Using the Narration of “The Emergence of Al-Qa’im Is Inevitable” to Prove the Yamani Is Al-Qa’im?
توسط: The Narration Cited by Ahmad al‑Basri’s Followers
The narration they cite is the following:
Ahmad ibn Idris narrated from Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Qutaybah, from al‑Fadl ibn Shadhan, from al‑Hasan ibn Mahbub, from Abu Hamzah al‑Thumali, who said:
“I said to Imam al‑Sadiq (peace be upon him): ‘Imam al‑Baqir (peace be upon him) used to say that the emergence of the Sufyani, the Heavenly Call, and the rising of the sun from the West are all among the inevitable (mahtum) signs.’ He also used to mention other events as inevitable. Imam al‑Sadiq (peace be upon him) replied: ‘The internal conflict among Banu Fulān [i.e., the Abbasids], the killing of the Pure Soul (al‑Nafs al‑Zakiyyah), and the emergence of Al‑Qa’im are also among the inevitable signs.’” (al‑Ghaybah by al‑Tusi, vol. 1, p. 435)
How They Interpret the Hadith
Supporters of Ahmad al‑Basri claim interpret this narration as follows:
- They claim that the Qa’im mentioned in the narration does not refer to Imam Muhammad ibn al‑Hasan al‑Askari (may Allah hasten his reappearance).
- Their argument: since narrations mentioning the Qa’im are categorized among the signs that precede the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him), the Qa’im himself cannot be a sign of his own appearance.
- Thus, they conclude the Qa’im mentioned here must be someone else—namely, Ahmad al‑Basri.
- They argue: “It would be illogical for the Qa’im to be a sign of the Qa’im’s own reappearance. That’s why, in this narration, the Qa’im must refer to someone else.”
Response and Refutation
To address this claim, it is important to first understand the meaning of the word mahtum (inevitable) in narrations. It is used in two different ways:
- Linguistically: mahtum means inevitable, unavoidable, or certain to happen.
- Technically: it can refer specifically to five major inevitable signs that will occur before the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him).
In the narration in question, the term mahtum is used in its linguistic sense—meaning events that are bound to happen, not necessarily the five specific signs.
Thus, the narration is not listing only the five definitive signs of the reappearance. Rather, it is naming a set of major events destined to occur in the end times, such as the rise of the Qa’im, the Sufyani, etc.
Abu Hamzah al‑Thumali is simply quoting what Imam al‑Baqir (peace be upon him) said about the certainty of these events occurring—not categorizing them all under the five mahtumat (inevitable signs in the technical sense).
The True Inevitable Signs Before the Reappearance
A clear narration from Imam al‑Sadiq (peace be upon him) explicitly defines the five inevitable signs that will take place before the rise of the Qa’im:
With this chain of narration, from al‑Husayn ibn Sa‘id, from Muhammad ibn Abi ‘Umayr, from ‘Umar ibn Hanzalah, who said:
“I heard Imam al‑Sadiq (peace be upon him) say: Before the rise of the Qa’im, there are five inevitable signs: the emergence of the Yamani, the rise of the Sufyani, the Heavenly Cry (al‑Sayha), the killing of the Pure Soul, and the earth swallowing in Bayda (al‑Khasf bil‑Bayda).” (Kamal al‑Din wa Tamam al‑Ni‘mah, vol. 2, p. 650)
This hadith makes it clear that the Yamani is one of the signs before the rise of the Qa’im. Therefore, it is logically impossible to claim that the Yamani himself is the Qa’im. A sign cannot be the thing it is supposed to signify. It cannot be both the forerunner and the awaited one.
Additional Analysis
- The narration cited by Ahmad al‑Basri’s followers does not mention the Yamani or the Bayda swallowing incident—both of which are among the five confirmed signs of the reappearance.
- This confirms that the narration is not listing the five inevitable signs of the reappearance, but rather referencing some events that will definitely happen in the end times—one of which is the emergence of the Qa’im himself.
Conclusion
The Ahmad al‑Basri claim is the Qa’im based on this narration is invalid and based on a misunderstanding of the term mahtum.
- The narration refers to events certain to occur—not a list of five pre‑reappearance signs.
- Established narrations clearly state that the Yamani is a sign before the appearance of the Qa’im, and therefore cannot be the Qa’im himself.
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This argument by Ahmad al‑Basri’s followers is logically flawed and doctrinally unsound.
