The coming forth of a man from the family of the Prophet, one who is destined to establish the rule of universal justice in an age wherein injustice and oppression prevail, is an axiom of Islamic belief, and as such, agreed upon by the whole community of Muslims, the hadiths on this matter reaching the Highest level of authenticity, that of tawatur. According to the estimates of the scholars, there are 657 hadiths on this subject, of which we shall cite just one, which has been transmitted in the Musnad of Ibn Hanbal, The Prophet said:
'If there were only one day left in the life of the world, God would prolong that day until a man comes forth from my descendants, who will fill the world with justice and equity, just as it had been filled with injustice and oppression.' [1]
Therefore, there is complete agreement among all Muslims, Shi'a and Sunni alike, upon the fact that a man from the Prophet's family will arise, in the manner indicated in the hadith, in the Last Days.
The coming forth of a man from the family of the Prophet, one who is destined to establish the rule of universal justice in an age wherein injustice and oppression prevail, is an axiom of Islamic belief, and as such, agreed upon by the whole community of Muslims, the hadiths on this matter reaching the Highest level of authenticity, that of tawatur. According to the estimates of the scholars, there are 657 hadiths on this subject.
The distinctive features of this global reformer, as expressed by hadiths in both branches of Islam, are summarized below.
1. He will be of the Prophet's ahl al-bayt (389 hadiths).
2. He will be a descendant of lmam 'Ali (214 hadiths).
3. He will be a descendant of Fatima al-Zahra' (192 hadiths).
4. He will be from the ninth generation after Imam Husayn ( 147 hadiths).
5. He will be a descendant of Imam Zayn_ al-'Abidin (185 hadiths).
6. He will be a descendant of Imam Hasan al-'Askari (146 hadiths).
7. He will be the twelfth Imam of the Imams of the ahl al-bayt (136 hadiths).
8. Narrations giving reports about him (214 hadiths).
9. His life will be prolonged (318 hadiths).
10. His occultation will be prolonged (91 hadiths).
11. With his appearance Islam will rule the world (27 hadiths).
12. He will fill the earth with justice and righteousness (132 hadiths).
On the basis of these narrations, there is no dispute in Islam as to the fact that such a global reformer will arise; what is, however, subject to dispute is whether he was born in the distant past and is still alive today, or whether he will come to this world at some future time. The Shi'a, along with a group of Sunni scholars, uphold the first position, believing that this personage was born in the year 255/868, and is still alive today; while a section amongst the scholars of the Sunnis believe that he will be born in the future.
Two types of Saints of God
From the Qur'anic point of view, there are two types of saints of God: the outwardly manifest saint, who is known by the people; and the saint who is hidden from view, unknown by people, even though he lives among them and is aware of them. In the Sura al¬Kahf, both types of saint are mentioned in the same place: one was Moses b. 'Imran, the other was his travelling companion, by land and at sea, known by the name of al-Khidr. [2] This saint of God was such that even Moses did not know his true identity, and it was only through God's guidance that he came to know who he really was, and came to benefit from his actions, as it is said:
And they found a servant from among Our servants to whom we had given mercy from us and had taught him from Us a [certain] knowledge. Moses said to him, "May I follow you on [the condition] that you teach me from what you have been taught of sound judgement?"(Sura al-Kahf, 18:65-66)
The Qur'an then relates the useful and beneficial actions of this saint, making it absolutely clear that though the people did not know him, they nonetheless benefited from his influence and his holiness. The Imam of this age is akin to the companion of Moses, being unknown even while being a source of beneficence for the umma. [3] Thus, the occultation of the Imam does not imply any separation from the community; rather, he is described in a hadith related from the ahl al-bayt, as being
' ... like the sun hidden behind a cloud, unseen by the eyes, but nonetheless bestowing light and heat upon the earth.' [4]
The Qur'an then relates the useful and beneficial actions of this saint (al-khidr), making it absolutely clear that though the people did not know him, they nonetheless benefited from his influence and his holiness. The Imam of this age is akin to the companion of Moses, being unknown even while being a source of beneficence for the umma. [3] Thus, the occultation of the Imam does not imply any separation from the community; rather, he is described in a hadith related from the ahl al-bayt, as being
In addition, throughout history, there have been many among the pious and the pure of heart -souls worthy of being honoured by him- who have been made aware of his presence, and have benefited -and continue to benefit-from it; and through them, others have also come to receive the blessings of this Imam.
The customary means of governance in human collectivities involves a leader performing certain actions alone, and delegating other actions to his representatives. It is true that since the Imam's occultation, which was the result of various factors, people have been deprived of direct, physical contact with him; but it is still possible for the followers of the Imam to benefit from his presence and guidance in a variety of ways, spiritual, moral and legal-through those who represent him in these different spheres, as well as directly.
1. lbn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 1, p. 99, vol. 3, pp. 17, 70.
2. The author refers to Moses as a 'saint of God' (waliyyu'Llah) since all Prophets are, by definition, saints, while not all saints are Prophets.
3. See Sura al-Kahf, 18:71-82 [where the three apparently unjustified acts of al-Khidr are described and then shown to be beneficent in their outcome].
4. Shaykh saduq, Kamal al-din (Qom, 1405/1983), ch. 45, hadith nu.4
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