Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The messiah prophesied to appear at the world's end and establish a reign of peace and righteousness.
  • noun In Twelver Shia belief, the 12th imam, who is expected to emerge from occultation to fulfill this role.
  • noun A person who claims to be or is seen as the messiah.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun According to Mohammedan belief, a spiritual and temporal ruler destined to appear on earth during the last days.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Among Mohammedans, the last imam or leader of the faithful. The Sunni, the largest sect of the Mohammedans, believe that he is yet to appear.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (Islam) a messianic leader who (according to popular Muslim belief) will appear before the end of the world and restore justice and religion

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Arabic mahdī, rightly guided one, Mahdi, passive participle of hadā, to lead; see hdy in Semitic roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Arabic مهدي ("guided one").

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Examples

  • AL MAHDI, H.E. IMAM SAYYE. AL SADIQ SUDAN Lineage p. 121 Uniquely situated on this list as the single most influential Sudanese leader who derives influence from his lineage-his great grandfather, Muhammad Ahmad, claimed to be the Mahdi, or messianic figure in Islamic eschatology-Imam Sayyed al Sadiq al Mahdi is also Imam of the al Ansar sufi order and president of the moderate Islamic Umma Party.

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows AlHaqqNetwork 2010

  • To Sunnis and Shiites alike, the Mahdi is the ultimate savior of mankind, equivalent to the Messiah.

    Declaring Victory 2006

  • To Sunnis and Shiites alike, the Mahdi is the ultimate savior of mankind, equivalent to the Messiah.

    slideshow-test 2006

  • To Sunnis and Shiites alike, the Mahdi is the ultimate savior of mankind, equivalent to the Messiah.

    slideshow-test 2006

  • To Sunnis and Shiites alike, the Mahdi is the ultimate savior of mankind, equivalent to the Messiah.

    Declaring Victory 2006

  • The Supreme Council, the once dominant religious Shiite party with roots in Iran, refused to join the Maliki/Sadr alliance, and its leading candidate, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, is still competing against Maliki for the prime minister's job.

    Future Of Iraqi Government Remains Unclear 2010

  • Five minutes ago I'd been carelessly eyeing a jaunty backside while Fred or Ginger looked for my luggage - and now I was being dragooned into God knew what horror by this arrogant zealot - and they called the Mahdi a fanatic!

    Watershed 2010

  • Five minutes ago I'd been carelessly eyeing a jaunty backside while Fred or Ginger looked for my luggage - and now I was being dragooned into God knew what horror by this arrogant zealot - and they called the Mahdi a fanatic!

    Flashman And The Tiger Fraser, George MacDonald, 1925- 1999

  • Hazzard converted to Islam in 1971, according to the Los Angeles Times, and was known as Mahdi Abdul-Rahman in his second stint with the Sonics.

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • During an interview with the BBC he said he would unleash his militia, called the Mahdi Army, on American forces if they do not withdraw.

    Five U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq 2011

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