محمد اکبری

The belief in Mahdism and the advent of Imam Mahdi (AJ) is one of the fundamental principles of Shia Islam, accompanied by various signs in narrative sources. The city of Basra in southern Iraq is one of the regions that holds a special place in the narrations concerning the signs of the advent. This article, titled "A Critical Review of Narrations on the Signs of the Advent in Basra," examines four categories of narrations, each of which refers to specific events in this region; the " Khasf of Basra," (land sinking) the reading of a letter of dissociation from Amir al-Muʼminīn (PBUH), the destruction of Basra, and the emergence of an individual from the lineage of the Prophet who causes the city's ruin. The present study, the authenticity of the chain of narrators ( Sanad ) and the semantic import ( Dalālah ) of these narrations were evaluated using a Rijālī and analytical approach. The findings indicate that most of these narrations are either transmitted as Mursal (lacking a full chain) or Marfūʻ (with an incomplete chain) or include narrators who are Majhūl (of unknown status) and unreliable. Consequently, from a Rijālī perspective, they lack sufficient credibility. Furthermore, a semantic analysis reveals conceptual ambiguities and, in some cases, conflict with clear interpretive principles. The conclusion of this study is that these narrations cannot be used with scientific certainty as credible signs of the advent. The central message of this article is to emphasize the necessity of a critical approach and to avoid unsubstantiated historical and geographical applications.