This document discusses the concept of rajʿah in Shi'i Islam, which refers to the belief that certain individuals will be resurrected and return to this world before the Day of Judgment. It provides background on the concept, perspectives from Shi'i scholars both past and present on whether it should be taken literally or metaphorically, and evidence from the Quran that resurrection of individuals is possible based on past events. The document aims to explore the topic thoughtfully while noting a range of views exist among Shi'i scholars on the authenticity and interpretation of related narrations.

1. REFLECTIONS ON THE RAJʿAH
THE RETURN
Amina Inloes
a.inloes@islamic-college.ac.uk
Please note that I strongly recommend that this presentation be delivered by someone who is very familiar with this subject, as well
as the span of views on it by Shi‘i scholars, and who is able to speak thoughtfully on the question of the reliability of the narrations
that are discussed. I am not implying that all the prophecies, narrations, or ideas included here are authentic or correct, jut that they
exist (nor am I implying the opposite). However, I am uploading it for reference, in case it is useful to someone.

2. WHAT IS THE RAJʿAH?
‫خص‬‫منتخب‬ ،‫البصائر‬‫د‬ْ‫ع‬َ‫س‬‫ن‬َ‫ع‬‫ْن‬‫ب‬‫ا‬‫ى‬َ‫س‬‫ي‬‫ع‬َ‫و‬‫ْن‬‫ب‬‫ا‬‫ي‬‫ب‬َ‫أ‬‫اب‬َّ‫َط‬‫خ‬ْ‫ال‬‫ن‬َ‫ع‬َ‫ب‬ْ‫ال‬‫ي‬‫ط‬ْ‫ن‬َ‫ز‬ْ‫ن‬َ‫ع‬‫اد‬َّ‫م‬َ‫ح‬‫ْن‬‫ب‬َ‫ان‬َ‫م‬ْ‫ث‬ُ‫ع‬ْ‫ن‬َ‫ع‬
‫د‬َّ‫م‬َ‫ح‬ُ‫م‬‫ْن‬‫ب‬‫م‬‫ْل‬‫س‬ُ‫م‬َ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬ُ‫ت‬ْ‫ع‬‫م‬َ‫س‬َ‫ان‬ َ‫ر‬ْ‫م‬ُ‫ح‬َ‫ْن‬‫ب‬َ‫ن‬َ‫ي‬ْ‫ع‬َ‫أ‬َ‫و‬‫ا‬َ‫ب‬َ‫أ‬‫اب‬َّ‫َط‬‫خ‬ْ‫ال‬‫ان‬َ‫ث‬‫د‬َ‫ح‬ُ‫ي‬‫يعا‬‫م‬َ‫ج‬َ‫ل‬ْ‫ب‬َ‫ق‬ْ‫ن‬َ‫أ‬َ‫ث‬‫د‬ْ‫ُح‬‫ي‬‫ُو‬‫ب‬َ‫أ‬َ‫خ‬ْ‫ال‬‫اب‬َّ‫ط‬‫ا‬َ‫م‬
َ‫ث‬َ‫د‬ْ‫ح‬َ‫أ‬‫ا‬َ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬َّ‫ن‬َ‫أ‬‫ا‬َ‫ع‬‫م‬َ‫س‬‫ا‬َ‫ب‬َ‫أ‬‫ْد‬‫ب‬َ‫ع‬َّ‫اّلل‬‫ع‬ُ‫ل‬‫و‬ُ‫ق‬َ‫ي‬ُ‫ل‬ َّ‫و‬َ‫أ‬ْ‫ن‬َ‫م‬‫َق‬‫ش‬ْ‫ن‬َ‫ت‬َ ْ‫ال‬ُ‫ض‬ ْ‫ر‬ُ‫ه‬ْ‫ن‬َ‫ع‬َ‫و‬ُ‫ع‬‫ج‬ ْ‫ر‬َ‫ي‬‫ى‬َ‫ل‬‫إ‬‫ا‬َ‫ي‬ْ‫ن‬‫الد‬ُ‫ْن‬‫ي‬َ‫س‬ُ‫ح‬ْ‫ال‬ْ‫ب‬ُ‫ن‬‫ي‬‫ل‬َ‫ع‬‫ع‬
َ‫و‬َّ‫ن‬‫إ‬َ‫ة‬َ‫ع‬ْ‫ج‬َّ‫الر‬ْ‫ت‬َ‫س‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬‫ة‬َّ‫م‬‫ا‬َ‫ع‬‫ب‬َ‫و‬َ‫ي‬‫ه‬‫ة‬َّ‫ص‬‫َا‬‫خ‬َ‫ل‬ُ‫ع‬‫ج‬ ْ‫ر‬َ‫ي‬َّ‫ل‬‫إ‬ْ‫ن‬َ‫م‬َ‫م‬َ‫ض‬َ‫ح‬َ‫ان‬َ‫م‬‫ي‬ ْ‫اْل‬‫ضا‬ْ‫ح‬َ‫م‬ْ‫و‬َ‫أ‬َ‫ض‬َ‫ح‬َ‫م‬َ‫ك‬ ْ‫ر‬‫الش‬‫ض‬ْ‫ح‬َ‫م‬‫ا‬.
“The first person who will come forth from the earth and return is al-
Husayn ibn ‘Ali (A). The raj‘ah is not for everyone; rather, it is
specifically for those who have absolute faith or absolute shirk.” (Bihar
al-Anwar, vol. 53, #1)
• Also referred to as al-karrah
• Literally, the return to life of the best and the worst near the end of time
• A boundary line between Sunni and Twelver Shiʿi beliefs; also between Twelver Shiʿis and other groups
• Not reincarnation
• Metaphorical explanations?
• Range of views among Shiʿi scholars
• Do you have to believe in it to be a Twelver Shiʿi?
‫ليس‬‫منا‬‫لم‬ ‫من‬‫يؤمن‬‫بكرتنا‬‫ويستحل‬‫متعتنا‬
“A person who does not believe in our return or
acknowledge the permissibility of mutʿah is not
from us.” – Imam al-Sadiq (A) in al-Faqih
“Our belief concerning the rajʿah is that it is a fact…. Allah says: “Think of those of old, who went forth from their habitations
in their thousands, fearing death, and Allah said to them, Die, and then Allah brought them back to life” (Qur'an 2:243)… and
belief in reincarnation is incorrect, because it involves denying Paradise and Hell.” – Shaykh al-Saduq (d. 991 AD)

3. IS IT POSSIBLE?
The short answer:
َ‫ب‬ َ‫ر‬َ‫ض‬ َ‫و‬‫َا‬‫ن‬َ‫ل‬‫ل‬َ‫ث‬َ‫م‬َ‫ي‬‫َس‬‫ن‬ َ‫و‬ُ‫ه‬َ‫ق‬ْ‫َل‬‫خ‬َۖ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬َ‫م‬ْ‫ن‬‫ي‬‫ي‬ْ‫ح‬ُ‫ي‬َ‫ام‬َ‫ظ‬‫ع‬ْ‫ال‬َ‫ي‬‫ه‬ َ‫و‬‫يم‬‫م‬ َ‫ر‬.ْ‫ل‬ُ‫ق‬‫ا‬َ‫ه‬‫ي‬‫ي‬ْ‫ح‬ُ‫ي‬
‫ي‬‫ذ‬َّ‫ال‬‫َا‬‫ه‬َ‫َأ‬‫ش‬ْ‫ن‬َ‫أ‬َ‫ل‬ َّ‫و‬َ‫أ‬‫ة‬َّ‫ر‬َ‫م‬َۖ‫و‬ُ‫ه‬ َ‫و‬‫ل‬ُ‫ك‬‫ب‬َ‫خ‬‫ق‬ْ‫ل‬‫يم‬‫ل‬َ‫ع‬...َ‫ْس‬‫ي‬َ‫ل‬ َ‫و‬َ‫أ‬‫ي‬‫ذ‬َّ‫ال‬َ‫خ‬َ‫ق‬َ‫ل‬‫ات‬ َ‫او‬َ‫م‬َّ‫س‬‫ال‬
َ‫ض‬ ْ‫ر‬َ ْ‫ال‬ َ‫و‬‫ر‬‫اد‬َ‫ق‬‫ب‬‫ى‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ْ‫ن‬َ‫أ‬َ‫ق‬ُ‫ل‬ْ‫خ‬َ‫ي‬ُ‫ه‬َ‫ل‬ْ‫ث‬‫م‬ْ‫م‬ۚ‫ى‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ب‬َ‫و‬ُ‫ه‬ َ‫و‬ُ‫ق‬ َّ‫َل‬‫خ‬ْ‫ال‬‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ْ‫ال‬ُ‫م‬‫ي‬.‫ا‬َ‫م‬َّ‫ن‬‫إ‬ُ‫ه‬ُ‫ر‬ْ‫م‬َ‫أ‬‫ا‬َ‫ذ‬‫إ‬
