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:

My question is with regards to the believe in Islam that as part of the signs of the day of judgement, and after the appearance of "al awar al
dajal" and after the coming of "jesus christ", a muslim man will appear who will set everything straight, and who will reunite all believer
christians under the banner of Islam since jesus christ will pray behind him. In the shia sect we believe that this man is the "Mehdi", the 12th Imam.
Do you believe in appearance of such a "person", and whom do you think it is ?
Thank you.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Imam Mehdi

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 Question: Do you believe in appearance of such a "person", and whom do you think it is?
Regarding all the advents of events of the past, present, and the future, we believe with certainty only in what is said by Allah Subhanah in the Glorious Quran, and what is recorded in the authentic narrations of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Although the Holy Quran is silent on this issue, there are several authentic hadiths where the Messenger of Allah (saws) has prophesized the advent of a Righteous Ruler near the end of time, who will unite the believers and rule the world according to the guidance of the Quran and Sunnah. If we combine the hadiths, they reveal that this righteous person will be from the ‘ahle-bayt’ or descendants of the Prophet (saws), and his name will be similar to the Last Messenger of Allah (saws) and he will be known as Al-Mahdi or the Rightly Guided. The scholars have opined that his name will be either Mohamed ibn Abdulla, or Abdulla ibn Mohamed. The era of the anti-Christ and Liar Ad-Dajjal, and the descent of Prophet Isa (a.s.) from the heavens, will also take place during the time of Imam Mahdi.

We absolutely and positively believe in the advent of this Righteous Ruler near the end of time called Imam Mahdi; because the Prophet of Allah (saws) told the believers about his coming and reign; and we believe with certainty in every word of Allah and His Messenger (saws).

There are several hadiths recorded regarding the era of Imam Mahdi, and if you are interested, I can collect all of them and send them to you.

The current situation and position of the believers must be to strive to obey each and every command of Allah and His Messenger (saws), and strive to make the word of Allah Supreme in the world. Imam Mahdi will come exactly at the time Allah has Decreed, and the events will unfold exactly as prophesized by the Messenger of Allah (saws). Allah has not made it our duty to search for the Mahdi; he will come when he comes. On the Day of Judgment, Allah Subhanah will judge us according to our deeds; neither will Allah question us why we did not appoint a Mahdi, nor will He ask us why we did not wait for Mahdi’s coming! Thus, instead of waiting for Imam Mahdi to come and put things aright in this world; we must strive to do whatever we can to be better muslims, and declare the Message of Allah to all those who care to listen to good caution.

And besides, Imam Mahdi is not a Prophet of Allah, but is a righteous slave of Allah Subhanah. He will not come to mankind and declare that he is the Mahdi, like a Prophet of Allah comes to mankind and declares his appointment to Prophethood. Imam Mahdi will be a political and religious leader of the believers, and from his actions of righteousness the believers will recognize him to be the Mahdi.

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

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan