The teaching about Mahdi and the expectation of a saving savior is a common belief among all Muslims, and except for rare individuals like Ibn Khaldun, none of the Muslim scholars have opposed this principle. The common beliefs of Islamic schools in this area are:
1. The Promised Savior
In all narrations about Imam Mahdi (aj), there is a kind of glad tidings and prediction of favorable conditions for the Islamic community and indeed for all humanity. The way these predictions are expressed is in complete harmony with what is presented in other divine religions about the period of the promised savior’s appearance.
2. From the Prophet’s (s) Lineage
Usually, along with the emphasis by hadith narrators that the hadiths about the announcement of Imam Mahdi’s (aj) appearance and rising are mutawatir and authentic, it is also mentioned that he is from the children of the Prophet (s) and is among his Ahlul Bayt. Additionally, many Sunni scholars have explicitly declared that Imam Mahdi (aj) is from the descendants of Fatima and Ali (as).
3. Successor of the Prophet (s)
In Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and many other Sunni canonical and hadith sources, a hadith is narrated from the Prophet (s) in which he announced that the number of his successors would be twelve. Many of the narrators who have claimed the authenticity or tawatur of the hadiths related to Imam Mahdi (aj) have considered him to be the twelfth successor among the Prophet’s (s) successors.
4. His Name is Muhammad
Although there are differences of opinion regarding the name of Imam Mahdi’s (aj) father, there is no doubt or disagreement that he himself bears the same name as the Prophet (s). In addition to this being explicitly mentioned in one of the six canonical books, in the speeches of some scholars who have claimed the tawatur of belief in Mahdism in Islam, his name is considered a certain and mutawatir fact.
5. His Title is Mahdi
In Islamic sources and texts, more than referring to the name of the promised Imam, his most famous title, which is Mahdi, is mentioned. The naming of hundreds of books and treatises with the name Mahdi, the explicit mention of this name in hundreds of hadiths and historical texts, the use of this title in naming chapters and sections of reliable Sunni sources, and the attempt of false claimants to take advantage of this name, shows that no one has had doubts in this regard.
6. His Appearance in the End Times
Most narrations and texts related to Imam Mahdi (aj) that are narrated in reliable sources of Islamic sects indicate that he will appear and rise in the end times. By end times is meant the final period of world history and before the occurrence of the Day of Judgment. In some of these narrations, his appearance or some events coinciding with the appearance of the promised one are mentioned as signs of the occurrence of the Day of Judgment.
7. His Rising, Victory, and Dominion
The narrations and glad tidings regarding the rising of Imam Mahdi (aj) speak of the certainty of his rising and victory over enemies and obtaining a powerful government. Some of these narrations consider the scope of his governance as global. In any case, there is no doubt or disagreement that the leadership and governance of the Islamic community will be in the hands of the promised Mahdi.
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The above content was published on 20/3/2025 on Imam Ali (AS) Foundation Library