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Imam Of The Age, The
Twelfth Imam:
Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (a)
(an excerpt from Dr. Haider Hussain Shamsi's book , " and The Message
Continues
THE TIMES AND LIFE OF IMAM MUHAMMAD AL-MAHDI (a)
The Birth of Imam Mahdi(a):
The intention of the Abbasid caliphs was to prevent the conception and
birth of the awaited Mahdi from the union of Imam Hasan Askari (a) with
Nargis Khatoon. This was based on the several traditions circulating
among the early days of Islam as well as the fact that he would be the
last in the chain of the twelve representatives of the Prophet.
Further, it was believed that with the coming of the Mahdi, the tyrants
will run for refuge, and the oppressed would be liberated. As
demonstrated by Allah in several places in the Qur'an, His divine Will can
never be superseded. Nargis was able to conceal her state of
gravidity, and when the birth occurred, none other than Hakeema, daughter
of Imam Muhammad Taqi (a), attended it.
The child was kept effectively hidden from the searching eyes of the
tyrants. Although the news had leaked out about the birth of a son to Imam
Hasan Askari (a), no one could find clues to prove it. In fact, the
Caliph ordered that the estate of the Imam be kept under trust for two
years to see if any of the bond women of the Imam would file a claim for
heir ship for her offspring. When he was satisfied that there was no
apparent heir to the Imam, he gave up the search and closed the case.
This is probably the reason why many historians deny the very existence of
a son born to the eleventh Imam.
Only the most trusted devotees of Imam Hasan al-Askari (as) knew of the
birth and occultation. Scholars and researchers of theology have
obtained evidence of the existence of a "Mahdi" from sources
such as the Qur'an, ahadith of the Prophet quoted through respected
companions as well as quotes from Imams of the Ahle Bait.
THE OCCULTATION OF THE TWELFTH IMAM
There is evidence in the literature about the time and the types of the
occultation of the Twelfth Imam including the controversies surrounding
this subject. This occultation occurred in two phases as detailed
below:
Ghaibat us-Sughra (The Lesser Occultation):
This was a period of seventy years between 260 AH and 329 AH. The
Imam was not available to his followers in person, but carried out his
mission of guidance through four of his most trusted emissaries.
During this period, the actual personal contact with Mm was kept to an
extremely limited number. However, the followers of Ahle Bait and
his devotees kept constant communication with him for guidance. They
wrote letters to him, and he sent back written replies to them.
Ghaibat al-Kubra (the Greater Occultation):
At his deathbed in 329 AH, the last emissary of the Imam read the contents
of his last letter to him. In it he said that the Imam had ordained not to
appoint any new emissary to follow him because the Imam was going into the
period of his greater occultation. He said that the period of his
greater occultation would be as long a period of time as Willed by Allah.
From then on, there would cease to be any physical contact with him until
the time Allah would ordain his re-appearance. Throughout the ages,
there would be others making false
claims to be the Awaited One, but beware of the falsehood, and seek the
Truth that had already been revealed.
The Twelfth Imam (as) warned the believers to remain steadfast and not
succumb to the false claims by others to be the Awaited Imam (as).
He also warned that there would be considerable doubt among the misguided
regarding the very belief of his occultation. The author considers
this to be beyond the scope of this book to indulge in further discussion
on the subject here because of its length as well as the attended
controversies.
THE TRADITION OF WRITING LETTERS TO IMAM-E ZAMAN
(a)
Up to the end of the lesser occultation, the followers and the devotees
used to communicate with the Twelfth Imam (as) through his safer
(emissary). However, from the time of the death of his last safir,
the tradition of written communications with the Imam has continued to
this day, and there are believers who testify that they still get replies
from him in some unusual ways.
GUIDANCE FROM IMAM AL-MAHDI (a)
1. The Imam considers them his rightly guided brothers who
fight in way of Allah and serve Islam.
2. The Imam remains in touch with his followers, but whatever
he does has to be with Allah's permission.
3. The Imam keeps away from the tyrant and is near to his
devotee.
4. The ills of the Ummah result from the hypocrites and those
who profess only to lip service. They arc the ones who have forsaken
the Kingdom of Allah, and abandoned the Path of Righteousness.
5 . The Imam keeps his watch over the Ummah, for if he did not do so, the
tyranny would have overtaken it and wiped it out of existence.
6. Dissimulation is useful for self-preservation, but should
not be a deterrent for the preservation and propagation of the
Faith.
