This also raises the question of how Zaidis will verify whether a person is indeed the Mahdi. I guess they would have to look at the prerequisites of Imamate as per the Zaidi doctrine, which is very stringent and in accordance with Quranic precepts. I also remember (and please correct me if I’m wrong, I don’t want to be misrepresenting the Zaidi school) the Zaidi brothers mentioning that every Imam that rises is a ‘Mahdi’ in the sense that he is tasked with delivering guidance and standing against injustice.
However, I think all schools can concur with the fact that the role of the Mahdi who will come in the end of times is pretty distinct. But, again, the question of how to determine whether the Mahdi, whose divine appointment is an indisputable fact irrespective of the faith to which one subscribes, is indeed the son of Abdullah or the son of al Hassan al Askari, remains.
I’m hoping to understand both the Zaidi and Twelver take on this is. What traits or ‘markers’ will the Muslims look out for to determine who the Mahdi is, according to Zaidis and Twelvers? How will lineage be verified? I do not want to instigate any further discord among the Shia brothers on here, I just want to develop a solid understanding of the positions of both schools with respect to the identification of the Mahdi as per authentic ahadith in each school’s corpus.
Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) bless you all