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16. KALKI
The Islamic Kalki concept is found within the Hadiths of Islam
Mahdi Arabic: 'al-mahdiy
Saviour figure in Islam, for which there are several different interpretations in Sunni Islam, and one dominant interpretation in Shi'i Islam.
In Sunni Islam, the "Mahdi" is just one of several important figures, while the "Mahdi" of Shi'i Islam has a real eschatological importance, and is in the future the most important figure for Islam as well as the world
The Arabic term "mahdi" is best translated with "divinely guided one".
The main principle of the Mahdi is that he is a figure that is absolutely guided by God
This guidance is stronger form of guidance than normal guidance, which usually involves a human being willfully acting according to the guidance of God. The Mahdi on the other hand, has nothing of this human element, and his acts will be in complete accordance to God's will
The figure of Mahdi, and his mission, is not mentioned in the Koran, and there are practically nothing to be found among the reliable hadiths on him either. The idea of the mahdi appears to be a development in the first 2-3 centuries of Islam. In the case of the Shi'i Mahdi many scholars have suggested that there is a clear inspiration coming from the Messiah-figure of Christianity and its ideas of a judgement day in the hands of a religious renewer.
While there are many similarities between the Mahdi and Messias, there are also many variations over the Mahdi theme, which have differed from time to time and from region to region.
The first time we hear of the term "Mahdi" is in 686 CE, by the Muslim leader Mukhtar Thaqafi, for Muhammad bni l-Hanafiya Tore Kjeilen Looklex Encyclopedia http://i-cias.com/e.o/mahdi.htm
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