The forces of Hadrat al-Mahdi (‘atfs) will be composed of various nationalities and at the time of uprising they will be called through unique means. The individuals who have been designated before as commanders will assume the responsibility of guiding the soldiers and planning war operations.
The soldiers to be accepted in the army of al-Mahdi (‘atfs) under special circumstances have peculiar characteristics of their own. Some will be present in the primary staff and some will join the army. A group has been called the security guard corps.
In this chapter, we will take a look at the hadiths related to this topic.
Commanders of the Army
In the hadiths we can read the names of the individuals who have been associated with particular military operations and the command of a number of soldiers. In this section, we shall mention the names and functions of some of them:
Hadrat ‘Isa (Jesus Christ) (‘a)
The Commander of the Faithful (‘a) said in a sermon (khutbah): “…Then the Mahdi (‘atfs) will appoint Hadrat ‘Isa (‘a) as his representative in the offensive operations against ad-Dajjal (the Anti-Christ). ‘Isa (‘a) will set out to capture and suppress ad-Dajjal.
Ad-Dajjal who will then be controlling the entire world, destroying agriculture and human generation, will call the people toward him and anyone who accepts him will be treated with favor and anyone who refuses to accept him would be killed. He will travel throughout the world, with the exception of Mecca, Medina and Bayt al-Muqaddas (Jerusalem), and all the illegitimate children from both the east and the west of the globe will rally around him.
“Ad-Dajjal will set out toward the Hijaz and ‘Isa (‘a) will intercept him at the passage of Harsha. ‘Isa (‘a) will direct a horrible shout at him and strike him a decisive blow. Ad-Dajjal will melt in a blazing fire like lead melting in fire.” 1
The penetration of the blow that will lead to the melting of ad-Dajjal is perhaps due to the use of the ultramodern weapons at that time, or it could be due to one of the miracles of Hadrat ‘Isa.
Concerning the salient features of Hadrat ‘Isa (‘a), it is thus stated: “He has such magnificence that once the enemy sees him he will remember death as if ‘Isa was demanding his life.” 2
Shu‘ayb ibn Salih
The Commander of the Faithful (‘a) said: “The Sufyani and the bearers of the black banners will confront each other while among the latter there will be a young man from the Bani Hashim in the palm of whose left hand would be a black mole. He would be in front of his soldiers and would be from the tribe of Bani Tamim. His name is Shu‘ayb ibn Salih.” 3
Hasan al-Basri said: “In the land of Rey a person named Shu‘ayb ibn Salih will appear having broad shoulders, a dark complexion, and beardless. There will be an army of four thousand men under his command whose garments will be white and their banners will be black. They will constitute the vanguard of the Mahdi’s army.” 4
‘Ammar ibn Yasir said: “Shu‘ayb ibn Salih is the standard-bearer of Hadrat al-Mahdi.” 5
Shablanji said: “The commander of the advance forces of Hadrat al-Mahdi (‘atfs) will be a man from the tribe of Bani Tamim with a slight beard and who will be called, Shu‘ayb ibn Salih.” 6
Muhammad ibn Hanafiyyah said: “An army will set out from Khurasan that will wear black belts and white shirts. One of the army’s vanguards will be the commander called Shu‘ayb ibn Salih or Salih ibn Shu‘ayb who is from the tribe of Bani Tamim. They will defeat the soldiers of the Sufyani and drive them away; they will arrive in Bayt al-Muqaddas and pave the ground for the government of Hadrat al-Mahdi.” 7
Isma‘il the Son of Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) and ‘Abdullah ibn Sharik
Abu Khadijah said that Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) said: “I asked Allah to keep (my son) Isma‘il alive after me but He did not grant it, but granted him another station. He will be the first person to reappear along with his ten companions. ‘Abdullah ibn Sharik will be his standard-bearer and one of his ten companions.” 8
Imam al-Baqir (‘a) said: “It is as if I can see ‘Abdullah ibn Sharik al-‘Amiri who has put a black turban on his head with the two sides of his turban placed between his shoulders. With an army of four thousand men as vanguards of our Qa’im, they will climb the mountain slope and always utter takbir.” 9
