Who Is the Mahdi? The Belief in Simple Words

Who he is: In Shia belief, Imam al-Mahdi (ajtf) is:

• The twelfth Imam, son of Imam al-Askari (as), from the family of the Prophet Muhammad (saww).
• Alive today, by Allah's will, even though he is hidden from our eyes.
• The one who will come, when Allah commands, to establish justice on earth and to end oppression.

Not only a Shia belief: This belief is not only a Shia belief about the future. The coming of a Mahdi — a guided one who will fill the earth with justice — is also spoken of in many Sunni Hadith collections, with differences in detail that this beginner draft does not go into. What is special to the Shia view, presented here, is that the Mahdi is a specific living person: the twelfth Imam, the son of Imam al-Askari (as), who was born in 255 AH and has been in occultation since 260 AH.

His titles: His titles include al-Mahdi ("the Guided One"), al-Qa'im ("the One Who Will Rise"), and Sahib al-Zaman ("the Master of the Age").

Example

Waiting for the dawn: When a long night seems dark, people wait for the dawn. They do not lose hope because the night is long — they know the dawn will come. Belief in Imam al-Mahdi (ajtf) is like that: a hope that justice will come, and a reason to stay good while we wait.

Key Terms

• Al-Mahdi (المہدی) — "the Guided One"
• Al-Qa'im (القائم) — "the One Who Will Rise"
• Sahib al-Zaman (صاحب الزمان) — "the Master of the Age"

Quran or Hadith

Quran, Surah al-Qasas (28:5) — "And We wanted to bestow favour upon those who were oppressed on earth, and make them leaders and make them inheritors." Quoted in Shia understanding in connection with Imam al-Mahdi (ajtf). — to be checked.

Fresh diagram to be drawn: A simple chart — the Twelve Imams (as) in order, ending with Imam al-Mahdi (ajtf) as the twelfth, with a star or light marking him as the Awaited Imam.