The Mahdi
“In early
Islamic history the Shia were a political faction ("party of
Ali") that supported the power of Ali, son-in-law of the
Prophet Mohammed and the fourth caliph (temporal and
spiritual ruler) of the Muslim community.
Ali was murdered in 661AD and his chief opponent, Muawiya,
became caliph. It was Ali's death that led to the great
schism between Sunnis and Shias.
Caliph Muawiya was later succeeded by his son Yazid, but
Ali's son Hussein refused to accept his legitimacy and
fighting between the two resulted.
Hussein and his followers were massacred in battle near
Karbala in AD680.
Both Ali and Hussein's death gave rise to the Shia cult of
martyrdom and sense of betrayal.
Shia has always been the rigid faith of the poor and
oppressed waiting for deliverance. It is seen as a messianic
faith which awaits the coming of the "hidden Imam", Allah's
messenger who will reverse their fortunes and herald the
reign of divine justice.
Today, they make up about 15% of the total worldwide Muslim
population.”
Who are the Shia?
BBC, March 3, 2004
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2931903.stm
Mahdi (Ma [Mother] Adi [Primordial])
“The Arabic term "mahdi" is best translated with "divinely
guided one". Saviour figure in Islam, for which there are
several different interpretations in Sunni Islam, and one
dominant interpretation in Shi'i Islam, the "mahdi" of Sunni
Islam is just one of several important figures, while the "mahdi"
of Shi'i Islam has a real eschatological importance, and is
in the future the most important figure for Islam as well as
the world.
The main principle of the mahdi is that he is a figure that
is absolutely guided by God. This guidance is stronger form
of guidance than normal guidance, which usually involves
than a human being willfully acts according to the guidance
of God. The mahdi on the other hand, has nothing of this
human element, and acts the will of God directly.
The figure of mahdi, nor his mission, is not mentioned in
the Koran, and there are practically nothing to be found
among the reliable hadiths on him either. The idea of the
mahdi appears to be a development in the first 2-3 centuries
of Islam. In the case of the Shi'i mahdi many scholars have
suggested that there is a clear inspiration coming from
Christianity and its ideas of a Judgement Day in the hands
of a religious Renewer.”
Mahdi
Encyclopaedia of the Orient, (lexicorient.com)
“The Mahdi, (the name of the last of the twelve imams, the first being
Ali, son-in-law of Mohammed) according to Islam, and in particular its
Shiite branch, is the Savior to come at the time of the Last Judgment to
save the world. It is interesting to recall that Mahdi, in Sanskrit, is
the contraction of Ma Adi (Primordial Mother) in the same way that the
returning Savior according to Buddha, Maitreya, is a contraction of Ma
Treya (Mother threefold, trimorphic protonnoia or trigunatmika).
The function of the Mahdi is similar to those attributed to the Kalki of
the Hindus, the Maitreya of the Buddhists or the Christ King of the
Christians. The return of the Mahdi constitutes the most frequent
prediction of the imams. Al-Kultani and Al-Nu’mani consecrated an entire
chapter and Ibn Babunye passed down in thirteen chapters the predictions
of the Prophet, Fatima and of the eleven imams on the subject of the
Twelfth imam.
The obscure presence of the Mahdi dominates totally the religious
conscience of imamism during the period of the disappearance of Ali
until the return of the awaited Savior. But here and there, throughout
the prophetic texts, there are hints of an esoteric knowledge. “At the
moment of birth a light pierced the top of the child’s head (a possible
reference to the opening of the seventh chakra) and reached into the
depth of the sky. This child is the Mahdi, He who will fill the earth
with equality and justice just as it is now filled with oppression and
injustice.” 2
The universal precursory Sign of the return of the Mahdi, “He who
Guides,” consists of the general invasion of the earth by Evil and the
victory of the forces of Evil over those of Good. Without such a
manifestation, the entirety of humanity would be engulfed by darkness.
Here we find extracts from the eulogies of Ali Talib describing various
components of the sign announcing the return of the Mahdi. The Sign
consists of the following traits: the people will neglect prayer,
squander the divinity which is conferred on them, legalize untruths,
practice usury, accept bribes, construct huge edifices, sell religion to
win this lower world, employ idiots, consult with women, break family
ties, obey passion and consider insignificant the letting of blood.
Magnanimity will be considered as weakness and injustice as glory,
princesses will be debauched and ministers will be oppressors,
intellectuals will be traitors and the reader of the Koran vicious.
False witness will be brought openly and immorality proclaimed in loud
voices. A word of promise will be slander, sin and exaggeration.
”The sacred Books will be ornate, the mosques disguised, the
minarets extended. Criminals will be praised, the lines of
combat narrowed, hearts in disaccord and pacts broken.
