The Prophecy of Muhammad
al-Mahdi
By Andrew Dwight Harris
In the Shia tradition, Muhammad al-Mahdi was the last of the Twelve Imams. The Twelve Imams, except for the last one, were assassinated. The last Imam, who was the Twelfth Imam, went into 'occultation' - he became hidden from the world, and was known as the Hidden Imam. However, the Hidden Imam is expected to return from occultation, and the return of this Twelfth Imam, in many Islamic traditions, is likened to the Return of Christ. The Twelfth Imam was Muhammad al-Mahdi (and there are also beliefs about the Mahdi in other branches of Islam).
Despite the fact that Muslims say that Prophet Muhammad (of the Qur'an) was the last Prophet, it is also said that because the Mahdi said he would return, therefore another Prophet would appear. Also, the Mahdi appears to be a very specific Prophet. I will use the Bible and a saying (hadith) attributed to Muhammad al-Mahdi to make my point.
In the Bible, Revelation 5:1-4 (KJV), there was no one found to open the Book sealed with the Seven Seals, and in Revelation 5:3-4 John weeps because no one can open the Seven Seals:
Muhammad al-Mahdi is said to have stated about his return:
(Source)
The above two quotes may mean the same thing. What I mean is that John is weeping because no one can open the Book, the Book which is about God, and the Mahdi is saying that, "it is the same as benefiting from the sun when it is beclouded," however the Mahdi is talking about the time before his return from occultation. Therefore it seems that the Mahdi must be the one who will open the Book of the Seven Seals that is mentioned in Revelation in the Bible.
A question might arise that: Who is this Muhammad al-Mahdi, and even the Twelve Imams, that they may play a part in prophecies of the Return of Christ, i.e. the book of Revelation? If we can look at Islam and Christianity as both from God, then it can be seen that the Twelve Imams may have been prophesied to come in the book of Genesis in the Bible:
Of course, later in Genesis it explains that Ishmael had twelve sons who became twelve princes (Genesis 25:16). However, as Ishmael was the father of the Arabs, this verse may also be referring to the Twelve Imams.
Furthermore, in showing that the Mahdi is the one who opens the Book of the Seven Seals, Prophet Muhammad is said to have stated:
(Source)
The teaching of the Seventh Angel, the One mentioned by Prophet Muhammad above, will be so powerful that no one can argue with it and/or bring anything better than His. It goes well with what Bab (the founder of the Baha'i Faith) said: He Whom God Shall Make Manifest will bring a Teaching such that one can write a thousand books for each word in His Teachings.
Also, this is so because no one can open the Book of the Seven Seals but the Christ. It says in Revelation 5:5:
The Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Juda and the Root of David, and he opened the Book, and so should also be the Mahdi.
Some Islamic beliefs say that the Mahdi is on earth right now, so accordingly, the person who opens the Book of the Seven Seals would be that person, and Maitreya of the Mission of Maitreya has opened the Book of the Seven Seals with THOTH, the Eternal Divine Path, and The Greatest Sign.
Finally, according to the Mahdi Wikipedia article:
- He will have the same name as Muhammad."
Maitreya is from the lineage of the Root of David (descended from King David, the Lion of the tribe of Judah), and is also a Sayyed (descended from Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima) - see Maitreya's genealogy.
Maitreya's given name is Mohammed, "he was given the name Mohammed by his parents" (more).
Therefore, Maitreya is the Mahdi.