People claiming to be the Mahdi[edit] Main article: People claiming to be the Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad, a Sudanese Sufi sheikh, created a state, the Mahdiyah, on the basis of his claim to be the Mahdi. Various individuals have claimed to be the Mahdi. Similar to the notion of a Messiah in the Judeo-Christian religions, the notion of a Mahdi as a redeemer to establish a society has lent itself to various interpretations leading to different claims within minorities or by individuals within Islam. The first historical reference to a movement using the name of Mahdi is al-Mukhtars rebellion against the Umayyad caliphate in 686 CE, almost 50 years after Muhammads death. Al-Mukhtar claimed that Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, a son of the fourth caliph and first Shia imam, Ali, was the Mahdi and would save the Muslim people from the rule of the Umayyads. Ibn al-Hanifiyyah himself was not actively involved in the rebellion, and when the Umayyads successfully quashed it, they left him undisturbed. Muhammad Jaunpuri (1443–1505), founder of the Mahdavi sect, was born in Jaunpur in northeastern India (in the modern-day state of Uttar Pradesh), a descendant of the imam Husayn through Musa al-Kadhim. He claimed to be the Mahdi on three occasions, first in Mecca and then in two places in India, attracting a large following, although opposed by the ulema. He died at the age of 63 in the year 1505 at Farah, Afghanistan, and is buried in a sanctuary there. He ruled for seven years before his death Ahmed ibn Abi Mahalli (1559–1613), from the south of Morocco, was a cadi and religious scholar who proclaimed himself mahdi and lead a revolution (1610–13) against the reigning Saadi dynasty. Mahamati Prannath (1618–1694), from the Gujarat of India, was an influential religious leader who proclaimed himself mahdi. The Báb, (Siyyid Ali Muhammad) claimed to be the Mahdi in 1844 A.D (in the year 1260 A.H), thereby founding the religion of Bábism. He was later executed by firing squad in the town of Tabriz. His remains are currently kept in a tomb at the Baháí World Centre in Haifa, Israel. The Báb is considered the forerunner of Baháulláh, and both are considered prophets of the Baháí Faith. The declaration by the Báb to be the Mahdi is considered by Bahais to be the beginning of the Baháí calendar.[37] Muhammad Ahmad (1845–1885), a Sudanese Sufi sheikh of the Samaniyya order, declared himself Mahdi in June 1881 and went on to lead a successful military campaign against the Turko-Egyptian government of Sudan. Although he died shortly after capturing the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, in 1885, the Mahdist state continued under his successor, Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, until 1898, when it fell to the British army following the Battle of Omdurman. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908) claimed to be both the Mahdi and the second coming of Jesus in the late nineteenth century in British India. He founded the Ahmadiyya religious movement in 1889, which, although considered by its followers to be Islam in its pure form, is not recognized as such by the majority of mainstream Muslims. In 1974, the Pakistani parliament adopted a law declaring the Ahmadis to be non-Muslims. Since Ghulam Ahmads death, the Ahmadiyya community has been led by his successors and has grown considerably.[38] In the twentieth century, Muhammad bin abd Allah al-Qahtani was proclaimed the Mahdi by his brother-in-law, Juhayman al-Otaibi, who led over 200 militants to seize the Grand Mosque in Mecca in November 1979. The uprising was defeated after a two-week siege in which at least 300 people were killed. A number of people have been claimed to be the Mahdi by their followers or supporters, including: Muhammad ibn Abdallah An-Nafs Az-Zakiyya Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Aftah ibn Jafar al-Sadiq Jafar al-Sadiq (according to the Tawussite Shia) Musa al-Kadhim (according to the Waqifite Shia) Muhammad ibn Qasim (al-Alawi) Yahya ibn Umar Muhammad ibn Ali al-Hadi Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi (according to Messiah Foundation International) Diponegoro, Javanese prince during the Java War Wallace Fard Muhammad, founder of the Nation of Islam Mahdi coauthorship controversy[edit] In 2011, an academic paper on polymers appeared in the journal Macromolecular Research (co-published with Springer), claiming to be written by Mahdi Moeud Ajjalallah (literally, The promised Mahdi, may God hasten [his appearance], as the first author, and Mohammad Reza Rostami Daronkola, as the second author.[39] Another paper with the same two authors was published online by Journal of Polymer Research, published by Springer Netherlands.[40] Rostami Daronkola, a former[41] Assistant Professor at Tarbiat Modares University, when asked about the inserted coauthor, said Why shouldnt the Imam of the Time, who is omnipresent, be present at chemistry labs?[42] Tarbiat Modares University has protested the publication of the article, calling the act offensive.[41] The faculty members of the university have also asked for a retraction of the article, saying that the name of the university has been abused.[41] Modern Views[edit] Even though Mahdism is an important part of Sunni and Shi’ite literature, there is an alternative opinion that Mahdism entered Islam from Judeo-Christian teachings. Maccabean revolt might have been the historical setting for the birth of Messianism which was passed on to Judiasm, Christianity and Islam. During the life of Muhammad (570-632) there remained a lack for a distinctive Islamic savior figure as evidenced with the lack of any clear indication in Quran or earlier Hadith collections, how ever within half a century of Muhammad’s death, the position was filled by the figure of the Mahdi.[43][44] The second civil war (680-692) marks the true birth of the messianic figure of Mahdi. The term Mahdi was first used in a messianic sense during the rebellion of Al-Mukhtar in Kufa in 683 on behalf of Muhammad al-Hanafiyyah. By the time of the Abbasid revolution in the year 750, Mahdism was already a known concept. Evidence shows that the first Abbasid caliph assumed the title of the Mahdi for himself. Many traditions were introduced to support political interests, especially Anti-Abbassid sentiments, for example Mahdi coming will be accompanied by the raising of a black standard in Khurasan. It appears to have been introduced to prove the genuiness and credibilities of Sarbadarid dynasty (1337–61) whose capital was Khurasan and the colour of their flag was black or the pure soul will be assassinated. Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, also known as ‘pure soul’ was a descendent of Imam Hasan and a chief rebel against Abbassids and was assassinated.[43][45] Mahdi appeared in early Shi’ite narratives, spread widely among Shi’ite groups and became dissociated from its historical figure, Muhammad al-Hanafiyyah. It is unquestionable that the idea of the hidden Imam was projected upon several Imams in turn.[46] During the 10th century, based on the doctrinal ground that had been laid in previous generations, the doctrine of Mahdism was extensively expanded by Al-Kulayni, Ibrahim al-Qumi and Ibn Babwayhi.[44] In Shi’ism the crystallization of the doctrine of Occultation occurs in about 912 (The doctrine of the Occultation declares that the Twelfth Imam did not die but has been concealed by God from the eyes of men). The Hidden Imam, the Mahdi, is in occultation awaiting the time that God has ordered for his return. This return is envisaged as occurring shortly before the final Day of judgment.[3] Mahdi in Sikhism[edit] In Dasam Granth, the second scripture in Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh prophesised mahdi to be born for a purpose to destroy Kalki, an avatar of Vishnu. After Kalki win whole world, he become egoistic and will call himself almighty. The powerful and haughty Mahdi will kill him and rule the world.[47] See also[edit] Portal icon Islam portal Al-Qaim (the Shia expectations) Islamic eschatology Moshiach List of Islamic terms in Arabic Mahdaviat Masih ad-Dajjal People claiming to be the Mahdi Parousia Time of Imam Mahdi
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 02:12:18 +0000
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