Question 291 - 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. We do not mean that Imam al-Mahdi (a) is dead and his son is in his place. Rather, we mean that Imam al-Mahdi (a) is alive and his son is a messenger on his behalf who prepares the way for his blessed uprising. We have discussed this in detail in the publications of the Supporters of Imam al-Mahdi (a), which number in the dozens and which you can consult on their website. I will mention some narrations and commentary upon them from The Will and the Successor Ahmad al-Hasan: From the Commander of the Believers (a), who said: “The Messenger of Allah (s) said to Ali (a), on the night of his death: … O Ali, after me there will be twelve Imams, and after them twelve Mahdis. You, O Ali, are the first of the twelve Imams …”-until he said-“When death comes to him”-meaning Imam al-Mahdi (a)-“he is to hand it over to his son, the first of the nearest ones (the Mahdis). He has three names: like my name and my father's name, and it is Abdullah and Ahmad; the third name is al-Mahdi. He is the first of the believers.” Here attention must be paid to two points: The first point: The resemblance of the first Mahdi from Imam al-Mahdi's progeny (a) to Imam Ali (a). Just as Imam Ali (a) was the Messenger's first successor (s), the first to receive the testament from him, and was honored by being raised by the Messenger (s), likewise the first Mahdi is Imam al-Mahdi's first successor (a), who receives the testament from him directly-as the narration states-and is honored by being raised directly by Imam al-Mahdi (a), unlike the remaining Mahdis from Imam al-Mahdi's progeny (a). This is a great honor with which Allah honored the first Mahdi because of his resemblance to the Commander of the Believers (a) and his being Imam al-Mahdi's first successor (a). The second point: The first Mahdi is distinguished by being the first to believe in Imam al-Mahdi's call (a), because the Messenger (s) said of him in the will: “He is the first of the believers.” In this quality too he resembles the Commander of the Believers (a). Just as the Commander of the Believers (a) was the first to believe in and support the Messenger Muhammad (s), Allah likewise honored the first Mahdi (a) by making him the first to affirm Imam al-Mahdi (a), believe in him, and support him. Considering the phrase “He is the first of the believers” makes clear that the Messenger (s) means the first to believe in Imam al-Mahdi (a) at his uprising. This requires the first Mahdi to exist before Imam al-Mahdi's uprising (a) for it to be true that he is the first of the believers. If he did not exist before the Qa'im's uprising (a), but was born afterward, it would not be true of him that he was the first of the believers. Rather, this description would apply to the first of Imam al-Mahdi's three hundred and thirteen supporters. Indeed, all Imam al-Mahdi's supporters (a) would have preceded his son, the successor, in believing in Imam al-Mahdi (a), and so would be more entitled to this description than he. Thus Imam al-Mahdi's first successor (a) must have been born before his uprising and be from his progeny. It is known that “son” applies to a son from one's descendants just as it applies to a direct son. Dozens of narrations describe the Imams from Imam Ali's progeny (a) as sons of the Messenger of Allah (s), not because they are his direct sons, but because they are from the progeny of his daughter Fatimah al-Zahra (a). This is clear and needs no further explanation. Whoever wishes for details should consult my two books The Decisive Response and The Samiri of the Age of the Appearance, in which I explained this issue in detail. If Imam al-Mahdi's successor (a), the first Mahdi, exists before Imam al-Mahdi's uprising (a), he must be the proof over people after Imam al-Mahdi (a) and the most rightly guided of the preparatory banners, with no proof above him other than Imam al-Mahdi (a). It is impossible for the successor to be a follower of anyone or to be led by anyone other than the Imam before him. This is clear to everyone acquainted with the creed of the Ahl al-Bayt (a). Thus Imam al-Mahdi's successor must be the promised Yamani whom the narrations require people to support and follow, as will be explained. As for anyone who attempts to displace words from their proper places and says that “He is the first of the believers” does not mean the first to believe in Imam al-Mahdi before his uprising and may have another meaning: I say to him: This contradicts the apparent meaning of the Messenger of Allah's words (s) and the understood intent of the infallible ones when they used this phrase in many narrations. It even contradicts what is intended by some Quranic verses. Here is the explanation: The Exalted related from His prophet Moses (a): “… When his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, He made it crumble, and Moses fell unconscious. When he recovered, he said: ‘Glory be to You! I turn to You in repentance, and I am the first of the believers’” (^[366]). Let us see what “the first of the believers” means in this noble verse through the narrations interpreting it. From Imam Ali (a), interpreting Allah's prophet Moses's words (a), “I am the first of the believers,” he said: “… I am the first to acknowledge that You see and are not seen, and You are at the highest viewpoint” (^[367]). From Imam al-Rida (a), in a long narration interpreting