Mahdism in World Religions

[Daralhidaye.ir]| The hope for the coming of a “great heavenly reformer” in a bright future and the establishment of universal and comprehensive justice and peace is an intrinsic (fitri) matter. This concept is interwoven with human existence and is not confined to a specific time, place, or particular nation or people.

Mahdawiyyah in Religions

All individuals, according to their inherent nature, await a world that, under the light of the appearance of a divine and heavenly leader and with the support and grace of the Lord, will be saved from tyranny and oppression, freed from disarray, insecurity, and dark days, and will ultimately attain ideal perfection and a dignified life.

In most of the world’s religions and denominations, a reformer has been spoken of who will appear in the “end times” (akhar al-zaman), will put an end to crimes and betrayals, and will lay the foundation of a single world government based on true justice and freedom. All prophets and divine messengers have also given glad tidings in this regard to the faithful people of the world. The followers of various religions and denominations have differing opinions about the name of that great personage. Muslims, by presenting the most complete picture, know him by the name “Promised Mahdi” (Mahdi Maw’ud).

The Appearance of a Savior

The belief in the appearance of a “savior” and the hope for a “bright future”—in which worries and fears are removed, darkness is swept away from the face of the earth, and the root of tyranny, ignorance, and corruption is uprooted—is a general belief that has always existed among most nations.

According to the research of scholars of Islamic issues, this belief has continuously existed among most nations and the followers of major religions, and even various peoples of the world such as the Slavs, Germans, Essenes, and Celts also believe that a leader must ultimately appear in the end times, eliminate injustices, form a single world government, and judge among the people based on justice and fairness.

As an example, we will address the two viewpoints of Judaism and Christianity regarding the “Promised One” (Maw’ud):

The Idea of the Promised One in the Jewish Faith

The Jews, who consider themselves followers of His Holiness Moses (peace be upon him), are awaiting a promised one. In the religious works of the Jews, the books of the Torah, and the other books of their prophets, the promised one has always been alluded to. Since the Jews did not believe in His Holiness Christ (peace be upon him), their promised one has naturally not yet appeared. If one contemplates the sacred works of the Jews, the image of three promised ones is depicted in them: 1. His Holiness Christ (peace be upon him), 2. His Holiness Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny), 3. His Holiness Mahdi (may Allah hasten his noble relief).

With this in mind, expectation in Judaism takes on a special quality, and since this people believed neither in His Holiness Christ nor in His Holiness Muhammad, they should be very sensitive and concerned regarding the issue of the promised one and expectation, and they should not pass over all these allusions and glad tidings present in their books with simplicity and negligence. They should be more expectant than others and think more about awaiting and preparing for the appearance. Of course, the apparent efforts of the Jews in the present era and their activities in rebuilding the Temple of Solomon and preparing Jerusalem for the coming of the savior can be a proof for this claim, although this viewpoint has a clear deviation.

Mahdawiyyah in Jewish Sources

We will now point to evidence from the books of Judaism and the Old Testament in which there are statements about the promised one:

“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked…”

— Book of Isaiah, chapter 11, verses 1-4

The Book of Psalms of David (peace be upon him): In the Psalms of David, as well as in the Holy Qur’an, quoting from the Psalms, the triumph of the righteous can be observed: “And We have already written in the book [of Psalms] after the [previous] mention [in the Torah] that the land is inherited by My righteous servants.” (Al-Anbiya, verse 105). By referring to the current Psalms, this glad tiding can be found as such:

“For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth… But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace…”

— Psalms of David, Psalm 37, verses 9 onwards

The Idea of the Promised One in the Christian Faith

The Christian religion, especially from the viewpoint of epistemological and cognitive issues, is a continuation of the Jewish religion. Its primary religious and cultural source is the Old Testament, which is the same as the holy book of the Jews. Therefore, whatever is said about the Jewish religion also applies approximately to the Christian religion. In addition to what was pointed out in the Jewish texts, in the specific books of Christianity, more and clearer glad tidings regarding the promised one of the end times are transmitted, because:

1. With the appearance of His Holiness Christ (peace be upon him), time on a general scale has drawn closer to the appearance of His Holiness Mahdi (may Allah hasten his noble relief).
2. Less distortion has occurred in these works; because a much longer time has passed since the period of the revelation of the sacred works of the Jews than the period of the revelation of the holy book of Christianity. This matter has caused the hand of distortion and concealment not to find as much opportunity to work in these texts as in the Jewish works; although Christian scholars also made great efforts in this regard and, in confirming or rejecting the Gospels, also paid attention to these issues and were less inclined to confirm the Gospel of Barnabas.

Mahdawiyyah in Christian Sources

Now, evidence that contains glad tidings about the appearance of the savior is pointed out:

The Gospel of Matthew:

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats…”

— The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, verses 31 onwards

The Gospel of Mark:

“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is… Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”

— Mark, chapter 13, verses 32 onwards