¶ Door Number Thirty-Six
¶ Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family)
¶ “Baqiyat Allah (The Remnant of God) is better for you if you are believers.”
The Twelfth Imam, the Hidden Imam, the Remnant of God, the Companion of the Time and Age, are but a few titles of my Grandfather, Mohammed ibn Al-Hassan Al-Askari (PBUH & His Family). Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) was born on the 15th of Shaban in the year 869 C.E. and has been alive ever since. He went into an absence due to the plots to kill him by the children of Iblis. In the Holy Qur’an, he is described as the final remaining part of God:
“The Remnant of Allah is better for you if you are believers.”
Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) is the reincarnation of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) and as mentioned previously in the Book, after the Prophet (PBUH & His Family) reached the rank of two bows or less, he became God in Creation. Today he appears in the image of a man in his mid-thirties with brown hair and green eyes and he has a thick beard and mustache. His hands and arms have a lot of hair. He appears much younger than Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace).
¶ Why Imam Mahdi has Appeared Today
One day Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) said to me, “One day without knowing who I am, someone said to me, ‘If someone would have told me 10 or 15 years ago that Imam Mahdi (PBUH) has appeared, I would have never believed it, but now I not only believe, but I am sure that he has appeared.’ ”
I said, “Glory be to God.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “I asked him, ‘Why do you say so, O Hajji?’ And he responded saying, ‘From what I have seen from people who are submissive and true believers.’ I said, ‘Who have you seen?’ The man responded, ‘A group called the companions of the Black Banners of the East, they have a room on Paltalk. They are prepared to do anything to support Imam Mahdi (PBUH). I said to myself, if Imam Mahdi (PBUH) didn’t appear then by God, the shortcoming would have been from him.’ He meant by him, the Master, our Father (PBUH).”
I said, “Wow, Glory be to God!”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “I said to him: ‘You have spoken the truth, O Hajji.’ That was the end of what happened.”
I said, “God is Great! God is Great! God is Great!”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “And I say to you my son, by God, by God, by God! And it is a great and heavy swear. If there were only a hundred people like you present on the Earth 10,000 years ago, Adam (PBUH) would have been granted ability in the land by God. He would have filled it up with justice and equity. Iblis would have had no power in it.”
I said, “May God send His prayers and blessings upon Mohammed and the Family of Mohammed, the Imams and the Mahdis! God is Great!”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “And today you are here, so I swear by God and His Greatness, verily our State shall be established by your hands and your pure believing sincere hearts that have no boundaries.”
Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) was absent for the lack of believers but now because of the existence of true believers, it was a duty upon Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) to appear. The Muslims previously thought that it was them who were waiting for Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family), but it was actually Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) who was waiting for us. The traditions and narrations mentioned that the Imam would appear if he only had 313 true believers. This means that before his appearance, and even for the most part after his appearance, the 1.9 billion Muslims on the planet are not adequate believers or there is something wrong with their religion and faith.
¶ Imam Mahdi’s Initial Communications to Me
One day Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) delivered to me the following letter from my Grandfather Imam Mahdi Mohammed ibn Al-Hassan (PBUH & His Family),
Peace be upon you and the Mercy of God and His Blessings,
As I have waited for my son Ahmed, I have waited for you all these long years until patience grew tired of my patience. Here you are now, all thanks are due to God, blessed in the religion of God, while leading men that, by God, are from the best of men. Work hard in the cause of God and do not grow tired, for verily God hears and sees.
And Peace be upon you and the Mercy of God and His Blessings.
Imam Mahdi Mohammed ibn Al-Hassan Al-Askari (PBUH)
My companions and I sold our homes, and possessions, and gave up all of our worldly belongings to Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) and Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) in order to further the cause. At the time, we did not care about our own situation or what would happen to us. We just wanted to participate in any way, shape, or form in the establishment of a Divine Just State and help guide people to the truth.
The Imam (From Him is Peace) initially refused to accept and said, “My heart does not allow me to accept that you sell your home, son, where shall you go?” I refused to accept his refusal. I insisted on selling my house and continued to push him to accept, until he finally did. After that, many of my brothers and sisters wanted to do the same and join me on my path towards a Divine Just State. I raised their request to the Imam (From Him is Peace) and he said to me, “This matter requires the permission of the Master, the Father (PBUH).”
