Imam Mahdi

Dr. Fahimi: What was the belief of the Family of the Prophet and the Imams regarding the Mahdi Mr. Hoshyar: Following the Prophet's death the subject of Mahdiism was also under discussion among the Prophet's companions and the Imams. The Family of the Prophet, as the heirs to the Prophet's knowledge and to the intricate matters concerning faith, was the most knowledgeable about the Prophetic traditions. They spoke about the Mahdi and replied to the questions that were posed to them on this

The story of the Mahdi and the twelfth Imam's occultation was told by the Prophet, 'Ali b. Abi Talib, and the rest of the Imams from the very early days of Islam. It was well known among the early companions to the extent that some scholars and narrators of hadith-reports, including the close associates of the Imams, had written books on the subject long before the twelfth Imam or his father and grandfather were born. In these books the hadith about the promised Mahdi and his occultation were

Engineer Madani: Is belief in the promised Mahdi confined to the followers of Islam, or does it exist in other religions too? Mr. Hoshyar: In fact, this belief is not limited to the Muslims alone. In almost all religions and heavenly creeds one can find a similar belief in the future savior. The followers of these religions believe that there will come a time when the world will become corrupt and engulfed in a crisis. Evil and injustice will become the rule of the day. Disbelief will cover

Dr. Jalali: How Long Will the Hidden Imam Live Mr. Hoshyar: The term of his life has not been fixed. But the hadith reported on the authority of the Imams introduce him as the one endowed with a long life. For instance, Imam Hasan `Askari related: After me my son is the Qa'im. He is the one in whom two characteristics of the ancient prophets, namely, long life and occultation, will be realized. His occultation will be so much prolonged that the hearts of the people will become hard and dark

Dr. Fahimi: If the tradition of the Mahdi was authentic, then there would have been some mention of it in the Qur'an. On the contrary, even the word mahdi does not appear in that heavenly book! Mr. Hoshyar: First, it is not necessary that each and every true subject should be mentioned in all its specific details in the Qur'an. In fact, there are so many particular details that are true and authentic and yet have not been mentioned in the heavenly book. Second, there are a number of verses in

?Dr. Jalali: When is the promised Mahdi expected to appear Mr. Hoshyar: No time has been fixed for his appearance (zuhur). As a matter of fact, the Imams have regarded those who fix the time of the Mahdi's appearance as liars. Thus, for instance, Fudayl, a companion of Imam Baqir, asked the latter whether there was any specific time when the Mahdi would appear. The Imam in his response said three times: "Any one who fixes the time of the appearance is telling a falsehood."[1] Another

The contemporary Scholar, Safi Golpaygani, has collected all these traditions in his book: Muntakhab al-athar, citing their Sunni and Shi'i sources. Following is the list of the subject and the number of traditions on that subject: 91 hadith on: "The Imams are twelve in number, among whom the first is 'Ali b. Abi Talib and the last is the Mahdi." 94 hadith on: "The Imams are twelve, and the last one is the Mahdi." 107 hadith on: "The Imams are twelve, nine among whom are the descendants of

The Birth of Imam Mahdi The name of the mother of Imam Mahdi (A) is Bibi Narjis Khatun (A). Her other names were Malika, Sausan and Rayhana. She was the grand-daughter of the Roman Emperor of the time. The history of her arrival into Samarra is narrated by Bashir bin Sulayman as follows: "Once Imam Ali an-Naqi (A) called for me and said, "Since you are a descendant of our helpers and amongst our friends, I wish to assign to you a responsibility as I place full confidence in you." I asked him

Dr. Jalali: What is the name of the mother of the Master of the Age Mr. Hoshyar: His mother was introduced in the sources with various names. Among them are: Narjis, Sayqal, Rayhana, Sawsan, Khumt, Hukayma, and Maryam. If you keep the two following points in mind you will understand the source of this confusion: (a) Imam Hasan 'Askari had several slave girls with different names. On two occasions Hakima Khatun has mentioned these slave girls. At one time she came to visit Imam Hasan 'Askari

Awaiting' (Intezar) is the result of two condi­tions. Firstly, he is not satisfied with the present circumstances and secondly, he expects the improve­ment in his circumstances. If either of these condi­tions are not fulfilled then it is not awaiting and the person concerned is not an 'awaiter' *(Muntazir). The awaiting of Hazrat Imam Mahdi (A.S.) also holds the same distinct characteristics. Even here awaiting purports that an awaiter is not satisfied with his present circumstances and is