but he will say, ‘No. Some of you are leaders over others; this is an honor Allah has bestowed upon this ummah.’” (1)

Thus, the leader in this narration is the Mahdi mentioned in the hadith under discussion, and this narration explains it. And with Allah lies success.

Know, O believing brother, that when certain trials arise, many people lose their bearings and lack the insight that would make clear to them the middle path they must follow during such times. They therefore stray far from it. For example, some follow whoever claims to be the Mahdi or Jesus, such as the Qadianis, who followed Mirza Ghulam Ahmad al-Qadiani. He first claimed to be the Mahdi, then to be Jesus, and then claimed prophethood. Another example is the group of the Saudi Juhayman, who instigated the upheaval at the Sacred Mosque in Mecca at the beginning of 1400 AH. He alleged that the Awaited Mahdi was with him and asked those present in the Sacred Mosque to pledge allegiance to him. Some simple-minded, gullible, and wicked people among his followers followed him. Then Allah put an end to their upheaval after they had shed much Muslim blood, and Allah, Exalted is He, relieved His servants of their evil.

Others share our condemnation of these claimants to Mahdiship, yet rashly proceed to reject the sound hadiths concerning the emergence of the Mahdi at the end of time. With complete audacity, they claim that these reports are fabricated and mythical, and they disparage the scholars who affirmed their authenticity, imagining that by doing so they will cut off the root of those wicked claimants. Such a person and his like do not realize that this approach may also lead them to deny the hadiths concerning the descent of Jesus, peace be upon him, despite their being mass-transmitted. This has in fact happened to some of them, such as Professor Farid Wajdi, Shaykh Rashid Rida, and others. Would that then lead them to deny the Lord’s godhood, His exclusive right to be worshipped, because some human beings have claimed it, as is well known?!

We ask Allah to keep us safe from the trials of those claimants and of those who reject the sound, established hadiths transmitted from the Master of the Messengers, upon whom be the best blessings and the most complete peace.