Imam al-Mahdī (peace be upon him; may Allah hasten his appearance) is the last of the Twelve Imams (peace be upon them), the Master of the Time, the Qāʾim from the progeny of Muḥammad (Allah bless him and his progeny), the Proof of Allah over His creation, the one who will destroy oppression and falsehood, the greatest portent of Allah, and the one who will establish a kingdom of justice over the entire earth after it has been filled with violence and oppression.
Anyone who wishes to follow the Straight Path, anyone who wishes to drink from the water of life and salvation, must grasp the rope of Ḥujjat ibn al-Ḥasan, al-Mahdī, the Imam of our time (peace be upon him).
In this series I would like to relate in maximum detail the life of the Imam of our time (peace be upon him)—his birth, his concealment, the portents and circumstances of his emergence from concealment, his kingdom, and many other matters.
I have decided to begin with the āyāt of the Book of Allah that speak of al-Mahdī (peace be upon him).
However, before referencing the āyāt of the Qur’an that concern Imam al-Mahdī (peace be upon him), it is necessary to say a few words about the method of the Qur’an and the way in which truth is made manifest therein. The Qur’an is not a book that enumerates names and particulars; in general, this is not characteristic of the Qur’an. The name of the Last Prophet, Muḥammad, is mentioned in the Qur’an only four times. In many passages the Qur’an refers to him not by name—for example: “Exalted is He who took His Servant by night…” (17:1)—where “Servant” is understood to mean Muḥammad (Allah bless him and his progeny), though he is not named explicitly. Such is the method of the Qur’an.
If every instance used a name, the Book would lose the multiple dimensions that render it applicable until the Day of Judgement. Reference to names and particulars is limiting: naming a specific person would make that āyah applicable only to him and not to others, whereas each āyah of the Qur’an possesses multiple dimensions.
For example, verse 55 of Sūrah al-Māʾidah (The Table Spread) states: “Your walī (guardian) is only Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe, who establish prayer and give zakāh while bowing down.” According to numerous hadiths, including those cited in the sources of Ahl al-Sunnah, the phrase “those who believe, who establish prayer and give zakāh while bowing” refers to ʿAlī (peace be upon him), who gave zakāh with his ring while in the position of bowing during prayer to a beggar. Yet Allah Almighty does not name him here. One could have written: “Your walī is only Allah, His Messenger, and ʿAlī.” However, the Qur’an does not do this; it mentions ʿAlī (peace be upon him) only by description—by one of his qualities—but not by name.
One explanation for why ʿAlī (peace be upon him) is not mentioned by name is that naming him would have obscured the implication to the other Imams (peace be upon them) that this verse also carries. The phrase “those who believe, who establish prayer and give zakāh while bowing” is plural. It refers to ʿAlī (peace be upon him) and the Imams (peace be upon them) who follow him. Had only ʿAlī been named, this broader dimension would have been lost, and one might have claimed that although ʿAlī is our walī, the Imams from his progeny are not included.
Hence, naming someone explicitly is not the method of the Qur’an. Imām al-Bāqir (peace be upon him) says, “The Qur’an was sent down in implications.” The Qur’an is a book of signs and implications intended for the discerning. Therefore, one should not expect a verse that states explicitly: “Believe in al-Mahdī (peace be upon him), who will be the son of the eleventh Imam al-ʿAskarī (peace be upon him) and will return after a long concealment.” Such explicit phrasing is not the Qur’an’s method. It was revealed in a different manner, which contains special wisdom—some aspects of which we have just clarified.
And even more so when the matter concerns future events. With regard to the period of revelation (tanzīl) of the Qurʾān, at that time al-Mahdī (peace be upon him) was still in the future and remote. In the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and his progeny) al-Mahdī (peace be upon him) did not yet live; he had not yet been born, and people did not know and had no understanding of who he was. If the Qurʾān had addressed the Arabs of that time—many of whom had not yet abandoned their idols—with the words “believe in al-Mahdī,” it might have become a source of their misguidance rather than guidance on the Straight Path. It should be repeated that those people at the time of the Qurʾān’s descent had not yet left their stone and clay idols; they had not yet accepted even the basics of tawḥīd. Most of them still did not believe in Muḥammad (Allah bless him and his progeny), so what could they have been told about al-Mahdī (peace be upon him)? Perhaps, if the Qurʾān had mentioned al-Mahdī (peace be upon him) directly, the Arabs of that time would have reinterpreted it according to their accustomed perceptions—i.e., they might have understood it as an appeal to create some kind of idol or interpreted it otherwise, but not in the way it ought to be understood. A future event could not have been described in direct, clear language.
