The Imam then added...

The Imam then added: “Awaiting for the deliverance to come is the best act for our Shi’a (2).” (11) Tradition Narrated by Imam ‘Ali Naqi (PBUH) Imam ‘Ali Naqi said: “Following me my son Hasan is the Imam, and following Hasan, it will be the Qa’im who will fill the earth with justice and equity (3).” (12) Tradition Narrated by Imam Hasan ‘Askari (PBUH) Imam Hasan ‘Askari told Musa b. Jafar Baghdadi: I see you disputing in the matter of the Imam after me.

Be aware that anyone who acknowledges the Imams after the Prophet, but rejects the Imamate of my son is like the one who has accepted the prophethood of all the prophets except the prophethood of Muhammad. The one who denies the latter is like the one who has denied all other prophets. The reason is that obedience to the last Imam is like obedience to the first Imam among us. Hence, whoever rejects the last among us is like the one who has rejected the first Imam.

Let it be known to you that the occultation of my son will be so much prolonged that people will fall in doubt except for those whose faith God protects (4). Are these Traditions about the Mahdi Authentic? Engineer Madani: You can follow these traditions only if they are sound and reliable. Do you regard all these traditions about the Mahdi as reliable? Mr. Hoshyar: I do not claim that all the traditions, on the subject of the Mahdi are highly reliable and that all its narrators are trustworthy.

However, there are some among these that could be regarded as unquestionably authentic. These traditions, like all other traditions, include authentic, good, reliable, and weak cases. It is not necessary to go through the investigation of each one of them because, as you have noticed, these traditions are so numerous that any fair-minded and unprejudiced person can refer to them with confidence.

This confidence is based on the underlying theme in all of them that the existence of the Mahdi was among the well-known subjects of Islam whose seeds were sown by the Prophet himself and whose detailed information was provided by the Imams. It is possible to maintain with certainty that in Islam there are few other subjects which could muster so many related traditions as can be summoned concerning the existence of the Mahdi. Let me elaborate.

From the beginning of his mission until the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet had mentioned the subject of the Mahdi innumerable times.