Denial of Imam Mehdi's appearance—an open error ظہور مہدی کا انکار ایک کھلی گمراہی

By Maulana Nadeemul Wajidi

The traditions quoted in the previous article were derived from Bukhari and Muslim apart from other books of hadiths. Now some other hadiths are reproduced that are present in Bukhari and Muslim. Though the name of Mehdi is not mentioned in the hadiths, the scholars of hadiths have meant Hadhrat Mehdi by the personality mentioned therein because many other traditions corroborate the content of those hadiths word by word. For example, Abu Hurairas says: “Hardhat Muhammad (PBUH) said, What will be your position when Jesus Christ will descend amidst you at a time when your imam will be present amidst you?”( Sahih Al Bukhari:3/1272, Raqm-al-Hadith: 3265, Sahih Muslim 1/135, Raqm al Hadith 155). A similar hadith is quoted by Jabir bin Abdullah in the following words: “When Jesus Christ descends, the Emir of the Muslims will say to him, “Please come and lead our prayer (namaz).”  Jesus will say, “No, (One among you should lead the prayer). The Emir of the Muslims will be from among them. This is an honour for the Muhammadi ummah from God.” ( Al mannar al munif la bin al qayyim:147). This hadith is also present in Muslim Sharif without the mention of Mehdi. (Please refer to Sahih Muslim: 1/137, Raqm al Hadith 156).

Although the name of Mehdi is not mentioned in the hadith of Muslim, all the exponents of Muslim Sharif have written in their books that the person who will lead the prayers ( conduct the imamat) is Hadhrat Mehdi.( Please refer to Akmalul Muallam, author Abu Abdulllah Muhammad bin Khalfa Al Maliki: 1/268; Marqatul Mafateeh  Mulla Ali Qari:1/232; Faizul Bari Lil Imam Anwar Shah Al Kashmiri:4/45; Fathal Malham Sharah Sahih Muslim compiled by Shaikhul Islam Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani : 1/303). The scholars of hadiths have adopted the same approach  while explaining the hadith of Abu Hurairah quoted earlier meaning Hadhrat Mehdi by ‘imamakum minkum’.( Refer to Fath al Bari sharah Sahih Bukhari compiled by Hafiz Ibn Hajar al Asqalani:6/611; Amdat ul Qari sharah Sahih al Bukhari compiled by Hafiz Badruddin Al Aini: 16/40). Some more traditions in this series are presented below. All these traditions are present in authentic books like Bukhari and Muslim. Although in these hadiths, the name of Mehdi is not specified but the scholars of hadith have implied Mehdi by the person mentioned in these hadiths because they have all the hadiths in consideration. In many traditions the name has been specified. The only way to establish link between the traditions specifying the name and the ones not specifying it is to juxtapose them and imply Hadhrat Mehdi:

