THE CONTROVERSIES

It should be mentioned at this stage that people were engaged in controversies about Imam Mahdi (AHS).

There are two possibilities about the signs as described by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) to identify Imam Mahdi (AHS) when becomes: either all of them are found in a person or some of them are found and the others not.

If all the described signs are found in a person, there is no room for doubt and refusing to accept him as Imam Mahdi (AHS). The question of accepting one as such does not arise if all of them are not found in him.

Some of these signs are as follows : Imam Mahdi (AHS) would be born in Makkah or Madina Imam Mahdi (AHS) will be a ruler and an emperor; Imam Mahdi (AHS) and Jesus will came at one and the same time; Imam Mahdi (AHS) will fill the earth
(al-arz) with justice and fairplay; Imam Mahdi (AHS) will distribute treasures (among the people); Syrian Army will advance to fight the Imam and on its way would sink into the soil.

The fact is that some of the traditions forecasting the signs of Imam Mahdi's (AHS) advent, contradict each other. Some of them are not authentic. Some others authoritatively establish that Syed Muhammad (PBUH) of Jaunpur was Imam Mahdi (AHS).

We will now discuss the traditions which contradict each other.

The tradition, claiming Makkah as the birth-place of Imam Mahdi (AHS), contradicts the one which says Madina will be his birth-place.

The tradition which predicts the sinking of the army into the soil has nothing to do with Imam Mahdi (AHS). Besides, this tradition is not applicable, because the signs have already appeared before the advent of Mahdi (AHS).

When there is obvious contradiction between the traditions, it is no use arguing that one is correct and the other wrong.

It is possible that this contradiction has emerged from (the versions of) various traditionists. The birth of a person with so many contradictory qualities is impossible.

Obviously, the prophecies are not to be taken literally. They are usually just a pointer to the objectives of the prophecy.

Moses (AHS) was informed in Torah (Old Testament), for instance, that "We would send a prophet from among your brothers soon". Literally "brothers" would indicate that the impending arrival of the prophet would be from among the real brothers of Moses (AHS), or the children of Israel. But no such prophet was born in Arabian peninsula.

However, if the meaning of the word "brothers" is stretched to include cousins, the prophet was from among the progeny of Ishmael (AHS) (Ismael). But this explanation was rejected by the Jews. They misled not only themselves but also others.

Similarly, the Injeel (New Testament) mentions that Jesus Christ had predicted the advent of the Prophet of Islam. However, the insistence on literal meaning of the prophecy misled the people. Jesus is quoted as saying that a person by name Ahmed would be born soon and people should accept him as he is the Divine Light (nur) and Guidance (hidayat). No prophet with the name of Ahmed was born. The prophet who was born was named Muhammad (PBUH). The result is that the followers of Jesus Christ went astray since they could not associate Ahmed with Muhammad (PBUH). They thought, that the birth of Muhammad (PBUH) did not fulfill the prophecy.

Again in Torah, it was mentioned that Allah would come on Mount Sinai (Taurus Mountains) along with angels close to Him and shine on Seir.

If one goes by the literal meaning of the prophecy it is evident that God did not manifest Himself on the peaks of Faran (Paran) Mountains. How can the Jews accept a person who emerged on the Mountain of Faran (near Makkah) along with a few voiceless poor? He who emerged on the mountains near Makkah in Arabia was Muhammad (PBUH).

The prophecies cannot be and should not be explained literally. Their real purpose has to be taken into consideration. The trouble arises when the real meaning is adhered to. Even learned people cannot understand and explain them. How can the people with average or below average intellect understand the purpose of the divine prophecies.

Similar is the case with the prophecies about lmam Mahdi (AHS). They cannot be correctly understood and explained by resorting to the literal meaning of the terms used in the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Therefore, it becomes necessary to explain prophetic signs in terms of the events accompanying the appearance of Imam Mahdi (AHS).

Obviously, the identification of a person is not difficult if his birth literally and strictly follows the signs described in the prophecy. We can go to the extent of saying that this is not possible, because it is not necessary that every human being should be blessed with Faith (Iman) in the Unknown. Had it been the divine will to make every one a faithful, Allah's prophets would not have been repudiated by their own people despite obvious signs in the scriptures. The Jews repudiated the prophet-hood of Jesus Christ and his being the Messiah (AHS), despite prophecies in the scriptures. Similarly, both the Jews and Christians repudiated prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Had the prophets not been repudiated, the entire humankind would have been the follower of one religion. Religious differences would have been wiped out. Allah has said in Quran: "If it had been thy Lord's will, they all would have believed, - all who are on Earth (S.X.: 99). It follows from this that the variety of religious followings shows that the prophets were not born strictly in accordance with the letter of the prophecies. It can now be said that the signs in the prophecies about Imam Mahdi (AHS) too fall in the same category. It follows that the signs common to all the prophecies about Imam Mahdi (AHS) will be authentic and categorical proof.

But the attributes of the Imam described in them contradicting each other cannot be treated as authentic. The principles of Fiqh prove that contradictory attributes cancel each other. These traditions, of course, prove that Imam Mahdi (AHS) will definitely come, but the attributes described in them are not fit to be discussed.

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