Wednesday, Fabruary 19, 2025 AD / Sha’ban 20, 1446 AH
Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani
 New question: Is jihad the only solution for implementing Sharia and establishing an Islamic government? Click here to read the answer. New saying: A significantly important and enlightening saying from His Eminence about the condition for the Mahdi’s advent. Click here to read it. New critique: Please mention the name of the university or religious school from which His Eminence Khorasani has graduated; because no matter how much I searched, I did not find his name nor his fame as a famous writer, researcher, or religious man in Afghanistan. Click here to read the response. Visit home to read the most important contents of the website. New letter: An excerpt from His Eminence’s letter to one of his companions, in which he advises him and frightens him from Allah. Click here to read it. New lesson: Lessons from His Eminence about the fact that the earth is not empty of a man knowledgeable about the entire religion, whom Allah has appointed as a Caliph, Imam, and guide on it by His command; Authentic Hadiths from the Prophet that indicate it; Hadith No. 11. Click here to read it. New remark: The remark “Inverted era” by “Elias Hakimi” has been published. Click here to read it. New video: A new video with the subject “The Call of Return to Allah” has been published. Click here to watch it. Visit home to read the most important contents of the website.
loading
Question & Answer
 

Does Mansoor believe that the Mahdi exists and is alive at present? If so, what is his evidence for this belief?

Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani firmly believes that the Mahdi exists and is alive at present, and what indicates it is the report of one of his companions, in which it has been said:

«دَخَلْتُ عَلَى الْمَنْصُورِ الْهَاشِمِيِّ الْخُرَاسَانِيِّ وَهُوَ فِي مَسْجِدٍ، فَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ! إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْمَهْدِيَّ وَلِيًّا، فَاتَّخِذُوهُ وَلِيًّا، وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ، قَلِيلًا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ! فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ أَحْوَلُ مِنْ بَيْنِ النَّاسِ فَقَالَ: وَهَلْ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْمَهْدِيَّ؟! قَالَ: نَعَمْ، وَإِنَّهُ لَيَأْكُلُ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشِي فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ! قَالَ الرَّجُلُ: وَهَلْ رَأَيْتَهُ أَنْتَ بِعَيْنَيْكَ؟! فَسَكَتَ الْمَنْصُورُ وَلَمْ يُجِبْهُ حَتَّى سَأَلَهُ الرَّجُلُ ثَلَاثًا، فَقَالَ: مَا كُنْتُ لِأَدْعُوَكُمْ إِلَى مَنْ لَمْ أَرَهُ! قَالَ الرَّجُلُ: فَلِمَ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَيْنَا لِنَتَّبِعَهُ؟! قَالَ: يَخَافُ! قَالَ الرَّجُلُ: مِمَّ؟! قَالَ: مِنَ الْقَتْلِ -وَأَشَارَ إِلَى حَلْقِهِ»[1]; “I came to Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani while he was in a mosque, then I heard him say: ‘O people! Indeed, Allah has appointed the Mahdi as your guardian, so take him as guardian, and do not take guardians other than him, little you heed to advice!’ At this time, a squint-eyed man stood up from among the people and said: ‘Has Allah created the Mahdi?!’ He said: ‘Yes, and indeed, he eats and walks in the markets!’ The man said: ‘Have you seen him with your own eyes?!’ Then Mansoor fell silent and did not answer him until the man repeated his question three times, so he said: ‘I do not invite you toward someone I have not seen!’ The man said: ‘Then why does he not come out toward us so that we may follow him?!’ He said: ‘He is afraid!’ The man said: ‘Of what?!’ He said: ‘Of being killed’ -and he pointed at his throat.”

