The Mahdi's Death and the Accession of the Khalifa 1

The author opens the epilogue with an expression of the great grief aroused by the death of the Mahdi. He then draws a parallel between the appearances of the Prophet and that of the Mahdi, stating that with [385] the Mahdi’s manifestation, the resurrection (qiyāma) ³ was manifest to everyone. The Mahdi’s period — as indicated in the Tradition — came to its end. Therefore God transferred the Mahdi to Himself. There follows a transcription of the Mahdi’s ‘last proclamation’ in which, the author says, his death is foretold.