Theme 1: His Name, Lineage, Birth, Allegiance, Migration, Appearance, and Conduct

a maternal lineage as well. There is no contradiction in multiple lines of descent converging in a single person from different maternal sides. End quote."

The birthplace of the Mahdi is al-Madinah, narrated by Abu Nu'aym from Ali (may Allah ennoble his face). In the marfu' narration of Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with them both), recorded by Abu Nu'aym and Abu Bakr ibn al-Muqri in his Mu'jam, it states: "The Mahdi will emerge from a village called Kar'ah."

As for his allegiance: he will be given the pledge of allegiance in the noble city of Makkah between the Corner (Rukn) and the Maqam on the night of Ashura, as will follow, if Allah, the Exalted, wills.

As for his migration: he will migrate to Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), and al-Madinah will fall into ruin after his migration, becoming a haven for wild beasts. For it has been narrated from Umar: "The flourishing of Bayt al-Maqdis will be the desolation of Yathrib."

As for his physical description: he is adam, meaning brown-complexioned; darb min al-rijal, meaning of lean and slender build, well-proportioned; rab'ah, meaning neither tall nor short; ajla al-jabhah, meaning with receding hair at the temples and a high, clear forehead; aqna al-anf, meaning possessing an aquiline nose, having length with a delicate tip; ashamm, meaning with a high nasal bridge; azajj, meaning his eyebrows are finely curved with length and elongation at their ends;