How can I tell if someone is truly Mahdi the savior?

Sources

• ✓ 61:6 · As-Saff

  61:6 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَٰبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ إِنِّى رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقًۭا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَىَّ مِنَ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَمُبَشِّرًۢا بِرَسُولٍۢ يَأْتِى مِنۢ بَعْدِى ٱسْمُهُۥٓ أَحْمَدُ ۖ فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ قَالُوا۟ هَٰذَا سِحْرٌۭ مُّبِينٌۭ

  And when Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me, whose name is the Praised One. Yet when he hath come unto them with clear proofs, they say: This is mere magic.

• ✓ 24:55 · An-Noor

  24:55 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ كَمَا ٱسْتَخْلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى ٱرْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًۭا ۚ يَعْبُدُونَنِى لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِى شَيْـًۭٔا ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَٰسِقُونَ

  Allah hath promised such of you as believe and do good work that He will surely make them to succeed (the present rulers) in the earth even as He caused those who were before them to succeed (others); and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He hath approved for them, and will give them in exchange safety after their fear. They serve Me. They ascribe no thing as partner unto Me. Those who disbelieve henceforth, they are the miscreants.

• ✓ Majma al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an on 24:55

  Shia

  Majma al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an · 24:55

  The Divine Promise to Those Among You Who Believe and Do Righteous Deeds: God has promised those among you who have faith and perform righteous deeds that He will certainly appoint them as successors on the earth, just as He appointed those before them as successors. He will establish their religion, which He has chosen for them, and replace their fear with security, so that they worship Me without associating anything with Me. Those who disbelieve after that—such are the rebellious sinners. Recitation Variants: Abu Bakr recited the phrase (كما استخلف) with the letter 'tā' pronounced with a ḍammah (u-s-c-h-u-l-f), while others pronounced it with a fatḥah (a-s-c-h-a-l-f). For the word (وليبدلنهم), Ibn Kathir, Abu Bakr, Ya'qūb, and Sahl read it as 'from al-ibdāl' (replacement), whereas others read it with a shaddah as 'al-tabdīl' (change). The Argument: Abu Ali explained that the preferable form is (كما استخلف) with fatḥah on the tā and the letter 'lam' because God's name is mentioned beforehand, and the pronoun in (ليستخلفنهم) refers back to Him. Thus, the same applies to (كما استخلف). ‘Istikhlāf’ (to appoint as successor) here means the same as ‘istakhlaafa,’ with ‘tabdīl’ and ‘ibdāl’ both conveying similar meanings. It is said that ‘tabdīl’ means to change one state to another, as in ‘he changed his form,’ whereas ‘ibdāl’ means to replace something by putting another in its place, as when a prince is removed and replaced by another. Grammar Parsing: The phrase (وأقسموا بالله جهد أيمانهم) originally meant 'they swore by God while striving with their oaths,' where the adverb is omitted and replaced by the verbal noun constructed as a modifier to the object, functioning similarly to an adverbial clause much like '(فضرب الرقاب)'. The phrase (طاعة) is a subject, with its predicate omitted but implied as an obvious obedience; this is preferable and better for you. The word (ليستخلفنهم) is the response to the oath, indicated by (وعد الله), for His promise is like an oath. The phrase (يعبدونني) may be either a new sentence praising them or in the accusative case as an adverbial phrase. Meaning: When God revealed that they disliked His rule, the people told the Prophet, peace be upon him, 'By God, if you command us to leave our homes and possessions, we would obey.' God then said, '(They) swore by God with all their strength, that if you command them, they will go out,' meaning they pledged their utmost oaths and resolve that, if ordered to march in your expeditions, they would do so. God then instructed the Prophet, 'Say to them, do not swear,' indicating that their oath is unnecessary. Then, God emphasized a well-known obedience—that is, sincere and devoted obedience to the Prophet—which is better and more genuine than an oath without conviction. The omitted predicate is understood. God then commands the obedience: 'Say, obey God in what He commands you, and obey the Messenger in what he brings to you; but if they turn away from obedience to God and His Messenger (the original form being ‘tatawallaw’ where one tā is dropped), then (upon the Messenger is but the duty to convey the message) and upon you is but the duty to respond obediently.' If you obey the Messenger, then you will be rightly guided to righteousness and the path of Paradise. The Messenger's responsibility is only to convey clearly, and the success of guidance rests upon you. The Promise: God promised those among you who believe and act with sincerity: He will make them successors upon the earth, just as He made those before them successors. The meaning is that He will grant them inheritance of the land of the non-believers among Arabs and non-Arabs, making them its inhabitants and rulers. Muffassir Al-Maqatil said this refers to the Children of Israel, whom God destroyed the tyrants in Egypt and gave their land, homes, and wealth to inherit. Abu bin Ka'b reported that when the Prophet and his companions arrived in Medina and were hosted by the Ansar, the Arabs still viewed them with hostility, staying vigilant and never sleeping without arms. They wondered if they would ever live in peace and security, fearing only God. Then, this verse was revealed. Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad related that the Prophet said, 'There will never remain on earth a dwelling place, a populated area or a wilderness, except that God will admit the word of Islam into it either by the honor of the honorable or the humiliation of the humble, either by God uplifting them with dignity, making them among its people, or by humiliating them to submit to it.' Others say that 'the earth' here specifically means the land of Mecca, since the Emigrants sought such assurance. He will establish their religion, the religion He chose for them, meaning Islam, which He commanded them to follow, and He will empower it to prevail over all other religions, as it is said: 'The earth was folded up for me, so I saw its east and west; my nation’s dominion will reach what has been encompassed.' Alternatively, the empowerment is described as strengthening the faithful and humiliating the polytheists, and enabling the religion's followers to manifest it openly, whereas previously they concealed it. He will replace their fear with security, transforming them from a state of fear in Mecca to one of peace and strength through Islam’s openness and flourishing. Al-Maqatil stated God did so for them and for those who followed, establishing their power in the land, replacing fear with safety, and spreading their reach. Some interpret this as replacing fear in this world with security in the hereafter, supported by a hadith where the Prophet narrated God saying, 'I do not leave My servant with two fears or two securities: if he fears Me in this world, I secure him in the Hereafter; if he feels secure from Me in this world, I cause him to fear Me in the Hereafter.' The phrase (يعبدونني لا يشركون بي شيئا) is an affirmation praising those believers: they worship Me alone without associating any partners. According to Ibn Abbas, it means they fear none but God. Others say it signifies that they do not perform worship for show or rivalry with anyone else. This verse also serves as proof of the Prophet's truthfulness in conveying unseen matters, known only through divine revelation. As for those who disbelieve after experiencing these favors, those are the truly rebellious sinners. Mentioning ‘fāsiqūn’ (rebels) after ‘kāfirūn’ (disbelievers) is because rebellion is a broader category; thus, such are the worst and most flagrant types of disbelief. Some say it refers to those who deny God's favors after He granted them. Ibn Abbas explained it applies to those who deny blessings after God bestowed them, making them disobedient. Regarding the target of this verse, opinions differ: some say it refers specifically to the Prophet’s companions; others say it is general for the entire Muslim nation, according to Ibn Abbas and Mujahid. The report from the Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet’s family) says it refers to the Mahdi from the Prophet's lineage. Al-'Ayashi transmitted from Ali ibn al-Husayn that he recited this verse and stated, 'By God, they are indeed our Shi'a, the People of the House.' This will be accomplished by God through one from us, the Mahdi, who the Prophet described: ‘If only one day remained in the world, God would extend that day until a man from my family, whose name is my name, would fill the earth with justice and fairness as it was filled with oppression and tyranny.’ Similar reports are narrated from Abu Ja'far and Abu Abd Allah. Hence, the phrase ‘those who believe and do righteous deeds’ refers to the Prophet and his pure family, peace and blessings be upon them. This verse contains glad tidings of succession to power, empowerment in the land, and the removal of fear during the reign of the Mahdi from among them. The phrase ‘just as He made those before them successors’ signifies that God appointed the righteous to be vicegerents on earth, like Adam, David, and Solomon. This is supported by God's words: ‘Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority,’ and ‘O David, indeed We have made you a successor upon the earth,’ and similarly, ‘We gave to the family of Abraham the Book and wisdom and gave them a great kingdom.’ This is the consensus of the pure lineage and their proof, as the Prophet said, ‘I am leaving among you two weighty things: the Book of God and my family, the People of my House; they will never separate until they come to me at the pool.’ Furthermore, universal empowerment upon the earth has not yet been fully realized, so it is anticipated because God does not break His promise. They must establish prayer, give alms, obey the Messenger, so that you may receive mercy.

• ✓ Sunan Abu Dawud 38:7

  Sunni Hasan (per Al-Albani)

  Sunan Abu Dawud · Book 38, Hadith 7 · Narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri

  The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: The Mahdi is from me, with a broad forehead and a pointed nose. He will fill the earth with justice and equity as it has been filled with tyranny and oppression. He will rule for seven years.