What is the ruling on a man called Al-Luhaidi who posts online alleging to be Mahdi? Is his allegation true or not? Please enlighten us, may Allah bless you.
This man is most probably a liar. He is claiming a status that he does not have. The true Mahdi is elaborately described in the books of the People of Sunnah. He is a righteous man who will come at the end of time to be the Imam of Muslims and will lead them in Prayer when `Isa (peace be upon him) descends and prays behind him.
If that man claims to be mahdi (Arabic of guided) in the sense that he guides people to the Truth, and if he is an evidently pious scholar who is knowledgeable of the Qur’an and Sunnah and following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then may Allah let him be a guide for others.
But if the intended meaning here is the narrations documented in the books of Sunnah (some of which are true but implicit, and some explicit but untrue — all indicating that there will come at the end of time a righteous man who will do great deeds, including leading Muslims in Prayer, upon the descending of `Isa), such signs are most likely not found in that man. Signs and features of Al-Mahdi are described in detail in the book At-Tadhkirah (The Reminder) by Al-Qurtubi and other books, many of which are inauthentic though, as already said. Therefore, such claim is mostly false. And Allah, the Almighty, knows best.