On Thursday, the 15th of Sha’ban in the year 256 AH, Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) was born in Samarra, Iraq, the son of Imam Hassan al-Askari (peace be upon him). He is the final Imam among the twelve Imams of the Twelver Shia. Since he will rise to establish justice and spread the true religion, he is called al-Qaim (The Upriser). As Muslims await him (and indeed all of humanity, in their social consciousness, yearns for such a teacher and savior), he is called al-Muntadhar (The Awaited One). He is known as al-Ma’ud (The Promised One) because his appearance is promised by God, the Prophets, and the Saints, who foretold that he will come and fill the earth with justice, just as it was previously filled with oppression. Some Prophets have introduced this future figure, the savior and teacher, to prepare society to accept him. The promised one of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) is Jesus (peace be upon him), and the promised one of Jesus is Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who mentioned him by the name of Ahmad and as Paraclete, as explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an. Several Prophets have referred to the coming of the Mahdi (the promised one of the end times).
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) frequently spoke about the appearance of the Mahdi in the end times, mentioning that he would be from the descendants of Ali and Fatimah (peace be upon them), the direct son of Imam Hassan al-Askari (peace be upon him), and that he would be the one to carry out the final rise for the religion and unity of God. Several verses in the Qur’an, which are recognized by Sunni commentators, also refer to the appearance of the Mahdi, such as those in Surah al-Ma’idah verse 54, Surah al-Anbiya’ verse 105, and Surah al-Qasas verse 5).[1][2][3] Because of the many references to the Mahdi in the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Sunni scholars have recorded the virtues of the Mahdi, the details of his appearance, and the signs of the time of his reappearance in their authoritative books.
For this reason, throughout Islamic history, there have been those who claimed to be the Mahdi since about 150 years before his birth (starting from the year 132 AH with the beginning of the Abbasid Caliphate), due to the widespread discussion of the Mahdi’s coming from the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The concept of the Mahdi, and his rise in the end times (to rectify the world, humble the tyrants, take revenge on the oppressors, honor the oppressed, and implement all the teachings of the Qur’an), has always been part of the teachings of Islam, as promised by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This is why all Muslim sects believe in the principle of the Mahdi.
Based on the glad tidings from previous scriptures and Islamic traditions, it became well-known that Imam Hassan al-Askari (peace be upon him) would have a son who would be the one to overthrow tyrannical governments and destroy oppressive rulers. Therefore, the life of Imam Hassan al-Askari (peace be upon him) was closely monitored by the Abbasid regime, who tried to prevent the birth of this child. Imam Hassan (peace be upon him) and his family, on the other hand, tried to keep the birth of the Mahdi a secret. However, when Imam Hassan al-Askari (peace be upon him) passed away, news of his son reached the Abbasid court, and immediately the Caliph al-Mu’tamid ordered his residence to be raided, and his son, the Mahdi, was to be killed or captured. This was when the conditions for the Imam’s disappearance were created, and by the divine command, the twelfth Imam of the Shia was hidden from view, as prophesied by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), until the day comes when he will announce his global rise:
“If there remains only one day in the world, Allah will make that day so long that my son, Mahdi, will emerge and fill the earth with justice and fairness, just as it has been filled with oppression.” [4]
Therefore, the general trajectory of humanity, due to the lack of spiritual elements in their movements and lives, is heading toward a state where, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, there will be a need for someone who can bring about a global reform, remove all the injustices and divisions, and restore spirituality to human life.
(Taken from the book B’athat, Ghadir, Ashura, Mahdi by Mohammad Reza Hakimi)
Footnotes:
[1] (Surah al-Ma’idah verse 54)
[2] (Surah al-Anbiya’ verse105)
[3] (Surah al-Qasas verse 5)
[4] (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 51, p. 71)