🪓The Zubayrid Mahdi
Going through all of the Mahdi hadith narrations to find the historical context and reason for such fabrications.
Hadith 1:
Grading: Da’if
Isnad: Muhammad b. Al-Muthanna – Muad b. Hisham – Hisham – Qatada – Salih Abi Al-Khalil – the companion of Salih Abi Al-Khalil [broken isnad, name is concealed/isn’t identified] – Umm Salamah
Narrated by: Umm Salamah, Mother of the Believers:
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
Disagreements will occur at the death of a caliph and a man of the people of Medina will come flying forth to Mecca. Some of the people of Mecca will come to him, bring him out against his will and swear allegiance to him between the Corner and the Maqam. An expeditionary force will then be sent against him from Syria but will be swallowed up in the dessert between Mecca and Medina. When the people see that, the eminent saints pf Syria and the best people of Iraq will come to him and swear allegiance to him between thee Corner and the Maqam. Then there will arise a man from Quraish whose maternal uncles belong to Kalb and send against them an expeditionary force which will be overcome by them, and that is the expedition of Kalb. Disappointed will be the one who does not receive the booty of Kalb. He will divide the property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet (peace be upon him) and establish Islam on earth. He will remain seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him. (Sunnan Abi Dawood 4286, Book 38, Hadith 8)
(Abu Dawood said: Some transmitted from Hisham ‘nine years’, others say ‘seven years’.
Hadith 2:
Grading: Sahih
Isnad: Qutayba b. Sa’id, Abu Bakr b. Abi Shayba, Ishaq b. Ibrahim – Jarir – Abd Al-Aziz b. Rafo’ – UbaydAllah b. al-Qibtiyyah – Al-Harith b. Abi Rabi’ah, AbdAllah b. Safwan – Umm Salamah
Harith b Abi Rabi’a and ‘Abdullah b. Safwan both went to Umm Salama, the Mother of the Faithful, and they asked her about the army which would be sunk in the earth, and this relates to the time when Ibn Zubair (was the governor of Mecca). She reported that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) had said that a seeker of refuge would seek refuge in the Sacred House and an army would be sent to him (in order to kill him) and when it would enter a plain ground, it would be made to sink. I said: Allah’s Messenger, what about him who would be made to accompany this army willy nilly? Thereupon he said: He would be made to sink along with them but he would be raised on the Day of Resurrection on the basis of his intention. Abu Ja’far said. ‘ This plain, ground means the plain ground of Medina. (Sahih Muslim 2882a, Book 54 Hadith 6)
Hadith 3:
Grading: Sahih
Isnad: Amr al-Naqid, Ibn Abi Umar – Sufyan b. Uyaynah – Umayyad b. Safwan – AbdAllah b. Safwan – Hafsa
Abdullah b. Safwan reported that Hafsa told him that she had heard Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) as saying: An army would attack this House in order to fight against the inhabitants of this House and when it would be at the plain ground the ranks in the center of the army would be sunk and the vanguard would call the rear flanks of the army and they would also be sunk and no flank would be left except some people who would go to inform them (their kith and kin). A person (who had been listening to this hadith from Abdallah b. Safwan) said: I bear testimony in regard to you that you are not imputing a lie to Hafsa. And I bear testimony to the fact that Hafsa is not telling a lie about Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him).(Sahih Muslim 2883a, Book 54 Hadith 8)
Hadith 4:
Grading: Sahih
Isnad: Muhammad b. Hatim b. Maimun – Al-Walid b. Salih – UbaydAllah b. Amr – Zaid b. Abi Unaisa – Abd Al Malik Al-Amiri – Yusuf b. Mahek – AbdAllah b. Safwan – Mother of the Believers (not specified which one)
Abdullah b. Safwan reported the Mother of the Faithful as saying that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: They would soon seek protection in this House, viz. Ka’ba (the defenseless), people who would have nothing to protect themselves in the shape of weapons or the strength of the people. An army would be sent to fight (and kill) them and when they would enter a plain ground the army would be sunk in it. Yusuf (one of the narrators) said: It was a people of Syria who had been on that day coming towards Mecca for an attack and Abdullah b. Safwan said: By God, it does not imply this army.
