadhan in
258. His mother was an honourable slave mother, named Saqil, Susan and Narjis. Some have said that she was Hakima. This noble Imam was named after the blessed name of the Messenger of Allah (S) and his titles are al-Mahdi Muntadhar, Khalaf as-Salih and Sahib az-Zaman.
At the time of the passing away of his venerable father, according to the first report which is most likely reliable, he was five years old and according to the second statement, he was two years old. The Almighty Allah bestowed that lofty Imam with wisdom like He had bestowed wisdom and nobility to Yahya and Zakariya during childhood. At his youth he was accorded the status of Imamate and Sahib az-Zaman, that is the present al-Mahdi (‘aj) during the time Caliph Mu’tamid in the year 265 or 266 A.H. according to different versions disappeared in the cellar at Sar-man-raa.
Then he mentions some more statement regarding dispute about him and some clear reports in which it is mentioned that the promised al-Mahdi is same as Hujjat Ibn al-Hasan al-’Askari (‘a).
The author says: Since the discussion has reached this point, we would like to mention that all followers of Ahl Al-Bayt (‘a) hope and pray for the reappearance of Imam Az-Zaman (‘aj) so that he may come and guide them all and that his advent removes all hardships of this world like the hall of green sphere; so that Muslims remain safe from the hardships of the world and accidents of time
بیا ای امام هدایت شعار
که بگذشت غم از حد انتظار
زروی همایون بیفکن نقاب
عیان ساز رخسار چون آفتاب
برون آی از منزل اختفاء
نمایان کن آثار مهر و وفا
Come, O Imam of guidance and the divine sign
As the grief of anticipation has crossed all limits
Remove the veil from the magnificent face
The clear one, whose countenance is like the sun
Come out from the home of concealment
Make evident the signs of kindness and loyalty.
These words clearly state that as the Imamiyah believe in the existence of al-Mahdi and his occultation and await his reappearance and in the marginal notes of Istiqsa, the statements of Ahl al-Sunna scholars, which are mentioned there considering them to be reliable, but we have not quoted them here for the sake of brevity and it is known from the treatise of principles of Abd al-Aziz Dehlavi, author of Tohfa Isna Asharia that this Jamaaluddin is a teacher certified by him and he is Sayyid Jamaaluddin Ataulla Ibn Sayyid Ghayasuddin Fazlullah Ibn Sayyid Abdur Rahman.
Fourteenth: Abdur Rahman Sufi
It is mentioned in Mirat al-Asraar that: That Sun of religion and kingdom, is the guide of whole community and nation; he is the Pure Qa’im of Ahmad, the rightful Imam Abu al-Qasim Muhammad Ibn Hasan al-Mahdi (r.a.). He is the twelfth Imam from the Imams of Ahl Al-Bayt (‘a).
His mother was a slave mother named Narjis. He was born on Friday eve, 15th Sha’ban 255 A.H. and according to the report of Shawahid an-Nubuwwah, he was born on 23rd Ramadhan, 258 A.H. in Sar-man-ra, which is Also, known as Samarrah. He is the twelfth Imam has the name and Kuniyyat of the Messenger of Allah (S). His titles are al-Mahdi, Hujjat, Qa’im, Muntadhar, Sahib az-Zaman, Khatim Ithna Ashar.
At the time of the passing away of his father, Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a), Sahib az-Zaman was five years old and he occupied the seat of Imamate as the Almighty Allah had bestowed wisdom to Prophet Yahya (‘a) in childhood and given a lofty status to Prophet ‘Isa (‘a) during his infancy. In the same way, He appointed Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj) as the Imam at a young age. His perfections and extraordinary acts are not few that they could be mentioned here. Mulla Abdur Rahman Jami, in Shawahid an-Nubuwwah86: has narrated from Hakima, sister of Imam Ali an-Naqi (‘a), who was the aunt of Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) … and so on.
Shah Waliullah Dehlavi, in his book of Intiba fi Salasil Awliya Allah has relied on the book of Mirat al-Asraar and has quoted from it. Also, this Abdur Rahman, in his Risala Madariya has mentioned a strange incident at the end of chapter seven that:
Hazrat Shaykh Muhyuddin Arabi has said in chapter 366 of Futuhat Makkiyyah that: Know O Muslims, the advent of al-Mahdi is imminent, who is the son of Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a), son of Imam Ali an-Naqi (‘a) son of Imam Muhammad at-Taqi (‘a) till the end. Thus, they would be the most steadfast people of Kufa. He will call the people to the Almighty Allah through the sword. Thus, he would kill one, who refuses him and one, who confronts him would be humiliated. On this juncture, he has explained all the circumstances of Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj) in the mentioned book in detail; whoever desires may refer to it.
Hazrat Maulana Abdur Rahman Jami was an accomplished Sufi gentleman and a follower of Shafei faith. He has recorded all circumstances, perfections and facts of his birth and occultation of Imam Muhammad Ibn Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) in his book of Shawahid an-Nubuwwah narrating them in the best way from the Holy Imams (‘a) and the scholars of biography.
Author of Maqsad Aqsa87 has written that Hazrat Shaykh Saaduddin Hamuyi, Caliph of Hazrat Najmuddin has compiled a book regarding His Eminence al-Mahdi and many other points are mentioned in it, such that no other person can accomplish such a venture.
When he appears, he will expose the absolute Wilayat and the differences of religion, oppression and ill-talk will disappear as mentioned among his praiseworthy qualities in the sayings of the Prophet that al-Mahdi will appear in the last period of time and clear the whole world from injustice and there will appear one religion. In short, when Dajjal appears and he is alive and concealed and Prophet ‘Isa (‘a), in spite of the fact that he has already arrived, and is concealed from people, thus, if the son of the Messenger of Allah (S), Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (‘aj) son of Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) is Also, concealed from the sight of people and will at his time be exposed, like ‘Isa (‘a) and Dajjal according to the will of Allah, it is not a matter of surprise.
It is not necessary to deny the statements of prominent scholars and sayings of the Messenger of Allah (S) on the basis of prejudice.
Fifteenth: Ali Akbar Ibn Asadullah Maududi
He is among the modern Ahl al-Sunna scholars. He has written in his book of Mukashifat, which are marginal notes on the book of Nafhat al-Ins of Mulla Abdur Rahman Jami in the biography of Ali Ibn Sahl Ibn Azhar Isfahani explaining about the promised al-Mahdi (‘aj) and his centrality after his father, Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a), who was Also, a pivot and we will mention to the extent required at the end of chapter seven and all the points are quoted in Istiqsa and there the testimony of Sherani and the incident of Shaykh Hasan Iraqi and his meeting the Imam and the age of the Imam is mentioned.88
Sixteenth: Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Hashim Balazari
He is one the most prominent scholars and traditionists of Ahl al-Sunna. He has narrated a continuous tradition from Imam al-’Asr (‘aj), which is having clarification about Imamate and occultation of the Imam.
In a report, Shah Waliullah Dehlavi has described him to be the seal of the enlightened ones, slayer of the opponents, chief of traditionists, support of the scholastics and proof of God on the worlds. In the book of Musalsalat famous as Fazl al-Mubeen, he said: Mushafiha Ibn Aqla has accorded permission to me to narrate all that was lawful for him to narrate; and I found in his Musalsalat a continuous tradition, which is unique and each of its narrators is having the quality of greatness with which he is unique.
He said: Informed us, the outstanding one of the time, Shaykh Hasan Ibn Ali Ajimi: Informed us the Hafiz of the time, Jamaaluddin Babuli: Informed us the Musnad of his time, Muhammad Hijazi Waiz: Informed us the Sufi of his time, Shaykh Abd al-Wahab Sherawi: Informed us the Mujtahid of his time, Jalal Suyyuti: Informed us the Hafiz of his time, Abu Noaim Rizwan Aqabi: Informed us the reciter of his time, Shams Muhammad Ibn Jazari: Informed us Imam Jamaaluddin Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Jamal, the pious one of his time: Informed us the Imam Muhammad Ibn Masud, traditionist of Faras during his time: Informed us our Shaykh, Ismail Ibn Muzaffar Shirazi, scholar of his time: Informed us Abdus Salam Ibn Abu Rabi Hanafi, traditionist of his time: Informed us Abu Bakr ‘Abd Allah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Shahpoor Qalansi, the Shaykh of his time: Informed us the Abd al-Aziz: Narrated to us Muhammad Adami, the Imam of his time: Informed us Sulaiman Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Muhammad Ibn Sulaiman, the incomparable personage of his time: Informed us Ahmad Ibn Hashim Balazari, the Hafiz of his time: Narrated to us Muhammad Ibn Hasan Ibn Ali Mahjub, the Imam of his time: Narrated to us Hasan Ibn Ali (‘a) from his father from his grandfather from father of his grandfather, narrated to us my father Ali Ibn Musa ar-Ridha’ (‘a): Narrated to us Musa al-Kadhim (‘a) that he said: Narrated to us his father Ja’far as-Sadiq (‘a): Narrated to us my father Muhammad Ibn Al-Baqir Ibn Ali (‘a): Narrated Ali Ibn Husayn Zayn al-’Abidin Sajjad (‘a): Narrated my father, Husayn, the chief of the martyrs (‘a): Narrated to me my father, Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) Sayyid al-Awliya said: Narrated to us the chief of the prophets, Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd Allah (S) that he said: Informed me Jibra’il, the chief of the angels that he said: the Almighty Allah said:
“Indeed, I am Allah; there is no god, except Me. One, who admits to My oneness will enter My fort and one, who enters My fort will be safe from My chastisement.”
Shams Ibn Jazari said: In this way this tradition is quoted through the best of the chains and its responsibility is on Balazari.
Also, this Shah Waliullah says in Risala Nawadir Az Hadith Sayyid al-Awail wa al- Awakhir: Tradition of Muhammad Ibn Hasan, whom the Shi’a believe to be the al-Mahdi, I found narrated from his respected forefathers in Musalsilat of Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Aqla Makki from Hasan Ajimi: Informed us Abu Tahir, the trustworthy one of his time through the permission to narrate all that is authentic to narrate that informed me the outstanding personage of his time…till the end.89
In Ansab90 of Samani, it is mentioned that Abu Muhammad Ahmad Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Hashim Muzakkar At-Tusi Balazari, Hafiz of Tus, intelligent Hafiz and aware of traditions; after the statement quoting one of his teachers, he says: Hakim has taken traditions from him Abu ‘Abd Allah Hafiz and Abu Muhammad Balazari Waiz At-Tusi who was outstanding in Hifz and oratory during his time and he was the most kind man in social interaction and was mostly beneficial to them. He mostly resided in Nishapuri and he had two meetings with two teachers of the country: Abu al-Husayn Muhimmi and Abu Nasr Abdawi. And Abu Ali Hafiz and our Mashaykah used to attend his gatherings and benefit from what was mentioned there publicly from the chains of narrators and I did not see him that they should take a defect at all in the chains or names or reports and he wrote in Mecca, that is a tradition from Imam of Ahl Al-Bayt (‘a), Abu Muhammad Hasan Ibn Ali Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn Musa ar-Ridha’ (‘a) till the end what he said and others in praise of Balazari.
Seventeenth: Shahabuddin Ibn Shamsuddin Ibn Umar Daulatabadi
King of the scholars, Shahabuddin Ibn Shamsuddin Ibn Umar Daulatabadi is the author of Bahre Mawwaj and a senior Ahl al-Sunna scholar. He is famous by the title of the king of the scholars. He says in the book of Hidayahus Saada91: Ahl al-Sunna say that the Caliphate of the four Caliphs is proved by Qur’an and traditions as is the belief of Hafiziya sect that the Messenger of Allah (S) said: My Caliphate is from thirty years and it will end with Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) and in the same way the Caliphate of the twelve Imams is proved by traditions.
