Ahmed Hassani al-Yemeni
| Ahmad al-Hassan احمد الحسن |
|
|---|---|
| Born |
Ahmad bin Ismail احمد إسماعيل 1968 (age 48–49) Basra, Iraq |
| Nationality | Iraqi |
| Home town | Basra, Iraq |
| Movement | Ansar Al-Mahdi |
| Parent(s) | Ismail bin Saleh bin Hussain bin Salman bin Muhammad bin al-Hassan al-Askari |
Ahmad bin Ismail bin Saleh bin Hussain bin Salman (Arabic: احمد اسماعيل صالح الحسين سلمان, born in Basra, Iraq) is the leader of the Shia Iraqi movement Ansar Imam Mahdi who claims to be the savior of mankind. He started claiming to be the messenger of the messianic figure the Imam Mahdi, after he had a vision in which Imam Mahdi told him to enroll in the religious institute Hawza Ilmiya in Najaf, Iraq. Ahmad al-Hassan isolated himself at home to learn the sciences of the Hawza with an attempt of reforming it as he claims it to be disordered. He later formed a group called the Ansar. His followers believe him to be al-Yamani, the eschatological Yamani leader who will precede the return of the Imam due to his claim of being al-Yamani.
According to Iraqi Basra police, investigations conducted revealed that his ancestry does not go back to the prophet. He uses the Star of David as his logo. His uncle Muhsin ibn Saleh, Sayyed Hasan bin Muhammad Ali al-Hamami (son of the late Marja' Sayed Muhammad Ali Musawi al-Hamami), a tribal leader from Bani Abas and 2 other regional clerics have attested that his family tree traces back to Muhammad al-Mahdi.
Ahmad al-Hassan makes a number of claims, which include that he is the son, messenger, vicegerent, and executor of the affairs of Imam Mahdi, al-Yamani, an infallible Imam, the first of 12 Mahdis, a messenger of the prophets Isa and Elijah, and the mystical figure al-Khidr.
Ahmad al-Hassan started his religious call privately, only first announcing it publicly in 2002, during the last months of Saddam’s rule, after his attempted Hawza reformations.
Regarding the purposes of his movement, he claimed:
His followers have described his call as being universal, because his preaching addresses Muslims, Christians, Jews, and all of mankind.
The adherents of Ahmad Al-Hassan collectively identify themselves as Ansar Imam Al-Mahdi ("Supporters of the Imam Mahdi"), or Ansars. While many of his supporters are in Iraq, he has followers outside of Iraq as well, largely due to dissemination of his teachings through English websites.
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Wikipedia