Criticism of Riffat Hassan's Theory of “Incompatibility of Shiite Mahdism with Qur’anic Verses”

Abstract

Riffat Hassan, a Pakistani-American thinker, is a Muslim open-minded and leader of the Islamic feminist movement, who criticizes Shiite Mahdism through Qur’anic verses in several parts: the fundamental concepts and elements of Messianism, Imamate and hence Imam Mahdi (AS) in Shi’a, and psychological reasons for the tendency of Muslims to the Savior and Messianism. The present research critically examines the theory of Riffat Hassan in these cases and proves the compatibility of Mahdism with the Qur’anic verses. Therefore, elements of Shiite Mahdism, the Imamate, and the existence of the promised Mahdi (AS) are rooted in Qur’anic verses and hadiths, so the secularism or backwardness of Muslims are not because of the belief of Mahdism or seeking refuge in the Savior.