The second narration is also from Bihar Al-Anwar and narrated from Imam Sadiq (a), where the Imam (a) is reported to say,
Ali [ibn Abi Talib] (a) said, ‘I was authorized to kill the fleeing [enemy] and to finish off the wounded. Yet I refrained from engaging in this for the sake of my companions, so that if they were wounded they would not be finished off. Al-Qa’im (a) has the authority to kill the fleeing [enemy] and to finish off the wounded.’[94]
The third narration is attributed to the Commander of the Faithful (a), saying,
May my father be sacrificed for the son of the best of maids! He will make them taste humiliation and pour them a bitter drink. He will not give them anything but the sword in a time of chaos.[95]
What is our stance regarding these narrations?
First, most of these narrations are weak in their Sanad, or chain of attribution to the original source. The Sanad of some include Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Kufi who was also known as Abu Samina. Al-Najashi, one of the great scholars on the history of narrators, says in his regard,
Muhammad ibn Ali was nicknamed Abu Samina. He is very weak; a man of corrupt creed and cannot be relied upon in any way. He traveled to Qum after becoming known as a fabricator in Kufa.[96]
Among the individuals in the Sanad of some of these narrations is also Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Hamadani, who is unknown.[97] There is also Al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn Abi Hamza Al-Bataini, who is known by our scholars to be weak.[98] Some narrations are relayed by Al-Hassan ibn Harun, the fabric merchant, and he is also unknown.[99] Other narrations also include Abu Al-Jaroud who was the leader of the Jaroudi Zaydi group. He is known by our scholars to be weak in narration.[100]
Therefore, these narrations are plagued by their weak Sanad, which means that they cannot be used to draw any viable conclusion about the state that Imam Mahdi (a) will usher upon his emergence.
Second, these narrations are contradicted by a number of other narrations that illustrate the grandeur of the Imam’s (a) state of mercy and compassion. In one narration attributed to Imam Ali (a), the Imam (a) gives glad tidings of Imam Mahdi’s (a) emergence and says that he will take an oath from his followers not to deride a Muslim, kill a pilgrim, transgress against a women, demolish a home, or strike anyone except by due right.[101] This is the way that the Imam (a) deals with even his worst enemies.
In another narration, Imam Ali (a) says,
He [i.e. Imam Mahdi (a)] will march with twelve thousand at the least or fifteen thousand at the most. They would chant, ‘Die! Die!’ until they come to meet Al-Sufyani. [Imam Mahdi (a)] would say, ‘bring forth my cousin so I can talk to him.’ [Al-Sufyani] would come forth and talk to [the Imam (a)] and then he would submit to [the Imam (a)] and pledge allegiance to him. Then, when Al-Sufyani returns back to his camp, a dog would shame him so he would return to [the Imam (a)] and ask him to rescind [his pledge], and [the Imam (a)] would allow him to rescind. Then [the Imam (a)] would fight Al-Sufyani’s army.[102]
The Imam (a) begins with a conversation with his enemy in an attempt to make peace, which shows that he is a man of mercy and not a man of war and violence.
There is also a narration attributed to Imam Sadiq (a) in Bihar Al-Anwar that asserts that Imam Mahdi (a) will call forth the greatest rabbis, priests, and scholars of Judaism and Christianity. He will debate them based on the Torah and the Bible, ask them for their interpretation, and show them the fabrications that befell their books.[103]
Third, there are some authenticated narrations in this regard that do refer to a relentless battle between Imam Mahdi (a) and his opponents. Yet these narrations are ambiguous as to the methods and ends of these battles. There are other narrations that do tell us who the target of these battles is and that his engagement in war is only a tool for self-defense.
