Are persistent and successive rains a sign of Imam Mahdi's reappearance? (question)

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Are persistent and successive rains a sign of Imam Mahdi's reappearance?
Upper entryMahdism / Preconditions for the reappearance of Imam Mahdi / Signs for Imam Mahdi's reappearance
Main entryPersistent and Successive Rains

In some narrations persistent and successive rains signify the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (a). These rains start from late Jumada II and will continue until the month of Rajab. The traditions fail to mention the location wherein these rains are supposed to occur. Thought some scholars accept the existing narrations but others argue that a fixed timeline for rains is out of question and such phenomenon might be a consequence of the overall environmental condition of the earth naturally becoming better, leading to the creation of more suitable circumstances for Imam Mahdi's reappearance.

Short Comprehensive Answer

Persistent and Successive Rains; a Sign of Imam Mahdi's Reappearance

The downpour of copious amounts of rain is considered one of the signs of Imam Mahdi's reappearance. In fact, persistent and successive rain during the year of Imam Mahdi's reappearance will cause the earth to become lush green and will improve the economic condition of common people.[1] These rains will start from the 20th of the month of Jumada I and will continue until the 10th of the month of Rajab.[2] This will be an unprecedented event and the world would not have seen such rains since the time of Prophet Adam's descent onto this earth.[3] It should be noted that rains, under ordinary and normal conditions, are nothing unusual, unless the magnitude or duration of these rains extends beyond natural limits.[4] Rains which represent a sign of Imam Mahdi's reappearance belong to this second category, because narrated traditions emphasize that these rains will resemble a miraculous phenomenon.[5]

In Hadiths

There exist two narrated traditions indicating that persistent and successive rains constitute one of the signs of Imam Mahdi's reappearance[6]:

  1. Imam Sadiq (a) is reported to have said[7]: "When the time of the Qa'im's uprising draws near, unprecedented rains will pour down upon the people during the month of Jumada I and ten days of the month of Rajab. People would not have seen such rains ever before.[8]
  2. Imam Ali (a) is narrated to have said[9]: "The event that will occur during the months of Jumadi and Rajab deserves the utmost of astonishment”.[10]
  3. Imam Sadiq (a) is reported to have said:[11] "When the time of the Qa'im's uprising draws near, there will come an year of abundant rain such that dates will rot while still hanging from the branches of date trees. You must harbor no doubts in this regard”.[12]

Analysis and Criticism of the above Hadiths

Shaykh al-Tabrasi[13] has narrated the aforementioned hadith from Imam Sadiq (a)[14] This will be an unprecedented event and the world would not have seen such rains since the time of Prophet Adam's descent onto this earth.[15] . Similarly, Shaykh al-Mufid, after having reported several traditions related to the signs of Imam Mahdi's reappearance, goes on to say[16], "This event will end after a series of twenty-four persistent and successive rains. As a result, the barren earth will once again be rejuvenated and the bounty of these rains (or the rejuvenated earth) will be clear and evident for all to witness”.[17] Likewise, Shaykh Tusi narrates a report from Sa'id ibn Jubayr which says,[18] "In the year of Imam Mahdi's reappearance, the Earth will experience twenty-four rains and the bounty caused this downpours will be evident for all to see”.[19] Even though the above-mentioned esteemed scholars have considered these rains as a sign of Imam Mahdi's reappearance, several points should be taken into consideration before we accept their opinion:

Firstly, the hadith quoted by Shaykh al-Tabrasi and Shaykh al-Mufid are both Mursal narrations meaning that their chains of transmission are incomplete. Similarly, the statement quoted by Shaykh Tusi from Sa'id ibn Jubayr does not constitute a tradition narrated from one of the Infallible Imams (a), and there exists no historical evidence for us to assert otherwise.

Secondly, the latter portion of the tradition quoted by Tabrasi includes these words: "… and, through this event, God will rejuvenate the flesh of the believers”. This statement shows that the event in question is, in fact, related to the Day of Judgement when God will raise up the dead once again.

