Muhammad al-Mahdi

Muhammad al-Mahdi, the son of the eleventh Imam Hasan al-Askari, is recognized by Twelver Shia Muslims as the final Imam and the promised Mahdi who will appear in the End Times to bring justice, aided by Jesus. After al-Askari’s death in 873, his chief representative, Uthman ibn Sa’id al-Asadi, reported that the deceased Imam had an infant son named Muhammad, kept hidden due to fear of Abbasid persecution. This claim was supported by other representatives of al-Askari, though his death caused a major split among his followers into several sects. Over time, all these sects either vanished or merged into mainstream Twelver Shia Islam, which accepted this hidden son as the last Imam and the Mahdi, who entered occultation and remains alive until his reappearance.

Following Ibn Sa’id, three more agents, collectively known as the Four Deputies, acted as representatives of the hidden Imam. This period, the Minor Occultation, ended after seventy years with the death of the fourth deputy in 940. Before his death, he received a final letter from Muhammad al-Mahdi, which predicted his death in six days and announced the beginning of the Major Occultation, which continues to this day. The letter stated this complete occultation would last until God permits the Imam to reappear when the earth is filled with tyranny.

Twelver doctrine of occultation

The Twelver theory of occultation, developed in the early tenth century, holds that the Imam’s life has been miraculously prolonged and that the earth cannot be without God’s highest proof. In his absence, jurists gradually filled the leadership role. It is popularly believed that the Hidden Imam occasionally appears to pious individuals, with many accounts of such encounters.

Titles

His birth is celebrated annually by millions during Mid-Sha’ban. He is known by many titles, including al-Mahdi, al-Qa’im (signifying the rise against tyranny), al-Montazar, Saheb al-Zaman, al-Gha’ib, al-Hojja, Sahib al-Amr, Sahib al-Haqq, and Baqiyat Allah. The title al-Hujja emphasizes his religious function as God’s proof, through whom the inner meanings of the Quran are accessible.