The Return of the Mahdi: the Islamic Messiah

Landscape with Grave, Coffin and Owl by Caspar David Friedrich

The Mahdi (the Guided by God) is the vaticinated Islamic redeemer who will rule before the Judgement Day and, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny with the help of Jesus. He will be an ordinary man from the lineage of Muhammad:

“The world will not come to an end until the Arabs are ruled by a man from my family whose name is the same as mine and whose father’s name is the same as my father’s” (Prophet Muhammad)

Modernist Sunni Scholars seem to reject this doctrine, having Allama Muhammad Iqbal said:

“As I think, the concept of the Mahdi, Masih and Mujaddid is a completely Iranian and Ajmi perception. This concept has no link to the Qur’an, Islam and Arabic perceptions.”

However, in this post we will focus on the Shia doctrine that believes the Mahdi to be a powerful and central religious idea. The Shiites seem to deeply believe that the redeemer will come and that some interesting signs will forewarn his arrival:

• A great conflict in the land of Syria, until it is destroyed.
• Death and fear will afflict the People of Baghdad and Iraq. A fire will appear in the sky and redness will cover them. 

President Ahmadinejad is a fervent believer in the coming of the Mahdi. He believes that the Iranian Revolution paved the way for his return and that the process can be expedited through a Nuclear War (hence his urgent need to develop a Nuclear Program for non-peaceful purposes). This can lead us into wondering whether Iran had the nerve to sponsor chaos in Syria (as he does in Iraq) in order to hasten the return of the Islamic Messiah...indeed, politics & religion walking intimately, hand in hand, can blur the issue.

What is most interesting is the apparent belief that to cause the Guided One to come, some Muslims would “think” that violence and destruction is the best way to accelerate the process. This perception draws us to the antithetic view of Hasidic Judaism that believes the way to hasten the coming of the Mashiach (the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Masih [translated by the Greeks as Khristós]) is for Jews to increase the acts of kindness.

I have an image of what the Mahdi should be: a very intelligent and rational Human Being, upon whom the spirit of Allah falls, who will guide Muslims towards the Light (casting thus the darkness of hatred, violence, war and destruction) and paving the way to a peaceful interaction between Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Mystics etc anywhere in the world. By the hand of the Mahdi, Muslim Women will enjoy Empowerment and see their Status increase. With the Mahdi, Islam will truly mean Salam (Peace).

In my humble opinion, to hasten his return all Muslims have to do is to wake up and make use of Constructive Reason instead of Destructive Emotions, reach a consensus and reform towards the Good.