Aqidat Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Athar fi al-Mahdi al-Muntazar

Aqidat Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Athar fi al-Mahdi al-Muntazar (The Creed of the People of the Sunnah and Hadith Regarding the Awaited Mahdi) is a treatise by the Saudi hadith scholar Abd al-Muhsin al-Abbad outlining the Sunni creed regarding the Mahdi and demonstrating the authentic transmission of the traditions concerning his emergence at the end of time Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.

Background and Publication

The work originated as a public lecture delivered by al-Abbad in 1388 AH (1968 CE) at Dar al-Hadith, affiliated with the Islamic University of Madinah, attended by scholars including Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz (then vice-president of the university) and Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti Majmu Fatawa wa Maqalat M…+1. Following the lecture, Ibn Baz delivered a recorded commentary commending the presentation and endorsing its publication Majmu Fatawa wa Maqalat M…+1.

The paper was initially published in the journal of the Islamic University of Madinah (Majallat al-Jami'ah al-Islamiyyah) in its third issue (first year) in Dhu al-Qi'dah 1388 AH al-Radd ala man kadhdhaba…+1. It was later printed as an independent book, including an edition published by Matabi' al-Rashid in Medina in 1402 AH Ashrat al-Saa - al-Wabil+1.

Structure and Contents

The author arranged the research into ten distinct components Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1:

1. Companions: Enumeration of the Companions who transmitted hadiths about the Mahdi from the Prophet ﷺ, totaling twenty-six Companions Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.
2. Hadith Compilations: Enumeration of the classical compilers who recorded narrations about the Mahdi, citing thirty-six works, including the four Sunan, Ahmad ibn Hanbal's Musnad, Ibn Hibban's Sahih, and al-Hakim's Mustadrak Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.
3. Monographs: Overview of scholars who authored standalone monographs on the subject Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl….
4. Attestations of Tawatur: Documentation of classical scholars who affirmed that the traditions regarding the Mahdi are mutawatir (thematically mass-transmitted) Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.
5. The Two Sahihs: Citations and analysis of relevant narrations occurring in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim pertaining to the Mahdi Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl….
6. Other Hadith Collections: Examination of explicit hadiths concerning the Mahdi recorded outside the two Sahihs, along with evaluations of their chains of transmission (asanid) Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl….
7. Scholarly Consensus and Doctrine: Citations from classical scholars who used these narrations as doctrinal evidence and affirmed belief in their implications Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl….
8. Discussion of Skeptics: Examination of figures cited as having denied or hesitated over the traditions—notably the historian Ibn Khaldun and Abu Muhammad ibn al-Walid al-Baghdadi—and a concise critique of their positions Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.
9. Resolution of Apparent Conflicts: Responses to arguments and reports perceived as contradicting the hadiths of the Mahdi Sharh Sunan Abi Dawud lil….
10. Conclusion: A concluding summary of the Sunni stance on the topic Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.

Reception and Subsequent Writings

The work was praised by contemporary scholars as a thorough reference on the topic Majmu Fatawa wa Maqalat M…+1. Following the publication of a treatise by Abdullah ibn Zayd Al Mahmud titled La Mahdi Yuntazar Ba'd al-Rasul Khayr al-Bashar ("No Mahdi is Awaited After the Messenger, the Best of Mankind"), which rejected the narrations on rational grounds, al-Abbad wrote a direct rebuttal titled al-Radd 'ala Man Kadhdhaba bi-l-Ahadith al-Sahiha al-Waridah fi al-Mahdi ("Refutation of the One Who Denied the Authentic Hadiths Regarding the Mahdi"), reiterating the evidentiary conclusions of his earlier treatise al-Radd ala man kadhdhaba…+1.