How Universal Is the
Belief in Imam Al-Mahdi [atf]?

Imam Al-Mahdi [atf] and the concept of the savior is not a creed confined to the Shias or Muslims only. All religions, whether divine or not, and many thinkers believe in the savior and that he is the world’s only hope. To cite only a few examples, in the New Testament, in the books of Barnaba, Matthew, Mark and Luke, the savior who will reappear at the end of times is mentioned many times. The savior, who is referred to as “the son of man,” applies to Prophet Jesus [a] only several times, but most of the time it only applies to Imam Al-Mahdi [atf]. While Christians and their scholars claim that it only refers to Prophet Jesus [a] only, Professor Thomas McElwain (Ali Heydar) has translated the Bible from its original sources and revealed that most of the times it can only apply to Imam Al-Mahdi [atf].

In the Old Testament, there is a reference to Imam Al-Mahdi [atf] and that he would inherit the earth with his righteous companions in the books of Exodus, Isaiah, Daniel, and Habakkuk. In Hindu scriptures there also many references to the Imam.