|
The Mahdi and belief in Mahdawiyyat (Messianism)
Ayatullah al-Uzma Shaykh Lutfullah as-Safi al-Gulpaygani
QUESTION:
Is “Mahdi” a specific label and title referring to a particular person with particular qualities and distinctions or a general concept and title applied to everyone Allah has guided? In other words, is the Mahdi and belief in Mahdawiyyat related to person or a category?
ANSWER:
The concept of the word “Mahdi” is a general concept that is permissible to use, according to the language and common usage, for anyone that Allah has guided. With this concept, all of the prophets and legatees (awsiya’) are “Mahdi” (guided) and using this word for the person of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), Amir al-Mu’minin, Imam Hasan, Imam Husayn, and the remaining Imams (peace be upon them) is permissible since all of them were “Mahdi” and guided. Rather, using this word to refer to other individuals were raised and attained guidance in the school of those personages is permissible.
For example, the companions of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) were all guided. Similarly, using the word for eminent Shi‘a, or rather all Shi‘a or all who have been guided to the truth and are on guidance is permissible. However, everyone knows that the purport of “Mahdi” which the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) said was a particular label and title reserved for a specific and unusually mighty person about whose appearance the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) has given tidings and has invited his Ahl al-Bait (peace be upon them) and all the Muslims to be among those awaiting his appearance. Some of these prophetic traditions are:
 ÇóáúãóåúÏöí ãöäú æõáúÏöí  .
“The Mahdi is from my descendants.” (Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 36, Page 309, hadith 148)
ÇóáúãóåúÏöí ãöäú ÚöÊúÑóÊöí ãöäú æõáúÏö ÝóÇØöãóÉó .
“The Mahdi is from my family, from the descendants of Fatimah.” (Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 51, Page 102)
ÇóáúãóåúÏöí ãöäú æõáúÏößó .
“The Mahdi is from your descendants.” (Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 51, Page 78)
“Mahdi” in the meaning of “guided”, as per the various meanings of “guidance”, such as “showing the way,” “conveying to the desired object,” and other instances is also used for non-humans, and the verse:
ÑóÈøóäóÇ ÇáøóÐöí ÃóÚúØóì ßõáøó ÔóíúÁò ÎóáóÞóåõ Ëõãøó åóÏì
“He said, Our Lord is the One Gave every existent what is necessary for its creation, then guided.” Surah Taha (20), Verse 50
indicates this fact.
In spite of all this, it appears that by studying the instances in which this word has been used, the conclusion is reached that “guidance” is generally used for individuals in whom Allah’s guidance has had an effect.
On this basis, it must be said:
ÇóáúãóåúÏöíøõ ãóäú åóÏóÇåõ Çááåõ æóÞóÈúáó åóÏóÇíúÊóåõ æóÇåúÊóÏóì ÈöåóÇ ÈöÚöäóÇíóÉö ãöäúåõ æóÊóæúÝöíÞóåõ .
That is, one who has received Allah’s guidance is “Mahdi.” In other words, guidance in the meaning of “showing the path” has been directed at him and though the special attention and tawfiq of Allah, it has born fruit in him, for which the loftiest examples are the prophets and Imams (peace be upon them).
According to reliable traditions, “Mahdi” is the title of the same promised personage of the end of time whose genealogy and qualities have even been pointed to in reliable traditions, which cannot be applied to anyone except the twelfth Imam, the son of Imam Hasan al-‘Askari (peace be upon him). The title “Mahdi” in the meaning of the receiver of Allah’s guidance, reviver of Islam, one who will fill the world with equity and justice, and possessor of distinguished qualities, was first used with regard to that personage and this took place in the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) himself through his person, and the Mahdi in the sense of savior and redeemer—and other synonymous words like this from Allah—are solely his titles.
And mahdawiyyat as a concept of a category is not understood from any of the narrations related from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) or Imams (peace be upon them).
