The idea of Mahdawiyyah (belief in the Coming of the Promised Mahdi) is a major Qur’anic, hadithic, theological, and political concept and a pillar in the history of Islam. This idea was born among the Shi‘ah of the East, acquired its final doctrinal formulation, and became part of the official culture of the Islamic West (al-Maghrib). This concept has had a prominent position in the Islamic civilization and culture and played a major role in repeated crises in the Muslim World throughout history. Awaiting the Promised One is traditionally rooted among the numerous creeds in the Islamic West. In fact, the first instance of the establishment of a government based on the belief in the Coming of Mahdi occurred in the Islamic West.
A historical report of 14 centuries of belief in Mahdawiyyah and the study of its theoretical principles, the claimants to Mahdawiyyah, and theologically Mahdawiyyah-based governments that were established in the Islamic West from towards the end of the 2nd until the middle of the 14th centuries A.H. are subjects of study for this paper.
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