His name is Muhammad bin Al-Imam
Al-Hasan Al-Askari (P.B.U.T.) and he is the last of the twelve
Imams. People used to call him by name of Al-Mahdi Al-Muntadhar.
His father is Al-Imam Al-Hasan Al-Askari and his mother is Lady
Narjis. The Imam Al- Mahdi was born on the night of the fifteenth
of Sha'ban of the year of fifty fifth after two hundred of
Al-Hijra Calendar.
His father Al-Imam Al-Hasan
Al-Askari (P.B.U .H) has hidden the news of his birthday for fear
of the Abbasid authority which has been watching and following up
the information of this birth of Al-Imam Al-Askari because of
knowing of the future of this boy and what would happen to
him.
After the death of Imam Al-Hasan
Al-Askari (P.B.U.H.) Imam Ali has entered into what is commonly
called: "The Shortest Absence" when he was five years of
age. At this stage, he made up his mind not to reveal
himself to anybody save his four special envoys or let's say:
ambassadors alternately who were the only link between him and
his Shias and lovers receiving messages from him and paying him
their legal rights.
Conditions remained as such about
seventy years of his absence then he entered a new stage which is
known by the people as: "The Greatest Absence" and continued to
be so up to now.
His embassy came to an end and no
sign of him has been witnessed at which he would not reappear
till Allah, the Almighty give him "Leave" to complete the
pre-requisites of reappearance to fill the world justice and
equality after having been filled with tyranny and
oppression.
The
Creed of the Imamate with regard to Imam's absence is that Allah,
the Almighty, has preserved Imam Mahdi (P.B.U.H.) for the last
time of this world to be the savior and the reformer to fill the
world with that turning point during his reign.