Name - Muhammad
Title - Al-Mahdi, Sahib-ul-Asr, Al-Hujjat, Al-Qa'im
Kunyat - Abul Qasim
Born - Friday 15th of Shaban 255 A.H., at Samarra
Father's Name - Imam Hasan-al-Askari
Mother's Name - Nargis Khatoon
Still living but in hiding and will appear before the Day of Judgement to establish
justice on earth
The Signs of the Reappearance (Qiyam) of the (Imam) who undertakes the Office
(al-Qa'im), Peace be on him, the Period of Time of his Appearance, an Explanation of his
Life and an Extract of what is revealed about his State.
Traditions have been reported mentioning the signs for the time of the appearance of
the Imam who will arise (qa'im), peace be on him, and the events which will take place
before his appearance, together with the indications and features of it.
Among them are:
- The Sufyani will come out in revolt;
- the Hasanid will be killed;
- the Abbasids will dispute over worldly kingdom;
- there will be an eclipse of the sun in the middle of the month of Ramadan;
- there will be an eclipse of the moon at the end of that month in contrast to ordinary
happenings;
- the land will be swallowed up at al-Bayda'; it will be swallowed in the east-it will
be swallowed up in the west;
- the sun will stay still from the time of its decline to the middle of the time for the
afternoon prayer;
- it will rise from the west;
- a pure soul (nafs zakiyya) will be killed in the outskirts of Kufa with seventy
righteous men;
- a Hashimite will be slaughtered between the corner (of the Ka'ba) and the station of
Abraham);
- the wall of the mosque of Kufa will be destroyed;
- black standards will advance from Khurasan;
- al-Yamani will come out in revolt;
- al-Maghribi will appear in Egypt and take possession of it from Syria;
- the Turk will occupy the region of al-Jazira;
- the Byzantines will occupy Ramla;
- the star will appear in the east giving light just like the moon gives light;
- then (the new moon) will bend until its two tips almost meet;
- a colour will appear in the sky and spread to its horizons;
- a fire will appear for a long time in the east remaining in the air for three or seven
days;
- the Arabs will throw off the reins and take possession of their land, throwing out the
foreign authority;
- the people of Egypt will kill their ruler and destroy Syria; and three standards will
dispute over it (Syria);
- the standards of Qays and the Arabs will come among the people of Egypt;
- the standards of Kinda (will go) to Khurasan;
- horses will come from the west until they are stabled in al-Hira;
- the black standards will advance towards them from the east; the Euphrates will flood
so that the water comes into the alleys of Kufa;
- sixty liars will come forward, all of them claiming prophethood, and twelve will come
forward from the family of Abu Talib, all of them claiming the Imamate; a man of important
rank of the supporters of the 'Abbasids will be burnt between Jalula' and Khaniqin;
- the bridge next to Karkh in the city of Baghdad will be established;
- a black wind will raise it at the beginning of the day and then an earthquake will
occur so that much of it will be swallowed up;
- fear will cover the people of Iraq and Baghdad; swift death (will occur) there and
there will be a loss of property, lives and harvests;
- locusts will appear at their usual times and at times not usual so that they attack
agricultural land and crops and there will be little harvest for what the people planted;
- two kinds of foreigners will dispute and much blood will be shed in their quarrel;
- slaves will rebel against obedience to their masters and kill their masters (mawali);
- a group of heretics (ahl al-bida) will be transformed until they become monkeys and
pigs;
- slaves will conquer the land of their masters; a cry (will come) from the sky (in such
a way) that all the people will hear it in their own languages;
- a face and a chest will appear in the sky before the people in the centre of the sun;
- the dead will arise from their graves so that they will return to the world and they
will recognize one another and visit one another;
- that will come to an end with twenty-four continous rainstorms and the land will be
revived by them after being dead and it will recognize its blessings;
- after that every disease will be taken away from those of the Shia of the Mahdi, peace
be on him, who believe in the truth;
at that time they will know of his appearance in Mecca and they will go to him to
support him.
