Al-Mahdi (a.s.)

[they are those who belong to the party of Allah; know that the party of Allah are the victorious ones.]

«tradition ends»

in the afore-said book, on page 448 he quotes from the book of «fara'ed-us-semtain» a tradition which hassan - ibn - khalid has narrated from abu hassan ali-ibn-musa reza (a.s.) about Mahdi where he mentions that he would be the fourth from his descendants and that when he reappears, the earth would be engulfed with the divine light. thereafter imam continued as such: he is the one whose reappearance shall coincide with the call of a caller from the sky such that all the inhabitants of the land shall hear this cry:- 'know that the hujjat (proof) of Allah has appeared near the house of Allah. so follow him since the truth is in him and with him. the word of Allah too refers to the same.

[if we please, we should send down upon them a sign from the heavens so that their necks should stoop to it.]

naishabouri in his «tafseer» (vol. 1.) in interpreting the verse of ( ' )-says: some of the shias believe that (i.e. unseen) in this verse refers to Mahdi, the awaited one; the one who Allah has promised about him in his book as such:

[Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that he will most certainly make them rulers in the earth.]

moreover, about him the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) has mid the following:

«if there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, god almighty will set the day so long, until a person from my progeny who carries the same name as mine, shall appear and fill the earth with justice opposite the extent it had been filled with injustice and oppression.(6)

naishabouri further says that according to the ahl-e-sunnat, the afore-said verse gives indication to the imamate of «khulafa-e-rashedin» (rightly-guided caliphs) because the word of «menkom» in the holy verse indicates 'part' (of) and it is necessary for this 'part' (of) to be present at the time of addressing. also, it is well-known that those four caliphs (abu bakr, omar, osman and ali) were men of faith and virtue and at that time were present. consequently the matter of caliphate and victory was certain for them. therefore it becomes necessary to say that this verse refers to them.

thereafter he says: a group have gone against them arguing why it is not permissible to say that the word of denotes exposition. they consider succession over the earth to mean possession and domination over it just as it was so in the case of bani isra'il.