This explicitly states that he has evidence for the existence of the Mahdi at present, even though he is hidden from people, meaning that he is not known to them because he fears them for his life. This is possible according to the intellect and Sharia, but rather very likely considering the emergence of the signs mentioned in mutawatir hadiths regarding the time of his rising, such as the predominance of oppression and injustice in the world, the abundance of calamities, and other things. Therefore, there is no reason to deny it, and whoever denies it has done so without knowledge, and in addition to that, he is like one who has despaired of Allah’s mercy, ﴿وَمَنْ يَقْنَطُ مِنْ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّهِ إِلَّا الضَّالُّونَ[2]; “and who would despair of the mercy of his Lord except for the misguided?!” In any case, it is clear that one who is ignorant has no proof against one who is knowledgeable, and Mansoor knows about the existence of the Mahdi, and in this regard, he has not sufficed with merely informing others about seeing him, even though he is trustworthy in his informing because of his justice and dignity. Rather, he has provided proof for his existence from the intellect and Sharia. As for his proof from the intellect, it is the necessity of the existence of a caliph for Allah Almighty on Earth to teach the entirety of Islam and establish it purely and perfectly, considering that the intellect understands the necessity of such teaching and establishment and does not consider them possible except with the existence of a caliph for Allah Almighty on Earth; as he has said in the book Return to Islam:

It may be imagined that practicing the entirety of Islam is not possible, and therefore, there is no choice but to practice some of it, and if practicing some of it is not adequate, then there exists no choice, which is not possible, but it is clear that this is a baseless illusion; because Allah, by virtue of His wisdom and mercy, has surely not put anything in Islam that would be impossible to practice; rather, He has put everything in Islam for the purpose of practicing it, and it is clear that putting something in Islam that would be impossible to practice is futility, and futility is not done by Allah. In addition, there is no doubt that Allah has commanded the entirety of Islam, not just a part of it, and it is clear that His commanding what is impossible is impossible; because it conflicts with His wisdom. Moreover, nothing has been claimed in the entirety of Islam that would be intrinsically impossible to believe or practice. Nevertheless, the only aspect that can be mentioned for the impossibility of practicing the entirety of Islam is the impossibility of knowing the entirety of it; considering that knowing the entirety of Islam is necessary for practicing the entirety of it, while it is possible only for the One who has legislated it, and therefore, Muslims’ knowing the entirety of it and accordingly their practicing the entirety of it are not possible. However, the truth is that this aspect is also rejected; because Allah certainly has obligated Muslims to practice the entirety of Islam, and based on this, by its contingency on knowing the entirety of Islam, Allah is required to teach the entirety of Islam, not to remove the obligation to practice the entirety of Islam; in the sense that considering the necessity of practicing the entirety of Islam, its contingency on knowing the entirety of it, and Allah’s intrinsic monopoly on this knowledge, it is necessary for Allah to make it possible for Muslims to know the entirety of it in some way so that they do not have an excuse against Him for not practicing the entirety of Islam and consequently their fall into misery and problems. It is clear that this teaching is inevitable and certain, and it is possible in two ways: either Allah teaches all Muslims the entirety of Islam directly, or He chooses some of them for that so that others learn about the entirety of Islam from them indirectly. Since Allah certainly has not taught all Muslims the entirety of Islam directly, then it is clear that He has taught it to some of them, and therefore, it is obligatory for others to know them and learn from them, and since the knowledge of the entirety of Islam is with Allah alone, then they are inevitably either the Prophets, who have learned about the entirety of Islam directly from Allah, or related to the Prophets, who have learned about the entirety of Islam from Allah through the Prophet, and such persons are considered the Caliphs of Allah among Muslims because they are representatives of Allah in teaching the entirety of Islam. It is hereby understood that Allah has appointed a Caliph on the earth.[3]

