Among Mohammedans, the last imam or leader of the faithful. The Sunni, the largest sect of the Mohammedans, believe that he is yet to appear.
lit., the guided, title given to the 12th Imam in the Twelver group of Shia Islam
the "guided" one, the person who will appear on the last day and establish Islam and the reign of justice.
The twelfth Imam of the Shiite Muslim faith who returns as the liberator at the end of the age of darkness.
Messianic figure of Islam, one of the descendants of the prophet, who will usher in a reign of Islamic justice upon the entire earth (Sunni). In Shi’i Islam, the Mahdi takes on a more supernatural cast: he has already been revealed, has gone into occulation and, therefore, can return at any time.
Personage who will appear at the end of the days and establish Islam over all unrighteous forces.
Sudanese messiah (Arabic mahdIy, one rightly guided)
guide, messianic figure who will appear at the end of time and usher in a new order
Meaning led by righteousness. At first, the term often was no more than honorific However, for the Shiites and under their influence, it came to be applied to the expected religious leader of the Last Days. This leader, free from error and sin, will establish the rule of righteousness and faith, and will rule a world united in Islam. Throughout the history of Islam, self-proclaimed Mahdis have appeared, one such being the founder of the Almohad movement, Ibn Tumart.
the directed one; a ruler to appear on earth in the last days.
According to the Islamic tradition, the messianic guide who will rise up to lead the faithful to salvation in anticipation of the last day. Historically a religious leader who is recognized as the Mahdi of tradition by his followers and assumes a messianic role in order to unify Islam and institute a reign of virtue. Literally, the "enlightened" or "divinely guided one."
In Islamic eschatology the Mahdi ( , also Mehdi; "Guided One") is the prophesied redeemer of Islam. The advent of Mahdi is a universally accepted concept in Islam, though there are basic differences among different sects of Muslims about the timing and nature of his advent and guidance. Muslims believe that the Mahdi will change the world into a perfect and just Islamic society alongside the Prophet Jesus before Yaum al-Qiyamah (literally "Day of the Resurrection" or "Day of the Standing").