Thirdly, for an event to be considered a sign of Imam Mahdi's reappearance, its nature must either be miraculous, supernatural or at least marvelous enough to capture the attention of all people. The traditions in question do not speak of a miraculously large amount or intensity of rain. The magnitude and duration of rain mentioned in these texts (i.e. twenty-four downpours over a span of one or two months) hardly constitutes an extraordinary event when we take into consideration the average precipitation witnessed by areas of medium rainfall, let alone the amount experienced by regions characterized by heavy rain activity. Finally, these traditions also fail to mention the location wherein these rains are supposed to occur.[20]

  • In short, and given the evidence at hand, it is difficult to prove that such rains constitute a sign of Imam Mahdi's reappearance. However, a look at the broader body of narrated traditions clearly shows that the era of Imam Mahdi's reappearance will represent an age of prosperity and abundance, wherein the people's affairs will finally be effectively managed and their difficulties will start to vanish away. Therefore, it is possible that as the year of Imam Mahdi's reappearance draws near, the overall environmental condition of the earth may naturally become better, leading to the creation of more suitable circumstances for Imam Mahdi's reappearance.[21]

References

  1. See: Al-Sadr, Sayyid Muhammad, Tarikh-e Pas az Zuhur, pp. 122-123; Rahmati Shahrida, Muhammad, Hizār wa Yik Nukta Pīrāmūn-e Imām-e Zamān , pp. 457-458; Ridwani, Ali Asghar, 'Ala'im-e Zuhur, pp.57-58; Isma'ili, Isma'il, Chashm bi Rāh-e Mahdī, pp. 306-307;Al-Sadah, Sayyid Mujtaba, Shish Mah-e Payani, pp. 71-73;Al-Sadr, Sayyid Muhammad, Tarikh-e Pas az Zuhur, pp. 122-123; Salimiyan, Khudamurad, Farhangnama-ye Mahdawiyyat, pp.113-114.
  2. See: Al-Sadah, Sayyid Mujtaba, Shish Mah-e Payani, pp. 71-73; Rahmati Shahrida, Muhammad, Hizār wa Yik Nukta Pīrāmūn-e Imām-e Zamān , pp. 457-458;Ridwani, Ali Asghar, 'Ala'im-e Zuhur, pp.57-58; Isma'ili, Isma'il, Chashm bi Rāh-e Mahdī, pp. 306-307.
  3. See: Al-Sadah, Sayyid Mujtaba, Shish Mah-e Payani, pp. 71-73; Rahmati Shahrida, Muhammad, Hizār wa Yik Nukta Pīrāmūn-e Imām-e Zamān , pp. 457-458;Ridwani, Ali Asghar, 'Ala'im-e Zuhur, pp.57-58; Isma'ili, Isma'il, Chashm bi Rāh-e Mahdī, pp. 306-307.
  4. Al-Sadr, Sayyid Muhammad, Tarikh-e Pas az Zuhur, pp. 122-123.
  5. See: Al-Sadah, Sayyid Mujtaba, Shish Mah-e Payani, pp. 71-73.
  6. See: Al-Sadah, Sayyid Mujtaba, Shish Mah-e Payani, pp. 71-73.
  7. Al-Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.52, p.337; Yazdi Ha'iri, Ali ibn Zayn al-'Abidin, Ilzam al-Nasib, vol.2, p.159.
