It is well known in most religions that certain enlightened souls will return in The End Times - to assist the Comforter, the Savior, the Mahdi. Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan and Aba Al-Sadiq (from them is peace) informed us that this is the time in which those souls of Prophets, Messengers, companions of Prophets and pure believers, who died or were elevated, are returning to this world in order to give victory to the Riser (Qaim) pbuh.
Says he (man): "Who will give life to the bones when they are rotten?" Say, "He will give life to them Who brought them into existence at first, and He is cognizant of all Creation."
- Holy Quran 36:78-79
Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan pbuh said:
"My believing sons and daughters, Allah promised the believers relief and victory very soon inshAllah… amongst you are the Prophets, Preferred ones, Righteous ones and believers…"
Al-Raja/Al-Karra, which means, "Return", which means bodily resurrection of some dead, and their return to this world before the Day of Judgment. Many verses from Holy Quran confirm al-Raja has happened in the past for some specific nations and individuals and will also happen in the future for some people.
There are many narrations and verses which indicate that Allah (swt) will re-create or resurrect two groups of people. The first group are those who have reached the epitome of Faith, and the second group are those who have reached the epitome of disbelief, meaning the best of believers and the worst of disbelievers. And the people in those groups are people who lived in the past ages. And the struggle between those two groups is the first step in building the state of Divine Justice.
Our word had already preceded our worshippers, the messengers, that they shall receive our help and our armies shall be the victors so turn (away) from them for a while.
- Holy Quran 37:171-174
Let us have a look at the proofs from the narrations for the return of the Righteous Ones in the time of the Qaim…
Ahadith and verses about the Righteous Ones who will rise with the Qaim from the past:
Know that Allāh gives life to the earth after its death; indeed, We have made the communications clear to you that you may understand.
- Surah Hadid 57:17
Imam Muhammad ibn 'Alī al-Baqir (pbuh) said:
"Allāh, the Exalted will revive it (the earth) through the Qaim (fhip) after its death; its death implies disbelief of its inhabitants, because the disbelievers are dead."
- The Promised Mahdi Vol 1 page 86 & 89
Imam al Sadiq (pbuh) said: "Al-Qaim will come forth from the back of the Kufa with twenty-seven persons, fifteen from them are from the people of Musa (Moses) (pbuh), who guided to the truth and acted according to Justice, and seven are from the people of the Cave and Joshua ibn Nun, and Salman and Abu Dujana Ansari and Meghdad and Malik al-Ashtar are present too, who will become Ansars and Rulers between the hands of the Qaim (pbuh)."
- Al-Irshad by Shaykh Mufid v2 p386
Imam Al-Sadiq said to Mufaddal: “You, along with forty four other persons, will be with Hadrat al-Qa’im (fhip). You will be on the right side of the Imam (pbuh) enjoining (good) and forbidding (evil), and the people at that time, compared to the people of today, will believe in you more sincerely.”
- Dala’il Al-Imamah, p. 248; Mo'jam Ahadeeth Imam Al-Mahdi a.s. V4 p97; Ithbat Al-Hudah, vol. 3, p. 573
Sheikh Muzzafar in his famous book "The Faith of Shia Islam":
"In this question the Shi'a follow what has been said by the Household of the Prophet: That Allah will cause people to return to this world in the same form as they were before; that He will distinguish between the righteous and the wrong-doers, and between the oppressed and the oppressors; and that this will take place in the time of the Mahdi. Allah will not cause anyone to return unless he has attained a high degree of faith or has sunk deep into corruption. After this they will die again, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be raised again to be rewarded or punished, for Allah has mentioned in the Qur'an the desire of these people who have come twice into this world to come yet a third time in order to repent of their sins. 'They shall say: Our Lord! Thou hast cause us to die two deaths, and Thou hast given us twice to live; now we confess our sins. Is there any way to go forth?' (40:11). Truly the Qur'an came to proclaim Raja in this world, as did many traditions from the house of Infallibility, and all the Imamites believe this…"
And Jabir narrated from Imam Al-Sadiq (as) that he (as) said:
Imam Al-Hussain (pbuh), before martyrdom, said to his companions: The Prophet of Allah (pbuhahf) said to me: "O my son, you will be sent [one day] to Iraq and that is the land, which in it, the prophets and vicegerents came together and met each other. That land is called 'Amoura' and you will be martyred there and a group of your companions will be martyred with you. They will feel no pain from the touching of the Iron." Then he (pbuhahf) recited:
We said: O fire, be coolness and peace for Abraham.