After a few days I said to the Imam (From Him is Peace), “Did you hear back from Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) concerning what I had asked?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes, my son.”
I said, “What is it, my Father?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “The Master and Father (PBUH) said the following: ‘Whoever wants to do this and join our son Abdullah, then we welcome them.’ ”
Many people began to contribute to the cause. Javed Al-Ghaniubillah, Waqar Shah, Qadeer Shah, and others from the UK were amongst the first to support. Noor Fatimah was the first from Ireland to support with everything she had. Dr. Ali Al-Ghoraifi and his wife Aliaa from Sweden sold their car and home and gave it all to the cause. Remi Huillet gave all he had. Mohammed Hossam also gave all he had and promised to sell his car as well. I took all this news to the Imam (From Him is Peace), and he became extremely emotional.
I said, “And Noor is asking for you to pray for her and to forgive her shortcoming in your right.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “May God grant this woman goodness in her children and trade each one of her sins with 10 good deeds. I ask that God does not prevent her from going to paradise and may she be placed with the righteous ones.”
I said, “All thanks are due to God.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “The preference goes back to God in all of this and then after that to you, my son.”
I said, “If it were not for you, I would have been lost.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “May God grant you goodness, son, God forbid that you ever be lost whilst you are the son of Ahmed and Mohammed.”
I said, “There is also Manal Hallal and her siblings who want to donate their property in Lebanon and are selling their apartment and furniture!”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “If those believers were present in 1999, we would have already been living in the Divine Just State for over a decade now.”
I said, “My Father, the faith of the Egyptians and the non-Arabs and their love for you is great!”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) began to weep and said, “My tears are running down my cheeks from extreme happiness, by God you have raised my head and made me proud of you in front of every Imam from the Family of Mohammed and in front of the angels of God and all of His Messengers. I apologize, for my tears keep coming down and I cannot concentrate. Forgive me, my son. I shall return to you, I cannot control myself. Peace and Mercy of God be upon you.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) left and returned after a while and apologized for leaving like that. I said to him, “I just ask God that you are pleased with us, my Father.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “By God, God is pleased with you all entirely and completely.”
I said, “I am your support and back and I will always be there for you.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “You are the best of supporters and backs.”
I said, “Did you tell Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family)? And was he pleased?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes, he was extremely happy, and he prostrated to God in thanks and prayed that God protects you all and grants you all success and enforcement.”
¶ Imam Mahdi’s Humility
One day I said to Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace), “I feel like a shortcomer.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “That is the feeling of every believer, even Imam Mahdi (PBUH) says ‘I am a shortcomer’ and I feel like an extreme shortcomer to the point that I do not sleep at night.”
I said, “Glory be to God. Peace be upon you and upon Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family), but you and the Imam (PBUH & His Family), neither one of you are shortcomers, as for me though, I must be.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “We are all shortcomers my son, because God gives us a lot in exchange for what we give Him which is so little. And even that little which we give Him is not from us, rather it is all by His Grace. So we do not even have any favor in it.”
¶ Imam Mahdi’s Personality
One day the Imam (From Him is Peace) said to me, “The Prophet of God (PBUH & His Family) used to joke with the people a lot and Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUH) did as well. The cursed Omar ibn Al-Khattab used to say, ‘If it were not for the joking of Ali, he would have been a great leader.’ That coward wanted to judge Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUH) and impose his own personality on the people and see the people as copies of himself, may God curse him.”
I said, “Is the personality of Omar in that time the same as his personality today?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Just about.”
I said, “And what about Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family)?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “As for Imam Mahdi (PBUH), I have never seen him joke in my entire life.”
I said, “There is nothing funny about this age that we are in.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “You have told the truth, my son.”
On another occasion the Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Your Grandfather loves you very much.”
I said, “And I love him very, very much.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “And he (PBUH & His Family) says that you resemble him in temperament and personality traits and movements and power of logic, except that he does it in Arabic while you do it in English.”
