Hazrat Mahdi (as) will Initially not be Recognized by the Great Majority of People

People will See Hazrat Mahdi (as) in Their Homes and on the Streets and will Frequently Watch Him; But They will not Realize He is Hazrat Mahdi (as) Sadr al-Sayrafi says: I heard from Imam Abu Abdullah Jaffar Sadik that: ... Our modest imam and the owner of this [occultation][HAZRAT MAHDI (as)], who is deprived of his rights and denied will MOVE AMONG THEM AND WANDER THROUGH THEIR MARKETS AND WALK WHERE THEY WALK. BUT THEY will NOT RECOGNIZE HIM [HAZRAT MAHDI (as)]until Allah lets them to know him, just as with the Prophet Joseph (as). (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 189) Amr ibn Sa'd relates from Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abi Talib (as): "... I swear by Ali's Lord that hujjat [HAZRAT MAHDI (as)] will BE UP AND WALK IN THE PATHS OF THIS WORLD, AND will ENTER HOMES AND PALACES, AND will TRAVEL IN THE EAST AND THE WEST OF THIS PLACE, AND HIS WORDS will BE HEARD AND HE will SEE AND GREET THE COMMUNITY, but he will not be known until the promised time and until this voice comes from the sky." (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 167 ) Our Prophet (saas) states that in the period prior to the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as), he will frequently be seen among people, that people will see him as they sit in their homes and walking on the streets, and will see images of him and hear his voice on the television and the Internet, that they will hear his name, but that they will still fail to grasp that he is Hazrat Mahdi (as). It is also stated that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will walk among people in the bazaars and markets, but that nobody will recognize him as they do not expect him to be Hazrat Mahdi (as). This information provided in the hadith shows that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be someone who is known, someone with a high profile, whose fame and renown are familiar to all, but that nobody will recognize him by his title of Hazrat Mahdi (as). Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not Say, "I Am Hazrat Mahdi (as)" But He will Permit Them to Grasp "The Truth of the Mahdi" by Lifting the Fog of Unawareness from Their Eyes Hazrat Mahdi (as) will never say, "I am Hazrat Mahdi (as)." Allah will reveal him to people through the signs described through the mouth of our Prophet (saas). One of these signs is that "HAZRAT MAHDI (as) IS AGAIN THE PERSON WHO BEST DESCRIBES HAZRAT MAHDI (as)." Hazrat Mahdi (as) will present Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the best possible way, through his work and by his wise and accurate interpretation of the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) and statements of Islamic scholars. One hadith reveals that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be someone who has personal knowledge of the information about the End Times imparted by our Prophet (saas), for which reason he will be the only person best able to interpret the hadith of our Prophet (saas) concerning the End Times: Abu Bashir says: I heard Imam Muhammad Baqr say: "... He said: When Hazrat Mahdi (as) appears he will follow in the path of the Messenger of Allah (saas). ONLY HE [HAZRAT MAHDI (as)] CAN EXPLAIN THE WORKS OF THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH..." (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 191) Hazrat Mahdi (as) will sharpen people's foresight and understanding through these wise accounts. He will not openly say, "I am Hazrat Mahdi (as)." But he will spiritually clear the fog of unawareness in front of people's eyes by indicating the existence and power of Hazrat Mahdi (as), thus enabling them to see "the truth of Hazrat Mahdi (as)." The more Hazrat Mahdi (as) speaks about Hazrat Mahdi (as), the more people will form a definite opinion regarding him and wish to follow him spiritually. One of the Pieces of Wisdom Behind People's Inability to Recognize Hazrat Mahdi (as) is That He is Under Allah's Protection BUT ALLAH will HIDE HIM (HAZRAT MAHDI (as) FROM PEOPLE AGAINST THE OPPRESSION, CRUELTY AND WASTE OF PEOPLE'S EARTHLY DESIRES.(Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 162) Hazrat Mahdi (as) will Initially be Reluctant for His Name to be Known It appears from the information provided by the hadith of our Prophet (saas) that Hazrat Mahdi's (as) name will not be well-known in the run-up to his coming. The only way for his name not to be well-known is the use of a pseudonym. For that reason, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will conceal his own name in the early days of his activities, and will use another name rather than his own. Mufaddal ibn Umar says: I was in the presence of Imam Abu Abdullah Jaffar-i Sadik, and there were others with me, too. The imam told us, "NEVER MAKE THE NAME OF HAZRAT MAHDI (as) WELL-KNOWN..." (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 174) Our sheikh Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni relates the same hadith: May Allah increase your salvation, WHAT DOES THE IMAM SAY IN THE HADITH ABOUT THE NAME OF HAZRAT MAHDI (as) NOT BEING MADE WELL-KNOWN? "DO NOT MAKE HIS (HAZRAT MAHDI'S (as)) NAME WELL-KNOWN..." (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 175) Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be Visible to People, But Allah will for Long Conceal The Fact That He is Hazrat Mahdi (as) Almighty Allah will draw a veil between him [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] and other people, and they will see but not recognize him. (Qamal ud-din Vol. 2, p. 351) Sincere Muslims will Love and Appreciate Hazrat Mahdi (as) and His Followers in Time ... Hazrat Prophet (saas)... said this: Jibril told me that, my Ahl al-Bayt [my Descendants] will be opressed after me. This opression will last until Hazrat Mahdi (as) who is one of them will appear, UNTIL THEIR [HAZRAT MAHDI (as) AND HIS STUDENTS)] GLORY IS EXALTED AND MUSLIM COMMUNITY will UNITE IN LOVING THEM. IN THAT TIME, THOSE WHO REVILE AGAINST THEM will DECREASE, THOSE WHO DO NOT LOVE THEM will BE DENIGRATED AND THOSE WHO PRAISE THEM will INCREASE.[Hidayet Önderleri, Hz. Muhammed Mustafa, (The Pioneers of Salvation, The Prophet Muhammed Mustafa (saas)), 1st Volume, p. 314] In the End Times; before the emergence of Hazrat Mahdi (as), Muslims will be subjected to severe oppression, violence and suffering. However people will understand that Hazrat Mahdi (as) has come by the successive manifestation of the portents of the End Times. In this period, the names of Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his followers who are devoted to Allah with sincere faith will begin to be mentioned a lot. Their reputation will spread all around the world. Then Islamic community will slowly begin to unite in loving Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his students. But until then cruelty, oppression and maltreatment against Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his followers will continue and there will be those who slander Him. However in time the number of these people will decrease – except for those who repent and change their intentions – and these people will fall into a despicable and inferior position. The number of people who love and praise Hazrat Mahdi (as) will greatly increase in time. Hazrat Mahdi's (as) Name and Renown will Constantly Spread before His Coming One of the important clues in the recognition of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is that "Hazrat Mahdi's (as) name and renown will constantly spread worldwide before his coming." Even if they do not realize that he is Hazrat Mahdi (as), they will , in various ways set out in the hadith, frequently see Hazrat Mahdi (as), hear his voice, learn his ideas, follow his work and activities and make frequent reference to him. The hadith describe this time, when everyone makes frequent reference to Hazrat Mahdi (as), mentions his name, speaks about him and will feel great love and affection for him: HAZRAT MAHDI (as) will APPEAR AND EVERYONE will SPEAK OF HIM, ABSORB HIS LOVE AND TALK OF NOTHING ELSE. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 33) When Hazrat Mahdi (as) comes, PEOPLE will EMBRACE HIM WITH LOVE AND AFFECTION. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 37) Hazrat Mahdi (as) is the most auspicious of people (in his time). His followers and those who swear allegiance to him... will have Gabriel before them and Michael behind. HE [HAZRAT MAHDI (as)] will BE LOVED BY ALL LIVING THINGS.(Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 58) Salama Ibn Zufar says: "... HAZRAT MAHDI (as) will APPEAR AT A TIME WHEN PEOPLE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF EVIL, CRUELTY AND OPPRESSION, AND WHEN NO PERSON LIVING IN OCCULTATION will BE AS LOVED AND ADORED AS HIM." (Al-Hawi lil-fatawi, Vol. 2, p. 159) Certain it is that he [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] will not appear UNTIL HE IS THE MOST BELOVED OF ALL because of the evils that people face. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 27) ALLAH will FILL EVERYONE'S HEARTS WITH LOVE OF HIM [HAZRAT MAHDI (as)]. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 42)