Abstract:

This study focuses on the meaning of the word "Mahdi" within the context of classical Arabic dictionaries and aims to present an etymological-semantical analysis of this term. One side of correctly understanding Mahdism is establishing a semantical analysis that shows the course of the term "Mahdi" from the dictionary meaning towards the terminological point. It is observed that the semantic areas regarding Mahdism have not been determined sufficiently and the historical transformations in these semantical areas have not been revealed. Therefore, the perspectives that the Mahdism have developed on, cannot be clearly understood. In this paper, we will try to analyze the use of "Mahdi/Mahdism" words and their derivations in classical dictionaries of the Arabic language and in Arabic poetry, and to analyze it in a philological way, and to carry out the analysis through a philological method by considering the new meanings that the concept gained over time. It should not be forgotten that the linguistic origins of the religious terms are the most important data that can be used to understand and illuminate the history of that structure.

Keywords: