Q. In this video: http://vimeo.com/23086599 Shaykh Nazim clearly states that the name of the father of the Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi is “…like my father’s name, meaning Abdullah”. How do you reconcile this statement from Mawlana with the other one regarding him being the son of Imam Hasan al-Askari?
A. According to the venerable Khwaja Parsa’s Fasl al-Khitaab, there are twelve main Aqtaab. Their Chief is known as the Qutb al-Aqtaab. He is charged with the authority to terminate and appoint a Wali. The spiritual name of the Qutb al-Aqtaab is “Abdullah”. The title “Abdullah” or spiritual name belongs to those who are chosen to help herald in the era of the Mahdi, and is not their literal name. In the Holy Qur’an, Jesus the son of Mary, who was the last Prophet sent to the Children of Israel, and whose mission was to pave the way for the advent of the Seal of Prophets (S) and the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven for the Mahdi, identifies himself as, “Qala innee Abdullah ataniya alkitaba waja Alanee nabiyya” meaning, “He said: “I am indeed Abdullah. He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet” (Qur’an, 19:30). The Holy Qur’an and the ahadith are clear that the actual name of the son of Mary is “Isa”, and never is he referred to as literally “Abdullah the son of Mary”, even though he clearly identified himself as “innee Abdullah” in the Holy Qur’an and not as “Isa ibn Mariam“. The father of the Mahdi is the Imam of this state, hence is “Abdullah”.
“Fas aloo ahla aldhikri in kuntum la ta’lamoon” (16:43)
Was salam.