The Twelfth Holy Imam: Imam of Our time
According to the Shi'a school of thought, Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi ( pbuh ) was born in 255 h. (869 A.D.) on the 15th of the month of Sha'ban in the city of Samarra in Northern Iraq. His father was Imam Hasan al-Askari ( pbuh ), whose lineage traces back to Imam 'Ali ibn Abi Talib ( pbuh ), and his mother was named Narjiss. He is the last of the imams of the people on earth, and with him the line of succession to the Holy Prophet ( pbuh&hf ) ends. Because of the necessity of having a representative from Allah present on the earth, he still, by the will of Allah, lives in this world - but out of public view. He will, however, reappear towards the end of human civilization to restore order and justice at a time when the world has been filled with evil and injustice.