Chapters
Guardians that God has Reserved for His Appointed Day
Ahmed the Promised One · Alaa Alsalem
1. Guardians that God has Reserved for His Appointed Day
There are guardians of God Almighty who are still alive. God has reserved them for the day that divine justice is established on this earth. Moreover, their followers are awaiting their arrival once more so that they can participate in fulfilling this goal. The guardians are as follows:
Prophet Elijah (Elias)PBUH
Regarding Elijah and Elisha, the Bible states: [11] And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. [12] And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more . . . (2 KIngs 2). The case of Jesus and Al-Khidr is similar to that of ElijahPBUT.1
The followers of these guardians believe that they will return in the end times, a truth that Muslims also believe in. The Quran mentions Elijah in the following verse: {And We left him [Elijah] to be among the later generations} Quran Chapter “Those Who Set the Ranks” 37:129. Regarding Jesus, the Quran states the following: {"O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself . . .”} Quran Chapter “The Family of Imran” 3:55. {And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of God. "They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them} Quran Chapter
“The Women” 4:157.
This is a truth that was confirmed by Jesus in the Gospel when he said: [19] “As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. [20] The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day” (Mark 2).
He also said: [51] “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9).
The case of Imam Al-MahdiPBUH is similar, since it is mentioned that he has a house in heaven called “The House of Praise”.2 Imam Al-SadiqPBUH said: “The companion of this matter has a house called the House of Praise. It contains an illuminating lamp from the day he is born until the day he rises with his sword, and it will never be extinguished.”3,4
This means that the case of the Mahdi is the same as that of Jesus and Al-KhidrPBUT. Whoever wants evidence for the Mahdi’s prolonged age should compare it to their ages.
Imam Al-RidhaPBUH clarified the life of Al-KhidrPBUH in this religious account:5
When God’s MessengerPBUHAP passed away, a person came to the door and offered his condolences to his family. The family of the house heard his words but did not see him. Ali Ibn Ali TalibPBUH said: “Al-Khidr is the one who came to give you his condolences regarding the death of your Prophet.”6
The life of the Mahdi is the same as that of Al-Khidr, just as Imam Al-SadiqPBUH said: ”The people will lose their Imam. He attends their events and sees them, but they do not see him.”7
Now that we have clarified the unique situation of these guardians, we can say that the evidence indicates that they will send a faithful and wise messenger when the Hour, or Minor Judgement, draws near. Through him, God will establish the Proof (Hujjah) upon all people of the earth.8 And the matter of recognizing him is the goal of this discussion.
For Muslims, it is clear that when Imam Al-Mahdi sends a messengerPBUH, it also means that he is being sent by Jesus and ElijahPBUT. This is because Jesus and Elijah follow and emulate Imam Al-MahdiPBUH. Prophet MuhammadPBUHAP said: “How will it be for you when Jesus, the son of Mary, descends among you and your Imam is one of you?”9 It is obvious that the Imam mentioned here is the Mahdi.