Critique of the 27th Narration from “Forty Hadiths on the Mahdiyeen” – “Itrah” Linguistically Means Clan, Not Exclusively Children

Dar al-Hidayah | Nidham Al-Aqili, one of the official representatives of the alleged Yamani (Ahmed Al-Hasan), continues to cite narrations from his book “Forty Hadiths on the Mahdiyeen and the Children of the Qa’im (AS)” to prove his group’s belief in 12 Imams from the children of Imam Mahdi (AS), known as the Mahdiyeen. This article examines the 27th narration – a section from a Ziyarat found in Iqbal al-A’mal.

Nidham Al-Aqili’s core claims are:

• Imamate is not limited to twelve Imams.
• The Mahdiyeen, after Imam Mahdi (AS), hold the station of Wasayah (successorship) and Imamate.
• The Mahdiyeen are the Itrat (progeny) and children of Imam Mahdi (AS).

The 27th Narration as Cited by Nidham Al-Aqili

The narration that Nidham Al-Aqili cites as his 27th proof is a section from a Ziyarat (visitation prayer) narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (AS):

Allamah al-Majlisi said: “I found in the supplications of ‘Arafah from the book Iqbal a comprehensive Ziyarat for one who is far (from the shrines), narrated from al-Sadiq (AS), by which one should visit them (the Imams) every day. In it, al-Sadiq (AS) says: ‘…Peace be upon you, O my master, O Hujjat ibn al-Hasan, the Master of the Time. May Allah send blessings upon you and upon your pure and good Itrah.‘”

Source: Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 98, p. 375

Nidham Al-Aqili then claims: “This prayer explicitly mentions sending blessings upon the Itrah of Imam Mahdi (AS). And the Itrah of a man is his children and his Ahl al-Bayt…”

Critical Analysis of the 27th Narration – Four Refutations

Refutation One: No Mention of Mahdiyeen or Imamate for Children

This Ziyarat contains no reference whatsoever to the Mahdiyeen, nor to them being children of Imam Mahdi (AS), nor to any station of Imamate for them. The word “Itrah” is being misinterpreted by Nidham Al-Aqili to support claims it does not address.

Refutation Two: The Linguistic Meaning of “Itrah” – A Comprehensive Lexical Analysis

To examine Nidham Al-Aqili’s claim about the meaning of the word “Itrah” (‘itrah), we must refer to classical Arabic lexicons. The evidence demonstrates that “Itrah” does not exclusively mean “children” – it has a much broader range of meanings.

Evidence from Lisan al-‘Arab (Vol. 4, p. 538):

“‘Itrah of a man: his close relatives, from children and others. It is also said: they are his near kin. It is also said: they are his clan and his closest family – both those who have passed and those who remain. From this is the statement of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him): ‘We are the ‘Itrah of the Messenger of Allah…’ It is narrated from Abu Sa’id that he said: ‘Al-‘Itrah is the trunk of a tree.’ He said: ‘And the ‘Itrah of the Prophet (PBUH) is ‘Abd al-Muttalib and his children…'”

Evidence from Al-Muhit fi al-Lughah (Vol. 1, p. 441):

“‘Itrah of a man: his clan. Its origin is the pillar/trunk from which branches sprout.”

Evidence from Asas al-Balaghah (p. 408):

“The ‘Itrah of the Prophet (PBUH) is ‘Abd al-Muttalib. Every trunk/pillar from which branches sprout is an ‘Itrah. The branches of a tree – their ‘Itrah is the trunk of the tree.”

Evidence from Al-Tiraz al-Awwal (Vol. 8, p. 363):

“‘Itrah of a man: it is his tribe and his clan from which he originated and from which he branches out – or his nearest kin, both those who have passed and those who remain – or his close relatives from his children, his grandchildren, and his nearest paternal cousins – or his child, his progeny, and his descendants from his loins – according to Ibn al-A’rabi. He said: ‘The Arabs do not recognize any meaning of ‘Itrah other than these.’ And the first meaning is the most correct – because of their statement: ‘The ‘Itrah of the Prophet is ‘Abd al-Muttalib,’ and because the Prophet (PBUH) specified his ‘Itrah as his Ahl al-Bayt in his statement: ‘I leave among you two weighty things: the Book of Allah and my ‘Itrah, my Ahl al-Bayt.'”

Evidence from Al-‘Ayn (Vol. 2, p. 66):

“‘Itrah of a man: his origin. And the ‘Itrah of a man is his close relatives from his children, his grandchildren, and his paternal first cousins.”

Summary of linguistic meanings of “Itrah”:

• The trunk/pillar of a tree from which branches sprout
• Origin, root, foundation
• Tribe, clan, near kin
• Family members (both living and deceased)
• Children and grandchildren
• Paternal cousins
• Specifically in the case of the Prophet (PBUH): ‘Abd al-Muttalib and his children, or the Ahl al-Bayt (AS)

Therefore, Nidham Al-Aqili’s claim that “‘Itrah of a man is exclusively his children and Ahl al-Bayt” is linguistically incorrect. The word “Itrah” can refer to a person’s ancestors, his tribe, his clan, his origin, or his trunk/pillar. It is not limited to children.

