Muslims maintain that without any doubt and in all certainty the Prophet of Islam (S.A.) is without sin or error, and that his faultless speech is the same as reality and is the wish of Allah. If it were otherwise, they say, Allah could not have commanded unconditional obedience to him. So his command is Allah's command, and it is an absolute necessity to obey him.

What is more, we can see on the basis of the ayahs quoted below that the Prophet had the right of jurisdiction over the people, that his order took precedence over everyone else's idea or opinion, and that his commands on social or other matters had to be carried out.

النبي اولي بالمومنين من انفسهم
(سوره احزاب آيه 6)

"The Prophet has a greater claim on the believers than they have themselves." (XXXIII; 6)

و ما كان لمؤمن و لا مؤمنة اذا قضي الله و رسوله امرآ ان يكون لهم الخيرة من امرهم
(سوره احزاب آيه 36)

"It is not for any believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, to have a choice in the matter." (XXXIIJ, ~ 36)

An examination of this ayah and its explanation makes it clear that the decree of the Prophet in every matter, even in personal matters, is binding, since the ayah was revealed concerning an individual matter, viz, the marriage of Zayd and Zaynab. Zaynab was the daughter of the Prophet's aunt, and Zayd was a slave whom the Prophet freed. The Prophet of Islam (S.A.), so as to break the pre-Islamic custom whereby the noble and rich were, not prepared to marry outside their own, ordered Zaynab to marry Zayd. The false pride and inappropriate arrogance, which had been inherited from pre-Islamic times, forbad her to take Zayd as a husband.

But this ayah makes it clear that even in personal matters the Prophet's command was to be obeyed, so Zaynab married him and was content.

فلا و ربك لايومنون حتي يحكموك فيها شجر بينهم ثم لا يجدوا في انفسهم حرجآ مما قضيت و يسلموا تسليما
(سوره نساء آيه 64)

"But no, by thy Lord! They will not believe till they make thee judge between them, then they shall find in themselves no impediment touching thy verdict, but shall surrender in fill submission." (IV; 64)

Some Sunnis say that in social matters the opinion of the majority is over-ruling, to the degree that the Prophet himself must obey.

A deeper look at the ayahs mentioned above would make it clear that this is invalid. Now we shall proceed to an investigation of their evidence and claims and then answer them.

Their evidence is ayah 159 of Surah Al Imran:

فبما رحمة من الله لنت لهم و لو كنت فظآ غليظ القلب لانفضوا من حولك فاعف عنهم و استغفر لهم و شاورهم في الامر عزمت فتوكل علي الله يحب المتوكلين
(سوره آل عمران 159)

"It was by some mercy of Allah that thou wast gentle to them; hadst thou been harsh and hard of heart, they would have scattered from among thee. So pardon them, and pray forgiveness for them, and take counsel with them in the affair; and when thou art resolved put shy trust in Allah, serenity Allah loves those who put their trust in him."

The answer to this is that this ayah also gives clear evidence that the Prophet (S.A.) is not subject to the opinion of the majority. In other words, the right of jurisdiction belongs to the Prophet even in social matters, and he has a duty, after consultation, to put his view into practice, not the opinion of others, since it says:

"Take counsel with them in the affair; and when thou art resolved put thy trust in Allah."

If it had been otherwise, and the view of others was to be acted upon, it should have said:

"When the opinion of people has been obtained on a matter, accept it and carry it out" but we see that the ayah was not revealed in this sense. What is more, there is evidence in history against the veiw of the Sunnis. For example, in the peace of Hudaybiyyah.

The Prophet of Islam (S.A.) left Medina to visit the Ka'bah. Near Mecca, the representatives of the unbelievers of the Quraysh met with him and said that the Quraysh were not prepared to admit him into Mecca. He replied that he had not come for war, but only to visit the Ka'bah.

After much discussion, the Quraysh were prepared to make a peace treaty, and the Prophet, with some special conditions, agreed, although the Muslims were not happy with the agreement and wanted to enter Mecca that day.1 The Prophet then told the Muslims: "I am the slave of Allah, and His Prophet. I will never turn away from the command of Allah, nor will He let me go.

Here, an honest reasonable question would be, what then is the meaning of the Prophet consulting with people at all?

His consultations were part of a policy both of respecting and showing the value of the views of the people, and of using reason and thought in the way of progress of Islam. Also, when faced with some obstructions by some of the tribal leaders, consultations were held with them, because, by the value, which they gave to consultation, and by the fact that they saw themselves sharing in the work, they desisted from their destructiveness. However, in this kind of counsel meeting, the Prophet never subjected himself to the majority opinion, and, if he paid attention to the opinion of some person or group; it was, in fact, because that was also his own opinion.

We have seen and understood that it has been proved that the opinion of the Prophet was above the views of everyone, even the view of the majority, and that it was the sure view of the Prophet (S.A.) that he selected Hazrat 'All (A.S.) to be his successor on the day of Ghadir and informed the people of his decision.

So, consultations aimed at appointing a successor after the Prophet (S.A.) are clearly against the wish of Allah and His Prophet, and are completely useless; however, abandoning this reality, we now want to ask whether after the prophet (S.A.) consultative meetings were held, and, if so, whether the majority opinion was upheld.

To answer and explain the question, we shall take a look first of all at some history and the circumstances of the Saqifah of the Bani Sa'idah according to reliable historical documents.

