The Hidden Birth as a Sign of the True Mahdi

[صدى المهدي]

The Noble Birthdate:

Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him) s born in the house of his father, Imam Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him), in the city of Samarra, on the late night of Friday, the 15th of Sha'ban, which is one of the blessed nights recommended for worship and fasting during the day, according to authentic narrations found in well-known Sunni books such as "Sunan Ibn Majah," "Sunan al-Tirmidhi," and others. Additionally, narrations from the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) also confirm this.

The year of his birth is generally cited as 255 AH in the most widely accepted narrations, although some other narrations mention 256 AH or 254 AH, with all agreeing on the day of birth. The first date is most widely supported due to several factors, including its presence in early sources such as "al-Ghaybah" by the tstworthy scholar al-Fadl ibn Shadhan, who lived during the time of Imam al-Mahdi’s birth and died shortly before his father, Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon them). Furthermore, most narrations agree on the 15th of Sha'ban as the birthdate, and after consulting a lunar calendar, it s confirmed that the 15th of Sha'ban in 255 AH fell on a Friday.

Such differences are common with the birth and death dates of his ancestors, including his grandfather, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), without affecting the authenticity of their birth or life events. Additionally, the secrecy surrounding his birth is natural and understandable, as it s kept hidden to protect the blessed child.

The Widespread Report of His Blessed Birth:

Many scholars with reliable chains of transmission, such as Abu Ja'far al-Tabari, al-Fadl ibn Shadhan, Husayn ibn Hamdan, Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Mas'udi, Sheikh al-Saduq, Sheikh al-Tusi, Sheikh al-Mufid, and others, narrated the story of Imam Mahdi’s birth. Scholars from various Islamic sects, including Sunni scholars such as Nur al-Din Abdul Rahman al-Jami, Muhammad Mabin al-Mawla al-Hindi, and others, also reported this news. The birth of Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him) s acknowledged by more than 130 scholars, including historians from diverse Islamic schools of thought, with many of them living during the Minor Occultation or during Imam Mahdi's birth. This testimony is unique in Islamic history, as few historical figures have such widespread reports about their births.

Conditions of His Birth:

The narrations surrounding Imam Mahdi’s (peace be upon him) birth indicate that his father, Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him), kept the birth very secret. He instcted his aunt, Lady Hakimah, to stay at his house on the night of the 15th of Sha'ban and informed her that the Imam’s son, the proof of God on Earth, would be born that night. When she inquired about his mother, Imam al-Hasan (peace be upon him) replied that it s Lady Narjis. After checking on Lady Narjis, Lady Hakimah found no sign of pregnancy and reported this back to the Imam. He smiled and explained that her situation s like that of the mother of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him), whose pregnancy s hidden until the birth due to the tyrant Pharaoh’s pursuit of male children from the Israelites. A similar situation applied to Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him) because the Abbasid authorities were also monitoring the birth, as several hadiths had predicted it.

It is clear from the narrations that the birth occurred just before dawn, a time when the authorities were in deep sleep, which helped to maintain the secrecy of the event. Only Lady Hakimah s present at the birth, and she did not know the exact timing of the event. One narration also mentions that an elderly midwife from the neighbors s brought in to assist Lady Hakimah in delivering the child, with strict instctions to keep the birth secret.

Prophetic Indication of the Concealment of His Birth:

Many narrations from the Imams have indicated that Imam Mahdi’s (peace be upon him) birth would be surrounded by secrecy. Some of these narrations liken it to the hidden birth of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) or the birth of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him), explaining that this secrecy s meant to protect the child until he fulfilled his divine mission. For example, Sheikh al-Saduq and al-Khazzaz narrate from Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him) that he said: "None of us has a covenant with the tyrants of his time except for the Qa'im, who will be followed by Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him). God conceals his birth and hides his identity so that no one will have a pledge of allegiance to anyone else when he emerges. He is the ninth from the children of my brother, Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), and God will prolong his life in occultation, and then He will reveal him by His power."

There are numerous narrations from other Imams and historical sources confirming the secrecy surrounding his birth, and these have been validated by events that occurred after the birth.