The first Imam is Ali - may Allah honour his countenance - regarding his Caliphate the tradition of the Caliphate of thirty years is recorded.
The second Imam is Shah Hasan (‘a): The Holy Prophet (S) said: This son of mine is a Sayyid; in future, he will make peace among Muslims.
The third Imam is Shah Husayn (‘a): His Eminence said:
This son of mine is a Sayyid; he will be killed by a group of rebels.
And nine Imam from the son of Shah Husayn (‘a): The Messenger of Allah (S) said: After Husayn Ibn Ali are nine Imams from his descendants and the last of them is Qa’im.
Jabir Ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Ansari said: I came to Fatimah, daughter of the Messenger of Allah (S) and found a tablet in front of her and upon it were the names of the Imams from her progeny. I counted eleven names and the last of them being the Qa’im.
Question: What was the reason that Shah Zayn al-’Abidin did not claim Caliphate?
Answer: When at the time of the companions, Ayesha, Muawiyah, Zubair and Talha made a mistaken judgment and rebelled against Shah Ali and during the time of companions of companions slain Shah Husayn even though Mustafa (S) had informed that the degraded and rebels would be successful for a thousand months. Thus, it is mentioned in Khazana Jalaliya that Mustafa (S) saw in dream that puppies are playing on his pulpit and he interpreted it to mean Bani Umayyah and cursed that family from the pulpit. It is mentioned in Ra’udha al-Ulama that the following verse was revealed:
خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ
“…better than a thousand months” (97:3).
Jibra’il said: O Muhammad, during those one thousand months, the Yazidis will be rulers and they will imprecate the family. That will be the day of the defeat of the family; riders of religion and fighters of religion, sword of greatness and divine help and assistance adopted less; destiny and free will cast fingers of helplessness in the mouth of needs, which are necessary for purify of one’s soul; from Shah Zayn al-’Abidin to Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj) all of them refrained from every claim of Imamate and when it is the time of the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi Sayyid Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd Allah Abu al-Qasim, warriors of the family, would throw down the banner of disgrace and eradicate the enemies completely.
Then he would fill the earth through him with equity and justice as it will be full of corruption and oppression. And these nine descendants, first of them being Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a), second Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (‘a), third Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (‘a), fourth, Imam Musa al-Kadhim (‘a), the fifth is Imam Ali ar-Ridha’ (‘a), his son; the sixth is Imam Muhammad at-Taqi (‘a), his son; and the seventh is Imam Ali an-Naqi (‘a), his son; and the eighth Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a), his son; ninth Imam Hujjatullah Qa’im Imam al-Mahdi, his son; and he has an occultation and a long life. Thus, among the believers are Prophet ‘Isa, Ilyas and Khizr and among the infidels are Dajjal, Samari, Balam, Shimr, the killer of Shah Husayn, etc, and Allah knows what is right.
It is mentioned in Mahamad Aliyya92 and Manaqib Sunniya93 of the afore-mentioned Daulatabadi; Akhbar al-Akhyar of Abd al-Haqq Dehlavi and Sabhat al-Marjan fi Aathaar Hindustan of Ghulam Ali Azad Bilgrami that he was close to the Safavi rulers and Fadhil Almai Mir Muhammad Ashraf in Fadha’il as-Sadat has repeatedly quoted from Hidayat as-Sadat, famous as Manaqib as-Sadat94.
Eighteenth: Nasr Ibn Ali Jahzami
He is among the trustworthy Ahl al-Sunna tradition scholars and Khatib Baghdadi in his Tarikh95, has praised him; and Ganji has in the eighth chapter of his Manaqib said: He is the teacher of the two Imams: Bukhari and Muslim96.
In Tarikh Mawalid A’immah (‘a) he says in account of the sons of Hasan Ibn Ali (‘a): Muhammad, Musa, Fatimah and Ayesha were born to him. He said: It has come from Imam Hasan Ibn Ali (‘a) that he said: At the time of the birth of Muhammad Ibn Hasan (‘a) he remarked: They thought that they would eliminate me and by it cut off this progeny. How did they see the power of the most powerful one and he named him as Mu’ammal.
Regarding the mothers of the Holy Imams (‘a), he says: The mother of the Qa’im (‘aj) was Saqeel and some have said that it is Hakima and some say that it was Narjis and some say that she was Susan.
Ibn Hamam said: Hakima is the aunt of Abu Muhammad and a tradition is narrated from her about the birth of Sahib az-Zaman, mother of the Khalaf is Narjis.
He says, regarding the titles of the Holy Imams (‘a): Qa’im (‘aj) is known by the titles of Hadi, al-Mahdi, and regarding the gateways to the Holy Imams (‘a) he said: Qa’im (‘aj), the gate after him is ‘Uthman Ibn Saeed. When his death approached, he willed to his son, Abu Ja’far Muhammad Ibn ‘Uthman to take on the covenant which Muhammad Ibn Hasan Ibn Ali (‘a) made with him. Trustworthy Shi’a scholars have narrated from His Eminence that he said: He is my representative and his son is the representative of my son, that is Abu Ja’far Muhammad Ibn ‘Uthman Amari and when he passed away, he made a will to Abu al-Qasim Husayn Ibn Rauh Numairi and ordered Abu al-Qasim Ibn Rauh transfer the deputyship to Abu al-Hasan Samari.
Then he delayed it; that is the door was closed and it is possible that the mention of doors is from the statement of Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Faryabi or his father or the statement of Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd Allah Ibn Ismail, alias Ibn Abi Thalaj; as the Nasr, who has narrated from Imam Ali ar-Ridha’ (‘a) does not mention all the doors according to other contexts as is known from his history.
Shahid Awwal has narrated that this Nasr narrated before Mutawakkil Abbasi that the Messenger of Allah (S) took the hand of Hasan and Husayn (‘a) and said: One, who loves me and loves these two and their mother, would be with me in my grade during Judgment Day. Mutawakkil ordered him to be lashed a thousand times. Abu Ja’far Ibn Abd al-Wahid said: He is Sunni. So he left him alone.
Nineteenth: Muhaddith Fadhil Mulla Ali Qari
He is considered to be an expert tradition scholar. In Mirqat Sharh Mishkat it is mentioned after the report of the Holy Prophet (S) that he would be succeeded by twelve Caliphs: Shi’a have applied this tradition to mean that they are Ahl Al-Bayt of the Prophet one after another, and that they are eligible for Caliphate; both: apparent and by eligibility: the first of them being Ali and he enumerated till al-Mahdi (‘aj) according to what is mentioned by Khwaja Muhammad Parsa in the book of Fasl al-Khitab97 in detail and Maulana Nuruddin Abdur Rahman Jami has followed him at the end of Shawahid an-Nubuwwah and both have narrated their excellence, miracle acts and ranks. And in those books there is refutation of the Rawafidh, who think that Ahl al-Sunna are enemies of Ahl Al-Bayt (‘a) according to their corrupted beliefs.
Twentieth: Qazi al-Jawad Sabati
He was previously an adherent of the Christian faith and embraced the Sunni faith. In Barahin Sabatiya, which is a refutation of Christians he has quoted his statement from the book of Ashiya98 that:
Soon a branch will come out from Qanas al-Asi and will grow from it and soon the spirit of the Lord shall settle in it. That is the spirit of wisdom and divine cognition and the spirit of comprehension and justice and the spirit of knowledge and humility to the Almighty Allah and the owner of insight and the leader to the straight path will return it in humility for the Lord. Then he will not rule according to the apparent.
After refuting the belief of Jews and Christians about this statement, he says that it is clear declaration about al-Mahdi (‘aj), because Muslims have reached consensus that he will judge according to the usual evidences; he will rule according to his insight and such a thing never occurred for any of the prophets or Imams before him.
Till he says: And Muslims have disputed regarding al-Mahdi (‘aj). Thus, our associates from Ahl al-Sunna say that he is man from the progeny of Lady Fatimah az-Zahra’ (‘a). His name is Muhammad and the name of his father is ‘Abd Allah. The name of his mother is Amina. And the Imamiyah say that he is Muhammad Ibn Hasan al-’Askari who was born in 255 A.H. through the slave wife of Hasan al-’Askari, named Narjis in Sar-man-raa during the reign of Mu’tamid. Then he disappeared for a year and then appeared; then he disappeared and that is the Major Occultation; after that he will not return, except when the Almighty Allah wants him to.
Since his statement is nearer for adopting this appointment and my aim is to defend the Ummah of Muhammad (S), without any bigotry in religion, I mentioned for you according to what the Imamiyah have claimed about this Nass (appointment). End of statement.
And this book was published a long time ago and its author was a contemporary of the authors the Qawaneen and Riyadh - may the Almighty Allah have mercy on them.
We should know that this group of scholars and traditionists and Ahl al-Sunna gnostics are their well-known personages and reliable persons as you know; and at the time of compiling this book I did not have in my possession more resources; yet it is established that they agree with the Imamiyah in this view.
Another group of Ahl al-Sunna believe in the birth of the Twelfth Imam; on the contrary they Also, believe that he possessed lofty ranks; but they say that he is dead. Like Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Samnani, famous as Alauddaula Samnani. Thus, in Tarikh Khamis etc it is narrated from him that he said in his description of Abdal and Aqtab (esoteric positions), he had reached the level of centrality of Muhammad Ibn Hasan al-’Askari and when he went into occultation, he entered the circle of Abdal and he progressed gradually stepwise till he reached Sayyid Afzas and the Qutb at that time was Ali Ibn Husayn Baghdadi.
Thus, when he passed away, he was buried in Shunizia. Muhammad Ibn al-’Askari prayed on him and occupied his seat and remained at the point of Qutubiyyat from nineteen years. At that time the Almighty Allah took him from this world with ease and pleasure. And ‘Uthman Ibn Yaqub Juwaini Khorasani succeeded him and a group of companions prayed on him. They buried him in the Medina of the Holy Prophet (S) with full honours.
Mulla Husayn Mibdi commentator of Diwan has Also, mentioned almost the same points in his Sharh Diwan and it seems that he has Also, taken from Aluddaula, most of them are shameful statements, which are rejected by both sects and regards the whole Ummah to be destined for Paradise, but with intercession; and the delivered sect, which is restricted to only one group will enter Paradise without intercession. In fact, it is a muddled religion as is quoted from him in Riyadh that he said: In some matters, I follow the view of Shi’a and in some I follow Ahl al-Sunna; I extol Ayesha and all the wives of the Prophet, hence the Shi’a condemn me; and I curse Yazeed and others like him, thus, Ahl al-Sunna criticize me.
Qazi Nurullah has rendered an apology for Ibn Samnani that Muhammad Ibn Hasan al-’Askari, who was born in Samarrah Baghdad, was in fact another Muhammad Ibn Hasan in Askar Ahwaz or Askar Misr and the Shaykh, has not especially mentioned this, in spite of the fact that what is attributed to him in this treatise is opposed to the excellence of prophethood and what is added from the treatise entitled: Bayan al-Ahsaan Li Ahlil Irfaan. That: If al-Mahdi - peace be on him and his grandfather the seal of the prophets - is alive and in occultation; the cause of his occultation is the perfection of these qualities so that it so happens that he should stand to a moderate limit and should be free from excess and steadfast on truth and if he has not yet come into existence; without any doubt, he would definitely come into existence and with perfection, which befits the status of the Messenger of Allah (S), he will reach and his call will encompass the whole world and he would be the pivot of his days in the position of rulership after Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a). End of statement99.
