the truest sense—and the proponents of this view cite the aforementioned hadith of Muhammad ibn Khālid al-Jundī. We have already explained its status and that it is not authentic. Even if it were authentic, it would not establish their case, for Jesus is the greatest rightly guided person to appear between the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Hour. The authentic Sunnah transmitted from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, establishes that Jesus will descend at the white minaret east of Damascus, rule according to the Book of Allah, kill the Jews and Christians, abolish the jizyah tax, and destroy the adherents of other religions in his time. Thus, it is valid to say, ‘There is truly no Mahdi but him,’ even though others may be rightly guided, just as one says, ‘There is no knowledge except what benefits, and no wealth except what upholds its owner’s dignity.’ It is likewise valid to say, ‘The Mahdi is none other than Jesus son of Mary,’ meaning the perfectly guided, infallible one.
The second view is that he is the Mahdi who ruled as one of the Abbasids, and whose time has already passed.”
He then cited two hadiths, mentioning the coming of black banners from the east, from the direction of Khurāsān, and indicated that both were weak. Referring to the first and second of these, he then said:
“Even if this report and the one before it were authentic, they would not prove that the Mahdi who ruled as one of the Abbasids is the Mahdi who will emerge at the end of time. Rather, he was one rightly guided man among others. ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz was also rightly guided; indeed, he was more deserving of the title Mahdi than that ruler. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
‘Adhere to my Sunnah and that of the upright, rightly guided caliphs after me.’
According to one of the two accounts transmitted from Imam Ahmad, he held that ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz was among them. There is no doubt that he was upright and rightly guided, but he was not the Mahdi who will emerge at the end of time. The Mahdi stands in relation to goodness and right guidance as the Dajjāl does to evil and misguidance. Just as the great Dajjāl, who will perform extraordinary feats, will be preceded by lying impostors, so the great Mahdi will be preceded by upright, rightly guided men.
The third view is that he is a man from the household of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, a descendant of al-Hasan ibn ‘Alī. He will emerge at the end of time, when the earth has been filled with oppression and injustice, and will fill it with equity and justice. This is what most of the hadiths indicate. There is a subtle wisdom in his being descended from al-Hasan: al-Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, relinquished the caliphate for Allah’s sake, so Allah granted him a descendant who would establish the true caliphate, bringing justice that would fill the earth. Such is Allah’s way with His servants: whoever gives something up for His sake, Allah gives him and his descendants something better in return. This contrasts with al-Husayn, may Allah be pleased with him, who sought the caliphate eagerly and fought for it, but did not attain it. And Allah knows best.”
He then cited some hadiths concerning the emergence of the Mahdi and said:
“As for the Imāmī Rāfidah, they hold a fourth view: that the Mahdi is Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-‘Askarī, the Awaited One, a descendant of al-Husayn ibn ‘Alī, not of al-Hasan, who is present in the cities but hidden from sight, who is bequeathed the staff and sets his seal upon ghadā wood. He entered the cellar at Samarra as a small child more than five hundred