- Holy Quran 21:69
"The Battle will be cool and peace for you and for that group." Then Imam Al-Hussain (pbuh) said to his companions:
“Glad tidings, because by Allah if they kill us, we enter upon our prophet”. [Then he (pbuh)] said: "I after being killed, stay as much as Allah wills and will be the first one, for whom the earth will be splitted and exit it with a exiting that will be in the same time as the exit of the Commander of the Believers and the Rise of our Riser Qaim (pbuh) and the life of the Prophet of Allah (pbuhahf). After that representatives/ agents from the sky/heaven, near to Allah will descend for me, who have never descended before that, and Gabriel and Michael and Israfil and the Army of the Angels will be sent for me. Surely Muhammad (pbuhahf) and Ali (pbuh) will be sent, and I and my brother and all those who Allah obliged them, will descend on the Markabs from the Markabs of Allah, horses with white and shining foreheads which no creation have ever ridden them, then Muhammad (pbuhahf) waves his flag and gives it along with his sword to our Qaim (pbuh), then we stay as much as Allah wills and Allah brings out springs of oil and water and milk from the mosque of Kufa, then the Commander of the Believers (pbuh) gives me the sword of the prophet of Allah (sawas) and sends me to the East and to the West. So I do not go to the Enemy of Allah, except I will shed its blood and do not leave an Idol, except I will burn it".
- Mukhtasar Basa'ir Al-Darajat p37
Sheikh Al-Mufeed said:
"About the return: and I say: That Allah (swt) revives people from the dead to the living in the image they were on, and He cherishes some of them and He humiliates some of them and the people of truthhood will triumph over the people of falsehood and the oppressed ones of them over the oppressors, and that [is] us during the rise of the Mahdi of the progeny of Muhammed (pbuhahf)."
- Awail Al-Maqalaat p78
Abu Khadijah said that Imam Al-Sadiq (pbuh) said:
“I asked God to keep (my son) Isma‘il alive after me but He did not grant it, but granted him another station. He will be the first person to reappear along with his ten companions. Abdullah ibn Sharik will be his standard-bearer and one of his ten companions."
- Al-Ayqaz min Al-Hajah, p. 266. See Kashi, Ikhtiyar Marifah Ar-Rijal, p. 217, Ibn Dawud, Ar-Rijal, p. 206.
The Commander of the Faithful (pbuh) said:
“The Companions of the Cave (Ashab Al-Kahf) will come to assist the Mahdi (pbuh).”
- Husayni, Al-Hidayah, p. 31; Irshad Al-Qulub, p. 286; Hilyah Al-Abrar, vol. 2, p. 601
Imam Ali (as) said:
"Astonishment and all astonishment is between Jamadi and Rajab." So a man stood up and said: “O Commander of the believers, what is this astonishing matter which you are still being astonished by?!” So he (pbuh) said: "May your mother mourn over you!! And what matter is more astonishing than dead ones striking every enemy of Allah and His Messenger and his Ahlul Bayt! And this is the interpretation of this verse: ‘O you who have believed, do not make allies of a people with whom Allah has become angry. They have despaired of the Hereafter just as the disbelievers have despaired of the companions of the graves’ [Holy Qur'an 60:13]."
- Bihar Al-Anwar Volume 53, Page 60, Hadith 48
Mufadhal ibn Umar said: I heard Aba Abd Allah (as) say:
“13 women will be with Al-Qaim (pbuh).” And I said: “What will they do?” He (pbuh) said: “They will treat the wounded and take care of the sick like (the women) did with the Messenger of Allaah (sawas).”