As for his proof from Sharia, it is the words of Allah Almighty, where He has said: ﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً[4]; “Indeed, I am the Appointer of a caliph on Earth”; because it is one of His promises that cannot be broken and one of His ways that cannot be changed; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لَا تَخْلُو مِنْ خَلِيفَةٍ اللَّهُ جَاعِلُهُ، وَلَوْ خَلَتْ لَسَاخَتْ بِأَهْلِهَا، وَمَنْ مَاتَ وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْ هَذَا الْخَلِيفَةَ فَقَدْ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً، ثُمَّ سَكَتَ سَاعَةً حَتَّى أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَقُومَ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ، فَقَالَ: لَا يَزَالُ اللَّهُ يَجْعَلُ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً مُنْذُ قَالَهُ، وَلَوْ قَالَ: ”إِنِّي أَجْعَلُ“ لَكَانَ مِنْهُ جَعْلٌ وَاحِدٌ، وَلَكِنَّهُ قَالَ: ﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ، وَالْجَاعِلُ مَنْ يَسْتَمِرُّ مِنْهُ الْجَعْلُ، وَكُلُّ خَلِيفَةٍ لِلَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَهْدِيٌّ إِلَى مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ فِيهَا لِيَضَعَهُ حَيْثُ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَهْتَدِ إِلَى مَهْدِيِّ زَمَانِهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا»[5]; “I asked Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani about the words of Allah Almighty Who says: ‘Indeed, I am the Appointer of a Caliph on the earth.’ So he said: ‘Indeed, the earth is not empty of a Caliph that Allah is the Appointer of him, and if it becomes empty of such a Caliph, it swallows its inhabitants, and whoever dies without knowing this Caliph has died a death of the time of ignorance!’ Then he fell silent for a moment until I intended to leave him, then he continued: ‘Allah, since the time He said that, has always been appointing a Caliph on the earth, and if He had said: “I appoint,” it could have been one appointment, but He has said: “I am the Appointer,” and the appointer is one by whom the appointment continues, and every Caliph of Allah on the earth has been guided to what Allah has created on it in order to put it in a place where Allah wills, and whoever does not find a way to the Mahdi (the guided one) of his time has indeed gone far astray.’”

This means that the Earth is never empty of a caliph whom Allah Almighty has appointed on it, and it is clear that the only caliph of Allah Almighty in the end time is the Mahdi; because there is no proven report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) regarding the caliphate of anyone other than him for Allah Almighty in the end time. Therefore, it is not possible to be certain about the caliphate of anyone other than him after the righteous predecessors, while nothing but certainty is considered sufficient in Islam. This means that no one other than the Mahdi can be a caliph at present; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«سَأَلَ الْمَنْصُورَ رَجُلٌ وَأَنَا حَاضِرٌ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً، فَقَالَ: لَا يَزَالُ اللَّهُ جَاعِلًا فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً مُنْذُ وَعَدَهُ، إِمَّا ظَاهِرًا مَشْهُورًا وَإِمَّا خَائِفًا مَغْمُورًا، وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ! قَالَ الرَّجُلُ: إِنَّهُمْ قَدْ جَعَلُوا فِي الْعِرَاقِ خَلِيفَةً وَلَا يَرَوْنَ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ الْخَلِيفَةُ! قَالَ: كَذَبُوا أَعْدَاءُ اللَّهِ، مَا قَالَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ: ”إِنَّكُمْ جَاعِلُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً“ وَلَكِنْ قَالَ: ﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ، فَلَوْ جَعَلُوا فِيهَا خَلِيفَةً دُونَ الْخَلِيفَةِ الَّذِي جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ فِيهَا لَكَانُوا بِذَلِكَ مُشْرِكِينَ! قَالَ الرَّجُلُ: وَمَنْ هَذَا الْخَلِيفَةُ الَّذِي جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ فِيهَا؟ قَالَ: رَجُلٌ مِنْ وُلْدِ فَاطِمَةَ يُقَالُ لَهُ الْمَهْدِيُّ»[6]; “While I was there, a man asked Mansoor about the words of Allah Almighty that says: “Indeed, I am the Appointer of a Caliph on the earth.” So he said: “Allah, since the time He promised, has always appointed a Caliph on the earth, whether he has been visible and famous or hidden and frightened, and indeed, Allah does not break His promise.” The man said: “People in Iraq have appointed a caliph and believe in nothing but that he is the caliph[7]!” He said: “The enemies of Allah lied! Allah did not say to them, ‘You are appointers of a Caliph on the earth,’ but rather He said: ‘I am the Appointer,’ so if they appoint a caliph on it other than the Caliph whom Allah has appointed on it, they will indeed become polytheists by doing so.” The man said: “Who is this Caliph whom Allah has appointed on it?” He said: “A man from the descendants of Fatimah, who is called the Mahdi.””

