Names may be different but the coming of such a person is universally accepted.

Names may be different but the coming of such a person is universally accepted. He was expected before his birth, and after birth and disappearance. Now his reappearance is awaited, hence his title. AL-MAHDI IN THE HOLY QUR'AN Those who deny AL-MEHDI (AS) base their denial on the incorrect claim that there is no reference to AL-MAHDI in the holy QUR'AN. There are two considerations to be borne in mind while studying the holy QUR'AN: FIRST: names of individuals are not always stated explicitly.

For example, the holy Prophet of Islam (p) is mentioned by name only four times; Muhammad, Ahmed, TAHA and YASIN; whereas he is mentioned implicitly throughout the entire holy QUR'AN. SECOND: scholars of the holy QUR'AN tell us that there are at least four meanings for each QUR'ANIC verse: "MA'NAZAHIR" an apparent or explicit meaning, "TANZIL", revelation (the circumstances under which that particular verse was revealed), and "AT'WIL", interpretation.

In order to fully comprehend a verse, we have to fathom all these four meanings; otherwise, our understanding of it will be extremely shallow, and "little knowledge is a dangerous thing". The following references are all quoted from the most reliable SUNNI sources: On p.

443 of YANABI' AL-MAWADDAH, the HANAFI HAFIZ SULAYMAN AL-QANDUZI quotes JABIR IBN ABDALLAH AL-ANSARI narrating a lengthy HADITH in which a Jew named JANDAL IBN JUNADA IBN JUBAIR accepted Islam at the hands of the Prophet and the new convert asked the Prophet who his WASIS were. The Prophet counted them for JANDAL till he said: "… and after him (i.e. IMAM HASAN AL-'ASKARI (AS) his son Muhammad, who shall be called AL-MAHDI and AL-QA'IM and AL-HUJJA. He shall occult, then shall he come back.

When he comes back, he shall fill the world with justice and equity just as it was filled with injustice and iniquity; blessed are those who persist in their love for them, who persevere during his occultation (GHAYBA, or absence); blessed are those who persist in their love for them, for they are the ones whom God described in His book saying: in it guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear God, who believe in the Unseen (GHAYB)' (QUR'AN, 2: 2-3)" On p.