Hawzah News Agency- Mahdism in Sunni Sources
The belief in “Mahdism” and the idea of the uprising of Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) — contrary to the imagination of some — is not only exclusive to the Shia; rather, it is considered an important part of Islamic beliefs that, based on the glad tidings of the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh and his family), has been formed among all Islamic sects and denominations.
In the realm of Islamic beliefs, there are not many subjects that have been given this much importance.
Hadiths related to Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) have been mentioned in many famous Sunni books. In most of these books, the attributes of Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief), the signs of his uprising, the place of his uprising and allegiance, the number of his companions, and other topics have been discussed.
What is famous among Muslims throughout history is that in the end times, a man from the Ahlul-Bayt (pbut) will rise and manifest justice. Muslims will follow him, and he will dominate the Islamic countries. His name is “Mahdi”.
(Abd al-Rahman Ibn Khaldun, Muqadimah Al-Ibar, p.245)
Though a small number of people have refused to accept the principle of “Mahdism” and, with weak reasons, have denied it, introducing it as a Shia thought!
By reviewing Sunni hadith books, it becomes clear that the subject of Mahdism has been frequently mentioned in these sources as well. In addition to the numerous traditions that are found scattered throughout Sunni sources, the compilation of hadith books dedicated specifically to Imam Mahdi (pbuh) by Sunni scholars demonstrates the high status of “Mahdism” among them.
Sunni texts regarding the Mahdism can be divided into two categories:
1. General books:
In these books, “Mahdism”—like many other subjects—has been mentioned proportionately. Among the topics mentioned are narrations related to Imam Mahdi (pbuh) being from the progeny of the Holy Prophet (pbuh and his family) and from the descendants of Imam Ali (pbuh) and Lady Fatima (pbuh), the characteristics of Imam Mahdi (pbuh), his life and lifestyle, the way he rises and governs, etc.
However, some of the books in which most of the hadiths related to Imam Mahdi (pbuh) have been transmitted are:
Al-Musnaf Abd al-Razzaq (المصنف عبدالرزاق)
This book is the work of Abu Bakr Abd al-Razzaq bin Hammam al-San’ani (d.211 AH). In this book, he opened a chapter titled “باب المهدی”(Chapter of Mahdi) and transmitted more than ten hadiths in it. After this chapter, under the title “اشراط الساعة”(Signs of the Hour), he referred to some other topics. This is the first Sunni book that has collected hadiths related to Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) in an organized manner.
Ketab Al-Fetan (کتاب الفتن)
Hafiz Abu Abdullah Na’im bin Hammad al-Marwazi (d.229 AH) in this book has narrated numerous hadiths about Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief), the descriptions, details, and the events of his era. In total, the author has dedicated ten sections with different titles to topics related to the tribulations of the end times. The first four sections are about the events and tribulations mentioned in the hadiths. The majority of the narrations related to Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) are mentioned in section five and onwards.
Al-Musnaf Fi Ahadith Wal-Athar(المصنف فی الاحادیث و الآثار)
Hafiz Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Abi Shaybah al-Kufi (d.235 AH), the author of the mentioned book, placed a section titled “الفتن”(Tribulations) in its 37th chapter. In this section, he mentioned hadiths related to Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) and discussions related to him. In some of these hadiths, the name of Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) is explicitly stated. Among the topics mentioned in these narrations, one can point to the genealogical and moral characteristics of Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief), the duration of his rule and lifespan, the events before his uprising, the signs of his uprising, and the characteristics of the era of his uprising.
Musnad Ahmad (مسند احمد)
Ahmad bin Hanbal Abu Abdullah al-Shaybani (d.241 AH) is one of the four Imams of the Sunni denomination. In this book, he has mentioned various hadiths about Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief). These hadiths have been published as an appendix to the book “Albayan filakhbar Saheb Azzaman” and in a collection named “Hadiths of the Mahdi from the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal”.
Among the early hadith books, Musnad Ahmad has mentioned the most hadiths on this subject.
Sunan ibn Maajeh (سنن ابن ماجه)
Muhammad bin Yazid Abu Abdullah al-Qazwini (d.275 AH) was one of the famous and skilled hadith scholars and narrators of the Sunni denomination, and his “Sunan” is placed among the Six Authentic Books of Sunnis. In the “Book of Tribulations” of this collection, he dedicated a section to stating the hadiths of Mahdi under the title “Chapter of Mahdi’s Uprising”.
Sunan Abu Dawud (سنن ابو داود)
This book is also one of the Six Authentic Books of the Sunnis and was authored by Sulayman bin al-Ash’ath Abu Dawud as-Sajistani (d.275 AH). In this collection, he has mentioned a section titled “The Book of Mahdi” independently.
The hadiths of Sunan Abu Dawud are one of the notable sources regarding Mahdism among Sunnis.
Al-Jaami’ As-Sahih (الجامع الصحیح)
This book is among the Six Authentic Books of the Sunnis, which was authored by Muhammad bin Isa Abu Isa al-Tarmadhi al-Sulami (d.279 AH). Although in this hadith collection, the number of hadiths related to Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) is very small; however, considering their good chains of transmission, these important and notable hadiths contain comprehensive information about Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief).
