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Revision as of 23:59, 1 July 2004 by 81.154.21.202 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Mahdi is a man that is believed by the Muslims to come at the end of the times. The exact nature of the Mahdi differs between Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims.
The Mahdi in Sunni Traditions
The exact nature of the Mahdi is not completely clear, but according to Sunni traditions a basic overview is as follows:
The Mahdi will appear during the last days of the world, and will precede the second coming of Jesus, who Muslims believe to be the messiah. The two are different individuals, but they will work together to fight evil in the world and to cement justice on Earth. Mahdi means "the guided one" and he will apparently come from Mecca and rule from Damascus. He will not defeat the false Messiah, known as Dajjal though, that will be done by Jesus who will slay the pretender. Once Dajjal is defeated, Jesus and the Mahdi will live on Earth for a number of years. According to some traditions, Jesus will get married and have a family, and then die. There are claims that a grave is dug for him next to Muhammad's in the Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, but whether or not this is factual is unknown.
Some hadith about the Mahdi give the following information believed by Sunnis:
Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth caliph, reported that the Prophet Muhammad said, "Even if only a day remains for Qiyamah to come, yet Allah will surely send a man from my family who will fill this world with such justice and fairness, just as it initially was filled with oppression."
According to other reported sayings of the Prophet Muhammad some of the features of al-Mahdi are:
- He will be tall
- He will be fair complexioned
- His facial features will be similar to those of the Prophet Muhammad
- His character will be like that of the Prophet Muhammad
- His father's name will be Abdullah
- His mother's name will be Aamina
- He will speak with a slight stutter
- He will occasionally hit his hand upon his thigh when he stutters
- His age at the time of his emergence will be forty years
- He will receive Knowledge from Allah
One of the signs which will indicate the emergence of al-Mahdi will be that in the month of Ramadan prior to his emergence an eclipse of the sun and moon will occur. This has only happened once when Mirza Ghulam Ahmad announced that he was the Promised Messias and Mahdi. The eclipses that took place when he made his announcement were seen all over the world.
The title has been claimed by various individuals in history, including Muhammad Ahmad who founded a short-lived empire in Sudan in the late 19th century, and the Punjabi Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who founded the Ahmadi movement in 1889.
The Mahdi in Shiite Traditions
Twelver Shia Muslims believe that the Mahdi is alive but in hiding. While he is not visible to humans, he is active in everyday life, and can be asked for help and will only reappear at the end of the world. See also: sleeping hero
The Mahdi was actually born in 868, but disappeared when he was five. For more information see: Muhammad al-Mahdi
Like in the Sunni tradition, Shiites believe that the Mahdi will return to Earth at the end of times and will usher in a new age of peace and help defeat the false messiah.
The Mahdi in fiction
Several authors, with varying degrees of understanding of the Sunni and Shiite beliefs, have used the concept of the Mahdi within their fictional stories. Perhaps the best known is Frank Herbert, whose Dune science fiction novels centered on the character of Paul Atreides, who was proclaimed by his followers, the Fremen, to be the Mahdi. Also, Paul's Fremen name, "Muad'Dib", sounds similar to "Mahdi", a significance not lost on the Fremen.
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