ABSTRACT
The term Mahdi (the guided one) occurs neither in the Quran nor in the Prophetic traditions of Muslim and Al-Bukhari which had been acclaimed as authoritative by the consensus of the Muslim community. It does occur, however, in other traditions of doubtful authenticity, i.e. Ibn Maja, Al-Tirmidhi, Abu Da'ud, and others. In these traditions the Mahdi is described as a descendant of the Prophet who will appear at the end of time and rule the world with equity and justice, i.e. 'The world shall not pass away until my nation be governed by one of my house whose name agrees with mine.' 1 A number of early Muslim scholars have questioned the authenticity of such traditions and rejected the idea of a Mahdi as false and unsupported by either the Quran or the Sunna. 2 Nevertheless, the idea developed into a popular belief which has been held with great tenacity up to the present day. During times of religious degeneration or political upheaval, a devout person may assume the office of the 'expected Mahdi' and take upon himself the duty of rectifying the Faith and re-organizing the State by force of arms if necessary. Instances of such manifestations are numerous in the history of Islam.
