Summary Article: An Analysis of False Mahdism Claims in the Islamic History from the First to the Fourth Centuries A.H
Sheikh Usama Al-Atabi
This study proposes a historical perusal of the false claims of Mahdism in the Islamic nation. In any analytical research, the study of history is crucial because it is a supporting factor in theological fields. The study of history plays a great role also in all Islamic fields, like literature, politics, jurisprudence, philosophy, and other fundamental Islamic sciences. So, in the light of history, we will find out that the case of false claims of Mahdism is not a new phenomenon, or that the Occultation of Imam Al-Mahdi (PBUH) must be blamed. This problem appeared since the very first stages of the Islamic history. These false claims are classified as the following:
١- Claims for oneself.
٢- Claims for others. This also subdivides as the following:
a. Claims before death.
b. Claims after death.
٣- Claims of relation to Imam Al-Mahdi (the son of the Imam, his inheritor, his representative, the door to the Imam, his representative, his ambassador).
٤- Claims of signs of the Debut of the Imam Al-Mahdi, as being Al-Yamani, Al-Sofiani, Al-Hasani, and other characters.
So, this study goes through a historical perusal of the most important false claims of Mahdism starting from the first century to the end of the fourth century. It also highlights the ideological, political, and personal factors that gave rise to these claims.