The Qurʾān speaks of such matters in the language of implication, hints, and ciphers scattered throughout the Book of Allah. Nonetheless, those indications and hints are not vague or obscure. If we correlate them with one another, they collectively provide a quite clear and unambiguous picture of the return of the Last Imam (peace be upon him).
This, by the way, differs from how past events are treated. Past events are often mentioned in the Qurʾān with specific details and names. That is because those events have already occurred and therefore cannot be altered, reinterpreted, or exploited by people for their own interests. If the Qurʾān says that at one time there lived a prophet named Yūsuf, no one can now claim, “I am Yūsuf,” since Yūsuf (peace be upon him) died long ago and his story pertains to the past. However, if the Qurʾān were to say, “Believe in al-Mahdī (peace be upon him), who will come in the future,” then any tyrant, impostor, or misguided person might say, “I am al-Mahdī,” and use those āyāt of the Qurʾān in order to mislead people. Thus the Qurʾān could be used against itself.
Hence, after these remarks let us turn specifically to the āyāt that speak of Imam al-Mahdī (peace be upon him). Allāmeh Khayrī, in his book Ilzām al-Nawāsib, cites fifteen āyāt of the Qurʾān that refer to Imam al-Mahdī (peace be upon him).
Let us examine just a few of them. The first group is the āyāt that establish the necessity of Imams (peace be upon them) in general—at all times. The Imam must exist in every age.
If we open verse 7 of Sūrah Ar-Raʿd (Thunder): “Verily you are a warner, and for every people there is a leader,” we note that the Arabic word qawm means both an entire people and any group of people. This implies: O Prophet, you call to the Straight Path, and for all the people after you there is a leader who will guide them along the Straight Path according to your message. In other words, this refers to the Imam (peace be upon him). It is not stated that each people or group has a leader except a particular one; rather, for all peoples and nations there is a leader—an Imam. Hence, people must have an Imam at all times.
Now let us turn to Sūrah al-Qadr:
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Indeed We sent it down on the Night of Ordainment.
And what will show you what is the Night of Ordainment?
The Night of Ordainment is better than a thousand months.
In it the angels and the Spirit descend, by the leave of their Lord, with every command.
It is peaceful until the rising of the dawn.
The verb tanazzalu — “they descend” — indicates the constancy of the angels’ descent each year when the Night of Qadr occurs. It means that they do not descend only once; this descent is repeated each year on the Night of Qadr until the Day of Judgment. To whom do they descend? If they descend, they must descend for someone. During the life of the Prophet (Allah bless him and his progeny) they descended for him, and after his death they must descend for his successor. According to this āyah, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and his progeny) should have heirs and successors until the Day of Judgment, for whom the angels shall descend and by whom the commands (amr) of Allah will be sent on each Night of Qadr.
Imam al-Jawād (peace be upon him) says: “Allah ordained the Night of Qadr at the outset of creation, and on this night He created the first prophet (peace be upon him) and the first revelation. Allah decreed that every year there should be a night on which the commands are specified and matters determined for the coming year. Indeed, each prophet (peace be upon him) had a connection with the Night of Qadr, and after them there are the Proofs of Allah (al-Hujjaj); the earth from its beginning to its last moment will never remain without a Proof. On each Night of Qadr Allah sends down the determinations of deeds for whomever He wills (i.e., for the one who is the Proof of the epoch). By Allah, the angels and the Spirit were sent down to Adam (peace be upon him) on the Night of Qadr, bringing to him the determinations of matters on that night. Adam (peace be upon him) did not die without leaving an heir and successor after him. For each prophet (peace be upon them) who came after Adam, the command of Allah was sent down on the Night of Qadr, and each prophet transmitted it to his heir.”
(Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 51, p. 73)
Each Muslim must necessarily accept the Qurʾān, and within the Qurʾān the Sūrah al-Qadr; and in Sūrah al-Qadr the words about the angels descending with the commands of the Lord on the Night of Qadr. Hence one must accept the presence of the Master of the matters, the vicegerent of the Prophet (Allah bless him and his progeny), for whom those angels descend. At present this is the Walī of creation, the ruler of the world: Imam al-Mahdī (may Allah hasten his appearance!).
Now, if we open Sūrah al-Isrāʾ, āyah 71: “On that day We will summon all the people with their Imam” — or it could be translated “through their Imam” or “by means of their Imam” — a question arises: with which Imam will Allah summon me? Who is the Imam of our time? If this āyah says that Allah will summon all the people with their Imam on the Day of Judgement (it should be emphasized — all people), it means that you and I will also be summoned with our Imam (peace be upon him). But then, who is this Imam? Where is he? Every Muslim who believes in the Qurʾān must consider this question. It is strange that so many people read the Qurʾān and do not raise it!
If any Muslim poses this question to himself, he must begin answering it by asking: who, in fact, claims to be the Imam of the Muslims of our time? Who is this person — some ruler or theologian? Yet none of those claim to be appointed by Allah as the Imam of all people. The only movement and direction that answers this question is Shiʿism. Shiʿism states that the Imam of our time, with whom all the people of our age will be summoned on the Day of Judgement, is the Master of the Epoch and Time, al-Mahdī (peace be upon him). Thus from those āyāt it inevitably follows that there must be an Imam of our time. Either there is the Imam of our time, or the Qurʾān does not tell the truth — the latter is impossible. If the Imam of our time exists but we do not see him among the people around us, it must inevitably be concluded that he is in concealment. The issue of concealment will be discussed in detail, with all the relevant proofs, later in other parts of this series.
The second group consists of the āyāt concerning the triumph of truth and the rule of the faithful on earth. Opening āyah 105 of Sūrah al-Anbiyāʾ (The Prophets) we read: “Indeed We wrote in the Zabūr after the reminder that the earth will be inherited by My righteous servants.” The “righteous servants” here are the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), as well as their Shīʿah and companions. “We wished to confer favour on those who were oppressed on earth, and made them Imams and inheritors” (Sūrah al-Qasas, āyah 5). This āyah was cited with reference to the Imam of the time at his birth.
Sūrah an-Nūr (Light), āyah 55: “Allah promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them caliphs (successors) on earth, as He made those before them caliphs, and will surely establish for them the religion He has chosen for them, and will give them in return security after their fear. They will worship Me without ascribing a partner to Me.” Note the repeated strengthening of the verbs in this āyah — translated as “surely” or “definitely.” Allah will surely make the faithful caliphs on earth and will surely affirm their religion: such is the irrevocable promise of the Almighty.
Now open Sūrah al-Nisāʾ (Women), āyah 54: “We endowed the progeny of Ibrāhīm with the Book and wisdom, and granted them great authority.” What is this progeny of Ibrāhīm whom Allah granted great authority? Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him) had progeny from which Muḥammad (Allah bless him and his progeny) originated. Did this progeny end with Muḥammad? No. We know that Muḥammad (Allah bless him and his progeny) had descendants through his daughter Fāṭimah (peace be upon her). The progeny of Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him) is the progeny of Muḥammad (Allah bless him and his progeny), and this āyah states that Allah granted this progeny great authority. This means that in the future this progeny will possess great power on earth. When will this be fulfilled? It will be fulfilled with the return of the last, twelfth Imam from this progeny.
Now consider Sūrah at-Tawbah (Repentance), āyah 33: “He is the One who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth so that it may prevail over every other religion, even if the polytheists dislike it.” When will this āyah be fulfilled? It was not fulfilled during the life of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and his progeny) and has not been fulfilled up to now, because Islam has not yet been manifested above all other religions. It will be fulfilled at the return of the Imam of the Time from concealment.
Regarding ʿĪsā (Jesus, peace be upon him) we read in Sūrah Āl ʿImrān (Household of Imrān), āyah 55: “I will cause those who follow you to prevail over those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection.”
