Who is the Mahdi in Islam?

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O Allah, I beseech You to allow me to see your Authority

apparent and prevalent,

although I know for sure that all authority, power,

potency, argument,
volition, might, and strength are Yours [alone].

So, do this to me and to all the believers

so that we will be able to witness Your Authority, Your peace be upon him,

while he is evident in claim,

manifest in proof,

guiding from deviation,

and healing from ignorance.

O my Lord, make the looking at him eminent,

make firm his bases,

make us of those whose eyes are delighted by seeing him,

(from the link I provided)

 

[InvestigateTruth]

He is the means which by God still manifests miracles to humans, the "not accessible" by that you mean, you can't go to him whenever you please, true, but if you pray to God to guide you to him like in this prayer: Marefat Allahumma Arrifni Nafsak

Then God , it's up to him, if it's for your benefit will make you witness him and be guided by his hands.

But you believe other Imams and Muhammad Himself are the means by which God manifests miracles to humans. Why would God keep the 12th Imam alive when peoples can still pray to Imam Ali, and other Imams for help?

 

[InvestigateTruth]

Elyas, he was the instance of the holy spirit by which God guided believers.

But Elyas lived long before Muhammad. Did He not die?

 

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But you believe other Imams and Muhammad Himself are the means by which God manifests miracles to humans. Why would God keep the 12th Imam alive when peoples can still pray to Imam Ali, and other Imams for help?

Miracles as in the type that is verified by an instance of a human in physical form.

 

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But Elyas lived long before Muhammad. Did He not die?

No he didn't die, and John was said to be like Elijah to show that the holy spirit before Jesus was John and that now because Jesus would be ascending to heaven and coming back, there had to be an instance of the holy spirit during that time. In this way, Elijah returning during time of Jesus had to be true, because when Jesus left earth and ascended, someone has to take this position of the holy spirit. And Mohamad was the holy spirit of the one to come in the prophecy, but the one during the time till he comes of the instance of the holy spirit was Elijah.

 

[InvestigateTruth]

Miracles as in the type that is verified by an instance of a human in physical form.

Do you mean the Miracles that other Imams can do now, cannot be verified by an instance of human in physical form, but the miracles that the Mahdi is doing are verified? Can you give an example, so I may understand? Can you back these ideas up by Hadithes?

 

[InvestigateTruth]

No he didn't die, and John was said to be like Elijah to show that the holy spirit before Jesus was John and that now because Jesus would be ascending to heaven and coming back, there had to be an instance of the holy spirit during that time. In this way, Elijah returning during time of Jesus had to be true, because when Jesus left earth and ascended, someone has to take this position of the holy spirit. And Mohammad was the holy spirit of the one to come in the prophecy, but the one during the time till he comes of the instance of the holy spirit was Elijah.

But the Idea that Elijah is alive now contradicts with Quran. Quran declares to Muhammad, Prophets before you, have died.

 

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Do you mean the Miracles that other Imams can do now, cannot be verified by an instance of human in physical form, but the miracles that the Mahdi is doing are verified? Can you give an example, so I may understand? Can you back these ideas up by Hadithes?

The Quran talks about miracles and their purpose. It also says in this regard to ask the family of the reminder if we don't know and in this regard that for every people there is a guide.

Hidden world, the Quran, shows some people would question their sanity or think sorcery is being done on them if they witness it. The past guides can be witnessed in that realm true, and Ahlulbayt (as) are the stars of guidance in this sky of this world true, but, Quran didn't talk about miracles in this sense only. It talked about real physical miracles that would verify a physical form of a guide and prove his position.

In fact all type of signs are needed. Revelation type, hidden world light type, and physical miracles. Together, they may a stronger case.

The reason is revelation reasons with them, to show light is trustworthy, but if they doubt what they see, and think it's a Jinn playing tricks on behalf of Mohamad for example during his time, the physical miracles prove a power so strong. And than they are expected to look harder at the trustworthy spirit of Mohammad and not accuse of him sorcery, and together, they make a strong case.

And like this, they will investigate the revelation more and see that truly it is from God.

All these type of signs were emphasized and were emphasized that whether God hides these signs from public or not, that for every people there is a guide and to seek these signs from the family of the reminder if we don't know!

 

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But the Idea that Elijah is alive now contradicts with Quran. Quran declares to Muhammad, Prophets before you, have died.

It doesn't, it says no one is giving forever life before him, and so if Mohammad were to die, would we make them with life forever?

 

[InvestigateTruth]

@Link
It is recorded in Bihar, vol. 51-53:
Abu Basir said to Abu Abdullah Imam Sadiq (a.s.) that Abu Ja’far, Baqir (a.s.) often said: “The Qaim of Muhammad’s progeny will disappear twice; one will be longer than the other.”
He said: “Yes, but that will not be until the army of the tribe of so and so disagrees, life becomes so difficult, the Sufyani rises, distresses and calamities increase and death and killing spread among people until they resort to the sanctum of Allah and the sanctum of the Prophet.

Therefore, the disappearance of Qaim according to this Hadith, is after His rise, because as the Hadith says, His disappearance is after rise of Sufyani, and Qaim and Sufyani rise in the same year.

