[kinghorse]

Haven't read the whole thing. this one caught me:

the period of his childhood, the period of his "Ghaibat" (concealment) and the period of his "Zuhor" (Re-appearance).

I'll restate my question posed to TravisMcGee. I keep ready this fable about the 12th Iman appearing and how the Shiite hold dear to it. Is this true based on what you read? If so, what does a Sunni care of this Shiite fable?

[Sabertooth]

I keep ready this fable about the 12th Iman appearing and how the Shiite hold dear to it. Is this true based on what you read? If so, what does a Sunni care of this Shiite fable?

It definitely seems to be a Shia, rather than Sunni tradition. Not sure that would stop a bin Laden Wahabbist type if it suited his megalomania, though.

Also, bin Laden might not be the only guy around with Mahdi aspirations...

Muqtada al-Sader eager to cooperate (but wants to form "al-Mahdi Army" in Iraq?)
			Posted by Sabertooth On 11/03/2003 1:45 PM PST with 16 comments Arabic News ^ | November 3rd, 2003 The Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader had considered "Saddam Hussein and his followers as the enemy of Iraq, rather than the Americans," whom he described as "guests" in Iraq. In a statement circulated in al-Najaf city and the Iraqi daily published excerpts of its yesterday, al-Sader said that Americans are "peace loving people" and the existence of the American forces in Iraq are "that of guests," calling for that the "holy month of Ramadan will be 'the month of meeting of Iraqis and Americans in circles of peace and amity'." Al-Sader stressed the need of preventing "bloodshed and wars and terrorism...

[Dajjal]

The Shiites and Sufis began the Mahdi = return of the 12th Imam fable. The expectation of a savior eventually spilled over into the Sunnis as a belief that the Mahdi will be the reincarnation of the Fourth Caliphate.

[Dajjal]

or, rather, the reincarnation of the Fourth Caliph, who will establish a world-wide Caliphate.