I said: “Can you name them for me?”
He (pbuh) said:
1.) "Al-Qanwa bin Rasheed
2.) Umm Ayman
3.) Habaabah ak-Waalibiyyah (Some say she is the companion of the 2nd Imam, some say she was the companion of the 2-5, some say she was the companion of all the first 8 Imams, and Imam Al-Rida burried her with his own shirt, she was 240 years old. (See: Al-Mamaqaani, Tanqeeh Al-Maqaal, vol. 23, pg. 75))
4.) Sumayyah, mother of Ammaar bin Yaasir
5.) Zabaydah (wife of Haroon al-Rasheed, the Abbasid caliph)
6.) Umm Khaalid al-Hamasiyyah
7.) Umm Saeef al-Hanafiyyah
8.) Sabaanah (Siyaanah) al-Maashetah (wife of Ezekiel, others say female hairdresser for family of Pharaoh)
9.) Umm Khaalid al-Juhniyyah"
- Al-Tabari, Dalaa'il Al-A'immah, pg. 259 - 260
Abi Baseer said: Abu Jafar (meaning Imam Al-Baqir pbuh) said to me:
"Do the people of Iraq deny the Raja (The Return)?" So I said: “Yes.” So he (as) said: "Haven’t they read the Qur’an? ‘And the Day when We will gather from every nation a group’ [Holy Qur’an 27:83]."
- Bihar Al-Anwar page 40 volume 53
Imam Al-Sadiq (pbuh) was asked about the saying of Allah (swt):
“And the Day when We will gather from every nation a group of those who deny Our signs, and they will be [driven] in rows" [Holy Qur’an 27:83]. So he (pbuh) said: "What do the people say regarding it?" So I said: “They say it is about the Day of Resurrection.” So he (pbuh) said: "Would Allah gather on the Day of Resurrection one group from every nation and leave the rest?! Rather indeed it is about the Raj’a (The Return). As for the verse of the Day of Resurrection then this, it is the following: ‘And We will gather them and not leave behind from them anyone. And they will be presented before your Lord in rows, [and He will say], You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time. But you claimed that We would never make for you an appointment' [18:47-48]."
- Bihar Al-Anwar page 40 volume 53
Abi Abdullah Al-Barqi narrated that Abu Abdullah (pbuh) looked at Dawoud Al Al-Riqi and said: "Whoever would like to look at a man from the companions of the Qa’im (pbuh), then look at this man (Dawoud Al-Riqi)."
And in another place, he (pbuh) said: "Let his (Dawoud Al-Riqi’s) rank among you be the same as the rank of Al-Miqdad, may Allah have mercy upon him."
- Mo’jam Ahadith Imam Al-Mahdi a.s. by Ali Al-Korani Al-’Ameili, Volume 4, Page 98; Ikhtyar Ma’rifat Al-Rijal by Sheikh Al-Toosi, Volume 2, Page 704; Al-Iqath min Al-Haj’a bil Burhan ala Al- Raj’a, by Al-Hurr Al-‘Ameli, Page 250
Imam Hussain (pbuh) returns in the time of the Qaim as one of the 12 Mahdis. Most Shia know that Imam Hussain (pbuh) is the first to return for the raja.
The Twelver Shia think that the following narrations are talking about a raja which takes place in the very, very end of time, after Imam Mahdi's (as) return and death:
Burayd Al-Ijli said that Abu Abdullah (as) said in a long hadith: "Verily, Allah promised Al-Hussein (as) that He will return him to this world so that he may take revenge by himself from the ones who did that to him."
- Al-Iqath min Al-Hajaa' bil Burhan ala Al-Raj’a, by Al-Hurr Al-‘Ameli, Page 233
Ahmed ibn Uqba narrated from his father, he said: We asked Abu Abdullah (as) about the Raj'a, is it true? So he (as) said: "Yes." So it was said to him (as): "Who is the first to come out? So he (pbuh) said: "Al-Hussein comes out upon the trace of the Qa'im (pbuh)." So I said to him: “And all the people with him?” So he (as) said: "No, rather it will be as Allah (swt) mentioned in His book ‘The Day the Horn shall be blown so you will come forth in groups’ (Holy Quran 78:18), a people after the other."
