—with the Chosen Messenger ﷺ foretelling the advent of the Mahdi: that he will be from the Prophet’s own Household, that he will rule for seven years, that he will fill the earth with justice, that he will appear alongside Jesus and help him kill the False Messiah at the Gate of Ludd in the land of Palestine, and that he will lead this community in prayer while Jesus prays behind him—[that is, one prayer only, the dawn prayer].” End quote.

Such, then, is the Mahdi about whom the Messenger of Allah ﷺ spoke, whose distinctive traits, time of emergence, and manner of conduct he clarified in detail.

Yet a number of misguided individuals have prematurely laid claim to the title of Mahdi. None of the authentic descriptions apply to them; their aim was merely to dupe the simple-minded and to exploit the claim for their own worldly ambitions. Allah exposed their lies and laid bare their falsehood. Do not be surprised: even a dwarf once claimed prophethood, fabricating slander against Allah—“And who could be more unjust than one who forges a lie against Allah or says, ‘It has been revealed to me,’ when nothing has been revealed to him”⦗1⦘.

We ask Allah to show us the truth as truth and grant us the grace to follow it, to show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us the grace to avoid it, and to protect us from the evil of misguiding leaders and deceitful impostors. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds.