The letter they attribute to the Mahdi is not proven; because it is the report of one man named Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ahmad al-Maktub, who is unknown and whose status is not known. It is well-accepted that the report of one unknown person does not lead to knowledge so that it would be correct to believe in its content. Yes, it is correct to say that anyone who claims to have seen the Mahdi before Sufyani’s emergence and the heavenly call is a liar if the intended meaning of “seeing him” is his advent; because it agrees with mutawatir reports indicating that the Mahdi will not appear until after Sufyani’s emergence and the heavenly call. Therefore, anyone who claims the Mahdi’s advent before these two is a liar and a fabricator, as is anyone who claims to be in contact with him; because it is considered his advent for him, which is impossible before Sufyani’s emergence and the heavenly call, except for those who do not claim it, such as the servants of the Mahdi during his occultation, if they exist. Therefore, it can be said that the meaning of this passage from their report is correct. Similarly, it is correct to say that the Mahdi is currently alive, and this necessitates his occultation; because what is meant by his occultation is that people are unaware of his identity as the Mahdi. This is undoubtedly the case at present, and the reason for his refusal to reveal his identity to them is that he fears them for his life, considering their ignorance, insubordination, and deep-rooted love and obedience to oppressors. The narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt stating that the Mahdi will have an occultation before his emergence have been widely transmitted and narrated from them by about seventy men, including Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari, ibn Abbas, Sa‘id ibn Jubair, Asbagh ibn Nubatah, Furat ibn Ahnaf, Amr ibn Sa‘d, Abu Hamzah al-Thumali, Aban ibn Thaglib, Abu Khalid al-Kabuli, Ma‘ruf ibn Kharrabudh, Ghiyath ibn Ibrahim, Amr ibn Abi al-Miqdam, Sadir al-Sayrafi, Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju‘fi, Abu Jarud Ziyad ibn Mundhir, Hazim ibn Habib, Uqbah ibn Qays, Ibrahim ibn Umar al-Yamani, Abdullah ibn Ata’ al-Makki, Harith ibn Mughirah al-Nasri, Isa ibn Abdullah al-Hashimi, Ali ibn Umar ibn Ali ibn Husain, Ali ibn Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, Zurarah ibn A‘yan, Abd al-Malik ibn A‘yan, Ubaid ibn Zurarah, Muhammad ibn Muslim, Hisham ibn Salim, Abu Basir, Umm Hani, Ishaq ibn Ammar, Mufaddal ibn Umar, Abdullah ibn Abi Ya‘fur, Abdullah ibn Yahya al-Kahili, Abdullah ibn Sinan, Isma‘il ibn Jabir, Safwan ibn Mihran, Muhammad ibn Nu‘man, Abd al-Rahman ibn Salit, Dawud ibn Kathir al-Raqqi, Yaman al-Tammar, Yahya ibn Salim, Abdullah ibn Fadl al-Hashimi, Sayyid al-Himyari, Di‘bil ibn Ali al-Khuza‘i, Husain ibn Khalid, Yunus ibn Abd al-Rahman, Hasan ibn Mahbub, Rayyan ibn Salt, Hasan ibn Ali ibn Faddal, Ayyub ibn Nuh, Abd al-Azim ibn Abdullah al-Hasani, Dawud ibn Qasim al-Ja‘fari, Abbas ibn Amir al-Qasabani, Muhammad ibn Abi Ya‘qub al-Balkhi, Umayyah ibn Ali al-Qaysi, Muhammad ibn Ziyad al-Azdi, Ahmad ibn Ishaq ibn Sa‘d al-Ash‘ari, Ali ibn Mahziyar, Abu Sa‘id Aqisa, Yahya ibn Abi al-Qasim, Ahmad ibn Zakariyya, Saqr ibn Abi Dulaf, Ishaq ibn Muhammad ibn Ayyub, Ali ibn Abd al-Ghaffar, Hammad ibn Abd al-Karim al-Jallab, and others. The narrations of these individuals are unquestionably mutawatir. Therefore, it should not be denied that the Mahdi lives for a time in concealment and inactivity before he rises to fulfill his mission. This is not strange, for the same happened to some of the caliphs of Allah in the past; as it happened to Musa, peace be upon him, when: ﴿جَاءَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَقْصَى الْمَدِينَةِ يَسْعَى قَالَ يَا مُوسَى إِنَّ الْمَلَأَ يَأْتَمِرُونَ بِكَ لِيَقْتُلُوكَ فَاخْرُجْ إِنِّي لَكَ مِنَ النَّاصِحِينَ ۝ فَخَرَجَ مِنْهَا خَائِفًا يَتَرَقَّبُ ۖ قَالَ رَبِّ نَجِّنِي مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ﴾[1]; “a man came running from the farthest part of the city, saying: ‘O Musa! The chiefs are conspiring to kill you, so leave. Indeed, I am of those who wish you well.’ So he left the city, fearful and vigilant. He said: ‘My Lord! Save me from the wrongdoing people.’” Then he remained for years among the people of Madyan, without mentioning anything about his mission or joining his followers, whom Allah Almighty has informed us about their existence at that time, where He has said: ﴿وَدَخَلَ الْمَدِينَةَ عَلَى حِينِ غَفْلَةٍ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا فَوَجَدَ فِيهَا رَجُلَيْنِ يَقْتَتِلَانِ هَذَا مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ وَهَذَا مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ ۖ فَاسْتَغَاثَهُ الَّذِي مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ عَلَى الَّذِي مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَوَكَزَهُ مُوسَى فَقَضَى عَلَيْهِ ۖ قَالَ هَذَا مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۖ إِنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ مُضِلٌّ مُبِينٌ﴾[2]; “And he entered the city at a time when its people were unaware. And he found there two men fighting, one from his followers and one from his enemies. Then the one from his followers asked him for help against the one from his enemies. So Musa struck him with his fist and killed him. He said: ‘This is from the work of Satan. Indeed, he is a misleading, open enemy.’” Similarly, it happened to Yusuf, peace be upon him, when his brothers came ﴿فَدَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ فَعَرَفَهُمْ وَهُمْ لَهُ مُنْكِرُونَ﴾[3]; “and entered upon him. He recognized them, but they did not recognize him.” He did not reveal his identity to them until his fear of them subsided. Abu Abdullah Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, pointed this out in what Sadir al-Sayrafi has narrated from him. He said: «سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ فِي صَاحِبِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ -يَعْنِي الْمَهْدِيَّ- شَبَهًا مِنْ يُوسُفَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، قُلْتُ لَهُ: كَأَنَّكَ تَذْكُرُ حَيَاتَهُ أَوْ غَيْبَتَهُ، فَقَالَ لِي: وَمَا تُنْكِرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةُ أَشْبَاهُ الْخَنَازِيرِ؟! إِنَّ إِخْوَةَ يُوسُفَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانُوا أَسْبَاطًا أَوْلَادَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، تَاجَرُوا يُوسُفَ وَبَايَعُوهُ وَخَاطَبُوهُ، وَهُمْ إِخْوَتُهُ وَهُوَ أَخُوهُمْ، فَلَمْ يَعْرِفُوهُ حَتَّى قَالَ لَهُمْ: ﴿أَنَا يُوسُفُ وَهَذَا أَخِي﴾[4]، فَمَا تُنْكِرُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةُ الْمَلْعُونَةُ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِحُجَّتِهِ فِي وَقْتٍ مِنَ الْأَوْقَاتِ كَمَا فَعَلَ بِيُوسُفَ؟! إِنَّ يُوسُفَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ إِلَيْهِ مُلْكُ مِصْرَ، وَكَانَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ وَالِدِهِ مَسِيرَةُ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا، فَلَوْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُعْلِمَهُ لَقَدَرَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، لَقَدْ سَارَ يَعْقُوبُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَوُلْدُهُ عِنْدَ الْبِشَارَةِ تِسْعَةَ أَيَّامٍ مِنْ بَدْوِهِمْ إِلَى مِصْرَ، فَمَا تُنْكِرُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةُ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ اللَّهُ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ بِحُجَّتِهِ كَمَا فَعَلَ بِيُوسُفَ؟! أَنْ يَمْشِيَ فِي أَسْوَاقِهِمْ وَيَطَأَ بُسُطَهُمْ، وَهُمْ لَا يَعْرِفُونَهُ حَتَّى يَأْذَنَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُ أَنْ يُعَرِّفَهُمْ نَفْسَهُ كَمَا أَذِنَ لِيُوسُفَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ حِينَ قَالَ لَهُمْ: ﴿هَلْ عَلِمْتُمْ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ بِيُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ إِذْ أَنْتُمْ جَاهِلُونَ ۝ قَالُوا أَإِنَّكَ لَأَنْتَ يُوسُفُ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا يُوسُفُ وَهَذَا أَخِي﴾[5]»[6]; “I heard Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him, say: ‘Indeed, there is a similarity between the owner of this matter -meaning the Mahdi- and Yusuf, peace be upon him.’ I said to him: ‘It seems you are referring to his life or his occultation.’ He said to me: ‘What do the swine-like people of this nation deny about that?! Indeed, the brothers of Yusuf, peace be upon him, were grandchildren and children of the Prophets. They did business with Yusuf, traded with him, and spoke to him. They were his brothers, and he was their brother, yet they did not recognize him until he said to them: “I am Yusuf, and this is my brother.” So why does this cursed nation deny that Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, would do to His Proof in a certain time what He did to Yusuf?! Indeed, Yusuf, peace be upon him, had the kingdom of Egypt. It was an eighteen-day journey between him and his father. If he had wanted to inform his father, he certainly could have done so. After receiving the good news, Ya‘qub, peace be upon him, and his children reached Egypt in nine days. So why does this nation deny that Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, would do to His Proof what He did to Yusuf?! That he may walk in their markets and step on their carpets while they do not recognize him until Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, permits him to introduce himself to them, just as He permitted Yusuf, peace be upon him, when he said to them: Do you not know what you did to Yusuf and his brother when you were ignorant?! They said: Are you really Yusuf?! He said: I am Yusuf, and this is my brother.’” This is what Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani has explicitly stated would happen; as one of his companions informed us, he said:

