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Imam al-Mahdi (aj) in Sunni Beliefs

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Question

Do Sunnis believe in Imam al-Mahdi (aj), and who do they consider the savior of Islam?


The belief in a savior's emergence in the end times is not unique to Shia Islam. All Muslims affirm that the Mahdi will emerge from the Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) lineage and will be a descendant of Imam al-Husayn (a), though many Sunnis believe his birth will occur in the end times.

The abundance of hadiths concerning Imam al-Mahdi (aj) in authoritative Sunni sources underscores their significance among Sunni scholars. These narrations detail not only the savior's name and primary characteristics but also elaborate on additional attributes ascribed to him.

The hadiths regarding the Mahdi are classified as al-Mutawatir (extensively transmitted and authentic). Furthermore, numerous Sunni scholars have verified these hadiths authenticity. These two factors establish that Sunnis accept the Mahdi narratives, rendering any claims of fabrication groundless and inadmissible.

Narrators of Hadiths About Imam al-Mahdi (aj)

Template:Mahdaviyyat-Vertical A significant number of the Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) companions and at-Tābi'ūn (the companions' disciples) transmitted hadiths concerning Imam al-Mahdi (aj). Shaykh Abd al-Muhsin Al-Abbad, a contemporary Sunni scholar and professor at the University of Medina, compiled a detailed article titled 'Aqīda Ahl as-Sunna wa al-Āthār fī al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, documenting 26 companions who narrated hadiths about Imam al-Mahdi (aj). These include: Ali b. Abi Talib (a), Uthman bin Affan, Talha b. Ubayd Allah, Abd ar-Rahman b. 'Awf, Hasan b. Ali, Umm Salama, Umm Habība, Abd Allah b. Mas'ūd, Abd Allah b. Umar, Abd Allah b. Amr b. al-'Ās, Abu Sa'īd al-Khudrī, and Jabir b. Abd Allah. Among the at-Tābi'ūn were Muhammad b. al-Hanafīyya, Qatāda, Makhūl, and Sa'īd b. Jubayr.[1]

Another scholar identifies 33 companions who reported hadiths about Imam al-Mahdi (aj). Beyond those previously mentioned, these include Talha b. Abd Allah, Abd Allah b. Abbas, 'Ammār b. Yāsir, Thawbān, Qurrat b. Iyās al-Muzani, Abd Allah b. Hārith, Abu Hurayra, Hudhayfa b. al-Yamān, Abu Umama, Jābir b. Mājjah, Anas b. Mālik, and 'Imran b. Husayn.[2]

Consequently, belief in al-Mahdaviyyat enjoys widespread acceptance among Muslims, with numerous prominent Sunni scholars validating these hadiths' authenticity. These scholars include Abu Dāwūd, Ahmad b. Hanbal, Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājjah, Hākim, Nasā'ī, Tabarānī, Ruyānī, Abu Na'īym al-Isfahānī, Daylamī, Bayhaqī, Tha'labī, Himawīnī, Mānawī, Ibn Maghāzilī, Muhammad as-Sabbān, Māwardī, Ganjī ash-Shafi'ī, Sama'ānī, Khwarazmī, Sha'rānī, Dārqutnī, Ibn Sabbāgh al-Mālikī, Shablanjī, Muhibb ad-Din at-Tabarī, Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī, Shaykh Mansūr Ali Nasīf, Muhammad b. Talha, Jalāl ad-Dīn as-Suyūtī, Shaykh Sulaymān al-Hanafī, Qurtubī, Baghaūī, and others.[3]

These hadiths encompass diverse aspects: Imam al-Mahdi's (aj) lineage, governance, role in establishing justice, and the signs and events heralding his appearance. A scholar notes: "It is not an overstatement to assert that virtually every major hadith narrator among Muslims has transmitted at least some traditions foretelling Imam al-Mahdi's (aj) appearance in the end times."[4]

