Ahmad al-Hassan

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Ahmed Alhasan, full name Ahmed bin Ismail bin Saleh bin Hussain bin Salman (Arabic: احمد بن اسماعيل بن صالح بن الحسين بن سلمان) (born 1968) is the leader of the Shia Iraqi movement Ansar of Imam al-Mahdi who claims to be the savior of mankind.^[1] His followers believe him to be al-Yamani, the eschatological leader from Yemen who will precede the return of the Imam, although this is not a mainstream belief in Shia Islam.^[2] He has written some books, and answers questions posed to him by his followers on his website.

There has been speculation that al-Hassan was involved in the Battle of Najaf. He has denied any such involvement and called such violent groups as the path of Satan. His adherents have asserted that their movement is peaceful, and have blamed the Iraqi authorities for false accusations.^[3][4]

Early life[]

Ahmad al-Hassan was born in Basra, Iraq. His uncle, Muhsin ibn Saleh, attested that the family tree traces back to Muhammad al-Mahdi. This was corroborated by Sayyed Hasan bin Muhammad Ali al-Hamami (son of the late Marja' Sayed Muhammad Ali Musawi al-Hamami, a tribal leader from Bani Abas) and two other regional clerics.^{[5][better source needed]}

Al-Hassan studied civil engineering at the University of Basra, where he graduated in 1992.^[2] After having a vision during which the Imam Mahdi, a messianic figure, told him to enroll in the Hawza Ilmiya (religious institute) of Sayyed Muhammad al-Sadr in Najaf, Iraq, al-Hassan started claiming to be the messenger of the Imam Mahdi.^[2] He isolated himself at home to learn the sciences of the Hawza with an attempt of reforming it, as he claims it to be disordered. He later formed a group called the Ansar.

Religious call[]

Ahmad al-Hassan started his religious call privately, only first announcing it publicly in 2002, during the last months of Saddam's rule, after his attempted Hawza reformations. Middle East Research and Information Project has reported that "the majority of his public affrays—they often take the form of theological duels known as munazarat—have been with Sadrist followers."^[6] He uses the Star of David as his logo and claims that its a heredity now that belongs to Islam not the Child killing zionist entity.

^{[5][better source needed]}

Current status[]

Al-Hassan's present whereabouts are unknown.^[2]

Claims[]

Ahmad al-Hassan makes a number of claims, which include that he is the son, messenger, vicegerent, and executor of the affairs of Imam Mahdi, al-Yamani, an infallible Imam, the first of 12 Mahdis, a messenger of the prophets Isa and Elijah.^[1]

Regarding the purposes of his movement, he claimed:

The goal of my message is the goal of the Prophets: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, which is to spread the true monotheism with which God is satisfied, and for the earth to be filled with peace and justice after it had been filled with oppression and injustice."^[7] He also claimed, "I am the Messenger of Imam Mahdi, and I am his vicegerent, and I am the first of the twelve Mahdis from the sons of Imam Mahdi.^[8]

Supporters[]

The adherents of Ahmad al-Hassan collectively identify themselves as Ansar al-Mahdi (lit. supporters of the Mahdi, Arabic: أنصار المهدي),^[9] and are sometimes called Ansars. His followers have described his call as being universal,^[10][6] because his preaching addresses Muslims, Christians, Jews, and all of mankind.^[11]

While many of his supporters are in Iraq, where there are more than 15 official public offices and representatives in major cities, he is believed to have followers in many other countries as well, including Iran, Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United States, Australia,Norway,Denmark,France,South Africa,Egypt,Singapore,Saudi Arabia,Yemen,Emirates,Qatar and etc. Many of these followers access his teachings through websites in several languages.^[2] In Iran, the Yamani movement is popular among both the clerics and the common people, especially due to similarities between al-Hassan's characteristics and the descriptions given of the promised al-Yamani in the Shīʿa scriptures. There are also university professors and other professionals among his followers there such as Dr.Daren Smith. This support has begun to cause friction with the Iranian government, whose supreme leader holds a competing claim to a strong affiliation with the Mahdi.^[2]

Controversies[]

Mahdi claim[]

The Yamani is one of the major signs that is awaited by Shi'a Muslims before the appearance of the 12th Imam Mahdi. The Shia clerics that are informed about Ahmad al-Hassan's call have largely condemned him, and issued corresponding fatwas classifying Ahmad al-Hassan as an impostor, a fabricator, a deceiver, an innovator, and a liar.^[12][13] According to Iraqi Basra police, investigations conducted revealed that his ancestry does not go back to the prophet.^[14] Shi'a Muslim scholars such as Sheikh Ali al-Korani and Jalal al-Din Ali al-Saghir have expressed their negative views of al-Hassan's claims in numerous TV broadcasts.^[15] He has been accused by his opponents of plotting to assassinate Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.^[2]

Al-Hassan claims that Shia Muslims are being "deceived" by the Marja'.^[2] He claims that imitating a scholar is not obligatory for Muslims, and it is considered Shirk (polytheism) to blindly follow a scholar.

Battle of Najaf[]

Shortly after the January 2007 Battle of Najaf, conflicting reports and news coverage emerged as to who exactly was involved in the clashes. The Los Angeles Times and RFERL identified the leader of the Soldiers of Heaven group as , who was killed in the clashes.^[16][17] However, The New York Times reported that Iraqi officials at a press conference had named the group that was involved in the clashes as Soldiers of Heaven (Jund al-Samaa’), but offered several names for the group's leader, including Ahmad Ismail and Diyah Abdul Zahraa Khadom. The Times article also reported that Diyah Abdul Zahraa Khadom was the same person as Ahmad Hassan al-Yamani, and whose alleged role was deputy of the group, not the leader.^[18]

Timothy Furnish of mahdiwatch.org wrote, "Security officials say that Ansar Ahmad [al-Hassan] al-Yamani and the Jund al-Samaa [Soldiers of Heaven] are one and the same, while National Security Minister Shirwan al-Waili denies any relation between the two [groups]."^{[19][unreliable fringe source?]}

Sheikh Saadiq al-Hasnawi, who is a teacher in the Scientific Hawza of Honorable Najaf says, "This movement (Soldiers of Heaven), we have never heard about it before, and we used to guess that the leader of it is Sayed Ahmad al-Yamani, and they told me about the book Qathi al-Sama which was spread around in multitudes and by anonymous people, and when I read the content of the book I was shocked in its strange ideas completely, over the method of Ahmad son of al-Hassan al-Yamani."^[20]

Sayyed Hasan bin Muhammad Ali al-Hamami (son of the late Marja Sayed Muhammad Ali Musawi al-Hamami) states that Soldiers of Heaven was led by Dhiyaa' [Abdul-Zahra] Al-Qara'wi, who had rejected the 12 Imams of Shia Islam, had claimed to be the 12th Imam Mahdi himself, and had later died in the battle.^[21]

Ahmad al-Hassan himself and representatives of his group Ansar of Imam al-Mahdi have denied any involvement in these clashes, and claim they have no links to the group Soldiers of Heaven.^[22]

Books[]

Ahmad al-Hassan's books which are translated into English:^[23]

• Atheism Delusion
• For the Supremacy of God, not for the Supremacy of the People
• They ask you about the Spirit
• The Successor and Messenger of Imam Al-Mahdi pbuh in the Torah, Gospel, Quran
• The Journey of Moses to the junction of the Two Seas
• The Thirteenth Disciple
• The Sealing Prophecy
• Letter of Guidance
• Enlightenments from the calls of the Messengers
• The Wilderness or the Path to God
• The Allegories
• The Return

References[]