“Hadhrat Jabir bin Abdullah is quoted as saying, “very soon money and foodgrain will be barred from reaching Iraq.” The audience enquired, “Who will put obstacles? He replied, “Ajami”( the non-Arabs). After saying this, Hadhrat Jabir paused for a while then said, “Very soon, the arrival of dinar and foodgrain will be blocked from reaching Syria.” We (the audience) asked, “Who will do this?” He said, “The Romans”. After this he said, “The Prophet (PBUH) said that there will be a caliph in his ummah who will distribute wealth without measure among the ummah and will not keep account”( Sahih Muslim: 4/2234; Raqmul Hadith:2913). A tradition of the same content is quoted by Hadhrat Abu Huraira (Sahih Muslim:4/2220; Raqmul Hadith:2896). The scholars of hadiths are of the opinion that the caliph mentioned in these traditions is no other than Hadhrat Mehdi because in other traditions, it is said that during his caliphate, Hadhrat Mehdi will distribute topfull of wealth among his ummah and will not deem it necessary to count and measure as production, booty and victories will come in such great measure that the treasury will be full.( Please refer to the tradition of Abu Khidhri with reference to Mustadrak al Hakim:4/557, Majma uz zawayed:7/313). This tradition of Abu Khidhri is also present in Muslim Sharif though the name of the caliph is not mentioned therein. He says, “There will be a caliph among you who will give out topfull of wealth and booty without counting.”(Sahih Muslim:4/2235, Raqmul Hadith:2914). Discussing these traditions Hadhrat Maulana Badr-e-Alam Mahajir Madani writes,” It is evident from the hadiths of Sahih Muslim that there will be a caliph among the Muslims whose reign will see extraordinary prosperity. When Jesus Christ will come down from the heavens, the caliph will already have stood up to lead the namaz. Upon seeing Jesus Christ he will move backwards making room for him to lead the prayer. Jesus will say, “Since you have already taken the lead, you have the right to conduct the prayer. This is an honour for this ummah”. All these attributes have been mentioned in the sahih hadiths in which the scholars of hadith have no doubt. Now the only question remains is: Is the caliph Hadhrat Mehdi or someone else? In the hadiths of the second category, it is specifically said that Hardhat Mehdi will be the caliph. In my view, when the hadiths of Sahih Muslim have mentioned the caliph, then the hadiths of the second category with the specification of the name and the same details should be considered akin to the hadiths of Sahih Muslim. So now if it is said that the Proof of Hadhrat Mehdi is present in Sahih Muslim, there is room for justification (Tarjuman al sunnah).

Hadhrat Aiysha says,” One day during his sleep, there was a commotion in the Holy Prophet’s body(PBUH). I said, “O Prophet of Allah! Today you did what I never saw before”. He(PBUH) said that it is surprising that some people from my ummah will set out towards the Kaaba to  fight a man from Quraish until they will be sunk into the ground at Beda’a. I asked, “O Prophet of Allah, there are all kinds of people on the way.” He(PBUH) said, “Yes, some of them will indeed be fighters, while some of them will be compelled to join and some of them will be travellers. All of them will die but their fate will be decided according to their intent (Sahih Muslim:4/2210, Raqmul Hadith:2884).

A similar tradition is quoted by Umm-e-Salma. The narrator of this tradition Abdullah Ibn Qibtiya says that during the battle of Abdullah Bin Zubair (R.A.), Haris Ibn Rabeeah and Abdullah bin Safwan, visited the mother of the ummah, Umm-e-Salma. I was also with them. The two asked Umm-e-Salma about the army that would be sunk into the ground. Hadhrat Umm-e-Salma replied that the Holy Prophet(PBUH) said that a man seeking refuge will  take refuge in the Kaaba and an army will set out to fight him. When the army will reach Beda’a, it will cave into the ground.” I asked,” O Prophet of Allah, even those who will join the army on compulsion?”. He (PBUH) said, “They will also be sunk in but they will be raised on the Day of Judgement according to their intent.”(Sahih Muslim:4/2208, Raqmul Hadith:2882).

Yet another hadith says, “Thus spake that a man will take refuge in Baitullah and an army will set out to attack him and when the army will reach the place called Beda’a, the people in the middle will be sunk in. The people in front of the army will call out to those in the end but no one will survive except the one who gave news about them.”(Sahih Muslim:4/2209, Raqmul Hadith:2883).

While discussing these traditions, Hadhrat Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani writes,” Although, the caliph Mehdi has not been mentioned specifically, other Sahih hadiths clearly state that the person taking refuge in the Kaaba will be Hadhrat Mehdi. The army of Sufiani will set out from Syria to attack him but will be sunk in the ground at Beda’a. Similarly, it is also stated clearly in Sahih Hadiths that the person who will give out topfull of wealth and booty is indeed Caliph Mehdi. Therefore, those hadiths clearly hint at Hadhrat Mehdi. (Al khalifatul Mehdi fil ahadith al sahihah: page 113).

