Mahdism in Islam up to 260 A. H. /874 A. D. by April 1976 0
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MAHDISM IN ISLAM UP TO 260 A. H. /874 A. D. AND ITS RELATION TO ZOROASTRIAN. JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN MESSIANISM BY MOHAMED OSMAN SALIH THESIS PRESENTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY APRIL 1976 0 ý ... Best Copy Available Variable Print Quality -i- Acknowledgements Having completed this work, I should like to express my gratitude and deep thanks to Professor W. Montgomery Watt, head of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Edinburgh, who has supervised this thesis. He has offered me every possible help, encouragement and kindness. He has kindly read the draft of the first six chapters, making valuable remarks and giving helpful advice concerning terminology and other technical points. My thanks are also due to Rev. Dr. Frank Whaling of the Divinity Faculty, University of Edinburgh, who has read the draft of the last chapter making very useful suggestions on different points. Also I should like to acknowledge the efforts of the various scholars whose works have been quoted or been consulted throughout the thesis. I am deeply grateful to my friends and colleagues, Muhammad Shukri, Brendon Turville-Petre and Amanda Britain for their kind help in checking the draft and offering various grammatical corrections. Despite the kind help of those scholars, I must confess that the final choice is always mine and, therefore, any responsibility rests upon my shoulders. I am deeply grateful to the Islamic University of Omdurman for offering me this study leave and subsidising the whole course. I am also greatly indebted to Mrs. Mona Bennett for typing carefully and neatly both the draft and the final script of this thesis, to Miss Irene Crawford, secretary to the Department of Arabic for offering every possible help, to the staff of the - ii - main library of the University of Edinburgh for making many books available to me. Last, but not least, my special thanks go to my wife for her understanding and unlimited help which have made life easier for me and for our small children during the four years of study. M. O. Salih Edinburgh April 1976. - iii - TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements i Table of Contents iii Abstract viii List of Abbreviations x Introduction xvi Chapter I Early Historical References to Mahdi 1 1. Primary usages of the word Mahdi 1 2. The technical usages of the term 10 (a) The doctrine of wasiyya 13 (b) 'All the first Mahdi 21 (c) The origin of the term Mahdi 30 Chapter II The Saba'iyya and Wahdism 36 1. The Muslim historians' account- 36 2. The Western scholars' account 44 (a) The theory of Persian origin of Mahdism 45 (b) The theory of Jewish origin 48 (c) The Judaeo-Christian origin 52 (d) The theory of the Arab origin 55 3. A new look at the Saba'iyya 58 (a) Historical background 58 (b) The truth about Ibn-Saba' 74 (c) Classification of the Saba'iyya 78 (d) The Zutt and the Sayäbija 88 (e) The book of Daniel 99 - iv - Chapter III Early Development of Mahdism 107 1. 'A11 as Däbbat al-Ard (Elijah) 109 2. The doctrine of raj'a (return) 123 3. Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyya another Mahdi 138 Chapter IV Al-Kaysaniyya: the Connection Between Early and Late 155 Development of Mahdism 1. Mahdism as a bridge for political struggle 155 2. The link between the Saba'iyya and the Kaysäniyya 15? 3. Development and division of the Kaysiniyya 169 4. People who are connected with the Kaysäniyya 171 (a) Abü-t-Tufayl ' mir b. %äthila (d. 100 A. H. ) 172 (b) Khandaq al-Asadl (d* about 100 A. H. ) 174 (c) Kuthayyir b. `Abd-ar-Rahmän of Khuzä'a 177 (d) As-Sayyid al-Himyari (d. 173 A. H. ) 179 (e) Abu-Kerb, Hamza b. 'Amära, Bayän b. Sim'an 183 (f) Abu-Häshim and the Häshimiyya 187 5. The sub-sects of the Häshimiyya 190 IChapter V Hadith Base for Mahdism 194 . as a 1. The nature of the problem 194 iths 2. The had of the Mahdi and hope for future 197 restoration 3. Analytical Study of these hadithe 203 -v- 4. The Fatimite Mahdi and inter-tribal and sect 217 conflicts (a) The growth of the Fätimite influence after 'Alt 217 Zayn al-'Abidin (d. 94 A. H. ) (b) Muhammad al-Bägir and the anti-Hanafite 219 extremists (c) Zayd b. 'Ali (d. 121 A. H. ) and the Zaydites 229 (d) Muhammad an-Nafs az-Zakiyya (d. 145 A. H. ) 232 5. Mahdism and the Umayyads 241 (a) The application of the term Mahdi to the 241 early Caliphs (b) The Sufyanite Mahdi 244 (c) 'Umar b. 