Hadith 5:
Grading: Sahih
Isnad: Abu Bakr b. Abi Shaybah – Yunus b. Muhammad – Al-Qasim b. Al-Fadl, Al-Hadaani – Muhammad b. Ziyad – AbdAllah b. Al-Zubayr – Aisha
‘A’isha reported that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was startled in the state of sleep. We said: Allah’s Messenger, you have done something in the state of your sleep which you never did before, Thereupon he said: Strange it is that some people of my Ummah would attack the House (Ka’ba) (for killing) a person who would belong to the tribe of the Quraish and he would try to seek protection in the House. And when they would reach the plain ground they would be sunk. We said: Allah’s Messenger, all sorts of people throng the path. Thereupon he said: Yes, there would be amongst them people who would come with definite designs and those who would come under duress and there would be travelers also, but they would all be destroyed through one (stroke) of destruction. though they would be raised in different states (on the Day of Resurrection). Allah would, however, raise them according to their intention.
Diagram & Conclusion
It’s evident that the three individuals: AbdAllah b. Al-Harith, AbdAllah b. Safwan, and AbdAllah b. Al-Zubayr conspired together to fabricate narrations in order to bolster support of the Zubayrids against the Umayyads. The narrations are fabricated by Ibn Al-Zubayr’s group to make it seem that the Prophet endorsed their side instead of the Umayyads, so the figure of Al-Mahdi was created (and later repurposed). They created an ex-eventu prophecy given by the Prophet that foretold everything that Ibn Al-Zubayr had already done until that point, which was the defeating the army of Kalb. This incident hadn’t occurred yet, so the three created a prophecy to motivate the Zubayrid army that the Prophet claimed they would win and plunder the Umayyads. In order to incentivize them, the booty of the Umayyads was emphasized for the army to feel motivated to join the fight. This doesn’t occur and they fail to defeat Abd Al-Malik and the Umayyads. The Zubayrid side loses and the prophecy does not come true. The narrations are later picked up by hadith scholars who believe that these narrations are for the future and therefore the figure of the Mahdi is repurposed.
⚔️The Kaysanite Mahdi
The Kaysanite Mahdi
Hadith 1:
Grading: Da’if
Isnad: Fadl b. Dukayn – Yasin Al-Ijili – Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. Al-Hanifiyyah – Muhammad b. Al-Hanifiyyah – Ali b. Abi Talib
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
“The Mahdi is one of us’ Ahlal-Bait (the prophet’s family) and Allah will prepare him in one night”
(Musnad Ahmad 645, Book 5, Hadith 81)
Hadith 2:
Grading: Hasan
Isnad: Uthman b. Abi Shayba – Abu Dawud Al-Hafari – Yasin Al-Ijili – Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. Al-Hanifiyyah – Muhammad b. Al-Hanifiyyah – Ali b. Abi Talib
“Mahdi is one of us, the people of the Household. Allah will rectify him in a single night.”
(Sunan Ibn Majah 4085, Book 36, Hadith 160)
Diagram & Conclusion
Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya, being a prominent figure after the deaths of his father Ali and his brothers Hasan and Husayn, carried significant influence among certain factions of the early Muslim community, particularly among those who were dissatisfied with the ruling Umayyad dynasty. As the leader of the House of Ali, he would naturally have supporters who believed in his rightful claim to leadership.
With the emergence of beliefs surrounding the Mahdi, a figure awaited by Muslims to bring about justice and righteousness, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya’s followers might have sought to solidify his position as the awaited Mahdi. Fabricating hadiths attributing the prophecy of the Mahdi to Ali’s progeny could serve several purposes:
- Legitimizing Ibn al-Hanafiyya’s Authority: By associating the Mahdi prophecy with Ali’s descendants, particularly with Ibn al-Hanafiyya, his supporters could bolster his legitimacy as a leader and further solidify his claim to authority among dissatisfied factions.
- Galvanizing Support: Belief in the Mahdi’s imminent arrival could serve as a rallying point for dissidents and those opposed to the ruling Umayyad dynasty. Fabricating hadiths about the Mahdi coming from Ali’s lineage could inspire hope and unity among those who looked to Ibn al-Hanafiyya as their leader.
- Political Motives: The fabrications could also serve political motives, aiming to challenge the legitimacy of the Umayyad caliphs by presenting an alternative lineage of leadership rooted in the House of Ali.
Considering the historical backdrop of Ibn al-Hanafiyya’s prominence, his followers’ desire for legitimacy and leadership, and the political tensions of the time, it’s plausible that these hadiths were fabricated to serve the interests of Ibn al-Hanafiyya’s supporters.
Taken from: https://hadiths-organization.gitbook.io/hadithcritic-compilation