Lexically, awaiting (intidhar) means expecting someone or something. Terminologically, it refers to a person who is waiting for the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (aj). In addition, awaiting (intidhar) indicates a feeling and tendency that prepares a person for what he is expecting. From Ayatollah Khamenei’s point of view, awaiting Imam al-Mahdi (aj) is an integral part of the concept of mahdawiyyah and plays a vital role in understanding religion and the fundamental and general movement of Islamic ummah towards the lofty goals of Islam. Awaiting means not being satisfied, or not accepting the current situation and trying to achieve the ideal state. Thus, conducting a historical-critical review of intidhar means studying the distortion of this idea throughout history. A look at the history of mahdawiyyah and those who falsely claimed to be the Mahdi shows that making false claims, incorrect application (such as claiming to be the Mahdi), misinterpreting the hadiths regarding the advent of Imam al-Mahdi (aj), the signs of his advent, claiming the special deputyship of Imam al-Mahdi (aj), claiming to see and meet him, and superstitions and illusions are among the most important distortions of this civilization-building culture.

 

False Claimants

 

Those who falsely claim to be the Mahdi have distorted the pure ideology of the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (aj). Therefore, it can be argued that such a dissertation constitutes one of the most important problems of the Islamic society and the concept of intidhar. Generally, those who falsely claim to be the Mahdi can be divided into two categories. The ones making a claim when an infallible Imam was alive and present and those who made such a claim during the time of the Occultation of Imam al-Mahdi (aj). One of the most important figures who has made such a false claim during the presence of an infallible Imam is Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Hasan, known as Nafs al-Zakiyyah, who was given the title of the Mahdi and followed by some people believing that he is the last Imam. However, the defeat of Muhammad ibn Abdullah and his assassination at the hands of Isa ibn Musa, the commander of the Abbasid army, made his supporters disappointed.

 

It should be noted that at the same time, other people made such a claim, or at least this false claim was made for them, and even some of them gained more fame in society. Among them is Mahdi al-Abbasi (775-785) who ruled for ten years. The multiplicity of false Mahdis on the one hand and the killing of some of them such as Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Hasan as well as the oppression and corruption committed by others like al-Mahdi Abbasi, on the other hand, led some Muslims to distrust the ideology of mahdawiyyah and intidhar.

 

Until now, there have been numerous people who falsely claimed to be the Mahdi distorting the ideology of intidhar. Among them, we can mention Obaidullah al-Mahdi Fatemi, the founder of the Fatimid rule in North Africa, al-Mahdi Sudani (1885), and Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani (1908).

 

Ayatollah Khamenei has also paid special attention to this issue and hence he has addressed it on various occasions.

 

“There have been false claimants throughout history. As was mentioned in this meeting, certain claimants try to make a sign apply to themselves or other people. All these things are wrong.”

 

Moreover, referring to the causes of the emergence of such individuals throughout history he stated that acting out of ignorance and without relying on authentic hadiths laid the ground for some people to make such claims. 

 

Claiming to be Special Deputy of and Have Communication with Imam al-Mahdi (aj)

 

Throughout history, some people sought to distort the ideology of awaiting Imam al-Mahdi (aj). These individuals tried to distort the belief in the Promised al-Mahdi and the intidhar by which an ideal society will be established. Among them were those who claimed to be the Special Deputy of Imam and have communication with him, who can be seen since the era of four Special Deputies of Imam al-Mahdi (aj).

 

A person named Shari’i, one of the companions of Imam al-Hadi (aj) and Imam Hasan Askari (aj) was introduced as the first person who claimed to be the Special Deputy. He made such a claim and Imam al-Mahdi (aj) issued a signed letter (tawqi) cursing and denouncing him. Another false claimant during the era of Minor Occultation is Muhammad ibn Nasir al-Numayri, whom, after the death of Uthman ibn Sa’id, the first Special Deputy of Imam al-Mahdi (aj), claimed the Special Deputyship and hence he was cursed by the Imam. Likewise, it has been said that Shalmaghani and Hallaj made such claims as well. However, due to the severance of direct communication and the absence of Special Deputies in the era of Major Occultation, it has been more likely that some people would make such false claims taking advantage of the pure beliefs of people in different periods and regions. Their rhetoric and sometimes offering tempting promises drew people’s attention, and some of them, especially today, have become a deviant current and spread their activities in different regions. One of the examples of such currents in the present time is Ahmad Ismail.