- Bihar Al-Anwar v 53 p 103
From Aba Abdillah Al-Sadiq (as): “Verily the first to return to this world is Al-Hussein son of Ali (pbuh) and his companions. And Yazeed son of Muawiya. And indeed he will kill them an eye for an eye.” Then Abu Abdillah (pbuh) recited: “Then we gave back to you a return victory over them. And we reinforced you with wealth and sons and made you more numerous in manpower” (Holy Quran 17:6).
- Bihar Al-Anwar v53 p76
By Imam Al-Sadiq (pbuh): "The first one who the earth will split for and he comes back to the physical world is Al-Hussain bin Ali (pbut), and the return is not a general one, but it is a special one, nobody comes back except whom was absolute and pure with faith, or absolute and pure with disbelief."
- Mukhtasar Basair Al-Darajat, p24
But surely the killers of Al-Hussain were "absolute pure with disbelief" and therefore must also come back during this unique return in the time of the Qaim. Therefore surely Allah (swt) fulfills His promise to Al-Hussayn (pbuh) in this return.
Therefore the following narration clearly proves that Imam Al-Hussain (as) returns during the raja in the time of the Qaim (pbuh):
Imam Abu Jafar Al-Baqir (as) said: Verily, Al-Hussein (as) said to his companions: "Glad tidings to you of Paradise, for by Allah we shall rest for as long as Allah wishes after what takes place upon us. Then Allah will bring us and you out when our Qaim appears, so He shall take revenge from the oppressors, and you and I will watch them in chains and shackles and the [different] types of torment."
- Maqtal Imam Al-Hussein a.s., printed by Dar Al-Thaqafa, p 215; Kefaayah Al-Muhtadi, p 105-106
Ahmed ibn Uqba narrated from his father, he said: "We asked Abu Abdullah (as) about the Raja (reincarnation), is it true?" So he (as) said: "Yes." So it was said to him (as): "Who is the first to come out?" So he (as) said: "Al-Hussain comes out upon the trace of the Qaim (pbuh)." So I said to him: "And all the people with him?" So he (pbuh) said: "No, rather it will be as Allah (swt) mentioned in his book ‘The Day the Horn shall be blown so you will come forth in groups’ [Holy Qur’an 78:18], a people after the other."
- Bihar Al-Anwar Vol. 53 P. 103
Imam Al-Sadiq (as) said: "The first one who shall return to this world (at the time of al-Mahdi (pbuh)) is Al-Hussein Ibn Ali (pbuh) who rules until his eyebrow falls over his eyes due to his old age."
- Bihar Al-Anwar volume 53, page 46, Hadith #19
From Jaber Al-Jo’fy: I heard Aba Ja’far (as) saying: "Then Al-Montassir (The Victor), shall emerge to he Dunya (this worldly life), and he is Al-Hussein (pbuh), avenging his blood, and the blood of his companions."
- Bihar Al-Anwar v53 p196
Imam Al-Sadiq said, "The matter of the Qaim and his rise is to Allah alone." I said "O Master, does he not have signs?" Imam Al-Sadiq said "Rather he has various signs." I said "What are they O Master?" Imam Al-Sadiq said "A fire reaching from here" and he pointed his hand towards the Qibla and to the East." I said "O Master, all this in one night?" Imam Al-Sadiq said "Yes and there is a Maskh in India and Sind." "And Al-Hussein enters Halwan…"
- Manuscript of Mufadhal ibn Omar, Al-Haft Al-Shareef, Door 65
Tafsir Al-Ayashy:
Sereen said: I was at Abu Abdillah's, when he (as) 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?’ [Holy Qur'an 16:38]." So I said to him (pbuh): "The people say that [the ones meant in this verse say] there is no day of Resurrection and there is no day of judgment and there is no day of gathering." So the Imam (pbuh) said: "By Allah they have lied! Rather, this verse is when the Qa'im rises and the Returned return with him! So the ones who oppose you will say to you: ‘Your state has appeared O shia! And this is a lie from yours! You say "so and so has returned", and "so and so has returned!" By Allah, Allah does not bring back to this world the ones who have died!’ Have you not seen that [the ones meant in the verse] swore by Allah their strongest oaths?! So Allah said: ‘Rather, it is a true promise binding upon Him, but most of the people do not know so that He may 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’ [Holy Qur'an 16:38,39,40]."
