The Universality of Imam Mahdi in Sunni and Shia Traditions: A Comparative Analysis

خلاصہ (اردو) یہ مضمون اہلِ سنت اور امامیہ اثنا عشری روایت میں امام مہدی (عج) سے متعلق تصورات کا تقابلی مطالعہ ہے۔ اس میں مشترک اخلاقی توقعات، روایات کی اسنادی تحقیق، اور

امامت و شناخت کے بارے میں علمی اختلافات کو الگ الگ واضح کیا گیا ہے۔ ## English Study ## Scope and method Belief in a rightly guided figure associated with the restoration of

justice appears in a broad body of Muslim eschatological literature. This essay compares the shared moral horizon of these reports while distinguishing their different chains, wordings, and theological uses. It does not treat

every narration as equally authentic or collapse distinct doctrines into one. ## Shared themes Sunni hadith collections transmit reports about the Mahdi, including descriptions of his relation to the Prophet's family and the

establishment of justice. Imami Twelver doctrine identifies the Mahdi as Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Askari, the twelfth Imam, whose occultation and future appearance are interpreted within its doctrine of Imamate. Both approaches connect expectation

with justice, moral responsibility, and the limits of human power; they differ on identity, continuity of Imamate, and the evidentiary status of individual reports. ## Reading reports responsibly Researchers should cite the exact

collection, chapter, narrator, and edition wherever possible. A report's presence in a compilation does not alone establish its grade. Historical chronology, doctrinal interpretation, and hadith criticism should be identified as separate questions. ##

Ethical implications Expectation should cultivate honesty, service, patience, and opposition to oppression rather than sensational predictions. No reliable scholarly method can turn uncertain reports into a calendar for the end of history. ##

References for further study Qur'an 21:105; Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Mahdi; al-Nu'mani, Kitab al-Ghayba; al-Saduq, Kamal al-Din wa Tamam al-Ni'ma. Verify report numbers against the edition used.