Investigating the Common Suspicions of Ignaz Goldziher and Sa’d Muhammad Hassan about Mahdism

Mahdism is a common global belief of all humans. Regardless of the differences in content, the whole idea of Mahdism has been agreed upon by all religions. Some individuals might be deceived by some doubts or suspicions, but the divine origin of Mahdism cannot be easily denied. Goldziher is an assiduous Hungarian orientalist working in the field of Islamic Studies. In his book “Islamic Theology and Law”, he has conducted studies on various issues such as personality of the Holy Prophet of Islam, jurisprudence, theology, Sufism, and Islamic cults. In the section devoted to cults, he has claimed that Mahdism has originated from Judaism and Christianity. He also postulates that the Islamic Hadiths on Mahdism are counterfeit and may not be deemed authentic. Goldziher is an orientalist who has largely influenced the thoughts of Sa’d Muhammad Hassan, author of the book “Mahdi in Islam since Ancient Times until Today”. The author of the book is a professor of Al-Azhar University and the Egyptian School of Education and has authored it 32 years after decease of Goldziher, but has largely applied Goldziher’s writings in his work. The present study consists of two parts: the first part reflects Goldziher’s suspicions on Mahdism and the second part investigates his influence on Sa’d Muhammad Hassan, the author of the mentioned book, who has postulated the same suspicions in details.