This statement is of no use to the Imamiyah, except to refute Abu Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn Ahmad Ibn Saeed Ibn Hazm Amawi, from whom Zahabi has quoted in Tarikh al-Islam100 that His Eminence, al-’Askari (‘a) passed away without leaving an heir. Ibn Khallikan in the account of Ibn Hazm says: He has heaped many condemnations on ancient scholars and there is no one, who remained safe from his tongue. So people became aloof from him and the scholars of that time reached consensus to humiliate him and they warned the rulers from his mischief till he was exiled from the country and he died in 456 in Badiya101.
In these circumstances we say: If he implies the apparent issue among the people, then no one has claimed that and if negation of the successor is absolute as the Imamiyah and some groups say, that on the day of birth he was not seen by anyone, except the most trusted associates and no one else was able to see him and the usual causes of this secrecy were present; what to say about divine secrecy. Thus, in refutation of Ibn Hazm it is sufficient to say that he denied this position and its example to which the paths of knowledge are closed with such excess of awe and majesty of His Eminence, Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) and the excess of special confidants and trusted men that if he had a son from one of his wives or slavegirls and orders him to be concealed, they would carry out his command.
According to the report of Mas’oodi in the years of his death, he sent him to Mecca with his grandfather and no one from the companions was able to utter his name in gatherings; what to say about the divulging of all the matters, from where Ibn Hazm is able to deny it, except that it was a conjecture as the verse of the Holy Qur’an says:
…إِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا…
“…surely conjecture will not avail aught against the truth…” (10:36).
In Tarikh al-Islam102, Zahabi says in the account of Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a): As for his son, he was Muhammad Ibn Hasan about whom the Rafida (Shi’a) claim that he is Qa’im. Khalaf and Hujjat. Thus, he was born in 258 A.H. and some say in 256 A.H. and he was alive for two years after his father and then he disappeared and it is not known how he died…and so on.
Statements Of Ahl Ul-Sunna Regarding The Promised al-Mahdi
Ahl al-Sunna community has not agreed on any one person to be the al-Mahdi and so much so that they even say that he is not yet born and they deny one, who the Imamiyah regard as the al-Mahdi and they ridicule and refute them and consider this claim to be a result of their ignorance; on the contrary they criticize and satirize them even in their prose and poetry.
Their great scholars have not been content on this, who regard themselves as well informed, understanding and equitable; they have made allegations against the Imamiyah and when quoting their statements and their refutation and insult, they have mentioned with criticism and condemnation, but we are not in need of them. For example Ibn Khaldun and Zahabi have in Tarikh al-Islam103 and Ibn Hajar in As-Sawa’iq104 and others have alleged that His Eminence has disappeared in that same cellar and he remains there during this long period of time and he will appear from that same place and Ibn Hajar has alleged that they (Shi’a) bring horses at the entrance of that cellar and beseech the Imam to come out of there and some have even explained that this cellar is in Hilla and Shi’a perform this ritual on Friday.
In Mahbub al-Qulub, Qutubuddin Ashkuri has quoted from the book of Ajaib al-Buldan that on the door from which the Imam disappeared there was a yellow horse, whose reins and saddle was made of gold till the time of Sultan Sanjar Ibn Malikshah and on Friday he used to come for prayers; thus, he said: What is this horse here for?
They said: Very soon the best of men will come out from here and mount this horse.
He said: No one better than me will come out of here and he mounted the horse and Shi’a believed that it was not auspicious for him to mount that horse, because the Ghaz tribe became victorious over him and destroyed his kingdom.
The text of As-Sawa’iq is as follows105: Till date they stand at the entrance of the cellar with a horse and call out to him to come out; which is really funny for people of understanding. How nicely it is said:
What is this matter of the Sardab (Cellar) that a person should be born there about whom you say because of ignorance.
That he is the Imam of your time so that Allah may forgive you for your imagination.
That you have found the third one after Phoenix and Ghouls. It is truly a matter of shame for these people!
Those, who on Friday nights drip streams into the mangers, which they have made on the roof of Masjids and their houses for the foolish god, who when he comes down from the Arsh, animals will not remain hungry, should not make such accusations against others.
The reply is that so far, no book of Shi’a, from the ancient as well as the modern scholars, jurisprudents, tradition scholars and believers from the Imamiyah have this belief that the Imam, from the time of his occultation till the time of his reappearance will remain in the cellar and in chapter seven, we will further reply to this allegation. And it will be known who is ignorant and calumny maker? And who should laugh?
Hilla, which was founded in 498 A.H. as Ibn Khallikan has clarified under the account of Sadaqah Ibn Mansoor alias Saifuddaula. And others from the historians and from this aspect it is famous as Hilla Saifiya is a concealed cellar, which their great scholars have attributed to it that is located there and at the time of birth it did not have a name.
In Milal wan Nihal, Shahristani has glossed over this claim and explained: The tomb of Imam Ali an-Naqi (‘a) is in Qom.
I don’t know if in dictionary, lexicon and syntax, their statements should be so baseless; thus, woe be on those sciences and since the style of this book is not to curse them, therefore we have closed its door and we only say:
This group by their own admission; on the contrary they have consensus on the reports of the Messenger of Allah (S) on the advent of one of his descendants in the last period of time, who is known as the al-Mahdi, and after this admission, did he not identify? Thus, it is lawful that every Husayni Sayyid having the qualities he had mentioned should be the same promised al-Mahdi if there had been no restriction on them. This group, in spite of this possibility and proposal cannot in any way deny one, who the Imamiyah regard as the al-Mahdi by Nass and miracle.
The limit is that they demand proof from the Imamiyah about the Imamate and Mahdawiyyah of His Eminence?
Imamiyah say: In the same way, that you prove to the Jews and Christians the prophethood of the Seal of the Prophets (S), we in the same way and through the same arguments and reasonings support our claim and give the same reply which you give to their objections; as has been explained in the books of Imamate, especially in Abana of Allamah Karajaki, which is arranged in the same style and if they had been even slightly aware of the reports and traditions of the Imamiyah, they would not have fallen down in this valley. In the coming chapter some of those declarations and miracles will be hinted at.
Objections Of This Group
Thus, some of them were replied and some remain and all of them in the form of questions and answer will come in a brief manner so that it is easy to record them and their explanation is present in the famous books, which may be referred.
Question 1
The al-Mahdi you believe in is from the descendants of Imam Husayn (‘a) and the promised al-Mahdi is Hasani.
Reply: The refutation of this objection is explained in this chapter only.
Question 2
The father’s name of the promised al-Mahdi is ‘Abd Allah, whereas the name of the father of your al-Mahdi is Hasan (‘a).
Reply: The reply to this was Also, given that the source of this objection is Zaida, who in your own view was a fabricator and forged a large number of traditions attributing them to reliable personages.
Question 3
You claim that years have passed since the Imam has disappeared; an occultation which has not occurred for anyone so far. Why the Messenger of Allah (S) did not hint at this when he mentioned the circumstances of the al-Mahdi? On the contrary, it was more important to mention this rather than other qualities as such a long occultation is an exceptional phenomenon and this objection of Ibn Hajar is mentioned in As-Sawa’iq106.
Reply: Firstly: Silence from a situation although it is most preferable by mention of all the qualities it is not harmful to the correctness of other qualities and the existence of that which proves that aim. Because it is nothing except improbability and perhaps was the exigency in leaving the mention of that quality, even though we may not know it.
Secondly: Thus, not finding this quality in most reports does not prove that the Holy Prophet (S) did not mention it whether it is proved that everything that the Messenger of Allah (S) said was recorded by the companions and it was narrated from one to another without any reduction or change or mistake and all this is speculative, on the contrary it is definitely opposed to it.
How often it is seen that in one report in some copies there is something and in another copy it is not present and there are so many intentional and unintentional mistakes; so much so that books are written regarding the fabricated reports and books in refutation and in books of sources many fabricated reports are collected. Thus, one, who has no qualms in fabricating reports or changing them for helping his faith or to insult the religion of his opponent, what impediment he has in removing that which does not agree with religion?
And in the comprehensive books of Imamiyah are compiled many of those reports from Ahl al-Sunna and which are related to them.
Thirdly: Thus, the claim of absence of entry is due to ignorance or pretense of ignorance:
As for the Imamiyah narrators: It is narrated with Tawaator from the Holy Prophet (S) and Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) and among them there is a group of persons whom the Ahl al-Sunna have praised and certified their veracity.
As for the narrators of Ibn Hajar: They have clearly narrated the traditions of the Messenger of Allah (S) regarding the occultation of al-Mahdi (‘aj) and they have Also, narrated that this ninth descendant of Imam Husayn (‘a) is the al-Mahdi and also, narrated that his advent shall take place in the last period of time and these two different kinds of traditional reports cannot be reconciled, except if you accept the occultation of the Imam; as we shall hint at those reports in the coming chapter, if Allah wills.
Question 4
In Shari’ah, it is not allowed to appoint a child as a caretaker on property, life and family matters, whereas you Imamiyah surrendered Imamate and greater leadership to your al-Mahdi when he was a four or five-years old; thus, your claim is not approved by the Shari’ah and also, the Holy Prophet (S) has not mentioned this getting of wisdom and Imamate in childhood to be traits of al-Mahdi (‘aj) although they are from the preferable traits.
We present here the statement of Ibn Hajar by way of a lesson for the readers: “It is established in the Shari’ah that a child is not capable of Wilayat, so how they could pay attention to these fools who believe that he was the Imam at the age of five and that he was bestowed with Imamate at a young age while he (S) did not inform about it, except that it is a blatant smear on the pristine Islamic law.”107
He says on another occasion: “Thus, it was necessary to describe his quality that he would be the Imam in infancy and the Holy Prophet (S) did not inform about this.”
In Tara’if is mentioned an incident about this topic, which Ibn Arabi has mentioned in Futuhat108 under the account of al-Mahdi (‘aj) and he says: He will distribute wealth equally and will act with justice among the subjects. A man will approach him and say: O al-Mahdi, give me and there will be a heap of wealth before him. Thus, he will give him as much as he can lift. He will appear at a time when the religion will be weak. The Almighty Allah will restrain through him people from prohibited and disobedience, before they glance at the Qur’an. A person would be ignorant, coward and miserly at night and in the morning, he would be knowledgeable, valiant and generous…and so on as we previously mentioned.
Maulavi Abd al-Ali Hindi, who according to the scholars of India is given the title of Bahr al-Ulum has written in the treatise of Fath al-Rahman, after the mention of al-Mahdi (‘aj): And the Shaykh (r.a.) said: At night he would be described as ignorant, miserly, cowardly and he will, in the morning, become the most learned, most valiant and the most generous of the people; that is he would become incomparable in knowledge, valor and generosity.
The aim of this statement is that through this Caliph the Almighty Allah through His blessings would bestow all these qualities to him overnight, he would previously be attributed the opposite traits, and not as the Shi’a claim that Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj) is infallible since childhood is like the infallibility of prophets. (End of statement).
