Ahle Tasannun scholar and traditionalist of the 3rd and 4th century Hafiz Sulaiman Tabarani in his book Al-Mu’jam al-Sagheer, vol. 2, p. 30, tradition 725 mentions that Abu Hurairah narrates from the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) who said,
“There is no Prophet between myself and Isa Ibn Maryam but my Caliph will come after me who will kill Dajjal, invalidate the beliefs of the Christians, will implement the Jizya tax, and bring an end to war and bloodshed. Then whoever among you meets him must convey my salutations to him.”
Apart from this, Ahle Tasannun scholar Yusuf Ibn Yahya Shafeei in his book Iqd al-Durar, chapter 3, p. 107, tradition 69, narrates from the famous companion of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), Jabir Ibn Abdullah Ansari (r.a.) that Imam Muhammad Baqir (peace be upon him) said,
“When our Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) will reappear, he will deal with the people with justice and will distribute wealth equitably. He will establish a kingdom of justice. So the one who obeys him has obeyed Allah and the one who disobeys him has disobeyed Allah.”
Therefore, from the aforementioned traditions, it becomes very clear that Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is the successor and caliph of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). Being the caliph of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), his orders are the orders of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and every decision is the decision of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny). The destruction of Dajjal, the nullification of the beliefs of the Christians, implementing the Jizya tax, and the establishment of a just rule are matters which were revealed by Allah upon the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny). The responsibility of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is to take these matters to completion. Therefore, obedience to Imam Mahdi (a.s.) is obedience to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) which in turn is obedience to Allah.
We pray to Allah to hasten the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) and give us the opportunity to convey the salutations of his grandfather to him.
Aameen, O Lord of the worlds!