He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad who will appear shortly before the prophet ʿĪsā (Jesus) and lead Muslims to rule the world. The Mahdi ( Arabic: ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, romanized: al-Mahdī, lit.'the Guided'), is a messianic figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice.