Examination of the Second Hadith within the Section Titled ‘The Fortieth Hadith of the Mahdiyin

Dar al-Hidayah | Continuing the examination of the fortieth heading from Nidham Al-Aqili’s book “Forty Hadiths on the Mahdiyeen and the Children of the Qa’im (AS)”, this article analyzes the second narration cited under that heading – which is effectively the “forty-first” hadith used by the followers to prove the Imamate of Ahmed Isma’il al-Basri (Ahmed Al-Hasan) and their imaginary Mahdiyeen.

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 Second Hadith Under the Fortieth Heading

The second narration that Nidham Al-Aqili cites under the fortieth heading is as follows:

Ibn Udhaynah, from Zurarah, who said: I heard Abu Ja’far (AS) say:

“The twelve Imams from the Aal of Muhammad – all of them are Muhaddath (recipients of divine inspiration) – are from the progeny of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and the progeny of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS). So the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and ‘Ali (AS) are the two fathers.”

Source: Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 533

Critical Analysis – Three Major Refutations

Refutation One: Textual Corruption (Taṣḥīf) in the Hadith

This hadith contains textual corruption. Shaykh al-Kulayni (may Allah have mercy on him) placed this narration in a chapter titled “Chapter on What Has Come About the Twelve and the Text (Nass) Upon Them (Peace Be Upon Them)” – which concerns the explicit texts on the twelve Imams. Furthermore, other scholars have narrated this same hadith in a different wording that leaves no doubt about the occurrence of textual corruption in the version found in Al-Kafi.

Version from Shaykh al-Mufid in Al-Irshad:

Zurarah said: I heard Abu Ja’far (AS) say: “The twelve Imams from the Aal of Muhammad – all of them are Muhaddath – ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and eleven from his progeny. And the Messenger of Allah and ‘Ali are the two fathers (peace be upon them).”

Source: Al-Irshad fi Ma’rifat Hujaj Allah ‘ala al-‘Ibad, Vol. 2, p. 347

Version from ‘Ali ibn ‘Isa al-Irbili in Kashf al-Ghummah:

Zurarah said: I heard Abu Ja’far (AS) say: “The twelve Imams – all of them are from the Aal of Muhammad – all of them are Muhaddath – ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and eleven from his progeny. And the Messenger of Allah and ‘Ali are the two fathers.”

Source: Kashf al-Ghummah fi Ma’rifat al-A’immah, Vol. 2, p. 448

These alternative versions are explicit: “twelve Imams” means “‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and eleven from his progeny.” The total is twelve – not more. The correct reading is “eleven from his progeny” (i.e., eleven descendants of ‘Ali (AS)), which, combined with ‘Ali (AS) himself, makes twelve Imams. There is no mention of any additional Imams (Mahdiyeen) after Imam Mahdi (AS).

Refutation Two: Other Narrations Confirm the Number of Muhaddath Imams is Twelve – Not Thirteen or Twenty-Four

There are other narrations similar to this one that explicitly state that the number of Muhaddath Imams from the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) is twelve – not thirteen, not twenty-four.

Narration from Al-Khisal:

Zurarah ibn A’yan said: I heard Abu Ja’far (AS) say: “Twelve Imams from the Aal of Muhammad (peace be upon them) – all of them are Muhaddath after the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) is among them.”

Source: Al-Khisal, Vol. 2, p. 480

Narration from Ithbat al-Hudah:

Zurarah ibn A’yan said: I heard Abu Ja’far (AS) say: “We are twelve Imams from the Aal of Muhammad – all of them are Muhaddath after the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib is the first of them.”

Source: Ithbat al-Hudah bi al-Nusus wa al-Mu’jizat, Vol. 2, p. 47

These narrations clearly and explicitly state that the Imams are twelve, with ‘Ali (AS) as the first. There is no room for additional Imams (Mahdiyeen) after the twelfth Imam.

Refutation Three: Even If We Accept the Wording of Al-Kafi – It Is Explained Through the Principle of Predominance (Taghlīb)

Even if we were to accept – for the sake of argument – that the version in Al-Kafi is correct and that the hadith says the twelve Imams are “from the progeny of the Messenger of Allah and the progeny of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib,” this still does not support the Mahdiyeen claim. Why? Because the Prophet (PBUH) and ‘Ali (AS) are described as “the two fathers” due to the principle of predominance (taghlīb).

Since eleven of the twelve Imams are from the progeny of both the Prophet (PBUH) and ‘Ali (AS) (through Fatimah (AS)), while ‘Ali (AS) himself is the father of eleven of them but is not the child of the Prophet, the description of “the two fathers” is applied to the entire group of twelve through the principle of predominance. This means that the phrase “from the progeny of the Messenger of Allah and the progeny of ‘Ali” is used because the majority of the Imams (eleven of them) are from both lineages – and the exception (‘Ali (AS) himself) is already known from other narrations.

Allamah Majlisi (may Allah have mercy on him) explicitly points this out in his commentary:

“‘The twelve’ is the subject, ‘all of them are Muhaddath’ is the predicate, ‘from the progeny of the Messenger of Allah’ – meaning the majority of them (aktharuhum)…”

Source: Mir’at al-‘Uqul fi Sharh Akhbar Al al-Rasul, Vol. 6, p. 223

Allamah Majlisi explicitly states that the phrase “from the progeny of the Messenger of Allah” means the majority of them – not all of them. This is a clear application of the principle of taghlīb (predominance), where the characteristic of the majority is applied to the whole group.

This interpretation does not support the existence of any additional “Mahdiyeen” Imams. It simply explains the linguistic usage in the hadith.

Summary of the Argument

The followers of Ahmed Al-Hasan claim that this hadith – with its phrase “from the progeny of the Messenger of Allah and the progeny of ‘Ali” – proves that there are additional Imams (Mahdiyeen) from the children of Imam Mahdi (AS). However, this claim is based on a misreading of the text and a failure to consult other versions of the same narration.

The correct understanding is:

1. Textual corruption (taṣḥīf): The correct version of the hadith, as preserved by Shaykh al-Mufid and ‘Ali ibn ‘Isa al-Irbili, states: “‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and eleven from his progeny.” This makes twelve Imams in total.
2. Other narrations confirm this: The same narrator (Zurarah) reports in other places that the Imams are twelve, with ‘Ali (AS) as the first.
3. Even if we accept the Al-Kafi wording, it is explained through taghlīb: The phrase “from the progeny of the Messenger” applies to the majority (eleven of them) and does not introduce any new Imams.
4. No mention of Mahdiyeen: Nowhere in this hadith – or in any of its alternative versions – is there any mention of “Mahdiyeen,” “children of Imam Mahdi (AS),” or any Imams after the twelfth Imam.

Conclusion on the Second Hadith Under the Fortieth Heading

The Twelve Imams from Aal Muhammad textual corruption has been thoroughly examined. This analysis conclusively demonstrates:

1. The hadith in Al-Kafi contains textual corruption (taṣḥīf).
2. Correct versions from Shaykh al-Mufid and al-Irbili read: “‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and eleven from his progeny” – confirming the total number of Imams as twelve.
3. Other narrations from the same source (Zurarah) confirm that the Imams are exactly twelve, with ‘Ali (AS) as the first.
4. Even if the Al-Kafi wording is accepted, it is explained through the principle of predominance (taghlīb), as explicitly stated by Allamah Majlisi.
5. Nowhere does the hadith mention “Mahdiyeen,” “children of Imam Mahdi (AS),” or any Imams after the twelfth Imam.

Thus, the second hadith under the fortieth heading provides absolutely no support for the alleged Yamani sect’s core doctrine and, when correctly understood with its alternative versions, actually refutes the claim of any additional Imams after Imam Mahdi (AS).