The Twelfth Imam
The Twelfth Imam
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Article ID: 30
Article Date: 2015-05-31
Writer: Mostafa Amiri (http://rajanews.com/node/213401)
"Yemen" – "Yemeni" – "A Definite Sign of the Reappearance" – "The Uprising of Imam Mahdi"
A review of what has been mentioned in historical and hadith sources about Yemen and the Yemenis shows that this land has carried a culture and a people highly esteemed and beloved by the Prophet Muhammad and the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). What has intensified the attention toward Yemen and the Yemenis in these days is the role attributed to them in the narrations of the end times and the reappearance, strengthening the speculation that the events of Yemen may be another page in the nearness of the realization of the definite signs of the reappearance.
According to the Qur’an and hadiths, the acceptance of the invitation of Prophet Solomon by Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba in the land of Yemen, is clear evidence of the Yemenis’ acceptance of monotheism even before the arrival of Islam in this land.
The Yemenis were the first nation to respond to the call of Prophet Abraham for the pilgrimage to the House of God. The late Kulayni in the noble book al-Kafi narrates from Imam al-Baqir or Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon them) that:
“Abraham (PBUH) invited people to the pilgrimage and said: O people, I am Abraham, the Friend of God. God has commanded you to perform the pilgrimage of this House (Ka‘bah)… The first people who responded to Abraham’s call were a group of Yemenis.” (Kulayni, al-Kafi, vol. 4, p. 205)
The attachment and love of Yemen toward the Ahl al-Bayt is well known. The people of Yemen embraced Islam through the blessed hands of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (PBUH), and most of his supporters were from the tribe of Hamdan.(1) It seems it was destined that the people of Yemen would believe through the hand of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (PBUH), and not through anyone else. Of course, the Yemenis were under pressure during the Umayyad period.
Yemeni migrants brought Shi‘ism to the city of Qom in Iran, and the Shi‘ism of Qom is thanks to the Ash‘aris of Yemen. The followers and special companions of the Prophet and the Commander of the Faithful included: Uways al-Qarani, Malik al-Ashtar al-Nakha‘i, Hajar ibn ‘Adi, Hani ibn ‘Urwa, Kumayl ibn Ziyad, Miqdad, and 34 of the martyrs of Karbala, as well as a group of the Tawwabin all of whom were from Yemen. (2)
Even now, the Ash‘aris of the city of Qom in Iran, some tribes of Iraq, and especially the Shi‘a families of the ‘Amili in Lebanon are originally from Yemen.
The Houthis of Yemen belong to the Jarudi Zaydis. This group of Zaydis, unlike some others, believes in wilayah and bara’ah similar to the Shi‘a. (loyalty to rightful Islamic leaders and avoidance of their opponents; key practices in Twelver Shi‘a Islam) In Zaydi jurisprudence, the Imam must be from the descendants of al-Hasan and al-Husayn (peace be upon them), a scholar, and one who rises with God’s command. Some Yemenis, since they saw all three conditions fulfilled in Ayatollah Khomeini (the founder of the Islamic Revolution in Iran), considered obedience to him obligatory, and now they hold similar beliefs regarding the current leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei. The Zaydis, especially the Houthis of Yemen, have a positive view toward the Twelver Shi‘a. When Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president of Yemen, objected to them by saying, “Why have some of your children become Twelvers?” the Zaydis replied: “Because if they had remained Zaydis, they would have believed in uprising, but now they are awaiting the Imam Mahdi (PBUH).” For more familiarity with the Shi‘a of Yemen, the Yemeni, and the role of Yemenis in the end times, see (3).
“Yemeni,” “Qahtani,” “Mansur al-Yamani,” and “the helper of Imam Mahdi” are different terms for one personality who will certainly rise before the reappearance of Imam Mahdi. Narrations about the Yemeni have been mentioned in both Sunni and Shi‘a sources, and the Yemenis take great pride in this figure. Some Mahdism scholars, including Allama Kurani, believe that the Yemeni is a special supporter of Imam Mahdi and that obedience to him is obligatory. He will rise six months before the reappearance:
“When the Yemeni appears, obedience to him is obligatory upon every believer. Whoever turns away from him is destined for the Fire, because he calls toward the truth and toward your master [Imam Mahdi (PBUH)].” (4)
This narration places very strong emphasis on following the Yemeni. The public leader, official representative, and spokesman of the Imam at this stage is the Yemeni, who, with his army, will march to conquer Mecca and will be victorious. Furthermore, the Yemeni rises in Sana‘a, in Yemen itself, not in the outskirts of Yemen or in the area of the Houthis. Therefore, at the present time, the Houthis do not claim to be the Yemeni.
