After researching Shia references, this hadith was nowhere to be found and the only place it has been mentioned is in the book of Mizanul-I’tidal. The hadith says: “إن خرج الدجال تبعه من کان یحب عثمان” (If the Dajjal ever appears, his followers will all be lovers of Uthman). (Abi Abdillah Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Uthman, Mizanul-I’tidal fi Naqdil-Rijal, vol. 2, pg. 107.) This hadith has been reported by a narrator by the name of Zayd ibn Wahab and what is interesting is that this hadith has been considered one of his weak points and reasons for him being an unreliable narrator. (Mizanul-I’tidal, vol. 2, pg. 107.) Nevertheless,Read More →

According to hadiths, after the return of Imam Mahdi (aj), Prophet Isa (pbuh) will descend onto the earth by the will of Allah (swt), and will pray behind the imam (aj) as one of his companions in everyone’s presence. (Muqaddas Shafe’i, Aqdul-Durar, pg. 292.) The prophet of Islam (pbuh) has been narrated saying: “By the one who sent me as the true giver of glad tidings, if even only one day remains for the life of this world, Allah (swt) will make that day so long so that my son, [Imam] Mahdi will emerge; Isa, “the spirit of God” will reveal and pray behind him, the worldRead More →

WHY DO THEY CALL PROPHET ISA “THE SPIRIT OF ALLAH”?

There is a verse in the Holy Quran that introduces this prophet of Allah’s as such: “إِنَّمَا الْمَسیحُ عیسَى ابْنُ مَرْیَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَ کَلِمَتُهُ أَلْقاها إِلى‏ مَرْیَمَ وَ رُوحٌ مِنْه (Nisa:171.) (Jesus, son of Mary, is only a Messenger of God, His Word, and a spirit from Him whom He conveyed to Mary). It is also relying on this verse that Ruhullah or the “Spirit of God” has been counted as one of his names in Islamic literature. On one hand, we must note that the issue of the spirit is one that, according to the explicit assertion of the Quran, we cannot understandRead More →

HAD IMAM MAHDI’S MOTHER BEEN THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF CAESAR, THE KING OF THE ROMANS?

Shaikh Tusi, one of the great scholars and traditionists of the fifth century, in his book titled Al-Ghaiba (Occultation) reported Bishr bin Sulayman (a servant of 10th Imam, Imam Ali Al-Naqi (as)) as saying that one day, Imam Ali Al-Naqi (as) called him and said to him: “O’ Bishr, you are from the Ansars (inhabitants of Madina who believed in and supported Prophet Mohammad (SAW) when he migrated from Makkah to Madina in the early years of Islam) who have always been our loyal and our trustworthy through generations, therefore I want to exalt you and chasten you with the honor of carrying out aRead More →

To clarify the answer, we must make mention of the following points: 1. What the Shiites believe concerning the Imam of Time (atf), and which the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and also the infallible Imams (a.s.) (See Behar al-Anwar, vol.52 and Muntakhab al-Athar from Grand Ayatollah Saafi.) have pointed out is all the Imam’s occultation, not hiding in a cave or a cellar. Some say only out of mockery that Shiites believe that the Promised Mahdi (pbuh) hid, after his birth in a cellar (the underground of Imam Hasan’s house in Samarra) wherefrom he started his occultation and he is living in that cellar. However, if weRead More →

Imamate is the continuation of prophethood (Muhammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi, Amuzeshe Aqaid, pg. 306.) and the imam is one who possesses all of the attributes of the prophet, albeit receiving divine revelation from its sources. So the imam has three major responsibilities, as does the prophet (Mohammad Husein Tabatabai, Shia dar Islam, pg.176.): 1- Taking measures for establishing an Islamic government and freeing the people of oppressive ones 2- Spreading divine teachings amongst the people 3- Guiding the people to the straight path The three abovementioned are the most important of their responsibilities. Nevertheless, if certain social circumstances or the weakness of the Muslims don’t allow the imamRead More →

WHAT IS THE JEWS’ BELIEF CONCERNING THE RETURN (RAJ’AH) OF IMAM MAHDI (A.S.)?

“Raj’ah” literally means to return (Farhange Mo’in, vol. 2, pg. 1640.) and in Islamic terms, it refers to the return of certain people (pure believers and absolute polytheists) from the dead before the Day of Resurrection. When it comes to Imam of Time (aj), raj’ah technically does not apply to him. Raj’ah in the question actually implies the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (aj). All the nations and peoples of the world despite their differences in thought, manners, customs, tendencies, interests, wishes and schools are interested in peace and justice. Almost all those who have studied about saviorism and the coming of a global reformer agreeRead More →

WHAT DO JEWS SAY ABOUT THE COMING OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH?

“Raj’ah” literally means to return (Farhange Mo’in, vol. 2, pg. 1640.) and in Islamic terms, refers to the return of certain people from the dead (pure believers and absolute mushriks) before the Day of Resurrection. Therefore Raja’ah does not apply to Imam Mahdi and what is meant in the above question is his emergence. Despite the evident diversity among different people in every aspect of life like their clothes, mindsets, cultures, costumes, passions, ambitions, desires and schools of thought, they all share the desire and love for peace and justice. Almost all of people who have studied in this field agree that all people aroundRead More →

One of the most important duties which the Shia must shoulder and undertake during the period of occultation is pray to Allah to hasten the reappearance of Imam Mahdi as well as for his wellbeing and safety. There is no doubt that one can pray to Allah in any way he can, no matter what the language of prayer and supplication since it is listened and accepted by Allah. What is important is the spirit of the supplication and the conditions which the supplications must meet.Meanwhile, it goes without saying that the reported supplications which have been transmitted on the tongue of the Holy Ahlulbayt (familyRead More →

The answer to this question lies in the explanation of what the reason for Imam Mahdi’s (aj) occultation is, what it means to truly await his return, and what the benefits of a present imam [although unseen] are. But before getting started, this point must be made that the true main reason for Imam Mahdi’s occultation, as mentioned in hadiths, is a secret that only Allah (swt) knows of exactly. (Biharul-Anwar, vol. 52, pg. 91.) Nevertheless, we can try to discover some of the other reasons behind it with the help of hadiths and our own thought. These reasons can be divided into two categories: 1-Read More →