I said, “Glory be to God.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Your voice is beautiful, my son, but your Arabic is not fluent, your tongue is not fluent in the Arabic language, but your voice is a carbon copy of your Grandfather Mohammed ibn Al-Hassan Al-Askari’s voice (PBUH) as well as the voice of your Grandfather, the Greater Truthful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUH).”
¶ Imam Mahdi’s Messengers
One day someone asked Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace), “Were there Messengers from Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) before you?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes.”
They asked, “Who?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Before me was Jesus Aba Ahmed and before him was Abbas Aba Mohammed.” (This is referring to the return of Jesus of Nazareth in this age prior to 1999, the year of the Yamani’s appearance. It is interesting to note here that there are traditions that state that the Yamani takes the banner from Jesus the son of Mary (PBUH)).
I said, “Did he send other Messengers throughout the past 1,200 years?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes.”
I said, “So were some of these calls and religions that started in the past 1,200 years actually started by Messengers from Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family)?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes, without a shadow of a doubt.”
I said, “What happened to these Messengers?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Some were killed, others were mocked, and others failed and were erased just like some Messengers were.”
¶ Imam Mahdi’s Knowledge
I asked Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace), “Do you understand all languages?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Not all languages, but your Grandfather understands the language of all creatures in the world.”
¶ M-H-M-D & The Tetragrammaton (Y-H-W-H)
It is very interesting to note that in the Holy Will of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) it states when speaking about Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family):
“And let Al-Hassan (PBUH) hand it over to his son, Mohammed the Safeguarded of the Family of Mohammed (PBUH & Them).”
The interesting part is that in the Arabic text it actually states:
“And let Al-Hassan (PBUH) hand it over to his son, M-H-M-D the Safeguarded of the Family of Mohammed (PBUH & Them).”
This is one of the many mysteries of the Holy Will of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) which can only be revealed by its companion. We provide the following image from the book of Bihar Al-Anwar as proof (Figure 1):
Figure 1: M-H-M-D (م ح م د) in the Holy Will (Circled)
There are many other traditions and narrations where Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) is referred to as simply M-H-M-D (م ح م د) (PBUH & His Family) and it is strictly forbidden by the Imams (From Them is Peace) to even name his name. Imam Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) said:
“The companion of this matter is a man who is not called by his name except by a disbeliever.”
Imam Al-Ridha (From Him is Peace) said:
“His body is not seen, and he is not called by his name.”
From that time on, the Shia referred to him as the four letters, M-H-M-D (م ح م د). The early Shias knew this tradition. In Judaism, there is something called the Tetragrammaton which means the four-letter Hebrew theonym, or the proper name of God, Y-H-W-H (יְהֹוָ֥ה).
In Judaism, when Moses (PBUH) asked God what His name is, and what he should call God when the people ask him, God simply responds to Moses (PBUH) by saying:
“I AM THAT I AM” (Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh); and He said, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: ‘I AM (Ehyeh) hath sent me unto you.’ ”
Jewish traditions mention that to pronounce or write the true name of God is utterly prohibited and they even state:
“He who pronounces the Name with its own letters has no part in the world to come!”
When referring to “the name” the term Ha-Shem (השם, hšm), which means “The (Greater) Name” is used. It is only within Shia Islam and Judaism that we have these two names that are abbreviated to four letters and forbidden to be pronounced.
The pronunciation of the true name of God in both religions is associated with supreme powers and abilities to command great miracles. Narrations from the Ahlul-Bayt (From Them is Peace) mention that one of the things which the Riser/Qaim (From Him is Peace) will do, is recite the true name of God in Hebrew. Imam Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) said:
“When the Imam gives permission, he will supplicate to God by His greater name in Hebrew and his 313 companions shall come to him like the leaves of fall.”
Is there a relationship between Y-H-W-H (יְהֹוָ֥ה) and M-H-M-D (م ح م د)? Is M-H-M-D (م ح م د) the Arabic version of Y-H-W-H (יְהֹוָ֥ה)? Is it the true name of the Twelfth Imam that the Riser/Qaim will recite or is it something else?