َ‫د‬‫ا‬ َ‫ر‬َ‫أ‬‫ا‬‫ْئ‬‫ي‬َ‫ش‬ْ‫ن‬َ‫أ‬َ‫ل‬‫و‬ُ‫ق‬َ‫ي‬ُ‫ه‬َ‫ل‬ْ‫ن‬ُ‫ك‬ُ‫ون‬ُ‫ك‬َ‫ي‬َ‫ف‬
They confine Us to metaphors, and forget their own
creation. They say, Who will bring our bones back to life
after they are dry dust? Say, The One who created them
the first time will revive them – the One who knows all.
Is not the One who created the heavens and the earth able
to create their like? Truly! The Creator, the Aware. When
Allah wills something, Allah tells it Be, and it is. (Qurʾan
36:78- 81-82)
The long answer:
‫وا‬ُ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬‫َا‬‫ن‬َّ‫ب‬ َ‫ر‬‫َا‬‫ن‬َّ‫ت‬َ‫م‬َ‫أ‬‫ْن‬‫ي‬َ‫ت‬َ‫ن‬ْ‫اث‬َ‫ن‬َ‫ت‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ي‬ْ‫ح‬َ‫أ‬ َ‫و‬‫ا‬‫ْن‬‫ي‬َ‫ت‬َ‫ن‬ْ‫اث‬‫َا‬‫ن‬ْ‫ف‬ َ‫ر‬َ‫ت‬ْ‫ع‬‫ا‬َ‫ف‬َ‫ن‬‫وب‬ُ‫ن‬ُ‫ذ‬‫ب‬‫ا‬ْ‫ل‬َ‫ه‬َ‫ف‬‫ى‬َ‫ل‬‫إ‬‫وج‬ُ‫ر‬ُ‫خ‬ْ‫ن‬‫م‬‫يل‬‫ب‬َ‫س‬
“They say: Our Lord! Twice hast Thou made us die, and
twice hast Thou made us live. Now we confess our sins. Is
there any way out?” (40:11)
َ‫م‬ ْ‫و‬َ‫ي‬ َ‫و‬ُ‫ر‬ُ‫ش‬ْ‫َح‬‫ن‬ْ‫ن‬‫م‬‫ل‬ُ‫ك‬‫ة‬َّ‫م‬ُ‫أ‬‫ا‬‫ج‬ ْ‫و‬َ‫ف‬ْ‫ن‬َّ‫م‬‫م‬ُ‫ي‬ُ‫ب‬‫ذ‬َ‫ك‬‫َا‬‫ن‬‫ات‬َ‫ي‬‫آ‬‫ب‬ْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬َ‫ف‬ََ‫ُون‬‫ع‬َ‫وز‬ُ‫ي‬
“And (remember) the day when We shall gather from every
people a group of those who denied Our signs, and they will
be put in ranks.” (Qurʾan 27:83)
Resurrection of the dead in the past…

4. Al-Asbagh Ibn Nabatah narrates that Ibn al-Kawwaʾ (one of the Khawarij) asked the Commander of the Faithful whether it was possible for the
dead to return to this world. Imam Ali (A) replied:
Don’t you know that Allah said: "And Moses chose seventy of his people to meet us ... and when they said to Moses We will not
believe in you until we see Allah manifestly … so the thunderbolt overtook you while you were watching. Then We raised you
up after your death that you may be grateful” (7:155, 2:55-56).
