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::artsubtitle::Part 2 - Analysis, Observations & Conclusions::/artsubtitle::
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::artlead::Overwhelming despair causes people to look for an escape. Even if the solution is only imaginary, it gives them something to cling to and focus on in the face of their great failures and dashed hopes...::/artlead::
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We have already presented a selection of the hadith to be found on the Mahdi.
We have also discussed a number of historical events that were directly related to this issue.
Now, in closing, we shall offer some observations about what we have presented.
First Observation
We can easily observe that overwhelming despair causes people to look for an escape. Even if the solution is only imaginary, it gives them something to cling to and focus on in the face of their great failures and dashed hopes.
This is the reason we find the Mahdism so prevalent among the Shia. They had always been a minority and for the most part, political power rested in the hands of Ahl al-Sunnah.
More Articles by the Author - Feeling the Infinite Love of God |
They felt alienated and excluded. Their leaders were far away from the centers of influence and decision making, so they substituted for these shortcomings by providing their followers with concepts that would protect their spirits and fortify their resolve.
This might have been something purely psychological, for though it may have been a deliberate ploy for some, others may have been so enthralled with these ideas that they actually believed them and then spread them to others with genuine conviction.
Other people would then be ready to accept such ideas being expressed with such obvious earnest, honesty, and sincerity. They would also inherit their enthusiasm.
Mahdism provided an outlet for the Shia who had no opportunity to acquire political power. They instigated many revolts, but these were all failures.
A discussion of these revolts and their outcomes can be found in al-Asfahani's book Maqatil al-Talibin. Likewise, some people from Ahl al-Sunnah, on occasions when circumstances brought them to despair, took these ideas as a means of escape.
When the Spanish expelled the Muslims from Spain, some Muslims resorted to claiming that the Mahdi had appeared. They waited for him expectantly, believing that when he came, he would lead them to victory against the Spanish.
The same can be said for some of the Muslims in the Caucasus who believed that Sheikh Mansur, who led one of the liberation movements shortly before the time of Sheikh Shamil, would return again and lead the jihad.
The Kurds are a people who without doubt have gone through bitter suffering in many countries and throughout their history, with the historical exception of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi and his descendants. As a consequence, many Kurds have held the belief that one of their leaders, Hasan ibn `Ali, was going to return.
Feelings of frustration might come after a failure in some major undertaking or in the failure of the hopes connected with it. This could be a war effort or some other movement on which people pin their hopes and look towards as a way out of their desperation.
| When we embrace such ideas, we excuse ourselves from engaging in any serious or fruitful work. |
When such efforts fail and their hopes are dashed to the ground, they become demoralized and fall into despair. They can find an escape in waiting for someone. It is best for the Muslim nation not to pin its hopes on a specific undertaking.
The area of Islamic work is far broader than to be confined to one enterprise or another. If some efforts fail, others will succeed. In this way, people's hearts can stay clear of debilitating frustration and despair.
Defeat, failure, and frustration provide the ideal environment for Mahdist ideas to proliferate, especially among those who do not possess a positive plan of action that can fulfil them and channel their energies.
Despair often leads a person to believe that work is pointless and that the solutions to the problems they are facing are far beyond the reach of human effort. They see no way out aside from divine intervention of a miraculous nature, intervention that comes in the form of the Mahdi sent to them as divine assistance to inflict heavy casualties upon their enemies and visit them with destruction. He will unite the Muslims and dispel their differences.
When we embrace such ideas, we excuse ourselves from engaging in any serious or fruitful work. We become complacent while we wait for the Mahdi. Such feelings, in my opinion, stem from a combination of two afflictions:
The first is a defeatist attitude that can affect a group of people or even an entire nation when the hopes that they had vested in something specific evaporate. This is why, whenever a "Mahdi" dies, the people transfer their hopes to another or claim that he did not die or that he will one day return.
The second affliction is a longing for radical and total change and dissatisfaction with anything gradual. This is a failure to take into consideration the divine order in Creation. It is also a failure to recognize the value of gradual or partial reform.
Such people dream that all of the iniquity that prevails around the world will just be swept away in the blink of an eye. Yes, we must believe that Allah has the power to change whatever He wills.
In the blink of an eye, before it can open again,
Allah changes one situation into another.
However, Allah has established a natural order for the change and reform that He has ordered us to work towards. This is why Allah says:
{Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves.} (13: 11)
There are those who dream of a final solution to bring their difficulties to an end. Their problem is that they want all of this to happen within their lifetimes.
The idea of planting a seedling that they and their children after them will nurture while they toil and wait for the results is something that stretches their determination beyond its limits. They are not waiting for the fruits of their own efforts and endeavors, but for something that requires no effort from them except to wait and dream.
It can be observed that people who engage in productive work like providing aid to others, teaching, calling people to Islam, and effecting reform - people who have projects, objectives, and activities that focus their attentions, energies, and hopes - are unmoved by Mahdist ideas. Such ideas have no appeal to them, even if they are themselves simple people.
This is because the productive work that they engage in fulfills their lives and provides them with satisfaction. They do not need a mental crutch to support them. If one day such a person does arrive, they would readily join with the others in supporting him. All the same, they do not depend upon its happening, nor do they suspend their efforts waiting for it to happen.
As for those who pin their hopes on some distant, unattainable objective while at the same time make no effort to bring it any closer to realization but just sit around and wait, such people often look upon the efforts of others with derision. They ask: "What do you think you can do? Can you turn back the raging winds or the floodwaters with your puny little hands?"
Such people see nothing as a solution except for radical and total change, and such change will only come at the hands of the Awaited One. This is why most Mahdist claims throughout history have come about in an atmosphere of tension and crisis and in times of social or political upheaval.
All such Mahdist movements took place at times when people, especially the youth, felt trapped, when they could see no way out and no light at the end of the tunnel. They found no recourse but to turn to these ideas. We must also observe that Mahdism throughout history had almost invariably been associated with the Shia, whereas today we see a startling reversal of this trend.
The Shia, whose whole history has been one of expectation and waiting - the very Shia who had produced dozens of Mahdis, and claimed that the Friday prayer, jihad, and many other works were not valid until the Mahdi arrives - have now learned their lesson and evolved their ideas about awaiting the Mahdi. They have not discarded the idea.
The vast majority of them still believe in the Awaited Mahdi, but they have found alternatives to waiting. They have begun to work, plan, and achieve results. Because of this change, they have established nations for themselves. They have formed political parties and organizations. Their media operations and their activities are unparalleled today.
At the same time, Ahl al-Sunnah has begun to drone on about the Mahdi and how they wait for him in anticipation, speculating about who he is. This is a very strange reversal in thought. The youth of Ahl al-Sunnah should stop and consider that they are putting themselves into a very difficult situation. They are heading for the very situation from which others had to bring themselves out. Nothing good can be said about this trend, especially after history has shown us how dangerous and debilitating it is.
Second Observation
| all of Ahl al-Sunnah without exception - appointing an imam is seen as a religious requirement and a necessity. |
There are two types of people who claim to be the Mahdi. The first type is the person who knows that he is lying. He is out to deceive people, turn them into his followers, then exploit them.
If we look at the Fatimid state, we see that it was established on the basis of such a claim. The same can be said for the Almohads, the dynasty founded by the "Mahdi" Ibn Tumart. These people raised the Mahdist banner for political ends and material gain, and they achieved what they had aspired to. Other claimants who had the same goals were not so fortunate.
The second type of person who comes with this claim is confused and imagines that he actually is the Mahdi. Such people are afflicted, as Ibn Hajar puts it with: "a deteriorated mental state." This situation is well understood by contemporary Psychology. There are people who become disturbed or have a split personality. Some people claim to be Jesus or the Mahdi or even someone greater than that.
Third Observation
Overemphasizing an issue is a form of deviance, even when dealing with a legitimate issue. As a case in point, consider the appointment of an imam to lead the Muslims. There is no dispute about this principle, except for the unusual opinion held by al-Asamm.
As for the rest of the Muslims - and all of Ahl al-Sunnah without exception - appointing an imam is seen as a religious requirement and a necessity. The Shia, however, go overboard on this issue, making it the demarcation line between them and everybody else. They have built upon it an imposing ideological edifice.