Justice is that such understanding should have a preferable title and this belief is from the critic of the religion of Imamiyah that His Eminence in the condition of manliness is imbued with three negative qualities; which are the basis of most wicked traits: like greed, jealousy, materialism, wantonness etc. which rarely come together in one person and they gathered in this divine Caliph for years and such an ignorant person does not become involved in sins and despite this it is mentioned in some reports that al-Mahdi is better than Abu Bakr and Umar, thus, it is necessary to ponder on the qualities of those two: which negative qualities they possessed more?
Reply: Only Allah is the giver of Tawfiq: Defending the life and property and defending the protected soul is limited to the quantum of knowledge one has, how he will protect them from accidents and calamities and the strength which can show what he knows and honesty and piety, which they have to prepare him to bring it and not to oppose it.
Therefore, in the Islamic Shari’ah he has mentioned conditions for that group and the path is delineated for recognition of the safeguards of those conditions in him and do not regard aggression as more necessary from him mostly and did not regard them lawful from the side of loss. As in both cases, there is contradiction of sustenance and hereafter and it would contradict the aim of the sending of the prophets.
As for Imamate, which is the greater leadership and special deputyship of the messenger prophet on all the people on the contrary on all things from the duty bound and others and control of religion, life and property; all is in his hands of sufficiency. Its master should have other conditions and traits so that he is able get that post of rulership and Wilayat and according to the method of Imamiyah some of those conditions are divinely bestowed, which cannot be achieved through hardships, hard work, practice or education all in one’s worldly life.
He was separated from the condition of essence (Teenat) so that the actual seed and its placement and the birth, growth, training and in reason and spirit and soul and body with different views and way to the cognition of those conditions and its protection is not in a person, except the divine appointment (Nass) and occurrence of miracles to support the claim was proved in its place and their Wilayat is not like the Wilayat of a successor or trustee etc that when they come together in someone it is possible to appoint him as Wali, except according to the theory of Ibn Hajar and his companions who believe that the most important function of the Imam is to apply legal penalties and to defend the boundaries that if someone is having that rank, even though he might be a transgressor, but he can become the Imam.
As Ghazzali Shafei has clarified in the discussion of Imamate in Ahya under the nine basics, which he has mentioned and, on this basis, the Wilayat of the Imam would comprise of the trusteeship of endowments and caring of orphans and from lower aspects.
Thus, every community, which can have political rule of the Imam even though like a ferocious person bereft of all human qualities, what to say about the perfection of holy men, will not be having any benefit and he would be like the rebellious Muawiyah or the drunkard Yazeed or the tyrant Walid or Marwan the donkey that according to the principles of that community they would be from the people of rightfulness and the successors of the Prophet (S) and Ulil Amr - obedience to whom was obligatory.
As for Imamiyah; they say that: Appointment of the Imam is from Allah, the Mighty and Sublime; whoever He likes, He trains and teaches wisdom to them and makes them eligible for Imamate and leadership and in view of the Almighty Allah young, old, white and black are all the same that He gives to whoever He likes whatever quality He may want.
All Ashaira, and Ibn Hajar is Also, from them; say that it is possible for man to through his hand or feet. For example, see, hear, understand, defend in every way that through the means of his ears and eyes and inner feelings. Thus, there is no problem in Almighty Allah teaching wisdom to a child and according to their principles of logic and this is not the occasion for objection.
As for its occurrence; thus, it is sufficient for Ibn Hajar to remember the story of ‘Isa (‘a) when Jews objected to Lady Maryam:
فَأَشَارَتْ إِلَيْهِ قَالُوا كَيْفَ نُكَلِّمُ مَنْ كَانَ فِي الْمَهْدِ صَبِيًّا
“How should we speak to one, who was a child in the cradle?” (19:29).
‘Isa (‘a) said:
قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ آتَانِيَ الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلَنِي نَبِيًّا
“Surely I am a servant of Allah. He has given me the Book; and made me a prophet” (19:30).
وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُ وَأَوْصَانِي بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا
“And He has made me blessed wherever I may be and He has enjoined on me prayer and poor-rate so long as I live” (19:31).
وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَتِي وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْنِي جَبَّارًا شَقِيًّا
“And dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed” (19:32).
وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدْتُ وَيَوْمَ أَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ أُبْعَثُ حَيًّا
“And peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life” (19:33).
Pondering on the statement it will be realized that all the principles of the Shari’ah and the special qualities of prophethood this messenger prophet aged forty days through perfect actions of limbs, explained to the Ummah.
Ibn Hajar is ignorant and unaware of these verses; or that he has regarded as defective the perfect power of God; or the place this capability happened for the people and those who do not have any capability.
In the book of Fitan109, Noaim Ibn Hammad has narrated that
Indeed, I was sent for ministry and not for rulership.
There is no doubt that the ruler is superior to the minister and how is it possible that the minister should do this in infancy and the ruler should be in ignorance and mistake; as in that case he would be superior to him and similar to ‘Isa (‘a) was Prophet Yahya (‘a); about whom the Almighty Allah informed that He made him as such during his childhood.
يَا يَحْيَىٰ خُذِ الْكِتَابَ بِقُوَّةٍ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْحُكْمَ صَبِيًّا
“O Yahya! take hold of the Book with strength, and We granted him wisdom while yet a child” (19:12).
The Almighty Allah caused the pen of Ibn Hajar to select this same verse, which contains reply for him and as ridicule to the Imamiyah said that they say regarding al-Mahdi (‘aj):
وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْحُكْمَ صَبِيًّا
“…and We granted him wisdom while yet a child” (19:12).
And this is an audacity on the holy Shariat of Islam and praise be to Allah it will be known who is the culprit.
On the other hand, Ahl al-Sunna scholars bestow lofty positions for their own children but deny them for the son of the Messenger of Allah (S).
In Futuhat110, Ibn Arabi says: Know that, indeed people do not regard it unlikely for a child to have wisdom, except from the aspect of what is not usual in their view except for apparent wisdom that is from thought and behavior and children do not usually have them. Thus, they say that so and so child spoke up with wisdom and the divine blessing becomes apparent at this apparent instance. So, He increased it for Yahya and ‘Isa (‘a) that they spoke up with knowledge and wisdom. That is they spoke knowingly and not that the words were made to be issued through their tongues only.
Till he says: And a group has spoken in infancy and I have seen the greatest of them. I have seen one, who spoke in the womb of her mother and who performed the obligatory acts and who was such that when the mother sneezed, this infant said Praise be to Allah and added: May Allah have mercy on you in a voice which was audible to all that were present there.
But as for that which befits speech, indeed my daughter, Zainab, I asked her a question in a playful manner and her age at that time was one year. So I told her in the presence of her mother and grandmother:
My daughter, what do you say about the man who has intercourse with his wife, but does not ejaculate?
She replied: The ritual bath will be obligatory for him.
All those present there were astounded and that year I separated from her and left her with her mother and went away from there and issued permission to her mother to perform the Hajj and that year and I went to Mecca via Iraq.
When I reached Arafat, I came out with some people to search for my family in the caravan from Syria. My daughter decried me while she was nursing at her mother’s. She said: Mother, this is my father, who is coming. Her mother saw me from far away. She said: This is my father. She called out for her aunt and she came. When she saw me, she smiled and threw herself on me and said: My father, my father. And this and such things are mentioned in this matter.
The writer says: The question which Ibn Arabi asked his daughter and the reply which she gave is the same question which arose during the time of the second Caliph and neither the Caliph nor other companions could solve it and it was Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) who provided the solution.
Bravo for a suckling baby girl who cleaned the faces of her leaders!
Also, in ‘Ulum Ahadith111, Ibn Salah and Khatib has narrated in Kifaya112: from Ibrahim Ibn Saeed Jauhari that he said: I saw a four-year-old child who came to Mamun. He was learned in Qur’an and had reached the level of Ijtihad, except that when he was hungry, he used to cry.
In biographies of some of the gnostics many such examples are found, but to narrate them here would prolong our discussion. So much so that they have narrated about Shaykh Abd al-Qadir that: In the month of Ramadhan, he did not nurse at the breast of his mother and on the year it was doubted whether the new month has started or not they used to check whether that child was nursing or not and used to act accordingly.
As for his saying that why this excellence was not mentioned by the Prophet (S) among his distinctive qualities; its reply is known from the reply to the previous question and except for that we say that this quality is famous in this family and it was present in the minds as he possessed knowledge, wisdom, perfection during his childhood, without having been taught by anyone.
In its place, it was proved that Hasan and Husayn (‘a) are included in the verse of purification and no filth of ignorance and unawareness can touch them. And it is narrated through both sects that the Messenger of Allah (S) pointed to these two personages and said: These two sons of mine are Imams, whether they sit or arise113. That is whether they rise up for Jihad or sit quiet: they may either mobilize people to support them or not; or it is an allusion that the proof of this post is true for them in every condition.
What is apparent from the text, on the contrary clearer than that is that this position was there for him for all times. As it is extremely improper for someone to say that this present person is a scholar or noble or brave. That is such and such thing will occur after another thirty or forty years and the age of those two Imams at the time of the passing away of the Messenger of Allah (S) was not more than seven and eight years and the Almighty Allah knew for what time He had mentioned this statement for them.
In Iqdud Durar114, Yusuf Salmi has narrated from Hafiz Abu ‘Abd Allah Noaim Ibn Hammad that he has quoted a tradition from Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (‘a) that the Imam said: This matter (Mahdawiyyah) will occur in the youngest among us in age and the most righteous among us in the statement of the Almighty Allah; He will give knowledge to him in inheritance and will not leave him to his devices.
Question 5
Such a long lifespan is beyond the ordinary and has not occurred in this Ummah.
Reply: We will discuss this matter at the end of Chapter Seven, hence there is no need to mention it here.
Question 6
You Imamiyah say that al-Mahdi entered the cellar of the house of his father and his mother looked after him and he is still living there and waiting to come out from there and no one has seen him there. And this is unlikely from two aspects:
One is that there was no food, water and provisions necessary for life.
Second is from the aspect that he was seen in that place, in spite of all the conditions of seeing being present there.
It is clear from Ganji and other scholars that this attribution is confirmed in view of their scholars and the statement of Zahabi in Tarikh al-Islam is as follows: Muhammad Ibn Hasan al-’Askari son of Ali Hadi son of al-Jawad son of Ali ar-Ridha’ Abu al-Qasim Alawi Husayni is the seal of the twelve Shi’a Imams and he is awaited. The Rafida believe that he is the al-Mahdi and that he is the master of the time and that he is the Khalaf and Hujjat and he is the one, who is in the cellar in Samarrah.
Till he says: He is 450 years old and they are waiting for his reappearance and they claim that he entered the cellar in the house of his father where his mother is looking after him. Till date he has not come out from the cellar where he disappeared at the age of 9 years.
In the account of His Eminence, al-’Askari (‘a), after saying that he is the father of Hujjat, he says: And he is one about whom the Shi’a claim that he survives in the cellar since 450 years and that he is the master of the age and he is living; he is learned in the knowledge of the formers and latters. They admit that no one has seen him ever and among the ignorant stances of Rafida is that they pray to the Almighty Allah to keep their intellect and faith intact.
Reply: We will refute this objection in the last part of Chapter seven and prove that no Imamiyah scholar has in any book raised such a prayer, which he has attributed to them that may Allah keep his intellect and faith intact.
For supposition’s sake the reply of the first improbability is given at that place as Ganji has Also, given and the second objection will be refuted fully under the second incident of the cities and children of His Eminence and in incident thirty-seven, which is the story of the Green Island.
