Messiah Will Pray Behind Mahdi

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على نبيه الكريم

وعلى آله واصحابه اجمعين

The promised Mahdi عليه السلام والرضوان is about to come out any minute now. Watch the situation in Saudi Arabia closely and be prepared for a radical, Islamic revolution the like of which the world has never seen. Time is quickly running out for the Saudi regime and other oppressive tyrants throughout the Middle East. Now when the promised Mahdi does finally appear, the descent of the Messiah son of Maryam عليه الصلاة والسلام is sure to follow. Our lovely Prophet Muhammad prophesied that the promised Messiah shall pray behind the Amir of the Muslims at the time of his descent:

فَيَنْزِلُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَيَقُولُ أَمِيرُهُمْ تَعَالَ صَلِّ لَنَا ‏.‏ فَيَقُولُ لاَ ‏.‏ إِنَّ بَعْضَكُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ أُمَرَاءُ ‏.‏ تَكْرِمَةَ اللَّهِ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةَ

So Jesus son of Mary صلى الله عليه وسلم will descend and their Amir will say, “Come, lead us in prayer”, but he will say, “No. Verily, some of you are leaders of others. This is the honor from Allah for this Umma.” (Sahih Muslim: Kitab al-Iman)

According to the Hadith of Abi Umama al-Bahili رضى الله عنه the Prophetصلى الله عليه وآله وسلم  said:

هُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ قَلِيلٌ وَجُلُّهُمْ بِبَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ وَإِمَامُهُمْ رَجُلٌ صَالِحٌ فَبَيْنَمَا إِمَامُهُمْ قَدْ تَقَدَّمَ يُصَلِّي بِهِمُ الصُّبْحَ إِذْ نَزَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ الصُّبْحَ فَرَجَعَ ذَلِكَ الإِمَامُ يَنْكُصُ يَمْشِي الْقَهْقَرَى لِيَتَقَدَّمَ عِيسَى يُصَلِّي بِالنَّاسِ فَيَضَعُ عِيسَى يَدَهُ بَيْنَ كَتِفَيْهِ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ لَهُ تَقَدَّمْ فَصَلِّ فَإِنَّهَا لَكَ أُقِيمَتْ ‏.‏ فَيُصَلِّي بِهِمْ إِمَامُهُمْ

On that day they (Arabs) will be few, and most of them will be in Bait al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), and their Imam will be a righteous man. When their Imam has stepped forward to lead them in Subh prayer, Jesus son of Mary will come down to them. That Imam will step backwards so that Jesus can come forward and lead the people in prayer, but Jesus will place his hand between his shoulders and say to him: “Go forward and pray, for the Iqama was given for you.” Then their Imam will lead them in prayer. (Sunan Ibn Maja 4077)

According to what is apparent from this Hadith, the Messiah shall descend to Jerusalem, though other Hadith say he will come down to the east of Damascus near the white minaret. Of course Allah knows best, but there certainly is a white minaret at the Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, and quite possibly that is the minaret near which the Messiah shall descend. Perhaps the narrator made an error in reporting the town to which the Messiah shall descend as being Damascus instead of Jerusalem in the other Hadith. The reader should beware that the case of Hadith is not at all the same as the Quran. The Quran is the literal Word of Allah which has been granted divine protection in every letter and syllable, while the essence of what is found in the authentic Hadith is correct but not necessarily free from the human error of its various narrators.

Another Hadith states that the Messiah himself shall lead the people in prayer at the time of his descent:

إِذْ أُقِيمَتِ الصَّلاَةُ فَيَنْزِلُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ فَأَمَّهُمْ

When the iqama of Salat is made, Jesus son of Mary will descend and lead them. (Sahih Muslim)

However, what seems most correct is that the Messiah عليه السلام shall pray the Fajr prayer behind the Imam and Amir of the Muslims when he initially descends, as the Iqama will have already been made. But being a Prophet of Allah, it is the Messiah who shall then lead the Muslims in prayer thereafter. The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم said:

عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ إِمَامًا مَهْدِيًّا

Jesus son of Mary, Imam, Mahdi (Musnad Ahmad)

It is generally understood and agreed that the Amir and Imam behind whom the Messiah shall pray Fajr when he initially descends is none other than the Mahdi عليه السلام والرضوان. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم is reported to have said:

مِنَّا الذي يُصَلِّي عيسى ابنُ مريمَ خلفَهُ

He is from us behind whom Jesus son of Mary will pray

The muhaddith, Albani, has authenticated this Hadith (Silsila as-Sahiha 2293) and the proceeding narration too (ibid 2236):

يَنْزِلُ عيسى ابنُ مَرْيَمَ فيقولُ أميرُهُمُ المهديُّ تَعالَ صلِّ بنا فيقولُ لا, إنَّ بعضَهُم أَميرُ بعضٍ تَكْرُمَةُ الله لهذه الأمَّةِ

Jesus son of Mary will descend, so their Amir, the Mahdi, will say, “Come, lead us in prayer”. But he will say, “No, verily some of them are commander over some. Allah’s honor for this Umma.”