Mahdi (a.s) The Twelfth Imam:

Some
persons and things bear common characteristics which make them a part of one
common category. Similarly some persons and things possess such exceptional
attributes and qualities which give them an edge
of peculiarity. It is only because
of such peculiar and distinct characteristics that they are known and
recognized. These peculiar characteristics
form part of the philosophy among the philosophies of the world of creation
which is the foundation of the permanence of the universal order.

1) The Popular Commonality:

It is a
characteristic which is common in different people which means that they are
found in every one. These characteristics are found in a majority of people at
a time. For example there are so many Muslims in the world. Similarly walking,
talking and laughing are common traits found in all and sundry. So many
similar examples can be quoted of 'the
popular commonality'.

2) The Distinct Peculiarity:

These are such
characteristics which make a distinct difference
between men or things These distinguish one
man or tiling from another.

It is but evident that one man may possess innumerable peculiarities though to
remember all of them may he quite an uphill task. Well it is possible
that some distinct attributes may he remembered
and with help of a standard criterion that person may he recognized and
distinguished. For instance if a person's physical appearance is to be
described, then his face, features, countenance, complexion, mane, eyebrows
and stature will he described at length. If
person's lineage or pedigree is to be explained,
then her mother, grandfather, grandmother and grand parents are mentioned.
Similarly, if a person's deeds or achievements are to be discussed, then his
reformatory steps, wars and skirmishes, covenants and contracts, efforts and
endeavors, historical incidents, manners and dealings are mentioned.

when his knowledgeable abilities are
discussed, then his thinking, ideology, faith is mentioned.
When his demeanors are discussed, then his character, mannerisms, bravery,
generosity, fortitude, self-control, humility, patience, justice and such
other attributes are described and if the
person concerned is had charactered then antonyms of all the above mentioned
adjectives are ascribed to him. The more these attributes
are explained, the better the persons would be recognized.

If a person intends to travel but neither decides his destination nor arranges
his travel-kit properly then certainly he will not reach any where or even if
he docs manage to reach somewhere, then it
will certainly not he his desired destination. Indeed if the very same person
decides his destination or arranges a proper travel-kit, then no doubt his
journey will start and end well and finally
he will reach his desired destination.

Similarly if a person wants to attain
salvation, then he must select a savior who will salvage him from deviation
and lead him to salvation.

Now the question arises who this saviour should be? How he should be? I low to
recognize him ? etc.

The answers to all such questions are furnished by
Quran and Prophetic traditions in (lie
form of principles and guidelines which can help in the
search of a saviour and thus achieve success and
salvation in this world and the hereafter.

One of the easiest instructions is to find one guide and tread on the path
shown by him while the responsibilities of deeds will be on his shoulders so
that the person may attain enviable heights
in both (he worlds. The Holy Prophet
(S.A.) said :

"The
one who desires to live and die like me
and enter in the paradise which Allah has promised to me and is known as
'Khuld', then
after me he should love All and his progeny who will come after him. Befriend
them (Peace be upon them all) because neither they will allow you to forsake
the path of salvation nor will they let you be on the path of misguidance."

(Quoted from the reference of
'AI-Muraje'aat' viz Kitabul
Kanz, Pg.
155, Tradition No. 2578)

"Obey
Allah, obey the Apostle and those who are vested
with authority."

(Nisa:59) [For the details and 'tafsir'
of this verse refer

The Holy Quran has guided towards
salvation by exhorting to obey Allah and
His Apostle and those who are vested with
authority. Allah and His Apostle are recognized but the problem arises in the
recognition of 'Ulil
Amr'. The Holy Prophet (S.A.) had solved
even this problem by informing us of those signs through which
'Ulil Amr'
can he identified. One of those signs is that they will he twelve in number.
Some traditions and references are quoted in this regard
as follows :

The
Twelve Successors of the Holy Prophet (S.A.)

Jabir
bin Samirah
relates that once I visited the

Holy Prophet (S.A.)
along with my father. I heard the Holy Prophet(S.A.)
saying,

"This religion will not be completed unless twelve
caliphs do not come to pass."
Then he said something in a subdued tone, which I could not hear. I inquired
from my father as to what did the Holy Prophet (S.A.)
say. He replied:

"Islam will remain dominant until the reign of the
twelve caliphs."
In another narration, the words

quoted are "The religion will remain powerful,
dominant and protected until the era of the twelve caliphs," or according to
yet another version, "The religion will remain established
upto
Qiyamat unless
twelve caliphs will rule upon you while all of them will be from
Quraish."
The above mentioned tradition can be seen in

the
following books of Sunni scholars
:

1- 'Sahih Muslim'
published from 'Darul Fur
qan, Jame
Masjid, Delhi, Vol. 2, Pg. 65.

2- 'Sahih Muslim'
published from 'Darul
Furqan',
Egypt, 1348
A.H. Vol. 2, Pg. 191.

