Author: A group of young people who love Imam Mahdi Date: 2015-02-02

We want to know His Honor Mansoor’s opinion about this Hadith:

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali, peace be upon him, has said: The Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, said: “A man will rise from Transoxiana, who is called Harith ibn Harrath. At his forefront, will be a man called Mansoor who will make preparations or make possibilities for the rule of the family of Muhammad as the Quraysh made possibilities for the rule of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family. It is obligatory for every believer to support him -or he said:- respond to him.” (Aqd al-Durar, p. 130)

We also want to know His Honor’s opinion about this Hadith:

There is conjunction between Mars and Saturn once every two years. Imam Ali, peace be upon him, has considered that the movement of the army of Khorasani and Shu‘ayb ibn Salih from Samarqand toward Iraq happens following the precise conjunction between these two planets (1) in the year preceding the rise of Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him; as he has said:

“Be aware, after a while, you will have a short time in which you will know some of my words, and their correctness will be unveiled to you. At the rise of Mars and Saturn at the moment of precise conjunction. At this time, successive vibrations and earthquakes will happen, and some flags will move from the shores of Jayhun toward Babylon.” (Mashariq Anwar al-Yaqeen by al-Hafiz Rajab al-Barsi, p. 266, Tatanjiyyah sermon)

1. In the opinion of ancient astrologers, the precise conjunction occurs when two planets meet in one constellation at one degree and one minute, and in the opinion of modern astrologers, the distance between two planets must be less than five astrological degrees in the celestial view from the earth.

Answer to question: 2 Date: 2015-02-04

The report indicating the rise of a man from Transoxiana -i.e., the Jayhun river in the Greater Khorasan-, called “Mansoor” ahead of a man called “Harith ibn Harrath” to pave the way for the government of the family of Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, is a singular report that Abu Dawud has narrated in his Sunan[1], and Yusuf ibn Yahya has said: “It has been narrated by Abu Dawud in his Sunan, as well as by al-Hafiz Abu Bakr al-Bayhaqi, and al-Hafiz Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Nasa’i in their Sunan. It has also been narrated by Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Husain in his book Masabih”[2], and al-Maghribi has said about it: “This is authentic or good without any doubt or suspicion”[3], and others have considered it weak. However, there is a variation in its copies; because based on the printed version it appears that “Mansoor” is at the forefront of “Harith ibn Harrath,” which is unusual; as it has no supporting evidence in any other narration. As for the other copies, they do not include “Harith ibn Harrath”, but instead, they mention: «الْحَارِثُ، حَرَّاثٌ عَلَى مُقَدَّمَتِهِ، رَجُلٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ مَنْصُورٌ»; “Harith, Harrath at his forefront, a man called Mansoor,” and al-Azimabadi has stated: “This is the case in most of the copies, and it is considered reliable”[4]. As you can see, there is a use of hysteron proteron in it, which makes it possible to infer that Mansoor and Harith are one person, given the possibility that the statement: «رَجُلٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ مَنْصُورٌ»; “A man called Mansoor,” describes Harith, not Harrath, whether by means of syntactic coordination[5] or by means of rhetorical deviation[6]; like this statement: “There comes a sheikh known as a scholar, with him is a boy, a sheikh known as a jurist,” that its intended meaning is: “There comes a sheikh known as a jurist, and he is also known as a scholar, with him is a boy,” or “There comes a sheikh known as a jurist, but rather a sheikh known as a scholar, with him is a boy,” and what strengthens this possibility is that this “Harith” is not mentioned in any other narrations, but rather “Mansoor” has been mentioned in them, while if “Mansoor” were at the forefront of “Harith”, then “Harith” would be more deserving to be mentioned than “Mansoor”; because Harith would be Mansoor’s commander and leader; unless the intended meaning of “Harith” is the Mahdi; because he is the only one mentioned more than Mansoor in other narrations. An indication of this is what ibn Hayyun (d. 363 AH) narrated through Abd al-Razzaq, from Ali, from the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, that he said: «يَقُومُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ وُلْدِي، عَلَى مُقَدَّمَتِهِ رَجُلٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ الْمَنْصُورُ، يُوَطِّئُ لَهُ -أَوْ قَالَ: يُمَكِّنُ لَهُ- وَاجِبٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ نُصْرَتُهُ -أَوْ قَالَ: إِجَابَتُهُ»[7]; “A man from my progeny will rise, at his forefront is a man called Mansoor who will pave the way for him -or he said: he will make possibilities for him-; it is obligatory for every believer to support him -or he said: respond to him,” and this is undoubtedly the same report narrated by Abu Dawud, except that it has been narrated in another way without mentioning Harith. It is evident from this narration that Mansoor is at the forefront of the Mahdi, not at the forefront of anyone else. Therefore, “Harith” -if its authenticity is established and it is not a misrepresentation- is one of the titles of Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him, who will be in Transoxiana before his advent and Mansoor al-Khorasani will accompany him; as it has been stated in some narrations with reference to the black flags of Khorasani: «فَإِنَّ فِيهَا خَلِيفَةَ اللَّهِ الْمَهْدِيَّ»[8]; “Indeed, the Caliph of God, the Mahdi, is among them” and in another narration: «فَإِنَّ الْمَهْدِيَّ وَالنَّصْرَ مَعَهُمْ»[9]; “Indeed, the Mahdi and Nasr are with them,” and it is not unlikely that the word “Nasr” is misrepresentation of the word “Mansoor”, and that in the original narration it is: «فَإِنَّ الْمَهْدِيَّ وَالْمَنْصُورَ مَعَهُمْ»; “Indeed, the Mahdi and Mansoor are with them”; as it has been narrated: «مِنَّا الْمَهْدِيُّ وَالْمَنْصُورُ»[10]; “Mahdi and Mansoor are from us.” This clarifies the meaning of Abu Dawud’s report and could be related to the narration that says about the Mahdi: «مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ يَقُومُ، وَأَصْلُهُ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ، وَهُنَاكَ يَسْتَوِي قِيَامُهُ وَيَتِمُّ أَمْرُهُ»[11]; “He rises from the West, but his origin is from the East. There, his uprising takes place and his affairs are set right.”

