Al-Mahdi (a.s.)

seventeenth, the expansion of his government and rule.

eighteenth, the period of his caliphate and leadership.

nineteenth, the circumstances of his demise or assassination.

twentieth, the return to life of some of the dead after his emergence.

the position of lineage and familial dignity, truthfulness and rectitudes, the demeanours and signs, the favours and munificences, the occurances and unpleasantnesses, the hardships and harsh reminiscences and the finally such affairs are not, as per exigencies rational enough to levy for even two people let alone more. maybe it is applicable after the end of this world and its lapse and then its coming into existence from the beginning. however, even though this interpretation is acceptable from the view-point of power of Allah, yet the traditions are apparently inconsistent with the occurance of such an affair because what they evidently reveal is that after the time of Mahdi the day of judgement shall commence.

verily, saying that mahdaviyat is an affair pertaining to the kind and it is possible to have multiple Mahdis with all the afore-said characteristics where each one will be possessesing one of those characteristics will be a claim contrary to the common sense.

in the two testaments (old and new) of torah and bible (ingeel), some of the characteristics of the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) have been stated. amongst the characteristics mentioned are his ways, behaviour, insight, lineage and family and none from the east or west have reckoned these insights and specifications to be referring to muhammad of various kinds. thus, this much difference exists between these insights and the insights of Mahdi so that the possibility of kinds and numbers may be correct for Mahdi but not so for the holy prophet!

the author says: «my imagination (although imagination does not make one free from want of truth) is that the source of claiming mahdaviyat of various kinds are one of the following three:-

firstly, it may be instigated from the part of those fascinated by rule and government and those desirous of kingdom and caliphate.

secondly, it may have appeared in some of sufi sect because when they became helpless in claiming the position of special deputyship, they resorted to devising mahdaviyat of various kinds.