Sālim, from his father, from Abū Rūmān and Abū Thābit, from...

Sālim, from his father, from Abū Rūmān and Abū Thābit, from `Alī, may Allah be satisfied with him, that the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him [and his family], said: “A person from my Ahl al-Bait will emerge with nine flags— meaning from Mecca.” Al-Fitan[^9]: Yaḥyā al-Yamān narrated to us, from Qays, from `Abd-Allah b. Sharīk who said: “With the Mahdī is the victorious flag of the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family.

I wish I could meet him even if my ears, nose, and lips were chopped off.” [^1]: Al-Fitan, vol. 4, pp. 166 & 168; al-Burhān fī `alāmāt Mahdī ākhir al-zamān, chap. 7, p. 151, no. 19, and chap. 7, p. 152, no. 23, with the addition of “and he will defeat his followers” at its end; al-Malāḥim wa l-fitan, chap. 96, p. 53, and chap. 103, p. 55. [^2]: Al-Fitan, vol. 4, chap. “al-Rayāt al-sūd lil-Mahdī ba`d rāyāt Banī l-`Abbās,” p. 167, and, vol. 5, chap. “Ṣifat al-Mahdī . . .,” p.

196; al-Malāḥim wa l-fitan, chap. 98, pp. 53–54; al-Burhān fī `alāmāt Mahdī ākhir al-zamān, chap. 7, pp. 151–152, no. 21. [^3]: Al-Fitan, vol. 5, p. 191; Yanābī` al-mawadda, p. 435; al-Malāḥim wa l-fitan, chap. 141, sect. 1, p. 68. [^4]: Al-Burhān fī `alāmāt Mahdī ākhir al-zamān, chap. 7, pp. 150–151, no. 16; al-`Arf al-wardī (al-Ḥāwī lil-fatāwī), vol. 2, p. 130, citing al-Ṭabarānī’s al-Mu`jam al-ausaṭ; Majma` al-zawā’id, vol. 7, p. 318, with an addition in the beginning.

It is worth mentioning that youth does not indicate that he is young in age. This can be inferred using other mutawātir narrations. It either means that he will look like a youth in appearance—as it has been mentioned in some traditions that he will be young in appearance and will not become old with the passing of time and when he reappears, he will look young while the people will have thought that he would be old in age and appearance—or it refers to his chivalry, nobility, and generosity.

The word youth (fitya) in some places of the Quran (e.g. 18:10 & 13) probably has also been interpreted like this. The author of Lisān al-`Arab writes, “Al-Qutaybī says, ‘Youth does not mean young in age or an adolescent. Rather, it means a complete/perfect man . . .’ Al-Aswad b.

Ya`far writes under the verse, ‘and two youths entered the prison with him’ (Quran 12:36), ‘It is likely that both of them were either young or old because they used to call the slaves as young.’ Al-Jauharī opines, ‘Youth means generosity and nobility.