Mahdi - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Mahdi in Islam sunnite

The true nature of Mahdi is not clear, but according to the tradition Sunnite one can emphasize some constants. Mahdi will appear during the last days of the existence of the world. Its arrival will precede the second arrival by Jesus on ground which is the Messie (Arab: مَسيح masīḥ, oint; devoted; Messiah ).

the angels said:

“O Marie! God announces to you the good news of a Verb emanating from him:

Its name is: The Messiah, Jesus wire of Marie;

illustrates in this world and in the future life;

it is number of those which are close to God. ”

Coran V; 45.

According to the Hadiths, Mahdi must belong to the family of the Prophet. It is said that Ali ibn Abî Tâlib fourth caliph and son-in-law of the Prophet, paid of this last:

“Even if there remain long days from here the day of the Judgment, God will send certainly a man of my family which will fill up this world of justice and equity. ”

They are thus two distinct people but they will work together to fight the evil and to found justice on the ground. It is Mahdi which should appear in first; after a reign of several years during which it will have reunified the divided Islamic nation, Jesus will appear " going down from the sky supported by two angels " according to the Islamic tradition. Jesus will overcome the false Messiah (the Antéchrist) called Dajjal, (Arab: المَسيحالدّجّال Al-masīḥ AD-dajjāl, the impostor of the Messiah ), the Antichrist that some compare to the animal (Arab: دابّة dābba, “animal”) apocalyptic of the Coran, called the spy by the tradition (Arab: جسّاسة jassāsa, spy ) (Coran XXVII; 82). It is Jesus who is supposed to come to end from this false Messiah. Then, Jesus and Mahdi will remain on ground during a few years. According to certain traditions, Jesus would marry, have children before dying, thus returning to a human nature “normal”. One tells that a tomb is ready, beside that of the prophet Muhammad, in the Mosque of the Prophet with Médine.

According to others hadiths the characteristics of Mahdi would be:

It will have beautiful pace
Its face will resemble that of the Muhammad prophet.
He will be not-Arabic ( a' jam )
He will be similar to that of the Muhammad prophet.
the name of his/her father will be Abd Allah like the father of the Muhammad prophet.
the name of his/her mother will be Amina like the mother of the Muhammad prophet.
It will be forty years old at the time of its emergence, like the Mahomet prophet, according to certain sources; young person according to other sources.
It will receive the Knowledge thanks to God during one night.

One of the signs of the arrival of Mahdi will be that during the same month of Ramadan there will be a moon eclipse and an eclipse of the sun (Visible of which place, that is not specified).

The disciples of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (Qâdyân in Pendjab 1835-1908), founder of the brotherhood Soufi the Ahmadîya, state to have noted these signs after he proclaimed himself to be at the same time the Messiah and Mahdi in 1889. There is more than ten million Ahmadis all over the world in 2005. But the orthodoxe Moslems dispute the claims of this Mirza Ghulam Ahmad considered as an impostor, in accordance with the Islamic tradition which says qu'" will appear after the Mouhamed Prophet thirty impostors, each one of them claiming to be a prophet ".

Mahdi in the traditions Shiite

Shiites duodécimains

For the Shiite duodécimains, which are majority among the Chiites, it twelfth imâm Muhammad Al-Mahdi (868-???) is occulted into 874. I.e. it disappeared but that there remains alive to guide the community. The era of the Great Screening, which started towards 940, will end when the hidden imâm goes down again on the ground to found justice and peace there.

The hidden imâm being regarded as the only legitimate sovereign of the community. Because of that, the Shiites a long time adopted passive political attitudes or of opposition towards the temporal power. The hidden imâm can be expressed through representatives (Arab: وَكيل wakīl, manager; agent ) which is the imâms speaking (Arab: ناطِق nāṭiq, speaking; who expresses in clear terms )

Ismaéliens

For they, the seventh imâm is Ismaël, the oldest son of the sixth imâm Ja `far have-Sâdiq (702-765), that although it is disappeared before death from his father into 760. One says it entered in screening and it is him which is Mahdi.

Alleged Mahdi

Muhammad ''' Al-Mahdî ''' (746 - 812) Abbasid third Caliph of 775 with 785.
Muhammad ''' Al-Mahdî ''' (868 - screening) twelfth Shiite Imam .
`Ubayd Allah ''' Al-Mahdi ''' (881 - 934) Imam Ismaélien, first caliph Fatimide.
Muhammad ibn Tûmart ''' Al-Mahdî ''' (1080 - 1130) founder of the North-African dynasty of the Almohades.
Mirza Ali Muhammad (Chiraz 1819 - 1850) known as the Báb ( the door ), founder of the Babisme proclaimed Mahdi .
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (Qâdyân with the Pendjab 1835 - 1908), was proclaimed to be at the same time the Messie and the Mahdi in 1889.
Muhammad Ahmad ibn Abd Allah ''' Al-Mahdi ''' (1844 - 1885), chief of the revolt Mahdiste with the Sudan.
Wallace Make-up Muhammad founder of the Black Muslims in 1930, was called the Grand Mahdi .
Seydina Limamoul Mahdi (1843 - 1909) was stated to be Mahdi in 1883 at the 40 years age and was succeeded by his/her son Seydina Issa Rohoulahi (the Messiah).

Characters of fiction

In the novel Dune of Frank Herbert, one of the characters, Paul Atréides says Muad' Dib (Arab: مُوَّدِّب, muwuaddib tutor; teacher ) is called first Mahdi of Fremen: “that which will lead us to the paradise”.

Works on Mahdi

Ibn' Arabî, Mahdi and its Advisers, a wisdom for the end of time , ED. Thousand and one lights, translated and annotated by Tayeb Chouiref, Paris, 2006
Ibn' Arabî, Illuminations of Mecque , ED. Sindbad, Paris, 1988
Mokri Mohammad, Islamic eschatology and appearance of Mahdî , ED. Désiris, 1994
Sejestani Abu-Ya' qub, Revealing of the hidden things , transl. Henry Corbin, ED. Verdier 1988

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