The same scholar presented an extensive compilation, spanning multiple pages, of Sunni authorities who incorporated hadiths about Imam al-Mahdi (aj) in their works.[5]


Sunni Scholars and Authentication of Hadiths About the Mahdi (aj)

The authenticity of hadiths concerning Imam al-Mahdi (aj) has been validated by a majority of eminent Sunni scholars. According to comprehensive research by M. Al-Āmidī, over 60 scholars have explicitly authenticated these traditions. Notable among them are:

  • Imam Tirmidhī (d. 279 AH), who classified the Mahdi hadiths as Hasan (sound) and Sahīh (authentic).
  • Hāfiz Abu Ja'far 'Aqīlī (d. 322 AH).
  • Hākim an-Niyshabūrī (d. 405 AH).
  • Imam Bayhaqī (d. 458 AH).
  • Imam Baghawī (d. 510 AH).
  • Qurtubī al-Mālikī (d. 671 AH).
  • Ibn Taymīyya (d. 728 AH), who stated: 'The hadiths employed by al-'Allāma al-Hillī to establish the Mahdi's appearance are authentic.'
  • Hāfiz Dhahabī (d. 748 AH).
  • Hāfiz Ibn Qayyim (d. 751 AH).
  • Taftāzānī (d. 793 AH).
  • Nūr ad-Dīn Haythamī (d. 807 AH).
  • As-Suyūtī (d. 911 AH).
  • Ash-Shawkānī (d. 1250 AH).[6]

Notably, contemporary prominent Sunni scholars, including Shaykh Abd al-'Azīz b. Bāz, have also validated these hadiths' authenticity. As documented by Khusrawshāhī, Shaykh b. Bāz declared in a discourse on the Mahdi: «I have extensive knowledge of these hadiths. As confirmed by Ash-Shawkānī, Ibn Qayyim, and others, they comprise authentic, sound, weak but corroborated, and some fabricated traditions. However, those with reliable chains of transmission suffice! The traditions—whether authentic, mutually supporting, sound, strengthened by additional chains, or even weak but reinforced by concordant sources—provide sufficient evidence for scholars. Their mutawatir (mass-transmitted) status is established through their diverse terminology, meanings, chains, and sources. Authoritative scholars have collectively affirmed their reliability and mutawatir nature, and we have witnessed scholars establish many principles with less substantiation. Evidently, the scholarly consensus confirms Imam al-Mahdi and his end-times appearance. Any isolated contrary opinion carries no weight.».[7]

Shaykh Abd al-Muhsin Al-Abbād, a contemporary Saudi Arabian Sunni scholar who conducted extensive research on the Mahdi (aj), explained his research motivation: «I composed this work to address the misconceptions in a Qatari scholar's treatise, to demonstrate the abundance of authentic hadiths prophesying the Mahdi's end-times appearance, and to show the unanimous agreement of Sunni scholars, past and present, excepting those who deviated from established doctrine and adopted peripheral views.».[8]

This scholar produced a detailed analysis of Imam al-Mahdi (aj), establishing the authenticity of related hadiths and prophecies of his appearance. Ustadh Khosrowshahi rendered this research into Persian under the title The Universal Reformer and the Promised Mahdi from Shiite and Sunni Perspectives.

Documentation of Hadiths about Imam al-Mahdi (aj) in Sunni Sources

Analysis of major Sunni hadith compendiums reveals extensive transmission of traditions concerning Imam al-Mahdi (aj) from Prophet Muhammad (s).[9] Indeed, Sunni hadith scholars, from classical to contemporary periods, have devoted considerable attention to these traditions, incorporating them either within broader collections or in dedicated compilations. Prominent Sunni scholars who have documented these narrations include:

  • Abu Dāwūd, Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājjah, and Nasā'ī in their respective Sunan collections.
  • Ahmad b. Hanbal in his Musnad.
  • Hākim an-Niyshābūrī in Al-Mustadrak 'ala as-Sahīhayn.

Additionally, scholars such as As-Suyūtī, Ibn Kathīr, Ibn Hajar, and the compiler of Kanz al-'Ummāl have produced works specifically focused on Imam al-Mahdi (aj).[10]

Seventeen distinguished Sunni scholars have explicitly declared in their works that the hadiths concerning the Mahdi (aj) are Mutawātir (mass-transmitted).[11] Al-'Āmidī, whose research encompasses comprehensive studies on this subject, states:

Hadith specialists, along with numerous scholars and researchers expert in this discipline, have confirmed the Mutawātir status of Mahdi-related traditions in Sunni sources, including the Sahih and Musnad compilations.[12]

He subsequently provides a detailed enumeration of these scholars and their attestations. Notable among them are:

  • Barbahārī al-Hanbalī (d. 329 AH).
  • Muhammad b. Husayn Al-'Abrī ash-Shāfi'ī (d. 363 AH).
  • Qurtubī al-Mālikī (d. 761 AH).
  • Hāfiz Jamāl ad-Dīn al-Mizzī (d. 742 AH).
  • Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzī (d. 751 AH).
  • Shams ad-Dīn as-Sakhāwī (d. 902 AH).
  • As-Suyūtī (d. 911 AH).
  • Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī (d. 974 AH).
  • Al-Muttaqī al-Hindī (d. 975 AH).[13]

The Nature of Mutawātir Hadiths are distinguished by their transmission through such numerous chains of narrators in each generation that collusion in fabrication would be implausible. These traditions establish definitive knowledge ('Ilm), in contrast to singular transmissions (khabar al-Wāhid), which yield only probabilistic understanding.[14]

Sunni Scholarly Attestations to the Mutawātir Status of Mahdi Traditions

  • Hāfiz Abu Abd Allah al-Ganjī ash-Shāfi'ī (d. 658 AH), in his treatise Al-Bayan fi Akhbār Sāhib az-Zamān, affirms: «The Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) traditions regarding the Mahdi have attained Mutawātir status through the multiplicity of their transmitters.».[15]
  • Ibn Hajar al-Asqalānī ash-Shāfi'ī (d. 852 AH), in Fath al-Bārī fi Sharh Sahīh al-Bukhārī, declares: «Mutawātir traditions establish that the Mahdi (aj) will emerge from this community and that Jesus (a) will descend and pray behind him.».[16]
  • Sheikh Mansūr Ali Nasīf, a distinguished contemporary Al-Azhar scholar and author of At-Tāj al-Jāmi' li al-Usūl, states: «Both classical and contemporary scholars acknowledge that a descendant of the Prophet (s), named al-Mahdi, shall undoubtedly emerge in the end times. He will unify Muslim territories under his governance, receiving unanimous allegiance from Muslims. His rule will be characterized by justice and religious revitalization. Subsequently, the Dajjal will emerge, followed by the descent of Jesus the Messiah (a), who will either independently eliminate the Dajjal or collaborate with the Mahdi in this task. The Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) pronouncements regarding the Mahdi have been transmitted through numerous noble companions. Prominent hadith authorities, including Abu Dāwūd, Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājjah, Tabarānī, Abu Ya'lā, Al-Bazzāz, Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal, and Hākim an-Niyshābūrī, have preserved these traditions in their compilations.».[17]

Prophetic Traditions about Imam al-Mahdi (aj) in Sunni Sources

The Divine Promise of a Universal Savior

  • Umm Salama narrates: «I heard the Messenger of God (s) declare: The promised Mahdi shall emerge from my lineage, from the descendants of Fatima (a).».[18]
  • Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a) transmits that the Prophet (s) proclaimed: «'Even if but a single day remains of this world, God will raise from my family a man who will fill the earth with justice and equity, as it had been filled with oppression and injustice.».[19]
  • Abu Sa'īd al-Khudrī relates: «The Prophet (s) said: Our Mahdi will be distinguished by a broad forehead and a refined nose. He will fill the earth with justice and equity, as it had been filled with oppression and tyranny. His reign shall extend seven years.».[20]