 

[InvestigateTruth]

It doesn't, it says no one is giving forever life before him, and so if Mohammad were to die, would we make them with life forever?

"Muhammad is but a messenger, messengers (the like of whom) have passed away before him. Will it be that, when he dieth or is slain, ye will turn back on your heels? He who turneth back on his heels doth no hurt to Allah, and Allah will reward the thankful." 3:145

 

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I'm not giving up what is certain for what is doubtful.

When it comes to creed of religion, we either build on certainty or a weak foundation.

You're going all over the place. There are many hadiths about the Sufyani, what you quoted is one that goes against the majority of the hadiths about him.

 

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"Muhammad is but a messenger, messengers (the like of whom) have passed away before him. Will it be that, when he dieth or is slain, ye will turn back on your heels? He who turneth back on his heels doth no hurt to Allah, and Allah will reward the thankful." 3:145

Messengers have passed before him, it didn't say "every single". It saying Messengers dying and passing away is nothing new, so if Mohammad were to pass away or die, would you turn on your backs. Other verses verify Jesus is alive for example. And others Idris. And Elyas is more hiddenly hinted in this regard.

 

[InvestigateTruth]

@Link

According to this Hadith, the Mahdi is born in the Last Period of Time:


1919 - (الإمام الباقر عليه السلام) " فسلي يا أم هاني قالت: قلت: يا سيدي قول الله عز وجل: فلا أقسم بالخنس الجوار الكنس، قال: نعم المسألة سألتني يا أم هاني. هذا مولود في آخر الزمان، هو المهدي من هذه العترة، تكون له حيرة وغيبة، يضل فيها أقوام، ويهتدي فيها أقوام: فيا طوبى لك إن أدركته، ويا طوبى لمن أدركه "] * 1919 - المصادر:

معجم أحاديث الإمام المهدي عليه السلام - الشيخ علي الكوراني العاملي - ج ٥ - الصفحة ٤٨٢


The idea that the 11th Imam had actually a child, does not come from Hadithes. It comes from two women! When other imams spoke of the 12th Imam, They did not mean He would be born right at the time of Imam Askari.

 

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You are spreading conjecture about hadiths you don't know. The prayer I just quoted for example, Du'a arifini nafsika, proves the Mahdi is the son of Hassan Al-askari and there many that are the like of it.

 

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Remember when you stated there is no hadiths that interpret seal to mean last, and I found 3 within 1 hour, and there are probably more. You aren't reliable authority pertaining to what is or what is not in the hadiths. And you have a heavy bias in how you interpret hadiths.

 

[InvestigateTruth]

@Link

Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from ‘Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid who has said that
Mundhir ibn Muhammad ibn Qabus narrated to us from Mansur ibn al-Sindi from abu Dawud
al-Mustariq from Tha‘laba ibn Maymun from Malik al-Juhanni from al-Harith ibn al-Mughirah from al-Asbagh ibn Nubata who has said the following.
"Once I went to see Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) and found him thinking and he drawing lines on the ground. I then said, "O Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) I can see you thinking and drawing lines on the ground. Have you become interested in it (worldly things) ?" He said, no, by Allah, I have not become interested in it and the whole world not even for a day but I thought about a baby from my descendants, the eleventh generation. He will be al-Mahdi who will fill the earth with justice and fairness after its being filled with suffering and injustice. He will disappear from the public sight and in confusing conditions. Certain people will deviate and others find the path of guidance." I then asked, "O Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), how long will be the duration of confusion and the disappearance?" He said, "Six days or six months or six years." I then said, "Will this really come to pass?" He said, "Yes, just his creation will be
necessary (so also will be his disappearance). However, O Asbagh, this is not your concern.
Those people will of the best in this nation with the best virtuous ones of this family (Ahl al-
Bayt)." I then said, "What then will happen afterwards?" He said, "Allah will do whatever He
will so decide. He possesses, Bada’s, (seemingly change of plan) wills, goals and ends."


According to this Hadith, the duration of disappearance of the Qaim is six days, six months or six years.
None of these periods match with what is believed by those Shias who think 12th Imam disappeared when he was a child.

 

[InvestigateTruth]

Remember when you stated there is no hadiths that interpret seal to mean last, and I found 3 within 1 hour, and there are probably more. You aren't reliable authority pertaining to what is or what is not in the hadiths. And you have a heavy bias in how you interpret hadiths.

You did not find. You claimed there are, but you did not quote the Hadithes in Arabic, or with the sources. Can you quote here? Maybe i missed it?!

 

[TransmutingSoul]

According to this Hadith, the duration of disappearance of the Qaim is six days, six months or six years.
None of these periods match with what is believed by those Shias who think 12th Imam disappeared when he was a child.

It is interesting that it is 6 & 6 & 6

That could have much significance.

Regards Tony

 

[InvestigateTruth]

It is interesting that it is 6 & 6 & 6

That could have much significance.

Regards Tony

The Imams were speaking in riddles. Here the trick to understand it, is, 6 days, 6 months, or 6 years all mean the same. So, it does not matter to say 6 days, or 6 months. Both of them mean 6 years, in the same way that a day in bible is a year, in Hadithes a month of God, means one year. This is the duration of imprisonment of the Qaim, which is called disappearance.