News about the rise of a man from Transoxiana -meaning Jeyhoon river in the greater Khorasan- who is called “Mansoor” ahead of a man called “Harith ibn Harrath” in order to prepare the grounds for the sovereignty of the household of Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, is a Wahid news which Abu Dawud has narrated in his Sunan[1], and Yusuf ibn Yahya has said that in addition to him, al-Bayhaqi and al-Nasa’i in their Sunan and Shaykh Abu Muhammad in the book of Masabih have also narrated it[2], and al-Maghribi has said about it: «صَحِيحٌ أَوْ حَسَنٌ بِلَا شَكٍّ وَلَا رِيبَةٍ»[3]; “Without a doubt, it is correct or good”, and some people have also considered it weak, but there are differences in its versions; because this is apparent from the issued version that “Mansoor” is ahead of “Harith ibn Harrath”, which is strange; because there is no witness for it in any other narration. Furthermore, “Harith ibn Harrath” has not been mentioned in the other versions, rather it has been said: «الْحَارِثُ، حَرَّاثٌ عَلَى مُقَدَّمَتِهِ، رَجُلٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ مَنْصُورٌ»; “Harith, Harrath is the leader of his army, he is a man called Mansoor”, and al-‘AzimAbadi has said that this is stated in most versions and is valid[4], and this -as it is obvious- is different and can be considered in this way that Mansoor and Harith are one person; as al-Saffarini has said: «هَذَا الرَّجُلُ يُحْتَمَلُ أَنْ يَكُونَ هُوَ الْهَاشِمِيُّ الْآتِي ذِكْرُهُ وَيُلَقَّبُ بِالْحَارِثِ كَمَا يُلَقَّبُ الْمَهْدِيُّ بِالْجَابِرِ»[5]; “It is possible that this man is the very Hashemi, who is mentioned, and his title is Harith, as the title of Mahdi is Jabir”, and what strengthens this possibility is that there is no mention of this “Harith” in other narrations, but only “Mansoor” has been mentioned in them, whereas if “Mansoor” was the leader of the army of “Harith”, “Harith” was more deserved than “Mansoor” to be mentioned; because he (Harith) was his emir and leader; unless the meaning of “Harith” is the very Mahdi; because he is the only one who has been mentioned more than Mansoor in the other narrations, and what indicates this is the narration of ibn Hayyun (Died 363 AH) through Abd al-Razzaq, from Ali, from the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, that 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»[6]; “A man from my children will rise, the leader of his army is a man called Mansoor, he will prepare the grounds for him -or he said: will make possibility for him- it is obligatory for every believer to help him -or he said: to respond to him”; because there is no doubt that this is the very news of Abu Dawud, except that it has been narrated in another way and there is no mention of Harith in it, and it seems that Mansoor is the leader of Mahdi’s army and is not the leader of the army of anyone else. Accordingly, “Harith” -if the origin of its issuance is proved and no distortion has taken place in it- is one of the titles of Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him, who will be in Transoxiana before his advent, and Mansoor Khorasani will accompany him; as it has been mentioned in some narrations, with reference to the black flags of Khorasani: «فَإِنَّ فِيهَا خَلِيفَةَ اللَّهِ الْمَهْدِيَّ»[7]; “Indeed, the Caliph of God Mahdi is among them” and it has been said in another narration: «فَإِنَّ الْمَهْدِيَّ وَالنَّصْرَ مَعَهُمْ»[8]; “Indeed, Mahdi and Nasr are with them”; especially considering that it is not unlikely that “Nasr” is a distortion of “Mansoor” and maybe in the original narration it has been said: «فَإِنَّ الْمَهْدِيَّ وَالْمَنْصُورَ مَعَهُمْ»; “Indeed Mahdi and Mansoor are with them”; as it has been narrated: «مِنَّا الْمَهْدِيُّ وَالْمَنْصُورُ»[9]; “Mahdi and Mansoor are from us”, and this reveals the meaning of Abu Dawud’s news and can be from the aspect that has been narrated: «مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ يَقُومُ وَأَصْلُهُ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَهُنَاكَ يَسْتَوِي قِيَامُهُ وَيَتِمُّ أَمْرُهُ»[10]; “(Mahdi) will rise from west, but his origin is from east, and there his uprising will be formed and his work will be organized”.

Anyway, the news about the rise of a man from the greater Khorasan with black flags, who is called “Mansoor” and invites toward Mahdi and prepares the grounds for his sovereignty, is not limited to this one news, but Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani, even though he has risen from the greater Khorasan and invites toward Mahdi and prepares the grounds for his sovereignty, does not claim to be that very promised man, and if he is, does not need such a claim; because his movement is not an illusory and fictitious movement to be based on such a claim, rather is a movement which is based on objective and tangible realities; as his rise from the greater Khorasan is an objective and tangible reality, and his black flags are an objective and tangible reality, and his invitation toward Mahdi and his preparation of the grounds for his Excellency’s sovereignty are objective and tangible realities, and his great book, “Return To Islam”, is a cultural and ideological engineering for the global revolution. Therefore, how weak-minded are those who want to make ways for claims in the sacred presence of this realistic movement in order to harm its calmness and wisdom with this ill-considered method, and make the anxious and pessimistic servants of God doubt it, and open the mouths of blabbers against it, while if they were seeking the truth they would see it with their eyes, and if they were seeking reality they would hear it with their ears, and then they would not leave definite matters for doubtful matters! As some of our helpers informed us, they said: A man came from a distant land to Mansoor Hashimi Khorasani, and after a conversation that took place between them, he took his hand and said: “I bear witness that you are the promised one who will prepare the grounds for Mahdi that the Prophet of God commanded us to accompany him!”. When Mansoor heard this, he immediately withdrew his hand from the man’s hand and reprimanded him and said to him:

“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 grounds for the advent of Mahdi, but I do not care what you call me; for I have not made the blue sky my roof and the soil my carpet, nor have I thrown myself into the ocean of calamities like a peace of stone so that you would come from your land and call me the promised one! Am I not a ‘son of man’?! Then call me the ‘son of man’, and accompany me on the way I have taken; for I am going toward Mahdi, and I will reach him with or without you”.

Then as he stood up to leave, said in a loud voice:

“I am a caller ahead of Mahdi calling: Open the way!”[11]

Now you, “youths who love Mahdi”!

If you are truly “youths who love Mahdi”, know that helping “the promised one who prepares the grounds for the advent of Mahdi” is not obligatory because he is a “promised one”, rather it is obligatory because he is “the one who prepares the grounds for the advent of Mahdi”, and if you are truly “youths who love Mahdi”, must rise to help him, even though you do not consider him a “promised one”! Good for those who have insight; for they see the truth behind a thousand curtains, and woe to those who are blind; for they do not see the truth, even if it is in front of their eyes!

But the narration about the conjunction of Mars and Saturn and its implication on some events close to the advent of Mahdi, is a weak and Wahid narration, which it is not permissible to rely on it; specially given that it is against the prohibitions of Islam about looking into astronomy to predict future events, even though it is real like sorcery.