7. The rulers of Iraq would be the cause of faithlessness and
limitation of the provisions of Allah.
8. Only with the grace of Allah, the tyranny would end in Iraq
and bring peace and plenty to the believers.
9. The difficulties for performing Hajj would be eliminated,
and the Imam would provide assistance and guidance for it.
10. It is incumbent on the believers to obey the ordinances of Islam to
gain nearness and pleasure of the Imam.
Some of these ordinances are:
-performance of the ritual obligations,
-adherence to acts of the Faith,
-act to prevent defamation of the Faith,
-be truthful by word and action,
-not to evade one's commitment,
-not to sell one's conscience, and prevent a split in the unity,
-harm not one's benefactor, and
-always remember that we are accountable for all our deeds.
THE RETURN OF THE TWELFRH IMAM AL-MAHDI (a)
THE TRUE CLAIM:
From the early days of Islam, there had been in circulation, a popular
belief that al-Mahdi (as) (the rightly guided Imam) will make his
appearance, (a Second Coming), towards the end of the era of human life on
earth and will fill the world with justice. Although there is no
specific reference in al-Qur’an on the word Mahdi (guided), there are
many references to "imam of guidance" who would lead the
believers to their salvation. This belief is further authenticated
with ahadith quoted from the Prophet. He is reported to have said,
"If no more than one day remained (on earth), Allah would lengthen it
until He sent a man of mine (my Ahle Bait) whose name will be like mine,
and whose father's name will be like my father's name." There are
numerous traditions that form the basis this belief. This Mahdi is
to be identified as the Qaim al-Muhammad, the Tweylh Imam from the Ahle
Bait. He is presently in his Ghaibat ul-Kubra and is the awaited
one. He will make his appearance only when it is Willed by Allah.
It is quoted from the Sixth Imam (Ja'far as-Sadiq (a)) that the awaited
Mahdi (a) will make his appearance in the holy mosque in Makkah on a
Saturday between Rukn and Maqaam. This date will coincide with the
tenth of Muharram. He will then move to Kufa and send his forces to
other directions to spread the Truth. He will uphold justice and
Islam would be the preferred religion of all human beings on earth.
He will lead the Ummah toward the path of piety and purity.
As to when the Mahdi (as) will make his appearance, it is said that a
tyrant called Dajal (one who does everything in contrariety) would be
ruling the world with tyranny, terror and injustice. Isa (Jesus),
the son of Mary, will also have made his appearance, and together with the
Mahdi (as), the Dajal will be defeated and killed. The Mahdi will be
the Imam of the congregation. Isa will pray behind the Mahdi.
THE PRETENDERS AND FALSE CLAIMANTS:
Muslim history is full of claimants who have called themselves the Mahdi
in practically all Muslim lands from the west to the east. In al-maghrib
(the Muslim west), the claimants took to military insurgences against
decadent
regimes, and against external (non-Muslim) colonial aggression. In
this regard, the middle of the nineteenth century AD was a particularly
stressful time for the Muslim Ummah. Several European countries were
actively competing against each other in acquiring foreign lands as well
as aggressive missionary efforts.
Many Muslim countries had become their targets, which caused several
brave, as well as painful episodes of history pertaining to this era.
There was an uprising unsuccessful against the British in India (1847 AD),
however there was no Mahdiist claim attached to this effort. An
unsuccessful Mahdiist uprising took place in Somalia against the Italian
and British encroachment. A Mahdiist claimant was executed in Egypt
when he rose against the Turko-Egyptian regime who, for their own
political survival, were flirting with the West and causing
the Muslim Ummah to an unworthy exposure. Similar risings occurred
in Tunisia (1860 AD), Morocco and West Africa against the French
encroachments, but they also met their careers by execution.
A powerful and prolonged jihad was carried out by Sayyid al-Mahdi al-Sanusi
in central Sahara against the Italians in the Libyan territory, and
against the French in the Chad territory. He was the second head of
the Sanusi tarika (1859-1902 AD). Although he never claimed to be
the awaited Mahdi, people believed that he was. Ultimately, his son
Sayyid ldris bin alMahdi was installed as the first king of independent
Libya in 1951.
Some of the historical events cited below, manifest the same reaction of
the Ummah towards pressure for survival, and looking for the awaited Mahdi
for salvation. Most of these movements failed because they did not
meet the criteria set forth in the ahadith quoted from the Prophet.
Consequently their effects were short-lived. Only a few of them have
survived to this day. It is beyond the scope of this book to name
them all or to describe the circumstances in which they laid their claims.
