Similarly if Isa realizes that Mahdi is superior to him...

Similarly if Isa realizes that Mahdi is superior to him, it is not permissible for him to allow Mahdi to follow him because, Allah has protected him from pretention, hypocrisy and showing-off. Rather, when once Imam becomes sure that he is more learned than Isa it is permissible for him to take precedence over Isa. Similarly when Isa becomes certain that Mahdi is more learned than him he will allow Hazrat to take precedence and he himself will on the other hand, follow him.