Mahdism from Ronen A. Cohen point of view

Dr. Ronen Cohen is one of the contemporary Israeli orientalists, who has researched Shiism and Mahdism in addition to Iranian studies and political issues in the Middle East. He has many works in various fields such as Islam, Persian language, Middle East, and political parties in Iran. In his book, called "Hujjatiyah association", Cohen deals with the historical background of the formation of “Guardianship of the juris consult” (Wilāyat al-Faqīh) and “Ḥujjatiyah association”, and points to the origin of Shiism and the principles of Shia belief, as well as the role and position of Imams in this religion and the fundamental differences between Shia and Sunni. In this paper, by referring to Ronen Cohen's writings, with a library method, his important views have been investigated about Shiism and especially Mahdism. Despite some of Cohen's incorrect comments and comparing his view with some fanatical and biased Orientalists, it seems that he is trying to provide a correct description of Shiism and the issues related to Mahdism, such as the situation of Shiism during the occultation of Imam Mahdi (pbuh).