They believed that the Mahdi would lead them back to their homeland and re-establish the Himyarite Kingdom. Some historians suggest that the term itself was probably introduced into Islam by southern Arabian tribes who had settled in Syria in the mid-7th century. Historical development Pre-Islamic ideas

In the doctrinal sense, Mahdi is the title of the end-times eschatological redeemer in most Islamic sects. However, Mahdi can be read in active voice, where it means the one who guides, as well as passive voice, where it means the one who is guided. The associated verb is hada, which means to guide. Although the root appears in the Qur'an at multiple places and in various contexts, the word Mahdi never occurs in the book. The term Mahdi is derived from the Arabic root h-d-y ( ه-د-ي), commonly used to mean 'divine guidance'. This is rejected by most Sunnis, who assert that the Mahdi has not been born yet. Among Twelver Shi'as, the Mahdi is believed to be Muhammad al-Mahdi, son of the eleventh Imam, Hasan al-Askari ( d. 874), who is said to be in occultation ( ghayba) by divine will. The Mahdi features in both Shi'a and Sunni branches of Islam, though they differ extensively on his attributes and status. Over centuries, there have been a vast number of Mahdi claimants. It has been a part of the ʿaqīdah (creed) of Muslims for 1,400 years. Although the concept of a Mahdi is not an essential doctrine in Islam, it is popular among Muslims. 622–687) declared Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya, a son of caliph Ali ( r. 656–661), to be the Mahdi. Among the first references to the Mahdi appear in the late 7th century, when the revolutionary Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd ( c. The doctrine of the mahdi seems to have gained traction during the confusion and unrest of the religious and political upheavals of the first and second centuries of Islam. Though the Mahdi is not referenced in the Quran, and is absent from several canonical compilations of hadith – including the two most-revered Sunni hadith collections: Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim – he is mentioned in other hadith literature. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad who will appear shortly before the Prophet ʿĪsā ( Jesus Christ) and lead Muslims to rule the world. The Mahdi ( Arabic: ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, romanized: al-Mahdī, lit.'the Guided') is a Final Leader in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice.

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