When the Prophet (S.A.) closed his loving eyes to the world, the Ansaris, the original Medinese, gathered in a place called the Saqifah of the Bani Sa'idah, and pronounced that after the Prophet, government and wilayat belonged to Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah. Sa'd was ill, hut was present in the meeting, and after praising Allah he said: "0 Ansaris! There is no group better than you in Islam. For the Prophet (S.A.) was thirteen years among the Quraysh, and he called them to abandon idols and worship for the One God; but, apart from a few individuals, they did not believe in him and these could not defend his ideas and make his religion grow. So Allah restored you to happiness, put him and his religion in your hands, entrusted support for him and his religion to you. You have always been loyal to this agreement, till He chose to take him away. Now you should make every effort, for it is your special right."

The Ansaris said that he had spoken well, and that he should take the government and succession into his own hands. But some said: "What if the Quraysh want to dispute the matter with us?"

"We shall tell them." said another group, "that they should choose a leader from themselves, and we shall choose a leader from among us."

"This would he the first blow to break Islam,"Said Sa'd.

'Umar was informed. He sent for Abu Bakr, who was in the house of the Prophet (S.A.) with 'Au (A.S.), and who sent word that he was occupied. 'Umar sent another message, in which the news was that his presence was indispensable.

Abu Bakr left the presence of the beautiful body of the Prophet (S.A.) which 'Au was busy in preparing for the funeral. 'Umar said to him: "Do you not know that the Ansaris are gathered in the Saqifah to choose Sa'd for the califate?"

So both of them hurried to the place. On the way they met Abu 'Ubaydah al-Jarrah, whom they took along with them. When they reached the Saqifah, Abu Bakr rosé up to address the crowd.

"Praise is to Allah, and blessings on his Prophet. Allah sent the Prophet to man so that they who worshipped many gods might worship the one God, they who suppose that their gods are of benefit to them. And it was difficult for the Arabs to leave the religion of their fathers. Then Allah showed his preference for the Muhajirin (those Muslims from Mecca who migrated with the Prophet), and believed in the religion of the Prophet (S.A.). They bore the difficulties with this great man with forbearance, so they are more deserving after him in this matter. You, 0 Ansaris, say that after you no one is to be more preferred in the religion, so after the Muhajirin, no one has a higher degree than you. So we are the rulers, and you are the ministers and the counsellors. We will not do anything without consulting you."

Habab ibn Mundhir stood up and said: "0 Ansaris, beware! Take the reins of government in your hands; for the people are under your protection, no one can quarrel with you. Do not fall out between yourselves, so that what you do is ruined. These people do not accept our authority, so we must have our own ruler, and they theirs."That; can never be," said 'Umar. "The Arabs would never submit to your rule; they will not yield, for the Prophet was not from you."

Habab stood up again and said: "0 Ansaris! You must decide! Do not listen to this man and his friendliness. He wants to do completely away with your right. If they do not give up, you must throw them out of this town and take things over. I swear by Allah, you are the more deserving."

"May Allah kill you!" said Umar.

"May He kill you!" said Habab.

Abu 'Ubaydah stood up to come between them.

"0 Ansaris!" he cried, "You were the first group who gave support and believed, so you must not be the first to go astray."

Then Bashir ibn Sa'd got up and said, "0 Ansaris, I swear by Allah. That if we were the first in the jihad against the polytheists, and had priority in the religion, it was only because we wanted nothing but the will of Allah."

"Now!" cried Abu Bakr, "do you wish to swear allegiance to both this 'Umar and this Abu 'Ubaydah al-Jarrah?"

"No!" they shouted. "We swear by Allah that you are the most deserving of the Muhajirin, and we are not on a par with you; so give your hands that we can swear allegiance to you."

Then, as 'Umar and Abu 'Ubaydah wanted, they swore allegiance to Abu Bakr. Bashir ibn Sa'd, from the Ansaris and the tribe of Aws, the great Medina tribe, went before them and swore allegiance.

Bashir open the way and acknowledge the Quraysh to be more deserving than them, and the Khazraj, the other great tribe, wanted Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah as their leader, they spoke among themselves.

"By Allah, if the Khazraj take the reins of power in their hands, they will always have preference. Let us rise up and swear allegiance to Abu Bakr."

Then 'Umar seized Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah by the collar and said to the people: "Kill him!"

And Sa'd was nevermore loyal to Abu Bakr.

With the evidence that we shall present to you now, it will be seen that the story of Saqifah was not only a consultation among the Muslims, but that it was a plot to usurp the right to the califate of Hazrat 'Ali (A.S.) and to put someone else in his place.

Firstly, while on his way to Saqifah, Umar sent word only to Abu Bakr, and not to anyone else. And Abu Bakr, who was in the house of the Prophet (S.A.) with the great ones among the companions of the Prophet and with Hazrat 'All (A.S.), did not tell anyone, forgot the commotion over the tragedy of the death of the Prophet (S.A.), left the corpse of that great man and hurried to Saqifah. If, truly, a plan had not been arranged, why did Abu Bakr not tell 'Umar that he had to tell the Bani Hashim and the helpers of the prophet, that at that time they should wait until the body of the Prophet was buried, and that afterwards they should proceed all together to the ascertaining of the successor to the califate?

Is consultation (shura) like this, that three people should come among one of the tribes of the town, and, with the opinion of these people being controlled by one man, by sweet words and threats and other means deceive them and create differences between them, then by compulsion and bad words stop progress to their advantage and not let these people's trusted leader know, and then to kill anyone who is against them and say that he wanted to cause a disturbance among the people against the interests of the world of Islam, and on that pretext call for his execution or banishment?