Controversy regarding the Date of Birth of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his return)
QUESTION:
How can the controversy about the date of birth of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his return), which some say corresponds to the number of the letters of the word äæÑ (“nur,” light) – 256 – while according to some traditions, it took place in the year 255 A.H., be explained. In what year did the occultation of that personage take place?
ANSWER:
Dispute about such matters does not harm the basic topic or cause an enigma.
Such disagreement exists with regard to the date of birth of most historical personalities; in fact in many cases their dates of birth and death are unknown.
The disagreement about the date of birth of Imam Sahib al-‘Amr (may Allah hasten his return) is less than the disagreement existing about the date of birth of some of the Imams and the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) himself.
The reliable opinion is 255 A.H., which Fadl ibn Sha¤han al-Nayshapuri—who is one of the major traditionists and a contemporary of Imam Hasan al-‘Askari (peace be upon him) - has related, and his intermediary is a person like Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Hamza ibn Husayn ibn ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abbas ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).
As for the occultation of Imam Sahib al-‘Amr (may Allah hasten his return): From the very time of birth the public did not have permission to visit him in the usual manner, and his venerable father would only grant special companions and Shi‘a the felicity of visiting his peerless son and ßáãÉ Çááå ÈÇÞíÉ(Allah’s remaining word). The commencement of the minor occultation, which was also the beginning of that personage’s Imamah, took place on the day of martyrdom of Imam Hasan al-‘Askari (peace be upon him), that is in the year 260 A.H.
A point which must be mentioned here is that the coming up of the issue of the occultation of the Imam was not unexpected for the Shi‘a and believers in Imamah when it occurred, since it had been referred to before that time in many traditions, and the people knew that Imam Sahib al-‘Amr (may Allah hasten his return) will have to occultations—a short occultation called “sughra” and “qusra” and a long occultation called “kubra” and “tula”.
The detailed report of that has been mentioned completely in the books and usul (books of principles) of the Shi‘a which were written before the birth of Imam Sahib al-Zaman (may Allah hasten his return).
Consensus of the Shi‘a regarding the Imamah of Imam Sahib al-Amr (may Allah hasten his return) after the Demise of Imam Hasan al-‘Askari (peace be upon him)
QUESTION:
According to what Nawbakhti has written the books of Shi‘a sects, the Shi‘a after Imam Hasan al-‘Askari (peace be upon him) split up into fourteen sects. To what extent is this statement correct and until what time were these sects extant?
ANSWER:
As has passed, Nawbakhti writes: The Shi‘a after the demise of Imam Hasan al-‘Askari (peace be upon him) were divided into fourteen sects. However, it appears that there has been some exaggeration in this view, since he and the remaining writers of books pertaining to sects have collected all the views that have been forwarded—even if held by only one person who himself did not remain firm in that opinion until the end. It may very well be that they have mentioned “sects” about which using the word “sect” or “group” would not be correct.
This is because the number of their believers, if they had more than one individual, is not known. It does not appear that they exceeded a few people. Or it is not known until what time and to what extent they were firm in their opinion; thus, they should not be counted as sects, or else the number of sects would reach the hundreds or thousands.
Shaykh Mufid and Shaykh Tusi, may Allah have mercy on them, have also forwarded this same view.
Shaykh Mufid in the second volume of Al-Fusul al-Mukhtara, narrating from al-Nawbakhti, mentions the names of these sects and says: None of these sects except the Shi‘a exist in our time – 372 A.H.
Thus, it becomes known that these sects have not existed to an extent that they be worthy of being pointed out at all.
Of course, if an opinion is attributed to them, even if it has no clear follower, it is necessary to research it, as Shaykh Mufid and Shaykh Tusi have performed, and they have proven the falsity of the views of all of these sects except the Twelver Shi‘a.
In summary, books of sects and schools of thought have been involved in carelessness and exaggeration in counting groups and sects.
Thus, such material in books cannot be relied upon - except in case of sects that exists even today or whose existence as a group is affirmed by reliable histories and references.
|
