Quora Answer: Is There a Resemblance between Belief in the Return of the Prophet Elijah (a.s.) & the Return of the Mahdi (a.s.)?

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Is there a resemblance between belief in return of the prophet Elijah (a.s.), and the return of the Mahdi (a.s.)?” 

If I understand this correctly, the question here is whether Elijah (a.s.) and the Mahdi (a.s.) are the same person since they are expected to appear in some traditions of Christian and Muslim eschatology respectively.  The belief in the return of the Elijah (a.s.) is found here: 

Malachi 4:5-6

⁵ And before ever that day comes, great day and terrible, I will Send Elias to be your prophet; ⁶ he it is shall reconcile heart of father to son, heart of son to father; else the whole of earth should be forfeit to my vengeance. 

⁵ ὃς ἀποκαταστήσει καρδίαν πατρὸς πρὸς υἱὸν καὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ μὴ ἔλθω καὶ πατάξω τὴν γῆν ἄρδην ⁶ μνήσθητε νόμου Μωυσῆ τοῦ δούλου μου καθότι ἐνετειλάμην αὐτῷ ἐν Χωρηβ πρὸς πάντα τὸν Ισραηλ προστάγματα καὶ δικαιώματα 

⁵ Ecce ego mittam vobis Eliam prophetam, antequam veniat dies Domini magnus et horribilis.  ⁶ Et convertet cor patrum ad filios, et cor filiorum ad patres eorum: ne forte veniam, et percutiam terram anathemate. 

“Elias” is the Greek form of “Elijah”.  They are the same person.  These are the last two verses of the entire Old Testament.  According to these verses, God will Send Elijah (a.s.) again to reconcile the people.  But the contention is, many Christians believe that prophecy has already been fulfilled: 

Matthew 11:12-14

¹² “Ever since John the Baptist’s time, the kingdom of heaven has opened to force; and the forceful are even now making it their prize; ¹³ whereas all the prophets and the law, before John’s time, could only speak of things that were to come.  ¹⁴ And this I tell you, if you will make room for it in your minds, that he is that Elias whose coming was prophesied.” 

¹² ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιάζεται, καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν.  ¹³ πάντες γὰρ οἱ προφῆται καὶ ὁ νόμος ἕως Ἰωάννου ἐπροφήτευσαν, ¹⁴ καὶ εἰ θέλετε δέξασθαι, αὐτός ἐστιν Ἠλίας ὁ μέλλων ἔρχεσθαι. 

¹² A diebus autem Joannis Baptistæ usque nunc, regnum cælorum vim patitur, et violenti rapiunt illud.  ¹³ Omnes enim prophetæ et lex usque ad Joannem prophetaverunt: ¹⁴ et si vultis recipere, ipse est Elias, qui venturus est. 

Interestingly, John the Baptist (a.s.) denied it: 

John 1:19-21

¹⁹ This, then, was the testimony which John bore, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem, to ask him, “Who art thou?”  ²⁰ He admitted the truth, without concealment, admitted that he was not the Christ.  ₂₁ What then, they asked him, “Art thou Elias?” “Not Elias,” he said … 

¹⁹ Καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ μαρτυρία τοῦ Ἰωάννου, ὅτε ἀπέστειλαν πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐξ Ἱεροσολύμων ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευίτας ἵνα ἐρωτήσωσιν αὐτόν: σὺ τίς εἶ; ²⁰ καὶ ὡμολόγησεν καὶ οὐκ ἠρνήσατο, καὶ ὡμολόγησεν ὅτι ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμὶ ὁ Χριστός.  ²¹ καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτόν: τί οὖν; σύ Ἠλίας εἶ; ... 

¹⁹ Et hoc est testimonium Joannis, quando miserunt Judæi ab Jerosolymis sacerdotes et Levitas ad eum ut interrogarent eum: Tu quis es?  ²⁰ Et confessus est, et non negavit, et confessus est: Quia non sum ego Christus.  ²¹ Et interrogaverunt eum: Quid ergo? Elias es tu? Et dixit: Non sum ... 

This discrepancy is explained away by Christian theologians as John (a.s.) answering in his personal capacity.  Also, it is said that he is denying the idea that he is the actual Elijah (a.s.).  However, another contention is that Elijah (a.s.) never died, and this is also Muslim belief. 

2 Kings 2:11

¹¹ And they were still going on, and talking as they went, when all at once, between them, a flaming chariot appeared, drawn by flaming horses, and Elias went up on a whirlwind into heaven. 

¹¹ καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτῶν πορευομένων ἐπορεύοντο καὶ ἐλάλουν καὶ ἰδοὺ ἅρμα πυρὸς καὶ ἵπποι πυρὸς καὶ διέστειλαν ἀνὰ μέσον ἀμφοτέρων καὶ ἀνελήμφθη Ηλιου ἐν συσσεισμῷ ὡς εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν 

¹¹ Cumque pergerent, et incedentes sermocinarentur, ecce currus igneus, et equi ignei diviserunt utrumque: et ascendit Elias per turbinem in cælum. 

The Bible and the Qur’an are silent on the return of Elijah (a.s.).  There are Muslims and Christians who believe he will return in some capacity.  This is especially pertinent in Islam since the Qur’an is Clear that every soul must die at one point: 

سُوۡرَةُ العَنکبوت

كُلُّ نَفۡسٍ۬ ذَآٮِٕقَةُ ٱلۡمَوۡتِ‌ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيۡنَا تُرۡجَعُونَ (٥٧) 

Every soul shall have a taste of death: in the end to Us shall ye be Brought Back. (Surah al-‘Ankabut:57) 

As for the Mahdi (a.s.), he is described as a descendent of the Prophet (s.a.w.).  There are many ahadits, narrations, that all have a similar message.  For example, from Musnad ibn Hanbal, the Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “Allah (s.w.t.) will Bring, out from concealment, al-Mahdi, from my family, and just before the Day of Judgement; even if only one day were to remain in the life of the world, and he will spread, on this earth, justice and equity, and will eradicate tyranny and oppression.” 

“Mahdi” means “The Guided One”.  That is not his name, but an appellation.  The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “His name will be my name, and his father’s name my father’s name”, meaning that his name will be a variation of “Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah”.  This alone precludes him being the same person as Elijah (a.s.).  Whilst the status of the return of Elijah (a.s.) is uncertain, the mission of the Mahdi (a.s.) is.  He is the one who will gather the faithful to await the return of the Messiah, Jesus (a.s.).  And when Jesus (a.s.) returns, to point him out to the faithful.  Perhaps in that way, we can say that he is similar to the 2^nd “Elijah”, John the Baptist (a.s.).  John the Baptist (a.s.) was that voice “crying in the wilderness”, who gathered the people, and pointed out the awaited Messiah when he first came at the River Jordan.  In that sense, Elijah (a.s.) and the Mahdi (a.s.) have the same role.  But they are not the same person.