(These signs) are as the reports have mentioned. Among the total of these events are
some which are bound (to happen) and other which are conditional.
God knows best what will
take place. We have only mentioned them on the basis of what is recounted in basic sources
of tradition (usul) because of their inclusion in traditions which have been handed down.
From God we seek help and Him do we ask for success.
[Abu al-Hasan 'Ali b. Bilal al-Muhallabi informed me: Muhammad b. Jafar al-Mu'addib told
me on the authority of Ahmad b. Idris, on the authority of 'Ali b. Muhammad b. Qutayba, on
the authority of al-Fadl b. Shadhan, on the authority of Ismaeil b. al-Sabbah, who said: I
heard an old man among our colleagues mention on the authority of Sayf b. Umayra, who
said:]
I (i.e. Sayf b. 'Umayra) was with Abu Jafar al-Mansur and he said to me of his own
accord: "There will certainly be a voice calling from the sky the name of a man
from the descendants of Abu Talib."
"May I be your ransom, Commander of the faithful," I said, "do you relate
that?"
"Indeed, by Him in Whose hands is my life," he replied, "because
my own ears have heard it."
"Commander of the faithful," I said, "this tradition which you have heard
is before my time."
"Sayf, it is the truth," he told me. "When it happens, we will
be the first to answer it. Indeed the call will be for a man from the descendants of our
uncle."
"A man from the descendants of Fatima, peace be on her?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied. "Sayf, if it was not for the fact that I
have heard from Abu Jafar Muhammad b. Ali (al-Baqir), who told me about it, even though
all the people of the earth have told me about it, I would not accept it from them.
However it was Muhammad b. Ali (al-Baqir), peace be on them, (who told me)."
[Yahya b. Abi Talib reported on the authority of Ali b. Asim, on the authority of Ata'
b. al-Sa'ib, on the authority of his father on the authority of Abd Allah b. Umar, who
said:]
The Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, said: "The hour (of the
end of the world) will not arise until the Mahdi from my descendants comes forth. The
Mahdi will not come forth until sixty liars come forward, all of them declaring: 'I am a
prophet.' "
[al-Fadl b. Shadhan reported on the authority of one who reported it on the authority of
Abu Hamza al-Thumali, who said:]
I (i.e. Abu Hamza al-Thumali) asked Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him: "Is the
revolt of the Sufyani one of the things which must happen?"
"Yes," he replied. "The call is one of the things which must happen as is
the rising of the sun from the west one of the things which must happen. The dispute of
the Abbasids over the state is also one of them and the killing of the pure soul (al-nafs
al-zakiyya). The appearance of the one who will arise (al-qa'im) from the family of
Muhammad, may God bless him and his family, is another of the things which must
happen."
"How will the call be?" I asked.
"There will be a call from the sky at the beginning of the dayù indeed the truth
is with Ali; and his Shia,'' he said. "Then at the end of the day, Satan will call
from the earth - indeed the truth is with Uthman and his supporters. At that the false one
will feel doubt."
[al-Hasan b. Ali al-Washsha' (reported) on the authority of Ahmad b. A'idh, on the
authority of Abu Khadija, on the authority of Abu Abd Allah (Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be on
him:]
(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "The one who will arise (al-qa'im) will not come forth until
twelve of the Banu Hashim come forth before him, all of them summoning men to
themselves."
[Muhammad b. Abi al-Bilad (reported) on the authority of Ali b. Muhammad al-Azdi, on the
authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, who said:]
The Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, said: "Before the one who will
arise (al-qa'im), there will be red death and white death; there will be locusts at their
usual time and at their unusual time like the colours of blood. As for red death that is
(from) the sword,while white death is (from) plague."