- Bihar Al-Anwar, by Al-Majlisi, volume 53, page 71
The following hadith clearly says that the son of Imam Mahdi, who has an absence - indicating to Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan, will bring repayment for all what preceded during the "White Raja":
Al-Asbagh ibn Nabata said: "I went to the commander of the believers (pbuh) so I found him thinking and drawing lines in the earth, so I said to him: O Commander of the believers, why do I see you contemplating?" So he said: “I am thinking about a man who will be born from the eleventh from my sons, he is the Mahdi who will fill it with justice and equity as it was filled with oppression and injustice. There will be an absence for him, people will go astray in it, and some others will be guided in it, those ones [who are guided] are the good ones of this nation with the good ones of this progeny.” So I said: “Then what?” So he (pbuh) said: "Then Allah does what He wills from the White Raja (the return) and the bright round (another word for Raja), and the bringing forth of the greedy souls, and taking revenge, and taking the right, and punishment for all what preceded. Then Allah forgives who He wills."
- Al-Hidaya al-Kubra, by Al-Hussayn ibn Hamdan Al-Khusaybi, page 326
The eleventh Imam from the sons of Imam Ali (pbuh) is Imam Mahdi (pbuhahf), so the son of Imam Mahdi (pbuhahf) whom Imam Ali (pbuh) is talking about, is Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (pbuh).
And Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (pbuh) is the one who entered into a 6 year-long absence, starting 2008, as Imam Ali (pbuh) mentioned. And this absence was a silent absence, in which every Walijah and Bitana (all his close ones) fell from the Da’wa, as mentioned by the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (pbuhahf).
"They received a divine inspiration from the kingdom of the heavens through the true visions, and that they know matters from the unseen by the permission of Allah, and that some of them have the rank of prophethood, and each of them is according to their own rank and highness of their position.
Notice, “According to their rank and the highness of their position with Allah (swt), and some of them are messengers from the sent prophets (pbut), but they all agree on one matter, because Allah is one, and their togetherness is a proof of their honesty and the honesty of those who follow them, therefore, those whom ascend in the heavens and reach the rank of prophethood, are those 313, they are the companions of the Qaim (pbuh).”
Abi Himran Bin Ayon said: I said to Abi Jafar Al-Baqir (as): "Was there something with the children of Israel, which there is nothing like that here?" So he (as) said “No,” so I said, "Then explain to me about the saying of Allah ‘Have you not considered those who left their homes in many thousands, fearing death? Allah said to them, Die, then He restored them to life’ [Holy Quran 2.243].”
So, this proves that there is a new resurrection.
Notice what the Imam says:
“He returned them to the world, and they lived in homes and ate food and married women, and they stayed in this condition as long as Allah wanted, then they died.”
Imam Abi Abdullah says that these people mentioned in the verse are a people from one of the cities of Sham (Levant) and they were 70,000 households, and there was a plague that would constantly strike them, once or twice a year, so these people decided that if the plague returned they would leave the city, so when the plague returned they all left the city and the plague, and they avoided the plague, and they wandered the earth as Allah desired, until they came to a city that was destroyed and abandoned by its people.
So they settled in it. And when they put down their bags and felt assured to stay in it Allah (swt) told them:
“Die.”
So they died that very hour and their bodies decomposed.
The Imam says they all died, so they died that very hour and after a while their bodies decomposed, meaning they turned into dust. So a prophet from the prophets of Bani Israel passed by them, whose name was Hizqeel. Meaning he is a sent messenger.
