Mahdi is not meant in the sense of "prophet." As revealed inthe verse
"… [Muhammad is] the Messenger of Allah and the Final Seal of the
Prophets" (Surat al-Ahzab, 40) our Prophet Muhammad (saas) is the
final prophet sent by Allah to mankind.
The term "messenger" used in reference to the blessed Mahdi, who we
are told will appear in the End Times, is employed in the sense
of"communicator of the word," as revealed in the Qur'an. In the
Qur'an,each and every Muslim isheld responsible for performing this
duty of communicating Allah's word. In this sense, therefore, every
Muslim is a messenger of Allah. Like all Muslims, the blessed Mahdi is
in the position of a communicator carrying out that duty. He calls
onpeople to display excellent moral virtues, admonishes with the
Qur'an, and tells them things about the Qur'an of which they are
unaware. He is a means by which Islamic moral values will come to
prevail on Earth and will assume the spiritual leadership of all
Muslims.
However, the role of messenger to be assumed by the blessed Mahdi is
not one bestowed by way of revelation. His is not the role of
messenger revealed by Divine revelation, but of communication of the
word of Allah. It is in anycase impossible for anyone to claim that he
is a revelation-based messenger in the Qur'anic sense unless it
isrevealed by Allah. Since it will not be so revealed, and since no
other Divine Book will be sent down after the Qur'an, such a thing is
completely out of the question.
But every Muslim is a messenger in the sense of being a communicator
of the word. The word "messenger," meaning "an envoy who preachesthe
faith of Allah," can also be used to refer to the blessed Mahdi in
thatsense. Like all Muslims, the blessed Mahdi is a messenger of Allah
charged with preaching the message of the Qur'an. He is one who tells
people of Allah and the Qur'an. In that sense,the blessed Mahdi may be
referred to as a messenger, in the same way as all other Muslims.
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