When you read their books and consider their principles and beliefs, it seems as if the Earth and the entire universe were created only for the office of the imam, specifically the imamate of Ali ibn Abi Talib and his descendants. They make it seem as if these imams are the ones who sustain all of existence, and that the life of the Hereafter emanates from them and is for them. They are depicted as the only true leadership for the people and the only source of reform for humanity. The protection of the faith is only through them.
There are many other causative relationship that they tie to their imams, besides those that we have mentioned, and all these claims are made without any evidence to support them. Ahl al-Sunnah should grasp this fact that overemphasizing any issue can be a form of deviance. Yes, you must believe in a matter that is legitimate, but you must likewise give it its legitimate emphasis, neither blowing it out of proportion nor neglecting it.
This principle applies to the question of the Mahdi. Some people go so far as to deny the hadith about the Mahdi altogether. Often they do this because of the great many ways the idea of the Mahdi has been abused throughout history, as if denying his existence will put an end to the problem.
Sometimes, though, the reason for their denial is a lack of knowledge about the Sunnah. This is one extreme. Then there are those who embrace the idea of Mahdism with such force and excessive zeal that it consumes them. They are as much in error as those who reject the Mahdi altogether. The same can be said for any other issue, even the issue of worship. If someone goes to an extreme in his fear of Allah, he can wind up falling into the errors of the Kharijis (1).
On the other hand, excessive hope for Allah's forgiveness can lead one into the mistakes of the Murji'ah (2).
Excessive love can lead to the errors of the Sufis. This is true for all legitimate Islamic principles. We must believe in them and give them their proper weight, neither exaggerating their importance nor neglecting them. This is a very important concept. This is part of the "just balance" that is given special mention in the Quran:
{We have made you a nation justly balanced.} (2: 143)
This just balance is to have moderation by neither going to extremes in these matters nor shunning them altogether.
When we consider the questions about which the Muslims differ, whether we are talking about the Muslims in general or the Islamic workers and organizations in particular, we often see that the cause of such disagreement is their adopting one extreme position or another.
One group goes to extremes on the issue of Islamic government, so much so that they accuse Muslim governments of unbelief, as well as those scholars and citizens who are contented with these governments.
Then there are others who neglect this same issue and belittle its importance, claiming without any proof from Allah that people are free to govern themselves by any law and political system they see fit.
These people are as excessive in their neglect of these issues as those others are in promoting them. Then there is the moderation that gives every question its legitimate weight and its due consideration, eschewing all extremes. Allah says:
{Verily, for all things Allah has appointed a due proportion} (65:3)
There is no escaping the fact that overemphasizing one matter always means neglecting another of equal, if not greater, importance.
Fourth Observation
Islam provides a powerful alternative to waiting, those who are engrossed in question of Mahdi and his appearance generally fail to take notice of it.
This is the principle of renewal found in the hadith related by Abu Hurayrah:
"Allah sends to this nation at the beginning of each century those who renew the religion." (Abu Dawud 4291)
This is an authentic hadith that has enjoyed widespread acceptance among Muslims. The issue of renewal is a legitimate Islamic concept, and it has been acted upon by the leading scholars.
Abu Bakr engaged in it after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) by bringing the people back to the truth and fighting the apostates. `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Aziz engaged in it when dealing with the Umayyads. Al-Shafi`i, Ahmad and other scholars carried out this effort throughout the ages. Each one of these people carried out renewal in his own area of efficacy. This is the issue that can actually reform the circumstances of the people and even inspire them to participate in their own reform.
| We must foster dialogue about the major issues facing the Muslims today. |
The reason for this is that renewal is not something that awaits the arrival of any individual like the Mahdi; it is the duty of every Muslim. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said:
"Those who renew the religion."
This is a general statement, not indicative of any particular individual or group. It embraces numerous people working in different areas of life. Who can single-handedly renew all aspects of Islam which embraces so many aspects of life, including education, work, worship, economics, and the media?
This cannot be achieved by any one individual or even a group of individuals. Such sweeping renewal requires a vast number of people. Even so, the Muslim nation will always require more reform and continued renewal. This is why Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) mentioned the divinely supported group that would remain steadfast on Allah's command and would neither be harmed by those who would forsake them nor by those who would go against them until the coming of Allah's decree.