Another misconception which has been spread is that Jesus Christ and Hadhrat Mehdi are two names of the same person. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan’s point of view is the same. He says that a particular hadith implies that Jesus Christ and Hadhrat Mehdi are two symbolic names of a single personality. The person to appear in the last phase of the world is called Rajal Momin in some traditions, Mehdi in some others and Jesus in quite a few. Therefore, all these three words connote three aspects of a single personality rather than three different personalities. This theory is concocted which was produced by people earlier as well. The scholars of hadiths spent their whole life in proving this theory wrong. They compiled separate hadiths about these two different personalities and wrote articles and books on them proving that they are two different personalities, though they belong to the same time period and at a particular point of time they will even come together. It is surprising that Maulana Wahiduddin Khan ignored all the hadiths and stuck to the tradition of Ibn Maja. Before we present the traditions that declare the two as independent personalities, let’s analyse the tradition Maulana Wahiduddin Khan has taken recourse to.

The tradition Maulana Wahiduddin Khan has hinted at is narrated by Hadhrat Anas bin Malik who quotes it thus: “The Holy Prophet(PBUH) said that things will become tougher, the world will return to anarchy, people will indulge in miserliness, the Doomsday will visit the worst of the people and Mehdi is Issa bin Maryam.”(Sunan Ibn Maja: 2/1340, Raqmul Hadith 4039). This tradition gives the hint that Hadhrat Mehdi and Jesus Christ are not different personalities but the same. One rebuttal to this tradition is that it is a weak hadith because its authenticity depends on Mohammad bin Khalid al Jundi about whom Hafiz Zahbi  has quoted Azdi as saying that Mohammad bin Khalid is munkirul hadith (denier of hadiths); Abu Abdullah al Hakim has declared it anonymous. Hafiz Zahbi is himself of the view that la Mehdi wa la Issa bin Maryam is a statement of denial (Mizanul Aitdaal:3/535); Hafiz ibn Taimiyya has termed this tradition as weak (Minhajul Sunnah: 4/211); Hafiz ibn Hajar has termed it as anonymous( Taqreeb al Tehzib:2/157). Hafiz San’ai has termed this hadith as mauzoo’(fabricated)(Al ahadith al mauzooah lil saukani:195). Allama Sayuti has termed its narration as weak in his book and has also cited a statement of Allama Qurtubi( Al arfal wardi fi akhbar al Mehdi:2/274). The renowned researcher of the modern times, Sheikh Nasiruddin al Albani has written that this hadith is rejected. The members of the Qadiani sect have used this hadith in support of the claim to prophethood by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani who had claimed that he was Jesus, the son of Mary. He later claimed that he was Jesus Christ as well as Mehdi the promised (Silsilatul Ahadith al zayeefa: Raqmul hadith 77).

This tradition is not attributable also for the reason that Ibn Maja himself has quoted hadiths which prove that Mehdi is different from Jesus. For example, the hadith: al Mehdi min walad e Fatima (Mahdi is one of the sons of Fatima) (Sunan ibn Maja: 2/1368, Raqmul Hadith 4086). Secondly, there are a series of hadiths in which his parentage, appearance, manners and behaviour, age, the duration of his caliphate have been stated in great detail. On the other hand, the traditions about Jesus Christ also are in abundance in which many facts have been given in detail. On studying the traditions about the two personalities it becomes quite evident that the two are different. From some traditions, their being two different persons is evident prima facie. For example, a hadith runs thus: “The Holy Prophet (PBUH) says: “The ummah whose beginning is marked by me, the end is marked by Jesus and the middle by Mehdi can never perish”.(Kanzul Amal:14/266, Raqmul Hadith 3827).

