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@Fahad Sani has posed the following question/comment about the ability of Imam Mahdi (as) to help us: I think this is a legitimate question that deserves an answer:

Salaam all, @Fahad Sani sought to teach us a lesson by comparing the cowardice of Caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman for running away in battles to the alleged cowardice of Imam Mahdi being in occultation aka ghaybah. I heard this several times from other wahabis and salafis so this is nothing new. But I do feel it is incumbent upon me (us) to discuss this topic and either learn from him or teach him. Claim: @Fahad Sani's reasoning is that if we call the Caliphs cowards for running away from a few battles, then Imam Mahdi is a bigger coward for being on the run for 1,400 years. Analysis: Let's discuss what is ghaybah: Allah is in Ghaybah since no one can see him Hz Musa (as) went into hiding for several years from Pharoah Hz Yusuf went into hiding for several years fearing his brothers Hz Khizr is still in hiding (2,500+ years) Hz Isa is in hiding fearing his life (~2,000 years) The Prophet Muhammad (saw) went into hiding fearing his life. Caliph Abu Bakr cried while hiding fearing his imminent discovery and death. Based on Fahad Sani's claim, we can determine that Allah and several of his prophets are cowards for hiding fearing their life OR we can say that saving one's life is paramount when not in a state of war. As a matter of fact, occultation, ghaybah, saving one's life is ESTABLISHED SUNNAH. Conclusion: Occultation aka ghaybah is established sunnah. However, there is no instance of any Prophet EVER running away from a field of battle. Once jihad is proclaimed, there is no running from it UNLESS you are a caliph of course. Therefore, ghaybah is not cowardice; running away from several battlefields IS cowardice. Cowardice of Occultation - Myth Busted.

Assalam-o-Alaikum, wa Rehmatullah, wa Barakatuhu. ARE THESE NARRATIONS ABOUT 12TH IMAM AUTHENTIC? ANSWER WITH EVIDENCES? All below narrations are taken from Kitab al-Ghaybah or The Book of Occultation of Sheikh Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ibraheem bin Ja'far al-Katib Known as Ibn Abu Zaynab an-Numani, earliest and most important shia work on occultation of 12th Imam. Same book was totaly included by Baqir Majlisi in his Bihar ul Anwar volumes 51, 52, & 53. All prominent shia scholars have narrated from this book. Like Toosi, Hurr Amili etc. Online: https://www.al-islam.org/kitab-al-ghayba-book-occultation-sheikh-an-numani Download: http://alhassanain.org/english/?com=book&id=903 About the author (Numani) Sheikh Numani got most of his knowledge from Yaqoob Kulayni, author of Al-Kafi. He wrote many books, Jami’ul Akhbar, Ar-Radd ala (answering) al-Isma’eeliyya, Al-Ghayba, Al-Fara’idh, Nathrul La’ali. He finished this book till 342 AH, he died in 360 AH, much before Sheikh Sadooq and Sheikh Toosi. An-Najashi said about him: “He is a sheikh (teacher) from among our companions. He is great in position, noble in rank, loyal in faith and he has narrated many traditions.” Al-Mahoozi said: “He is praiseworthy, lofty and one of the sheikhs, who give permission (who evidence others’ knowledge or works).” About the book (Ghaybah) Al-Hurr al-Aamily said: “It is good and sufficient.” Al-Mahoozi said: “It has many benefits and unheard traditions.” From Chapter 13: Al-Qaim’s aspects and deeds (16) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa'eed bin Oqda narrated from Ali bin al-Hasan from Muhammad bin Khalid from Tha’laba bin Maymoon that al-Hasan bin Haroon had said: Once I was sitting with Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) when al-Mu’alla bin Khunays asked him: “Will al-Qa'im (as), when he appears, act unlike the way, in which Ali (as) has acted?” He said: “Yes, he will. Ali has acted with leniency and forgiving because he has known that his Shia are going to be controlled after him. But al-Qa'im (as), when appears, will kill and capture because he knows that his Shia will not be defeated after him forever.” (18) Ali bin al-Husayn narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya al-Attar from Muhammad bin Hassaan ar-Razi from Muhammad bin Ali al-Kufi from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Abu Nasr from al-Ala’ fro Muhammad bin Muslim that Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (as) had said: “If people know what al-Qa'im (as) will do when he appears, most of them will wish he would not appear. He kills great numbers of people. He begins with the people of Quraysh. He kills much many of them until many people say: He is not from Muhammad’s progeny. If he is from Muhammad’s progeny, he will be merciful!” (19) Ali bin al-Husayn narrated from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Abu