The Reflection of Believing Mahdi (a.s) in the Historiography of the Sarbedaran1 Period

The rise of the "Sarbedaran" had a significant impact on Iranian historiography and introduced new themes into this field. The concepts of "Mahdism" and "Messianism" were among the most important issues that garnered the attention of historians during this period. This point constitutes the fundamental issue of the present study, where an attempt is made to delve into the characteristics of belief-in-Mahdi (a.s) and the expectations regarding Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him) through descriptive-analytical method, utilizing library data and analyzing them, in the historiography of this period. Historical accounts indicate that the Sarbadars, during their era, actively promoted the culture of awaiting and encouraged the populace to await the Emergence of Imam Mahdi (a.s.). This movement was initially spearheaded by Sheikh Khalifa and his disciple Sheikh Hasan Jori. However, during the reign of Dervish Aziz, the ideology of awaiting was taken to extremes, culminating in the establishment of a Mahdi-centric government in Tous. This government minted coins in the name of "al-Sultan Muhammad al-Mahdi" and ultimately was rectified by Khwaja Ali Mu'ayyid.