In consultation over such a great and important matter, should not at least the great companions and the Bani Hashim in the forefront of whose ranks was Amir al-Mu'minin have been called?

Secondly, in Saqifa Abu Bakr said to the Ansaris: us wear allegiance to whomever you want -'Umar or Abu 'Ubaydah."

There was no place for questions. One of these two must be calif, and they passed it to Abu Bakr and said, as long as you are there, what more do we want?

Can this be a true consultation?

Thirdly, 'Umar made clear that no consultation had taken place:

Some years after the proceedings of Saqifah, 'Umar said, at the time of his own califate: "We have heard that one of you said that if 'Umar dies I shall swear allegiance to so-and-so. But you must know that the allegiance to Abu Bakr was without consultation and without reckoning.

It is true that allegiance to Abu Bakr took place all at once without much thought or reckoning, but Allah protected us from mischief. However no one should give you the example of Abu Bakr to follow.

If there really had been a question of a consultation, and the great ones of the companions of the Prophet (S.A.) could have voted in freedom, allegiance to Abu Bakr would not have been "all at once without much thought or reckoning," and there would have been no mischief or danger in it.

Fourthly, Umar said: "After the Prophet, 'All and Zubyr and their companions rose up against us, and assembled in Fatimah's house."

We ask whether this clear opposition can be ignored, especially as Umar acknowledges it.

Fifthly, if the matter of the califate must be resolved on the basis of consultation, the Prophet (S.A.) would certainly before his death have explained, or at least indicated, the way it should be done. By the criterion of reason, would the Prophet explain some very insignificant matters, but make no mention of such a great matter as this?

In all societies there are some people who wish to seize the reins of government by any possible means, and rule over the people.

They continue in their aims until such time as they manage to lay their hands on what they covet although they disregard the commands of Allah and the Prophet. Anyone who looks into the history of the califate after the Prophet of Islam (S.A.) will be able to find such people.

Now, those who gathered in Saqifah and struck a blow against Islam were from this group. So let us once again look at the reality of what happened during the illness and death of the Prophet.

In the last days of his life, on his sick bed, the Prophet (S.A.) gave the command of the army to Usamah ibn Zayd who was a youth, but celebrated and worthy, to take the army towards Mutah, at the eastern limits of the Roman Empire of that time.

In his army there were both Muhajirin and Ansaris, and in particular Abu Bakr, 'Umar, Abu 'Ubaydah al-Jarrah and others. The Prophet had laid much emphasis on the defense of this front, even though Usamah asked: "Please allow us to stay till Allah should favour you with recovery."

"Leave this town," the Prophet commanded, "and move off in the name of Allah."

"If I leave and dispatch the army, and you are ill like this, I shall be anxious and ill at ease."

"Move off to victory and success."

"I am not happy to tell the expedition about your health."

"What I have commanded, do!" replied the Prophet, and fainted. When he recovered he said:

"May Allah curse those who leave the army of Usamah and desert from it."1 But, in any case, Abu bakr and 'Umar deserted from Usamah's troops, and returned to Medina.

In the last days of his life, on his sick bed, the Prophet (S.A.) ordered that paper and ink be brought to him, and he said that he wanted to write something down, so that the Ummah should not be lost after his death.

But some of those present said: "He is speaking in delirium."

Ibn 'Abbas says that in the first years of 'Umar's califate, he visited him. 'Umar asked: "Does he ('All) still regard himself the calif?"

"Yes."

"Is he of the opinion that the Prophet made his califate clear?"

"Yes, and what is more clear is that I asked my father about this matter and he said that 'Au was right."

"The Prophet wanted to specify his name towards the end of his life when he was ill, but I did not allow him to do so."'

It is clear from this sentence that was the person who, at that moment, had unjustly said that the Prophet was delirious.

Can it be said that Umar knew better than the Prophet what was to the advantage of the Islamic nation, that he should not allow the prophet (S.A.) to specify the name of 'All (A.S.)? We can now bring this matter to an end by concluding that those who unjustly relied on plotting and deceit for the position of the califate of the Prophet, were engaged in planning the seizure of the califate from the time of the Prophet's death, if not before, and that it was from power-seeking and status-seeking motives.

This seeking of power motivated them to remove obstacles such as Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah who was against the califate of Abu Bakr and did not swear allegiance to him, whereupon he was killed. They said the 'Jinn' killed him! Or Malik ibn Nuwayrah, a man of faith who was such that the Prophet rightly said of him that if anyone wanted to see one of the people of heaven he should look at Malik's face. Since he had heard from the Prophet (S.A.) that the califate belonged to the Hazrat 'Ali (A.S.), when the Prophet died, and when he came to Medina and saw and heard that the califate had been unjustly usurped, hastened to oppose it. Khalid ibn Walid killed him, and violated his honour. No punishment or penalty was meted out to him by the calif.

Another evil work that was done in the way of consolidating this lust for power was the usurpation of Fadak.

Fadak was a district crowded with gardens and orchards and very fruitful. It was in the possession of the only daughter of the Prophet, Hazrat Fatimah (A.S.).

Abu Bakr seized it, and turned out Hazrat Fatimah's labourers out from it. Fatimah (A.S.) argued with Abu Bakr and won, and he gave her the deed of ownership to the land. But Umar took that title-deed and tore it up without any reprimand from Abu Bakr, but this is a matter to be treated separately, for Abu Bakr never replaced it with another document.