When has this been fulfilled? Those who followed Jesus have not yet been exalted over the non-believers; on the contrary, his true companions were displaced and oppressed, and their religion was distorted and replaced by another. When will Allah make the followers of Jesus exalted over the non-believers? This will occur when he comes together with al-Mahdī (peace be upon them). His followers will then also become followers of al-Mahdī, and Allah will exalt them over the non-believers until the Day of Judgement. In a hadith accepted by all branches of Islam it is said that ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) will descend from the heavens and will pray behind al-Mahdī (peace be upon him). He will become his helper and vicegerent.
Another āyah concerning Jesus says: “There is not a people among the People of the Scripture who will not believe in him before his death” (4:159). All the People of the Book — Jews and Christians — will believe in the true Jesus (peace be upon him) when he comes with al-Mahdī (peace be upon them).
The third group comprises the āyāt indicating the concealment of the Imam (peace be upon him). At the very beginning of Sūrah al-Baqarah (The Cow) the qualities of the believers are enumerated, among which is that they “yu’minūna bil-ghayb” — “believe in the unseen.” The word ghayb in Arabic means all that is hidden, including concealment itself. The same word is used to describe the concealment of Imam al-Mahdī (peace be upon him), which is why his epithet is imām ghāʾib — “the Concealed Imam,” i.e., the Imam in concealment.
In the 20th āyah of Sūrah Yūnus it is said: “And they will say: ‘If only a portent were sent down upon him from his Lord!’ Then say, O Muḥammad: ‘The unseen (ghayb — i.e., the concealment of the Imam) belongs to Allah. So wait; I too am waiting with you!’” This indicates that there will be a concealment of the Last Imam, which belongs to Allah, and that Allah alone determines the timing. So wait for his return — and the Messenger of Allah himself (Allah bless him and his progeny) is among those who await his return.
In the last āyah of Sūrah al-Furqān (Power) we read: “Say: ‘Have you considered: if your water were to sink into the earth, then who could bring you flowing water?’” In the Qurʾān water is a symbol of the reality of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). I will not dwell on this topic now, as it would take too much time. Hundreds of proofs could be cited showing that water in the Qurʾān symbolizes the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and their reality. Hence this āyah asks: “Have you considered: if your water were to sink into the earth?” — meaning, if the Last Imam of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) withdraws into concealment — “then who will bring you flowing water?” Who will bring you this pure water if it is not near you? Thus this āyah also contains an indication of the concealment of Imam al-Mahdī (peace be upon him).
Shaykh Kulaynī reports that Imam al-Kāẓim (peace be upon him) said regarding this āyah: “When your Imam leaves for concealment, then who will come to you with another Imam?”
(al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 244).
The fourth group consists of the āyāt regarding the zuḥūr — the return of the Imam from concealment. In āyah 42 of Sūrah al-Kahf it is said: “On that day they will hear the voice (ṣayḥah) with truth. This is the day of return.” Ṣayḥah — the cry from the heavens — is one of the signs of the Imam’s return from concealment. When the voice of Jibrīl is sounded from the heavens so that everyone on earth hears it, the Imam’s return will occur. The āyah says: “On that day they will hear the voice with truth. This is the day of return,” i.e., the day of the Imam’s return from concealment.
Some might argue that this āyah speaks of the Day of Judgement. However, the Qurʾān describes the Day of Judgement thus: “And the trumpet will be blown, and all those in the heavens and on the earth will be struck dead” (39:68). That verse indicates that all those in the heavens and on the earth will perish. If they perish, how then could they hear the voice “with truth”? Therefore this āyah pertains to the day of the Imam’s return from concealment, not to the Day of Judgement.
Another āyah refers to the day of the Qāʾim’s return from concealment through the story of Iblīs. In āyah 36 of Sūrah Ḥijr we read: “And he said: ‘My Lord, reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected.’” This means that Iblīs asks Allah for reprieve until the Day of Resurrection. And how does the Lord answer him? “And He said: ‘Verily you are among those reprieved until a stated day.’” Note the precision of the Qurʾān’s wording: it does not say “until the Day of Resurrection”; it says “until a stated day” (yawmin ma‘lūmin) — that is, until some other appointed time. This refers to the time of the Qāʾim’s emergence from concealment. Allah granted reprieve to Iblīs until the Imam’s return from concealment, when Iblīs will be manifested for the Imam to vanquish him. This is stated in the hadiths, and we will return to this topic in later parts.