The concern of this group is reform and renewal. Some of them engage in education, some economic reform, some in Islamic work, others in relief efforts. We need to take our nation, its youth, its organizations, and its diverse peoples, out of the despair in which they dwell. This is a responsibility that we all share. I wish to conclude with four points:
1. We must foster dialogue about the major issues facing the Muslims today. We must develop in our youth and our men the ability to listen. This is especially true for our leaders, both intellectual and political.
For when people know that they are being listened to, it removes some of the discontent in their hearts. It opens up avenues for understanding, negotiation, and exchange. This preserves the unity of the Muslims and the energies of the youth. It directs their energies to the important task of confronting the real dangers surrounding them.
2. We must encourage our intellectual institutions to engage in Islamic work, education, and relief. We must encourage them to employ the media. Our charitable organizations must be supported and promoted as well, along with all other charitable efforts.
We have to remove the despair and frustration that the Muslims are suffering from, because despair produces nothing. It can only bring about harm by placing people in a defeatist mindset.
3. We must provide opportunities for our young Muslims to live decent, respectable lives. We must provide this for our families and our society at large. Poverty and unemployment turn people into the fuel for any deviant ideology that comes along.
4. We must safeguard the Islamic nation from the vicissitudes of deviant thought and moral depravity. There can be no doubt that these factors have the power to incite a reaction with grave negative consequences.
We have begun to see in the Arab media and on the Internet and chat sites people maligning Allah and denouncing His Glory and Greatness. They are likewise slandering Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), deprecating that which the Muslims hold sacred, and profaning the symbols of Islam.
We must permit dialogue, but this dialogue must stay within the bounds of what is Islamically permitted. We must not give those who are sick and depraved and morally weak the opportunity to abuse Islam in such an obscene and vulgar manner, because this can sometimes give birth to violent and extraordinary reactions.
It is imperative for us to safeguard the Muslims from the deviant and filthy ideas and mores that the media, through the television, the Internet, and other means at its disposal, is pumping into our Muslim societies. We must put forth a major effort to do this. I ask Allah to give strength to Islam and the Muslims and to instill weakness in polytheism and the polytheists.
May Allah assist the Muslims everywhere and protect them from the evil of the wicked and the plots of the devious as long as there is day and night.
May Allah help us to say righteous words and perform righteous deeds. Verily, He is capable of all things. And may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and Companions.::/artbody::::artendnote::Source: Islam Today web site - http://en.islamtoday.net/::/artendnote::
::artfootnote::(1) An early Islamic sect that declared anyone who commits a major sin to be an unbeliever, damned for eternity. (2) Another early Islamic sect that declared belief sufficient for salvation and considered deeds, sinful or otherwise, of no consequence.::/artfootnote::
::artmainimage::oimedia/onislamen/images/mainimages/ The Mahdi in Sunni Shia Traditions 2 .jpg::/artmainimage::
::artcaption::Defeat, failure, and frustration provide the ideal environment for Mahdist ideas to proliferate.::/artcaption::
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::artlink1::How to Achieve Humbleness ::/artlink1::
::artlinkurl1::http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/living-islam/growing-in-faith/453884-how-to-achieve-humbleness.html::/artlinkurl1::
::artlink2::How Prophet Muhammad Resolved Disputes::/artlink2::
::artlinkurl2::http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/about-muhammad/his-character/463105-how-prophet-muhammad-resolved-disputes.html::/artlinkurl2::
::artlink3::All Blessings Are from God::/artlink3::
::artlinkurl3::http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/understanding-islam/belief/revelation/490265-all-blessings-are-from-god.html::/artlinkurl3::
::artlink4::What Would Jesus Do?::/artlink4::
::artlinkurl4::http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/understanding-islam/belief/messengers/490523-what-would-jesus-do.html::/artlinkurl4::
::artlink5::The Origins of Shi’ism::/artlink5::
::artlinkurl5::http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/research-studies/islamic-history/465769-the-origins-of-shiism.html::/artlinkurl5::
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