In the Book of Monotheism by Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace), there is a narration by Imam Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) which is quoted. Imam Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) says:
Verily, when God took His Prophet (PBUH & His Family) to His seven heavens, as for the first of them He blessed him, as for the second one He taught him the obligatory acts in religion, so God brought down a container with forty types of light, it was surrounding the throne of God and it would blind the eyes of the onlookers, as for one of them it became yellow and for that reason yellow became yellow, and one of them was red and because of that red became red, and one of them was white and from that whiteness became white, and the remaining were upon the numbers of creation from light...then He raised him to the heavens and the angels escaped to the corners of the sky and fell down in prostration and they said: “Glory Holy, how much does this light resemble the light of our Lord!” So Gabriel said: “God is Greater, God is Greater!” Then the doors of the heavens were opened and the angels gathered and greeted the Prophet (PBUH & His Family) in large groups and said: “O Mohammed, how is your brother? If you go back down send him our greetings!” So the Prophet (PBUH & His Family) said: “Do you know him?” They said: “And how do we not know him, and a Covenant was taken from us concerning you and him and his Shia (followers) until the Day of Resurrection. And verily, we examine the faces of his Shia every day and night five times - they meant by that during the times of the prayers - and verily, we send prayers upon you and upon him.” He said: “Then my Lord increased me forty types of light that do not resemble the first light and He increased me in rings and chains and He took me up to the second heaven. When I approached the door of the second heaven, the angels scattered to the edges of the heavens and fell in prostration and said: “Glory Holy! Lord of the angels and spirit! How much does this light resemble the light of our Lord!” So Gabriel said: “I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, I bear witness that there is no God but Allah.” So the angels gathered and said: “O Gabriel, who is that with you?” He said: “This is Mohammed.” They asked: “Was he sent?” He said: “Yes.” The Prophet said: “So they went forth almost hugging me and greeted me and said: “Tell your brother we send our greetings.” I said: “Do you know him?” They said: “And how do we not know him, and a Covenant was taken from us concerning you and him and his Shia until the Day of Resurrection. And verily we examine the faces of his Shia every day and night five times,” they meant by that during the times of the prayers. He said: “Then my Lord increased me forty types of light that do not resemble the first lights and he took me up to the third heaven. The angels scattered to the edges of the heavens and fell in prostration and said: “Glory Holy! Lord of the angels and spirit! How much does this light resemble the light of our Lord!” So Gabriel said: “I bear witness that Mohammed is the Messenger of God, I bear witness that Mohammed is the Messenger of God.” So the angels gathered and said: “Greetings to the Alpha and the Omega, Greetings to the one who gathers and who spreads, Mohammed the best of the Prophets and Ali the best of the vicegerents.” The Prophet said: “And then they greeted me and asked me about my brother and so I said: ‘He is on Earth, do you know him?’ They said: ‘How do we not know him, and we make pilgrimage to the House every year and there is a white parchment upon it that has the name of Mohammed and the name of Ali and Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein (PBUT) and their Shia until the Day of Resurrection and verily, we bless them every day and night five times,’ they meant by this during the times of prayers and they wipe their heads with their hands.” He said: “Then my Lord increased me forty types of light that do not resemble the first lights and He took me up until we reached the fourth heaven, and the angels did not say anything. I heard some humming as if it were in the chests, so the angels came to me and opened the doors of the heavens and came to me almost hugging, so Gabriel said: “Come to the prayer, come to the prayer, come to success, come to success.” So the angels said: “Two known voices.” So Gabriel said: “Prayer is established, prayer is established.” So the angels said: “It is for his Shia until the Day of Resurrection.” Then the angels gathered and said: “How did you leave your brother?” I said to them: “Do you know him?” They said: “We know him and his Shia and they are a light around the throne of God and there is a parchment of light in the Baytul Ma'mur that has the name of Mohammed and Ali and Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein and the Imams and their Shia until the Day of Resurrection, they do not increase nor decrease a man, and it is our Covenant and it is read to us every Friday.” Then it was said to me: “Raise your head, O Mohammed.” So I raised my head and there were layers of the heavens that were pierced and the veils were raised, then it was said to me: “Look down with your head. What do you see?” I looked down and I saw a house like your house (A Kaaba like your Kaaba) and a sanctuary like the sanctuary of this house, if I threw something from my hand it would have fallen on