Thus, all Islamic schools share the fundamental belief in Imam al-Mahdi (aj) and his prophesied emergence as humanity's savior in the end times. The primary divergence among various Islamic schools concerns the timing of the Mahdi's (aj) birth. Ibn Abi al-Hadīd, a prominent Sunni scholar, observes regarding Imam al-Mahdi (aj): «Universal Muslim consensus holds that this world and its divine laws shall persist until the Mahdi's (aj) manifestation».[21]

Doctrinal Distinctions Between Sunni and Shiite Views on Imam al-Mahdi (aj)

While all Islamic schools—Sunni, Shiite, and their derivative branches—unanimously affirm the doctrine of Imam al-Mahdi (aj) and his eventual emergence, divergent perspectives exist regarding his current existence versus future birth. This theological distinction, particularly pronounced among Sunni schools, centers on two principal positions:

The Contemporary Existence of Imam al-Mahdi (aj)

Several Sunni scholars maintain that Imam al-Mahdi (aj) has already been born, lives in occultation, and will emerge in the end times. Proponents of this position include:

  • Hāfiz Sulaymān b. Ibrāhīm Qundūzī al-Hanafi (d. 1294 AH)
  • Sheikh Mu'min b. Hasan b. Mu'min Shablanjī ash-Shāfi'ī
  • Sibt b. al-Jawzī (d. 654 AH)
  • Ganjī ash-Shāfi'ī (d. 658 AH)

Qundūzī al-Hanafī elaborates in Yanābī' al-Mawadda on the tradition of Imam al-Mahdi's (aj) birth, transmitted by Hakīma Khātūn, daughter of Imam al-Jawād (a).[22] Similar traditions are documented by Shablanjī in Nūr al-Absār[23], Ibn al-Jawzī in Tadhkirat al-Khawās[24], and Ganjī ash-Shāfi'ī in Al-Bayān.[25]

The Future Birth Perspective

The predominant view among Sunni scholars holds that Imam al-Mahdi (aj) will be born prior to his manifestation in the end times. While the majority of Sunni scholars advocate this latter position, their traditions concur that Imam al-Mahdi (aj) will descend from the Prophet (s), Ali ibn Abi Talib (a), and Fatima (a). They further acknowledge his lineage through Imam al-Husayn (a), Imam ar-Ridā (a), and Imam al-Hasan al-'Askarī (a)[26], though they maintain that this promised Imam has yet to be born.