Allah's prophet Moses's words (a), “I am the first of the believers”: “… He says: I have returned to my knowledge of You from my people's ignorance, and I am the first of the believers among them that You see and are not seen …” (^[368]). By your Lord, what do you understand from these two narrations interpreting “the first of the believers” other than precedence in believing in Allah Most High and returning to Him? Especially the second narration, in which al-Rida (a) said, “the first of the believers among them that You see and are not seen”-meaning: I am the first of the believers from my people who asked to see You, the first to acknowledge, and the foremost in acknowledging, that You are not seen. From Ibn Abbas concerning Allah's words, Mighty and Majestic, “When he recovered, he said: ‘Glory be to You! I turn to You in repentance, and I am the first of the believers’”: He said: “He says: Glory be to You! I repent to You of asking to see You, and I am the first to believe that You see and are not seen” (^[369]). The Messenger of Allah (s) gave a decisive explanation of “the first of the believers” when he used it to describe the Commander of the Believers. To prevent those who envied the Commander of the Believers from interpreting it otherwise, the Messenger (s) explained that describing him as the first of the believers means the first to precede others in faith, Islam, and acknowledging the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad (s). It has no other meaning, as the enemies of Sayyed Ahmad al-Hasan have attempted to reinterpret the Messenger of Allah's words (s) concerning Imam al-Mahdi's successor, that he is the first of the believers. They have attempted to give it a meaning other than precedence in faith and acknowledging Imam al-Mahdi's call (a)! From the Messenger (s), who said to Ali (a): “You are the first of the believers in faith and Islam” (^[370]). From Abu Dharr-may Allah have mercy upon him-who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (s) say to Ali: “You are the first who believed in me and affirmed me” (^[371]). The Messenger (s) said to Ali (a): “O Ali, you are the first of the believers in faith, the first of the Muslims in Islam, and you are to me in the station Aaron held with Moses” (^[372]). From Abdullah ibn Abbas, who said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said to Ali ibn Abi Talib (a): “O Ali, you contend and prevail through seven qualities that no one else possesses: you are the first of the believers with me in faith, the greatest of them in striving, and the most knowledgeable of Allah's signs …” (^[373]). In all these and other narrations the Messenger (s) emphasizes that “the first of the believers” means precedence in faith, affirmation, and acknowledgment. He therefore always follows “the first of the believers” with “in faith,” “in faith and Islam,” “with me in faith,” or “the first who believed in me and affirmed me.” In the final narration especially, the Messenger (s) made “the first of the believers” one of the proofs with which the Commander of the Believers (a) argues and is not defeated. Can anyone properly tell the Commander of the Believers that the Messenger's description of him as “the first of the believers” does not indicate that he was the first to believe in and affirm him, but may indicate another meaning?! If that is not valid, neither is it valid to object to Sayyed Ahmad al-Hasan by saying that the Messenger of Allah's words (s) concerning Imam al-Mahdi's first successor, describing him as “the first of the believers,” do not indicate the first to believe in Imam al-Mahdi (a), affirm him, and support him. It thus becomes clear that “the first of the believers” in the Quran and Sunnah means the first of those who precede others in faith, affirmation, acknowledgment, and support. Whoever tries to invent false interpretations follows those Jews and Christians who reinterpreted the mention and attributes of the Messenger (s) in their books and refused to acknowledge that they applied to him. Or he resembles the Sunnis who reinterpreted the Messenger's words (s) to Ali on the day of Ghadir: “Whoever has me as his master has this Ali as his master” (^[374]), saying that this does not indicate the Imamate and succession, but also means companion, lover, or ally in religion, along with other false interpretations inspired by Satan's whisperings-may Allah protect us from that. This establishes that the Messenger's words (s) describing Imam al-Mahdi's first successor (a) as the first of the believers mean the first to believe in and affirm Imam al-Mahdi's uprising (a) at the end of time. Thus he must be born before Imam al-Mahdi's uprising (a) for this description properly to apply to him. The second narration: From Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (s) say, mentioning the Mahdi: “He receives the pledge of allegiance between the Corner and the Station. His name is Ahmad, Abdullah, and al-Mahdi: these are his three names” (^[375]). This hadith applies to Imam al-Mahdi's successor (a), the first Mahdi from his progeny. Its application becomes clear when compared with the will of the Messenger of Allah (s) describing Imam al-Mahdi's successor (a): “… He has three names: a name like my name and my father's name, and it is Abdullah and Ahmad; the third name is al-Mahdi. He is the first of the believers.” Ahmad and Muhammad are one name; the second name