Does the Mahdi resemble the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in his physical appearance, and is there any evidence for that?
Some hadiths state that the Mahdi will resemble the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in his physical appearance (al-khalq). Among these is the : "A man from my Ummah will emerge whose name matches my name, and whose creation (khalq) matches my creation." However, Al-Albani ruled that the phrase "and whose creation (khalq) matches my creation" is disclaimed (munkar).
Ibn Hajar mentioned that the Mahdi will resemble the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his name and his father's name will match the name of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.
Whereas what contradicts this has been narrated. In Sunan Abu Dawud, on the authority of Ali, who described the Mahdi by saying: "He resembles him in character (al-khuluq), but does not resemble him in physical appearance (al-khalq)." Al-Albani graded this hadith as weak. Al-Salihi rebutted Ibn Hajar's inclusion of the Mahdi among those who resemble [the Prophet], basing his argument on this hadith from Abu Dawud.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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