In any case, the reports indicating the rise of a man from the Greater Khorasan with black flags, who is called “Mansoor”, invites toward the Mahdi, and paves the way for his government, are not limited to this one report, and some people may believe that he is His Excellency Allamah Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani, may God protect him; because he has risen from the Greater Khorasan with black flags, invites toward the Mahdi, peace be upon him, and paves the way for his government, as stated in the reports completely, but the reality is that he does not make such a claim, and perhaps he is the one, but he avoids delving into it due to his aversion to pretense and speaking about what does not concern him[12]. God has made him free from the need for claims with something impeccable and flawless; as his movement is not an illusory or fictitious one so that it would need such claims, but rather it is a movement grounded in tangible and factual realities; as his rise from the Greater Khorasan is a perceptible matter, his black flags are perceptible matters, his invitation toward the Mahdi and his making preparations for his rule are perceptible matters, and his great book Return To Islam is a cultural and ideological engineering for the global revolution. Therefore, how short-sighted are those who aim to open the door to such claims against this objective and realistic movement in order to harm its firmness and integrity through this ill-conceived method. They make anxious and pessimistic servants of God doubt it, and empower those who make excuses and take advantage of it against it, while if they were searching for the truth, they would see it with their eyes, and if they were searching for the reality, they would hear it with their ears, and then they would not forsake the definitive for the ambiguous! As some of our companions informed us, they said: A man came from a distant land to Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani, and after a conversation that took place between them, he held his hand and said: “I bear witness that you are the promised one who will prepare the ground for the Mahdi’s advent, the one whom the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, commanded us to help!” So when Mansoor heard this, he immediately withdrew his hand from the man’s hand and said to him rebukingly:

“Leave me alone brother! Have you come all this way from your land to deceive me about my religion?! I swear to God, I am going to prepare the ground for the Mahdi’s advent, but I do not care what you call me; because I have not made the blue sky my roof and the earth my carpet, nor have I thrown myself like a piece of stone into the ocean of calamities so that you would come from your land and call me a promised one! Am I not a ‘son of man’?! Then call me the ‘son of man’ and accompany me in the path I have taken; because I am going toward the Mahdi, and I will reach him with you or without you.”

Then he got up to leave and then said in a loud voice:

“I am a caller ahead of the Mahdi, who calls: Open the way!”[13]

Now, you “young ones who love the Mahdi!”

If you are truly young ones who love the Mahdi, then know that supporting “the promised preparer of the ground for the Mahdi’s advent” is not obligatory because of his “promised” status, but it is obligatory because he is “the preparer of the ground for the Mahdi’s advent,” as God and His Messenger have mentioned him only for that purpose, so if you are truly “young ones who love the Mahdi” as you claim, then you must support “the preparer of the ground for the Mahdi’s advent,” even if you do not consider him “promised”. Blessed be those who have insight; as they see the truth behind a thousand veils, and woe to those who are blind; as they do not see the truth even when it is right in front of them!

As for the narration about the conjunction between Mars and Saturn and its indication of some events close to the Mahdi’s advent, it is an extremely weak narration that should not be relied upon; especially considering that it is against the prohibitions of Islam on seeking predictions of future events through observing celestial bodies, even if there is some truth to it, like sorcery.

↑[1] . Sunan of Abi Dawud, vol. 4, p. 108
↑[2] . Aqd al-Durar Fi Akhbar al-Muntazar by al-Maqdisi, p. 198
↑[3] . Mu‘jam Ahadith al-Imam al-Mahdi by al-Kurani, vol. 1, p. 396
↑[4] . Awn al-Ma‘bud by al-Azimabadi, vol. 11, p. 258
↑[5] . [عطف البيان; Atf al-Bayan]
↑[6] . [الإضراب; al-Iḍrab]
↑[7] . Sharh al-Akhbar Fi Fada’il al-A’immah al-At’har by ibn Hayyun, vol. 3, p. 359
↑[8] . Al-Fitan by ibn Hammad, vol. 1, p. 311; Musnad of Ahmad, vol. 37, p. 70; al-Bada’ Wa al-Tarikh by al-Maqdisi, vol. 2, p. 174; al-Mustadrak Ala al-Sahihain by al-Hakim, vol. 4, p. 547; al-Sunan al-Waridah Fi al-Fitan by al-Dani, vol. 5 p. 32; Dala’il al-Nubuwwah by al-Bayhaqi, vol. 6, p. 516
↑[9] . Al-Malahim by ibn al-Munadi, p. 44
↑[10] . For this content, see al-Fitan by ibn Hammad, vol. 1, p. 96; Musannaf of ibn Abi Shaybah, vol. 7, p. 513; Fada’il al-Sahabah by Ahmad ibn Hanbal, vol. 2, p. 966; Ansab al-Ashraf by al-Baladhuri, vol. 4, p. 47; al-Mustadrak Ala al-Sahihain by al-Hakim, vol. 4, p. 559; Dala’il al-Nubuwwah by al-Bayhaqi, vol. 6, p. 514; History of Baghdad by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, vol. 9, p. 407.
↑[11] . Sharh al-Akhbar Fi Fada’il al-A’immah al-At’har by ibn Hayyun, vol. 3, p. 364
↑[12] . See saying 10 from his pure saying