Don’t you see that they returned to their homes after they died?
Similarly Allah said about some of the Bani Israʾil: “Have you not considered those who went forth from their homes, for fear of
death, and they were thousands, then Allah said to them, Die, and then He again gave them life” (2:243)?
Or that Allah said about ʿUzayr: “Or the likes of him who passed by a town, and it had fallen down upon its roofs. He said, How
shall Allah revive it after its death? So Allah made him die for a hundred years, then raised him back to life. He said: How long
have you tarried? He said: I have tarried a day, or a part of a day. He said: No! You have tarried a hundred years” (2:259).
So do not cast doubt upon the power of Allah. (Bihar, vol. 53, hadith #72)
I (Jesus) have come to you with a sign from your Lord, that I shape a bird for
you from dust; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird, by the permission
of Allah. And I heal the blind and the leper, and bring the dead to life, by the
permission of Allah. And I can tell you of what you eat and what you store
away at home. There is a sign for you in this, if you are believers. (Qurʾan 3:49)
TAFSIR HADITH
Or do you reckon that the
companions of the Cave and
raqim were among Our
wondrous signs? (18:9)

5. ٌ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ْ‫ؤ‬ُ‫م‬ٌْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ِ‫ب‬‫ا‬‫َي‬ِِ‫ِب‬ٌ‫ق‬ِِّ‫د‬‫ا‬‫ص‬ُ‫م‬ٌْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ِ‫ت‬‫ا‬‫ع‬ْ‫ج‬‫ا‬‫ر‬ِ‫ب‬ٌ‫ر‬ِ‫ظ‬‫ا‬‫ت‬ْ‫ن‬ُ‫م‬ٌْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ِ‫ر‬ْ‫ام‬ِ‫ِل‬ٌ‫ب‬ِ‫ق‬‫ا‬‫ت‬ْ‫ر‬ُ‫م‬ٌ‫ا‬‫ل‬ْ‫و‬‫ا‬‫د‬ِ‫ل‬ٌْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ِ‫ت‬
“I believe in you all, I believe in your return, I attest
to your return, I am awaiting your command, I
anticipate your rule...
– Ziyarat al-Jamiʿah al-Kabirah
‫أينٌبكمٌمؤمنٌوِبَيبكمٌموقن‬
“I believe in all of you, and I believe in all of
your return.”
– Ziyarat Warith (for Imam al-Husayn)
O Allah, if death – which You have made certain for Your servants – stands between me and (the
Mahdi), then take me out of my grave, wearing my shroud, unsheathing my sword, wielding my lance,
answering the call of the Caller in the cities and wilderness… Adorn my eyes with a glimpse of him.
– Duʿa al-ʿAhd
ZIYARATTEXTS
Make me one who follows in your footsteps and follows in your paths and is guided by your guidance
and is raised in your group and returns in your raj‘ah and rules in your states and is honoured with your
safety and is present in your days and whose eyes are pleased tomorrow with the sight of you.
– Ziyarat al-Jamiʿah al-Kabirah

6. TIMELINE: THE END OF THE WORLD
• Rise of the Dajjal and Sufyani
• The Sufyani will rule 9 months before the zuhur
• Worldwide chaos and suffering
• A redness will cover up the sky and swallow up Baghdad and Kufa”; a great fire in the east in the air for 3-7 days
• Black standards marching from Khorasan. Arabs will throw out foreign rulers
• The wall of the mosque of Kufa will be destroyed
• Death from the sword and the plague; warfare, especially around Kufa.
• A great earthquake
• Destruction of crops
• Earthly signs
• Murder of al-nafs al-zakiyyah
• A great earthquake
• A solar eclipse in middle of the month of Ramadan (whereas physically it is only possible during a new moon)
• A lunar eclipse at the beginning of the month of Ramadan (whereas physically it is only possible during a full moon)
• A call from the sky on 23 Ramadan
• The sun will rise from the West
• Return of the Mahdi on Ashura
• He will be dressed as a shepherd and wearing the Prophet’s clothes, so none will recognize him.
