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

Imam Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Mahdi (a) (view source)

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 A hadith from [[Imam al-Baqir (a)]] states, "After [[al-Husayn b. 'Ali (a)]], there will be nine imams, the ninth of whom is the Riser."
+==The Circumstances of the Shi'as after Imam al-'Askari's (a) Martyrdom==
+===Uncertainty about the Existence of Imam al-'Askari's (a) Having a Child===
+It was widely believed in the period of [[Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a)]] that the Shi'as were expecting the uprising of his son. However, the [[Abbasid]] government was looking for the Imam's (a) son to arrest him. Thus, Imam al-'Askari (a) did not publicly show his son to anyone, even his followers, except for a few of his close companions and relatives. Thus, when the Imam (a) was martyred, no one knew that the Imam (a) had a child (except those few). (More about this in section regarding the secrecy of his birth and the reactions of the Abbasids.)
+Moreover, Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) only mentioned his mother, [[Hudayth]], in his will because of the political circumstances. Thus, in the two years after the Imam's (a) martyrdom, some Shi'as believed that in the absence of Imam al-Zaman (a), Hudayth is a surrogate for the position of [[imamate]].
+Immediately after Imam al-'Askari's (a) martyrdom, his close companions under the leadership of [['Uthman b. Sa'id al-'Amri]] (d. 265/878 or 280/893) announced to the Shiite community that Imam al-'Askar (a) had a son who is now his successor as the Imam. [['Abd Allah b. Ja'far al-Himyari]] said: I asked 'Uthman b. Sa'id al-'Amri about the name of Imam al-'Askari's (a) successor. Al-'Amri replied: "you are prohibited from asking his name, because the King (the Caliph) thinks that Imam al-'Askari (a) has left no son and his heritage is divided (between his mother, brother, and sister). If his name is mentioned, they will try to find him. So, do not ask his name."
+===Confusion in Identifying the Imam===
+Although the close companions of Imam al-'Askari (a) had clarified about his successor, the Shiite community—many Shi'as in [[Iraq]] and [[Transoxiana]]—were confused. For instance, after the martyrdom of Imam al-'Askari (a), they sent someone to [[Medina]] to inspect about the existence of the Imam's (a) son, because they had heard that Imam al-'Askari's (a) son was sent by his father to Medina. It is also reported that Abu Zayd [[Ahmad b. Sahl al-Balkhi]], a scholar in the period of the [[Minor Occultation]], went from [[Khorasan]] to Iraq to look for the Imam's (a) son. He looked for him for years.
+There was a disagreement in the house of Imam al-'Askari (a) as well. Hudayth, Imam al-'Askari's (a) mother, and Hakima, the Imam's (a) paternal aunt, believed that the Imam (a) had a son who was the new Imam, but the only sister of Imam al-'Askari (a)—the only other child of [[Imam al-Hadi (a)]] in addition to [[Ja'far b. 'Ali b. Muhammad]] and perhaps Ja'far's full sister—supported Ja'far.
+Shi'as serving in high-ranking governmental positions were also divided in this regard. For instance, the [[Nawbakht Family]] supported the existence and the imamate of Imam al-'Askari's (a) son, recognizing [['Uthman b. Sa'id]] and his [[Muhammad b. 'Uthman|son]] as [[Special Deputies]] of Imam al-Zaman (a).
+===Branching in the Shiite Community===
+The leadership crisis in this period was so serious that some people abandoned the [[Imamiyya]] and joined other Shiite and non-Shiite sects. Some people denied the death of Imam al-'Askari (a) and took him to be the Mahdi, and some others believed in the [[imamate]] of Sayyid [[Muhammad b. 'Ali al-Hadi|Muhammad]], the son of [[Imam al-Hadi (a)]] and denied the imamate of Imam al-'Askari (a).
+Still others believed in the imamate of [[Ja'far b. 'Ali b. Muhammad|Ja'far]]. Ja'far tried hard to propagate himself as the Imam. After the demise of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a), he claimed the heritage of his brother although their mother was still alive, and this was against the rulings of inheritance in Islam. He also encouraged the rulers of the time to search the Imam's (a) house to find his son, and with Ja'far's cooperation, one of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari's (a) bondwomen was arrested and closely monitored to see if she was pregnant. Moreover, Ja'far offered to annually pay 20,000 [[dinars]] as a bribe to an Abbasid agent so that he confirms Ja'far's imamate.
+In spite of the disputes, the majority of the Shi'as eventually believed in the imamate of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari's (a) son, and this turned into the standard version of the [[Imamiyya]]. It survived as the [[Twelver Shi'a|Twelver Shiism]] in the 4th/10th century. After citing a hadith from [[Hasan b. Musa al-Nawbakhti]], the author of the book, ''[[Firaq al-Shi'a]]'', about the 14 Shiite sects which were formed in the wake of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari's (a) martyrdom, [[al-Shaykh al-Mufid]] writes:
+: Of the sects we mentioned, in our time, that is in 373/983, only the Twelver Imamiyya has survived, that is, those who believe in the imamate of Hasan's son who is the Prophet's (s) namesake, and are certain about his life and survival until the day in which he will begin an uprising with his sword.
 ==Occultation==