Women, greedy for the riches of this lower world, will
involve themselves in the business of their husbands, the
vicious voices of the man will be loud and will be listened
to. The most ignoble of the people will become leaders, the
debauched will be believed for fear of the Evil they will
cause, the liar will be considered as truthful and the
traitor as trustworthy… They will resort to singers and
musical instruments … and women will horse ride, they will
resemble men and the men will resemble women. The people
will prefer the activities of this lower-world to those of
the Higher-World and will cover with lambskin the hearts of
wolves.” 3
The Qaim (Mahdi) comes to re-establish the lost sense of sanctity.
Firstly He will re-establish Islam to its original purity and integrity.
4 The imam is described also as
energy-giving. The imam says: “As to the way of benefiting
from my presence (literally – “to benefit of me”) during my
disappearance, it is similar to the profit we gain from the
sun while it is hidden from sight by the clouds.” 5
According to Majid Golpur, a scholar who reviewed the relationship
between ancient Muslim writings and new revelations, some language seem
to refer to new cognitive powers that may be associated with the rise of
the Kundalini. All the faithful joining the ranks of the Mahdi will be
gifted with special miraculous powers, in particular those of super
sensitive communication with the imam. “At the time of Advent of our
Qur’an,” says Ja’far, “God, may He be exalted and glorified, will
develop the hearing and sight of our faithful in such a manner that,
without there being a messenger between the Qa’im and themselves, He
will speak with them and they hear Him and see Him without
Him having left the place where He is.” 6
This text probably refers to the dawn of collective consciousness, whose
property is the connectivity described in the previous chapters. More
specifically, we can recognize a mention
of the
vibratory consciousness of the chakras, which correspond to specific
locations in the hands. “For decisions which they have
difficulty in taking, they will receive instructions and
direction from the imam who will write on the palm of their
hands, they need only look and then execute the orders.”
7
The following language could possibly indicate a succession
of imams or the collectivity of realized souls, through the
reference of the wind. But, without subtler the subtler
spiritual experience, it can easily feed the delusion of
self-appointed elect fanatics. God speaks: “O Mohammad.
These are My friends, My pure elect, and My proof after you
for mankind. They are your legatees and your priests and the
best of My creatures after you. By My Glory and My Majesty I
will manifest through them My Religion and I will raise
through them My Word; by the last of them (Mahdi) I will
make the earth pure of My enemies. I will establish him from
the sunrise to the sunset throughout the entire earth; I
will confer to his power the wind and will lower for him the
stubborn clouds. I will help him with My Army and aid him
with My Angels until he raises My Name and the creatures
acknowledge My uniqueness, and then I will prolong his reign
and I will ensure the succession of My Friends over the time
until the Day of Resurrection.” 8
In this way the awaited Imam (al-Muntazar) Mad-dhi, Qaim, will prepare
the earth for the Last Judgment and the Resurrection. The battle of
Qa’im will mark the ultimate victory of the ‘believers’ against their
‘enemies’ and the universal and final establishment of the ‘religion’ of
the imams. The community of the faithful is a familiar theme of all
eschatology.
It is interesting to know that these texts imply a profound criticism of
Islam as some parts of the Arab world seem to know it. The returned
Mahdi will do as did the Prophet, destroying that which was before, just
as the Prophet destroyed the rituals of the period of ignorance, and He
will establish once again Islam. Our Qa’im will repair the Mosque and
will reconstruct His Mecca. The Qa’im will bring a new Order, a new
Book, a new Legislation and a New Tradition. 9
Of course the primary ambiguity of these prophecies is that they may
refer to more spiritual and ethical realities or be understood as a
militant call for a violent upheaval. But there are texts indicating
that these prophecies do not invite the fight of Islam against other
religions but rather, the fight of all religions for their inner
renewal. Mahdi will equally re-establish the other religions, also
abandoned and disfigured, in their original Truth and Purity.
Indeed: “The Mahdi will extract the Torah and the other Divine Books
from their caverns and will judge amongst the faithful of the Evangiles
according to the Evangiles, amongst the faithful of al-Zabur (The
Book of David) according to the al-Zabur and amongst the faithful
of the Koran according to the Koran.” 10
It is the universal initiation by the imam of all men into the secrets
of existence and of their own religions, and this is without doubt the
meaning which must be understood by the term Mahdi given by the fifth
imam al-Bagir: Mahdi (the Guide) is named as such because it is he who
will guide (Yahdi) us in the secret teachings.” 11
If so, the prediction of the Mahdi does not announce the victory of
zealot warriors who will wipe out non-believers, understood to be other
races or religions. Rather, the prophecies talk of the power of love,
not the might of hate. They would then refer to the fight against
ignorance, no doubt the most formidable of all battles. But if Allah is
indeed the Merciful and Compassionate, such is the most likely meaning
of the predictions of the imams. The real jihad is an internal fight for
our own purification, so that out full spiritual potential might finally
manifest. Consequently, even in the stern Muslim prophecies we can read
the hopeful and promising light of mankind’s renewal. This may or may
not combine with events of massive destruction that can still manifest.
But let us focus on the hopeful dimension of this momentous period.”
Gregoire de Kalbermatten, The Third Advent,
King Printing 2003,
pg. 205-8