Thus, from what has been said, there can be no doubt that these were men with a lust for power, self-seekers, and lovers of the world, who stooped at nothing to achieve their aims.

The Imam, the just Guide, Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.) was born halfway through the month of Sha'ban in the year 255 A.H. in the town of Samarra, and in 260 AH. when his great father died, he reached the exalted position of the Imamate. His name (Muhammad) and his agnomen (Abu'l-Qasim) are the same as the Prophet's. His father, the 11th Shi'a Imam, was Hazrat Imam Hasan al-'Askari(AS.), and his mother, the great lady Nargis.

For various reasons, the twelfth Imam, from the first day of his life, did not appear publicly, and for about seventy years people were in communication with him through the intermediary of his special representatives, in ruder of succession: 'Uthman ibn Sa'id, Muhammad ibn 'Uthman, Husayn ibn Ruh, and 'Au ibn Muhammad as-Samurri. This period of seventy years is known as the minor occultation (al-ghaybat as-sughra), and at the end of that period the major occulation (al-ghaybat al-kubra) began.

During the major occultation till the time of his reappearance, no one has been his special representative, and there will be no one in the future, and the people have the duty to refer to the fuqaha, those excelling in knowledge of the shari'ah, and the narration of ha4ith who are specialized in the matters of the religion.

The belief in the reappearance of the expected Mahdi (A.S.) the universal reformer is not confined to the Shi'ite Muslims. Other Islamic groups and even non-Islamic groups like the Jews and the Christians and some of 'the great world intellectual figures believe in the appearance of a great spiritual reformer. In Psalm 37 is written:

"...Trust in the Lord and do good; so you will dwell in the land, and enjoy security.

...For the wicked shall be cut off: but those who wait for the Lord shall possess the land.

...But the weak shall possess the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

...The Lord knows the days of the flawless, and their heritage will abide forever.

...For those blessed by the Lord,shall possess the land, but those cursed by Him shall be cut off.

...The righteous shall possess shall the land, and dwell upon it at peace for ever..."

In the Qur'an a time is promised when the worshippers of Truth,the world's people of righteousness,will take over the power and government of world,and the glorious din of Islam will reign all over the earth. Other ayahs have been revealed which exegetically point to Hazrat Mahdi(A.S)

و لقد كتبنا في الزبور من بعد الذكر ان الارض يرثها عبادي الصالحون
(سوره انبياء آيه 105)

"For we have written in the Psalms, after the remembrance, 'the earth shall be the inheritance of my righteous servants." (XXI; 105)

و عدالله الذين آمنوا منكم وعملوا الصالحات ليسخلفنهم في الارض كما استخلف الذين من قبلهم و ليمكنن لهم دينهم الذي ارتضي لهم و ليبدلنهم من بعد خوفهم امنا يعبدونني لايشركون بي شيئآ ....
(سوره نور آيه 55)

"Allah has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make you successors in the land, even as He made those who were before them successors, and that He will surely establish their religion for them, and will give them in exchange, after their fear, security: They shall serve Me, not associating with Me anything." (XXIJ'-55)

هو الذي ارسل رسوله بالهدي و دين الحق ليظهرة علي الدين كله و لوكره المشركين
(سوره صف آيه 9)

"It is He Who has sent His Messenger with the religion of truth, that he may lift it above every religion, though the unbelievers be averse. (LXI,- 9)

و نريد ان نمن علي الذين استضعفوا في الارض و نجعلهم ائمة و نجعلهم الواثين
(سوره قصص آيه 5)

"Yet we desired to be gracious to those that were abased in the land, and to make them leaders, and to make them the inheritors." (XXVIII; 5)

The above ayahs clearly show that in the end the world will fall to the hands of Allah's worthy and righteous servants and that they will become the leaders of the people of the world. Then Islam will be victorious over all religions.

In this subject, the scholars in the Sunni school have related many hadiths from the Prophet of Islam, through narrators whom they themselves trust. From among them are such hadiths as tell that the Imams are twelve persons and that are all from the Quraysh.

Al-Mahdi(A.S.), the promised one, is from the family of the Prophet and is a descendent of Hazrat 'All and Hazrat Fatimah Zahra (A.S.), and in many of these hadiths it is mentioned that he is from the line of Imam Husayn (A.S.). They have mentioned and recorded hundreds of hadiths about the Mahdi in more than seventy books by their valued and dependable authorities of which we shall mention a few examples.

al-Musnad of Ahmad Thu Hanbal (d. 241 A.H.)

Sahih of al-Bukhari (d. 256 A.H.)

Sahih of Muslim ibn Hajjaj Nishabouri (d. 261)

Sunan of Abu Dawud Sijistani (d. 275 A.H.)

Sahih of Muhammad ibn 'Isa at-Tirmidhi (d. 279 A.H.)

The authors of the above books - each one of them among the most authoritative books of the Sunnis - died either before the birth of the Imam of the Age (225 A.H.) or shortly after his birth.

Let us also mention: Masabih as-Sunnah of al-Baghawi (d. 516 A.H.)

Jami'al-Usul of ibn al-Athir (d. 606 A.H.)

Al-Futuhat al-Makki3yah of Muhyi'd-din ibn 'Arabi(d.638 A.H.)

Tadhkirat al-Khawass of Sibt ibn al-Jawzi (d. 654 A.H.)