it.” So God inspired me and said: “O Mohammed, verily this is the sanctuary and you are the sanctuary and for everything is an example. O Mohammed, approach Sad (Arabic letter ص) and wash your body parts that you prostrate with and purify it and pray to your Lord.” So the Messenger of God approached Sad (ص), and it is a water which is flowing from the right side of the foot of the throne. The Messenger of Allah took forth the water with his right hand and because of this, ablution was to be performed with the right hand. Then God inspired him to wash his face saying: “You are looking at my Greatness. Then wash your right hand and your left one, for verily you are receiving my speech with your hands, then wipe your head with that which remains in your hands from water and your feet to its ankles. I am blessing you and I am giving you a place that no one else has been given before.” This is the reason for the Athan (call to prayer) and the ablution. Then God inspired him saying: “O Mohammed, receive the Black Stone and praise Me in the number of My veils.” And for that reason the number of takbirs is seven, because the veils were seven, and they were opened when the veils were cut. For that reason the opening was a sunnah (tradition) and the veils were equal, between them a sea of light and that light was brought down by God on Mohammed. So from that, the opening is three times because of the opening of the veils three times, so the takbir was seven and the opening was three. So when he finished making takbir and opening, God inspired him: “Say My name.” And for that reason, “In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful” was in the beginning of the Surah (Chapter). Then God inspired him to praise Him, and he said: “All praises due to God, Lord of the Worlds.” The Prophet said to himself: “Thank you.” So God inspired him saying: “You have cut My praise so call by My name.” And for that reason he made in the praise, “The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful” twice. So when he reached “And not the misguided” the Prophet said: “All thanks due to God, Lord of the Worlds. Thank you.” So God inspired him saying: “You have cut My mention so name by My name.” For that reason He made “In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful” in the beginning of the Surah. Then God inspired him saying: “O Mohammed, read, “Say, “He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.” Then the inspiration was held from him, so the Prophet of Allah said: “The One, the Only Eternal Refuge.” So God inspired him saying: “He neither begets nor is born, nor is there any equivalent to Him.” Then He held His inspiration from him so the Messenger of God said, “As such is God, as such is our Lord.” So when he said that God inspired him saying: “Bow down to your Lord, Mohammed,” Mohammed bowed and God inspired him while he was bowing: “Glory be to my Great God.” So he said so three times, so then God inspired him saying: “Raise your head, O Mohammed,” so the Messenger of God did so and stood upright. So God inspired him saying: “Prostrate to your Lord, O Mohammed.” So Mohammed fell down in prostration. So God inspired him saying: “Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.” So he did that thrice, then God inspired him saying: “Sit down, O Mohammed.” So he did so. And when he raised his head from his prostration and sat looking at the greatness which had manifested to him, he fell into prostration a second time from himself not by command, and he also glorified thrice so God inspired him again to sit up, so he did so, and because of the greatness of what he saw, prayer became with one bow and prostration became twice. Then God inspired him saying: “Read, ‘all praises due to God.’ ” So he read it as he read the first one and then God inspired him saying: “Read, ‘Verily, We brought it down,’ for verily it is concerning your lineage and the lineage of your household until the Day of Resurrection.” And he did, as he bowed in the first time, and he prostrated a single prostration and then God inspired him saying: “Raise your head, O Mohammed, your Lord has made you firm.” So when he went to get up it was said to him: “O Mohammed, sit.” So he sat and God inspired him saying: “O Mohammed, whenever I bless you, say My name.” So He inspired him until he said: “In the Name of God and by God and there is no God but God and all the good names are for God.” And then God inspired him saying: “O Mohammed, send prayers upon yourself and your household.” So he said: “May God send His prayers upon me and upon my household.” So he turned and saw rows of angels and Messengers and Prophets and it was said: “O Mohammed, send your greetings to them.” He said: “Peace be upon you and the Mercy of God and His Blessings.” And so God inspired him saying: “Verily, Peace and Greetings and Mercy and Blessings are upon you and your descendants.” Then God inspired him to not look to the left and the first verse which he heard after “Say God is One” and “Verily, We brought it down” was the verse about the companions of the right, and the companions of the left. So for that reason the greeting was one towards the qibla (direction) and for that reason the takbir was in prostration with thanks and His words, “God has heard he who praises Him,” because the Prophet (PBUH & His Family) heard the noise of the angels praising and glorifying and praying and for that reason he said: “God has heard those who praise Him.”
