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Many Shia Muslims believe the 12th Imam reappearance will be preceded by widespread corruption and chaos. He will establish peace, justice, and restore Islamic law.
Sound Familiar?
It Should!
At its core it is the same message being spread by Alice Bailey, Benjamin Creme and countless others i.e a Savior will come to rescue mankind from itself and introduce a time of perfect peace. The Bible calls this ‘savior’ the antichrist.
SEE Alice Bailey and The Lucis Trust And Benjamin Creme and The Maitreya
The Antichrist
Shia Muslims who make up about 10-20% of Muslims, originated from a political and theological dispute after Muhammad's death in 632 CE over his succession. They believe that leadership rightly belongs to Muhammad's family starting with his cousin/son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib whom they consider the first Imam.
While Sunnis accepted Abu Bakr as the first caliph, Shias saw Ali as the rightful, divinely appointed leader (Imam). This fundamental difference in succession led to distinct theological paths.
Most Shias (often referred to in English as "Twelvers") believe there have only been twelve "true" Imams" all born between the seventh and ninth centuries. The 12th Imam, known as Muhammad al-Mahdi or simply the Mahdi - a title meaning "guided one" , is the 12th and last descendant of Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and her husband Ali ibn Abi Talib.
According to the Shiite version he went into hiding in 941, some 1300 years ago. At an earlier time of rising tensions, the 10 th imam was forced from his home in Medina by the powerful Sunni caliph in Baghdad and was sent to live in Samarra, where he could be kept under closer supervision. Both he and his son were believed to have been poisoned by the caliphate. Fearing such persecution, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who was just a child when he became the 12th imam is said to have then gone into what Shiites call occultation, a kind of suspended state from which it is believed he will return.
The Shi'ites believed that he hid himself in a cave below a mosque in Samarra; this cave is blocked by a gate which the Shi'ites call Bab-al Ghayba, or the "Gate of Occultation." This is one of the most sacred sites in Shi'a Islam, and the faithful gather here to pray for the return of the Twelfth Imam. [Richard Hooker. The Hidden Imam]
Shiites believe he is hidden in the Jamkaran well in Iran - a place of pilgrimage for believers who drop their requests for help into the well in the hope that the Imam will read them and come to their aid. The Mahdi is anticipated as the perfect Muslim who will reappear when the world has become full of oppression and tyranny and unite the world under Islam.
The central Shi'a doctrines revolving around the Hidden Imam are the doctrines of Occultation (Ghayba) and Return (Raj'a) . The Doctrine of Occultation is simply the belief that God hid Muhammad al-Mahdi away from the eyes of men in order to preserve his life. God has miraculously kept him alive since the day he was hidden in 874 AD / 260 AH; eventually God will reveal al-Mahdi to the world and he will return to guide humanity...
The Hidden Imam, however, will eventually leave his Greater Occultation and appear (zuhur) to the world of humanity. This return is the most significant event in the future for the Shi'ite faithful and has thunderous eschatological consequences. This return will occur shortly before the Final Judgment and the end of history. Imam Mahdi will return at the head of the forces of righteousness and do battle with the forces of evil in one, final, apocalyptic battle. When evil has been defeated once and for all, the Imam Mahdi will rule the world for several years under a perfect government and bring about a perfect spirituality among the peoples of the world. After the Imam Mahdi has reigned for several years, Jesus Christ will return (raj'a), as will Husayn and others". [Richard Hooker. The Hidden Imam]
Note: Richard Hooker is a historian and professor formerly associated with Washington State University who created educational web resources on world civilizations, including a 1999 article titled "The Hidden Imam". This article was once featured on the Washington State University web site.
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