The Rise of the Qa'im: The Appearance of the Mahdi in Established Narrations

by Bilal Muhammad

"The Rise of the Qa'im" is a compilation of narrations on the Mahdi from the most ancient and most reliable Twelver Shīʿī sources. Learn about the birth of the Twelfth Imam, his occultation, his ambassadors, his inevitable return, Islamic eschatology, and much more. "The Rise of the Qa'im" is the most comprehensive English work on the subject. It includes Arabic sources, footnotes, and biographical evaluations for each tradition. This has been endorsed by eminent Shīʿī scholars and academics as one of the most valuable insights on the Hidden Imam in English. "... an essential compendium concerning the concept of the Mahdi in the English language ... A highly welcomed effort, it is useful for researchers as well as those wanting to understand the idea of the Mahdi within the context of the classical literature on the subject." -- Sayyid Hussain Makke"... a fresh and insightful approach to the translation of traditions concerning the twelfth Imam and the rising of the Qa’im ... it is my hope that this work will be of benefit to all seekers of knowledge who wish to become further acquainted with the Twelfth Imam (ajt) and his coming." -- Shaykh Vinay Khetia"A long awaited and much-needed work for the English-speaking world. In an age where skepticism regarding religious beliefs is prevalent, the author has collected many of the reliable traditions on the subject of the Mahdi (a) and has made them readily accessible." -- Sayyid Ali Imran"The most comprehensive hadith compilation about the twelth Imam present in the English language." -- Dr. Taymaz Tabrizi"Trained in both secular academia and in the sciences of the seminary Bilal Muhammad combines the very best of both worlds especially when it comes to his methodological rigour in selecting the narrations of this work." -- Dr. Francisco Luis

Genres: Islam

195 pages, Paperback

Published December 2, 2018

Reviews

[Alavvii · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of narrations about the 12th Imam from classical Imami Shi'i hadith compilations such as al-Kafi, al-Mahasin, Basa'ir al-Darajat and others. It includes both the original Arabic and English translation, and the grading for the hadith. There is sparse commentary throughout by the translator, allowing the hadith to speak for themselves, however he does provide footnotes when needed for clarification, which are welcomed. The translation is choppy at times, but this is because from what I can see the translator remained as true as possible to the original Arabic source without rephrasing for better English readability, with that being said most English translations of hadith books about the 12th Imam suffer terribly with gross readability issues and typos - this is not the case with this book. Considering the complete dearth of source material translated into good English, this publication is much welcomed for both general lay readership, researchers, and academics who are wanting to understand the Imami Shi'i belief in the 12th Imam and Shi'i eschatology and soteriology in general from a strictly scripturalist perspective.

[Teacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most important books I have ever read. This book catalogs the hadith about Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his return, complete with Eng/Arabic text and the status of each respective hadith (sound, doubtful etc). The content is exceptional and the writing is eloquent and breathtaking, a completely different experience for most readers familiar with second rate translations that are common in this genre.