Imam Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Mahdi (a): Difference between revisions

Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-‘Askari (born in 255 AH), or Imam Mahdi (a), is the twelfth Imam in Twelver Shi’ism. He is believed to be the promised savior, who will rise one day and fill the earth with peace and justice. Imam Mahdi (a) has been in [[occultation]] from the early years of his life. Shi’as regard him as the Imam of the present age. Among his well-known titles are Imam-i Zaman (the Imam of the Time) and Wali al-‘Asr (the Guardian of the Age).

Imam Mahdi became the Imam after the demise of his father Imam al-Hasan al-‘Askari in the year 260 AH, when he was five. From that time until the year 329 AH, he was in contact with his followers through his [[Four Deputies]]. After that, his [[Major Occultation]] started, in which period the direct guidance and leadership of the Shi’a community rests with religious scholars.

Every year, on Sha’ban 15th, Shi’as celebrate the Imam’s birth, marking one of the greatest Shi’i festivals.

The possibility of meeting the Imam (a) during his [[Major Occultation]], when and how he reappears, and the incidents related to his reappearance are some of the popular discussions among Shi’as.

The twelfth Imam (a) is the only child of Imam al-Hasan al-‘Askari. His name and teknonym are the same as those of [[The Prophet]] (s). He was born in Sha’ban 15th, 255 AH. Some sources, though, regard 256 AH as the more accurate year of his birth.

Imam al-Hasan al-‘Askari hid the birth of his son, because the news of the appearance of Mahdi and the fact that the Shi’a were anticipating his uprising were well-known, and this had made the government sensitive. Therefore, Imam al-‘Askari did not publicly announce the birth of his son, and most people did not know his son after the Imam’s demise.

* Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Musa b. Ja’far

According to Shi’i hadiths, the beginning of the imamate of Imam Mahdi (a) was when he was five. God bestowed upon him the qualifications needed for imamate at that young age, just as [[Yahya]] was given wisdom in his childhood, and [[Jesus]] was chosen as a prophet when he was an infant.

Hadiths from the Prophet (s) and Imams (a) mention the imamate of Imam Mahdi. His father, Imam Hasan al-‘Askari, specifically showed him to his trusted Shi’a and announced his imamate.

Believing in a savior is not exclusive to the Shi’a or Muslims. Many religions and sects also maintain similar beliefs. The difference between Twelver Shi’ism and the other religious traditions is the belief in a specific person, who was born in 255 AH and is still alive, as the awaited savior.

===Shi’i Sources===

Among the hadiths of the Prophet (s) pointing to the imamate of the twelfth Imam, recorded in Shi’i sources, is the hadith in which the Prophet (s) says to Imam al-Husayn (a), “You are a master son of a master; you are an Imam son of an Imam; you are the Proof son of a Proof; you are the father of nine Proofs from your progeny, the ninth of whom is the Riser (al-qa’im).”

“Mahdi is from my family, from the descendants of [[Fatima]].’”

‘Mahdi is from us, [[Ahl al-Bayt]].’”

In a hadith recorded in al-Khwarazmi’s ''Maqtal'', the Prophet (s) declares the names of the Twelve Imams one by one and mentions Imam Mahdi (a) as the last Imam.

Several hadiths predicted the birth and occultation of Imam Mahdi (a) before his birth. Many hadiths also speak about his rule. According to these hadiths, he is the Imam who will rise by God’s command and establish a universal rule. Before his uprising, he has two periods of occultation, one of which is longer than the other. The [[Minor Occultation]] started from the birth of the Imam until 329 AH, when the last ''specific deputy'' of the Imam (a) passed away. After that, the [[Major Occultation]] started, which will end when he will rise against the injustice and oppression that fills the world.