The West, with its Christian and Jewish populations, will believe in Imam Mahdi (a) and will not fight him. Those who will fight him will be a specific group of Muslims who hold hatred for the Progeny of the Prophet (s). The majority of the population of the earth will voluntarily submit to him because he will come with the tools of knowledge and understanding, as well as kindness and compassion. It is only those Muslims who hold hatred for the Progeny of the Prophet (s) who will fight against him. It is relayed in the books of narration that Imam Baqir (a) said,
[Imam Mahdi (a)] will march to Kufa where he will be met by sixteen thousand fully armed deserters. They would be reciters of the Quran and scholars of faith. Their foreheads would be blistered [due to long prostration in prayer] and their clothes would be rolled [as if they are ready to commence work]. They would be overtaken by hypocrisy and they would say, ‘O son of Fatima (a)! Go back, for we do not need you.’[104]
Other narrations say,
The Mahdi (a) will approach the deviant party and advise them. He would give them three days and they would only increase in their tyranny and disbelief. The Mahdi (a) would thus order that they be killed.[105]
We can see that the state that will be established by Imam Mahdi (a) is one of kindness and compassion, and not one that would compel people into religion by force. Rather, it will spread religion through education and learning. This is the path of Imam Mahdi (a), as it was the path of his forefathers. The Prophet (s) was a man of dialogue, always preferring diplomacy over war. Imam Ali (a) was the same way, and so was Imam Hussain (a), who would stand on the battlefield and face the enemy camp in order to advise them on what is in their own best interest. Imam Hussain (a) would say, “I cry for those who will enter hell for [killing me].”[106]
Imam Hussain (a) did not leave Medina towards Mecca and then towards Kufa in order to kill or be killed. His mission was reform, but his enemies were adamant on killing him. He would say, “By God, they will not leave me until they take [my heart] out of my body.”[107]
A Necessary Reality
In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Alif, Lam, Mim. This is the Book, there is no doubt in it, a guidance to the Godwary, who believe in the Unseen, maintain the prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them.[108]
The blessed verse reminds us of the necessity to believe in the ‘unseen’ – a term referring to everything that is not observed by mankind or empirically experienced through the senses. For example, you can sense the shape and movement of an individual through your sense of vision. You cannot see that individual’s soul. Rather, you infer that it exists based on the fact that the individual is alive. The soul is a thing of the unseen realm, as we cannot empirically observe it.
There are two relevant narrations that help us understand this verse better. In one narration, Imam Sadiq (a) explained that it refers to “whoever acknowledges the truth of the emergence of Al-Qa’im (a).”[109]
In another narration, Imam Sadiq (a) said,
The Godwary are the followers of Ali (a). The Unseen is the Absent Proof [i.e. Imam Mahdi (a) during his occultation]. The evidence of this [meaning] is the word of God: They say, ‘Why has not some sign been sent down to him from his Lord?’ Say, ‘[The knowledge of] the Unseen belongs only to God. So wait. I too am waiting along with you.’[110]
It is as if the Imam (a) is trying to distinguish between two types of the Unseen. The first type is the Unseen that cannot and will never become an empirically observable reality. This is actually a reference to God, as he can never be seen or observed empirically.
The other type of the Unseen can become an empirically observable reality at some point in time. This is a reference to the Awaited Imam (a), as the verse reads, “[The knowledge of] the Unseen belongs only to God. So wait. I too am waiting along with you.” Imam Sadiq (a) used the verse in the narration as proof that there is a type of the Unseen that must be awaited before it can be observed by the senses. The Awaited Imam (a) is one example of this general concept.
Based on this understanding of the verse, let us discuss the following points.
An Allegation
There have been a number of articles that
have been published, proclaiming that the Shia conception of Imam Mahdi (a) is a myth. This assertion is made with the support of two conclusory allegations.
First, they claim that the Shia psyche created the idea of an Awaited Imam (a) in response to a history of failings and disappointment. The idea was a means to latch on to hope and a spur of mankind’s inclination to survive despite adversity.