References

  1. ↑ ‘Alī Riḍā ‘Alī Nūrī, Shinākht-e Ḥaḍrat Mahdī (‘aj), Qom, Zamzam-e Hidāyat, chāp-e sevvom, 1385 sh, ṣ 28.
  2. ↑ Ghulām Ḥasan Moḥarramī, Nigarishī Tārīkhī bih Ḥayāt-e Imām Zamān (‘aj), Qom, Partow-e Wilāyat, chāp-e dovvom, 1392 sh, ṣ 42.
  3. ↑ Āyat Allāh Ṣāfī Gulpāygānī, Navīd-e Amn wa Amān, Tehrān, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, ṣ 91-92
  4. ↑ Sayyid Thāmir Hāshim al-‘Amīdī, Dar Intiẓār-e Quqnūs, tarjuma: Mahdī ‘Alīzāda, Qom, Mu’assasa-ye Imām Khomeinī, chāp-e awwal, 1379 sh, ṣ 66.
  5. ↑ Dar Intiẓār-e Quqnūs, ṣ 66-68.
  6. ↑ Dar Intiẓār-e Quqnūs, ṣ 72-76.
  7. ↑ Sayyid Hādī Khosrowshāhī, Muṣliḥ-e Jahānī wa Mahdī-ye Mau‘ūd, Tehrān, Intishārāt-e Iṭṭilā‘āt, chāp-e dovvom, 1374 sh, ṣ 106.
  8. ↑ Muṣliḥ-e Jahānī wa Mahdī-ye Mau‘ūd, ṣ 113.
  9. ↑ Al-‘Amīdī, pīshīn, ṣ 69.
  10. ↑ Shinākht-e Ḥaḍrat Mahdī (‘aj), ṣ 28.
  11. ↑ R.k. Mahdī Pīshwā’ī, Sīrat-e Pīshwāyān, Qom, Intishārāt-e Mu’assasa-ye Imām Ṣādiq, chāp-e hashtom, 1378 sh, ṣ 698.
  12. ↑ Dar Intiẓār-e Quqnūs, ṣ 76.
  13. ↑ Dar Intiẓār-e Quqnūs, ṣ 76-80.
  14. ↑ Shaykh ‘Abdullāh Māmaqānī, Miqyās al-Hidāya fī ‘Ilm al-Dirāya, Qom, Mu’assasa Āl al-Bayt li-Iḥyā’ al-Turāth, chāp-e awwal, 1411 q, j 1, ṣ 108-112.
  15. ↑ Al-Bayān fī Akhbār Ṣāḥib al-Zamān, Qom, Mu’assasa al-Nashr al-Islāmī al-Tābi‘a li-Jamā‘at al-Mudarrisīn, chāp-e shishum, 1417 q, ṣ 124.
  16. ↑ Fatḥ al-Bārī bi-Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Bayrūt, Dār al-Ma‘rifa, j 6, ṣ 493-494.
  17. ↑ Al-Tāj al-Jāmi‘ lil-Uṣūl, al-Qāhira, Dār Iḥyā’ al-Kutub al-‘Arabiyya, chāp-e dovvom, j 5, ṣ 310.
  18. ↑ Abī Dāwūd, Sunan, taḥqīq: Sa‘īd Muḥammad al-Laḥḥām, Dār al-Fikr, chāp-e awwal, 1410 q, j 2, ṣ 310.
  19. ↑ Abī Dāwūd, Sunan, taḥqīq: Sa‘īd Muḥammad al-Laḥḥām, Dār al-Fikr, chāp-e awwal, 1410 q, j 2, ṣ 310.
  20. ↑ Abī Dāwūd, Sunan, taḥqīq: Sa‘īd Muḥammad al-Laḥḥām, Dār al-Fikr, chāp-e awwal, 1410 q, j 2, ṣ 208.
  21. ↑ Ṣāfī Gulpāygānī, Luṭf Allāh, Muntakhab al-Athar, Tehrān, Min Manshūrāt Maktabat al-Ṣadr, bī-tā, ṣ 3.
  22. ↑ Qandūzī Ḥanafī, Sulaymān ibn Ibrāhīm, Yanābī‘ al-Mawadda, Qom, Intishārāt-e Sharīf Raḍī, chāp-e awwal, 1371 sh, j 2, ṣ 464.
  23. ↑ Shiblanjī Shāfi‘ī, Mu’min ibn Ḥasan ibn Mu’min, Nūr al-Abṣār, Bayrūt, Dār al-Jubayl, 1409 q, ṣ 342.
  24. ↑ Ibn Jawzī, Tadhkirat al-Khawāṣ, Bayrūt, Mu’assasa Ahl al-Bayt, 1401 q, ṣ 325.
  25. ↑ Ganjī Shāfi‘ī, Al-Bayān fī Akhbār Ṣāḥib al-Zamān (‘aj), Manshūrāt Mu’assasa al-Hādī lil-Maṭbū‘āt, 1399 q, ṣ 148.
  26. ↑ Jūwaynī, Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad, Farā’id al-Simṭayn, Bayrūt, Mu’assasa al-Muḥammadī lil-Ṭibā‘a wa al-Nashr, chāp-e awwal, 1400 q, j 2, ṣ 318, 320, 323, 329, 337.

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