Based on this, it is possible to believe in the existence and life of the Mahdi at present, and this belief is not considered contrary to Islam or contrary to the intellect, even though it necessitates believing in his long life; because long life is not impossible according to the intellect or Sharia, but rather it is not unusual for the caliphs of Allah Almighty on Earth; as He has said about Nuh (peace be upon him): ﴿فَلَبِثَ فِيهِمْ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ عَامًا[8]; “So he stayed among them a thousand years minus fifty years,” and it is clear that ﴿أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ[9]; “Allah has power over all things.” A group has agreed with Mansoor on his view, such as Muhammad ibn Talhah al-Shafi‘i (d. 652 AH) in Matalib al-Sa’ul[10], Sibt ibn al-Jawzi al-Hanbali (d. 654 AH) in Tadhkirah al-Khawas[11], Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Shafi‘i (d. 658 AH) in al-Bayan[12], ibn Sabbagh al-Maliki (d. 855 AH) in al-Fufusl al-Muhimmah[13], Abd al-Wahhab al-Sha‘rani (d. 973 AH) in al-Yawaqit Wa al-Jawahir[14], al-Shabrawi al-Shafi‘i (d. 1171 AH,) in al-Ithaf[15], al-Qunduzi al-Hanafi (d. 1294 AH) in Yanabi‘ al-Mawaddah[16], and al-Shablanji al-Shafi‘i (d. 1308 AH) in Nur al-Absar[17]. Ibn Arabi (d. 638 AH) has said in al-Futuhat al-Makkiyyah, after mentioning the Mahdi: «قد جاءكم زمانه وأظلّكم أوانه، وظهر في القرن الرابع اللّاحق بالقرون الثلاثة الماضية، قرن رسول اللّه صلّى اللّه عليه وسلّم، وهو قرن الصّحابة، ثمّ الذي يليه، ثمّ الذي يلي الثاني»[18]; “His era has come upon you, and his time has cast a shadow over you. He has appeared in the fourth century after the first three centuries, the century of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and that is the century of the Sahabah, then the century that follows it, then the century that follows the second century,” and said: «وهو في زماننا اليوم موجود، عرفت به سنة خمس وتسعين وخمسمائة، ورأيت العلامة التي له قد أخفاها الحقّ فيه عن عيون عباده، وكشفها لي بمدينة فاس حتّى رأيت خاتم الولاية منه، وهو خاتم النبوّة المطلقة، لا يعلمها كثير من الناس، وقد ابتلاه اللّه بأهل الإنكار عليه فيما يتحقّق به من الحقّ في سرّه من العلم به»[19]; “He exists today in our time. I was in his presence in the year 595 and saw the sign that Allah has hidden in him from the eyes of His servants, and He revealed that sign to me in the city of Fas. I saw the seal of guardianship with him, which is the seal of absolute Prophethood. And many people do not know about it. Indeed, Allah has afflicted him with people who deny the firm truths about him that originate from divine secrets.” This is like the saying of Mansoor that the Mahdi exists and he has seen him.

However, it should be noted that Mansoor has not based his invitation to prepare the ground for the Mahdi’s advent on the belief that he exists and is alive at present. Rather, he has explicitly stated in his book that preparing the ground for his advent is necessary even if he does not exist and is not alive at present; considering that in this case, his existence and life would be conditional on people’s readiness, in the sense of their willingness, although it would be contingent on Allah’s power, in the sense of His creation, and Allah would create him at a time when he can show himself to them. Therefore, if he does not exist or is not alive at present, then it is necessary to prepare the ground for his existence and life, just like preparing the ground for his advent. This is based on the words of Allah Almighty, Where He has said: ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ[20]; “Undoubtedly, Allah will not change anything for a people until they change what is in themselves.”

As a result, whether the Mahdi exists and is alive at present or not, it is obligatory for all Muslims to prepare the ground for his advent, and what is meant by that is to take the necessary measures to ensure his safety and establish his rule, as Mansoor has detailed in his invaluable book Return to Islam[21].

