Prophecy in the Era of Al-Qaim Al-Mahdi pbuh who Purifies the Earth

From the previously mentioned, the Imams and Mahdis have the rank of prophecy, and they are messengers too. But here we are talking about the companions of Al-Mahdi, i.e. the first equipage and the supporters who follow them.

The attributes of the companions of Al-Mahdi in the Quran:

1) {And We set between them and the cities that We have blessed, cities apparent.}^[1]

What is meant by this verse is nothing but the men whom neither trading nor selling distracts them from the remembrance of Allah, the way meant in Almighty’s saying,

{And how many cities revolted against the ordinance of its Lord and His messengers, and We called it to a stern account and punished it with dire punishment.}^[2]

What is meant here are the people in the city, not the walls. So Allah says We set apparent cities between you believers and the blessed cities. Thus, the blessed cities are Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad pbut. Whereas the apparent cities are the elite supporters of Allah who are a proof over the people.

Al-Hur Al-A’mely narrated in his book Al-Wasael (from Muhammed bin Al-Hassan in The Book of Al-Ghaiba from Muhammad Ibn Abdillah Ibn Jafar al-Humyari from his father from Muhammad Ibn Salih Al-Hamdani, saying,

“I wrote to the Patron of the Age pbuh that my family was abusing me and rebuking me with the narration from your forefathers pbut, ‘Our servants and our caretakers are the most evil of Allah’s creation.’

And he pbuh wrote back, ‘Woe to you, do you not read what Allah Almighty has said,

{And We set between them and the cities that We have blessed, cities apparent.}

By Allah, we are the cities which Allah has blessed and you are the cities apparent.’”^[3]

The same narration is also narrated by Al-Sodoq in The Book of Ikmal Al-Deen from his father and Muhammad bin Al-Hassan from Abdullah bin Jafar^[4], and by Abdullah bin Jafar from Ali bin Muhammad Al-Kulainy from Muhammad bin Muslim from Imam Al-Mahdi pbuh.^[5]

It is narrated by Ahmad bin Ali bin Abu Talib Al-Tibrusy in The Book of Al-Ihtijaj on the authority of Abu Hamza bin Abu Jafar pbuh that he said to Hassan Al-Basry:

“...We are the cities that Allah blessed and it is His saying to who conceded our preference, as He commanded them to head for us, so He said,

{And We set between them and the cities that We have blessed, cities apparent...}^[6]

As the apparent cities are the messengers and transcribers from us to our shia, and the scholars of our shia to our shia, and His saying:

{...and We made the stage [of the journey] between them easy...}

So the stage is a representation of the knowledge, travel by it nights and days, a representation of what travels through it from knowledge nights and days from us to them, in halal and haram and obligations and verdicts. They are secure in it if they took from it, secure from doubt and misguidance, and the shift from haram to halal, because they took the knowledge from those whom they are obligated to take knowledge from knowingly, because they are the inheritors of knowledge from Adam to where they ended, selected descendants one of another, and the selection did not end up with you, but ended up with us, and we are those descendants not you nor those similar to you oh Hassan.”^[7]

And in the book of Al-Ihtijaj: from Abu Hamza Al-Thimali, he said,

“A judge from Kufa came in to Ali bin Al-Hussain pbuh, and he said, ‘May Allah make me your ransom, tell me the meaning of the saying of Allah (m): {And We set between them and the cities which We had blessed, cities apparent, and We made the stage [of the journey] between them easy. Travel therein, secure, by night and by day.}’

He said, ‘What do the people before you say of it in Iraq?’

He said, ‘They say it is Mecca.’

So he said, ‘And have you seen more thievery in any other place than Mecca?’

He said, ‘What is it then?’

He said, ‘But He meant the men.’

He said, ‘And where is that in the book of Allah?’

So he said, ‘Have you not heard His saying the Almighty, {And how many cities revolted against the ordinance of its Lord and His messengers.}^[8] And He said, {Such were the cities we destroyed.}^[9] And He said, {And ask the cities in which we were, and the caravan with which we proceeded.}^[10]? So ask the cities, or the men, or the caravan.’”

He said,

“And he pbuh recited verses with that meaning. He said, ‘May I be your ransom, who are those?’

He said pbuh, ‘We are them, and his saying {Travel therein, secure, by night and by day.}’ He said, ‘Secure from going astray.’”^[11]

And the companions of Al-Qaim Al-Mahdi pbuh are the best validation of the apparent cities. The Prince of Believers pbuh said about them,

“By my father and my mother, they are an equipage, their names are known in the sky, and on earth are unknown.”^[12]

And in the book of Yanabi Al-Mawada Lithawi Al-Qurba by Al-Khandozi, he said,

“and he (meaning the Prince of Believers Ali pbuh) referred to the companions of Al-Mahdi (May Allah be satisfied with them) by his speech, ‘By my father and my mother, they are an equipage, their names are known in the sky, and on earth are unknown.’ ^[13]

He said pbuh, ‘So then oh son of the best of servants, when you wait for the bringer of good news of the close victory from a merciful Lord. Woe to those arrogant ones when the harvesters harvest. And the killing of the immoral, the disobedient of the owner of the great throne. So by my father and my mother to an equipage, their names are known in the sky, and on earth are unknown as at that time their advent is condemned.’”^[14]

And in Yanabi Al-Mawada:

Narrated from the Prince of Believers pbuh, “… So then oh son of the best of servants, when you wait for the bringer of good news of the close victory from a merciful Lord. So by my father and my mother to an equipage, their names are known in the sky, and on earth are unknown as at that time their advent is condemned.”^[15]

The Messenger of Allah pbuhap said,

“Oh Lord. Meet me with my brothers twice.”

So the companions surrounding him said, “Are we not your brothers, oh Messenger of Allah?”

He said, “No, you are my companions, whereas my brothers are people in the end of times, believed without seeing me, Allah informed me of their names and the names of their fathers before He brings them out of their fathers’ loins and the wombs of their mothers. As the one of them is more persistent on his religion than the prickly astragalus spinosus (i.e. the thorns) in a dark night as if holding fast to a burning ember. Those are the lamps in darkness, Allah will save them from every dire darkened sedition.”^[16]

As Ali ransoms them with his father, the successor (Abu Talib) and his pure virtuous mother (Fatima the daughter of Asad) who raised Prophet Muhammad in her lap. The Messenger of Allah pbuhap says that they are his brothers and favors them over his chosen gracious companions who watered this religion with their blood.

But those meant in this verse are the first equipage, which are the 313 who obtain revelations from the Kingdom of Heaven in the true visions and know some of the unseen by the permission of Allah. Some of them have the rank of prophecy, yet each of them by virtue of his rank and significance with Allah swt, and some of them are messengers from the past dispatched prophets pbut, but they all gather on one matter because Allah is one and their gathering is the best proof of their righteousness and the righteousness of whom they gathered upon.

As for who claims this matter while he is not with them, he is a liar and an enemy of Allah.

Who is not with me is against me.

Who is not gathering for me is gathering for Satan.

Those apparent cities are messengers from Allah because they knew the truth from Allah and He reveals to them through true visions. And they are with Al-Qaim Al-Mahdi who purifies the land and they gather the people to Al-Qaim Al-Mahdi who purifies the land. So they are proof on people and there is no stumbler within them, but they go through the obstacles successfully and follow the proof of Allah upon them and gather for him the supporters of Allah swt.

2) {And verily we have written in the Psalms, after the Thikr (Remembrance), My virtuous servants will inherit the earth ❦ Verily, in this there is a plain statement for the worshipping people.}^[17]

This verse descended about Al-Mahdi and his companions pbuh as the Imams emphasized. The attributes of them in the verse are:

A) Inherit the earth

B) Virtuous servants

C) Worshipping people Before we start elaborating, we should notice that Who described them with these attributes is not a human being but He is Allah swt Who created them, knows the purity of their inner selves and the sanctity of their spirits.

