may Allah have mercy on him, from Mālik ibn Anas al-Asbahī, may Allah have mercy on him, from al-Zuhrī, from ‘Abd al-Rahmān ibn Ka‘b ibn Mālik, from his father, may Allah be pleased with him, who reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘The believer’s soul is a bird that feeds in the trees of Paradise until Allah returns it to his body on the Day He resurrects him.’ We ask Allah, who brought them together in the chain of transmission of this hadith, to bring their souls together in the state described in its text, and ours too, by His grace and generosity. This applies only to those other than the martyrs. As for the martyrs, Sahīh Muslim and other works relate that their souls are within green birds.”
3- The lengthy hadith of al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib, may Allah be pleased with him, concerning bliss in the grave, in which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, described what happens from death until resurrection. It appears in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad and other works, and parts of it have corroborating reports in the Sahīh works. The commentator on al-Tahāwiyyah quoted it and then said: “All adherents of the Sunnah and hadith affirm what this hadith entails.” Likewise, the hadith naming the two angels who question people in the grave as Munkar and Nakīr does not appear in the two Sahīh collections. Nevertheless, the adherents of the Sunnah have affirmed what it states as a matter of belief, and the commentator on al-Tahāwiyyah quoted it as evidence.
4- The hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad and others establishing the weighing of deeds—the hadith of the card and the scrolls—does not appear in the two Sahīh collections. Nevertheless, the adherents of the Sunnah have affirmed what it states as a matter of belief. The commentator on al-Tahāwiyyah cited it as evidence that the balance on which deeds will be weighed has two pans and that the records of deeds will be weighed. Space does not permit many examples, so I shall content myself with these.
In short, authentic hadiths must be acted upon, whether they appear in the two Sahīh collections or elsewhere. This includes the hadiths concerning the Mahdi.
Second: Another point I noted in Abū al-A‘lā al-Mawdūdī’s statement about the Mahdi in his book al-Bayānāt is his assertion:
“Nor can it be established, through a far-fetched interpretation, that in Islam there arises a far-fetched interpretation according to which Islam has a religious office known as Mahdiship, in which every Muslim must believe, with failure to believe in it entailing a range of doctrinal and social consequences in this world and the Hereafter.”
I say: On the contrary, there is no doubt that the authentic hadiths concerning the Mahdi indicate that the one who does not speak from his own desire, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, foretold that there would be an imam of the Muslims when Jesus son of Mary descends. His name will match the name of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his father’s name will match the name of the father of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He will belong to the Prophet’s household and will be called the Mahdi. Every Muslim must believe all that the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, reports concerning unseen matters, without exception. This includes reports about the future, such as those concerning the Mahdi, the Dajjāl and similar matters.
Third: His statement:
“It is also appropriate to mention in this connection that Islam has no doctrine concerning the Mahdi, nor has any Sunni work on creed mentioned one.”
I say: The beliefs of the adherents of the Sunnah include affirming