Here, we shall be content only to quote the statement of Mibdi, who has narrated in Sharh Diwan from ‘Abd Allah Ibn Masud from the Messenger of Allah (S) that he said: The Almighty Allah is having 300 persons, whose heart is on the heart of Adam. And for him there are forty bodies, whose heart is in the heart of Musa. And there are seven bodies for him and their heart is in the heart of Ibrahim (‘a) and there are five bodies for him and their heart is in the heart of Jibra’il. And for him there are three bodies and their heart is on the heart of Mikaeel. And for him there is one person, whose heart is on the heart of Israfeel.
When one of those persons dies, the Almighty Allah will appoint at his place from those three and when one of those three dies, the Almighty Allah appoints at his place from those five, and when one of those five dies, the Almighty Allah appoints from those seven and if one of the seven dies, the Almighty Allah appoints from those forty and when one of those forty dies, the Almighty Allah appoints at his place one from those 300 and when one of the 300 dies the Almighty Allah appoints from the general population. Through them the Almighty Allah wards off the calamities from this Ummah.
Shaykh Alauddin says in Urwah: The earth will fold up for him and he will walk on water and he will be concealed from people and they will come together in a narrow place full of the folks of martyrdom. Thus, his body will not touch that of others and his shadow is invisible. He will recite the Qur’an and couplets aloud, cry, rapture and dance, but no one will hear his voice. They can make the stingy one nice and generous to the needy and they shall settle in the lands of spring. Every year they will gather twice: once in Arafat on the day of Arafah and once in Rajab where they are commanded.
Mulla Husayn Mibdi is a prominent scholar and some of his writings, like Sharh Hidayat al-Hikma, Sharh Kafiya, Jami’ Geetinuma, Sharh Diwan are quoted by Katib Chalbi in Al-Kashf az-Zunoon115 and he testifies through his statements and that which is said that the knowledge of the formers and latters is proved for the Hazrat, it is true, but it is not known that which the majority of Imamiyah say about the Imam, is more than what Ahl al-Sunna say about their Aqtab and Mashayakh.
Shaykh Abd al-Wahab Sherani, in the forty-fifth discussion of Yuwaqeet116 has quoted from Abu al-Hasan Shazli that there are fifteen signs for the Qutub: It is that they will help him through the help of infallibility, mercy, Caliphate, deputyship and the help of the carriers of the Arsh and will be exposed for him the reality of being that is the Being of the Almighty and encompassing the qualities…and so on.
And according to their principle and laws it is not possible that the reality of Being should be exposed. And a possible thing remains behind the veil of concealment.
Mibdi has narrated from Jundi in Sharh Fusus that Shaykh Sadruddin has narrated from Ibn Arabi that: When I reached the sea of Rome in Andulasia, I deemed for myself that at that time I should sit in the boat so that my outward and inward details till the end of the age should be exposed for me after complete attention and perfect vigil. Till the company of your father, Ishaq Ibn Muhammad and all your circumstances, your following from birth to death and your circumstances in Barzakh and the aim of this information on proved eyes, which is the mine of divine knowledge. End.
By the settling of this mine and there will be no difference between the past or future; less or more and the apparent and esoteric sciences.
As for what he says that they admit that no one saw him, that is Also, an allegation and a lie that they are not ashamed to commit it, with that glory which they have fixed for themselves.
But during the Minor Occultation which was around seventy years of duration numerous people met him, whose names are recorded in most Imamiyah books of occultation. Some of which were written during the days of his birth and some during the Minor Occultation and which are still extant. Apparently, Zahabi has not seen anyone of them; on the contrary it was mentioned that Balazari, one of their reliable Hafiz has narrated from him in a continuous tradition, whose complete chain consists of well-known persons and some of them were outstanding persons of their time, like Suyyuti, Jazari and their like and it will be mentioned that during the Major Occultation Also, some people have seen/met him, some of whom were mentioned above.
Question 7
What is the wisdom in the occultation of this Imam that he should during such a long lifespan, be always aloof in fear of people and no one from the common and special persons should have seen anything from him?
Ibn Taymiyyah Hanbali, founder of the Wahhabiya principles and sect in Najd and Shaykh Abd al-Wahab has taken that corrupted religion from his books, in the book of Minhajus Sunniyah, which is the refutation of Minhaj al-Karama of Ayatullah Allamah Hilli, he says: The al-Mahdi of the Rafida is such that there is no benefit from him in the religion of the world from his occultation.
Reply: After the confession in Imamate of Hujjat Ibn al-Hasan (‘a) and his being alive on the basis of texts, miracles and the rule of grace, has the Almighty Allah abandoned the people to their devices in ignorance, jealousy, animosities and contradictions and to follow the selfish desires without any leader, who should point out the good and bad for them and the harms as well as benefits of various religious and worldly matters in religion and intellect and body and soul and their property; and he should himself be secure from mistakes and forgetfulness. It contradicts the aim of the advent of the Prophet and will be the duty; as they come in the position of obedience or the ears do not pay attention to his statements and he does not submit to his commands.
That proof on him is complete and no excuse remains as is explained in theological books or from the aspect of pretense of agreeing and accompanied with enmity, have confessed and accepted this claim as the questioner does not have further dignity for this question even from the Imamiyah society.
As for Ahl al-Sunna:
Firstly: Since the longevity of His Eminence, al-Mahdi (‘aj) and his being concealed from the people are divine acts, whose cause and exigency is not known to them that presently so and so was good. On the contrary, whatever He does is good; and it is not obligatory on Allah to do that which we may regard as good and beneficial. If He wants He can send all the prophets to Hell and send the infidels and Satans to Paradise; it will not cast any aspersion on Him and there is good in this only. Thus, Ahl al-Sunna do not have any right to inquire about the wisdom behind this divine act and all the statements.
Secondly: Not knowing the wisdom behind divine acts causes no harm in the obligation of faith in their occurrence. Since the wisdom behind most laws of religion, secrets of worship acts, evils of various prohibited acts and the behavior of the Messenger of Allah (S) were not except on the basis of divine revelation and divine commands are concealed from the Ummah and this ignorance does not cause any weakness of belief and does not necessarily justify giving up of the obligations.
Thirdly: Contradictions about Dajjal, which are mentioned in reports, on the contrary in the authentic traditions of their Sihah books and it will be mentioned at the end of Chapter Seven that he was present during the lifetime of the Prophet and that he is interned on one of the islands of the west, he is knowing about the mischiefs of the last days and his acts and he will be alive till he is killed at the hands of the al-Mahdi or ‘Isa (‘a). He is Also, having a long life and occultation like Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj). If they, due to not knowing the wisdom behind his existence and his occultation give up belief in him and will also - may Allah give us refuge - will Also, give up our belief in our al-Mahdi. And Ganji Shafei has issued a statement about this, which we mentioned in the chapter before.
Fourthly: It is mentioned in authentic traditional reports of both sects, more than fifty of which we have quoted from various authorities in our book of Fasl al-Khitab and all their Sihah books have Also, mentioned the gist of which is that all that has occurred in Bani Israel will Also, happen in this nation; so much so that if they had entered the lair of an Animal they will Also, enter and there were brief and prolonged occultations for most of the prophets, during which they had become aloof from their followers and no one had any information about them.
The prominent historian, Ali Ibn Hasan Mas’oodi, whom Ahl al-Sunna quote from his books of Murujuz Zahab and Akhbar az-Zaman and whom they trust; and Muhammad Ibn Shakir Katabi in the book of Fawat al-Wafiyaat has praised him and has mentioned his books. He has written about the occultation of prophets and successors in his book of Isbat al-Wasiyyah. And if the Hujjat, who according to their admission, is superior to ‘Isa (‘a) then he is Also, superior to all the prophets and messengers. If the Imam has occultation, it would become necessary to deny those clear and widely related reports and there is no difference in briefness or prolongation of occultation in this aspect.
As for the Imamiyah, they believe that there is wisdom; on the contrary there are many exigencies behind the occultation of the Imam. It is Also, prohibited by the Imams to be curious about knowing this secret and some scholars have declared this unlawful.
The prominent Shaykh, Abu Muhammad Hasan Ibn Musa Naubakhti in his book of Fiqh wa Maqaalaat117, after the mention of the Imamite faith regarding Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj) and his occultation, said: The people are not supposed to be curious to find out divine exigencies and they should follow something without knowledge and to search out the effects of something, which the Almighty Allah has concealed from them. And it is not allowed to mention the name of the Imam. And they are Also, not supposed to inquire his whereabouts till the Imam is permitted to disclose it to them. Because the Imam is anonymous and in divine concealment and also, it is not allowed for us to discuss his circumstances; on the contrary discussion about this and seeking him out is prohibited and not lawful…and so on.
In Ilal ash-Shara’i118 and Kamal ad-Din119, it is narrated that Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (‘a) said:
“Certainly, there is a long occultation for the master of this affair, which cannot be avoided, as during the period of occultation every falsehood seeking person shall fall into doubt.
I asked: Why, may I be sacrificed on you? He replied: For the reason we have not been permitted to reveal.
I said: Then what is the wisdom behind his occultation? He replied: The same wisdom that was behind the occultation of divine proofs before him. Indeed, the wisdom behind the occultation of His Eminence will not be known, except after his reappearance just as the wisdom behind the actions of Khizr (‘a) of making a hole in the boat, killing the boy and repairing the wall were not clear to Prophet Musa till the time of the parting of their ways.
O son of Fadhl, this matter (of occultation) is a matter of Allah the Almighty and is one of the divine secrets from the unseen of God. And since we know that the Almighty Allah is All-Wise, we testify that all His actions and words are based on wisdom even though their causes may not be clear for us.
Also, the Holy Imams (‘a) mentioned something to some of the narrators when they asked about the wisdom behind occultation, and the questioner was silenced and from the above report, it becomes apparent that what he said is not the real secret and the complete reason of occultation. As has come in numerous traditions that the main reason of his occultation is his fear of being killed.
Shaykh At-Tusi, in his book of Ghaibah, has Also, believed in this reason, and except fear and restraint from Allah, he has not considered anything to be an obstacle in reappearance. And the Almighty Allah preventing the oppressors from the killing of His Eminence without prohibiting; on the contrary by divine reasons it is necessity of place and negation of duty and contradiction of aim of earning rewards; and the difference between His Eminence and his holy forefathers was that they were present among the people in spite of the fact that tyrant rulers in every period of time and most people were opposed to him and were his enemies, as opposed to Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj) who is concealed. This was in a way that the tyrants were assured from their side they will never rise up in revolt and that they do not believe in armed uprising against them.
However, regarding Imam al-Mahdi (‘aj); they all know that al-Mahdi (‘aj) will stage an uprising and defeat all the tyrants and destroy the rule of all the oppressors and will spread justice and equity on the earth. Thus, they are terrified of one, who is supposed to wipe them off from the earth; that is why they would never have allowed the Imam to live in any case. And since he is the last Hujjat, in his killing is the invalidation of divine promise; as there is no one else who make take his place; thus, he will keep himself concealed till the time when as per the divine command, he would be safe from being killed. Thus, with attention to this fear, occultation is obligatory for His Eminence.
In Ilal ash-Shara’i120 and Kamal ad-Din121, it is narrated that Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (‘a) mentioned another reason when the narrator asked: why Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) did not take up arms against his opponents during the initial period of his tenure. The Imam replied:
“Due to the following verse of Qur’an:
لَوْ تَزَيَّلُوا لَعَذَّبْنَا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
“Had they been widely separated one from another, We would surely have punished those who disbelieved from among them with a painful punishment” (48:25).