Second, they claim that Shia scholars realized that the project of the Household of the Prophet (s) was a failure due to their inability to reach political power. Even those who reached a position of authority, such as Ali ibn Abi Talib (a), could not hold on to it for long. The allegation is that the Imams (a) were not able to reach political authority or even wide social influence, and so the Shia scholars had to invent the idea of Imam Mahdi (a) in order to create hope for their followers. The claim is that Shia scholars purposely created the idea of the Awaited Imam (a) to comfort their followers that there will be a day when they finally reach their goals.
However, these allegations are clearly erroneous.
An Objective and Necessary Reality
The idea of a messianic savior and belief in the Awaited Imam Mahdi (a) is not a mere creation of mankind’s primal instincts.
First, if the idea of an awaited savior is merely an instinctive reaction to oppression, then it should have been first and primarily propagated by the followers of Judaism. Historically, the Jewish people faced continuous persecution and genocide. Still, they were not the first or only religious group to adopt the idea of a messianic figure. The idea was known to societies even before Judaic beliefs emerged historically. Islam also confirmed the idea. Even though the Shia were the only Muslim sect that faced systematic and continued persecution, they were not alone in holding fast to the principle. In fact, all Muslim denominations believe in the idea of the Mahdi (a) as a savior that will emerge at the end of times, with some disagreements over the details.
The idea and promise of the Mahdi (a) is not merely instinctive, as all Muslim sects endorse the belief. Even the Muslim denominations who lived in relative ease, prosperity, and security affirmed belief in the Mahdi (a). That is why Muhammad ibn Al-Muntasir Al-Kitani, Director of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (an affiliate of the Organization of the Islamic Conference), wrote, “The crux is that the narrations regarding the Awaited Mahdi (a) are Mutawatira [i.e. conveyed through various channels by numerous narrators, indicating the narrations’ veracity].”[111]
Historically, there have been numerous Muslim scholars across denominational lines[112] who have asserted that the issue of the Mahdi (a) is a given and that the narrations in this regard are so varied and numerous that they are unlikely to be in error. In fact, there have only been a few individuals who have diverted from this mainstream opinion, such as Ibn Khaldun in the 14th century and Ahmad Ameen Al-Masri in the 20th century, as well as a number of Salifi thought leaders. Otherwise, the idea is widely accepted by scholars and narrations across all Muslim denominations.
Second, if the idea of the Mahdi (a) is merely instinctive and brought about by the human psyche under the pressures of failure and persecution, the same must be true of all knowledge of the Unseen. In fact, some Marxists have alleged this exact point. They claim that the Prophet Muhammad (s) was a brilliant figure who was able to convince his followers of an unseen system of reward and punishment to encourage moral conduct and discourage immoral conduct. Thus, they claim that all matters of the Unseen are mere propaganda tools without any basis in reality.
Those who claim that the idea of the Mahdi (a) is created by the instinct and unconscious of the Shia or as a propaganda tool by Shia scholars fall into the same line of thinking as these Marxists. If this could be said about the idea of the Mahdi (a) just because it is part of the Unseen, why not apply the same argument to the existence of God or the Day of Judgment? Accepting the line of thinking proposed in these allegations will doubtlessly lead us to reject God and His system of reward and punishment as mere propaganda – just as the Marxists did. Thus, because acceptance of this line of thinking leads to such untenable results, the allegation itself must be false.
Third, in mathematics, the calculation of possibilities is regarded as the best means of supporting a hypothesis. Rather, one cannot prove anything except through a calculation of possibilities, or in other words, through the corroboration of different pieces of evidence regarding a specific issue. This would then result in a higher probability in a specific matter. To illustrate the point, let us take two examples.
In the first example, let us assume that I want to prove that the person in front of me actually exists. The only way I can do that is through calculating the possibilities. For one, I can see the individual and that gives me a 30% chance that the individual exists. I can hear the individual’s voice, which adds another 30% to the probability of his or her existence. This makes the probability of the individual’s existence 60%. Finally, if I touch the individual that gives adds another 30% to the probability that the individual exists. The probability adds up to 90%. This is how different pieces of evidence add up and corroborate one another to prove even the simplest of facts.