As we can see from the above narration, Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) was taken on the Night Journey, a mystical journey in which the roof of the Prophet’s home opened up and Gabriel (PBUH) descended and took him on a Night Journey from his home all the way to God. According to the narrations, he reached a station that even Gabriel (PBUH) didn’t reach. It seems before this point, Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) needed Gabriel (PBUH) to deliver to him the inspiration from God and after this point Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) did not need him anymore. He reached a position where only a green veil stood there between him and God. He was able to look into the veil, and he was filled with the light of God. Then Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) turned into a state where he was oscillating between himself and God. He became God in Creation, speaking and acting by God’s commands and filled with God’s light and spirit and even responding for God:
“God has heard those who praise Him.”
Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) became the temple and dwelling place of God’s spirit. After this, Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) was instructed to pray. He found himself praying next to the Prophets and Messengers (PBUT). We know that the Prophet (PBUH & His Family) prayed with the Prophets and Messengers in Jerusalem during the Night Journey. Therefore, he received the spirit of Y-H-W-H in Jerusalem. The Holy Qur’an mentions the story in a Chapter (Surah) named after the journey, Surah Al-Isra (The Night Journey):
“Glory be to the One Who took His servant ˹Mohammed˺ by night from the Sacred Sanctuary to the Farthest Sanctuary whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.”
Figure 2: Moses & Joshua (PBUT) Bowing Before the Ark
Regarding the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Qur’an states:
“And their Prophet said to them: ‘Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the Ark will come to you in which is assurance from your Lord and a Remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron had left, carried by the angels. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.’ ”
It is known that the Spirit of God/Remnant of God dwelt in the Ark of the Covenant. In the Torah, it says:
“There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.”
Then He commanded Moses and the Israelites to build for Him a home in Jerusalem:
“And let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.”
The Ark of the Covenant is the place from where God would speak to the Prophets and Messengers (PBUT) and it was to be kept in the Holiest of Holies, a room at the very end of the Temple. The Spirit of Y-H-W-H (יְהֹוָ֥ה) would dwell in the Ark in the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
The significance of Mohammed’s (PBUH & His Family) Night Journey (Al-’Isrā’ wal-Miʿrāj) to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem becomes clear. Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) becomes the new Temple or dwelling place of the Spirit of Y-H-W-H (יְהֹוָ֥ה) and Mohammed becomes M-H-M-D (م ح م د). It then becomes M-H-M-D (م ح م د), who sends forth the Messengers, the Imams and Mahdis, (PBUT) to the nations of the world. As the chosen people of Israel had with them the Divine Creator dwelling in their midst and speaking to them from the Ark of the Covenant, the chosen people of God today have the Creator with them too who speaks to them and dwells in their midst through the Remnant of God, Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family).
Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) said, “Now the Divine Creator is present.”
I said, “You mean Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family)?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Allah. And you shall say, who is Allah?”
I said, “Who is He?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Who represents Him today on Earth? The Remnant of Allah, Mohammed ibn Al-Hassan (PBUH). The Remnant of God. What is your understanding of this sentence?”
I said, “What remains of Mohammed and Fatimah and the Imams (From Them is Peace)?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “The Remnant of God, therefore, who remains from the fourteen Infallibles?”
I said, “Mohammed ibn Al-Hassan (PBUH & His Family).”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Therefore, he is the one remaining, therefore he is God, and God is him.”
We want to be clear that we are not stating that Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family), the human being, flesh and bones, is the Absolute Creator. Rather, what we are saying is that the representative of God, Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) is the container of the will of God. In him is the light of God and He speaks through Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family). Imam Mahdi’s (PBUH & His Family) actions and words are the words and actions of God. Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) is the Ark of the Covenant and from within him God speaks. Therefore, Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) is our Lord but not our God. He is the Lord through whom God speaks, just as the Ark is a physical object which is not God, but God spoke through it and dwelt in it. Therefore, we find the narrations of Mohammed and the Family of Mohammed (From Them is Peace) stating that the one who spoke to Moses (PBUH) from the burning bush on Mount Sinai (who is Y H W H for the Jews) is the Prince of the Believers Ali ibn Abi Talib, or one of the Mahdis (PBUT). If Y H W H or the spirit of God can dwell in a bush or an Ark, then He can also dwell in a human being.