The narrator says that he asked what was the meaning of the word (تَزَيَّلو). The Imam replied that it implies those believing trusts present in the loins of the infidels.”
In the same way, the reappearance of Qa’im (‘aj) will not take place till the trusts of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime are not born. When those trusts take birth, the Imam will appear to the enemies of Allah and eliminate them all.
The conclusion of this report is that reason of occultation is the separation of the seeds; so that the believers are distinguished from the hypocrites; because exigency of rising up, necessarily leads to the killing of the opponents and due to killing Also, die the righteous seeds that are present in their loins and in a matured wisdom this is the reason and wisdom behind the silence of Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) and his leaving Jihad against those who took precedence to him, as His Eminence was aware that in the loins of those rejecters were seeds of believers. As many feelings and perceptions and the condition of patience and refraining from taking demands of His Eminence is like the silence of Imam al-’Asr (‘aj).
Well informed scholar, Qutubuddin Ashkuri, student of Muhaqqiq Daamaad, has in Mahbub al-Qulub narrated that when Imam Husayn (‘a) attacked the army of Ibn Ziyad on Ashura, he killed some and left some persons, in spite of the fact that he was supposed to eliminate them. Thus, he was asked why he did that.
He said: The curtain was removed from before me and I saw the seeds in their loins. So I recognized that the seeds of people of faith will emerge from their loins, so I left them so that this progeny is separated from them and when I saw that they were not going to father any believers, I killed them.
Such acts are activities of the people of Wilayat in the plan of the affairs of the creatures in such a way that they do not notice it. Thus, their act cannot be objected to; on the contrary it is obligatory to interpret them as brief wisdom and general welfare without proof with their detailed knowledge.
In Kamal ad-Din122, it is narrated from Sudair from his father from Abi ‘Abd Allah (‘a) that he said:
“There is an occultation for our Qa’im, which shall be prolonged.” I asked: “Why, O son of Allah’s Messenger?” He replied: “Because the Almighty Allah wants that the practices of His prophets in their occultation should Also, occur on him. And O Sudair, his occultation must come to an end. The Almighty Allah says:
لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَنْ طَبَقٍ
“That you shall most certainly enter one state after another” (84:19).
It means: The Sunnas of those who have gone before you.”
And this is the hint to that same reason, which we mentioned previously.
Question 8
In spite of all those disputes, which arose among the Imamiyah in the basics and the branches of laws, why he does not reveal himself to few persons from the sincere Shi’a as his statements are followed and removes those differences, which are the causes of labeling each other as transgressors, deviants and disbelievers; and does say on his behalf as he is safe and has no fear?
Reply: The majority of the people on the earth disbelieve in the existence of the Almighty Allah and those who believe in Him are having so many disputes regarding degrees of monotheism and His qualities and acts that except for one way, all of them are false and their beliefs are deviated and for the majority of them it is the reason for abiding in Hell forever and the Almighty Allah at no time is fearful of anything and His power to remove conflicts from between them and to adjudge the enmity between opponents and creating necessary divine recognition and conscientious knowledge in the souls and hearts in such a way that except for truth none of them take anything in the heart except truth. It is more by unlimited increase for his Wali, deputy and successor on the earth and has fixed every excuse for leaving it for the Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, His Wali is having priority to that excuse for leaving the removal of dispute.
Question 9
You Imamiyah believe in an Imam that all the requirements of Imamate and essence of general leadership and divine representation and you divest him from the vicegerency of prophethood. Since explanation of the laws and to adjudge the disputes and to impose the penalties and to defend the boundaries and to restore the rights and to support the oppressed and to command the doing of good and to prohibit the doing of evil and to remove oppression and to mobilize the armies etc which is the aim of appointing the Imam, whether by divine appointment or through consensus, for establishing these matters and to correct the religious and worldly corruptions of the Muslims for fulfilling these duties from the aspect of absence of location from its establishment of Imamate and nothing else remains that due to it he becomes the Imam and is capable for this position and worthy of this title and your al-Mahdi is the same about whom Ibn Taymiyyah has said in Minhajus Sunnah that there is no spiritual and worldly benefit in his occultation.
Firstly: Refuting the occultation of majority of prophets (‘a) as the aim of sending them was to enforce these laws and Imam is Also, duty-bound to them by their representation and his occultation is mentioned in books of biography, history and prophetic traditions of both the sects and it cannot be denied; it is sufficient to prove this claim, occultation of Prophet Yunus (‘a) from his people; on the contrary from all the creatures of the world and even below the world, except for that fish in whose belly he tarried according to the declaration of the Holy Qur’an and no Muslim can divest him of prophethood due to this occultation as during this long separation from his Ummah and that when he was sailing in the ship in the belly of the fish and till the time of his return to his people he was not a prophet and that his prophethood or that of someone else depends on his being present and being in power that sometimes he goes away and sometimes he comes back and sometimes the prophet becomes a subject and a follower. As the creatures would inevitably not be beyond these two qualities and so far, no one has seen such foolish possibility and invalid statement and also, his period of individuality would be destroyed.
As Thalabi etc. have narrated: Every prophet whose Ummat was destroyed by divine chastisement was ordered to come and reside in holy Mecca and to worship the Almighty Allah as long as he was alive and the most clear and the most astonishing was the concealment of the Holy Prophet (S) from his Ummah. As is mentioned in Sirah Halabiyya of Burhanuddin Shafei and other like Ibn Ishaq have written that the Holy Prophet (S) was concealed for three years after the revelation of Surah Muddassir in the house of Arqam and he called the people secretly to Islam. When they wanted to pray, they used to go with some persons who had embraced Islam, to some defiles in the mountains of Mecca and pray in a concealed manner.
The period of his concealment in the house of Arqam, till he made his call open, there was a period of four years like the period in the Shebe Abu Talib, when he was restricted; on the contrary he was imprisoned and also, the cave for a period of time after that; on the contrary during the whole period of Be’that, he did not possess power that he should apply those laws, except inviting to monotheism and prophethood and some practical acts.
According to the context of the question it would be, God forbid, necessary to divest him of prophethood during this period and whoever does that is beyond the pale of Islam.
Secondly
Ahl al-Sunna scholars have clarified that power and rulership are not conditions of prophethood and Imamate that if it is not there one is not a prophet or Imam.
Rashid Ibn Shuaib Kashi, known as Mujaddid Alf Saani, in his book of Al-Tamhid fi Bayan al-Tawhid has said and quoting the text so foremost, perhaps scholars might need the original Arabic text of the same. He said:
قال: قال بعض الناس بانّ الامام إذا لم يكن مطاعاً فانّه لا يكون اماماً؛ لأنه إذا لم يكن القهر والغلبة له فلا يكون اماماً.
قلنا: ليس كذلك؛ لان طاعة الامام فرض على الناس، فان لم يكن القهر فذلك يكون من تمرد الناس؛ وهو لا يعزله عن الامامة.
فلو لم يُطَع الامام فالعصيان حصل منهم، وعصيانهم لا يضرّ بالامامة، ألا ترى انّ النبي ما كان مطاعاً في اول الاسلام، وما كان له القهر على اعدائه من طريق العادة والكفرة، وقد تمردوا عن أمره ودينه، وقد كان هذا لا يضرّه ولا يعزله عن النبوة.
وكذا الامام خليفة النبي لا محالة.
وكذلك علي (عليه السلام) ما كان مطاعاً من جميع المسلمين، ومع ذلك ما كان معزولا، فصحّ ما قلنا؛ ولو ان الناس كلهم ارتدوا عن الاسلام - والعياذ بالله تعالى - فانّ الامام لا ينعزل عن الامامة، فكذلك بالعصيان.
The conclusion of these statements is that prophethood and Imamate are divine appointments and they are not like the rulership and kingship in common parlance; that if there is no power and possibility of practically applying the divine commands and prohibitions it will not exist; that is a ruler without a kingdom cannot be called as a ruler.
Also, it is mentioned in traditional reports of Ahl al-Sunna that the Imams are from Quraish. In some reports, it is mentioned that the matter of Caliphate will remain with Quraish forever. Thus, it is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari that123: the Messenger of Allah (S) said: This matter - that is Caliphate as the commentators have explained - will be in Quraish as long as even two persons survive from them. In another report: As long as people survive.
Shaykh Shamsuddin Muhammad Ibn Alqami Shafei, student of Suyyuti has in the book of Kaukab al-Muneer, commentary of Jamius Saghir of his teacher, after the mention of this report, has said: When the people were under the rule of Quraish during the period of Jahiliyya and they were the leaders of Arabs, they were under their control in Islam and they are the owners of Caliphate and this Caliphate is reserved from them till the end of the world; till even two persons are alive; and indeed it has become clear what the Prophet said; after the time of the Prophet till the present age the Caliphate is in Quraish without any exception. Even though the Mutaghallibeen came to power in the country; but they admit that Caliphate is from Quraish124. Thus, the name of Caliphate is still there even though it may be abstract.
Ibn Hajar Asqalani in Fath al-Bari Sharh Sahih Bukhari125, has declared this meaning to be one of the interpretations of this report; that is: You must always appoint a Caliph from the Quraish according to their method that the people should make someone as their Caliph and then follow him.
Kermani, the commentator of Sahih Bukhari, after the objection that in our time the rule is with other than Quraish, has replied that in the countries of Maghrib and Egypt, there is a Caliph from Quraish126.
In Fath al-Bari127, he says that it is right, but in his hands there is no tying up and opening and there is not from Caliphate, except only the abstract name and this text is clear regarding the fact that power and rule are not the conditions of Imamate; on the contrary Caliph and Imam is only one, whom Allah and the Prophet has declared to be the Caliph and the Imam even though usurpers and the powerful ones may not regard him as such and in this meaning there is no difference between presence and absence and in being seen and unseen.
And also, the king of scholars, Shahabuddin Ibn Umar Daulatabadi, in the book of Manaqib as-Sadat also, entitled, Hidayat as-Sadat has said: Yazeed was a rebel, who had seized power and he was a Khariji. Staging an uprising against the Imam is unlawful in all religions and the accursed Yazeed staged an uprising against Husayn (‘a) without justification and slain him in the attack.
Also, he says in the same place: When Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) was slain, the Caliphate was with Hasan Ibn Ali (‘a). At that time Yazeed Ibn Muawiyah usurped it from Husayn (‘a) and seized control of it.
This much is sufficient to prove the claim and to reply to the baseless question, if Allah wills. And it is of no use to reconcile all his words, contradictions and blunders; as this much is sufficient for the equitable; as for those who are obstinate, no matter how much we add to the discussion, they will never be satisfied.
According To The Imamites
According To The Imamites (May Allah Support Them), However, they say:
Firstly: When the Almighty Allah wanted to create an Imam, He sends down a drop of Paradise for Muzun128 on a fruit from the fruits of the earth and that is eaten by the Proof of that time and the seed of the Imam settles in him. After forty days, he hears a voice and after four months it written on his right arm:
وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلًا لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
“And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none, who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing” (6:115).
When he is born, a pillar of light is placed in his heart in which he may view the creatures and their acts and the divine command is revealed to him from that pillar. That pillar is there with him and everywhere he goes he can see it129. And He would fill his heart with His love, which no one else can have; and with His fear such that he does not fear anything else. And with piety in such a way that he is not inclined to anything else in the world, except what He commands. And with generosity, in such way that he does not mind laying down his life in His way. And with valor that no other person is bestowed with it. And with reliance that he does not regard anything or anyone to be of any benefit or harm.