Refutation Three: The Phrase Could Refer to the Imam’s Pure Ancestors – Not Children

Based on the linguistic evidence above, the phrase “May Allah send blessings upon you and upon your pure and good Itrah” could very reasonably refer to the pure ancestors (fathers) of Imam Mahdi (AS) – i.e., the previous eleven Imams and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In fact, this Ziyarat elsewhere explicitly mentions sending blessings upon the Prophet (PBUH) and each of the Imams individually, as will be shown below.

When a possibility exists (idha ja’a al-ihtimal), the argument is invalidated (batala al-istidlal). Since the phrase could legitimately refer to the Imam’s ancestors rather than his children, Nidham Al-Aqili cannot use it as proof for the existence of the Mahdiyeen.

Refutation Four: The Ziyarat Only Mentions the 14 Infallibles – No Mahdiyeen Whatsoever

Examining the complete Ziyarat reveals that it mentions only the 14 Infallibles (AS) – the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Fatimah al-Zahra (AS), and the 12 Imams (AS). Consider the following sections from the very same Ziyarat (as cited by Nidham Al-Aqili himself in his book):

“…Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah… Peace be upon you, O Amir al-Mu’minin… Peace be upon you, O Fatimah al-Batul… Peace be upon you, O Abu Muhammad al-Hasan al-Zakiyy… Peace be upon you, O Abu ‘Abdillah al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali… Peace be upon you, O ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn… Peace be upon you, O Muhammad ibn ‘Ali… Peace be upon you, O Ja’far ibn Muhammad… Peace be upon you, O Musa ibn Ja’far… Peace be upon you, O ‘Ali ibn Musa… Peace be upon you, O Muhammad ibn ‘Ali… Peace be upon you, O ‘Ali ibn Muhammad… Peace be upon you, O al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali… Peace be upon you, O Hujjat ibn al-Hasan, the Master of the Time… May Allah send blessings upon you and upon your pure and good Itrah…“

This Ziyarat explicitly enumerates all 14 Infallibles (AS) by name. It does not mention any “Mahdiyeen” or “children of Imam Mahdi (AS)” at any point. In fact, this prayer serves as evidence for the limitation of the successors of the Prophet (PBUH) to the number twelve – and thus refutes the alleged Yamani sect’s claim of additional Imams after Imam Mahdi (AS).

Additional Point: The Possibility That the Address is Directed to the Prophet (PBUH)

Furthermore, it is not impossible that the address in the phrase “May Allah send blessings upon you and upon your pure and good Itrah” is actually directed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) rather than to Imam Mahdi (AS). Consider the structure of the Ziyarat:

• When sending blessings upon the first five Infallibles (Prophet, ‘Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, Husayn), extended phrases and curses upon their enemies are mentioned.
• For Imams 4 through 11 (from ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn to al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali), only their names are mentioned – no additional phrases.
• For Imam al-Mahdi (AS) – like the eight Imams before him – the Ziyarat may simply mention his name and stop, with the blessing upon the Prophet and his Itrah being a separate, general address.

Thus, it is entirely reasonable that the phrase “May Allah send blessings upon you and upon your pure and good Itrah” is addressed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) – calling him to send blessings upon himself and his Itrah (the Ahl al-Bayt). With this possibility, Nidham Al-Aqili’s argument collapses completely, for “when a possibility exists, the argument is invalidated” (idha ja’a al-ihtimal, batala al-istidlal).

Conclusion on the 27th Narration

The Itrah meaning in Ziyarat Imam Mahdi has been thoroughly examined through classical Arabic lexicons. This analysis conclusively demonstrates:

1. The Ziyarat contains no mention of Mahdiyeen, children of Imam Mahdi (AS), or any Imamate for them.
2. Linguistically, “Itrah” does not exclusively mean “children” – it means clan, tribe, near kin, ancestors, origin, or trunk of a tree.
3. The phrase could legitimately refer to Imam Mahdi’s pure ancestors (the previous Imams and the Prophet) – not his children.
4. The complete Ziyarat mentions only the 14 Infallibles (AS) by name – no Mahdiyeen or additional figures.
5. There is a reasonable grammatical possibility that the phrase is addressed to the Prophet (PBUH), not to Imam Mahdi (AS).
6. The Ziyarat actually serves as evidence for the limitation of successors to twelve – refuting the alleged Yamani sect.

Thus, the 27th narration provides absolutely no support for the existence of Mahdiyeen as Imams after Imam Mahdi (AS). Nidham Al-Aqili’s argument based on the word “Itrah” is linguistically invalid and has been thoroughly refuted.