Nasr from Aasim bin Hameed al-Hannat from Abu Baseer that Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (as) had said: “Al-Qa'im will rise with a new task, new principles and new judgements. He will be severe with the Arabs. He will do not but killing. He will not forgive anyone and he will not care for any blame because he acts for the sake of Allah. (22) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa'eed narrated from Yahya bin Zakariyya bin Shayban from Yousuf bin Kulayb from al-Hasan bin Ali bin Abu Hamza from Aasim bin Hameed al-Hannat that Abu Hamza ath-Thimali had heard Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (as) saying: “When al-Qa'im of Muhammad’s family appears, Allah will support him with His angels. Gabriel will be in front of him, Michael on the right and Israfel on the left. Terror will precede him about a month-travel before him, behind him, on the right side and on the left side. The close angels will be beside him. The first one to follow him will be Muhammad (as) and the second one will be Ali (as). With his sword he will conquer Rome, Daylam,51 Sind, India, Kabul and the area of the Caspian. Other sources: (16). Biharul Anwar, vol.52 p.353, Hilyatul Abrar, vol.2 p.628. (18). Iqd ad-Durar p.227, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol.3 p.539, Hilyatul Abrar, vol.2 p.629, Biharul Anwar, vol.52 p.354, Bisharatul Islam p.263, Mo’jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.3 p.304. (19). Ithbat al-Hudat, vol.3 p.540, Biharul Anwar, vol.52 p.354, Mo’jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.3 p.253. (22). Ithbat al-Hudat, vol.3 p.540, Biharul Anwar, vol.52, 349, Mo’jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.3 p.183. From Chapter 16: Forbidding timing and naming al-Qaim (1) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa'eed narrated from Ali bin al-Hasan from al-Hasan bin Ali bin Yousuf from Muhammad bin Ali from Sa’dan bin Muslim that Abu Baseer had said: I said to Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): “Does this matter (the appearance of al-Mahdi) not have an end so that we relieve ourselves?” He said: “Yes, it does. But you (people) announced it; therefore Allah put it off.” (10) Muhammad bin Ya'qoob al-Kulayni narrated from Ali bin Muhammad and Muhammad bin al-Hasan from Sahl bin Ziyad and Muhammad bin Yahya from Ahmad bin Muhammad from al-Hasan bin Mahboob that Abu Hamza ath-Thimali had heard Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (as) saying: “Allah had timed this matter to occur in the year seventy (A.H.) but when al-Husayn (as) was killed, He became so angry and put it off until the year one hundred and forty. We told you of that and you announced it and uncovered the secret, so after that Allah did not reveal any timing to us concerning this matter. Allah said: (Allah makes to pass away and establishes what He pleases, and with Him is the basis of the Book).15” Abu Hamza said: “I told Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) of that and he said: “Yes, it was so.” (15) Muhammad bin Ya'qoob narrated from al-Husayn bin Muhammad from Ja'far bin Muhammad from al-Qassim bin Issma'eel al-Anbari from al-Hasan bin Ali from Ibraheem bin Muhzim from his father that Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) had said when the (Abbasid) rulers had been mentioned before him: “People21 perished because they hastened this matter (deliverance). Allah does not become hasty just because that people urge on their matters to be achieved. This matter (the appearance of al-Qa'im) has a precise time that it must reach. If it reaches its time, it will occur neither an hour sooner nor an hour later.” Other sources: (1). Biharul Anwar, vol.52 p.117. (10). Al-Kafi, vol.1 p.368, Tafseer of al-Ayyashi, vol.2 p.218, Ithbat al-Wassiyya p.131, al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p.,428, al-Khara'ij wel Jara'ih, vol.1 p.178, Mo’jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.3 p.261.6. (15). Al-Kafi, vol.1 p.369, Biharul Anwar, vol.52 p.118, Mo’jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.3 p.418. From Chapter 20: The army of anger (5) Abu Sulayman Ahmad bin Hawtha al-Bahili narrated from Ibraheem bin Iss’haq an-Nahawandi from Abdullah bin Hammad al-Ansari from Abdullah bin Bukayr that Abban bin Taghlub had said: “One day I was with Ja'far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) in a mosque in Mecca. He said to me: “O Abban, Allah will bring three hundred and thirteen men in this mosque. The people of Mecca know that neither their (those men’s) fathers nor grandfathers have been created yet. They will come with their swords on their shoulders. On each sword the name of its keeper, his father’s name, his aspect and lineage are written. Then