Signs of Reappearance (Arabic: علامات الظهور, transliteration: ‘Alamat al-Zuhur) are those events which have been predicted by the Infallibles (a) to happen before or on the verge of the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a) and the happening of each of them is considered a good news for approaching his uprising in the world; so that, he (a) will rise after the last in the series of these signs happen. The Siren, rising of Sufyani [1] , etc. are among these signs.
In religious sources, there are many natural, unnatural and socio-political events have been mentioned as the signs of reappearance.
What seems to be important is that frequency of these narrations assures us that on the verge of reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a) some events will occur, some of which will be significant and world-scale and some others are less important. However, there are some narrations which have mentioned some signs together.
Definite and Indefinite
Among the signs of reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a), some have been mentioned as “definite” which are those, occurrence of which is definite without any precondition or prerequisite so that Imam al-Mahdi (a) will not return if they do not happen.
From many narrations among which there are authentic hadiths [1_a] , five signs can be found as definite: Rising of Sufyani [1], Rising of Yamani [2], Siren in the sky, murder of al-Nafs al-Zakiyya [3] (the purified soul) and al-Khasf bi-l-Bayda’ (Burying in Bayda) [4] .
Imam al-Sadiq (a) said, “five events are signs before the rising of the Riser (al-Qa’im( twelfth imam)): Siren in the sky, rising of Sufyani, Khasf bi-l-Bayda’, rising of Yamani, murder of al-Nafs al-Zakiyya.”
There are also signs which are indefinite, i.e. they depend on other events to happen. In other words, indefinite signs may or may not happen before Imam al-Mahdi (a) comes.
Some signs which have not been declared as definite are:
Unexpected lunar and solar eclipse
Heavy rains
Preceding and Non-preceding
Based on some hadiths, some signs of reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a) are just preceding to it so that there is not a long time between happening them and reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a). Although, it is not clear how long is the time between happening them and reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a), but it is not long for sure and most probably such signs happen in the same year of reappearance or the year before it.
Therefore, there is no doubt that some signs of reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a) happen near or just before reappearance of imam al-Mahdi (a) and there are some other signs which will happen in the period of the Major Occultation.
Reference :
[1] The Uprising of al-Sufyanī (Arabic: خُرُوج السُّفيَاني) is one of the five inevitable events that happens before the Reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a).
[2] The Uprising of al-Yamānī or al-Qaḥṭānī (Arabic:خروج اليماني او القحطاني), one of the signs of Imam al-Mahdi’s (a) return, refers to the uprising of a Yemeni man from the descendants of Imam al-Husayn (a) prior to the reappearance of the Twelfth Imam (a).
[3] Murder of the Pure Soul or Qatl al-Nafs al-Zakīyya (Arabic: قتل النفس الزكية) is the murder of a person called “al-Nafs al-Zakiyya” (the Pure Soul), which is, according to Shiitehadiths, a decisive sign of the Reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a). The event is going to happen after the Reappearance and fifteen days and nights before the Uprising of Imam al-Mahdi (a) in al-Masjid al-Haram. He is from the progeny of Imam al-Husayn (a).
[4] Al-Khasf bi l-Baydāʾ (Arabic: الخَسف بالبَیداء) or Khasf al-Baydaʾ (Arabic: خَسف البیداء) is an incident in which the Earth will swallow the land, al-Bayda’, that is, the collapse and defeat of the army of Sufyani in the land of al-Bayda’, a desert between Mecca and Medina. In some hadiths, this incident is regarded as a decisive sign of the uprising of Imam al-Mahdi (a). This incident is supposed to occur after the Reappearance and before the uprising of Imam al-Mahdi (a).
[1_a] Ḥadīth (Arabic: حديث) which is also called “riwaya” (Arabic: روایة; lit.: narration) is a word in Islamic terminology and religious sciences which refers to sayings quoted from the Prophet (s) and Imams (a) and their conduct.
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