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The Mahdi (Ma Adi or Primordial Mother)
“The Mahdi, (the name of the last of the twelve imams, the first being
Ali, son-in-law of Mohammed) according to Islam, and in particular its
Shiite branch, is the Savior to come at the time of the Last Judgment to
save the world. It is interesting to recall that Mahdi, in Sanskrit, is
the contraction of Ma Adi (Primordial Mother) in the same way that the
returning Savior according to Buddha, Maitreya, is a contraction of Ma
Treya (Mother threefold, trimorphic protonnoia or trigunatmika).
The function of the Mahdi is similar to those attributed to the Kalki of
the Hindus, the Maitreya of the Buddhists or the Christ King of the
Christians. The return of the Mahdi constitutes the most frequent
prediction of the imams. Al-Kultani and Al-Nu’mani consecrated an entire
chapter and Ibn Babunye passed down in thirteen chapters the predictions
of the Prophet, Fatima and of the eleven imams on the subject of the
Twelfth imam.
The obscure presence of the Mahdi dominates totally the religious
conscience of imamism during the period of the disappearance of Ali
until the return of the awaited Savior. But here and there, throughout
the prophetic texts, there are hints of an esoteric knowledge. “At the
moment of birth a light pierced the top of the child’s head (a possible
reference to the opening of the seventh chakra) and reached into the
depth of the sky. This child is the Mahdi, He who will fill the earth
with equality and justice just as it is now filled with oppression and
injustice.” 2
The universal precursory Sign of the return of the Mahdi, “He who
Guides,” consists of the general invasion of the earth by Evil and the
victory of the forces of Evil over those of Good. Without such a
manifestation, the entirety of humanity would be engulfed by darkness.
Here we find extracts from the eulogies of Ali Talib describing various
components of the sign announcing the return of the Mahdi. The Sign
consists of the following traits: the people will neglect prayer,
squander the divinity which is conferred on them, legalize untruths,
practice usury, accept bribes, construct huge edifices, sell religion to
win this lower world, employ idiots, consult with women, break family
ties, obey passion and consider insignificant the letting of blood.
Magnanimity will be considered as weakness and injustice as glory,
princesses will be debauched and ministers will be oppressors,
intellectuals will be traitors and the reader of the Koran vicious.
False witness will be brought openly and immorality proclaimed in loud
voices. A word of promise will be slander, sin and exaggeration.
”The sacred Books will be ornate, the mosques disguised, the minarets
extended. Criminals will be praised, the lines of combat narrowed,
hearts in disaccord and pacts broken. Women, greedy for the riches of
this lower world, will involve themselves in the business of their
husbands, the vicious voices of the man will be loud and will be
listened to. The most ignoble of the people will become leaders, the
debauched will be believed for fear of the Evil they will cause, the
liar will be considered as truthful and the traitor as trustworthy… They
will resort to singers and musical instruments … and women will horse
ride, they will resemble men and the men will resemble women. The people
will prefer the activities of this lower-world to those of the
Higher-World and will cover with lambskin the hearts of wolves.” 3
The Qaim (Mahdi) comes to re-establish the lost sense of sanctity.
Firstly He will re-establish Islam to its original purity and integrity.
4 The imam is described also as energy-giving. The imam says: “As to the
way of benefiting from my presence (literally – “to benefit of me”)
during my disappearance, it is similar to the profit we gain from the
sun while it is hidden from sight by the clouds.” 5
According to Majid Golpur, a scholar who reviewed the relationship
between ancient Muslim writings and new revelations, some language seem
to refer to new cognitive powers that may be associated with the rise of
the Kundalini. All the faithful joining the ranks of the Mahdi will be
gifted with special miraculous powers, in particular those of super
sensitive communication with the imam. “At the time of Advent of our
Qur’an,” says Ja’far, “God, may He be exalted and glorified, will
develop the hearing and sight of our faithful in such a manner that,
without there being a messenger between the Qa’im and themselves, He
will speak with them and they hear Him and see Him without Him having
left the place where He is.” 6
This text probably refers to the dawn of collective consciousness, whose
property is the connectivity described in the previous chapters. More
specifically, we can recognize a mention
of the
vibratory consciousness of the chakras, which correspond to specific
locations in the hands. “For decisions which they have difficulty in
taking, they will receive instructions and direction from the imam who
will write on the palm of their hands, they need only look and then
execute the orders.” 7
The following language could possibly indicate a succession of imams or
the collectivity of realized souls, through the reference of the wind.
But, without subtler the subtler spiritual experience, it can easily
feed the delusion of self-appointed elect fanatics. God speaks: “O
Mohammad. These are My friends, My pure elect, and My proof after you
for mankind. They are your legatees and your priests and the best of My
creatures after you. By My Glory and My Majesty I will manifest through
them My Religion and I will raise through them My Word; by the last of
them (Mahdi) I will make the earth pure of My enemies. I will establish
him from the sunrise to the sunset throughout the entire earth; I will
confer to his power the wind and will lower for him the stubborn clouds.
I will help him with My Army and aid him with My Angels until he raises
My Name and the creatures acknowledge My uniqueness, and then I will
prolong his reign and I will ensure the succession of My Friends over
the time until the Day of Resurrection.” 8
In this way the awaited Imam (al-Muntazar) Mad-dhi, Qaim, will prepare
the earth for the Last Judgment and the Resurrection. The battle of
Qa’im will mark the ultimate victory of the ‘believers’ against their
‘enemies’ and the universal and final establishment of the ‘religion’ of
the imams. The community of the faithful is a familiar theme of all
eschatology.
It is interesting to know that these texts imply a profound criticism of
Islam as some parts of the Arab world seem to know it. The returned
Mahdi will do as did the Prophet, destroying that which was before, just
as the Prophet destroyed the rituals of the period of ignorance, and He
will establish once again Islam. Our Qa’im will repair the Mosque and
will reconstruct His Mecca. The Qa’im will bring a new Order, a new
Book, a new Legislation and a New Tradition. 9
Of course the primary ambiguity of these prophecies is that they may
refer to more spiritual and ethical realities or be understood as a
militant call for a violent upheaval. But there are texts indicating
that these prophecies do not invite the fight of Islam against other
religions but rather, the fight of all religions for their inner
renewal. Mahdi will equally re-establish the other religions, also
abandoned and disfigured, in their original Truth and Purity.
Indeed: “The Mahdi will extract the Torah and the other Divine Books
from their caverns and will judge amongst the faithful of the Evangiles
according to the Evangiles, amongst the faithful of al-Zabur (The
Book of David) according to the al-Zabur and amongst the faithful
of the Koran according to the Koran.” 10
It is the universal initiation by the imam of all men into the secrets
of existence and of their own religions, and this is without doubt the
meaning which must be understood by the term Mahdi given by the fifth
imam al-Bagir: Mahdi (the Guide) is named as such because it is he who
will guide (Yahdi) us in the secret teachings.” 11
If so, the prediction of the Mahdi does not announce the victory of
zealot warriors who will wipe out non-believers, understood to be other
races or religions. Rather, the prophecies talk of the power of love,
not the might of hate. They would then refer to the fight against
ignorance, no doubt the most formidable of all battles. But if Allah is
indeed the Merciful and Compassionate, such is the most likely meaning
of the predictions of the imams. The real jihad is an internal fight for
our own purification, so that our full spiritual potential might finally
manifest. Consequently, even in the stern Muslim prophecies we can read
the hopeful and promising light of mankind’s renewal. This may or may
not combine with events of massive destruction that can still manifest.
But let us focus on the hopeful dimension of this momentous period.”
Gregoire de Kalbermatten, The Third Advent, King Printing 2003,
pg. 205-8
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