Nobody would see him except some of the relatives...

Nobody would see him except some of the relatives, disciples, and close companions of Imam al-Hasan al-‘Askari (as), who only saw him once in a while.”[^1] Devoted Shi‘as Saw Imam al-Mahdi (as) In the early four or five years of al-Mahdi (as)'s life, during which his noble father was still alive, the devoted Shi‘as had audience with him.

Of these, forty had audience with the eleventh Imam (as) and requested him to show them the Hujjah and the next Imam after him, so that they would get to know him. The Imam did so, and they managed to see the boy, elegant and handsome as his father. Imam al-Hasan al-‘Askari (as) said: “After me, this boy will be your Imam and my vicegerent among you. Obey him, and do not disperse from around his leadership, lest you perish and your religion be demolished.

Also, let it be known that you will not see him from today on, until the lapse of a long time. Thus, obey his deputy, Uthman b. Sa‘id.”[^2] And this way, the eleventh Imam, asserting explicitly the event of major occultation, introduced Imam al-Mahdi (as) to the group of Shi‘as, and proclaimed the continuation of the chain of Imamate. One of the thinkers and philosophers of the third/ninth century, who has had audience with the Imam, is Abu Sahl Nowbakhti.

Anyway, Imam al-Mahdi (as) lived in hiding until his noble father Imam al-Hasan al-‘Askari (as) passed away on Rabi‘ al-Awwal 8, 260/January 1, 874.

According to the Islamic tradition, on this day Imam al-Mahdi (as) was supposed to say funeral prayers for the sacred body of his father, so that the tyrannical Abbasid caliphs could not declare the Imamate as terminated, or the malevolent divert it from its main path; and to delegate the spiritual heritage, Islamic mission, and religious authority to others.

Thus, people saw a boy like a shining moon, so elegantly came out of the Imam (as)'s house, set back his uncle, Ja‘far Kadhdhab, who was preparing to say prayers, and himself said prayers over the sacred body of his father. Necessity of the Last Imam's Occultation The appearing of Imam al-Mahdi (as) and his saying funeral prayers was widely spread around. Abbasid Mu‘tamid's functionaries and agents assaulted Imam al-‘Askari (as)'s house, but the more they searched the less they found.