  8. Al-Sadr, Sayyid Muhammad, Tarikh-e Pas az Zuhur, pp. 122-123; Rahmati Shahrida, Muhammad, Hizār wa Yik Nukta Pīrāmūn-e Imām-e Zamān , pp. 457-458; Ridwani, Ali Asghar, 'Ala'im-e Zuhur, pp.57-58; Isma'ili, Isma'il, Chashm bi Rāh-e Mahdī, pp. 306-307;Al-Sadah, Sayyid Mujtaba, Shish Mah-e Payani, pp. 71-73;Al-Sadr, Sayyid Muhammad, Tarikh-e Pas az Zuhur, pp. 122-123; Salimiyan, Khudamurad, Farhangnama-ye Mahdawiyyat, pp.113-114.
  9. Al-Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.53, pp.60, 77, 91.
  10. See: Al-Sadah, Sayyid Mujtaba, Shish Mah-e Payani, pp. 71-73.
  11. Shaykh al-Tusi, Kitab al-Ghaybah, p.449; ّIrbili, Ali ibn 'Isa,Kashf al-Ghummah
  12. Salimiyan, Khudamurad, Farhangnama-ye Mahdawiyyat, pp.113-114.
  13. Al-Tabrasi, Fadl ibn Hasan, I'lam al-Huda bi A'lam al-Wara, p.432.
  14. See: Al-Sadr, Sayyid Muhammad, Tarikh-e Pas az Zuhur, pp. 122-123; Al-Sadah, Sayyid Mujtaba, Shish Mah-e Payani, pp. 71-73; Rahmati Shahrida, Muhammad, Hizār wa Yik Nukta Pīrāmūn-e Imām-e Zamān , pp. 457-458;Ridwani, Ali Asghar, 'Ala'im-e Zuhur, pp.57-58; Isma'ili, Isma'il, Chashm bi Rāh-e Mahdī, pp. 306-307.
  15. See: Al-Sadah, Sayyid Mujtaba, Shish Mah-e Payani, pp. 71-73; Rahmati Shahrida, Muhammad, Hizār wa Yik Nukta Pīrāmūn-e Imām-e Zamān , pp. 457-458;Ridwani, Ali Asghar, 'Ala'im-e Zuhur, pp.57-58; Isma'ili, Isma'il, Chashm bi Rāh-e Mahdī, pp. 306-307.
  16. Shaykh al-Mufid, Al-Irshad, vol.1, p. 370.
  17. See: Al-Sadr, Sayyid Muhammad, Tarikh-e Pas az Zuhur, pp. 122-123; Al-Sadah, Sayyid Mujtaba, Shish Mah-e Payani, pp. 71-73; Rahmati Shahrida, Muhammad, Hizār wa Yik Nukta Pīrāmūn-e Imām-e Zamān , pp. 457-458;Ridwani, Ali Asghar, 'Ala'im-e Zuhur, pp.57-58; Isma'ili, Isma'il, Chashm bi Rāh-e Mahdī, pp. 306-307; Al-Sadah, Sayyid Mujtaba, Shish Mah-e Payani, pp.71-73.
  18. Syakh al-Tusi, Al-Ghaybah, p. 269.
  19. See: Al-Sadr, Sayyid Muhammad, Tarikh-e Pas az Zuhur, pp. 122-123; Al-Sadah, Sayyid Mujtaba, Shish Mah-e Payani, pp. 71-73; Rahmati Shahrida, Muhammad, Hizār wa Yik Nukta Pīrāmūn-e Imām-e Zamān , pp. 457-458;Ridwani, Ali Asghar, 'Ala'im-e Zuhur, pp.57-58; Isma'ili, Isma'il, Chashm bi Rāh-e Mahdī, pp. 306-307.
  20. See: Al-Sadr, Sayyid Muhammad, Tarikh-e Pas az Zuhur, pp. 122-123; Al-Sadah, Sayyid Mujtaba, Shish Mah-e Payani, pp. 71-73; Rahmati Shahrida, Muhammad, Hizār wa Yik Nukta Pīrāmūn-e Imām-e Zamān , pp. 457-458;Ridwani, Ali Asghar, 'Ala'im-e Zuhur, pp.57-58; Isma'ili, Isma'il, Chashm bi Rāh-e Mahdī, pp. 306-307.
  21. See: Al-Sadr, Sayyid Muhammad, Tarikh-e Pas az Zuhur, pp. 122-123;Rahmati Shahrida, Muhammad, Hizār wa Yik Nukta Pīrāmūn-e Imām-e Zamān , pp. 457-458;Ridwani, Ali Asghar, 'Ala'im-e Zuhur, pp.57-58; Isma'ili, Isma'il, Chashm bi Rāh-e Mahdī, pp. 306-307.