Al-Mustadrak ala As-Sahihain (المستدرک علی الصحیحین)
Muhammad bin Abdullah Abu Abdullah al-Hakim al-Neishaburi (d.405 AH) has mentioned the hadiths related to Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) in a specific chapter, in “Book of Tribulations and Chaos” , and scattered in some other chapters. Among these hadiths, he has addressed some topics related to Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) — including lineage, physical characteristics, conditions before his uprising, his uprising, and various other issues.
Kanz al-Ummal fi Sunan al-Aqwal wa al-Af'al (کنز العمال فی سنن الاقوال و الافعال)
Ala al-Din Ali al-Muttaqi bin Hisam al-Din al-Hindi (d.975 AH) has gained immense fame by authoring this book. This comprehensive hadith book is among the most famous existing hadith collections of the Sunni denomination. The author — who has a separate compilation about Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) titled “Alburhan fi Alamat Mahdi Akhir Az-Zaman” — in this hadith collection, in addition to scattered narrations, opened a chapter titled “The Rise of Mahdi” and transmitted dozens of hadiths from various sources in it.
2. Special hadith books for Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief):
Sunni scholars — same as Shia scholars — have not merely contented themselves with the existence of hadiths regarding Mahdism in various books ; rather, they have authored several books exclusively for Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief). Some of these valuable works are as follows:
Arbaun Hadith (اربعون حدیث)
Abu Na’im al-Isfahani (d.420 AH), one of the renowned Sunni scholars, has numerous works and compilations. This very book of his is not available now, and al-Irbili has included it in the book “Kashf Al-Ghumah fi Ma’rifat Al-A’imah”. He stated before mentioning the hadiths: “I transmitted the Arbaun Hadith (Forty Hadiths) that Abu Na’im al-Isfahani collected about Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) exactly as he mentioned them.”
Al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib Az-Zaman pbuh (البیان فی اخبار صاحبالزمان علیه السلام)
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ganji al-Shafe’i (d.658 AH) has mentioned the hadiths related to Mahdi and his characteristics with a specific order and in coherent chapters in this book. In the introduction of his book—to refute the accusation that the belief in Mahdism is solely Shia and to prove it as a belief for all Muslims—he acknowledges that he has only brought hadiths that have been narrated through Sunnis and has avoided mentioning Shia narrations in this book.
He has organized these hadiths (seventy hadiths) into 25 chapters and has even pointed to some details related to Imam Mahdi (pbuh).
A notable point is that he—despite the denial of the birth of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) by most Sunni scholars—has named the last chapter as follows: “Indicating the possibility of the Mahdi remaining alive”. Based on this, he not only accepted the birth of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief); but also denied any improbability regarding his long life.
Eqd Ad-Durar fi Akhbar Al-Muntadhar (عِقد الدرر فی اخبار المنتظر)
This book is authored by Yusuf bin Yahya bin Ali bin Abd al-Aziz al-Maqdisi al-Shafi’i (d.658 AH). Eqd Ad-Durar, in terms of comprehensiveness, is unparalleled in its kind and has been an important source for subsequent books. The author, in the introduction to the book, states the motivation for compiling it as follows: “The corruption of the time, the problems and tribulations of the people, their despair from the reform of the situation, and the existence of resentments among them will not continue until the Day of Resurrection, and the elimination of these problems will be achieved with the rise of Mahdi… Some reject this issue altogether, and some others also think that there is no Mahdi other than Jesus.” The author rejects these two views in detail, considers this unacceptable with sufficient evidence, and to compile the book, he transmits the hadiths related to Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief)—without mentioning their chains of transmission—and states their main sources. In most hadiths, he has refrained from mentioning the hadith being weak or authentic and has only settled for quoting it.
After a noteworthy introduction, the author organized the discussions of Mahdism into twelve chapters.
Al-Urf Al-Werdi fi Al-Akhbar Al-Mahdi pbuh (العرف الوردی فی الاخبار المهدی علیه السلام)
Jalal al-Din Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Bakr al-Suyuti (d.911 AH) has collected the hadiths of Imam Mahdi (pbuh) in this book in a detailed and extensive manner. This book has been published within a treatise collection named “Ar-Rasail Al-Ashr” in a larger collection titled “Al-Haawi Lil-Fatawa”.
He writes at the beginning of this treatise: “This is a section in which I gathered the hadiths and traditions regarding Mahdi, and I brought the forty hadiths that Hafiz Abu Na’im mentioned in a summarized form, and I added to it what he did not bring, and encoded it with (ک).”
Alburhan fi Alamat Mahdi Akhir Az-Zaman (البرهان فی علامات مهدی آخرالزمان)
This book is among the detailed hadith books on the subject of Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief), which encompasses more than 270 hadiths and was written by Ala al-Din Ali bin Hisam al-Din, famously known as al-Muttaqi al-Hindi (d.975 AH).
This discussion continues…
Adapted from “Mahdism Textbook” by Khodamorad Salimian with slight modifications.
Your Comment