Some of these movements were considered heretic, and their followers were
severely persecuted. The proponents of these movements founded new
sects, and are described briefly here.
The Fatimid Dynasty, and of the Ismailia Sect:
Ubaid Allah Muhammad, claiming to be from the chain of hidden Imams
descending from Muhammad bin Ismail bin of Imam Ja'far as-Saadiq migrated
from Yemen, and made his way to the far west in Morocco. There he
declared himself to be the awaited Mahdi. He laid the foundations of
the Fatimid dynasty initially in
Morocco, but then moved to Egypt. He was the first Fatimid caliph
(934-946 AD). There were a total of fourteen caliphs in this
dynasty.
The Ismailia evolved their own theology, which is totally different from
that of the mainstream Islarn, both from the Shiite and the Sunni point of
view.
About fifty years before the final demise of the dynasty, Nizar was
nominated by the Fatimid Caliph al-Mustansir as his successor.
However, after the death of al-Mustansir, Nizar was ousted by the powerful
vizier alAfdhal in favor of al-Musta'li. This led to a revolt by
Nizar (I 043 AD) that was crushed, but led to serious consequences for the
dynasty. Nizar teamed up with Hasan bin Sabah, who had founded the
dreaded movement called Fida e’yyen (the assassins), with their head
quarters in the Far East (Central Asia.) The progeny of Nizar did not give
up their aims for the high post of the caliphate, but their rebellions
were also unsuccessful.
At the end of the rule of al-Abid ( 1160-1171), the Fatimid rule ended,
and with that the hopes of the Nizari princes. The present Agha Khan
traces his direct lineage to Nizar, the ousted prince of the Fatimids, and
continues to use the title Prince (the political leader), as well as the
Imam (the spiritual leader) of his adherents.
The Muwahids of Morocco:
Muhammad bin Abdallah bin Tumart was a native of Sus, Morocco.
He was born in the village of Ijilis, in the tribe of Hargha. As a
yotmg man, he decided to learn religion, and journeyed to Baghdad for it.
By the time he completed his studies, he had become an acknowledged master
and a teacher. On his way back, he preached to the locals at each of
his stops, and attracted followers. Abd al-Mu'min was one
such'adherent, who later, played a key role on overthrowing the rule of
al-Muravids and replacing it with the al-Muwahids.
Ibne Tumart proceeded westward to Fez where the Maliki fuqaha (jurists of
the Malild School) resisted his teaching. They asked the governor
for a debate with him, at which they lost. Threatened by his
success, they prevailed on the governor and had him exiled from Fez.
He moved on to the city of Marakah, but again met with resistance from the
jurists in the court of the al-Muravid ruler. With a threat of death
or fife imprisonment, he finally decided to migrate back to his home
district of Sus, and settled among the Masmuda people in Timnal.
He taught religion to the people and grew strong as a leader. He
then declared himself to be the awaited Mahdi, and launched his assault on
the regime of the al-Muravids under the leadership of Abd al-Mu'min.
Their first attempt was unsuccessful, with heavy loss of life, but Abd al-Mu'min
escaped. After the
death of Ibne Tumart (1130 AD), Abd al-Mu'min led successful raids and
finally vanquished the al-Muravids.
The Mahdawi Sect:
Syed Muhanunad Mahdi (1443-1505 AD) of Jawnpur, India,
proclaimed himself to be the awaited Mahdi, and attracted some adherents
in Ahmadabad, Gujrat. He was forced to leave India, and found home
in north western Afghanistan. Upon his death, he was buried there.
His followers claimed that he could do miracles including the ability to
heal the sick and raise the dead. They were actively persecuted by
sultan Muzaffar II of Gujrat (1511-1526AD), and many were put to death.
They continued to be pursued after by Aurangzeb when he was the governor
of Ahmadabad (1645 AD). As a result, they began the practice of
takiyya (dissimulation). The number of surviving adherents of this
sect is uncertain. However, in India, they are found in small groups
in Bombay, Deccan, and Utter Pradesh. In Pakistan, they are found in
the province of Sindh where they are known as Zilais.
The Babi Sect:
The concept of 'the Bab', (the gateway) to knowledge of the Divine Truth
(the Hidden Imam: al-Mahdi), was originated by Ahmad al-Ahsai in Iran.
