What is the Zaydi definition of Imam al-Mahdi and what is his role?
What is the Zaydi definition of Imam al-Mahdi and his role in his time according to the Zaydis — and when is his time?
According to the Zaydi school, belief in the Imam al-Mahdi is a matter upon which the ‘Itrah (the Prophet’s family) are in unanimous agreement. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) promised that a man would be born and appear at the end of time, during an era of widespread tribulations, chaos, and turmoil. This man will rise and call people to God; through him, God will rescue the Ummah. Justice will replace injustice, and sufficiency and prosperity will replace hunger and poverty.
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not specify a time for his appearance; the reports simply state that it will be at the end of time. The Mahdi, according to the Zaydis, is a descendant of Fāṭimah al-Zahrāʾ (peace be upon her).
Abū Khālid al-Wāsiṭī said:
“We asked Zayd ibn ʿAlī (peace be upon him) about the Mahdi — is he truly to come?”
He replied, “Yes.”
We asked, “Is he from the descendants of al-Ḥasan or al-Ḥusayn?”
Zayd said: “Indeed, he is from the descendants of Fāṭimah (peace be upon her), and he will be from whichever of her descendants God wills — whether from the progeny of al-Ḥasan or from the progeny of al-Ḥusayn (peace be upon them both).” [1]
Imam al-Manṣūr bi-llāh ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ḥamzah (peace be upon him) said, after numerous narrations appeared regarding whether he is from the line of al-Ḥasan or al-Ḥusayn:
“Many of the Imams have spoken generally on this subject and have mentioned only that the Mahdi is from the descendants of Fāṭimah (peace be upon her). They did not mean to go beyond that, nor to determine whether he is from the line of al-Ḥasan or al-Ḥusayn, for both are sources of Imamate and seats of leadership and authority.” [2]
Thus, the Imam al-Mahdi — according to the Zaydis — is from the descendants of Fāṭimah, through whomever God wills among the progeny of al-Ḥasan or al-Ḥusayn, as stated by the leading scholars of the Prophet’s family, the Lesser Weight (al-thaqal al-asghar), and as confirmed in mutawātir (mass-transmitted) narrations from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) that he will be from Fāṭimah’s offspring without specifying a particular line.
Even though some reports specify a particular branch, this has been challenged by the consensus of the ‘Itrah and by their historical positions — such as during the rise of Imam Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Nafs al-Zakiyyah (al-Ḥasanī) and Imam Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (al-Ḥusaynī). Some among the righteous descendants of the Prophet thought each of them might be the Mahdi of the end times. Their belief that this could apply to either a Ḥasanid or Ḥusaynid shows that they did not view the Mahdi’s lineage as confined to one line.
As for his name, it is as stated in the reports narrated by Imam al-Qāsim ibn Ibrāhīm al-Rassī (peace be upon him):
“His name is the same as that of the Messenger of God, and his father’s name is the same as the Messenger’s father’s name — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh.”
His Role at His Appearance
When he appears, his mission will follow the path of his noble forefathers — ʿAlī, al-Ḥasan, al-Ḥusayn, Zayd, al-Nafs al-Zakiyyah, al-Nafs al-Raḍiyyah, al-Ḥusayn al-Fakhkhī, al-Hādī ilā al-Ḥaqq Yaḥyā ibn al-Ḥusayn, al-Nāṣir al-Uṭrūsh al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī, and other leaders of the ‘Itrah.
He will call for the revival of the Qur’an and the Sunnah, defend the oppressed, and establish justice among people. The Ummah will rally around him, and God will grant him success and means of victory that were not granted to any previous claimant among the descendants of ʿAlī and Fāṭimah.
It is important to note that, among the Zaydis, belief in Imam al-Mahdi does not mean passively waiting for a future savior or abandoning one’s duty. This principle is expressed by Imam Zayd ibn ʿAlī (peace be upon him), who said:
“The Mahdi is real, and he will indeed come from among us, the People of the House. But you will not reach his time — that will be when much of time has passed. So do not desist from striving (jihad) alongside any of our callers who rise by the Book of God and the Sunnah of His Messenger, who stands upon the truth, and who is trustworthy. He is your Imam and your proof, so follow him, and you will be guided.” [3]
Answered by:
Ustadh al-Kāẓim al-Zaydī — may God grant him success.
May God grant you success.
O Allah, send blessings upon Muḥammad and upon the family of Muḥammad
Footnotes
([1]) Al-Muḥīṭ bi-l-Imāmah
([2]) Al-ʿIqd al-Thamīn, p. 225
([3]) Al-Amālī al-Khamīsiyyah