The Emergence of Imam Al-Mahdi

Imam Al-Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) is the twelfth and last of the chain of the Purified Imams (pbut). His respected father is Imam Hassan Al-Askari (pbuh). His beloved mother is Narjis Khatoon, she was the descendant of the Caesar of Rome from her father's side, and the descendant of Shamoon, the vicegerent of Jesus (pbuh), from her mother's side.

At the dawn of Friday the fifteenth day of Sha`ban 255 AH, corresponding to July 29th, 869 AD, in the city of Sammira in Iraq, the ‘Last Promise of God Almighty,’ Imam Al-Mahdi, spread his holy light all over the world.

At that moment, Imam Hassan Al-Askari asked his aunt, Lady Hakima, to enter Lady Narjis’s room. She stopped in front of her room stunned, it was full of pure, divine light! She then saw a beautiful, sweet infant boy who was bowing down toward the qibla, the direction towards Ka’aba, praising God Almighty. Lady Hakima also saw Lady Narjis’s face and forehead shining more splendidly than the midday sun!

While bowing down, Imam Al-Mahdi raised his index finger towards the sky and spoke, “I testify that there is no god but Allah! I also believe in a single, unique God and there is no partner for Him. I testify that my ancestor is the Messenger of God, and I testify that my father, The Commander of the Believers, was the Proof of God!” Then, Imam Al-Mahdi said the names of his ancestors and called them Proofs of God Almighty. Imam Al-Mahdi uttered God’s Holy Names, then added, “O’ God Almighty! Please, fulfill Your promise for me and help me finish my duty! Make my steps constant and firm and spread Your justice and equity all over the world at my hand!”

After having pronounced those holy prayers, Imam Al-Mahdi sat on his knee, raised his head and his index finger toward the sky, and sneezed a few times. After each sneeze, he uttered, “Praise be the Lord, God, and the Creator of the worlds! And may God’s greetings and blessings be bestowed on Muhammad and his holy family. I am a servant of God, submissive without any pride, and I will always invoke and remember my Creator, God Almighty! The power of darkness thinks wrongly that the Proof of God has been destroyed so far; if we were permitted to talk, surely all doubts and hesitations would have vanished!

After that, a multitude of white birds descended from heaven and rubbed their white and pure wings on Imam Al-Mahdi’s tender feet, hands, and holy face. When Lady Hakima narrated these events to Imam Hassan Al-Askari, he smiled and said, “Those are the purest angels of God! They have come down to consecrate themselves! They are to be his companions on the Day of Resurrection.”

The angel in charge of paradise is called Radhwan, he had the honor of washing the holy body of the newborn baby in the ponds of paradise: Kawthar and Salsabil. Then, Lady Hakimah washed his body once again, held him tightly in her arms, and smelled the ethereal perfume of his holy body. She then saw a inscription written on his right forearm, “The truth has come and the falsehood has vanished. Surely, falsehood is a vanishing thing.”

Lady Narjis and Lady Hakima spoke and played for a few minutes with the infant boy while he was laughing. Then Imam Hassan Al-Askari said, “My dear aunt, would you please bring on my son here to me?”

Lady Hakima smiled once more at the baby, enveloped him in a silk cloth, and went to Imam Hassan’s room. While still in the hands of Lady Hakima, Imam Al-Mahdi saluted his father. Imam Hassan replied to his son’s greetings, sat him on his own knees, and recited the call for prayer in his right ear and iqamah* in his left ear. Imam Hassan embraced his newborn, kissed his hands, feet and face, and pressed him tightly to his chest.

Sources: