Dr قرآن میں امام مہدیؑ کے ظہور کے عقیدہ کے دلائل و شواہد؛ جاوید احمد غامدی کے موقف کا تنقیدی جائزہ

Arguments and Evidences for the Belief in the Appearance of Imam Mahdi (AS) in the Qur'an; A Critical Review of Javed Ahmad Ghamdi's Viewpoint

Abstract

According to Islamic teachings, the Quran contains all kinds of guidance for man regarding this world and the hereafter. However, many matters are not explicitly stated in the Quran. This is why the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has been declared the teacher of the Quran and in all those places where explicit guidance cannot be found in the Quran, the teachings and hadiths of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his Ahlul Bayt (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) are needed.

Therefore, we need the guidance of Hadith and Sunnah in the details of all the beliefs of monotheism, prophethood, resurrection and the hereafter. However, it is a settled principle here that Hadith and Sunnah can never contradict the Quran; they can explain and interpret Quranic verses, as well as determine the scope of their significance and point out examples of Quranic concepts.

This is true for all other beliefs and orders, and it is also true for the belief in the appearance of Imam Mahdi (AS) at the end of time. The Quran clearly states that a time will come when Islam will dominate the entire world. This time will be a time of humiliation and disgrace for the infidels. Allah Almighty has promised the righteous that He will make them His caliphs over the entire earth. And finally, a time will come when the righteous will rule the entire world. In the context of these Quranic statements, it is also clear that that time has not yet come.

Now, if we want to know the characteristics of that time, or want to know through which person the complete dominance of Islam will be achieved, then we certainly need the guidance of Hadith and Sunnah, and fortunately, we have complete guidance in this regard. In Hadith and Sunnah, this person has been identified as Hazrat Imam Mahdi (AS). This is why the belief in his (AS) appearance at the end of time is a belief that is supported by the Quran and Sunnah.

In fact, a well-known religious scholar, Mr. Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, is of the opinion that this belief is baseless because there is no clarity on it in the Quran. In the present article, this position of Mr. Javed Ahmad Ghamidi has been critically examined and it has been proven that first of all, there are clear evidences in the Holy Quran in at least 5 places and verses for the soundness and validity of this belief. Also, this denial of the belief of Imam Mahdi (AS) in the end times by Mr. Ghamidi is in itself against some of the basic principles he accepted.

The method of this research is descriptive-analytical in which an attempt has been made to first establish an argument for the claim from the apparent meaning of the verses and in this regard, evidence to prove this claim should also be brought from the authentic narrations that have been narrated.