Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi عجل الله تعالى فرجه الشريف

Zahoor in Samarra

His zahoor was in Samarra in the middle of Sha‘ban 255 AH, in the house of Imam al-Askari and Narjis. Because the Abbasid authorities were watching for the son foretold in the narrations, his zahoor was kept hidden. Al-Saduq preserves the account of Hakima, the sister of Imam al-Hadi, who was present at his zahoor.

The Minor Occultation (260–329 AH)

On his father’s death in 260 AH he became Imam and withdrew from public view. For about seventy years the community reached him through four successive deputies (al-nuwwab al-arba‘a), who carried questions and returned signed replies (tawqi‘at):

Uthman ibn Sa‘id al-Amri; his son Muhammad ibn Uthman al-Amri (d. 304 or 305 AH); al-Husayn ibn Ruh al-Nawbakhti (d. 326 AH); and Ali ibn Muhammad al-Samuri (d. 329 AH). Shortly before al-Samuri’s death, a final letter announced that no further deputy would be appointed and that the complete occultation had begun.

The Major Occultation

Since 329 AH (941 CE) there has been no designated deputy. In a letter preserved by al-Saduq and al-Tusi, the Imam directed the community, for events that arise, to the transmitters of the Imams’ teachings. On this basis Twelver Shia turn to qualified jurists (mujtahids) for guidance in religious law — the institution of marja‘iyya. Scholars differ on the extent of the jurists’ authority beyond religious rulings.

The awaited reappearance

Twelver belief holds that he will reappear by God’s command to establish justice and equity on earth. Many narrations describe signs of the reappearance, of varying reliability; the Imams warned against fixing a time for it. Belief in the Mahdi from the family of the Prophet is shared across Muslim traditions — Sunni collections such as those of Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah record it — though most Sunni scholars hold that he has not yet come into the world.

“Awaiting” (intizar) in Shia teaching is active: striving for piety and justice, preparing oneself and society, and praying for his reappearance, as in the supplications al-‘Ahd and al-Faraj. His zahoor is celebrated on 15 Sha‘ban.

Significance in Twelver Shia belief and Fiqh-e-Jafariya

He is the twelfth Imam and the present Imam of the age. The authority of the jurists during his occultation is understood as a general deputyship (al-niyaba al-‘amma). A believer who is not a jurist follows a qualified marja‘ in matters of law — the practice of taqlid — and should consult that marja‘’s published rulings or authorised representatives for personal questions.

Significant dates

1. 15 Sha‘ban 255 AH (869 CE)Zahoor in Samarra
2. 8 Rabi al-Awwal 260 AH (874 CE)Beginning of his Imamate and of the Minor Occultation
3. 304 or 305 AHDeath of the second deputy, Muhammad ibn Uthman al-Amri
4. 326 AHDeath of the third deputy, al-Husayn ibn Ruh al-Nawbakhti
5. 329 AH (941 CE)Death of the fourth deputy, al-Samuri; the Major Occultation begins

Narrations and texts

Narrations are given as careful paraphrases, not verbatim translations. See the Editorial Methodology

Differing reports

• Year of zahoor: 255 AH is most widely accepted; 256 AH is also reported.
• His mother is named Narjis; other reports name her Sawsan, Rayhana or Saqil.
• Sunni scholarship generally affirms a future Mahdi but does not identify him with the son of Imam al-Askari.

Sources

1. Kamal al-Din wa Tamam al-Ni‘ma — al-Saduq (d. 381 AH / 991 CE)
2. Kitab al-Ghayba — al-Tusi (d. 460 AH / 1067 CE)
3. Kitab al-Irshad fi Ma‘rifat Hujaj Allah ‘ala al-‘Ibad — al-Mufid, Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu‘man (d. 413 AH / 1022 CE). chapter on the twelfth Imam
4. al-Kafi — al-Kulayni, Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub (d. 329 AH / 941 CE). Kitab al-Hujja, Bab mawlid al-Sahib
5. Islamic Messianism: The Idea of the Mahdi in Twelver Shi‘ism — Sachedina, Abdulaziz A.
6. The Occultation of the Twelfth Imam: A Historical Background — Hussain, Jassim M.
7. Crisis and Consolidation in the Formative Period of Shi‘ite Islam — Modarressi, Hossein