[al-Hasan b. Mahbub (reported) on the authority of 'Amr b. Abi Miqdam, on the authority
of Jabir al-Jufi on the authority of Abu-Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him:]
(Al-Baqir) said: "Stay close to the ground. Don't move an arm or a leg until you
see the signs which I will mention to youùI don't think that you will live until that
time. The Abbasids will dispute; a voice will call from the sky; one of the villages of
Syria called al-Jabiyya will be swallowed up; the Turks will occupy the region of
al-Jazira; the Byzantines will attack al-Ramla; at that time there will be much conflict
throughout the land until Syria is destroyed. The cause of its destruction will be the
meeting of three standards there: the standard of the Red, the standard of the Spotted and
the standard of the Sufyam."
[Ali b. Abi Hamza (reported) on the authority of Abu al-Hasan Musa, peace be on him:]
Concerning the words of Him, the Mighty and High: We will show them our signs on the
horizons and in themselves so that it will become clear to them that it is the truth [XLI
53], (Musa) said: "(There will be) a disturbance on the horizons and the enemies of
truth will be changed in form."
[Wahb b. (Abi) Hafs (reported) on the authority of Abu Basir, who said:]
I (i.e. Abu Basir) heard Abu Jafar (al-Baqir) speak concerning the words of Him, the
Exalted: If We wish, We will send down on them signs from the sky, and their necks will
remain bent submissively to them (XXVI 4). He said: "God will do that to them."
"Who are they?" I asked.
"The Umayyads and their supporters," he answered.
"What is the sign?" I asked.
"Between the decline of the sun (at noon) and the time of the afternoon prayer, the
sun will remain still," he said. "The chest and face of man will appear in the
centre of the sun, who will be recognized by his standing and genealogy. That will occur
in the time of the Sufyani. At that moment his destruction will occur and the destruction
of his people."
[Abd Allah b. Bukayr (reported) on the authority of Abd al-Malik b. Ismail, on the
authority of his father, on the authority of Said b. Jubayr:]
(Sa'id b. Jubayr) said: "In the year in which the Mahdl will rise, twenty rain
storms will rain on the earth. You will see their effects and benefits."
[al-Fadl b. Shadhan (reported) on the authority of Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abi Nasr , on
the authority of Thalaba al-Azdi, who said:]
Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him, said: "Two signs will come before the one
who will arise (al-qa'im), peace be on him: there will be an eclipse of the sun in the
middle of the month of Ramadan and an eclipse of the moon at the end of it."
"Son of the Apostle of God," I said, "usually the eclipse of the sun
occurs at the end of the month and the eclipse of the moon occurs in the middle of
it?"
"I know what I have said," replied Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him.
"They are signs which have not occurred since Adam came down."
[Thalaba b. Maymun (reported) on the authority of Shuayb al-Haddad, on the authority of
Salih. b. Maytham, who said:]
I (i.e. Salih b. Maytham) heard Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him, say: "There
is no longer than fifteen nights between the appearance of the one who will rise
(al-qa'im), peace be on him, and the killing of the pure soul (al-nafs al-zakiyya)."
[Amr b Shamir (reported) on the authority of Jabir (al-Jufi) who said:]
I (i.e. Jabir al-Jufi) said to Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him: "When will
this event occur?"
"Jabir, that will occur at a time when the killing between al-Hira and Kufa is
considerable," he replied.
[Muhammad b. Sinan (reported) on the authority of al-Husayn b. al-Mukhtar, on the
authority of Abu Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be on him:]
(Ja'far al-Sadiq) said: "When the wall of the mosque of Kufa, which adjoins the
house of Abd Allah b. Masud is destroyed, then at that time the ruler of the people will
disappear. At his disappearance, the one who will rise (al-qai'im), peace be on him, will
come forth."
[Sayf b. 'Umayra (reported) on the authority of Bakr b. Muhammad, on the authority of
Abu 'Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be on him:]
(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "There will be three appearances in one year, one month and
one dayùthe Sufyani, the Khurasani and the Yamam. The standard of guidance will not be
among them, except the standard of the Yamani, because he will summon (people) to the
truth."
[al-Fadl b. Shadhan (reported) on the authority of Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abi Nasr, on the
authority of Abu al-Hasan al-Rida, peace be on him:]
(Al-Rida) said: "What you stretch your necks for will not occur until you are able
to discern and to be tested. Only a few of you will remain."
