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The White Flags of the Yamani

SHAFAQNA – There are many signs of the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (a) which have been mentioned in traditions and religious texts. Sometimes one can get lost in these signs. Many of the signs have already appeared and confuse people as to why the Imam has not returned. These signs are divided into definite and possible signs. Regarding the definite signs, Imam Sadiq (a) said that these five signs are the call from the skies, the rise of the Yamani, the rise of the Sufyani, the earth swallowing Bayda’, and the murder of the purified soul (nafs zakiyah).

This article will discuss the second sign, Yamani. With the grace of Allah, other articles examining the other definite signs will be published on 14 Publications soon.

Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani states that “Revolutions will erupt in an effort to fight global oppression and corruption, some of which will succeed in organizing new governments. The rebellion and movement of Yamani, which is a symbol of the struggle of truth against deviation at the End of Time, will be one such uprising. The movement of a certain Sayyid Khurasani who will be of the lineage of Imam Husayn b. ‘Ali (a) and who will rise to uphold justice is another of the factors involved. These two movements—one of which will be in Yemen and the other in Iran—will be among the elements laying the groundwork for the re-emergence of Imam al-Mahdi (a). The narrations augur that the regime that will be established in Iran will, firstly, invite the people to Islam and the path of the Ahlul Bayt (a) and will, secondly, clear its territory—which will extend to Kufah—from injustice and corruption and will join forces with and obey the Imam (a) when he re-emerges.”

There are a few characteristics of this uprising that should be examined. The first aspect is the religion of the Yamani. It is clear that he will be a Shia Ithna’ Ashari. Imam Sadiq (a) states: “The Yamani follows Ali (a).” This shows that he is Shia. Having correct faith and beliefs is essential for a value-based leader. Such a leader would be skilled in creating, sharing, and inspiring vision. Such a leader also ensures that his movement and followers of his movement are guided by the vision and the values related to that vision. This means that the Yamani will be able to inspire his followers to be true followers of Imam Mahdi (a) and ensure that they stay the course.

The second point about the Yamani is his ancestry. There is a tradition from Imam Sadiq (a) which states: “One from the lineage of my uncle Zayd will rise from Yemen…” If this is referring to the same promised Yamani, it means that he will be a descendent of Zayd bin Ali bin al-Hussayn. Zayd bin Ali struggled to reform the Muslim ummah until he was eventually martyred by the governor of Kufa, when he rose up and fought against Hisham bin Abdul-Malik, the tyrannical caliph of the time. Regarding his martyrdom, Imam Hussayn (a) prophesized: “The Noble Prophet (s) put his hand on my back and said: “O’ Hussayn, soon a man will be born from your descendants. He will be named Zayd; he will be murdered as a martyr. On the Day of Resurrection, he will enter paradise with his companions…”

The third point is about the location of his movement. There are many traditions that state that he will rise from Yemen. For instance, Imam Sadiq (a) said: “The rise of the Sufyani will be from Syria (Sham) and the rise of the Yemani will be from Yemen.” There are other traditions which mention the location more specifically and state that his army will move from Sana’a. Sana’a is the current capital of Yemen and is one of the oldest inhabited cities of the world. It has a population of roughly two million.

The fourth point is about the time of the revolution. Unfortunately, nobody knows the exact time of his uprising because it coincides with the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (a). What is certain is that it is one of the definite signs and that it will happen concurrently with the uprising of the Sufyani. There are traditions which even state that these revolutions will rise on the same day. Imam Sadiq (a) said: “The rise of the Sufyani and the rise of the Yemani from Yemen with white flags will take place on the same day, month, and year.” There are also traditions which show that the Yamani will be victorious in his fight against the Sufyani and will be successful in killing the Sufyani along with his son.

The Yamani will be a rightly guided movement, bearing white flags, that will occur shortly before the Imam’s (a) return. Imam Sadiq (a) said: “There is no flag that will be more guided than the Yamani flag.”

By Sheikh Hamid Waqar

 

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