There are authentic Hadiths which mention the appearance of the Mehdi. These Hadiths are of two types:
• Those which mention him by name.
• Those which mention his attributes.
The Hadiths narrated about the Mehdi are fifty (50) in number, some of which are Sahee, or Hasan, and others are Daif (weak Hadith) but supported by corroborating evidence.
1. Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said: “There will emerge among the last of my Ummah the Mehdi. Allah will give him rain and the earth will bring forth its vegetation. Wealth will be divided equally among the people, there will be plenty of livestock and the Ummah will become great. He will live for seven or eight (years).”
2. Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said: “I give you the glad tidings of the Mehdi. He will be sent when people are divided and there are earthquakes; He will fill the world with justice and fairness just as it was filled with injustice and oppression. The inhabitants of heaven and inhabitants of earth will be pleased with him, and he will divide wealth equally.”
The Hadiths concerning the Mehdi are proven and there is no doubt regarding them. They were narrated by 30 companions and reported by the leading scholars of Hadith in the books of Sunah and Musnad. They were quoted as evidence by scholars, to such an extent that belief in the appearance of the Mehdi has become a consensus in the belief of Ahl Al Sunnah Wa’l- Jamaa’Ah.
The Hadiths regarding the name of the Mehdi are narrated by:
• Ibn Masood (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said: “If there were one day left in this world, Allah will lengthen it so that He could send during it a man who is from me or from my family; his name is the same as my name and his father’s name is the same as my father’s name.”
•Ali (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said: “The Mehdi is one of us, from our family. Allah will prepare him in one night.”
• Umm Salam (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said: “The Mehdi is from my family, a descendant from Faatimah.”
So, his name will be Muhammad ibn Abd-Allah, and what is meant by the words, “Allah will prepare him in one night” is that Allah will prepare him to become the Caliph and will guide and inspire him, and give the attributes of leadership and wisdom.
This means that the Mehdi, Mohammad Ibn Abd-Allah, will not know himself that he is the Mehdi, until the people swear allegiance to him and unite behind him. He will not be seeking Caliphate and will never think that he was qualified for it. The people will swear allegiance to him even when he is reluctant.
Thus is the refutation of the Raafidis who claim that they are waiting for the Mehdi, who is the last of their 12 Imams. According to them, his name is Mohammad Ibn Al Hasan Al Askari. They believe that hi is one of the descendants of Hussain Ibn Ali (RA) and they believe that He (Mehdi) entered the Tunnel of Samura (in Iraq) more than 1,000 years ago. While as Ahl Al Sunnah Wa’l-Jamaa’Ah believe that he will be from the descendants of Hasan Ibn Ali (RA).

—The writer is a student of nursing at RGCN Jammu. [email protected]

Umar bin Abdul Aziz