Fara'id as-Simtayn of al-Hamawi (d. 716 A.H.)

as-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah of Ibn Hajar al-Haytami(d.973 A.H.)

Yanabi' al-Mawaddah of Shaykh Sulayman al-Qunduzi (d.1293 A.H.)

Some of the Sunni scholars have written books especially about the Imam of the Age:

1.Al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib az-Zaman of Al-Ganji ash-Shafi'i

2.'Iqd ad-Durar fi Akhbar al-Imam al-Muntazar of Shaykh Jamalu'd-din Yusuf al-Dimashqi

3.Mahdi Al ar-Rasul of 'Ali ibn Sultan Muhammad al-Harawi al-Hanafi

4.Kitab al-Mahdi of Abu Dawud

5.Alamat aI-Mahdi of Jalalu'd-din as-Suyuti

6.Manaqib al-Mahdi of Hafiz Abu Mu'tasim al-Isfahani

7.Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi aI-Muntazar of Ihn Hajar

8.Al-Burhan ft 'Alamat Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman of Mulla 'All al-Muttaqi

9.Arba 'un Hadithan ft al-Mahdi of Abu'l-A' la' al-Hamadani

We have at hand more than three thousand hadiths from the Prophet (S.A.) and from the pure Imams about the Imam of the Age. From them it is clear that the Imam of the Age is the ninth son of Husayn ibn 'Ali (A.S.), his father is Hazrat Imam Hasan 'Askari (AS.), his mother Nargis Khatun. His name is the same as that of the Prophet of the end of time, his title is al-Mahdi. It was to happen that he would be born during his father's lifetime in Samarra, that his lather would die when he was young, that he would live even to this day, and as long as God wished it. Then he will reappear and the world will be filled with justice at a time when there is injustice everywhere and that is why he is now hidden from the sight of men.

And when he comes with his back towards the Ka'bah's edifice, he will lean against the wall and cry out and call for his followers, who will number 313 persons. Hazrat 'Isa (A.S.) will come from the heaven down to the earth, and will pray in a prayer led by al-Mahdi. The Imam of the Age will cause the commands of Islam to reach all over the world, and the earth will he like paradise.

There are very many hadiths related by the Shi'a and Sunni scholars on many aspects connected with this great Imam, and these are mentioned in books like Bihar al-Anwar and Muntikhab al-Athar.

First we shall indicate here some of these hadiths, which the author of Muntakhab al-Athar wrote down in his book and then we shall give the text of some of them.

Subject The total amount of hadiths

1.hadiths in which it is related that the Imams are twelve,the firs being 'All, the last being al-Mahdi (A.S.) 58

2.hadiths, which give news of the appearance of al-Mahdi(A.S.). 657

3.hadiths which identify him as descendent of the prophet (S.A.). 389

4.hadiths which say that his name and agnomen are the same as the Prophet's. 48

5.hadiths which say al-Mahdi is a descendent of Amir al-mu'minin(A.S.). 214

6.hadiths, which say he is a descendent of Hazrat Fatimah(A.S 192

7.hadiths, which say he is a descendent of Hazrat Husayn(A.S 185

8.hadiths, which say he is the ninth descendent of Imam Husayn (A.S.) 14

9.hadiths, which say he is a descendent of Imam Zayn al-'Abidin (A.S.) 185

10.hadiths, which say he is a descendent of Imam Baqir (A.S.) 103

11.hadiths, which say he is a descendent of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (A.S.) 103

12.hadiths, which say he is a descendent of Imam Musa Kazim (A.S.) 101

13.hadiths, which say he is a descendent of Imam Rida (AS.) 95

14.hadiths, which say he is a descendent of Imam Javad (A.S.) 90

15.hadiths, which say he is a descendent of Imam Hadi(AS.) 90

16.hadiths, which say he is a descendent of Imam Hasan al-'Askari (A.S.) 146

17.hadiths which say that the name ~if his father is Hasan(A.S.) 147

18.hadiths, which say that he, will fill the world with justice 123

19.hadiths, which say his occultation, will be prolonged 91

20.hadiths, which relate the extent of al-Mahdi's life 318

21.hadiths, which say that Islam will rule over the world through him 47

22.hadiths, which say he will be the twelfth and the last Imam. 136

When looking at the above mentioned and other hadiths, it should be kept in mind that the hadiths mentioning al-Mahdi (A.S.) have been narrated most frequently, and that there are few subjects in Islam, which have been mentioned in hadiths so often. Thus, in this light, anyone who believes in Islam and its Prophet (S.A.) must necessarily declare his belief in the existence of the promised al-Mahdi who is now in occultation.

Now we shall relate some of these hadiths.

1. The author of Yanabi' al-Mawaddah relates that the Prophet (S.A.) said: "Al-Mahdi is a descendent of mine. He will be in concealment, and when he manifests himself, the earth will become filled with justice, just as it was previously filled with injustice."

2. In this hook it is also related that Salman al-Farsi said: "I went to the Prophet, when Husayn ibn 'Ali was sitting in his lap and the Prophet was kissing his eyes and mouth, and he said: 'you are a noble one, the son of a noble one, and the brother of a noble one; you are the Imam, the son of the Imam, and the brother of the Imam. Your are the Proof, son of the Proof and the brother of the Proof; you will be the father of nine Proofs of whom the ninth will be the Qa'im."