*For more information, look at the appendices.
↑[1] . Saying 22, passage 1
↑[2] . Al-Hijr/ 56
↑[3] . Return to Islam, pp. 126 and 127
↑[4] . Al-Baqarah/ 30
↑[5] . Saying 6, passage 1
↑[6] . Saying 6, passage 2
↑[7] . Meaning Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the caliph of ISIS.
↑[8] . Al-Ankabut/ 14
↑[9] . Al-Baqarah/ 106
↑[10] . Matalib al-Sa’ul Fi Manaqib Al-i al-Rasul by ibn Talhah al-Shafi‘i, p. 480
↑[11] . Tadhkirah al-Khawas by Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, p. 363
↑[12] . Al-Bayan by al-Kanji al-Shafi‘i, p. 521
↑[13] . Al-Fufusl al-Muhimmah by ibn Sabbagh, p. 1095
↑[14] . Al-Yawaqit Wa al-Jawahir by al-Sha‘rani, p. 143
↑[15] . Al-Ithaf Bi Hubb al-Ashraf by al-Shabrawi, p. 178
↑[16] . Yanabi‘ al-Mawaddah by al-Qunduzi, vol. 3, p. 131
↑[17] . Nur al-Absar by al-Shablanji al-Shafi‘i, p. 186
↑[18] . Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyyah by ibn Arabi, vol. 3, p. 328
↑[19] . Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyyah by ibn Arabi, vol. 2, p. 49
↑[20] . Ar-Ra‘d/ 11
The website for the office of Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani The section for answering questions
Appendices
Sub-Questions & Answers
Sub-Question 1
Author: Muhammad

I have some doubts regarding the Mahdi. If you believe in the existence of the Mahdi, it can only be in one of two ways:

Firstly, according to Twelver Shias’ theory, he is alive and well and has not died. In this case, the question is: what is the certain evidence for his existence? Since even his birth is questionable, how can proof be established by someone for whom there is no certain evidence of existence at all, secondly, there is no evidence for his Imamate, and thirdly, there is no certain evidence for his continued life contrary to the usual laws of humanity?! This is while the foundation of your invitation is to rely on certainty to prove things.

Secondly, according to the Sunnis’ theory, he will be born. The question here is also: If he will be born soon, who was the proof before him since the eleventh Imam from the Ahl al-Bayt? Given that you have clarified that the Earth cannot be without an Imam. In this case, all his ancestors must have been Imams, then the theory of twelve Imams would be invalid. If you say that his ancestors were not Imams, that poses another problem; because you say that the Imamate is passed down through inheritance.

Please answer my questions. Thank you.

Answer to
Sub-Question 1
Date: 2023 July 24

Your questions contradict each other; because if you accept that the Earth cannot be without an Imam and that the Imams after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) are twelve, the last of whom is the Mahdi, then you must accept that the Mahdi has remained alive after the eleventh Imam, whether he is the son of Hasan ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Musa ibn Ja‘far ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, as the Twelver Shias say, or another man. Therefore, there is no basis for your question, “What is the certain evidence for his existence?”; because what you have accepted is the certain evidence for his existence, regardless of his father’s name and his date of birth. Similarly, there is no basis for your question, “Who was the proof before him since the eleventh Imam from the Ahl al-Bayt?”; because what you have accepted indicates that the proof after the eleventh Imam is inevitably the Mahdi, even if he has a lifespan like that of Nuh (peace be upon him) or longer; because breaking the norm is possible if required by necessity or benefit, and it has happened many times by the will and power of Allah. If you do not accept that the Earth cannot be without an Imam and that the Imams after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) are twelve, the last of whom is the Mahdi, then the discussion with you is about proving this matter. It has been proven by the rational and textual evidence presented by His Eminence Mansoor (may Allah protect him) in his book Return to Islam, the topics “Possibility of establishing the entirety of Islam,” “Appointing twelve men from the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet as his Caliphs,” and “Mahdi, the last Caliph of the Prophet.” We have mentioned some of this in the answer above. Please refer to it.

The website for the office of Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani The section for answering questions
Share
Share this content with your friends to help spread the knowledge; for letting others know about knowledge is a means for expressing gratitude.
Email
Telegram
Facebook
Twitter
You can also read this content in the following languages:
If you are fluent in another language, translate the content into it and send us your translation to publish on the website. [Translation Form]
Ask a Question
Dear user! You can write your question about the opinions of His Eminence Allamah Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani (may Allah protect him) in the form below and send it to us to be answered in this section.
Attention: Your name may be displayed as the author of this question on the website.
Attention: Since our response will be sent to your email address and may not be published on the website, it is important that you enter your email address correctly.
Please note the following:
1. Your question may have already been answered on the website. Therefore, it is advisable to review the related questions and answers or use the search feature before submitting your question.
2. Please do not send a new question before receiving the answer to your previous one.
3. Please do not send more than one question at a time.
4. Our priority is to answer questions about Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him) and how to prepare the ground for his advent, as this is more important than anything at the moment.