Al-Mahdi (a.s.)

«Mahdi and his parents' name»

what seems evident from the previous traditions (mentioned in chapter no. 4) is this that Mahdi, the awaited one is the son of abu muhammad imam hassan askari (a.s.).

the shia imamiyahs and majority of the sunni scholars unanimously believe that his honourable father's name is hassan.(90)

verily, it is in some of the rare and uncommon traditions that the name of hazrat Mahdi's father is mentioned to be the same as the holy prophet's father.

abu dawoud in his 'sahih' (vol 4 pg. 78) has narrated from zurra-ibn-abdullah a tradition from the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) as such:

'if there remains not more than a day from the life of the earth, god will set the day so long until a person from my progeny shall appear and .... his name is the same as mine and his father's name is the same as my father's name.'

the author of eqdud-durar has narrated this tradition (in the second chapter) from a group mainly comprising of tirmidhi, abu dawoud and baihaqi.

thereafter he says: this tradition has been mentioned by imam ahmad hanbal in his 'musnad'. however he has not mentioned the afore-said sentence of the holy prophet that his father's name is the same as my father's name.

the author says: i have come across some portions of traditions wherein the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) says: the name of Mahdi's father is the same as my father's name. apparently, abu dawoud is preferred. thus, we say: shablanji, in 'nur-ul-absar' (page 231) has narrated the afore-mentioned tradition of the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) from abu dawoud and he from zurra-ibn-abdullah but without this sentence that Mahdi's father's name is the same as my father's name. he (i.e. abu dawoud) says: in another tradition the holy prophet (s.a.w.a.) says: 'the name of Mahdi's father is the same as my father's name.' this very difference in narration from abu dawoud causes one to doubt his narration and consider it to be unreliable. even if we assume this tradition to be firm, it is (still) against and contrary to the numerous 'mustafiza' traditions which are more authentic (from the view-point of the chain of transmission) and obvious (from the view-point of reasoning) than the previously - mentioned tradition. therefore, one should not pay attention to this tradition at all.

in this regard ali-ibn-isa arbeli in 'kashf-ul-ghumma' says: shi'ites do not consider this tradition to be correct because the name of Mahdi and his father's name too has been proved for them (as per authentic reasons). the sunni scholars, have mentioned that the narrator has added something to this tradition. thus, it should be said that this sentence (i.e. the holy prophet saying: 'his father's name is the same as my father's name') is an addition.