The hadiths and Shi‘a hadith sources have regarded the uprising of the Yamani as one of the definite signs of the reappearance. The narrations about the Yamani in Shi‘a hadith sources amount to around 15 narrations, among which some are also authentic in terms of chain of transmission. Therefore, the narrations about the Yamani are not merely mustafid (5) but rather mutawatir ma‘nawi (6).
“The heavenly cry is definite, the emergence of the Sufyani is definite, the emergence of the Yamani is definite, the martyrdom of the Pure Soul is definite, and the appearance of a hand in the sky is definite…” (7)
The Yamani, as the second definite sign of the reappearance and the uprising of Imam Mahdi, will begin his uprising in the month of Rajab of the year of the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (PBUH), simultaneously with the revolt of the Sufyani from the region of Sham and Syria, starting his movement from Yemen (according to the famous opinion). The difference, however, is that the revolt of the Sufyani is against the righteous uprising of the Mahdi, while the Yamani is among the followers of Imam Ali (PBUH) and the supporters of Imam Mahdi (PBUH). He calls people to the truth, the straight path, and Imam Mahdi (PBUH). Based on an authentic hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH), the uprising of the Yamani, alongside the revolt of the Sufyani, the heavenly cry, the killing of pure soul, and the swallowing up of the army of the Sufyani in the land of Bayda’, are among the definite signs of the reappearance.
It has been narrated authentically from Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH):
“Before the uprising of the Qa’im, there are five definite signs: the Yamani, the Sufyani, the heavenly cry, the martyrdom of pure soul, and the swallowing up (of the army) in Bayda’.” (8)
In addition to the above narration, in other narrations as well, the uprising of the Yamani, along with the Sufyani and the Khurasani, is considered among the definite signs of the reappearance of Imam Mahdi. Imam al-Sadiq has said in another narration:
“The emergence of the Khurasani, the Sufyani, and the Yamani will be in one year, one month, and one day.” (9)
The emergence of claimants of Yamani-hood throughout history and the acceptance of their claims by many Muslims demonstrates the originality of the Yamani. In contemporary times, a man named Ahmad Isma‘il Kat‘ (also known as Ahmad al-Hasan al-Basri), by forging titles, nicknames, and the claim of being the son of Imam Mahdi, has simultaneously introduced himself as the Yamani. His followers and supporters claim that his place of emergence is Iraq, while the Yamani emerges from Yemen and Sana‘a.
In authentic narrations, neither the name nor the lineage of the Yamani has been specified, and there is doubt as to whether the Yamani is from the descendants of Banu Hashim. The Yamani has been referred to in hadiths with titles and terms such as “al-Yamani,” “al-Qahtani,” “al-Khalifah al-Yamani,” “al-Mansur al-Kindi,” and “al-Mansur al-Yamani.” The hadiths describe the Yamani as a follower of Imam Ali (PBUH), and in some narrations, the Yamani is said to be from the progeny of Zayd ibn Ali. In any case, the Yamani is a follower of the Ahl al-Bayt, adherent to the true religion, and a Shi‘a Muslim.
Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) said:
“…The Yamani is among the lovers and followers of Imam Ali, but this person (a man named Talib al-Haqq) disassociates himself from Imam Ali.” (10)
The Yamani is considered a faithful and pious person and has been referred to as the most rightly guided banner. He rises with the intention of reform before the reappearance of Imam Mahdi.
Imam al-Baqir said about this:
“…Among the banners, there is no banner more rightly guided than the banner of the Yamani. It is the banner of guidance because it calls toward your master (Imam Mahdi).” (11)
However, describing the banner of the Yamani as the most rightly guided does not mean that the Yamani is infallible or holds the station of ‘ismah. Nor does it necessarily mean that he is the most rightly guided person. Although he is a righteous servant of God and one of the trusted ones of Imam Mahdi, because, in addition to the Yamani, according to narrations, the banner of the Khurasani is also described as a banner of guidance. Due to the presence of the companions of the Qa’im in the Khurasani army from Iran, as well as the cooperation and assistance of the Khurasani to the Yamani in the battle against the Sufyani, the Khurasani banner is also a banner of guidance.
