A notice. Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah said: (A banner will emerge from Khurasan, then another will emerge. Their clothes will be white. At their forefront will be a man from Banu Tamim, paving the way for the Mahdi's authority. They will seek him, and he will flee. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family, said: (Until their companion flees, he will be brought between the Corner and the Station, and he will pledge allegiance while he is unwilling. It will be said to him: If you refuse, we will strike your neck.) He will be pleased with him, the inhabitant of the heavens and the inhabitant of the earth. He will hide, then appear. And from Zayn al-Abidin, may Allah be pleased with him: (When the Sufyani appears, the Mahdi will hide, then he will appear after that, beloved among creation.) Qatadah said: (The Mahdi is the best of people, those who support and pledge allegiance to him are from the people of Kufa and Yemen, and the substitutes of Sham. His vanguard is Gabriel, and his rear guard is Michael. He is beloved among creation. Allah Almighty will extinguish the blind sedition through him.) From Abdullah ibn Amr, he said: (O people of Kufa, you are the happiest people with the Mahdi.) He is not known, nor is he heeded. And from Abdullah ibn Ata, he said: I said to Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali, may Allah be pleased with them: (Inform me about the Qaim. He said: By Allah, it is not I, nor the one to whom you extend your necks. He is not known, nor is he heeded. I said: How will he proceed? He said: As the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family, proceeded.) The temporal characteristics of the Mahdi. The state of people before the emergence of the Mahdi. There will be great disagreement among people from parties, groups, doctrines, and ideas. The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: (I give you good tidings of the Mahdi. He will be sent in my Ummah amidst disagreement among people and earthquakes. He will fill the earth with equity and justice, as it was filled with injustice and oppression.) The Mahdi will not emerge except when some of them curse others and kill each other. From Abu Abdullah al-Husayn ibn Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: (The matter you await will not happen.) - 36 -