Hawzah News Agency - The impactful role of "Mahdism" and its teachings on society and individuals is hidden from no one. The fact that Muslims—especially the Shia—have a firm belief in this fundamental matter and consider it one of their root beliefs, is clear and undeniable.
Undoubtedly, the closer a belief is to the truth and the more it takes root in people’s hearts, the more self-seekers will seek to exploit it for corrupt gains.
The doctrine of Mahdism, due to its distinguished and captivating nature, and the fact that it has always penetrated the depths of the masses’ hearts, has been heavily subjected to exploitation and misuse by unworthy individuals. The extensive history of deviations that have emerged in this issue, especially the deviant sects regarding Mahdism that date back to the early centuries of Islam, is a clear witness to this claim. Investigating these deviations and the contexts of their emergence can play an important role in preventing a relapse into these missteps.
The False Claim of Deputyship: The Beginning of Great Deviations
Since direct, face-to-face contact of the people with the infallible Imams was severed after the martyrdom of Imam Askari (pbuh) and the beginning of the Minor Occultation, the "Special Deputies" began extensive efforts in a particular manner to guide the people. They prevented the scattering of the followers of the school of the Ahlul-Bayt (pbut) and took charge of the leadership of the Shia.
In the meantime, individuals with weak faith and deviant thoughts, in order to achieve their various goals, falsely claimed to be the deputy of the unseen Imam.
Some of the causes for these false claims can be enumerated as follows:
1. Weakness of Faith
One of the important factors in such incorrect claims is the weakness of religious beliefs; because those who possess strong faith never go astray against the will of the infallible Imam—regarding following his deputies.
One of the individuals who resorted to false claims due to his weak faith was Shalmaghani. He was among the companions of Imam Hasan al-Askari (pbuh) and one of the scholars, teachers, and narrators of his time in Baghdad. He had many books including an abundance of the sayings of the Ahlul-Bayt (pbut). (Rijal al-Najashi, Vol.2, p.239)
When he took the path of deviation and changed in terms of thought, belief, and behavior, he distorted some narrations; adding to them whatever he wished and removing from them whatever he wished. Najashi has pointed out this deviation in his Rijal. (Shaykh Tusi, Al-Fihrist, p.305; Rijal al-Najashi, Vol. 2, p.294)
2. Greed for the Imam's Wealth
During the time of the Minor Occultation, some claimed to be the Imam’s deputy so that they would not have to hand over the wealth of the Imam of the Time (pbuh) to his true representative.
"Abu Tahir Muhammad bin Ali bin Bilal" is one of those who claimed to be the deputy of Imam to achieve wealth. In the beginning, he was a trusted individual for Imam Askari (pbuh) and had narrated traditions from him; but gradually, due to following his evil desires, he took the path of deviation and became the subject of condemnation by the Household of Revelation. He claimed to be the deputy of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief). He denied the deputyship of the second deputy of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) and committed treason regarding the wealth that had been collected with him to be delivered to Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief). (Kitab al-Ghaybah, p.400)
3. Seeking Fame
Seeking fame is also among the very important factors in possessing superstitious beliefs and following fabricated sects. The desire for showing off is a blameworthy moral trait that drags a person toward dangerous actions.
4. Political Motives
Another factor in the emergence of fabricated claims such as claimants of “Babiyyah” is political motives. Enemies, directly and indirectly, incite some to claim Babiyyah—in order to weaken the belief of the Shia and plunge them into dispersion.
In this path, they trained certain individuals according to their own desires, ordered them to claim “Babiyyah” (being the door to the Imam of time), and assisted them with all available resources in this regard. For instance, one can refer to "Seyyed Ali Muhammad Shirazi (1235AH - 1266AH), the founder of the “Babi” faith, who is famously known as the “Bab” among his followers.
This discussion continues…
Adapted from “Mahdism Textbook” by Khodamorad Salimian with slight modifications.
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