In an authentic narration, Imam al-Baqir, after mentioning the killing and plundering of the Kufans by the army of the Sufyani, said:
“…While the army of the Sufyani is engaged in killing and looting the people of Kufa, suddenly banners from Khurasan will come forth, rapidly crossing the stations. Among them will be a number of the companions of Imam Mahdi.”(12)
The presence of the companions of Imam Mahdi among the Khurasani army is the best evidence of the merit-based nature, authenticity, and guidance of the Khurasani uprising alongside the banner of the Yamani.
Therefore, the description of a banner as the most rightly guided is in contrast to the banner of the Sufyani, so that Muslims and Shi‘a may not be mistaken and can recognize their duty. This is because the Sufyani, by claiming to be the savior of the Muslim Ummah and claiming true Islam, will seize the Islamic lands and the region of Sham and Syria.
In the narrations, the event of the uprising of the Yamani has not been described in detail, nor has it been stated whether the Yamani will rule a specific region or country after his uprising.
Therefore, there is ambiguity in this regard. However, believers have been advised to strive to support him at the beginning of the Yamani movement. Some narrations have even declared opposition to the Yamani as forbidden. According to the famous opinion and numerous hadiths of scholars, the emergence of the Yamani is simultaneous with the emergence of the Sufyani (the meaning of simultaneity of emergence refers to the beginning of the Sufyani’s movement toward Iraq after the battle of Qarqisiya; and between the Sufyani’s first emergence from Wadi al-Yabis until the emergence of the Yamani and the Khurasani to fight the Sufyani in Iraq, there is a gap of about seven or eight months). The place of the Yamani’s emergence has been mentioned as Yemen and the region of Sana‘a.
In response to the question of when your Qa’im will rise, Imam al-Baqir said:
“…When the Sufyani emerges from Sham, the Yamani emerges from Yemen, and [the army of the Sufyani] is swallowed in the land of Bayda’.” (13)
The course of the Yamani’s movement and his activities have not been precisely or extensively reflected in the related narrations. It is possible that the details of this matter were mentioned by the infallible leaders but have not reached us. However, if the limited number of narrations on this subject originates from the leaders’ deliberate avoidance of addressing it, then probably this concealment was intentional in order to prevent the enemies from pre-planning to counter the Yamani movement.
Although the Yamani is the most rightly guided banner and, according to explicit narrations, opposition to the Yamani is forbidden and his enemy is in the Fire, and although the Yamani calls to the straight path and the truth and invites people to Imam Mahdi, yet claims such as “the commander of Imam Mahdi’s army,” “minister,” “representative,” “special deputy,” as well as miracles and wonders for the Yamani and direct connection with Imam Mahdi—although possible in themselves—have no hadithic or textual proof affirming these qualities for the Yamani. Such claims are not established, and the narrations do not explicitly mention them. Likewise, claims of ‘ismah (infallibility), portraying the Yamani as infallible, or being the son of Imam Mahdi are false, invalid, and fabricated. We have no hadith or textual evidence for them.
The emergence and uprising of the Yamani only indicate the nearness of the reappearance of Imam Mahdi, and in the narrations, no role of groundwork or preparation for the government of Imam Mahdi has been reported for the Yamani. On the contrary, in the narrations, the role of preparing for the reappearance has been entrusted to a people from the East (the Iranians), which begins with the uprising of a man from Qom and continues with his successor, the Khurasani banner, which is also described as a banner of guidance, accompanied by the supporters of Mahdi. They inflict the first defeat on the Sufyani in Iraq, and then the Khurasani banner and the Iranians are sent to Imam Mahdi to pledge allegiance. Imam al-Baqir (PBUH) has said:
“…When Imam Mahdi reappears, they will go to him to pledge allegiance.” (14)
As for whether the Yamani will meet Imam Mahdi or not, due to the lack of authentic narrations, one cannot judge decisively. Nevertheless, among the hadiths, there are references to the connection of the Yamani movement with the time of the reappearance, and to the Yamani attaining the honor of meeting Imam Mahdi and being a minister appointed by him.
