Imam Mahdi (a) in the Beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah

Question

Do Sunnis accept Imam Mahdi (AS), and who do they consider the savior of Islam?

The belief in the appearance of a savior in the End Times is not exclusive to Shia Muslims. All Muslims believe that Mahdi is from the lineage of the Prophet (PBUH) and a descendant of Hussain (AS), except that many Ahl al-Sunnah expect his birth to occur in the End Times. The abundance of narrations about Imam Mahdi (AS) in reliable Sunni hadith collections and sources indicates the high importance of these narrations among Sunni scholars. In these narrations, in addition to the name and characteristics of the savior, some other features of him are also mentioned. On one hand, the narrations about Mahdi are mutawatir (mass-transmitted), and on the other hand, many Sunni scholars have confirmed their authenticity. These two facts demonstrate that the narrations about Mahdi are accepted from the Sunni perspective, and the claim of their fabrication is baseless and lacks credibility.

Narrators of Hadiths about Mahdi (AS)

Template:Mahdism-Vertical Many companions (Sahabah) and successors (Tabi'un) have narrated traditions related to Imam Mahdi (AS). Sheikh Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbad, a contemporary Sunni writer and professor at the University of Medina, in a detailed article titled "The Belief of Ahl al-Sunnah and the Narrations about the Awaited Mahdi," has compiled the names of 26 companions who narrated hadiths about Imam Mahdi (AS): Ali ibn Abi Talib, Uthman ibn Affan, Talha ibn Ubaydullah, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Hasan ibn Ali, Umm Salama, Umm Habiba, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Abdullah ibn Umar, Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, Jabir ibn Abdullah from the companions, and from the successors: Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, Qatadah, Makhul, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, and others.

Another researcher has mentioned 33 companions who narrated hadiths about Mahdi. In addition to the individuals mentioned above, he includes Talha ibn Abdullah, Abdullah ibn Abbas, Ammar ibn Yasir, Thawban, Qarrah ibn Iyas al-Muzani, Abdullah ibn al-Harith, Abu Huraira, Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, Abu Umamah, Jabir ibn Majah, Anas ibn Malik, and Imran ibn Husayn.

Thus, the issue of Mahdism is generally accepted among Muslims, and prominent Sunni scholars have acknowledged its authenticity. Among them, we can mention individuals such as Abu Dawud, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, al-Hakim, al-Nasa'i, al-Tabarani, al-Ruyani, Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani, al-Daylami, al-Bayhaqi, al-Tha'labi, al-Hamuyini, al-Munawi, Ibn al-Maghazili, Muhammad al-Sabban, al-Mawardi, al-Ganji al-Shafi'i, al-Sam'ani, al-Khawarizmi, al-Sha'rani, al-Daraqutni, Ibn al-Sabbagh al-Maliki, al-Shablanji, Muhibb al-Din al-Tabari, Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, Sheikh Mansur Ali Nasef, Muhammad ibn Talha, Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, Sheikh Sulayman al-Hanafi, al-Qurtubi, al-Baghawi, and others, who have recorded the news of Mahdi in detail in their books.

Some of these narrations concern the lineage of Imam Mahdi (AS), others his method of governance and spreading justice, and others the signs and events before his appearance, among other related matters.

One researcher writes: "It is not an exaggeration to claim that there is no Muslim hadith scholar who has not narrated some of the glad tidings about the appearance of Imam Mahdi (AS) in the End Times."

The same author provides a comprehensive, multi-page list of Sunni scholars and hadith narrators who have mentioned the hadiths and narrations about Imam Mahdi (AS) in their books.

Prominent Sunni Scholars and Their Confirmation of Mahdi's Narrations

The authenticity of the hadiths about Mahdi (AS) has been confirmed by most prominent Sunni scholars. Based on the detailed research of al-Amidi, the number of scholars who have explicitly affirmed the authenticity of the hadiths about Mahdi (AS) exceeds 60. Here, we will mention only some of them:

• Imam Tirmidhi (d. 279 AH): He considered the narrations about Mahdi to be hasan (good) and sahih (authentic).
• Hafiz Abu Ja'far al-Uqayli (d. 322 AH);
• Hakim al-Nishaburi (d. 405 AH);
• Imam al-Bayhaqi (d. 458 AH);
• Imam al-Baghawi (d. 510 AH);
• Al-Qurtubi al-Maliki (d. 671 AH);
• Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH): He writes, "The hadiths that he—i.e., Allamah al-Hilli—relies on to prove the rise of Mahdi are authentic hadiths."
• Hafiz al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH);
• Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH);
• Al-Taftazani (d. 793 AH);
• Nur al-Din al-Haythami (d. 807 AH);
• Al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH);
• Al-Shawkani (d. 1250 AH).

