A Description of Imaam Mahdi

Allaama Abu Muhammad Abdul Haqq Haqqaani RAH. writes in his Aqaa'idul Islaam:

The word Mahdi literally means "rightly guided". By way of this literal meaning there have therefore been many Mahdis in the past and many more still to come. However, the Mahdi spoken about in the Ahadeeth is a specific man who will appear when Dajjaal has appeared and will take on the Christian army in battle and prevail over them. Though not very tall, his height is more aptly described as tall and his body will be powerfully built. He? Will be fair in complexion with a reddish tinge, a wide forehead with a fine and high-bridged nose. He will have a bit of a stutter and when speaking Becomes too difficult for him, he will strike his hands in his thighs His knowledge will be directly from Allaah.

He will make his appearance at the age of forty and, according to varying narrations, he will live only seven or eight years afterwards. His name will be Muhammad, his father's name will be Abdullaah and his mother's name will be Aamina. He will hail from the progeny of Hadhrat Hasan RADI. and will be a resident of Madinah. This description has been mentioned in many Ahadeeth.

Tirmidhi and Abu Dawood have reported that Rasulullaah SAW. said, "This World will not end until a man from my family becomes the ruler of Arabia. His name will be mine, his father's name will be my father's and his mother's name will be my mother's."

NOTE: Although Hadhrat Mahdi will rule the entire world, Rasulullaah SAW. mentioned that he will rule Arabia because Arabia will be the capital of the world.

Another Hadith of Abu Dawood states, "Mahdi will be from my family. He will have a wide forehead, a high-bridged nose and will fill the earth with justice just as it will be filled with oppression. He will rule for seven years.

Hadhrat Mahdi will travel from Madinah to Makkah, where the people will recognise him and make him their leader. A voice will then be heard from the skies saying, "This is Allaah's Khalifah Mahdi. Listen to him and obey him."
Another sign will be that there will be both a solar and a lunar eclipse in the Ramadhaan of the year in which he appears and the Abdaal and the Asaa'ib groups of saints) will pledge their allegiance to him. The Arab armies will then gather to assist him and he will dig up the treasures in front of the door of the Kabah. This treasure is referred to as "Taajul Kabah" and he will distribute it amongst the Muslims. When the news reaches Khurasaan, one of the leaders of Khurasaan whose commander's name is Mansoor will stand up to support Hadhrat Mahdi.

A narration of Abu Dawood states that Rasulullaah SAW. said, "From beyond the river (Khurasaan), a man called Haarith Huraath whose troops will be? commanded by man named Mansoor, will come to assist the man from the family of Muhammad SAW. (Hadhrat Mahdi). This will be just as the Quraysh assisted the Nabi of Allaah "SAW. It will then be compulsory for all Muslims to assist him."

A Hadith from Hadhrat Ummu Salamah RADI. is quoted in Abu Dawood, which states that when conflict erupts over the death of a king, a man will leave Madinah and go to Makkah. The people of Makkah will pledge allegiance to him between the Rukn and Maqaem, after which an army from Shaam will march against him. This army will however be swallowed by the earth when they reach a place called Baydaa. Seeing this, the Abdaal of Shaam and the Asaa'ib of Iraq will pledge their allegiance to him. Thereafter, a tribe of the Quraysh whose maternal grandfather belonged to the Banu Kalb tribe will march against him, they will be called the "army of Kalb (the dog)" but they will be defeated by Hadhrat Mahdi and his army. Hadhrat Mahdi will practice the Sunnah of Rasulullaah SAW. and will spread Islaam throughout the world. He will live for seven years and then pass away. The Muslims will perform the Janaazah salaah and bury him.

It is also reported that Hadhrat Mahdi and his army will leave from Makkah for Madinah to visit the grave of Rasulullaah SAW.. From there they will leave for Shaam and when they reach Damascus, they will be confronted by a Christian army carrying eighty flags, each flag flying above an army of twelve thousand troops. This has been reported in a narration of Bukhaari.

The Christian army will camp at a place called Waabiq or A'maaq and Hadhrat Mahdi will take his army out of Damascus to face them. The Christians will demand that the Muslims hand over to them all those Muslims who had captured any of their men. They intended to have these Muslims executed. Hadhrat Mahdi will however refuse to hand them over saying. "BY Allaah! We will never surrender our brothers."

The Muslim army will then be divided into three groups. The first will flee out of fear for the Christian army. Their repentance will never be accepted and they will die as Kuffaar. The second group will die as martyrs in the battle and will be called the best of all martyrs. The third will gain victory over the Christians and will forever be safe from all trials. Imaam Muslim RAH. Has reported this narration but uses the word "Madinah", meaning' city'. Instead of the word Damascus, Ulema mention that Damascus is meant here and I have therefore stated Damascus.

A narration of Hadhrat Abdullaah bin Mas'ood RADI. quoted in Muslim provides the details of the victory against the Christian army. The narration states that before the battle, the Muslims will swear on oath that they will either kill or be killed. The battle will rage until the evening, after which both Armies will return to their camps. On the second day, the Muslims will again Take the oath and again the battle will rage until the evening many muslims will drink from the cup of martyrdom on that day before both armies return to their camps. on the third day again the oaths will be taken and again many lives will be lost before both armies return to their camps.

On the fourth day, the Muslims left with Hadhrat Mahdi will fight with such valour that the christians will be killed in such large numbers that if a bird had to fly over their corpses, it would fall down dead before passing over all of them. The Christians will thus be defeated' Those Christians who will not be dispatched to Jahannam will run for their lives and Hadhrat Mahdi will generously? reward the Muslim commanders and distribute the booty amongst the troops. The Muslims will how ever have little to rejoice over because they would have lost so many near and dear ones' In fact' from a tribe of a hundred men, there will only be one left alive.

Thereafter, Hadhrat Mahdi will focus on organising the affairs of the Islaamic state and preparing an army to march on Constantinople to eradicate those christians who had overthrown the sultan there. The details of this episode are reported in u narration of Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah RADI. As narrated in Muslim. It states that when Hadhrat Mahdi arrives with a large army In Constantinople. seventy thousand Muslims from of the progeny of Hadhrat Is'haaq Alayhissalaam. Will surround the city. How ever, on one side of the city will be the sea and on the other side will be (impassable) land. These Muslims from the progeny or Hadhrat Is?haaq Alayhissalaam. .will call out "Laa Ilaaha Illallaah Allaahu Akbar and the wall of the city facing the sea will collapse. When they call out? Laa Ilaaha lllallaan AIIaahu Akbar? for a second time, the wall on the landlocked side will collapse and when they call out "Laa llaaha Ilallaah Allaahu Akbar" for a third time, a path will open up for them through which they will enter the city as victors. They will then put the enemy to death and hang their swords on olive trees as they distribute the booty, while they are busy with this a voice will call out, "what are you doing here? Dajjaal has already taken control of your families!" upon investigation, they will discover that the message was false and that the voice was that of Shaytaan.

Dajjaal will then come when the army returns to shaam. His appearance will therefore be mad e after the conquest of Constantinople. When the first news of his emergency is reported Hadhrat Mahdi will dispatch a scouting party of ten horsemen to investigate' In a narration of Muslim. Rasulullaah SAW. says that he knew the names of the ten men as well as the colours of their horses. They wil the best horsemen on the face of the earth at the time. Their investigations will prove that the news is false and Hadhrat Mahdi will then start consolidate the Islaamic state. Dajjaal will appear thereafter."

Fatawa Rahimiyyah Vol.1

?