al-Husayn.

al-Husayn.” 103 hadith on: “Mahdi is among the descendants of Imam Muhammad Baqir.” 103 hadith on: “Mahdi is among the descendants of Imam Ja'far Sadiq.” 99 hadith on: “Mahdi is the sixth descendant of Imam Sadiq.” 101 hadith on: “Mahdi is among the descendants of Imam Musa al-Kazim.” 98 hadith on: “Mahdi is the fifth descendant of Imam Kazim.” 95 hadith on: “Mahdi is the fourth descendant of Imam 'Ali Rida.” 90 hadith on: “Mahdi is the third descendant of Imam Muhammad Taqi.” 90 hadith on: “Mahdi is among the descendants of Imam 'Ali al-Hadi.” 145 hadith on: “Mahdi is Imam Hasan 'Askari's son.” 148 hadith on: “The name of Mahdi's father is Hasan.” 47 hadith on: "The name and patronymic of the Mahdi will be that of the Prophet's name and patronymic[^3]." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) declared: The Promised Mahdi is among my descendants.

His name and patronymic will be the same as mine. In creation and conduct he will be the closest to me. He will live a life of occultation during which people will become confused and lost. At that time, like a brilliant star he will appear and fill the earth with justice and equity, as it is filled with injustice and tyranny[^4]. As you can see from these hadith-reports, the Mahdi has been so clearly identified that there remains no doubt as to his identity.

At this juncture, it seems appropriate to remind ourselves that on the basis of some of the prophetic traditions and historical reports one can surmise that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) had…