Such realities give place to all good qualities in his heart and takes care that dust of bad morals does not smear the mirror of his heart and the realities of the things is made known to him and he knows and sees the evils of divine disobedience, naturally he will abstain from them. He appoints Ruh al-Quds over him to help and strengthen him and not to separate from him and that he does not become heedless and commits mistakes or forgetfulness and makes his heart as the place of return and circling of the angels like the Bait al-Mamoor and the Arsh, so that he is always in ascension and bestows him with lessons in chapters of sciences.
He is the reason behind the revolution of the heavens and creation of creatures from the fish to the fishermen. All move because of him and for his sake and exist due to his sake and they all eat and drink through his auspiciousness.
Worship and servitude that Allah desires and the way He desires is the one in which he does it. Praising and glorification, reciting the oneness of God and extolling His name; prayers, fasting and Hajj is that which he does and performs.
After unlimited graces, favours and bounties, which he is bestowed with and with all perfection that it may be possible for them to reach him, he is being imbued and He commands His creatures to follow his guidance in such a way that he should not act on his choice and inclination and that they should become eligible for divine rewards and honour.
His Eminence Also, by not being corrupt in expression, will invite; if they hear that they have done a favour and if not, then no blemish will come on his greatness by remaining silent or going into the occultation.
All the stages of guidance of humanity, which is one of his functions, in relation to other positions of His Eminence is like a drop in comparison to the ocean that if it is not accessible, no decrease will appear in it and from his position nothing is decreased, except what the Almighty Allah takes away.
وَلَئِنْ شِئْنَا لَنَذْهَبَنَّ بِالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُ لَكَ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا وَكِيلًا
And if We please, We should certainly take away that which We have revealed to you. (17:86).
Thus, if scholar and a pious person due to being jailed is demoted from his status and he is divested of his knowledge, acts and piety and he can no more be called as a scholar and a pious man, the Imam is Also, dismissed from the post Imamate by remaining in hiding from the people in spite of the fact that there is a vast difference between the two of them.
Secondly: It is said that all types of goodness and blessings reach to all the creatures through auspiciousness of the Imam and different kinds of calamites and chastisements, are due to their evil deeds and mistakes; even a percent of which had caused the previous nations to be destroyed in different chastisements; are repelled from this nation due to him and he is the representative of his holy grandfather in repelling the punishment due to being present among the people according to the verse:
وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ
!But Allah was not going to chastise them while you were among them”(8:33).
Moreover, it is said that if the Imam is not present on the earth for a day, parts of the being of the creatures will decompose. The rain falls for his sake and the earth puts forth vegetation and trees fructify and animals give milk. The intelligence understands, the eyes see, the ears hear, the tongue speaks and He has given special favour to His friends. He bestows different kinds of favours on the creatures in such a way that sometimes they realize it and sometimes they don’t.
On the contrary, his being is the cause of the survival of the Shari’ah and the guarding of the rules from distortion and decline and it is the root, which they have proved for him as the true reason of the appointing of the Imam and need for his existence. Thus, in special laws, it is not at all necessary to protect the general principles and rule, thus, refusal to apply the secondary matters from the aspect of external phenomenon will not prevent from proving the origin of Wilayat and neither will it be its actualization as general principles; because it is not possible to refute and suspended them.
It is mentioned in the traditional reports of Shi’a and Sunni that the Messenger of Allah (S) said: My Ahl Al-Bayt are security for the folks of the earth just as stars are security for the folks of the heavens130.
And in the seventh and tenth chapter, we will provide more details, if Allah wills; regarding the proof of the benefits of the Imam during the major occultation.
Thirdly: It is said that the Imam whom we believe in and in whose Imamate we have faith in, is the proof from Allah, the Mighty and the High on the angels, human beings, different animals, jinn and the creatures of all of the worlds, lands and towns, which are out of the territory of the tyrants; like: Jablisa and Jabliqa, whose mention will be made under the incident of the Green Island; all of them are the under the domination and practical rule of His Eminence and they do not oppose his commands. They do what he commands; except for this genre of human beings present on both the faces of the earth that with regard to them, they do not have even the least feeling and even if we suppose that temporal power is a condition for correctness of Imamate, we do not have assurance that he will dominate all that for which he is sent; otherwise it will become necessary to divest all the prophets and caliphs of their posts of prophethood and Caliphate; as none of them was able to get complete power.
Question 10
If the tyrant rulers were to repent and surrender the rights of the Imam to him, they will not be able to do this as they have no access to him to hand over to him his rights and become free from it. Thus, the repentance of these people will not be accepted.
Reply: It would be sufficient for their repentance if they just leave doing that in which they are engrossed and to be regretful of occupying the place they were not deserving of. And this should be accompanied with a firm determination not to repeat such acts. And the Imam, as per the commands of God is aware of his responsibility, whether he appears or not.
And other such doubts are like strands of cobwebs that its owner is like a drowning man clutching at every straw as some people have mentioned: How he became assured that if he appears, they will not slay him and their mention and their objection to the reply is waste of paper, pen and time of readers.
We should know that all the above objections have already been presented by our theological scholars in their books of theology and Imamate. They have replied and refuted to all of them and like this author, have refuted all controversial matters concerned with His Eminence. On the contrary, collection of miscellaneous points of which a few are mentioned in books, and other than that they lack every aspect of logical reasoning that is why we have contented ourselves to mention only a few statements of their scholars and moreover they will never turn back from their paths.
Yes! For the special people of knowledge that they do not fall into doubts from those doubts and their lay persons Also, do not have any delight in it and their like, which we have mentioned, it is better to take advantage of it and since the purpose of this book is general welfare for Persian people, I have specifically mentioned their accounts and I have refrained from quoting those words for them and praise to Allah, in a large number of present Persian books in all countries and I hope for divine grace so that the benefit of this book for them is not less than the benefits of other books written on this subject. And praise be to Allah.
- 1. Bihar Al-Anwar, vol. 51, p. 93; Al-Jami’al-Ahkam al-Quran (Tafsir Qurtubi), vol. 8, p. 121; Kashf al-Ghummah fi Ma’rifat al-A’immah (‘a), vol. 3, p. 285; Tahzibut Tahzib, vol. 9, p. 126; Sira A’lamin Nobala, vol. 12, p. 351; Tarikh Ibn Khaldun, vol. 1, p. 322.
- 2. Muqtadhab al-’Asr fi ‘l-Nass ‘ala al-A’immah Ithna-’Ashar, p. 40.
- 3. Zakhaer al-Uqbah, p. 206.
- 4. Zakhaer al-Uqbah, p. 206.
- 5. Firaq ash-Shi’a, pp. 26-29.
- 6. This tradition is not found in Sunan Tirmizi. Gharib al-Hadith (Ibn Qutaibah), vol. 1, p. 359. Another tradition of the same meaning and in other words is present in Sunan Abu Dawood. Sunan Abu Dawood, vol. 2, p. 311. In both sources, it is narrated from Imam Ali (‘a) and not from the Messenger of Allah (S).
- 7. As-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah fi Radd ‘ala Ahl al-Bida’ wa az-Zandaqah, Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami, p. 167.
- 8. As-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah fi Radd ‘ala Ahl al-Bida’ wa az-Zandaqah, p. 167.
- 9. Ad-Durar al-Kaminah fi Ahwal al-Ma’it as-Samanah, vol. 2, p. 49.
- 10. Ad-Durar al-Kaminah fi Ahwal al-Ma’it as-Samanah, vol. 2, p. 71.
- 11. Iqdud Durar fi Akhbar al-Imam al-Muntadhar, pp. 151-153
- 12. Tahzib al-Kamal, vol. 6, pp. 397-398; Al-Adad al-Qawiyya, p. 35.
- 13. Sunan Tirmizi, vol. 5, pp. 250-251.
- 14. Al-Khasaes al-Kubra, vol. 1, pp. 84-85.
- 15. Al-Isabah fi Tamiz as-Sahaba, vol. 1, pp. 252-253.
- 16. Al-Kamil fi Zoafa Rijal, vol. 1, p. 166.
- 17. Al-Ma’uzuat, vol. 1, p. 318.
- 18. Sunan Tirmizi, vol. 5, p. 279; Musnad Ahmad, vol. 2, p. 95.
- 19. Tarikh al-Khamis fi Ahwal Nafse Nafis, vol. 1, p. 296.
- 20. Sunan Tirmizi, vol. 5, p. 294.
- 21. Al-Ma’uzuat, vol. 1, p. 332.
- 22. Tarikh Ibn Moin al-Dauri, vol. 2, p. 302.
- 23. Bukhari, Tarikh al-Kabir, vol. 1, p. 83.
- 24. Al-Zoafa wa al- Matrukin, p. 235.
- 25. Al-Jirah wa al- Tadil, vol. 7, p. 258.
- 26. In the text of Abu Hayyan, it is mentioned that it is a mistake; it should be Al-Majruhin, vol. 2, p. 250 &, vol. 1, p. 65.
- 27. For more information on Muhammad Ibn Ziyad refer to Al-Elal wa al- Marefat al-Rijal, vol. 3, p. 298; Marefatus Seqat, vol. 2, p. 238; Al-Kamil fi Zoafa Rijal, vol. 6, p. 129; Al Zoafa al-Kabir, vol. 3, p. 458 &, vol. 4, p. 66; Al-Zoafa Abu Noaim Isfahani, p. 138; Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 2, pp. 350-353.
- 28. Sunan Tirmizi, vol. 4, p. 305; Al-Aizah, p. 278; Kanz al-Ummal, vol. 2, p. 385; Zad al-Masir, vol. 2, p. 128.
- 29. Iqdud Durar fi Akhbar al-Imam al-Muntadhar, pp. 23-24.
- 30. Iqdud Durar fi Akhbar al-Imam al-Muntadhar, p. 24; in Iqdud Durar a reliable report almost similar in meaning is narrated from Huzaifah.
- 31. Kifayat at-Talib Fi Manaqib Aali Abi Talib (‘a), pp. 501-502.
- 32. Kifayat at-Talib Fi Manaqib Aali Abi Talib (‘a); and Also, Al-Arbayn fi ‘I-Imamat al-A’immah at-Tahirin, Muhammad Tahir al-Qummi Shirazi, p. 50-51; Bihar Al-Anwar, vol. 51, p. 91.
- 33. Al-’Ibar fi Khabar man Ghabar, vol. 2, p. 167.
- 34. Al-’Ibar fi Khabar man Ghabar, vol. 2, p. 167.
- 35. Ilal ash-Shara’i, vol. 1, p. 208; Amali, Shaykh as-Saduq, p. 485; Kamal ad-Din wa Tamam an-Na’mah, p. 207.
- 36. Al-Mustadrak, vol. 2, p. 290.
- 37. Ar-Rasa’il al-Ashrah, p. 199; Al-Awale al-Lali, vol. 4, p. 91.
- 38. As-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah fi Radd ‘ala Ahl al-Bida’ wa az-Zandaqah, p. 167.
- 39. Al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib az-Zaman, p. 91.
- 40. Al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib az-Zaman, p. 93.
- 41. Al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib az-Zaman, pp. 93-94.
- 42. Al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib az-Zaman, p. 94.
- 43. Al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib az-Zaman, pp. 93-94.
- 44. Usd al-Ghabah, vol. 4, p. 28; Sunan Ibn Majah, vol. 1, p. 43; Musnad Ahmad, vol. 1, p. 119, vol. 4, p. 372; Al-Bidaya wan Nihaya, vol. 5, p. 227 onwards. And Also, from this aspect of further correction; Al-Ghadir, vol. 1, p. 18 onwards.
- 45. That is: “The name of his father as same as the name of my father”.
- 46. Sahih Bukhari, vol. 4, p. 8, vol. 7, pp. 119 & 140; Sahih Muslim, vol. 7, p. 124.
- 47. Sahl Saidi to be precise.
- 48. Manaqib Aali Abi Talib (‘a), vol. 2, p. 300; Bihar Al-Anwar, vol. 33, p. 178.
- 49. Al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib az-Zaman, p. 94.
- 50. Firaq ash-Shi’a, p. 62.
- 51. Firaq ash-Shi’a, p. 67.
- 52. Firaq ash-Shi’a, pp. 67-68.
- 53. Firaq ash-Shi’a, pp. 68-69.
- 54. Firaq ash-Shi’a, pp. 80-81.
- 55. We should know that most of what I have quoted here is from the books of Ahle Sunnat and from the translations quoted from the first volume of the book of Istiqsa al-Afham and some volumes of Abaqat al-Anwar of Mir Hamid Husayn Hindi and I have quoted them without any alterations directly, may the Almighty Allah reward him with the best rewards.
- 56. Mirat al-Jinan wa Ibrat al-Yaqzan, vol. 4, p. 128.
- 57. At-Taqabat al-Fuqaha’ ash-Shafiyah, vol. 1, pp. 440-441.
- 58. At-Taqabat al-Fuqaha’ ash-Shafiyah, vol. 1, p. 441.
- 59. Al-Kashf az-Zunoon fi ‘I-Asamiyy al-Kutub wa al-Funoon, vol. 1, p. 734.
- 60. Al-Kashf az-Zunoon fi ‘I-Asamiyy al-Kutub wa al-Funoon, vol. 1, p. 734.
- 61. Al-Kashf az-Zunoon fi ‘I-Asamiyy al-Kutub wa al-Funoon, vol. 1, p. 263.
- 62. Al-Kashf az-Zunoon fi ‘I-Asamiyy al-Kutub wa al-Funoon, vol. 1, p. 734, vol. 2, p. 1497.
- 63. It is mentioned in Alam al-Akhbar that Yusuf Ibn Qaz Ali Ibn Abdullah Baghdadi was the grandson of Hafiz Abu al-Faraj Jauzi Hanbali, author of Miratuz Zaman in his Tarikh has mentioned Hafiz Shamsuddin in Mu’jam of his teachers that his father was friend of the minister, Aunuddin Ibn Hubairah and he says regarding his father, Qaz Ali, Also, pronounced as Az Ali, was born in 581 A.H. in Baghdad. He was an accomplished gentleman and he heard from his grandmother, who was trained as an Hanbalite since childhood. After that he entered Mos al-and then resided in Damascus. He was around twenty years old when he studied jurisprudence from Jamaluddin Hasiri and became an Hanafi when he learnt that Qaz Ali Ibn Abdullah was a Hanafite and he was an Imam, scholar, jurist and a pious man…and he extols him to a great extent and then says that he was so accomplished and popular among the rulers that he commanded great influence with the rulers. He is the author of Miratuuz Zaman. He passed away on Tuesday, 21st Zilhajj, 654.
- 64. Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah fi Marifat al-Ahwal al-A’immah, p. 274.
- 65. Tarikh Mawalid al-A’immah wa Wafayatihim, p. 44.
- 66. Tarikh Mawalid al-A’immah wa Wafayatihim, pp. 44-45.
- 67. Kashf al-Ghummah fi Ma’rifat al-A’immah (‘a), vol. 3, p. 275: Zara.
- 68. Kashf al-Ghummah fi Ma’rifat al-A’immah (‘a), vol. 3, pp. 45-46.
- 69. Kashf al-Ghummah fi Ma’rifat al-A’immah (‘a), p. 46.
- 70. Kashf al-Ghummah fi Ma’rifat al-A’immah (‘a), p. 46.
- 71. Wafayat al-Ayan wa Anba al-Abnaiz Zaman, vol. 3, p. 102.
- 72. Wafayat al-Ayan wa Anba al-Abnaiz Zaman, vol. 3, p. 103.
- 73. Kashf al-Astar An Wajh al-Gha’ib an al-Absar, pp. 54-55.
- 74. Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyyah, vol. 6, pp. 51-52.
- 75. Al-Yawaqit wa al- Jawaher fi Bayan al-Aqaed al-Akaber, pp. 562-563.
- 76. Al-Yawaqit wa al- Jawaher fi Bayan al-Aqaed al-Akaber, p. 536.
- 77. We should know that the text of Futuhat, which is quotes here is different and it is from this aspect of difference that it is an abrogation of Futuhat. Thus, in Lawaqi al-Anwar al-Qudsiyya al-Muntaqa min al-Futuhatil Makkiyyah, Sherani has clarified and in Kashfuz Zonoon (Vol. 2, p. 1239), in chapter Fa has quoted from him that he said at this point: after summarizing the realizations and omitting some of them. After that arrived the great scholar, Shamsuddin Sayyid Muhammad Ibn Sayyid Abu Tayyab Madani (died 955 A.H.); he brought a copy, which was compared with a copy of Futuhat, which was in the handwriting of Shaykh Muhyuddin, which Qauniya had written. Thus, I did not find in it that which he had avoided and omitted. So I am aware that there is a copy presently in Egypt, which was not available to the Shaykh till what he has mentioned. [Author].
- 78. Wafi al-Wafiyat, vol. 4, p. 174.
- 79. Sharh Diwan Mansub ba Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a), p. 142.
- 80. Tarikh al-Khulafa’, pp. 264-265.
- 81. Al-Yawaqit wa al- Jawaher fi Bayan al-Aqaed al-Akaber, p. 536.
- 82. Kashf al-Astar An Wajh al-Gha’ib an al-Absar, p. 35.
- 83. Kashf al-Astar An Wajh al-Gha’ib an al-Absar, p. 36.
- 84. Kashf al-Astar An Wajh al-Gha’ib an al-Absar, pp. 40-41.
- 85. Kashf al-Astar An Wajh al-Gha’ib an al-Absar, pp. 47-49.
- 86. Shawahid an-Nubuwwah, pp. 404- 405.
- 87. Kashf al-Astar An Wajh al-Gha’ib an al-Absar, pp. 70-73.
- 88. Kashf al-Astar An Wajh al-Gha’ib an al-Absar, pp. 68-70.
- 89. Kashf al-Astar An Wajh al-Gha’ib an al-Absar, pp. 51-54.
- 90. Al-Ansab, vol. 1, p. 423.
- 91. Sahih Ibn Hibban, vol. 15, p. 37; Tafsir Qurtubi, vol. 12, p. 298.
- 92. The chosen and the best one.
- 93. Valuable and worthy praises.
- 94. He says in Sabhat al-Marjan: Maulana Qazi Shahabuddin Ibn Shamsuddin Ibn Umar Zawli Daulatabadi, may Allah illuminate his sarcophagus, son of Qazi of Daulatabad, Delhi and student of Qazi Abd al-Muqtadar Dehlavi and Maulana Khajki Dehlavi and he was a student of Maulana Moinuddin Imrani and he preceded his contemporaries and his brothers and he was a determined jurist who decided cases with utmost integrity. Knowledge was his flesh and blood and the sole purpose of his life. Till he said: And he wrote a book and became a notable personality among the Arabs and non-Arabs. He dispensed good advice and warned against divine chastisement. He composed a Tafsir of Quran in Persian. He Also, wrote a gloss on Kafiyat Nahvi. It is his most famous book. He Also, wrote Al-Irshad, a text on Arabic grammar. He is Also, co-author of Sharaf al-Bazdawi fi Us al-Fiqh. He Also, has written a treatise in Persian on the excellence of Sadat. He died on 5th of Rajab Murajjab, 849 A.H. and was buried at Jaunpur towards west of Sultan Ibrahim Sharqi. May Allah illuminate his grave. (Author).
- 95. Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 13, p. 287.
- 96. Kifayat at-Talib Fi Manaqib Aali Abi Talib (‘a), p. 26.
- 97. Fasl al-Khitab, p. 620.
- 98. Kashf al-Astar An Wajh al-Gha’ib an al-Absar, pp. 74-75.
- 99. Majalis al-Mu’minin, vol. 1, pp. 136-137.
- 100. Tarikh al-Islam wa Mashair wa al-Alam, vol. 20, p. 161 [Events of 1261-1271 A.H.].
- 101. Wafayat al-Ayan wa Anba al-Abnaiz Zaman, vol. 3, pp. 327-328.ì
- 102. Tarikh al-Islam wa Mashair wa al-Alam, vol. 19, p. 113 [Events of 1251-1260 A.H.].
- 103. Tarikh al-Islam wa Mashair wa al-Alam, vol. 20, p. 161.
- 104. As-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah fi Radd ‘ala Ahl al-Bida’ wa az-Zandaqah, p. 168.
- 105. As-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah fi Radd ‘ala Ahl al-Bida’ wa az-Zandaqah, p. 168.
- 106. As-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah fi Radd ‘ala Ahl al-Bida’ wa az-Zandaqah, p. 168.
- 107. As-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah fi Radd ‘ala Ahl al-Bida’ wa az-Zandaqah, p. 168.
- 108. Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyyah, vol. 6, p. 51.
- 109. Kitab al-Fitan, p. 347.
- 110. Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyyah, vol. 7, pp. 172-173.
- 111. ‘Ulum Ahadith, p. 131.
- 112. Kitab al-Kifaya fi Ilm al-Riwaya, p. 64.
- 113. At-Tara’if, p. 196; Tazkirat al-Fuqaha’, vol. 1, p. 254.
- 114. Iqdud Durar fi Akhbar al-Imam al-Muntadhar, p. 42.
- 115. Kashfuz Zunoon, vol. 1, p. 802.
- 116. Al-Yawaqit wa al- Jawaher fi Bayan Aqaid al-Akabir, p. 446.
- 117. Firaq ash-Shi’a, pp. 109-110.
- 118. Ilal ash-Shara’i, vol. 1, p. 246.
- 119. Kamal ad-Din wa Tamam an-Na’mah, p. 482.
- 120. Ilal ash-Shara’i, vol. 1, p. 147.
- 121. Kamal ad-Din wa Tamam an-Na’mah, p. 641.
- 122. Kamal ad-Din wa Tamam an-Na’mah, p. 480.
- 123. Sahih Bukhari, vol. 8, p. 105.
- 124. Fath al-Bari fi Sharh Sahih Bukhari, vol. 13, p. 105.
- 125. Fath al-Bari fi Sharh Sahih Bukhari, vol. 13, p. 105.
- 126. Fath al-Bari fi Sharh Sahih Bukhari, vol. 13, pp. 104-105.
- 127. This matter was not found in Fath al-Bari fi Sharh Sahih Bukhari.
- 128. Muzun: A white rain laden cloud. Lughat Nama Dahekhuda.
- 129. Bihar Al-Anwar, vol. 51, p. 25; remaining report was not found in Bihar.
- 130. Kamil az-Ziyarah, p. 86; Muqtadhab al-’Asr fi ‘l-Nass ‘ala al-A’immah Ithna-’Ashar, pp.15-16; Al-Umdah, p. 308; Tara’if, p. 131.