 

These movements have distorted the notion of mahdawiyyah and intidhar, a point that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution has mentioned on several occasions:

“Like all truths that come into the hands of profiteers at different times, this fact sometimes becomes the playground of profiteers. These are the ones who make a false claim.”

Elsewhere, elaborating on the same issue in the history of Islam he points to the claimants of various groups:

 

“In the first days of Islam, a group of people who had heard from the Imams that Imam al-Mahdi (aj) will come and fill the world with justice, claimed to be the Mahdi; There were even some people who were not sure about the issue themselves. You should note that such claims existed both at the time of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. Such beliefs were also common among other people who were present at the time of the Abbasid Dynasty and the following eras, up to the present time.”

 

Making a Claim to Have Visited the Imam

 

Visiting or seeing Imam al-Mahdi (aj) is also a matter of controversy in the time of Major Occultation, and hence those who have believed in it wrote books on the biographies of those who had the opportunity to see the Imam. Nonetheless, for some others, visiting Imam al-Mahdi (aj) during the era of Major Occultation is impossible. But more important than the principle of seeing and meeting the Imam, is how the claimants took advantage of this issue. In fact, one of the challenges facing intidhar is the false claims about visiting Imam al-Mahdi (aj).

 

Examples of claiming to meet Imam al-Mahdi (aj) in the present age include those who have made strange claims about visiting and meeting the Imam thereby attracting a large number of people and even seeking to advise the maraji’ (sources of emulation).

Ayatollah Khamenei considered such claims as one of the most important attempts to distort the concept of intidhar and introduced them as false conspiracies that distorted the thoughts of pure human beings:

 

“Such claims as having seen, met, or being led in prayers by Imam al-Mahdi are utterly false and shameful. These are the false claims that might mislead the minds of the pure-hearted people who believe in this evident fact. We should not let this happen. All the people should know that such claims as being connected with, meeting, or receiving orders from this honoured Imam [Imam al-Mahdi] cannot be confirmed.”

 

Of course, although he recognizes the principle of meeting the Imam and that some people have seen him, yet he does not consider such people as claimants: “Of course, one may be lucky enough to have the capacity to see Imam al-Mahdi (aj), but such people will never make any claims or talk about such issues. They are never after personal interests. Those who make such claims in order to promote personal interests can be said to be liars for sure. The concept of Imam al-Mahdi’s arrival should be purged of such morally harmful notions.”

 

It should be noted that in some cases the claim of visiting Imam al-Mahdi (aj) is the result of illusions and personal false imaginations. Therefore, such claims might be caused by false imaginations, not lies, and even if this is the case, they will lead to great deviations.

 

In this regard, Ayatollah Khamenei says: “Some of the supplications are very valuable and in certain cases, they are good documents. It is very good to ask Imam al-Mahdi (aj) to act as our intercessor. It is very good to pay attention to the Imam and to get close to him. This closeness does not mean that those who claim to meet or speak to Imam al-Mahdi (aj) in person are right. Not at all. The majority of the claims that are made in this regard are either lies or illusions. I have seen such people. Some of them were not liars; they were just suffering from illusions and they spoke about their illusions as if they were the truth. We must not follow such people.”

 

Incorrect Application 

 

One of the main distortions of mahdawiyyah is the incorrect application of the signs of reappearance such as the black flags, Sufyani, Yamani, etc. to certain individuals or groups or ascribing the characteristics of the Imam to someone else. Both of these matters can be seen throughout history from the time of the infallible Imams until now.

 

Even, during the lifetime of the Imams including Imam al-Baqir (aj), Imam al-Sadiq (aj) and Imam al-Kadhim (aj) some people have mistakenly introduced the Imam of their time as the Last Imam. Also in later periods, for example in the Safavid era, the reign of kings such as Shah Tahmasb and even the Safavid rule in general, was believed to be a prelude to the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (aj).

 

One of the signs of reappearance mentioned in some sources is the raising of black flags. Although these narrations are mostly found in Sunni sources and if addressed by Shiite books they are not related to the issue of reappearance, yet their popularity has caused misunderstandings. In the early second century (AH), when the black flags of the Abbasids were raised, some people considered them to be the example of the same concept mentioned in hadiths. In the present era, with the rise of Daesh and the events related to them, such ideas were formed again, and even people in different parts of the world, under the pretext of the black flags, incited the youth to go and join Daesh.