In Sūrah al-Muddaththir (the Covered One) we read: “And when the trumpet is blown, that day will be a difficult day for the disbelievers” (74:8–10).
In Qaybah by Ṭūsī it is narrated from Imam Ṣādiq (peace be upon him): “Have you not heard the words of Allah: ‘When the trumpet is blown’ (74:8)? There will be a concealed Imam from our progeny: when Allah wills the opening of his deeds, He will draw a point in his heart and he will return, coming forth with the command of Allah the Great.”
(Qaybah, Ṭūsī, p. 164).
That “point” is indeed the “blow,” while the “trumpet” is the heart of the Imam (peace be upon him).
In another hadith: “When the trumpet is blown in the ear of the Qāʾim, he will be commanded to arise (qiyām).”
(Tawīl al-Āyāt, vol. 2, p. 732.)
Now consider āyah 55 of Sūrah al-Ḥajj: “And those who disbelieve keep doubting about it, until the Hour comes upon them unexpectedly.” “Doubting about it” here refers to whom? To Imam al-Mahdī (peace be upon him), the Master of our time. How many people doubt him, how many deny even the fact of his existence! “Until the Hour comes upon them unexpectedly” — this denotes the hour of his return from concealment. That hour, that day, will come upon them unawares, and they will be overtaken by what they had doubted. The word sā‘ah in the Qurʾān has multiple meanings: it is not only the Day of Judgement but may also refer to the hour of the Qāʾim’s return from concealment.
Most of the āyāt that mention the “Hour” can also be applied to the hour of the Qāʾim’s return from concealment. This does not mean they are inapplicable to the Day of Judgement; they are applicable to both. Each of these āyāt in the Qurʾān has multiple layers of meaning, one beneath another, and none of those meanings contradicts the others.
Thus, if we take practically any āyah that mentions the Hour, it may also be speaking of the return of the Qāʾim.
For example, āyah 31 of Sūrah al-Anʿām (Cattle) states: “And when the Hour comes upon them suddenly, they will say: ‘Oh, woe to us for what we omitted there!’” “Omitted there” — where? It refers to omission in the wilayat of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them all), i.e., to failing to believe in their authority. This becomes evident if we correlate this āyah with another: “So that no soul may say: ‘Woe to me for what I omitted with respect to Allah’s portion!’” — and “Allah’s portion,” according to many hadiths, is the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), for Allah created them with a special station and made them His vicegerents. Hence they are “Allah’s portion” (janbullāh). Thus the āyah says: “And when the Hour came to them suddenly, they said: ‘Oh, woe to us for what we omitted there!’” — i.e., when the Imam comes suddenly they will say: “Woe to us for our denial of the wilayat, the guidance of the Prophet’s Household (Allah bless him and his progeny)!” Note that the Hour will come suddenly; the Imam will come suddenly. The Qur’an emphasizes this: “The matter of the Hour is like the blinking of an eye” (16:77). The coming of the Imam of the Time (peace be upon him) — his return — is like the blinking of an eye. A hadith states: “Allah will accomplish His matter in one night.”
By the way, these āyāt and hadiths refute the myth of some human “preparation” for the Imam’s return — the idea that people can or must prepare his return, implying that his emergence will be the result of collective human effort. The Imam’s return does not depend on the people in any way. When Allah wills, he will return and no one can prevent him; Allah “will arrange His matter in one night.”
In other words, the Imam’s return is unconditional and entirely subject to Allah’s discretion. It will be that one day people live ordinary lives and the next day the whole world hears of the return of its Ruler. The return is not a gradual process but a drastic, sudden upheaval — a leap, an overthrow, a blow. “And when the Hour comes upon them suddenly, they will say: ‘Oh, woe to us for what we omitted there!’” — “omitted there” refers to omission of wilayat of the Ahl al-Bayt, i.e., failing to believe in it. “And those who do not believe keep doubting about him until the Hour comes upon them suddenly” — baṭṭatan. The Arabic word baṭṭatan (often transliterated baqṭatan) means “without preparation,” “without preliminaries,” “suddenly.” Such will be the Imam’s coming: people will be living their ordinary lives without suspicion, and then in one night Allah will ordain the matter of the Qāʾim and he will appear suddenly, taking them completely by surprise. We will treat this issue in greater detail in later parts of this series. We will see that the events related to the zuhūr (appearance) will unfold immediately. For example, the army of the Sufyānī, numbering hundreds of thousands, will sink into the earth in the blink of an eye. The decisive events will take place within days or even hours by earthly time.