3-Sunane-Ahi Daud published
from 'Darul-Ehya
As-Sunnat-An-Nabaviyah, Part four
'The Book of
Mahdi, Tradition No. 4289, 4280.

4- Al-Mojam-AI-Kahir of
'Allamah
Tabarani', Pg.108.

The noticeable point is that Sahih
Muslim and Sunane-Abi Daud are enumerated
amongst 'Sehah-Sitta', the six most
authentic books of traditions as per the Sunni
belief. The scholars of
Ahle-Sunnat rank these books as the
basic and original source of Islam after
the Holy Quran. The remaining four Sahih books are 1)
Sahihe-Bukhari 2)
Sahihe-Tir-mizi 3)
Sunane-Ibne
Majah 4) Sunane-Nisai.

The
Prophecies of the Holy Prophet (S.A.)

The Holy Prophet (S.A.)
said :

"This religion will remain ever perfect and
prestigious. After
me there will be twelve successors. All of them will be from Quraish and will
overcome their enemies".

(Tarikhul- Khulafa
by Hatiz Suyuti,
expired in 911 A.H.)

He was well known amongst Sunnis and
Shias. One

of his famous books is Tafsire-Durrul-Mansur'.
Soon after quoting this tradition, he has added a remark;
"This tradition is quoted by Muslim and
Bukhari and also by
others".

(
Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 9, Pg. 81 ) the Holy
Prophet (S.A.) said :"There will be twelve
Emirs after me ."

Who is Mahdi?

After clarifying that there will he
twelve successors after the Holy Prophet (S.A.),
it remains to be clarified as to who is Mahdi,
and which successor of the Holy Prophet (S.A.) he is first, second, third,
fourth - or twelfth
? The Holy Prophet (S.A.) had clarified even this point.

Abdullah bin Abbas related from the Holy
Prophet (S.A.) that:

"I
am the chief of the Messengers and AH
bin Abi Talib is the chief of successors. Certainly after me, there will be
twelve successors. The first of them being All and last of them will be AI-Qaem".

(
Faraaedus-Simtain by
Shaikhul Islam
AI-MuhadithAI-Kabir Ibrahim bin
Mohammad bin
AI-Moayyad AI-Hammui (exp.

In the
same reference the Holy Prophet (S.A.) is reported to have said
:

"There will be twelve
Caliphs and successors after me. Verily the proofs of Allah on the creatures
are twelve. Of them first will be my brother and last of them will be my son." They asked, 'Which of your brothers and which son?"
He
replied :
"My brother All bin Abi Talib. My son Mahdi,
the one who will fill justice and equity in this world as it would be fraught
with injustice and oppression."

The Conclusion:

The Holy Prophet (S.A.) will have twelve successors. The proofs of Allah
will he twelve. The twelfth successor will
be the last and he will be the Mahdi. The divine religion will remain
upto his reappearance as the Holy Prophet (S.A.)
said :

"This religion (Islam) will never decline until
there will be twelve successors of mine.

"[Sunane Abi Daud, Part four,
Kitabul Mahdi, Pg. 40,also Pg. 150, printed
at Egypt
] The characteristic of Mahdi
being the twelfth
successor. Such traditions can be found in abundance in
Shia books of traditions.
Lutfullah Safi
Gulpaigani has compiled hundreds of traditions on such topics in his book
'Muntakhabul-Asar'. The topics under which
traditions are collected are as follows :

The twelfth Imam will be the ninth descendant of Imam
Husain, the fourth descendant of Imam
Reza (A.S.),
the third descendant of Imam Mohammad Taqi
(A.S.), the grandson of Imam
Ali Naqi
(A.S.), the son of Imam
Hasan Askari
(A.S.), etc.

A Ponderable Point

When it is proved that the caliphs or Imams will be twelve, then the
verdict on the veracity of the system of Caliphate can be rendered. Hence,
that series of Caliphate which is beyond Quraish
like the caliphs of
Turkey or which is within Quraish but its number is more or less than twelve,
then definitely it is not a Divinely established
system of Caliphate. For, it is dead impossible
that Allah may have informed the Holy Prophet (S.A.) wrongly about the number
of caliphs. Even this is not evidently possible
that the Holy Prophet (S.A.) had predicted such a thing without Divine
revelation. Here is the point-"When neither
God can commit a mistake nor can the Holy Prophet (S.A.) falter, then what
could be the reason behind the differences in the number of caliphs as suggested
by the Holy Prophet (S.A.)
? Precisely speaking how could there be
only four truly-guided caliphs while the Holy Prophet (S.A.) had predicted
twelve? Ofcourse even this point has to be
admitted that the system of caliphate which originated after the Holy Prophet
(S.A.) as a result ofljma (consensus),
Istekhlaaf (appointment),
Shura (selection committee) and
Qahr-o-Ghalba (coercion) and which by no
means was confined by the figure of twelve
was not a system approved or approbated by Allah or the Holy Prophet (S.A.)