As a second example, let us assume that we received news of a bombing in Baghdad. How do we prove it as a fact? Firstly, the news is widely circulated, which may give us a 30% probability that it is in fact true. Then we hear of it on the radio, and see pictures of it on the television. The more evidence we receive, the higher the probability rises until it reaches 100%. Thus, evidence for a certain proposition corroborates to a level where it gives certainty that the proposition is true.
Historical Reality
Through this method of cumulative probabilities, we can prove propositions about historical reality. Some Salafis on TV and say that certain historical events must be rejected because they are not supported by a Sahih[113] narration. However, even a layman can easily see that this is not a scientific justification. We do not need these twisted methods to prove historical reality, such as relying on whether a narration is Sahih. This is in fact a fruitless path toward the study of history. If this was truly how we judge history, then nothing in regards to the history of the Holy Prophet (s) can be proven. Instead, you have a mathematical method that is accepted scientifically – the calculation of probabilities. You must gather the historical evidence until it gives a higher level of probability that a specific event did or did not occur.
Today, we hear of the opinions of Al-Shafe’i – a second century AH Sunni Muslim scholar – when we do not in fact know whether he existed or not. However, we can prove that he existed through the calculation of probabilities. We do not prove it through a determination of whether a narration is Sahih or not. Instead, we say that genealogists agree that he existed, we know of his written works, we know of his students, and other pieces of evidence all accumulate to give us certainty that Al-Shafe’i did in fact exist.
Accordingly, we come to the issue of Imam Mahdi’s (a). How do we prove it through the method of probabilities? We can do that by looking at the distinct pieces of evidence that support the fact that he is a living individual. These pieces of evidence can be summarized as follows:
An Imam for Every Era
There is much evidence to prove that there must be an Imam for every era and that there must always be a link between the earth and the heavens. This includes the holy verse, “You [O Prophet] are only a warner, and there is a guide for every people.”[114] This means that in every era and for every generation, there must be a guide. So who is the guide in our time?
God also says, “The day We shall summon every group of people along with their Imam…”[115] The meaning of the word “Imam” here must be a reference to the real meaning of the word, which is a divinely appointed leader. Accordingly, for every group of people at every time and era, there must be a divinely appointed Imam.
As for narrations and traditions, there are numerous sources we can look to. Take for example the tradition of the Thaqalayn,
which was recoded with slight difference in many of the books of narration and by all Muslim denominations. In Musnad Ahmad, the author recoded that the Holy Prophet (s) said,
I leave amongst you two weighty things, one of which is greater than the other: the Book of God, which is a bond extending between the heavens and the earth, and my Household and Progeny (a). The two will never separate until they reach me at the Pond [of Paradise].[116]
Thus, this narration tells us that so long as the Quran exists, there must be a person from the Progeny of the Prophet (s) to protect and uphold it. So who is this individual who will uphold and protect the Quran during our time?
The same goes for the narration recounted in the same book, “Whoever dies without [acknowledging his] Imam dies the death of the Age of Ignorance.”[117] Thus, every era must have such an Imam.
Al-Nisabouri also records the following prophetic narration,
The stars are a harbor for the denizens of the heavens, so that if they fade they will meet that which they were promised. So am I a harbor to my companions as long as I live, if I pass they will meet that which they were promised. And so is my Household a harbor for my nation, if they were to perish it will meet that which it was promised.[118]
This same notion was conveyed in the narration of Imam Baqir (a), “If the Imam were removed from the Earth, it would thrash its denizens like the sea thrashes its denizens.”[119] This is a clear indication that there is an Imam that is always a link between the earth and the heavens. This does not apply to anyone but the Awaited Imam (a). What other Muslim can say that he is the one meant by these narrations? Who can say that he is the one that upholds and protects the Quran?
This cannot apply to anyone but Imam Mahdi (a). That is why we read in Dua Al-Nudba, “Where is the lifeline linking the [denizens of] the earth to [God] on high?”[120]
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