3. Ibn Abi Dalai says: "I heard from Hazrat 'Ali ibn Muhammad (the 10th Imam) that he said: 'The Imam after me will be Hasan, my son, and after him his descendent the Qa'im, who will fill the earth with justice, when it was previously filled with injustice.

4. Hudhayfah said that the Prophet (S.A.) said: "If no more than one day is left of the world, Allah will make that day so long that a man, descendent of mine, whose name is~ my name, will appear."

Salman asked: '0 Prophet of Allah, which descendent will he be?

The Prophet put his hand on Husayn and said that he would be one of his descendents.

5. Mas'adah relates from Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (A.S.) that he said: "The Qa'im will be born of Hasan (the 11th Imam, Hazrat Imam Hasan al-'Askari), and Hasan will be son of 'All (the tenth Imam, Hazrat Imam 'Ali al-Naqi), and 'Mi will be son of Muhammad (the ninth Imam, Hazrat Imam Muhammad at-Taqi), and Muhammad will be born of 'Au (the eighth Imam, Hazrat 'All ibn Musa ar-Rida) and 'Ali will be son of this child (he pointed to Hazrat Musa ibn Ja'far, the seventh Imam). We are twelve Imams, all pure and of a noble birth. I swear by Allah, if there remains of the world no more than one day, Allah will make that day so long that the Qa'im of us, the household of the Prophet (S.A.), will appear."

The world's foremost intellectuals are of the opinion that the wars, massacres, murders, prostitution, and all the evils of this age, which are daily in the increase, are because there is no equilibrium between man's material and spiritual requirements.

The man of today has turned his back on moral virtues and spiritual riches, although he has conquered the sea, the desert and space, and has taken himself to the moon.

It is obvious that by relying in force and power he cannot establish order and justice in the world, and that only with technology and the material sciences the happiness of humanity will not be secured. Man has no other resort than to strengthen his social relations on the basis of faith and virtue, and to save himself from the vortex of dangers with the guidance of a great world reformer, to establish a rule based on justice together with peace, security and sincerity. In this state of affairs, human society is moving quickly towards preparation for the rising up of the Imam of the Age (A.S.)

we believe that the lengthening of a man's life is not an impossibility, because ills explicitly said in the Qur'an that:

و لقد ارسلنا نوحآ الي قومه فلبث فيهم الف سنة الا خمسين عامآ
(سوره عنكبوت آيه 14)

We sent Nuh to people, as tarried among them a thousand years, all but fifty." (XXlX- 14)

What is more, research undertaken in the biological sciences has corroborated the possibility of lengthening the human life span. Even great scientists are of the opinion that food and drugs may be prepared which can prolong man's life.

The late Ayatollah Sadr1 in his book" al -Mahdi", quoted from a scientific article written in 1959, which stands as a witness to what we have said above. Here we shall give a summary of it.

"Authoritative scientists say that all the basic tissues of the animal body can live forever, and it is possible for man to live for a thousand years, provided that it doesn't happen that the thread of a learned scholar of Qum (1882-1953), father of the his life is severed. These scientists do not speak on the basis of guesswork or surmise, for they have arrived at their conclusion through scientific experiment.

"A professor at Johns Hopkins University has said that it has been proved that the basic members of the human body have the potentiality for eternal life. Apparently the first person to carry out these experiments on parts of an animal's body was Dr. Jack Lubb, and after him Dr. Warren Lewis, who, together with his wife, proved that parts of bird fetuses could be kept alive in buffer solutions. These experiments were systematically continued until Dr. Alexis Karel, as a result of further experimental work, established that parts of animals subjected to experiments did not degenerate, and even that they lived longer than the animal from which they had been taken. In january 1912 he started his experiments and by dint of self-sacrifice and removing the numerous difficulties, he discovered the following facts:

1. Unless complications such as lack of nutrition or attack by microbes intervened, living cells would continue living forever.

2. These cells, which continued to live, also grew and multiplied.

3. The growth and division of these could be controlled by the nutrition given to them.

4. The passing of time did not affect them and did not make them age or lose strength. Not even the smallest effect of ageing was seen. Each year they grew and multiplied exactly as in previous years. So why does man die? Why is his span of life rarely more than a hundred years? The parts of the human or animal body are numerous and various, and there is also a perfect relationship and unity between them; so that the life of some of them depends on the life of others, and the failure or death of parts of human or animal bodies is the consequence of the death of the other parts. Sudden deaths, which are the result of infection, are for this reason, and it also provides the reason for the average limit of man's life being around seventy to eighty years. Of course, what experiments have shown is that the cause of death is not the arrival at seventy or eighty years of age, but that the fundamental causes are diseases and accidents which may attack one of the body's organs and put it out of work; then the death of this part causes a break in its relation to other parts and the death of all the organs ensues.

"Thus if science could eliminate these accidents or obstruct their harmful effects, there would be no impediment to the prolongation of life."

So if we know that a greatly extended life is not an impossibility, there is no hindrance to prevent God, the All-powerful, from keeping a man safe and sound for thousands of years, because the regulations of a man's life is in the hands of God. He can bring a new harmony into existence, which has precedence over the usual order of things, just as He did in the case of all the miracles. The miracles of the prophets, the cooling of the fire for Ibrahim al-Khalil, the turning into a serpent of Hazrat Musa's staff, the bringing to life of the dead through Hazrat 'Isa, and so forth, are all against the usual flow of things, but God brought another order into existence by His own power and a miracle occurred; all Muslims, Jews and Christians, believe in miracles.

