Question About the Mahdi
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
> i want to ask somethong about the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi near
> qayamat. i
> am in discussion about this topic with someone who said that the riwayaat
> of
> Ahadees about Hazrat Mahdi are not present in mo'ta Imam Malik(ra), and
> Imam
> Malik(ra) had spent his life in Madina so according to him it is proved
> that
> people of Madina does not know anything about Hazrat Mahdi. He said that
> all
> riwayaat about Hazrat Mahdi include the raavees of "koofa", and he said
> that
> people of koofa introduced their selfmade belief of Hazrat Mahdi in the
> name
> of Islam, and this is why Imam Malik(ra) does not find any Hadees about
> Hazrat Mahdi. He also said that the name of Hazrat Mahdi is not even
> mentioned in Sahi Bukhari and Sahi Muslim too. he said that Imam
> Malik(ra),
> Imam Bukhari(ra) and Imam Muslim(ra) never had a belief on Hazrat Mahdi
> because they have not write any Hadees which clearly indicates about
> Hazrat
> Mahdi.
The Muwatta' has no mention of the sadl or hanging the hands by the
sides in Salat, yet it is the preferred position of Imam Malik according
to his School. This shows that if something is not in the Muwatta', it
does not automatically follow that it was not part of Imam Malik's
belief or practice.
Secondly, even if this was the position of Imam Malik, the latter does
not necessarily represent the position of all the schools of Madina. The
Faqih Ibn Abi Dhi'b, for example, differed sharply with Malik and he was
also from Madina.
Thirdly, even if the Muwatta' were the last and exclusive word on
everything Malik considered part of the Din and even if Malik were the
only and exclusive representative of the Fiqh of Madina, even so, it
does not follow that he necessarily transmits everything there is to
know in Islam. This was demonstrated by al-Layth ibn Sa`d in his epistle
to Imam Malik, in which he showed that the rest of the world, also, was
home to the Companions of the Prophet, upon him and them blessings and
peace, and no one can reject what they transmit just because they are no
longer based in Madina. Imam Malik accepted this argument as shown by
his responses to the Caliphs who tried to make the Muwatta' law.
Furthermore, to paraphrase the saying of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal about Ibn
al-Mubarak: "Malik did not descend from the heaven!"
As for "the name" of Imam al-Mahdi not being mentioned in Sahih
al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, this claim shows arrogance which borders on
hypocrisy. Have they not heard what Imam Malik himself is related to
say, that we do not worship Allah Most High on the basis of wordings but
on the basis of meanings? Therefore, they need to reassess their view
since al-Mahdi is mentioned in Sahih Muslim in meaning ("A leader shall
emerge..."), in the chapter on Fitan, in the same hadith where Abu Dawud
mentions him by name.
Belief in al-Mahdi is mentioned as part of the Islamic creed by the
Ulema of all the Four Sunni Schools: Hanafi (e.g. al-Qari in Sharh
al-Fiqh al-Akbar), Maliki (al-Qurtubi in al-Tadhkira), Shafi`i
(al-Haytami in al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar), and Hanbali (al-Saffarini and
al-Shatti's `Aqidas).
Success is from Allah alone. Was-Salam,
gibril
(Note: this is Shaykh Gibril Haddad's response, as posted on his private group Sunna-Principles)
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