Mahdi
The Mahdi (Arabic: ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, romanized: al-Mahdī, lit. 'the Guided') is a messianic and eschatological figure in Islam, who is believed to appear before the End of Times to restore justice and defeat tyranny. His advent is linked to the Christian concept of the Second Coming of Jesus, the Jewish concept of Mashiach ben David, and the Zoroastrian concept of the Saoshyant. The Mahdi forms an important part of Islamic eschatology, although it is interpreted differently between Sunni and Shia Muslims. While the concept is mostly developed in Shia Islam, it is also present in Sunni hadiths and has influenced numerous religious, political, and messianic movements. In Sunni Islam, the Mahdi is described as a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima, who will emerge in the end times to prepare the world for the return of Jesus (Isa).
Most Sunni traditions do not identify him with a historical individual, nor do they attribute to him a occultation. In Shia Islam, the Mahdi has a significant role. He is identified with Muhammad al-Mahdi, the twelfth and final Imam, who entered occultation in the 9th century and remains alive until his divinely ordained reappearance. His return in Shia Islam is regarded as the culmination of sacred history, when he will establish universal justice with the support of Jesus. The Mahdi has occupied a central place in Islamic theology, devotional literature, and popular piety for over a millennium. Throughout history, there have been a vast number of Mahdi claimants.
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