Question 274 - The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 3

Supporters Response:

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Intensely Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send His prayers upon Muhammad and his family, the Imams and the Mahdis, and grant them abundant peace. To proceed … If you mean the narration, or narrations, that say that among us, after the Qa’im, there will be twelve Mahdis, they do not conflict with the call of Sayyed Ahmad al-Hasan. We do not say that the Imamate has passed from Imam al-Mahdi (a) to his son, the first Mahdi from his progeny (a). Rather, we say that Sayyed Ahmad al-Hasan is the first Mahdi and the successor of Imam al-Mahdi (a). The successor’s presence during the lifetime of the one who appoints him is among the divine customs. There has never been a prophet or Imam whose successor was not present during his lifetime, and none departs this world without entrusting the matter to his successor before his death. Regarding the successor of Imam al-Mahdi (a), whose name is Ahmad, he must be present before the uprising of Imam al-Mahdi (a), because the Messenger Muhammad (s) designated him in his will at his death as Ahmad and as the first of the believers. It cannot be true of him that he is the first of the believers unless he is present before the uprising of Imam al-Mahdi (a). You see that one of the attributes of the Commander of the Believers (a) is that he is the first of the believers-that is, the first to believe in the message of the Messenger Muhammad (s). Had he not been born before the mission of the Messenger Muhammad (s), it could not have been true of him that he was the first of the believers. What applies there applies here. There are other narrations indicating the presence of the successor of Imam al-Mahdi (a) before his sacred uprising, which there is no room to list now (^[149]). I am certain that, had you examined the books of the Supporters of Imam al-Mahdi (a) thoughtfully, you would not have resorted to such an objection. I advise you to consult each of the following books: The Will and the Successor, The Yamani Is Allah’s Proof, A Brief Account of the Call of Sayyed Ahmad al-Hasan, and other books containing a detailed answer to your objection and dozens of others. I will mention to you part of the will of the Messenger Muhammad (s) on the night of his death, and I ask you to reflect upon it with detachment, objectivity, and fairness: From Abu Abdullah Jafar ibn Muhammad, from his father al-Baqir, from his father Dhu al-Thafanat, Master of the Worshippers, from his father al-Husayn, the pure martyr, from his father the Commander of the Believers (a), who said: “The Messenger of Allah (s) said to Ali (a) on the night of his death: O Abu al-Hasan, bring a sheet and an inkwell. The Messenger of Allah (s) dictated his will until he reached this point, then said: O Ali, after me there will be twelve Imams, and after them twelve Mahdis. You, O Ali, are the first of the twelve Imams. Allah Most High named you in His heaven Ali al-Murtada, Commander of the Believers, the Greater Truthful One, the Greatest Distinguisher, the Trusted One, and the Mahdi. These names do not properly belong to anyone other than you. O Ali, you are my successor over my household, their living and their dead, and over my wives. Whomever you retain shall meet me tomorrow, and whomever you divorce, I disavow her. She shall neither see me nor shall I see her in the courtyard of the Resurrection. You are my vicegerent over my nation after me. When death comes to you, hand it over to my son al-Hasan, the very dutiful. When death comes to him, he is to hand it over to my son al-Husayn, the pure, murdered martyr. When death comes to him, he is to hand it over to his son, the Master of the Worshippers, Dhu al-Thafanat, Ali. When death comes to him, he is to hand it over to his son Muhammad al-Baqir. When death comes to him, he is to hand it over to his son Jafar al-Sadiq. When death comes to him, he is to hand it over to his son Musa al-Kadhim. When death comes to him, he is to hand it over to his son Ali al-Rida. When death comes to him, he is to hand it over to his son Muhammad, the trustworthy, the God-fearing. When death comes to him, he is to hand it over to his son Ali, the adviser. When death comes to him, he is to hand it over to his son al-Hasan, the virtuous. When death comes to him, he is to hand it over to his son Muhammad, the Preserver from the family of Muhammad. These are the twelve Imams. Then after him there will be twelve Mahdis. When death comes to him, he is to hand it over to his son, the first of the nearest ones [the Mahdis]. He has three names: a name like my name and my father’s name, and it is Abdullah and Ahmad; and the third name is al-Mahdi. He is the first of the believers” (^[150]). Finally, I ask Allah to grant you guidance and right direction. I seek refuge in Allah Most High from His Fire and wrath, and I ask Him to make us firm upon the guardianship of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad (s). Indeed, He is Hearing and Responsive. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah send His prayers upon Muhammad and his family, the Imams and the Mahdis, and may Allah’s curse be upon their enemies until the Day of Judgment. The Scientific Committee Supporters of Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah establish him upon the earth) Sheikh Nazim al-Uqayli