He claimed to be under special guidance from the Imam, and gathered
followers. He then evolved a totally separate set of beliefs and
ritual practices. He exalted the Twelve Imams and their role in
creation beyond the claims of the mainstream Shiites, to the point of
polytheism. His successor, Syed Karim Reshti (d. 1843 AD) claimed
that the Hidden Imam was guiding him through his dreams. This
deviant belief was regarded with suspicion by the ruling authorities.
After the death of Syed Karim, his followers took another leader known as
Mirza Ali Muhammad of Shiraz (1820-1850 AD). Mirza Ali Muhammad had
become disenchanted with the fanaticism of the mullahs (clergy) and was
already preaching his revolutionary ideas in public. He was thus
perfectly suited to be the successor to Syed Karim.
By the year 1844 AD, a popular belief was circulating that the
reappearance of the Twelfth Imam was imminent. Mirza Ali Muhammad
claimed that he was the Bab and in 1848 AD, he declared himself to be the
awaited Mahdi. Soon afterwards, he declared himself the revealer of
a new religion, and laid down a totally new set of rules of belief and the
practice of their faith. He further expanded his role into
prophethood and beyond. He also predicted a "promised one"
who would follow him and fulfill his teachings.
The authorities arrested him and sequestered him in the fortress of Maku
in Azerbaijan. He was finally transferred to Tabriz where he was
condemned and executed by bullets of a Christian firing squad.
The followers of the Bab are known as the Babi or the Ahle Bayan (the
followers of Bayan, the writings of the Bab). After attempts by
three Babis to assassinate Shah Nasir ud-Din, the king of Iran (I 852 AD),
their sect was banned and actively persecuted as heretics. At that
time, authorities also arrested and interned Mirza Husain Ali Nuri, a
young convert to the Babi doctrine. His half brother Mirza Yaha, at
age thirty years, was recognized by Babis as the successor to the Bab and
called him Subhe Azal (the Eternal Dawn).
To escape persecutior4 Mirza Yahya left Iran and moved to Baghdad.
He maintained the pure form of the teachings of his master. His
followers are known as the Azali Babis. However, the Turkish
government took him from Baghdad and detained him in Famagusta (Cyprus).
Only a few members of this sect have survived.
The Bahai Sect:
Mirza Husain Ali Nuri (c. 1817-1892 AD) was -imprisoned in Tehran and
later exiled. He came to settle in Baghdad in 1852 AD.In 1863 AD he
declared that he was the man yuzhiruhu-Ilah, (the one whom Allah shall
manifest) predicted by the Bab. Durmg the few months that followed,
he modified the Babi faith to give it a more universal appeal, and thus
laid the foundation of a new religion named after his epithet Baha Ullah
(die Splendor of Allah). He was imprisoned initially in Adrianople
in 1863 AD, and later moved to Acre in 1868 AD where he died in 1892 AD.
The followers of his doctrines are known as the Bahais and are spread
throughout the world. Besides the Middle East, the Bahai doctrine
has found acceptance in Europe and Americas.
The Ahmadiya Sect:
This was originated by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, district Gurdaspur,
Punjab, British India, (1843-1908 AD). In the year 1900 AD, they got
themselves registered with the Imperial Indian government as a separate
modem Muslim Sect.
Reacting to the challenges of the West and zealous efforts of the
Christian missionaries in British India, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad first declared
himself to be a mujaddid (a renewer of the faith) in 1882 AD. Soon
afterwards started claiming to be the awaited Mahdi as well as the
promised Messiah (Second Coming of Jesus Christ). He even claimed to
be the buniz (re-appearance) of Prophet Muhammad, and the avtar (die
returning) of Lord Krishna of the Hindus. He claimed to receive
Divine Revelations, and the ability to perform miracles. In 1889
AD, he announced that he had received orders from Allah to start accepting
bayat (fealty) from his believers.
Not unexpectedly, there was uproar over these claims by the Christians,
Muslims and Hindus of India. This led to fatwas (Muslim juristic
decrees), debates, contests as well as a few law suites against these
claims. However Mirza Ghulam Ahmad continued Ms office till his
retirement due to old age. Thus, until his death in 1908 AD, his
affairs were run by the Sadr Anjtunane Ahmadiya. He was succeeded by
Khalifa Nur ud-Din.
After the partition of British India (1947 AD), many adherents of this
sect migrated to Pakistan and built their headquarters in Rabwa.
They have spread to many Muslim countries and elsewhere in the world by
their active propaganda and missionary efforts.
The sect split into two groups. The Qadiani faction considers Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad as a Nabi (prophet) and the Lahori Party who consider him
only as a mujaddid (the renewer of the faith).
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