is Abdullah and the third is al-Mahdi. In other words, his words (s), “and it is Abdullah and Ahmad,” explain and detail his preceding words, “a name like my name and my father's name.” The correspondence between the two narrations is firm, clear, intended, and planned by the Messenger (s), not coincidental. Belief in coincidence is not among Islam's principles, but among those of materialists, atheists, and heretics. From Jabir al-Jufi, who said: Muhammad ibn Ali (a) said to me: “O Jabir, the Abbasids have a banner and others have banners. Beware, and beware”-three times-“until you see a man from al-Husayn's descendants (a) receiving the pledge between the Corner and the Station, possessing the Messenger of Allah's weapon (s), the Messenger of Allah's helmet (s), and armor …” (^[376]). The Husayni man in this narration cannot be Imam al-Mahdi (a). If Imam al-Mahdi (a) were meant, following any banner before the uprising of the Qa'im, the Proof, son of al-Hasan (a), would be forbidden. This understanding contradicts the narrations commanding that the Yamani be followed and supported. Thus the Husayni man receiving the pledge between the Corner and the Station in the preceding narration must be the promised Yamani, Imam al-Mahdi's successor Ahmad, who has three names: Ahmad, Abdullah, and al-Mahdi. This Husayni man mentioned in the preceding narration, whose obedience alone is commanded and who receives the pledge between the Corner and the Station, is the same Husayni man in the following narration. It describes him as the one whose obedience alone is commanded, apart from all the other divergent banners that are forbidden to follow. It also describes him as possessing the covenant of the Messenger of Allah (s), meaning the will he made when death approached him. From Abu Jafar, in a long report: “… Beware of the isolated claimants from the family of Muhammad. The family of Muhammad and Ali have one banner, while others have banners. Remain upon the earth and never follow a man among them until you see a man from al-Husayn's descendants (a) possessing Allah's Prophet's covenant, banner, and weapon. Allah's Prophet's covenant passed to Ali ibn al-Husayn (a), then to Muhammad ibn Ali (a). Allah does what He wills. Adhere to these forever, and beware of those I mentioned to you …” (^[377]). Someone may say that this conflicts with the many narrations stating that the one who receives the pledge between the Corner and the Station is Imam al-Mahdi, rather than the first Mahdi from his progeny, the successor. I say: There is no conflict between this narration and the other narrations once two possible meanings of Imam al-Mahdi's successor (a) receiving the pledge between the Corner and the Station are considered. Both are valid and unobjectionable: First: After the pledge to Imam al-Mahdi (a) is completed between the Corner and the Station, he also takes a pledge from his supporters for his successor, the first Mahdi from his progeny. This is an established custom and one point of resemblance between Imam Ali (a), the Messenger of Allah's successor (s), and the first Mahdi, Imam al-Mahdi's successor (a). Likewise, the Messenger of Allah (s) took the Muslims' pledge for his successor Ali ibn Abi Talib (a) at the event of the house, when he invited his clan and cooked a sheep's foreleg for them, and also at the famous event of Ghadir. Thus no conflict exists between the narrations, especially if we observe that the narration of the successor's pledge does not negate the pledge to Imam al-Mahdi (a) or say that the successor's pledge is the only or independent pledge between the Corner and the Station. Reflect. Second: Imam al-Mahdi (a) delegates his successor to take the supporters' pledge on his behalf between the Corner and the Station. In this case the pledge is attributed to Imam al-Mahdi (a), because it occurs by his command and arrangement, and to the successor, because he directly takes it for Imam al-Mahdi (a) (^[378]). This meaning occurs even in the Noble Quran. Sometimes the taking of souls is attributed to Allah Most High: “Allah takes the souls at the time of their death” (^[379]). Sometimes it is attributed to the Angel of Death: “Say: The Angel of Death who has been entrusted with you takes you” (^[380]). A third time it is attributed to the angels: “The angels took them” (^[381]). There is no conflict in Allah Most High's words. Taking souls is attributed to Him because He commands, arranges, and controls. The Angel of Death and the angels are His soldiers: they do not precede Him in speech and act by His command. Their action is Allah Most High's action because they are delegated by Him to take souls. It is also attributed to them because they directly perform this task. Thus the pledge between the Corner and the Station may be one pledge that Imam al-Mahdi's successor (a) directly receives on his behalf. It is a pledge to Imam al-Mahdi (a) because he commands it, and to his successor because he directly receives it, especially when we observe that some narrations explicitly state this. The following narration states that Imam al-Mahdi (a) has a mawla whom he entrusts with receiving people's pledge: From al-Baqir (a), in a long narration: “… Then a man from his father's loins stands before him. He is among the strongest of people in body and bravest in heart, apart from the companion of this matter. He says: O man, what are you doing? By Allah, you