Then he recited: Alif Lam. Do the people consider that they can abandon saying " We
believe whenever they are tempted? [XXIX 1-2]. He said: "Among the signs of the
relief is an event which will occur between the two mosques (of Mecca and Medina).
So-and-so from the descendants of so-and-so will kill fifteen leaders of the Arabs."
[Al-Fadl b. Shadhan (reported) on the authority of Muammar b. Khallad, on the authority
of Abu al-Hasan (al-Rida), peace be on him:]
(Al-Rida) said: "(It is as if I see) standards, dyed green, coming from Egypt until
they come to the Syrian (standards). Then they will be guided to the descendant of the one
who gave the testamentary bequests of authority (to the Imams)."
[Hammad b. Isa (reported) on the authority of Ibrahim b. Umar al-Yamani on the authority
of Abu Basir, on the authority of Abu Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be on him:]
(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "The kingdom of these men will not disappear until they
slaughter people in Kufa on Friday. It is as if I was looking at heads falling between the
Gate of al-Fil and (the place of) the soap-sellers."
[Ali b. Asbat (reported) on the authority of (Abu) al-Hasan b. al-Jahm, who said:]
A man asked Abu al-Hasan (Musa), peace be on him, about the relief. He asked: "Do
you want most of it or shall I give you a summary?"
"Would you give me a summary?" he said.
"(It will be) when the standards of Qays are carried in Egypt and the standards of
Kinda in Khurasan," he replied.
[Al-Husayn b. Abi 'Ala' (reported) on the authority of Abu Basir, on the authority of
Abu Abd Allah (Ja'far al-Sadiq), peace be on him:]
(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "Because of the sons of so-and-so there will be a battle at
your mosqueùmeaning the mosque of Kufa. On one Friday four thousand will be killed
between the Gate of al-Fil to (the place of) the soap-sellers. Beware of this street.
Avoid it. Those who are in the best situation will take the street of the Ansar."
[Ali b. Abi Hamza (reported) on the authority of Abu Basir, on the authority of Abu 'Abd
Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be on him:]
(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "Before (the coming of) the one who will rise (al-qa'im),
peace be on him, there will be a year of abundant rain in which the fruits and the dates
on the palms will be destroyed. But don't complain of that."
[Ibrahim b. Muhammad (reported) on the authority of Ja'far b. Sad, on the authority of
his father, on the authority of Abu Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be on him:]
(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "In the year of the Conquest (by the Mahdi) the Euphrates
will flood so that the water goes into the alleys of Kufa."
[It is reported in the account (hadith) of Muhammad b. Muslim, who said:]
I (i.e. Muhammad b. Muslim) heard Abu Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be on him, say:
"Before (the coming) of the one who will rise (al-qaim) there will be a trial from
God."
"May I be your ransom, what is that?" I asked him.
He recited: Let Us test you with fear, with hunger, and with lack of money, of lives and
of harvests. Good news will come to those who are steadfast [II 55]. Then he said:
"The fear will be from the kings of the Banu so-and-so; the hunger will be as a
result of exorbitant prices; the lack of money will be due to the failure of trade and the
scarcity of surplus (goods) in it; the lack of lives will be because of swift death; the
lack of harvest will be due to the great rains and the little benefit they bring to the
crops." Then he continued: "The good news for those who are steadfast is that
the one who will rise (al-qa'im) will soon come forth."
[Al-Husayn b. Sa'id (reported) on the authority of Mundhir al-Jawzi, on the authority of
Abu Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be on him:]
(Mundhir al-Jawzi) said: I heard (Ja'far al-Sadiq) say: "Before the coming of the
one who will rise (al-qa'im), peace be on him, the people will be chided for their acts of
disobedience by a fire which will appear in the sky and a redness which will cover the
sky. It will swallow up Baghdad, it will swallow up Kufa. There blood will be shed and
houses destroyed. Death (fana) will occur amid their people and a fear will come over the
people of Iraq from which they shall have no rest."