• At dawn, his 313 close followers will join him, along with angels and the noble ones from among the jinn.
• A call will be made for others to join the Mahdi. Another call will come from Palestine, urging people to join the Sufyani.
• Pillars of light will rise from the Ka‘bah.
• The palaces of the oppressors at the Ka‘bah will be destroyed.
• Return of Jesus
• Jesus will pray behind the Mahdi and assist the Mahdi in killing the Dajjal.
• Jesus will break the crucifix and disavow that he is the son of God.
• The rajʿah will occur shortly before or after the return of the Mahdi, perhaps in Rajab.
• Violent clashes; the army of the Sufyani will march against the Mahdi and be swallowed up by the earth
• The establishment of a new world order, with the Imams as governors. Peace and justice.
• The Mahdi will die.
• The last person to die will be Imam ʿAli. Then the world will end, and judgment will begin.
CHALLENGE: CONFLICTING OR
UNRELIABLE NARRATIONS
“Very soon Kufa, will be empty of believers.
Knowledge will disappear from that region the
way a snake disappears from its abode into a hole
in the earth [without leaving any trace]. Then it
will reappear in the city known as Qum. That
city will become the treasure of religious
knowledge and excellence. Religious knowledge
will spread across nations from Qum and God's
proof will have been provided to all people in
such a way that there will not be a single person
on Earth who will not have heard about the
religion and its wisdom. It will be following this
event that our qa’im will appear.” – Imam al-
Sadiq (A)
The Dajjal:
• One-eyed
• Amazing technology (e.g. vast distances in one
step)
• Will bring rain, but the rain will increase the
people’s suffering
• Will promise food but bring famine
• Will lie that he is the Creator
• Literal or metaphorical?

7. SELECTED PROPHECIES
• Al-Maʾmun asked Imam al-Rida: ‘What do you say about the rajʿah?’ He said: ‘It is true. It happened to prior peoples, and the Qur'an speaks of
it, and the Messenger of God said: “Everything that happened to the prior peoples will happen to this people, sandal by sandal, arrow-feather by
arrow-feather [that is to say, exactly the same way].”’
• I am the aged one (sayyid al-shayb), as old as Job, and, by God, He will join me with my children like he joined Jacob [with his children].
– Imam ‘Ali
• The first one who shall return to this world (at the time of al-Mahdi) is al-Husayn ibn ʿAli who will rule until his eyebrows falls over his eyes due
to his old age." – Imam al-Sadiq (Bihar al-Anwar)
• The believer dies or is killed. I said to [the Imam]: “I have grown old, and my bones have become weak. I would love to end my life being killed
for you.” He said: “It is not like that. If it does not happen sooner (al-ʿajilah), it will happen later (al-ajilah).”
• It is as if I am with Hamran ibn Aʿyan and Maysar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAziz with their swords when they are addressing the people between Safa and
Marwah. – Imam al-Sadiq
• It is as if I am with ʿAbdullah ibn Sharik al-ʿAmiri, and he is wearing a black turban with the ends between his shoulders, and he is ascending the
foot of the mountain between the hands of our qaʾim of the Ahl al-Bayt with 4,000 men shouting God is great! and advancing. – Imam al-Baqir
• Ismaʿil ibn Hizqil
• When the Qa’im rises, it will rain upon people in the month of Jumada al-Akhirah, and ten days of the month of Rajab. It will be a rain that all
of creation has never seen the like of before. With it, Allah will cause the flesh and bodies of the believers in their graves to grow [like plants]. It
is as if I see them, facing each other, and coming forth from the area of Juhaynah. They are tearing their hair from the dirt.