Interestingly, contemporary Sunni scholars such as Sheikh Abdul-Aziz ibn Baz have also accepted the authenticity of the narrations about Mahdi. As Professor Khosroshahi has reported, Sheikh ibn Baz said in a lecture about Mahdi: "I am aware of many of these hadiths, and among them, as al-Shawkani, Ibn al-Qayyim, and others have said, I have found sahih (authentic), hasan (good), weak but corroborated, and fabricated narrations. However, what is firmly established in its chain of transmission is sufficient for us! Whether it is 'sahih' in itself or becomes sahih due to the chain of another hadith, or whether it is 'hasan' in itself or becomes hasan due to the chain of another hadith. Similarly, weak hadiths, if corroborated and strengthen each other, are considered evidence by scholars. Therefore, their mass transmission (tawatur) due to the diversity of wording, meanings, numerous chains, and multiple sources is accepted. Trusted scholars have affirmed their authenticity and mass transmission, and we have seen scholars proving many things with less evidence than this. The truth is that the majority of scholars agree on the authenticity of the issue of Mahdi and that he is true and will appear in the End Times. If any scholar holds a contrary opinion, his view is not considered."

Sheikh Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbad, a contemporary Saudi scholar who has conducted extensive research on Mahdi (AS), says about this and his motivation for his work: "I have undertaken to write these lines to expose the delusions and errors of [a Qatari scholar] in that treatise, to clarify that many authentic hadiths indicate the appearance of Mahdi in the End Times, and that Sunni scholars, both past and present, agree on this matter—except for those who have deviated from the truth and joined the outliers."

This Sunni scholar has conducted extensive research on the Awaited Mahdi (AS) and has proven the authenticity of the narrations about Mahdi and his appearance. Professor Khosroshahi has published it in Persian under the title "The Global Reformer and the Awaited Mahdi from the Perspective of Shia and Sunni Islam."

Mass Transmission of Hadiths about Mahdi (AS) in Sunni Sources

By referring to the books of prominent Sunni hadith scholars, we see that they have extensively narrated traditions related to Imam Mahdi (AS) from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In fact, Sunni hadith scholars, from the earliest times to the present, have paid great attention to the hadiths about Imam Mahdi (AS) and have collected them either within other hadith collections or separately. Among the famous Sunni hadith scholars who have narrated hadiths about Mahdi (AS) are: Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and al-Nasa'i in their "Sunan" collections, Ahmad ibn Hanbal in "Musnad," and al-Hakim al-Nishaburi in "Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn." Other Sunni hadith scholars and scholars, including al-Suyuti, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Hajar, and the author of "Kanz al-Ummal," have also written specific and separate works about Imam Mahdi (AS).

Seventeen prominent Sunni scholars have explicitly stated in their books that the hadiths about Mahdi are mutawatir (mass-transmitted). Al-Amidi, one of the researchers who has done extensive work in this field, writes: "Scholars of hadith science and a number of those specialized in teaching or researching hadith sciences have explicitly stated the mass transmission of the hadiths about Mahdi in Sunni books, such as the Sahih collections and Musnads." He then provides a detailed list of their names and statements. Among them are the names of great scholars such as al-Barbahari al-Hanbali (d. 329 AH), Muhammad ibn Husayn al-Abri al-Shafi'i (d. 363 AH), al-Qurtubi al-Maliki (d. 761 AH), Hafiz Jamal al-Din al-Mizzi (d. 742 AH), Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawzi (d. 751 AH), Shams al-Din al-Sakhawi (d. 902 AH), al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH), Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (d. 974 AH), and al-Muttaqi al-Hindi (d. 975 AH), among others.

It is worth noting that mutawatir hadiths are those whose narrators in each generation are so numerous that it is impossible for them to have conspired to fabricate the narration. Such narrations typically provide definitive knowledge. In contrast, solitary (ahad) narrations only provide probable knowledge.

Examples of Sunni Scholars Affirming the Mass Transmission of Mahdi's Narrations

• Hafiz Abu Abdullah al-Ganji al-Shafi'i (d. 658 AH) writes in his book "Al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib al-Zaman": "The hadiths of the Prophet (PBUH) about Mahdi have reached the level of mass transmission due to the large number of narrators."
• Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani al-Shafi'i (d. 852 AH) writes in "Fath al-Bari fi Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari": "There are mass-transmitted hadiths indicating that Mahdi (AS) is from this Ummah, and Jesus (AS) will descend from heaven and pray behind him."
• Sheikh Mansur Ali Nasef, a prominent contemporary scholar of Al-Azhar and author of "Al-Taj al-Jami' li al-Usul," writes: "It is well-known among scholars of the past and present that in the End Times, a man from the family of the Prophet (PBUH), whose name is Mahdi, will undoubtedly appear. He will gain control over all Islamic countries. Muslims will all follow him, and he will rule among them with justice and strengthen the religion. Then the Dajjal (Antichrist) will appear, and Jesus (AS) will descend from heaven and kill the Dajjal or assist Mahdi in killing him. The sayings and hadiths of the Prophet (PBUH) about Mahdi have been narrated by a group of righteous companions, and great hadith scholars such as Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, al-Tabarani, Abu Ya'la, al-Bazzar, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and al-Hakim al-Nishaburi have recorded these hadiths in their books."

Examples of Narrations about Mahdi (AS) in Sunni Sources

The Promise of the Savior's Appearance

• Umm Salama narrates: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: 'The Awaited Mahdi is from my progeny and the descendants of Fatimah (AS).'"
• Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) narrates from the Prophet (PBUH): "If only one day remains in the world, Allah will raise a man from my family to fill the Earth with justice as it was filled with oppression."
• Abu Sa'id al-Khudri narrates: "The Prophet (PBUH) said: 'Our Mahdi has a broad forehead and a pointed nose. He will fill the Earth with justice as it was filled with oppression. He will rule for seven years.'"

In any case, all Islamic sects believe in Imam Mahdi (AS) and his appearance in the End Times as the savior. However, Islamic sects have differing opinions regarding the time of his birth. Ibn Abi al-Hadid, a Sunni scholar, writes about Imam Mahdi: "There is unanimous agreement among all Muslims that the world and its laws and obligations will not end except after the appearance of Mahdi (AS)."

Points of Disagreement Between Sunnis and Shia Regarding Imam Mahdi (AS)

There is no doubt that all Islamic sects, including Sunni and Shia and their offshoots, believe in Imam Mahdi (AS) and his appearance in the End Times. However, there is disagreement over whether he is currently alive or will be born in the End Times. This disagreement is particularly pronounced among Sunni sects and can be summarized in two points:

The Belief in Mahdi's Current Existence

Some Sunni scholars believe that Imam Mahdi (AS) has already been born and is currently alive, awaiting his appearance in the End Times. Among those who hold this view are Hafiz Sulayman ibn Ibrahim al-Qunduzi al-Hanafi (d. 1294 AH), Sheikh Mu'min ibn Hasan ibn Mu'min al-Shablanji al-Shafi'i, Sibṭ ibn al-Jawzi (d. 654 AH), al-Ganji al-Shafi'i (d. 658 AH), and others.

Al-Qunduzi al-Hanafi, in "Yanabi' al-Mawaddah," provides a detailed account of the parents and birth of Imam Mahdi (AS) as narrated by Hakimah Khatun, the daughter of Imam al-Jawad (AS). Al-Shablanji, in "Nur al-Absar," Ibn al-Jawzi in "Tadhkirat al-Khawass," and al-Ganji al-Shafi'i in "Al-Bayan" have mentioned similar accounts.

The Belief in Mahdi's Birth in the End Times

Other Sunni scholars believe that Imam Mahdi (AS) will be born in the End Times and then appear.

The majority of Sunni scholars fall into this second category, although in their narrations, they often mention that he is from the descendants of the Prophet (PBUH), Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), Lady Fatimah (AS), and then from the descendants of Imam Hussain (AS), as well as from the descendants of Imam al-Rida (AS) and Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS). However, they ultimately say that he has not yet been born.