are driving people away as cattle are driven. Is this by a covenant from the Messenger of Allah (s), or by what? The mawla entrusted with the pledge says: By Allah, be silent or I will strike that in which your eyes are. The Qa'im says: Be silent, so-and-so. Yes, by Allah, I possess a covenant from the Messenger of Allah (s). Bring me the container. He brings it to him, and he reads the covenant from the Messenger of Allah (s). The man says: May Allah make me your ransom; give me your head to kiss. He gives him his head, and he kisses between his eyes. Then he says: May Allah make me your ransom; renew the pledge for us. He renews their pledge …” (^[382]). Leaving aside an important matter in this narration, which I leave until its time, I say: It mentions the mawla who takes charge of the pledge on Imam al-Mahdi's behalf (a). Apparently, the covenant Imam al-Mahdi (a) brought out for the objector is the will of the Messenger (s) on the night of his death, because it is described as the covenant in more than one narration. This mawla is also mentioned in several narrations, including the following, which explains Imam al-Mahdi's occultation (a) and the matter of the sole mawla who knows Imam al-Mahdi's location (a). The third narration: From Hadhlam ibn Bashir, who said: I said to Ali ibn al-Husayn (a): “Describe the Mahdi's emergence to me and acquaint me with its indications and signs.” He said: “Before his emergence, a man called Awf al-Sulami emerges in the land of al-Jazirah. His refuge is Tikrit and he is killed in the mosque of Damascus. Then Shuayb ibn Salih emerges from Samarkand. Then the accursed Sufyani emerges from the Dry Valley, and he is from the descendants of Utbah ibn Abi Sufyan. When the Sufyani appears, the Mahdi conceals himself; then he emerges afterward” (^[383]). Some scholars and researchers were perplexed in interpreting Imam al-Sajjad's words (a) at the narration's end, “When the Sufyani appears, the Mahdi conceals himself; then he emerges afterward,” because they do not apply to Imam al-Mahdi (a). This narration indicates that Imam al-Mahdi (a) exists before the Sufyani's appearance, contrary to many abundant and mass-transmitted narrations stating that the Sufyani emerges fifteen months before Imam al-Mahdi's uprising (a), or at least eight months. That is, the Sufyani is one of the signs of Imam al-Mahdi's uprising, preceding it. How, then, could Imam al-Mahdi be manifest before the Sufyani's emergence, conceal himself when he emerges, and then appear afterward? Some were compelled to interpret this narration in ways distant from reality. The truth is that this is among the matters the Imams attempted to conceal in their speech and disguise from people so as to provide evidence that “the Mahdi” in this and similar narrations does not mean Imam al-Hujjah Muhammad ibn al-Hasan (a), who appears after the Sufyani, not before him. Rather, it means the first Mahdi from Imam al-Mahdi's progeny (a), whom the Messenger (s) mentioned in his will and described as the first of the believers and first of the Mahdis. He receives the testament from Imam al-Mahdi (a) at his death, and the Messenger also said that he receives the pledge between the Corner and the Station. Thus the obscurity is disclosed and the conflict between this and the remaining narrations is resolved. What it means is Imam al-Mahdi's successor (a), the first Mahdi from his progeny, who is manifest before the Sufyani, then conceals himself when the Sufyani emerges, then appears afterward, fights the Sufyani, defeats him, and prepares the way for the uprising of his father Imam al-Mahdi (a). The fourth narration: Sheikh al-Mufid-may Allah have mercy upon him-transmitted in al-Irshad from al-Rida (a): “It is as though I see dyed green banners approaching from Egypt until they reach the regions of Syria and are presented to the son of the possessor of the testaments” (^[384]). Considering what I have already mentioned in this discussion makes clear that this narration applies to Imam al-Mahdi's successor (a), who rises to prepare the way for the state of his father Imam al-Mahdi (a), and applies to no one else. He is the son of the possessor of the testaments, meaning the testaments of the prophets and Imams (a) that settled with the Qa'im, the Proof, son of al-Hasan (a). He was therefore described in the Messenger's will (s) as “the Preserver from the family of Muhammad,” and in Imam al-Sadiq's narration (a) as “the guardian of what was entrusted”-meaning the guardian of the prophets' and Imams' testaments (a), for he is their heir. The narration says the banners are presented to the son of the possessor of the testaments, meaning they pledge allegiance to Imam al-Mahdi's son and successor (a). The Messenger (s) and Imams (a) emphasized this pledge in several narrations, some of which I quoted earlier, such as “Pledge allegiance to him, for he is the vicegerent [of Allah], the Mahdi,” and “Come to him even crawling over snow,” in addition to the narrations requiring that the Yamani be followed and supported. He is himself the son of the possessor of the testaments, as will be explained, Allah Most High willing. End of quotation (^[385]). You will find very much more in this book and other books of the Supporters of Imam al-Mahdi (a). The Scientific Committee Supporters of Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah establish him upon the earth) Sheikh Nazim al-Uqayli