Pseudo-messianic movements in contemporary Muslim South Asia.
Messianic expectations and beliefs are not present in the Qur’an, which, although it speaks of a final Day of Judgment, does not contain any references to a messianic human figure who would herald the end of the world. This figure, however, is referred to on numerous occasions in the form of the Imam Mahdi in the corpus of Hadith, traditions attributed to or claimed to be about the Prophet Muhammad. Some critics regard many of these statements as fabrications, and it is indeed likely that at least some of the material about the Imam Mahdi in Muslim tradition, both Shia and Sunni, reflects Christian and Jewish messianic influences and borrowings. This book deals with three lesser-known messianic, or Mahdist, movements rooted in the broader South Asian Muslim tradition that have a fringe following.
bingregory 10:47 pm on October 13, 2009 Permalink |
Your tag is misspelled – you want Mahdi, not Madhi. Also,
Some critics regard many of these statements as fabrications, and it is indeed likely that at least some of the material about the Imam Mahdi in Muslim tradition, both Shia and Sunni, reflects Christian and Jewish messianic influences and borrowings.
What kind of bizarre lead is that for a piece in a muslim magazine? From the rest of the review it is clear that the author of the book doesn’t get into comparative Hadith studies – this is the reviewer’s own mini-polemic. How about “The major schools of Sunni and Shia Islam consider the existence of the Mahdi to be a point of doctrine that is obligatory for muslims to believe. No doubt due to the certain existence of a messianic figure in the Islamic tradition, Mahdist movements have frequently arisen over the course of Islamic history…”
I’d be interested in a book that looks at divestment from belief in the Mahdi among modern-day muslims as a reaction to the success of the Ahmadiyya, Bahai etc.
johnpi 6:49 am on October 14, 2009 Permalink |
Thanks. Sometimes there are misspellings in the tag database that get carried up from older posts. I went back and removed the older occurrence too.