Let us return to the āyāt that speak of the Imam’s coming from concealment. In āyah 12 of Sūrah Ar-Rūm (Rome) we read: “On that day, when the Hour comes, the wrongdoers will be in despair” — meaning that Imam Mahdī (peace be upon him), the Qāʾim, will come. The verb here shares the root with qāʾim (taqum). In other words: when the Hour comes, when the Hour rises, when the Hour is fulfilled — the “Hour” here stands for the Imam of the Time. When he emerges, all the wicked and criminal will be in despair. The context of this āyah fits the world of this dunya (the present world) more clearly than the Day of Judgement. If by “the Hour” we understood the Day of Judgement, in what sense would the wicked be “in despair”? When that Hour comes they will simply no longer exist until resurrection. Hence this āyah is more applicable to earthly events: the wicked will be desperate because of the coming and rule of the just Imam.
Now consider āyah 158 of Sūrah al-Anʿām (Cattle): “Are they waiting to see whether the angels will come to them, or your Lord (Himself), or some of the signs of your Lord? On the day that some of the signs of your Lord come, no good will it do a soul to believe in them then if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith. Say: ‘Wait — we too are waiting.’” — which can be read as waiting for the return of the Qāʾim (peace be upon him). Shaykh Ṣadūq relates that Imam Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) said about this āyah: “The ‘portents’ are the Imams, and the expected portent is the Qāʾim. On that day the soul will not be helped by its faith if it was not faithful prior to his emergence with the sword.”
(Kamāl al-Dīn, p. 316).
In the first āyah of Sūrah al-Qāriʿah we read: “Have you not received the message concerning the Overwhelming Event? — That day the faces will be humbled.” According to hadith, the word “nasibah” in that āyah refers to the nasībiyyūn (those hostile to the Ahl al-Bayt). The day of the Qāʾim’s return will engulf them and they will burn in the fire of his sword: “He will burn them by the swords of the saints in the fire of Gehenna,” as reported in the tafsīr of Imam al-ʿAskarī (peace be upon him).
In āyah 21 of Sūrah al-Saff (Bow) it is said: “And indeed We will make them taste a near punishment, apart from the greatest punishment — perhaps they will return!” — and this near punishment will be a worldly chastisement through the Qāʾim (peace be upon him). Furthermore, from Imam Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) it is narrated about the meaning of āyāt 38–39 of Sūrah An-Naḥl (16:38–39): “‘They swore a great oath by Allah: “Allah will not resurrect those who have died.”’ But indeed they will be resurrected according to His promise, though most people do not know. They will be resurrected so that what they denied will be made manifest to them and the infidels will see that they lied.”
In Tafsīr al-Ayashi it is related from Imam Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) that he said: “When people ask what this āyah means, they say it concerns those who deny the Resurrection and the Day of Judgement. The Imam replies: ‘They have lied by Allah! When the Qāʾim (peace be upon him) comes, and those who return with him from among the resurrected, then those who formerly opposed you will say: “Your claim has prevailed, O assembly of the Shīʿah!” and they will acknowledge their falsehood. They will say: “Such-and-such persons have come back.” They will reply: “No — we swore by Allah that He would not resurrect those who have died.” Do you not see what is said of them: “They swore by Allah with a great oath” — and the great oaths of the polytheists were names such as al-Lāt and Uzzā (i.e., this āyah even speaks of those who call themselves Muslim and swear by the name of Allah).’”
(Tafsīr al-Ayashi, vol. 2, p. 259).
Now consider āyah 8 of Sūrah Hūd: “And if We were to delay the punishment for them until a specified number (the counted group), they would say: ‘What detains Him?’” On the day He brings it to them, it will not be possible to keep it away from them, and they will be overtaken by what they used to ridicule. Imam Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) said: “The ‘punishment’ here is the return of the Qāʾim (peace be upon him). The ‘specified number’ are his companions counted as at Badr.”