So when he saw these bones he cried and spoke to his Lord: “Oh Lord if you willed you would resurrect them this very hour just as you made them die, they made your lands prosperous and gave birth to your worshippers and worshipped you.”
So when Hizqeel (pbuh) said these words he saw the bones began flying one to the other until they (the people) came back to life, looking at each other and supplicating to Allah (swt) and saying Allahu Akbar.
So Hizqeel then said I testify that Allah (swt) is capable of everything. This is with regards to the Quranic verse and as you know that the interpretation of the verse only comes from the Family of Muhammad (pbut). So this is a Quranic verse and an interpretation from the family of Muhammad (pbut).
Secondly: From Abi Abdillah (pbuh) in a long narration mentioning the story of Nebuchadnezzar, that after the killing of Bani Israel, Armeia (Jeremiah) rode out on a donkey, so he looked at the beasts of prey of the land and sky eating these corpses. So he said to himself "How will Allah enliven those, whose limbs have been eaten up by beasts!? So now their flesh is in the stomach of these beasts. How will Allah enliven those, whose limbs have been eaten up by beasts!?” So God retrieved his soul and this is the saying of Allah (swt):
“Or consider such an example as the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin. He said, ‘How will Allah bring this to life after its death?’ So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years; then He revived him.” (Surat Al Baqarah verse 259)
The Imam continues and says: So Allah inspired to him and said, "How long have you remained?" After he was brought back to life he was asked: “How long have you remained?” He said, "I have remained a day.” Then he looked at the sun high in the sky and said “Or part of a day." He (swt) said, "Rather, you have remained one hundred years. Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time.” Meaning even the food and drink did not rot with time. This is as recorded in Bihar Al-Anwar.
Thirdly: There is also another Quranic verse and interpretation by the Family of Muhamad (pbuhahf), Imam Al-Sadiq (pbuh):
And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we will never believe you until we see Allah outright"; so the thunderbolt took you while you were looking on. Then We revived you after your death that perhaps you would be grateful.
- Holy Quran Surat Al-Baqarah verse 55-56
From Imam Al-Ridha (pbuh) interpreting this verse, he said:
The speaker of Allah. Moses son of Imran (pbuh), knew that Allah (swt) is far Exalted from being seen with eyes but when Allah (swt) talked to him and drew him near in (Divine) conversation, he returned to his people and told them that Allah (swt) spoke to him and drew him near in (Divine) conversation. So they said “We will not believe you until we hear Him (swt) like you did.”
His close companions said these words to him, and the nation were 700,000 men! So he chose from them 70,000.
Here are some of the narrations that say that some of the prophets and messengers will return to support the Qaim:
From Al-Mufadhal Bin Omar, from Abi Abdillah Al-Sadiq (as): "There will emerge to the Qaim, from the back of Al-Kufa, 27 men, 15 from the people of Moses, that were guiding with the truth and judging with fairness by it.”
The Imam said, “Seven from the people of the cave, and Joshua son of Nun,” the successor of Moses, (pbuh), and he is a prophet (pbuh), “and Salman al-Farsi, and Abul Dujana Al-Ansary, and Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad, and Malik Al-Ashtar, so they will be between his hands (Qaim) supporters and rulers.”
- Al-Irshad, by Mufeed
The parts of Dua Ahad which indicate to the return of Companions in the time of the Qaim are:
"O Allah, I beseech You in Your Noble Name… O giver of life to dead… (Other version: O He Who revives the dead ones) O One Who causes death to the living one… (Other version: and causes the living ones to die!)
O Allah send our master the leader, the Guide, the Guided (Mahdi), the Upriser (Qaim) with Your command…
O Allah renew for him my covenant… O Allah appoint me among his helpers, aides, and his protectors… O Allah! If death occurs between me and him (before the reappearance) (death) which you have made obligatory and decreed for your servants, then raise me from my grave, wrapped in my shroud, my sword unsheathed, my spear bared, answering the call of the caller in cities as well as deserts…