A) They inherit the land

What we know is that the successor inherits the land in each era, as the heirs of land are the dispatched prophets pbut and each one of them appoints who succeeds him, by the command of Allah swt. In this verse we find that the land is not inherited by one, but by a group of people which are the companions of Al-Qaim Al-Mahdi pbuh, additionally those heirs are not successors.

So what is meant by this inheritance is that they are the proof of the real inheritor of the land, who is the Successor Al-Mahdi pbuh upon people, as their inheritance is in view of the fact that they are proofs of the proof of Allah, and the successors of the successor of Allah on this land. Just as how his pbuh inheritance to the land in view of the fact that he is the proof of Allah and the successor of Allah.

Whereas the reason for this new state in the law of inheritance is that even though the prior dispatched prophets pbut were the proofs and successors of Allah and the heirs of the land in their era, but they were not able to practise their entitled authority from Allah by being the heirs of the land.

So these supporters, the companions of Al-Mahdi pbuh, are messengers from those dispatched prophets pbut as their inheritance of this earth and empowerment in practising the authority of inheritance is the same as the inheritance and empowerment of the dispatched prophets pbut who dispatched those virtuous supporters, the companions of Al-Mahdi pbuh. Therefore, this verse is confirmed,

{And verily Our word went forth for Our sent worshippers ❦ That they verily are supported, ❦ And that Our soldiers, they verily would be the victors.}^[18]

As the inheritance, empowerment and support of the companions of Al-Mahdi pbuh is the inheritance, empowerment and support of who dispatched them (i.e. the prior dispatched prophets pbut.)

Whereas Al-Mahdi pbuh is the one who pledges to apply the Sharia of the prior dispatched prophets on the earth, by which their patronage is fulfilled, as the Almighty said,

{He hath ordained for you that religion which He commended unto Noah, and that which We inspire to you, and that which We commended unto Abraham and Moses and Jesus, saying, “Establish the religion, and be not divided therein.” Dreadful for the idolaters is that which you call them for. Allah chooses for Himself whom He will, and guides unto Himself him who turns [toward Him].}^[19]

Hammad bin Uthman said,

“I said to Abu Abdullah pbuh, ‘the narrations we get from you vary.’

So he said, ‘The Quran descended in seven letters, and the least the Imam can do is to preach on seven aspects, then he said, {This is Our gift, so bestow or withhold without reckoning.}^[20]’”^[21]

B) Virtuous servants

It has been clarified that the virtuous servants are the prior dispatched prophets pbut and that this attribute and great compliment from Allah swt also applies to the companions of Al-Mahdi pbuh because they are sent from those virtuous servants, and have represented them and represented their inheritance of this earth with the best representation.

C) Worshipping people

Those people are the companions of Al-Mahdi pbuh. We should pause at the meaning of His saying:

{for individuals who worship}

as it is interpreted by His saying:

{I have not created the Jinn nor the Mankind but to worship Me.}^[22]

Meaning but to know Me, as it is clear in the verse. So the meaning of “the individuals who worship” in the prior verse is the individuals who know, as (knowing) harmonizes with the preaching message, as the preaching message is directed at the one who knows it,

{Verily, there is a preaching message for individuals who worship.}^[23]

Even though there are many attributes for the companions of Al-Qaim in the Quran, but I will be content with this small amount to clarify their relationship with prophecy, the message and the prior Prophets pbut.

And since the conversation is with every person searching for the truth and not only with Muslims, I will quote as an example from the Holy Bible^[24] to clarify the relationship of the companions of Al-Mahdi pbuh in all their ranks with all the prophets pbut, as it is known that the number of the prior prophets pbut was 124,000 prophets or more. And this number is the most commonly known within the people, whether they were knowledgeable or ignorant.

It is also mentioned in the New Testament (Gospel) that the son of Imam Al-Mahdi gathers the supporters of his father (144,000) and they are stamped on their foreheads, and stand on the Mount Sion which is the symbol for opening the Holy Land which Al-Mahdi pbuh is promised,

“And I looked, and, Verily, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads...”^[25]

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