a caller will call out: “This is al-Mahdi. He judges with the judgments of Prophet David (as) and Prophet Solomon (as). He is not asked to show evidence for his judgements.” Other source: (15). Ithbat al-Hudat, vol.3 p.546, Mo’jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.4 p.11. From Chapter 21: The Shia when al-Qaim appears (1) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa'eed bin Oqda narrated from Hameed bin Ziyad from Ali bin as-Sabah from Abu Ali al-Hasan bin Muhammad al-Hadhrami from Ja'far bin Muhammad from Ibraheem bin Abdul Hameed from someone that Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) had said: “When al-Qa'im (as) appears, those, who have thought themselves as his followers, will apostatize and those, who are somehow like the worshippers of the sun and the moon, will believe in him.” (3) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa'eed narrated from Ali bin al-Hasan at-Taymali from al-Hasan and Muhammad, the sons of Ali bin Yousuf, from Sa’dan bin Muslim from Sabah al-Muzni from al-Harith bin Haseera from Habba al-Orani that Amirul Mo'mineen (as) had said: “As if I see our Shia in the mosque of Kufa setting up pavilions to teach the people the Qur'an as it has been revealed but when our Qa’im appears, he will destroy it (the mosque) and level its mihrab to the ground.” Other sources: (1). Biharul Anwar, vol.52 p.363, Bisharatul Islam p.222, Mo’jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.3 p.501. (3). Biharul Anwar, vol.52 p.364, Mo’jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.3 p.126. From Chapter 26: The period of al-Qaim’s rule (1) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa'eed bin Oqda narrated from Ali bin al-Hasan at-Taymali from al-Hasan bin Ali bin Yousuf from his father and Muhammad bin Ali from his father from Ahmad bin Umar al-Halabi from Hamza bin Hamran from Abdullah bin Abu Ya’foor that Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) had said: “Al-Qa'im (as) will rule for nineteen years and some months.” (3) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa'eed narrated from Muhammad bin al-Mufadhdhal bin Ibraheem bin Qays from Sa’dan bin Iss’haq bin Sa'eed, Ahmad bin al-Husayn bin Abdul Melik az-Zayyat and Muhammad bin Ahmad bin al-Hasan al-Qatawani from al-Hasan bin Mahboob from Amr bin Thabit that Jabir bin Yazeed al-Ju’fi had said: “I heard Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (as) saying: “By Allah, a man from us, Ahlul Bayt, will rule for three hundred and thirteen years and then for other nine years.” I asked him: “When will that be?” He said: “After the death of al-Qa'im (as).” I said: “How long will al-Qa'im rule until he dies?” He said: “It will be nineteen years since his rising until the day of his death.” Other sources: (1). Ithbat al-Hudat, vol.3 p.547, Hilyatul Abrar, vol.2 p.640, Biharul Anwar, vol.52 p.298, ar-Raj’a p.133, Bisharatul Islam p.187, 188, Mo’jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.4 p.76. (3). Tafseer of al-Ayyashi, vol.2 p.326, al-khtisas p.257, al-Ghayba by at-Toossi p.478, Mukhtasar Basa’ir ad-Darajat p.38, 49, 213, Muntakhab al-Anwar al-Mudhee’a p.202, al-Eeqadh min al-Haj’a p.337, Ithbat al-Hudat, vol.3 p.557, Hilyatul Abrar, vol.2 p.640, Tafseer al-Burhan, vol.2 p.465, Biharul Anwar, vol.52 p.298, vol.53 p.100, 103, 146, ar-Raj’a p.71, Mo’jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.3 p.329. JAZAK Allah KHAIRAN.

Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh, This Hadith is narrated by Alhusain b Alqasim Al'eyani the Zaidi Imam from the prophet that he said : ستأتي مِن بَعدِي فِتَنٌ مُتشابهةٌ كَقِطَعِ الليل المُظلِم ، فَيَظُنُّ المؤمنون أنَّهُم هَالكُون فيها ، ثُمّ يَكشِفها الله عَنهُم بِنَا أهلَ البيت بِرَجُلٍ مَن وَلَدي ، خامُل الذّكْر ، لا أقولُ خاملاً في حَسَبِهِ ودينِه وحِلمِه ، ولَكِنْ لِصِغَرِ سِنّه وغِيبتهِ عَن أهلِه ، واكتتامهِ في عَصرِه على مِنهاجي ومِنهاجِ المسيح في السّياحَة والدّعوة والعِبَادة ، يُؤيّم عرسه ، ويُخلص نفسَه ، ويَكُن بدءُ ناصريه من أهل اليَمَن Iddatul Akyas fi Sharhi M'anii Al'asas. The Hadith in brief says that after the prophet there will be many "fitan" or tribulations and confusing times, that will shed darkness on Ummah that even believers will think that they may not pass the test or get killed (depends on what the meaning of halikoun in that sentence) Then Allah should take this confusion away by one of the Ahlulbayt from the progeny of the prophet. He will have low repute, not because his ancestry is unknown nor because of his religion or his manners but due to his small age and his occultation in his era, he will be on the way of the prophet, and will be on the way of Jesus in travelling and da'wah and worship, he will have no wedding, will isolate himself and the first of his followers will be from Yemen.