Is Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani the promised Mansoor al-Khorasani, the owner of the promised black flags mentioned in Islamic narrations?
It is possible that Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani is the promised Mansoor al-Khorasani, the owner of the black flags promised in Islamic narrations; because there is nothing that prevents this, rationally or religiously, ﴿وَاللَّهُ يَخْتَصُّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ﴾[1]; “and Allah singles out for His mercy whomever He wills, and Allah is the Owner of extreme grace.” However, he does not claim that, nor does he argue with anyone about it, and he prohibits his companions from arguing about it[2]. What is certain, an objective reality, and sufficient to know is that Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani is one of the servants of Allah and the nation of His Prophet, Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family. He follows the Quran and the mutawatir Sunnah of the Prophet in the light of the sound intellect. He does not make any claims of prophethood or divine leadership and is not affiliated with any government, sect, or group in the world. He only invites to Allah’s caliph, the Mahdi, and prepares the ground for his advent through cultural activities, such as writing books and talking to Muslims. In exchange for this righteous and hard work, he does not ask for any reward from people but only seeks reward with Allah. He does not consume people’s belongings wrongfully, nor does he endanger anyone’s life unjustly, nor does he wrong a small ant or a bigger creature. Therefore, if someone answers his invitation and helps him, he does so because of the truthfulness of his words and the rightfulness of his actions based on rational and religious evidence and with the intention of preparing the ground for the Mahdi’s advent, and if someone does not do so or instead becomes hostile to him, he does not harm him at all but only deprives himself of good or makes himself fall into evil, ﴿وَاللَّهُ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ﴾[3]; “and Allah is Fully Aware of what they do.”
Based on this, Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani is just a pious, Muslim scholar who prevents Muslims from following unjust and tyrannical rulers, invites them to follow the Mahdi, prohibits them from following conjectures and illusions, enjoins them to follow knowledge and certainty, warns them against ignorance, imitation, passions, worldliness, fanaticism, arrogance, and superstitionism, and urges them to establish the pure and perfect Islam in the light of the Quran, the Sunnah, and the sound intellect. Therefore, those who take him as an enemy have no excuse before Allah and should prepare their seats in Hell; because it is clearly not permissible to be hostile to such a righteous man, but rather friendship with him is obligatory. Whoever is hostile to him is a misguided oppressor, such as those who try to kill him, declare him as a disbeliever, revile him, mock him, slander him, harm him, or provoke people against him. It is clear that all these people are in manifest error, and there is a severe punishment for them; as Allah Almighty has said: ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَيَقْتُلُونَ الَّذِينَ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْقِسْطِ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَبَشِّرْهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِنْ نَاصِرِينَ﴾[4]; “Indeed, those who deny the signs of Allah and kill the Prophets without right and kill those who enjoin others to justice, give them tidings of a painful punishment. They are the ones whose deeds become worthless in the world and the Hereafter, and they have no helpers,” and said: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ بِغَيْرِ مَا اكْتَسَبُوا فَقَدِ احْتَمَلُوا بُهْتَانًا وَإِثْمًا مُبِينًا﴾[5]; “And those who harm believing men and believing women without any fault of theirs, they bear the guilt of slander and a manifest sin,” and said: ﴿يَكَادُونَ يَسْطُونَ بِالَّذِينَ يَتْلُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِنَا ۗ قُلْ أَفَأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِشَرٍّ مِنْ ذَلِكُمُ ۗ النَّارُ وَعَدَهَا اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ﴾[6]; “They are about to attack those who recite Our verses to them! Say: ‘Shall I inform you of something worse than that?! The fire that Allah has promised to those who disbelieved, and it is an evil destination.’”
In response to critique 89 in the Arabic website, you have stated that Allah, the Exalted, is the One Who has authorized the judgment of the two judges, and thus it is part of His judgment, and your argument for this is clear proof from Allah, exalted is His mention. Then what is the meaning of your emergence and movement in this time and your claim to the position of the promised Khorasani or making preparations for Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him?! The argument against you and the clear proof from Allah is: you should not move a hand or a foot until the specific time; the dust of tribulation harms the one who stirs it up; whoever moves based on assumptions and haste will cause hardship and difficulty for those in authority and the believers; look at the Ahl al-Bayt of your Prophet, if they sit, then sit, if they seek your help, then help them, and you will be rewarded, and do not go ahead of them, lest calamity befall you; and other things like these that have been narrated from the Ahl al-Bayt.
