ما حكم السخرية من شخص بتسميته "المهدي المنتظر" كناية عن تأخره أو غيابه، وهل يُعدّ ذلك كفراً؟

It is not permissible to mock a Muslim, as Allah Almighty has forbidden it in His saying: "O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers." If the mockery is directed at the Mahdi, who is a righteous man from the progeny of the Prophet (peace be upon him), then its prohibition is more severe, and its perpetrator should be given a harsh disciplinary punishment. However, this mockery does not amount to disbelief that expels one from the fold of Islam.