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said,
“Your Lord is Mohammed ibn Al-Hassan (PBUH).”
¶ Sources
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 11 (Hud), Verse 86
- “In the hadith of Omar, the Caliphate of Ali was mentioned to him, so he said: ‘If it was not for his joking.’ ”
- Manaqib Ahlul-Bayt, Haidar Al-Sheyrawani, p. 454 - Imam Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) said: “Then the Mahdi, the guiding and the guided, who shall take the banner from the hand of Jesus the son of Mary shall emerge.” - Al-Malahim wal Fitan, Al-Sayyid ibn Tawus, Vol. 1, p. 263
- At this time we will not specify which religious movements over this period were from Imam Mahdi, since this is a complex issue that requires more detailed attention to each movement’s true aspects as well as their distortions, deliberate deviations, corruptions, and usurpation of divinely appointed successorship.
- Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 53, p. 148
- Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 53, p. 148
- Al-Kafi, Al-Shaikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 1, p. 333
- Al-Kafi, Al-Shaikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 1, p. 333
- The 4 letters M-H-M-D (מַחְמַ֥ד) also appear throughout the Torah; however, it is translated as a word with a variety of meanings such as dear, desirable, delightful, pleasant thing, or lovely. See for example Song of Songs 5:16, Isaiah 64:10 (JPS Hebrew-English Bible, 1985 or 64:11 King James Bible), Ezekiel 24:16.
- The Holy Bible, Book of Exodus, Chapter 3, Verse 14
- Mishnah (Oral Torah), Sanhedrin 10:1, Koren-Steinsaltz
- Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 52, p. 368
- Al-Kafi, Al-Shaikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 3, pp. 483-486
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 17 (Al-Isra), Verse 1
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah), Verse 248
- The Holy Bible, Book of Exodus, Chapter 25, Verse 22
- The Holy Bible, Book of Exodus, Chapter 25, Verse 8
- The Ark of the Covenant אֲרוֹן הַבְּרִית (A’aron Ha-berit) or the Ark of the Testimony אֲר֣וֹן הָעֵדֻ֑ת (A’aron Ha-a’dot) or the Ark of God אֲרוֹן־יְהוָה (A’aron Y-H-W-H) was the most sacred symbol of the Israelites and represented the physical manifestation of God’s presence, supreme power, and the Holy Spirit. It contained all the divine secrets including the two Tablets and was carried by the Levites (priestly functionaries) during wandering in the wilderness. It was stored in the Temple in Jerusalem by King David and King Solomon; however, after the destruction of the Second Temple, its location became unknown. According to Jewish tradition, it will be restored by the Mashiach (Messiah) when the Third Temple is rebuilt.
- The word (Rab) in Arabic doesn’t necessarily refer to Allah (The God). For example, a homemaker is referred to as “Rab al-bayt” or “Lord of the House.” In the Holy Qur’an (Chapter 12, Verse 42) the King of Egypt is referred to as ‘Rab’ meaning Lord or Master. In the Book of Monotheism, Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) clarifies this issue. For example, he states: “Godhood ([“Uluhiyya” in Arabic]) is like Lordship ([“Rububiyya” in Arabic])...And just as “Lord” can be said about the father in regards to his sons, for he is the lord of the family, if what we are looking at from his relationship with his sons is him and what he overflows upon them, as such, the attribute of God can be given to the father, if what we are looking at from his relationship with his sons is them and what they ask/demand from him. Therefore, the image of the Divine can be given to the special ones from the Prophets of Allah and His Messengers who were truly the image of Allah (swt) in Creation.” (p. 83)
- “Then expect the appearance of the one who spoke to Moses from the tree on Mount Sinai.” - Mo’jam Ahadeeth Imam Al-Mahdi (AS), Al-Shaikh Ali Al-Korani, Vol. 3, p. 26