Similarly, a tradition narrated by Hadhrat Abu Amamah runs thus: “One day the Holy Prophet spoked about Dajjal (anti-Christ) in his khutbah (sermon). On the occasion he also said that Madina will be cleansed of bad people in the same way as iron furnace cleans iron of rust. The day will be called the Day of Salvation.” Umme Sharik (from the audience) asked, “Where will be the Arabs that day?” He (PBUH) replied, “The Arabs will be less in number and most of them will populate Jerusalem. Their imam, Mehdi will be a noble person. One morning when their imam will move forward to conduct the prayer, all of a sudden Jesus, the son of Mary will descend from the heavens. The imam will retreat so that Jesus can lead (the prayer). Jesus will put his hand on the middle of his shoulders and say, go ahead, the iqamat has been called for you. So, the imam of the Muslims will lead him in the prayer. (Ibn Maja:2/1359: Raqmul Hadith 4077).

The summary of what has been stated in the paragraphs above is that in the final period, God will help and defend the Deen (Islam) through a noble caliph and reformer who will be from ahl-e-Bayt . His reign will span over seven years. Before his advent, lawlessness and anarchy will rule supreme. His mode of governance will turn the world into a cradle of peace and justice. There will be an augmentation in prosperity. The ummah will be bestowed with a lot of material wealth. Agricultural production will increase. The treasuries will be opened to the public. People will take whatever wealth they would like to. His nickname will be Mehdi. He will be a descendant of Hadhrat Hassan(A.S.), son of Hadhrat Ali(R.A.) and Hadhrat Fatima(R.A.). Like the Holy Prophet(PBUH), his name will also be Muhammad. Like the name of the prophet’s father, his father’s name will also be Abdullah. Like the name, he will also have close resemblance to the face, appearance and behaviour of the Holy Prophet(PBUH). He will spend the bigger part of his life in Medina, though there is no unanimity on his place of death. Traditions have it that he will die at the age of 49 and Muslims will offer his namaz-e-janazah (funeral prayer). He will migrate from Medina to Syria to defend and uphold the faith. During that period, Damascus and the surrounding areas will be under the rule of a tyrant ruler called Sufiani. From there he (Mehdi) will go to Makkah. People will recognise him and  pay allegiance to him between Hajr-e-Aswad and maqaam-e-Ibrahim. On the other hand, the ruler of Syria will send a troop to fight him but will be sunk into the earth at Beda’a. When Sufiani will come to know of the fate of his troops, he will himself set out with a huge army for Makkah but with the help of God, Hadhrat Mehdi and his followers will defeat Sufiani’s army. Subsequently, Hadhrat Mehdi will establish the holy caliphate and govern according to the Sharia. He will rule the entire Arab, Damascus being his capital. During his rule, he will fight a prolonged battle with the Roman Christians. It will continue for six years and end with the victory of the Muslims and defeat of the Christians. Countless people will die in the battle. In the sixth year, Dajjal will appear. He will go round the world including Makkah and Medina and cause schism and bloodshed. When Dajjal will reach Damascus, Jesus Christ will descend from the heavens on the earth to decide his fate. He will descend on the white minaret located in the eastern part of Damascus. At that particular moment, Hadhrat Mehdi will have already stood on the prayer mat to lead the prayer. Jesus Christ will offer namaz in his leadership, will chase Dajjal till Palestine and kill him. Muslims will also kill the Jews till the last person. After this, Jesus will break the Cross which is the symbol of Christianity, slaughter the pig and invite people towards Islam. There will be no one on earth who will not come into the fold of Islam. Then Hadhrat Mehdi will pass away and Jesus Christ will rule over the Muslims. All these events are corroborated by Sahih Hadiths. The deniers of Mehdi should tell where they find the aspect of symbolism in the traditions. Is there any event whose incidence can be considered impossible or is it necessary that if our understanding does not accept something we should deny it. The theory of the appearance of Hadhrat Mehdi has been a part of our belief for the last 1400 years and we cannot turn our face from it on the suggestions of some Wahiduddin Khan or Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani.

Source: Sahafat, New Delhi

URL: https://newageislam.com/urdu-section/denial-imam-mehdi-appearance—an-open/d/3242