You jumped from the east to the west, and this is great ignorance on your part. Ignorance, when known to its possessor, drives him to ask the people of knowledge to learn. However, if it is unknown to him, it drives him to argue with them without knowledge, causing them trouble and hardship; like those whom Allah Almighty has described in His Book, saying: ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي آيَاتِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ سُلْطَانٍ أَتَاهُمْ ۙ إِنْ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ إِلَّا كِبْرٌ مَا هُمْ بِبَالِغِيهِ ۚ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ﴾[1]; “Indeed, those who dispute about the signs of Allah without any proof bestowed on them, there is nothing in their hearts but arrogance which they will never achieve! So seek refuge in Allah, for He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” We have repeatedly explained that His Eminence Allamah Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani, may Allah Almighty protect him, does not claim to be the promised Khorasani. Preparing the ground for the advent of Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him, is not a special position that he claims, but rather a righteous deed that he performs, like all other things that Allah has commanded in the Quran and the Sunnah, such as prayer, Zakat, fasting, and Hajj. It does not contradict the hadiths narrated from the Ahl al-Bayt that prohibit hastening, moving, and stirring up the dust of tribulation before the occurrence of the Sayhah and the Khasf; because these hadiths refer to rising with the sword, which is neither permissible nor beneficial until Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him, gives permission. They do not refer to inviting to Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him, enjoining his seeking and support, or prohibiting obedience to oppressors, without the sword; because that is merely exhorting others to the truth, inviting toward good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong and evil, which Allah has commanded in general for all times; as He has said: ﴿إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ﴾[2]; “Indeed, the human being is in loss; except for those who believe, do righteous deeds, exhort one another to the truth, and exhort one another to patience,” and said: ﴿وَلْتَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ ۚ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ﴾[3]; “And there shall be from among you a community inviting toward good, enjoining right, and forbidding wrong. And they are the successful,” and said: ﴿فَلَوْلَا كَانَ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ أُولُو بَقِيَّةٍ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْفَسَادِ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِمَّنْ أَنْجَيْنَا مِنْهُمْ﴾[4]; “So why were there from the generations before you no remnants to prohibit corruption on Earth, except for a few of those whom We saved from among them?!” and said: ﴿لَوْلَا يَنْهَاهُمُ الرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالْأَحْبَارُ عَنْ قَوْلِهِمُ الْإِثْمَ وَأَكْلِهِمُ السُّحْتَ ۚ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ﴾[5]; “Why do priests and scholars not prohibit them from uttering sinful words and eating forbidden things?! Indeed, what they used to do was evil,” and said: ﴿كَانُوا لَا يَتَنَاهَوْنَ عَنْ مُنْكَرٍ فَعَلُوهُ ۚ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ﴾[6]; “They did not prevent one another from doing the wrong things they committed. Evil indeed was what they did,” and said: ﴿فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ أَنْجَيْنَا الَّذِينَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ السُّوءِ وَأَخَذْنَا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا بِعَذَابٍ بَئِيسٍ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ﴾[7]; “Then, when they forgot what they were reminded of, We saved those who forbade evil and seized those who did wrong with a terrible punishment because of their sinfulness.” It is clear that the Ahl al-Bayt never said or intended anything that contradicts the Book of Allah; as the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, said: «إِنَّهُمَا لَنْ يَفْتَرِقَا حَتَّى يَرِدَا عَلَيَّ الْحَوْضَ»; “Indeed, those two will never be separated until they come to me by the Pond,” and they said: «مَا أَتَاكُمْ عَنَّا مِنْ حَدِيثٍ لَا يُصَدِّقُهُ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ بَاطِلٌ»[8]; “Whatever hadith comes to you from us that is not confirmed by the Book of Allah is false.” His Eminence Allamah Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani, may Allah Almighty protect him, has fulfilled exhorting others to the truth, inviting toward good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong and evil, which Allah Almighty has obligated upon scholars and believers in His Book, without claiming any special position from Allah or wielding a sword over His creation. This is undoubtedly one of the most prominent examples of righteousness and piety, and Allah Almighty has said: ﴿وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى﴾[9]; “And help one another in goodness and piety.” Therefore, Muslims must assist him in this with all their might. However, most of them are negligent in doing so due to their weak faith and piety. There are fools among them who forbid and blame him instead of assisting him. Undoubtedly, they are the most wretched and the most losing; like those whom Allah has mentioned in His Book and said: ﴿مَنَّاعٍ لِلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ مُرِيبٍ﴾[10]; “A preventer of good, a transgressor, and a doubter,” and said: ﴿يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمُنْكَرِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَقْبِضُونَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ﴾[11]; “They enjoin what is evil and forbid what is right and withhold their hands,” and said: ﴿وَإِذْ قَالَتْ أُمَّةٌ مِنْهُمْ لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا ۙ اللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا ۖ قَالُوا مَعْذِرَةً إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ﴾[12]; “When a group of them said: ‘Why do you admonish a people whom Allah is the One Who Causes them to perish or punishes them with a severe punishment?!’ They said: ‘As an excuse before your Lord and that they may become pious,’” and said: ﴿وَإِنَّهُمْ لَيَصُدُّونَهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ وَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ﴾[13]; “And indeed, they turn them away from the path, while they think that they are guided.”