Sunni Scholars Who Acknowledged the Birth of Imam Mahdi (Peace Be Upon Him)

[Daralhidaye.ir]| Contrary to the belief of individuals who claim that all Ahl al-Sunnah believe the Imam of the Time (aj) will be born in the end times, in this article, we will point to some of the scholars who have acknowledged the birth of His Holiness Hujjat.

The Birth of His Holiness Mahdi (aj)

Most of the Ahl al-Sunnah believe that the Promised Mahdi (aj) has not yet been born. This is while some of their scholars have confessed to the birth of that personage, and in this article, we intend to address their confessions.

The individuals who have referred to the birth of His Holiness Mahdi (may Allah hasten his noble relief) in their writings are of two groups:

First Group: Reporting the Birth Without Confirming the ‘Promised’ Status

This group includes those who have reported the birth of His Holiness Mahdi (may Allah hasten his noble relief) but have remained silent regarding his being the promised one.

Individuals such as:

1. Ibn al-Athir (d. 630 AH)

In his renowned work, Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, he writes the following regarding the events of the year 260 AH:

“In this year, Abu Muhammad al-‘Alawi al-‘Askari passed away. He is one of the twelve Imams of the Imami school of thought and the father of Muhammad, whom they believe is the Awaited One (al-Muntazar).”

— Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, Vol. 7, p. 274

2. Ibn Khallikan (d. 681 AH)

In his book Wafayat al-A’yan, he states:

“[Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Hasan al-‘Askari], son of ‘Ali al-Hadi, son of Muhammad al-Jawad, whose predecessors have been mentioned. According to the belief of the Imamiyyah, he is the twelfth of the twelve Imams and is known as ‘al-Hujjah’… His birth was on Friday, the middle of Sha’ban in the year 255 AH.”

— Wafayat al-A’yan, Vol. 4, p. 176, no. 562

3. Al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH)

In the book Al-‘Ibar, the famous historian says:

“In that year (meaning 256 AH), Muhammad son of Hasan, son of ‘Ali al-Hadi, son of Muhammad al-Jawad, son of ‘Ali al-Rida, son of Musa al-Kazim, son of Ja’far al-Sadiq the ‘Alawi Husayni, Abu al-Qasim, was born, whom the Rafidis have given the titles ‘al-Khalaf al-Hujjah’ and ‘Mahdi al-Muntazar’ and ‘Sahib al-Zaman,’ and he is the last of the twelve Imams.”

— Al-‘Ibar fi Khabar man Ghabar, Vol. 1, p. 381

Second Group: Reporting the Birth and Confirming the ‘Promised’ Status

This group includes those who, in addition to reporting the birth of His Holiness Mahdi (aj), have explicitly stated his being the promised one. It should be noted, however, that this group is in the extreme minority.

1. Kamal al-Din Muhammad ibn Talha al-Shafi’i (d. 652 AH)

In his book Matalib al-Su’ul, he explicitly writes:

“Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Khalis, son of ‘Ali al-Mutawakkil, son of al-Qani’, son of ‘Ali al-Rida, son of Musa al-Kazim, son of Ja’far al-Sadiq, son of Muhammad al-Baqir, son of ‘Ali Zayn al-‘Abidin, son of Husayn al-Zaki, son of ‘Ali al-Murtada Amir al-Mu’minin, son of Abu Talib, the Mahdi, the Hujjat (Proof), the Khalaf (Successor), the Salih (Righteous), al-Muntazar (the Awaited), peace be upon them, and the mercy and blessings of God be upon him.”

— Matalib al-Su’ul, Vol. 2, p. 79, Ch. 12

2. Nur al-Din ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Sabbagh al-Maliki (d. 855 AH)

He dedicates the twelfth chapter of his book, Al-Fusul al-Muhimma, with this unambiguous title: “On the biography of Abu al-Qasim Hujjat, the Righteous Successor, son of Abu Muhammad Hasan al-Khalis, he is the twelfth Imam.”

Within this chapter, he references and expands upon the argument of al-Ganji al-Shafi’i:

“Among the things that indicate that the Mahdi has been alive and remaining since the time of his occultation until now are the Book and the Sunnah. There is no impediment to his remaining; just like the remaining of ‘Isa ibn Maryam and Khidr and Ilyas from the friends of God, and the one-eyed Dajjal and the accursed Iblis from the enemies of God.”

Following this, Ibn Sabbagh presents his proofs from the Qur’an and Sunnah and provides extensive details regarding the life of His Holiness Mahdi (may Allah hasten his noble relief), including his date of birth, the proofs of his Imamate, accounts of his life, his occultation, the duration of his noble government, his kunya, and his family.

— Ibn Sabbagh al-Maliki, Al-Fusul al-Muhimma, p. 287