Abū al-Hasan—since his forefather ‘Alī’s kunyah was Abū al-Hasan—would have been better than this and clearer for anyone seeking guidance and clarity. Moreover, the Mahdi described is a descendant of al-Hasan ibn ‘Alī, not of al-Husayn, as stated in the previously cited wording of ‘Alī’s hadith, may Allah be pleased with him.”

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, devoted a section at the end of his book al-Manār al-Munīf fī al-Hadīth al-Sahīh wa-l-Da‘īf (The Lofty Beacon on Authentic and Weak Hadith) to discussing the hadiths concerning the Mahdi and his emergence, and reconciling them with the hadith, “There is no Mahdi except Jesus son of Mary.” He wrote:

“As for the hadith, ‘There is no Mahdi except Jesus son of Mary,’ Ibn Mājah narrated it in his Sunan from Yūsuf ibn ‘Abd al-A‘lā, from al-Shāfi‘ī, from Muhammad ibn Khālid al-Jundī, from Abān ibn Sāh, from al-Hasan, from Anas ibn Mālik, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is among the reports narrated solely by Muhammad ibn Khālid. Abū al-Husayn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Āburrī said in his book Manāqib al-Shāfi‘ī (The Virtues of al-Shāfi‘ī):

‘This Muhammad ibn Khālid is unknown to the specialists in hadith scholarship and transmission. Reports from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mentioning the Mahdi are mass-transmitted and widespread. They state that he is from his household, that he will rule for seven years and fill the earth with justice, that Jesus will appear and assist him in killing the Dajjāl (the Antichrist), and that he will lead this community in prayer, with Jesus praying behind him.’

Al-Bayhaqī said: ‘This Muhammad ibn Khālid alone narrated it. Al-Hākim Abū ‘Abd Allāh said that he is unknown. Different chains of transmission have been reported from him: it has been narrated from him, from Abān ibn Abī ‘Ayyāsh, from al-Hasan, who attributed it directly to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, without naming an intermediary.’ He said: ‘Thus, the hadith comes down to a report transmitted by Muhammad ibn Khālid—who is unknown—from Abān ibn Abī ‘Ayyāsh—whose reports are abandoned—from al-Husayn, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with a disconnected chain. The hadiths concerning the Mahdi’s emergence have more authentic chains of transmission.’”

Ibn al-Qayyim said: “I say: one example is the hadith of ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

‘If only one day of this world remained, Allah would prolong that day until a man from me—or from my household—emerged. His name would match mine, and his father’s name would match my father’s name. He would fill the earth with equity and justice just as it had been filled with injustice and oppression.’

Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī narrated it, and al-Tirmidhī said: ‘It is a good and authentic hadith.’ He—that is, al-Tirmidhī—said: ‘There are also reports on this subject from ‘Alī, Abū Sa‘īd, Umm Salamah, and Abū Hurayrah.’ He said: ‘It is good and authentic.’” End of quotation.

Ibn al-Qayyim then said: “There are also reports on this subject from Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamān, Abū Umāmah al-Bāhilī, ‘Abd al-Rahmān ibn ‘Awf, ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās, Thawbān, Anas ibn Mālik, Jābir, Ibn ‘Abbās, and others.”

He then cited several hadiths, reproducing the wording given by the compilers of the Sunan and Musnad collections and other works. Some are authentic, while others are weak; he cited the latter for supplementary support.

He then said: “These hadiths fall into four categories: authentic, good, singular, and fabricated. People have held four different views concerning the Mahdi:

The first is that he is the Messiah, son of Mary—who is the Mahdi in