.Although we have hadiths and historical reports about the birth of Imam Hassan al-Askari’s (as) son as the twelfth imam from the Prophet’s (s) lineage, which is consistent with the narrations of different schools about the Quraishi descent of the twelve successors, many Muslims do not trust these reports and do not consider such documents sufficient for accepting religious beliefs.
But if we base our understanding of religion on the Quran instead of hadith, we find teachings about whose authenticity we have no doubts. The Quran in verse 73 of Surah Al-Anbiya and verse 24 of Surah As-Sajdah presents the position of imamate as a spiritual position and guidance through “divine command,” and in the last two verses of Surah Ya-Sin considers what belongs to the world of “command” as a celestial matter beyond the causes and factors of the material world.
On the other hand, in verse 124 of Surah Al-Baqarah, reference is made to the continuity of the position of imamate in the progeny of Prophet Ibrahim (as), and verse 28 of Surah Az-Zukhruf speaks of the preservation of the position of guidance in this lineage. When we put these points alongside verses such as verse 7 of Surah Ar-Ra’d which includes this favor for all communities, we reach the conclusion that the Quran speaks of the continuity of inner guidance in all periods.
Now we must answer this question: Who took charge of this inner position after the Prophet (s)? By examining the answers of different schools to this question, we find that the only solution compatible with Quranic teachings is the view that considers the chain of imamate as remaining and continuing in Ahlul Bayt, and which, while acknowledging the ambiguity in the birth and longevity of the last imam, accepts that he is alive.
In this view, instead of taking questionable hadith or historical narratives as a basis, we consider the Quran as the reliable and definitive religious document, and without wanting to judge the details of what came in the narrations, we use their valuable insights for a better understanding of Quranic teachings and give credibility to hadiths that are in harmony with the Book of God.
Thus, the Quranic argument about the existence of Imam Mahdi (aj) can be summarized as follows:
1. The Quran presents imamate as a spiritual position for the inner guidance of all communities that remains in the progeny of Prophet Ibrahim (as).
2. Among the proposed theories about the succession of the Prophet (s), only what the Twelver Shias say is in harmony with the Quran.
It is interesting that in Sunni canonical books there are hadiths with this content that the Prophet (s) announced his true successors as twelve caliphs, and this point is only compatible with the view of Twelver Shias about the number of imams and the longevity of the last successor of the Prophet (s).
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The above content was published on 20/3/2025 on Imam Ali (AS) Foundation Library