There are various scriptures and sayings of the Prophets and Imams (From Them is Peace) that refer to the return of well-known characters who come back to support the Savior of Mankind.
Sirin said:
I was at Abi Abdillah’s (meaning Imam Al-Sadiq) when he (PBUH) said to me:
“What do the people say about this verse: {And they swear by Allah their strongest oaths that Allah will not resurrect one who dies} [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 16 (Al-Nahl), Verse 38]?”
I said: “They say there is no resurrection, no judgement and no gathering.”
So he (pbuh) said: “By Allah, they have lied. Verily this shall be when the Qaim emerges and the ones returning return with him. So the people who disagree with you say ‘O Shia, your country has appeared and this is from your lies, you say so-and-so returned. No by Allah! Allah does not resurrect the one who dies.’ Have you not seen that they swore by Allah their strongest oaths?! The polytheists used to glorify Al-Lat and Al-Uzza so much that they would not swear by other than them!”
So Allah said, “…Yes, it is a true promise binding upon Him but most of the people do not know. It is so He will make clear to them that wherein they differ and so those who have disbelieved may know that they were liars. Indeed, Our word to a thing when We intend it is but that We say to it, “Be,” and it is.} [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 16 (Al-Nahl), Verses 38-40]”
– Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, 3rd ed., Vol. 53, p. 71, Hadith 69
Imam Al-Hussein (From Him is Peace) said:
“So be glad, by Allah if they kill us, verily we will return amongst our Prophet. Then I will remain as long as Allah wills, I will be the first for whom the earth splits open, so I emerge with the emergence of the Prince of the Believers and the rise of our Qaim and the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah. Then a delegation from heaven, from Allah, will descend upon me, they have never descended to the earth before, and Gabriel, Michael, Raphael and angel soldiers will descend to me. And Mohammed, Ali, and me and my brother will descend, and all whom Allah blessed with carrying loads of the Lord, horses of light that no creature has ever ridden. Then Muhammad will shake his banner and push it to our Qaim with his sword, then we shall remain after that as long as Allah wills.”
– Mo’jam Ahadeeth Imam Al-Mahdi (AS), Al-Shaikh Ali Al-Korani, 1st ed., Vol. 5, p. 114, Hadith 1537
From Mufadhal ibn Umar that Imam Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) said:
“The Qaim (PBUH) will emerge from the back of Kufa with twenty seven men, fifteen from the people of Moses (PBUH) who guided with the truth and with it made justice, and seven from the Companions of the Cave and Joshua ibn Nun, and Salman and Abu Dujana Al-Ansari and Miqdad and Malik Al-Ashtar, who will become Ansar (Supporters) and Rulers between the hands of the Qaim (PBUH).”
– Al-Irshad, Al-Shaikh Al-Mufid, 2nd ed., Vol. 2, p. 386
– Mo’jam Ahadeeth Imam Al-Mahdi (AS), Al-Shaikh Ali Al-Korani, 1st ed., Vol. 5, p. 122, Hadith 1543
Imam Al-Hussein (From Him is Peace) said:
“… Verily, Daniel and Jonah will emerge to the Prince of the Believers (PBUH) saying ‘Allah and his Messenger were truthful’, and Allah sends with them seventy men to Al-Basra, so they kill those who fight them …”
– Mo’jam Ahadeeth Imam Al-Mahdi (AS), Al-Shaikh Ali Al-Korani, 1st ed., Vol. 5, p. 115, Hadith 1537
Imam Al-Sadiq (PBUH) said to Al-Mufaddel:
“O Al-Mufaddel, you and forty four men, will be with the Qaim. You will be on the right side of the Qaim commanding and forbidding, and the people at that time are more obedient to you than they are today.”
– Mo’jam Ahadeeth Imam Al-Mahdi (AS), Al-Shaikh Ali Al-Korani, 1st ed., Vol. 4, p. 98, Hadith 1165
– Dala’il Al-Imamah, Muhammad ibn Jarir Al-Tabari, 1st ed., p. 464, Hadith 447/51
From Abi Khadijah that Imam Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) said:
“I asked God to keep Ismail alive after me but He did not grant it. However He granted him another station, to be the first to return amongst ten of his companions, one of them is Abdullah ibn Sharik who is his standard-bearer.”
– Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, 3rd ed., Vol. 53, p. 76, Hadith 82
– Mukhtasar Basa'ir Al-Darajat, Al-Hassan Ibn Sulayman Al-Hilli, 1st ed., p. 26
– Mustadrakat Ilm Rijal Al-Hadith, Ali Namazi Shahrudi, 1st ed., p. 629, Hadith 279/2021
Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) said:
“The Companions of the Cave (Ashab Al-Kahf) are the assistants of the Mahdi.”
– Mo’jam Ahadeeth Imam Al-Mahdi (AS), Al-Shaikh Ali Al-Korani, 1st ed., Vol. 1, p.466, Hadith 313 (Online book: p. 468)
– Fath Al-Bari Sharh Saheeh Bukhari, Ibn Hajar Al-Askalany, Vol. 6, p. 365
– Al-Durr Al-Manthur Fi Al-Tafsir Bi Al-Ma’thur, Al-Suyuti, Vol. 4, p. 215
Al-Mufaddel ibn Omar said: “I heard Aba Abdillah (From Him is Peace) say:
‘13 women will return with the Qaim (From Him is Peace).’
I said: “What will they do?” He said: “They will treat the wounded and take care of the sick like it was with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH & His Family).” I said: “Can you name them for me?” He said: “Al-Qanwa' bint Rashid, Umm Ayman, Hababa Al-Walibiyya, Sumayya mother of Ammar ibn Yasir, Zubaydah, Umm Khalid Al-Ahmasiyyah, Umm Sa'id Al-Hanafiyya, Sabanah Al-Mashetah and Umm Khalid Al-Juhaniyya.”
– Mustadrak Safinat Al-Bihar, Ali Namazi Shahrudi, 1419 ed., Vol. 4, p. 90
– Dala’il Al-Imamah, Muhammad ibn Jarir Al-Tabari, 1st ed., p. 484, Hadith 480/84
– Mo’jam Ahadeeth Imam Al-Mahdi (AS), Al-Shaikh Ali Al-Korani, 1st ed., Vol. 4, p. 13, Hadith 1094
Abi Abdullah (From Him is Peace) was asked:
“ ‘And recite in the Book the account of Ishmael. He was ever true to his promise, and was a Messenger, a Prophet.’ Was this verse concerning Ishmael son of Abraham (PBUT)? For verily the people are claiming it is concerning Ishmael son of Abraham.” So the Imam (PBUH) said: “Verily Ishmael died before Abraham, and Abraham was the Proof of God, a Qaim, a companion of a jurisprudence, so to whom was Ishmael sent?” So it was said to him: “Then who was the verse concerning, may I be your ransom?” So he (PBUH) replied: “That was concerning Ishmael son of Ezekiel the Prophet (PBUH), God sent him to his people and they belied him, murdered him and skinned his face, so God became angry for him, so He sent to him the angel Satatael, the angel of torment, and he said to him: ‘O Ishmael, I am Satatael the angel of torment, the Lord of Glory sent me to you in order that I may torment your people with all kinds of punishments as you wish.’ So Ishmael said: ‘I do not need that O Satatael.’ So God inspired him, saying: ‘O Ishmael, what is your need then?’ So Ishmael said: ‘My Lord, you took a covenant upon us that you are the Lord, and Mohammed is your Messenger, and his vicegerents have authority and Wilayah. You told Your creation what his nation shall do to Al-Hussein son of Ali (PBUT) after their Prophet. And You promised Al-Hussein that he will reincarnate in this world, and will have revenge with his own hands against all those who do this to him. So my need, O Lord, is that you make me too reincarnate in this world so that I may take revenge against all those who did this to me, just as you make Al-Hussein reincarnate.’ So God promised Ishmael the son of Ezekiel that, and he shall reincarnate with Al-Hussein son of Ali (PBUT).”
– Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 11, pp. 164-165