‘Aqil and Harith
Hadrat ‘Ali (‘a) said: “Hadrat al-Mahdi (‘a) will let the army advance until they will arrive in Iraq in such a manner that soldiers will be moving to his front and at the rear. The commander of the advance forces will be a man named ‘Aqil while the commander of the rear soldiers will be a man named Harith.” 10
Jubayr ibn Khabur
Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) quoted the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) as saying: “While their weapons have already been drawn from the scabbards, this person—Jubayr—along with four thousand men in Jabal al-Ahwaz will wait for the advent of the Qa’im from among us, the Ahl al-Bayt. Then, this person along with and beside the Imam will engage in combat against the enemy.” 11
‘Umar ibn Mufaddal
Imam as-Sadiq said to Mufaddal: “You, along with forty four other persons, will be with Hadrat al-Qa’im (‘atfs). You will be on the right side of the Imam (‘a) enjoining (good) and forbidding (evil), and the people at that time, compared to the people of today, will believe in you more sincerely.” 12
The Companions of the Cave (ashab al-kahf)
The Commander of the Faithful (‘a) said: “The Companions of the Cave (ashab al-kahf) will come to assist the Mahdi (‘atfs).” 13 14 15
References:- Ash-Shi‘ah wa’r-Raj‘ah, vol. 1, p. 167.[↩]
- Ibn Hammad, Fitan, p. 161.[↩]
- Ibn Hammad, Fitan, p. 86; ‘Iqd ad-Durar, p. 127; Kanz al-‘Ummal, vol. 14, p. 588.[↩]
- Ibn Tawus, Malahim, p. 53; ‘Iqd ad-Durar, p. 130; Ash-Shi‘ah wa’r-Raj‘ah, vol. 1, p. 210.[↩]
- Ibn Tawus, Malahim, p. 53; Ash-Shi‘ah wa’r-Raj‘ah, vol. 1, p. 211.[↩]
- Nur al-Absar, p. 138; Shi‘ah wa’r-Raj‘ah, vol. 1, p. 211.[↩]
- Ibn Hammad, Fitan, p. 84; Ibn al-Munadi, p. 47; Darmi, Sunan, p. 98; ‘Iqd ad-Durar, p. 126; Ibn Tawus, Fitan, p. 49.[↩]
- Al-Ayqaz min al-Haj‘ah, p. 266. See Kashi, Ikhtiyar Ma‘rifah ar-Rijal, p. 217; Ibn Dawud, Ar-Rijal, p. 206.[↩]
- Al-Ayqaz min al-Haj‘ah, p. 266. See Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 53, p. 67; Ithbat al-Hudah, vol. 3, p. 561.[↩]
- Ash-Shi‘ah wa’r-Raj‘ah, vol. 1, p. 158.[↩]
- Khara’ij, vol. 1, p. 185; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 41, p. 296; Mustadrakat ‘Ilm Rijal al-Hadith, vol. 2, p. 118. Notwithstanding an extensive study of both Sunni and Shi‘ah books which I have conducted regarding Jubayr ibn Khabur, I have found nothing except the following point: Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) said: “Jubayr ibn Khabur was a treasurer of Mu‘awiyah. His old mother was living in Kufah. One day Jubayr said to Mu‘awiyah: “I missed my mother. Kindly permit me to see her so that I could fulfill some of those rights I owe to her.” Mu‘awiyah said: “What is your business in the city of Kufah? There is a sorcerer there named ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and I am not sure that he would not deceive you.” Jubayr said: “I have no business with ‘Ali. I want to go there in order to see my mother and give to her some of her rights.” After being granted permission, Jubayr set out for the journey. When he arrived in the city of Kufah—since the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) after the Battle of Siffin had assigned guards to be posted around the city who used to control the traffic to and from the city—he was arrested by the guards and brought to the city center. ‘Ali said to him: “You are among the Godly treasurers. Mu‘awiyah said to you that I am a sorcerer.” Jubayr said: “By God! He has said exactly that.” The Imam (‘a) said: “You have an asset along with you a portion of which you have buried in the ‘Ayn at-Tamar district.” Jubayr also admitted it. Afterward, the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) ordered Imam al-Hasan (‘a) to entertain him. The following day, ‘Ali (‘a) said to his followers: “This person in Jabal al-Ahwaz…” [The complete sentence is in the text of the book.][↩]
- Dala’il al-Imamah, p. 248; Ithbat al-Hudah, vol. 3, p. 573.[↩]
- Husayni, Al-Hidayah, p. 31; Irshad al-Qulub, p. 286; Hilyah al-Abrar, vol. 2, p. 601.[↩]
- An Overview of Imam al-Mahdi’s (atfs) Government, Ayatullah Najmuddin Tabasi[↩]
- Imam Reza (A.S.) Network[↩]