Similarly for the length of the life of the Imam of the Age there remains no place for any kind of objection, because if someone says that such a length of life is impossible, his claim cannot be at all accepted after the stipulation of the Qur'an concerning the length of Hazrat Nuh's life, and also after the latest revelations of biology. If it is said that it is possible, but against the normal natural order of things, it can be retorted that the length of life of the Imam of the Age is against the natural order just as the miracles of the prophets, and is carried Out according to the will of God. Someone who believes in the power of God and the occurrence of the miracles of the prophets cannot have the slightest objection to the length of the Imam's life.

The Prophet of Islam (S.A.) sometimes hinted to people concerning the occultation of the twelfth Imam, and the pure Imams (A.S.) also reminded people of this matter. The news of the occultation of the Imam of the Age was so well known even before his birth, that everyone who believed in the birth of the Imam also believed in his prolonged occultation. Let us look at some of the indications that have come down to us from many hadiths on this subject.

1. The Prophet said: "The Qa'im of my descendents will become hidden, as the result of a covenant between me and him, and then people will say that Allah has no need of the family of Muhammad, and some will doubt his birth. So everyone who is aware of his time must act according to his religion, and must not let Shaytan enter him by faltering lest he be thrown out from my people and my religion."

2. Amir al-Mu'minin said: "Our Qa'im has an

occultation, which will be of great devotion... Beware! Everyone who is firm in his religion, and does not become hard-hearted from the lengthening of the occultation of this man (and turn away from his religion) will find himself in the same rank as me on the Day of Resurrection."

Then he said: "Our Qa'im, when he rises, has no responsibility for anyone's allegiance to him, and for this reason his birth will be secret and he will be hidden."

3. Muhammad ibn Muslim said that he heard from Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (A.S.) that he said: "If you hear of the occultation of your Imam, do not deny it."

4. At-Tabarsi wrote: "The hadiths of the occultation were recorded by the Shi'ite narrators in books which were composed in the time of Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq (A.S.). Of all these reliable narrators one were Hasan ibn Mahbub. About a hundred years before the time of the occultation, he wrote a book called "aI-Mashyakhah," and mentioned the hadiths about the occultation in it. The following is one of them.

Abu Basir said: "I said in the presence of Imam Sadiq (AS.) that Hazrat Abu Ja'far had said: 'The Qa'im of the family of Muhammad will have two occultation's; one prolonged, one short.' He said:

'Yes, 0 Abu Basir, one of those occultation's will be longer than the other."

Therefore, the Prophet of Islam (S.A.) and the pure Imams (A.S.) reminded people that the occultation of the Imam of the Age (A.S.) went together with the announcement of the existence of the Prophet himself, and that belief in the Imam's occultation went together with belief in the Prophet's existence.

Shaykh Saduq narrated from Al-Sayyid al-Himyari: "I had some exaggerated idea about Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, and believed that he was hidden, till Allah enlightened me through Imam Sadiq and saved me from the Fire. I was guided to the true way, whereby after the Imamate of Ja'far ibn Muhammad had been proved to me by evidence and demonstration, I said one day to him: '0 son of the Prophet of Allah, tell me some hadiths from your forefathers about occultation and the truth of it. If you please, I would that you tell me for whom the occultation is.' He replied: 'The occultation will occur for my descendent in the sixth generation, and he will be the twelfth Imam after the Prophet of Allah, the first one being 'Au ibn Abi Talib, and the last the Qa'im of the Truth, the one who remains with Allah on earth, and the Lord of the Age..."

In previous lessons we have said that the existence of the Imam (A.S.) and the successor of the Prophet (S.A.) was necessary for a number of reasons, such as settling differences, explaining the laws of Allah, and giving spiritual, inward guidance, and that Allah, the Merciful, appointed Amir al-mu'minin (A.S.) and after him eleven descendents, one after the other, as Imams after the Prophet of Islam.

It is obvous that the duties of the Imam of the Age, in all the aspects of the Imamate, are the same as that of his predecessors. If there were no hindrance, it would he necessary that he be clearly manifested, so that people might prosper from all the benefits of his existence. So why was he hidden from the. very first?

Basically, there is no need to look for the philosophy or reasons behind his occultation so as to believe in the rule of Allah, for there is no obligation on us to know the basic reason for it, just as we remain ignorant of the metaphysics behind many other things. It is sufficient that we know on the basis of the many hadiths and true Proofs that God, the All Mighty, sent his own Proof, but that, for various reasons, He kept him hidden behind the curtain of occultation.

It can also be found from some hadiths that the basic and fundamental reason for the occultation will become known after the appearance of al-Mahdi. 'Abdullah al-Fadl al-Hashimi says: "I heard from Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (A.S.) that he said: 'The occultation will he indispensable for the Lord of Power, so that the people of vanity will fall into doubt about him.' I asked: 'Why?' He said:

For a reason which I am not at liberty to declare.'

I asked: 'What will his rule be?' He replied: 'the same rule as existed in the occultations of previous Proofs. It will not be disclosed until after his appearance, just as the rule of the works of Khidr was not known (meaning the drilling of a hole in the boat, the killing of the youth, the repairing of the wall in the story of Khidr in the Qur'an) until Musa and Khidr decided to part company. 0 Fadl, the subject of the occultation is a command of Allah and a secret of His secrets, and since we acknowledge Allah to be Wise, we must accept that all his acts are done with Knowledge and Wisdom, even if the reason for them is not known to us."

