Denial of Mahdism with a functionalist approach and the response of Sunni scholars to it

Mahdism is a definitive Sunni belief and has a special place among them. Nevertheless, some dissidents have come up with a variety of approaches to hesitate and deny this belief. One of the methods of denying Mahdism's of the people is taking a functionalist approach. Some have inaccurately pretended that belief in Mahdism leads to the occurrence of negative functions and thoughts. This has come with their wrong interpretation, misunderstanding, superficial and inaccurate perceptions of such narratives of the Mahdism. Those functionalities can be such as: creation of sense of indifference and apathy in the society, ranging from administration and tolerance in the face of oppression and the belief in the agency for the saviour. Therefore, they claim that in order to overcome these concerns and avoid the confrontation with those negative functions, it is better to stop thinking and deny Mahdism. In contrast, some of the elders of the Sunni have responded and rejected this attitude with a positive approach and referred to correct interpretation of the traditions. They believe that, according to Mahdist narrations, we are obliged to create an attitude of preparedness and to move towards a goal in a way that is steady and far from complacency.