Jubayr ibn Khabur Imam as-Sadiq ( ‘a ) quoted the Commander...

Jubayr ibn Khabur Imam as-Sadiq ( ‘a ) quoted the Commander of the Faithful ( ‘a ) as saying: “While their weapons have already been drawn from the scabbards, this person—Jubayr—along with four thousand men in Jabal al-Ahwaz will wait for the advent of the Qa’im from among us, the . Then, this person along with and beside the Imam will engage in combat against the enemy.”[^11] 6.

‘Umar ibn Mufaddal Imam as-Sadiq said to Mufaddal: “You, along with forty four other persons, will be with Hadrat al-Qa’im ( ‘atfs ). You will be on the right side of the Imam ( ‘a ) enjoining (good) and forbidding (evil), and the people at that time, compared to the people of today, will believe in you more sincerely.”[^12] 7.

The of the Cave (ashab al-kahf) The Commander of the Faithful ( ‘a ) said: “The of the Cave ( ashab al-kahf ) will come to assist the Mahdi ( ‘atfs ).”[^13] The Nationality of the Soldiers The forces of Hadrat al-Mahdi ( ‘atfs ) will be composed of various nationalities. In the hadith s there are various views in this regard. Sometimes, the soldiers of the Imam ( ‘atfs ) have been described as a‘jam —interpreted as non-Arabs.

Some hadith s cite the names of the cities and countries from which soldiers will hasten to assist the Imam ( ‘atfs ). At other times, they have mentioned particular communities ( aqwam ) such as the repentant from among the Children of Israel, the faithful among the Christians, and upright people to be revived in the future, who will assist the Imam ( ‘a ). In this chapter, we will mention some hadith s in this regard. 1.

Iranians It can be understood from the hadith s that a considerable number of the special soldiers in the army of al-Mahdi ( ‘atfs ) would be Iranians and they have been mentioned in various ways such as the people of Rey, the people of Khurasan, the treasures of Taleqan, the Qummis, the people of Persia, etc.

Imam al-Baqir ( ‘a ) said: “The forces with black banners that will rise up from Khurasan will come to Kufah, and when Hadrat al-Mahdi ( ‘atfs ) appears in Mecca, they will pay allegiance to him.”[^14] Imam al-Baqir ( ‘a ) also said: “The supporters of Hadrat al-Qa’im ( ‘a ) will be three hundred and thirteen persons who will be from the children of the a‘jam (non-Arabs).”[^15] ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said that the Prophet (S) said: “God will give your (Muslims’) power to the a‘jam ; they are like lions that will never desert the battlefield.