'Abd-al-'Aziz 247 (d) Mahdism and tribalism 252 (i) The Qahtanite Mahdi 252 (ii) The Kalbite 256 (iii) The Tamimite 257 (iv) The Mahdi of the mawäli 258 6. Wah dism and the 'Abbäsids 262 (a) The 'Abbäsid claim to the wasiyya 262 (b) The 'Abbäsid Mahdi 266 (c) The hadiths of the black banners 270 Chapter VI Mahdism after Ja'far as-Sadia uo to 260 A. H. /874 A. D. 278 1. The Isma'ilism 282 2. The Müsawiyya or the pioneers of the Twelfers 297 S - Ti - Chapter VII Jewish and Christian Messianism 312 1. Definition of the term Messiah 312 (a) The primary usages of the term in the O. T. 312 (b) The technical usage of the term in the O. T. 315 2. Messianism after the exile and the possible influence of Zoroastrianism 319 (a) Historical background 319 (b) The heavenly man and the son of man 323 (c) Development of eschatology in the Prophets 329 and Jewish Apocalypse 3. Jewish pseudo-Messiahs with special reference to 336 Abü-'Isä al-Isfahgni (7th cent. A. D. ) (a) The claimants of Messianism from lot cent. B. C. 336 to the rise of Islam (b) Abi-419; al-Isfahäni and the contemporary 339 " movements (i) His claims 340 (ii) Abi-61s; and the hadiths of the Dajjäl 342 (iii) Yadghän of Hamdänand Serenus of Syria 346 4. Messianism and Jesus 348 (a) Jesus' Messianic confession in the N. T. 348 (b) Jesus and the Christian concept of Messianism 354 as taught by St. Paul (c) The second coming of Christ (parousia or ra 'a) 362 (d) The Antichrist 369 - vii - j 5. Christ and the Antichrist in the Muslim eschatology 373 (a) The Qur'änic concept of Jesus, his message 373 and end (i) The virgin birth 373 (ii) The person and message of Jesus 376 (iii) The crucifixion 378 (iv) The Ascension and the Descent 379 (b) Jesus, the Mahdi and the Dajjäl as represented 386 in hadiths (i) The Dajjäl and his defeat by Jesus 387 (ii) The Mahdi and his relation to Jesus 390 (iii) The Descent of Jesus in the hadths 392 Bibliography 397 - viii - Abstract The aim of this thesis, as its title indicates, is to investigate the origin of the idea of the blahdi in Islam and try to find out its relation to the similar ideas of the expected Saviour (Messiah) of the Zoroastrian, Jewish and Christian traditions. In the first six chapters the study is based on the primary sources dealing with the hadithe (sayings) attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, the Qur'änic commentaries, the early historical material and heresiographical works. Massive secondary sources have also been consulted. In the last chapter, which deals with Jewish and Christian Messianism, the primary sources are the Old and New Testaments and the Apocalyptic literature. In dealing with the relation between Zoroastrian, Jewish and Christian Messianism I rely upon the scholarly works of various authors in the field of comparative study of religions. Reference is made to all these sources in the footnotes or in the text if it is necessary. Thus, chapter one deals with the primary and technical usage of the term Mahdi, the origin of this usage, its relation to the term Messiah and how the doctrine of wasiyya led to the belief in the Mahdism of $All b. Ab1-T7tlib, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law. Chapter two explains v: Jews of the Muslim historians concerning the phenomenon of the Saba'iyya and the theories of the modern Western scholars concerning the origin of Mahdism and Saba'iyya. In the light of the information which I obtain from numerous sources, the whole question of Saba'iyya has been reviewed. - ix - In chapter three the early development of Mahdism is studied; and chapter four discusses the Kaysänites who believed in the Mahdism of Ibn-al-Hanafiyya and were the connection between the earlier and later developments of Mahdism. Chapter five concen- trates on the study of the hadithe in which the Prophet Muhammad was reported to have preached the good tidings of the expected Mahdi. The analytical study shows that the growth of these hadiths has something to do with the inter-tribal and sect conflicts. The rest of chapter five deals with the identification of these hadiths with certain historical persons or groups. The seventh and last chapter deals with the Jewish and Christian Messianism and its relation to Zoroastrian Messianic ideas. It also demonstrates the impact of late Jewish pseudo- 'Messiahs upon the Muslim concept of Mahdi, Christ and Antichrist. The influence of early Christian beliefs in the second coming of Jesus upon the Muslim eschatology is also explained. It is concluded that there is not a clear reference to a Mahdi or awaited Saviour in the Qur'än, because the concept of salvation in the Qur'än is based upon individual responsibility and then that of nation as a whole.