«دَخَلْتُ عَلَى الْمَنْصُورِ 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: فَلِمَ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَيْنَا لِنَتَّبِعَهُ؟! قَالَ: يَخَافُ! قَالَ الرَّجُلُ: مِمَّ؟! قَالَ: مِنَ الْقَتْلِ -وَأَشَارَ إِلَى حَلْقِهِ.»[7]; “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!”

Therefore, people must know that their promised Imam, who will rectify their religious and worldly affairs and fill the Earth with justice and equity, just as it has been filled with oppression and cruelty, is currently among them. They can bring him to the open by ensuring his security, just as they can bring him to power and rule by providing him with the necessary number and equipment. Therefore, they have no excuse for delaying this. If they delay it even for a day due to their ignorance, preoccupation with worldly matters, or desire for the rule of tyrants, they are responsible for every act of disbelief, injustice, and sin that occurs or persists on that day due to their delay. This is an extremely serious matter that Mansoor is trying to warn them about with all his might, perhaps they will take heed. However, he cannot do much; because he is powerless on Earth, does not find enough helpers to help him, and his enemies, who are the owners of states, wealth, and weapons, have surrounded him and spare no effort to prevent him from achieving his goal, while evil scholars remain silent, refusing to help him even with a word, lest their status among people diminish a bit or they suffer any harm in the life of the world; as he mentioned them in one of his sermons and said:

Woe to bad scholars; those who seek to please the ruler, so they make the truth as falsehood and falsehood as the truth, and issue fatwas against the oppressed and in favor of the arrogant; those who devour the wealth of the Mahdi and prevent from his way; when they hear my invitation toward him and consider it to be in misguidance to prevent people from accepting it and distract them from moving toward the Mahdi so that their rule on the earth remains eternal and they are obeyed instead of him; just like the rabbis of the Children of Israel, who denied the Prophets of Allah and prevented them from establishing His rulings so that their customs would be preserved forever and nothing of their sustenance in the morning and evening would diminish! Woe to those who immerse themselves in voluntary acts of worship but neglect the most important obligation! They know the nisab of gold and silver but are not aware of the cause of the absence! They know the Imam’s share of Khums but do not remember the Imam’s share of government! They consider performing prayer in the place of others invalid but claim that ruling instead of others is permissible! They see a speck in people’s eyes but do not see a tree trunk in them! They chase flies away from people’s backs but leave camels on them! While one who has been struck by an axe in his forehead does not care about a scratch on his finger, and one who is drowning in the sea is not concerned about his clothes getting wet! Was a covenant not taken from them, and did they not learn in the Book of Allah that they should not say anything but the truth about Allah, nor prevent from His way, nor help the oppressor against the oppressed one?! So woe to them for the humiliation in the life of the world, and woe to them for the fire that has been kindled for them.[8]

This is the complaint of a righteous man who invites to the Mahdi with a loud voice and prepares the ground for his advent in a good manner, in accordance with the intellect and Sharia. However, oppressors are hostile toward him, the ignorant harm him, and scholars abandon him, revealing the unfortunate truth that they do not deserve the Mahdi’s advent to save them from the trials and tribulations that have overtaken them. Rather, they deserve to remain in their ignominy and wretchedness under the shadow of oppressors’ rule until ﴿يَخْسِفَ اللَّهُ بِهِمُ الْأَرْضَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ﴾[9]; “Allah causes the Earth to swallow them up, or the punishment comes upon them from whence they do not perceive.”