(Qaybah Nu‘mānī, p. 160).
That is: Allah says, “And if We delay the punishment for them until the counted company (ilā ummatin ma‘dūda)” — i.e., until the time when the number of his companions is gathered — “they will say: ‘What is holding Him back?’ On the day He comes to them it will be impossible to separate him from them, and they will be overtaken by what they used to ridicule.”
In conclusion, I would like to cite the names and epithets of Imam Mahdī (peace be upon him) as indicated in the Qur’an. Two of his names are mentioned: Bakīyatullāh and Manṣūr. In Sūrah Hūd, āyah 86, we read: “What remains with Allah (bakīyatullāh) is better for you, if you are believers.” According to many hadiths, Bakīyatullāh here refers to Imam Mahdī (peace be upon him). The word Bakīyatullāh can be translated “that which Allah has preserved.” Imam Mahdī (peace be upon him) is Bakīyatullāh because he is the last of the Ahl al-Bayt Imams and Allah has preserved him so that he will return at the appointed hour and fulfill the mission of all prophets and their vicegerents (peace be upon them), filling the earth with justice after it was filled with oppression.
The second name is found in āyah 33 of Sūrah al-Isrāʾ (Isra): “And those who were slain unjustly — We have given their place of honor and power, and He does not wrong them; truly He is the one who is given succor.” (paraphrase). Imam Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) says: “This refers to the Qāʾim from the progeny of Muḥammad (Allah bless him and his progeny).” That is, Manṣūr — “the one who is given succor” — in this āyah is the Qāʾim from Muḥammad’s progeny. He will emerge to avenge the blood of Ḥusayn (peace be upon him), and even if he were to slay all inhabitants of the earth, it would not be an excess in retribution. Thus “the one who was slain unjustly” in the tafsīr of this āyah is Ḥusayn (peace be upon him), and his vicegerent (walī) is the Qāʾim (peace be upon him), whose name in this āyah is Manṣūr — “the one who is given succor.”
These are some of the āyāt about Imam Mahdī (peace be upon him) from the Holy Qur’an. Sometimes opponents of Shiʿa say: “All these are indirect āyāt; give us a direct āyah that clearly names him and lists his features! Only then will we believe.” We answer as follows.
First, Imam Mahdī (peace be upon him) and the events connected with him could not be mentioned in the Qur’an directly for reasons already explained. If the Qur’an spoke of future events explicitly, it might have misled people rather than guided them; the wicked and the erring would have misinterpreted those āyāt to suit themselves and used them for their own ends.
Second, as we have said, if we gather all the āyāt related to Imam Mahdī (peace be upon him) and correlate them, they form an unequivocal picture like the tiles of a mosaic. This picture is as clear as day: there is an Imam, he will enter concealment, and then there will be a return after which the truth will prevail over the earth.
Third, a great deal of detailed information about Imam Mahdī (peace be upon him) is contained in the Sunnah, in countless hadiths preserved both in Shīʿī sources and in the works of Ahl al-Sunnah. We will discuss those later.
Fourth, the doctrine of Imam Mahdī (peace be upon him) does not stand alone but is integrated into the whole corpus of true Islamic teaching. Belief in Imam Mahdī (peace be upon him) apart from belief in the other Imams (peace be upon them) has no meaning. Imam Mahdī (peace be upon him) is the twelfth of the Imams, and belief in him implies belief in all the Imams. Therefore the proofs for the wilayat of Mahdī are not only the āyāt that directly concern him, but also all the āyāt that speak of the wilayat of ʿAlī and the Imams from his progeny.
To sum up, when someone demands: “Give me explicit āyāt about Mahdī for me to believe,” we can reply: “You need not begin with Mahdī alone. Begin with the foundation of the truth: accept the imamate and wilayat of ʿAlī (peace be upon him) after the Prophet (Allah bless him and his progeny). Let us first point you to the āyāt of the Qur’an that speak of ʿAlī’s guidance, cite the hadiths of Ghadīr and the privileges of ʿAlī ibn Abū Ṭālib (peace be upon him), and recount the events that occurred in the Ummah after the Prophet’s passing. Once you accept that foundation — the wilayat of ʿAlī — then we can discuss the wilayat of his descendant Imam al-Mahdī (peace be upon him).”