The Hidden Birth as a Sign of the Te Mahdi:

These hadiths emphasize that the concealment of the birth is one of the key signs of the te Mahdi, who is the promised savior from the family of Fatima (peace be upon her). This unique characteristic helps distinguish the legitimate claimant to the Mahdi title from false claimants, as history has seen many who have claimed to be the Mahdi but did not fulfill the signs mentioned in these narrations. The secrecy surrounding his birth is also similar to the concealment of Prophet Musa’s (peace be upon him) birth due to the persecution by tyrants, which shows a parallel in the mission of Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him) to save humanity from oppression and establish justice.

This fact is supported by the historical knowledge of the Abbasids, who knew that the Mahdi s from the family of Fatima (peace be upon her) and that he would emerge to end oppression and tyranny. Therefore, they took extensive measures to eliminate his lineage, even attempting to kill the Imams and prevent the birth of Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him).

The efforts to assassinate or imprison the Imams, including Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him), were a reflection of these attempts to stop the birth of Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him), as they feared the emergence of the promised savior. As narrated by Sheikh al-Tusi, Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him) himself acknowledged the efforts to eliminate his family due to the knowledge of their destiny to bring justice and end tyranny.

This study of the hidden birth and the persecution of the Imams highlights the stggle of the oppressors to prevent the coming of the savior and the fulfillment of God’s promise to establish justice through Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him).

المصادر

Source: A'lam al-Hidaya, Vol. 14.


[1] Refer to, for example, Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: 2/176, Sunan Ibn Majah: 1/444-445, Faydh al-Qadir: 4/459, Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 3/116, Kanz al-‘Ummal: 3/466, and many others.
[2] Thab al-A'mal by Shaykh al-Saduq: 101, Mispah al-Mutahajjid by Shaykh al-Tusi: 762, Iqbal al-A'mal by Sayyid Ibn Tawus: 718.
[3] Refer to these narrations in "al-Najm al-Thaqib" by Mirza al-Nuri: 2/146 and beyond in the Arabic translation, and refer to "al-Kafi" 1/329, Kamil al-Din: 430.
[4] By "Applied Calendar," we mean the calendar that matches solar calendar days with lunar calendar days. Several such calendars have been created, either in books or computer programs, which specify the corresponding dates of the lunar and solar calendars. We have referred to the applied calendar issued by the University of Tehran, starting from the first year of the Prophet’s migration (PBUH) up to the end of the 15th Islamic century.
[5] See the details of their statements in the statistics provided by Sayyid Thamir al-Amidi in his book "Defending al-Kafi": 1/535-592.
[6] Refer to the narrations collected by Sayyid al-Bahrani regarding the birth story from credible sources in his book "Tafseer al-Wali": 6 and beyond, as well as the summary provided by Mirza Nuri in "al-Najm al-Thaqib": 2/153 and beyond, and also check the chapter in "al-Ghayba" by Shaykh al-Tusi about proving the birth of the Imam of the Time (PBUH): 74 and beyond.
[7] "Ghaybat al-Shaykh al-Tusi": 144.
[8] Kamil al-Din: 315, Kifayat al-Athar: 317.
[9] Kamil al-Din: 303.
[10] Kamil al-Din: 321-322.
[11] Kamil al-Din: 316.
[12] al-Kafi: 1/276.
[13] The biographies of these scholars were mentioned by Dr. Muhammad Mahdi Khan, founder of "al-Hikma" newspaper in Cairo, in his book "Bab al-Abb," in which he dedicated a section to studying the movements of the false claimants to Mahdism.
[14] Al-Fusul al-Muhimma by Ibn al-Sabbagh al-Maliki: 288.
[15] Murooj al-Zahab by al-Mas'udi: 4/169.
[16] Al-Fusul al-Muhimma by Ibn al-Sabbagh al-Maliki: 276.
[17] These attempts extended into the house of the Imam (PBUH) as spies were planted, including women, to monitor what happened inside the Imam's house, to eliminate the Imam (PBUH) if he s born. These efforts even aimed to prevent the birth of the Imam (PBUH), which is why Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (PBUH) did not marry officially as s the norm at that time.
[18] See the specific chapter in the book "Life of Imam al-Askari (PBUH)" by Shaykh al-Tabasi: 421-424.
[19] "Ithbat al-Hudat" by al-Hurr al-‘Amili: 3/570, "Muntakhab al-Athar" by Shaykh Lutfi Allah al-Safi: 359, Hadith 4 from "Kashf al-Haq" by Khatoon Abadi, and other related sources.

[محـب الحسين]

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