• ‘How strange and wondrous, so entirely strange and wondrous, (the rising) between Jumada and Rajab.” (Al-‘ajab kull al-‘ajab bayna Jumada wa
Rajab) – Imam ʿAli
• ‘Do not put down ʿAli more than God has put him down, and do not raise him more than God has raised him; it is enough for ʿAli that he will
fight the ahl al-karrah and do the marriages for the ahl al-jannah.’ - Imam Baqir to Abu Hamzah Thumali
• God has not raised any prophet from the time of Adam except that he will be returned to the world and will aid the Commander of the Faithful,
and this is the meaning of la-tu’minunna bihi – meaning believing in Rasul Allah – and la-tansurannahu (3:81) – meaning the Commander of the
Faithful.
Controversial questions: Will the Umayyads be punished? Do hadith really say that ʿAʾishah or ʿUthman will be hung from a tree or flogged?

8. And surely for those who are unjust with regard to the right of family of
Muhammad, there shall be a punishment before that (the Day of
Judgment), though most people do not know, and this refers to the
punishment in al-rajʿah. – Imam al-Baqir (Bihar al-Anwar)
‫ا‬‫ا‬‫ذ‬ِ‫إ‬‫ا‬‫و‬ٌ‫ا‬‫ع‬‫ا‬‫ق‬‫ا‬‫و‬ٌُ‫ل‬ْ‫و‬‫ا‬‫ق‬ْ‫ل‬‫ا‬ٌْ‫م‬ِ‫ه‬ْ‫ي‬‫ا‬‫ل‬‫ا‬‫ع‬‫ا‬‫ا‬‫ن‬ْ‫ج‬‫ا‬‫ر‬ْ‫اخ‬‫أ‬ٌْ‫م‬ُ‫ا‬‫َل‬ٌ‫ة‬َّ‫ب‬‫ا‬‫ا‬‫د‬ٌ‫ا‬‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ٌِ‫ض‬ْ‫ار‬ْ‫اِل‬ٌْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬ُ‫م‬ِِّ‫ل‬‫ا‬‫ك‬ُ‫ت‬
ٌَّ‫ان‬‫أ‬ٌ‫ا‬‫َّاس‬‫ن‬‫ال‬‫ا‬‫و‬ُ‫ن‬‫ا‬‫ا‬‫ك‬‫ا‬‫ا‬‫ن‬ِ‫ت‬‫ا‬‫َي‬ِ‫ِب‬ٌ‫ا‬‫ل‬ٌ‫ا‬‫ن‬‫و‬ُ‫ن‬ِ‫وق‬ُ‫ي‬
And when the Word is fulfilled against them (the unjust), We shall bring forth a
creature from the earth to speak unto them – that the people did not have
certainty in Our signs. (27:82)
The Prophet saw Imam ʿAli in the mosque sleeping with only sand as his
pillow. The Prophet shook him and said “Rise, O creature of the earth
(dabbah)!” One of the companions asked, “Should we call each other
this?” The Prophet said, “No, it is exclusively for ʿAli, because he is that
creature (dabbah) mentioned in the Book of Allah.” … He will rise from
Kufa, and bear the staff of Moses and the ring of Sulayman. With the staff
of Moses, he will stamp the foreheads of the faithful; and with the ring of
Sulayman, he will strike the faces of the infidels and mark them.
WHY?
• Justice?
• Vengeance?
• The victory of Imam al-Husayn
(A)?
• Other reasons?
And We will to bestow Our grace upon those who have been oppressed
on the earth, and to make them the inheritors.
SUMMARY: “The Imamis agree on the necessity of the
rajʿah on earth of a great number of the dead before the
day of resurrection. But there is a difference of opinion
among them concerning the meaning of the rajʿah.” –
Shaykh al-Mufid (d. 1022 AD)
Imam al-Sadiq was asked about the reason for the occultation.
He replied: “For a reason that we are not allowed to reveal to
you….The wisdom behind his occultation is the same wisdom
behind the occultation of Allah’s proofs before him. Certainly
the wisdom behind it will not be disclosed until after his
reappearance… This command is among the commands of the
Almighty Allah, a secret from among the secrets of Allah, a
thing of the unseen from among the unseen things of Allah.
When we acknowledge that He is All-Wise, we also
acknowledge that all Allah’s actions are wise, even though the
reason behind them may be undisclosed.”

9. DUʿA