Of course the benefits of al-Mahdi's occulation can be discovered, and these have been indicated in some of the hadiths. For example:

1. A test for people is one of the benefits 0 the occultation of the Imam of the Age: on one side, a group without faith, whose inner feelings become evident; on the other side, those in the depths of whose hearts faith have taken root, their hope of deliverance, their patience in adversity, their faith in the unseen becoming more perfect, their worthiness becoming known, and degrees of spiritual reward falling to them.

Musa Ibn Ja'far (A,S.) said: ~when my fifth descendent becomes hidden, persevere in your religion, so that no one may turn you away from it. There will he an occultation for the Lord of that Age, when a group. of believers in him will relinquish their belief. This occultation is a test by which Allah will test his slaves."

2.A Protection for the Imam against being killed:

From a study of the leaders of Islam, and their situation vis-à-vis the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs, we can clearly see that if the twelfth Imam manifested himself they would surely kill him or poison him like his forefathers. Because when they heard and knew that there would arise from the family of the Prophet, from the descendents of 'Au and Fatimah (A.S.) someone who would destroy the government of the oppressors, and that that person would be child of Hazrat Imam Hasan aI-'Askari (A.S.), the Abassid planned to kill him. But Allah protected him and his enemies lost hope.

Zurarah relates From Imam Sadiq (A.S.) that he said: ~there will he an occultation prior to the appearance of the Qa'im." Zurarah asked: "Why?" He said: So that he may escape being killed, and that occultation will continue till the ground for his appearance and triumph over the rule of the oppressors is ready."

3. The third benefit that can be gleaned from the hadiths is that by this means al-Mahdi will be saved from having allegiance made to him by the oppressors, Caliphs, and usurping rulers. When he appears no one will swear allegiance to him, so that he can freely expose the truth and establish a just and righteous rule.

We have said above that God appointed the Imam of the Age to be a guide amongst people; however it is the people who are the obstacle to his appearance, and whenever they are ready for a single, divine world rule, formed on true justice Observing rights, truths and realities, putting into practice all the laws of Islam without any dissimulation or fear, al-Mahdi will openly declare himself. So, with regard to Allah, the Merciful,there is not the slightest lack of favour or mercy, for the fault lies with the people that the Imam is hidden and the appearance of his rule is delayed. Still, it must be remembered that the benefits of the existence of the Imam are not limited to outward guidance among people, for the pure existence of the Imam has other benefits which are not necessarily evident among people.

The most important benefit of the Imam's existence is that he is the intermediary for Divine Favour. For, on the basis of the evidence scholars have produced and also according to numerous hadiths which speak about the Imamate, if there were no Imam (A.S.), the relation between the world and its Creator would no longer exist, because all of the favours of Allah come through the Imam to the rest of humanity. In many hadiths it is said very, clearly that the earth will not remain without an Imam.

The Imam is the heart of the world of existence, the leader, the preceptor of mankind, and for this reason his presence or his absence makes no difference. What is more, the spiritual guidance of the Imam towards worthy individuals will always be there, although they may not see him, especially as it is mentioned in hadiths that al-Mahdi comes and goes in among the people in the meetings of the believers without anyone understanding. Thus the guarding of Islam and the protection of the worthy is well undertaken by the Imam, even during the time of his occultation. In reality the hidden Imam is like the sun behind a cloud from whose light and heat existent things may profit, although the ignorant and the blind may not see it.

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) also said in answer to the question: "How can people benefit from a hidden Imam?":

"Just as they do from the sun when it is behind a cloud."

We would now like you to look at this excerpt from the writings of Henri Corbin, the famous French scholar: "I believe that the Shi'a sect is the only religion which maintains eternally the link of Divine guidance between God and His creation, and continually keeps alive the union of wilayat. The Jewish religion, finished prophet hood, which is the relationship between God and the world of man, with Moses, and do not acknowledge the prophet hood of Jesus or Muhammad. Thus they have severed this link. The Christians, also, stopped eith Jesus, and the Sunni Muslims stood still with Muhammad. With the seal of prophet hood among the latter, they admit of no further link being maintained between the Creator and creation.

"Only the Shi'a faith believes that the prophet hood ended with Muhammad, but that wilayat, which is this link of guidance and progression, continues to live after him and forever.

"Indeed, only among the Shi'a does this reality between the world of man and the Divinity remain forever."

Belief in the Imam of the Age means that the link between people and the unseen world is inseparable, and someone who believes this must always remember al-Mahdi and await the appearance of this hidden reformer.

Of course, waiting for the Imam of the Age does not mean that all Muslims and Shi'a should fold their arms and take no measures in the way of furthering the aims of Islam, only waiting for him to appear. For as the great Shi'ite scholars have been saying from the earliest times, all Muslims and Shi'as have the duty to make every effort in the path of establishing and strengthening Islamic knowledge and laws in the face of injustice and evil, to struggle against this with all their possibilities; or, in other words, to strive till the preparation for a just rule has been made, till society has been so harmonized that all those with complaints have seen justice: and if there is any oppression or cruelty reigning among people, to protest against it, and continue in this way. Every Muslim has the duty to sacrifice himself in the way of Imam and Islam, and to always be prepared to welcome the promised al-Mahdi (A.S.), that is, to so order his life that it may not be a contradiction of the project of the imam, so that he can take his place in the ranks behind him and fight against his enemies.