Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Do we know of any living decendant from our beloved prophet? According to some Hadiths, Imam Mehdi will be from his decendants. I am wondering if religious figures are keeping track of Prophet`s family. 

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Answer:

Prophet descendants

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Statement: According to some Hadiths, Imam Mehdi will be from his decendants

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4271 Narrated by Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin

The Prophet (saws) said: ‘The Mahdi will be of my family, of the descendants of Fatimah.’

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4272 Narrated by AbuSa'id al-Khudri

The Prophet (saws) said: ‘The Mahdi will be of my stock, and will have a broad forehead a prominent nose. He will fill the earth with equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years.’

Amongst all mankind, only the Noble Prophets of Allah have the right to come and declare to mankind that they have been appointed Prophets by their Lord. Imam Mahdi is not a Prophet, and thus neither he himself will know that he is the promised Mahdi, nor will he ever declare that he has been appointed as the Mahdi by his Lord.

Only when Imam Mahdi is chosen the leader of the believers, and the believers in his reign will experience his truthfulness, righteousness, and piety will they realize that this person is indeed the promised Massiah or Mahdi as foretold by the Last and Final Messenger of Allah, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws). When all the signs foretold by Prophet Mohamed (saws) regarding his reign, his name, his looks, the trials of Ad-Dajjal and the advent of Prophet Isa (a.s.) from the heavens to the earth are fulfilled, the believers will recognize this righteous leader as the promised Messiah or Mahdi.

Your Question: Do we know of any living decendant from our beloved prophet?

There are literally thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands of people who claim to be direct descendants of the Messenger of Allah (saws); and Allah Subhanah Alone Knows the authenticity of their claims.

To the best of our limited knowledge, two amongst the most famous people who claim and apparently have proof that they are direct descendants of the Prophet Mohamed (saws) are:

The Aga Khan!

King Abdullah II, the ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan!

Allah Subhanah Alone Knows the authenticity of their claims.

Your Question: I am wondering if religious figures are keeping track of Prophet`s family. 

Many generations have passed since the death of the Prophet (saws), and Allah Subhanah Alone Knows the exact count and number of the Prophet’s (saws) descendants! What we do know from recorded history that the descendants of Hadrat Fatimah from her off-springs were many, and each of their off-springs had several children and so on! Allah Subhanah Alone Knows how many survive amongst mankind today, how many amongst them are believers, and how many amongst them chose not to believe! Allah Subhanah Alone Knows and is Aware of the condition and state of each in His creation.

It is neither the responsibility of the ‘religious figures’ to keep track of the Prophet’s descendants, nor, to the best of our knowledge anyone has claimed that he has a perfect record of the Noble Prophet’s descendants!

My dear and beloved brother in Islam, that the promised Mahdi (a.s.) will come is beyond an iota of a doubt, because none other than the one who came with the Truth, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws) foretold of his (a.s.) coming! The promised Mahdi will come when Allah Wills and Pleases him to come; our duty in Islam is not to wait for the Mahdi to come and sort out the state of the Ummah, but the duty laid upon each and every believer by their Lord is to believe in Him and do righteous good deeds in accordance with His Guidance.

The salvation and success of the believers in the Just and Supreme Court of Allah will not be based on keeping a record of the Prophet’s descendants, nor on the searching of the promised Mahdi….but on the state and condition of our belief and the weight of our deeds!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan