MAHDI IS FROM THE OFFSPRING OF HASSAN ASKARI (A.S.)

When you will follow what we have said and understand the traditions which we have written, there should not be any reason for you to doubt its conclusion (i.e. Mahdi, the Awaited one is the very son of Abu Muhammad Hassan Askari). However from the view-point of elucidation of the conclusion, we have written them under the above title and also notified the stipulation of some of the great scholars of Ahl-e-Sunnah. We say: The afore-mentioned traditions which indicated that Mahdi is the ninth desecndant of Hussein and fourth descendant of Abul Hassan ar-Reza proves this matter (i.e. he being the son of Hassan Askari) especially the tradition which we narrated from Fara'ed-ul-Semtain where Hazrat Reza speaks to De'bel Khuza'ee as such: 'Indeed the Imam after me will be my son Muhammad Taqi Jawad and the Imam after him will be his son, Ali Haadi Naqi and the Imam after him will be his son Hassan Askari and the Imam after him will be his son Muhammad Hujjat Mahdi Muntazar.'

Moreover, that which we shall narrate later on (the fact that Mahdi, the Awaited one is the twelfth from the Caliphs, Imams, legatees and divine proofs) also proves this matter.

The author of «Yanabi-ul-Muwadda» on page 491 has narrated from «Arba'een» of Hafez Abu Na'eem who in turn has narrated from Ibn-Kheshab who said: 'Sadeq-ibn-Musa narrated to me from his father who narrated from Ali-ibn-Musa ar-Reza who said:- The virtuous successor shall be from children of Hassan-ibn-Ali Askari. He is the Mahdi, the master of time.

The author of «Es'aaf-ur'Raghebeen» on page 157 has narrated from the book «Al-Yawaqit-wal Jawahar» of Abdul-Wahab Sha'rani who in turn has narrated from the book of «Al-Fotouhat al- Makkiyah» as follows:-

'Know that the emergence of Mahdi is inevitable. However he shall not emerge until the earth has been filled with cruelty and oppression. Then he shall fill it with equity and Justice. He shall be from the generation of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.A.) and from the progeny of Fatemah (peace be upon them). His great grand-father is Hussein-ibn-Ali-ibn-Abi Talib and his father is Hassan Askari, the son of Imam Ali an-Naqi, the son of Imam Muhammad Taqi, the son of Imam Ali ar-Reza, the son of Imam Musa Kazim, the son of Imam Jafer Sadeq, the son of Imam Muhammad Baqir, the son of Imam Zain-ul-Abedeen, the son of Imam Hussein, the son of Imam Ali-ibn -Abi Talib (peace be upon them all).

His name is the same as the Holy Prophet's name and the Muslims will give allegiance to him between 'Rukn' and 'Maqaam' (station of Ibrahim).

The author says: Most of our (Shiite) scholars as well as the scholars of Ahl-e-Sunnah have narrated these invaluable and precious sentences or expressions from the book of «Al-Yawaqit-wal-Jawahar» where its author in turn has narrated from the book of «Al-Fotouhat al-Makkiyeh». However in the recent edition of that book I have not seen the above expressions. So please ponder (a metaphoric remark that perhaps the afore-mentioned tradition has been dropped).

The author of «y anabi-ul-Muwadda» on page 451 has narrated from the book «Fasl-ul-Khetaab» as such: 'And it is the saying of the pure Imam Abu Muhammad Hassan Askari where he says- 'And shall not leave any son except Abul-Qasim Muhammad who shall be given such titles as 'Qaem', 'Hujjat', 'Mahdi', 'Saheb-uz-Zaman' and 'Khatam-ul-Ai'mma Ithna-Ashar among the Imamiahs'.

The author says: The words «among the Imamiahs» is related to the fact that Hazrat is twelfth in number and not that it is refering to the other afore-mentioned titles.

The same scholar in the afore-said book, on page 470 says: Sayyid Abdul-Wahab Sharani in the sixty fifth Chapter of his book , Al-Yawaqit-wal-Jawahar' writes: 'Mahdi is the son of Imam Hassan Askari'.

Once again, the same scholar on page 471 of his book narrates from «Matalib-ul-Su'ool» and Durrul-Munazzam» of Kamaluddin Thalha who has written as such: 'Mahdi is the son of Muhammad Hassan Askari'.

Also, in the same book on page 471 the author writes: In the last Chapter of the book of 'Bayan', Ganji says:- 'Surely Mahdi will be the son of Hassan Askari'.

In the same book, the author on page 471 writes: the author of «Fusool-ul-Muhimma» says:- 'Verily the promised Mahdi is the son of Abu Muhammad Hassan Askari, the son of Abu Muhammad Hassan Askari, the son of Ali an-Naqi' (Peace be upon them).

The author of «Durrul-Musawiya» writes: Those whom I found to be having the same belief as we Shiites in the matter of Mahdi are Muhammad- ibn Yusuf Ganji in 'Al-Bayan', Muhammad - ibn-Thalha Shafa'ee in 'Matalib - us Su'ool', Sebt-ibn-Jauzi in 'Tazkerat-ul-Aim'am' and Sh'arani in 'Al-Yawakit- wal - Jawahar' where they have all said:- 'Mahdi is the son of Imam Hassan Askari. He was born in the night of fifteenth of Sha'ban 255 A.H. and is still living until he and Isa-ibn-Maryam meet each other.

The same matter has also come in «Al-Yawakit» and «Tabaqa'at» where its authors have narrated from Shaikh Hassan Araqi, the one who has met Mahdi as per the detailed account which has come in the book of «Tabaqa'at» (translated by the afore-said Shaikh Hassan). It is also reported that Ali Khawa'as and Shaikh Mohiuddin (in his book of Fotouhat ch. 366) have given their consent with regard to this belief. Sha'rani in «Lawaqeh al-Anwar-ul-Qudsiah» (which is a conclusion of Fotouhat al-Makkiyah), Saban Mesri in Es'aaf-ur-Rhagebeen and his exact wordings in «Al-Yawakit» which are both Egyptian prints, Shaikh Salahuddin Safadi whose exact statement has been narrated in the book of «Yanabi-ul-Muwadda» from «Shar-e-Dayera», Shaikh Ali-ibn-Muhammad Maliki in his book «Fusul-ul-Muhimma» and Shaikh Hamuini Shafa'ee in «Fara'ed-ul-Semtain» have narrated as such:

'Verily the promised Mahdi is the son of Abi Muhammad Hassan Askari son of Ali an-Naqi (Peace be upon them)' and the same has been mentioned by Shaikh Hamu'ani Shafa'ee in his book «Fara'ed-us-Semtain.»