 

Also, world events especially wars, and taking the power by some personalities in various countries, have caused or spread such beliefs introducing them as signs of the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (aj). As the Persian Gulf War or the wars that occurred in Afghanistan or Syria were introduced as signs of reappearance. Obviously, when the war ends or those figures die and the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (aj) does not occur, some people will begin to doubt the signs and hence the way is paved for the spread of suspicions by some prejudiced people.

 

Taking this issue into account, Ayatollah Khamenei believes that the signs and personalities cannot be applied to specific events or people: “Some of the things that are said about the signs of the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (aj) are not definite and they have not been mentioned in authentic and documented narrations either. They are based on narrations that are not solid and we cannot rely on them. Moreover, it is not easy to apply the valid narrations.”

 

Another problem in the discussion of mahdawiyyah and awaiting is the inappropriate application of the signs to some examples in a way that even some Imams were mistakenly considered to be the Mahdi. When Imam Musa al-Kadhim (aj) was martyred, some denied his martyrdom and introduced him as the Last Imam who had been promised to appear. Known as the Waqifis in the history of Islam, they suffered from such deviations due to various factors, including misunderstanding of hadiths about Imam al-Mahdi (aj).

 

Ayatollah Khamenei considered this point with special sensitivity and repeatedly warned about the need to avoid such beliefs: “There have been claimants throughout history; Some of them have taken advantage of the signs of reappearance applying them either to themselves or someone else; This is all wrong.”

 

Pointing that some of these signs are not rooted in the authentic hadiths and one cannot rely on the weak narrations, Ayatollah Khamenei rejected believing in such hadiths and stated: “even one cannot easily apply the content of authentic hadiths to certain individuals or events.” 

 

Moreover, referring to Shah Ne’matullah Wali’s poems which are applied to certain individuals, he stated: “There have always been certain people who have tried to apply the poems of Shah Ne’matullah Wali to different people in different centuries and I have seen some of these people. His descriptions have been applied to a particular person and after a century or so the same descriptions have been applied to another one. These things are wrong and misleading.”

 

Misinterpretation of the Hadiths Explaining the Era of Reappearance 

 

Among the issues raised about the characteristics of the era of reappearance is the prevalence of oppression and corruption in society, which can be considered as one of the distortions of the concept of intidhar. Because awaiting does not mean remaining silent, rather it requires that one becomes active and prepares society for the era of reappearance.

 

Ayatollah Khamenei says: “Awaiting the arrival of Imam al-Mahdi (aj) does not mean that we should remain idle and not make any efforts to improve. We should not confine ourselves to merely awaiting the Imam (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake).” 

 

The idea that Imam al-Mahdi (aj) should come and eliminate oppression and corruption destroys the motivation of people in society. In addition, it may provide an opportunity for the oppressors to take advantage of such ideology. This phenomenon is not specific to one period, as it is mentioned in the speeches of the Supreme Leader. Accordingly, he stated that in the pre-revolutionary period, some believed that Imam al-Mahdi (aj) will come and establish justice throughout the world and hence people should not make any efforts and remain inactive because the Imam is supposed to manage all the affairs.

 

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution also took this matter into account describing it as an obstacle in the way of this hopeful ideology: “There were some people who did not understand many of the issues. We were leading a campaign, but some people were against such campaigns based on the belief that every flag that is raised before the flag of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) is to be burnt. They said: ‘Do you want to start a campaign before that of Imam al-Mahdi (aj)?’

 

They said that the flag of such a campaign is to be lowered. They had not properly understood the meaning of this hadith. This does not mean that people should not oppose tyranny, or that people should not fight or rise up to form a divine and Islamic community based on the principles set by Imam Ali (aj).”

 

Taking Advantages of the Belief of Awaiting

 

One of the most important factors that have threatened the idea of intidhar throughout history is that the rulers sought to take advantage of this ideology for their benefit. In addition to the slogan “al-Ridha min Al Muhammad,” the Abbasids, in an attempt to gain their desired interest, emphasized the reappearance of the Saviour encouraging Muslims to look forward to visiting Imam al-Mahdi (aj).

 

Likewise, the Fatimids in North Africa, by a person known as Abu Abdullah al-Shi’i raised the same slogan “al-Ridha min Al Muhammad” and incited their supporters to follow such ideology thereby consolidating their power through taking advantage of this current. Given that the Umayyads and Abbasids have taken advantage of the notion of intidhar for their benefits, Ayatollah Khamenei has warned about this issue.

 

Reference: The Quarterly Academic-Research Journal Mahdawiyyah, volume 14, number 55, Fall 2020.

 

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