The Savior's Birth

Imam Muhammad ibn Hasan (may God hasten his reappearance) also known as “Mahdi”, was born on the dawn of the 15th of Sha’ban, in the year 256 Hijri, in Samarra. He is known by various titles that reflect his elevated status, that he is alive, and that he is the Imam of our time. He is known as “Mahdi” or "Guided One", “Saahib al-Zaman” or “Master of the Age”, “Muntazar” or “Awaited One”, “Hojjat Allah” or “Proof of God”, “Baqeeyat Allah” or “Whom God has left on earth (as His last proof)”, and “Qa’em” or “One who stands up (against injustice)”.
Imam Mahdi was the only child of Imam Askari (AS). His mother, Narjis Khatoon, was a Roman princess and the granddaughter of the Roman emperor. When living at the palace, she saw a miraculous dream in which Prophet Jesus and some of his apostles were preparing for the arrival of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Imam Ali (AS), and some of the children of Imam Ali. When Prophet Muhammad arrived, he addressed Prophet Jesus and proposed the marriage of Imam Askari to Narjis Khatoon. Prophet Jesus then asked his apostle, Saint Peter, who was also Narjis Khatoon’s forefather, to accept the proposal. Saint Peter happily accepted. Prophet Muhammad then recited the marriage contract for Narjis Khatoon and Imam Askari. After this dream, Narjis Khatoon saw other miraculous dreams and, as a result, converted to Islam. After a while, she received instructions in her dream to secretly follow the Roman troops, who were being deployed for war against the Muslims. She followed the instructions, was arrested by Muslim troops, and brought to Baghdad to be sold as a slave. Imam Hadi, aware of this incident through his divine knowledge, sent someone from Samarra to Baghdad with detailed instructions to purchase and transfer Narjis Khatoon to Samarra. Imam Hadi then married her to Imam Askari and gave her the good news of becoming the mother of a son who would fill the earth with justice after it would have become filled with oppression.
One of Imam Askari’s main concerns during his Imamat was to protect the life of his only child, Imam Mahdi, who would inherit the Imamat after him as the last Shia Imam. Imam Askari kept Imam Mahdi’s birth a secret, even from his close family members. By God’s miracle, Imam Mahdi’s mother, Narjis Khatoon, did not show any signs of an expecting mother, similar to the miracle of Prophet Moses’ mother, who had also not shown any signs of an expecting mother because God had wanted to save her son from the Pharaoh. On the night of Imam Mahdi’s birth, Imam Askari asked his aunt, Hakimeh, Imam Hadi’s sister, to stay at his home and help with Narjis Khatoon’s delivery. Hakimeh was shocked, because she had not known that Narjis Khatoon was expecting. Hours later, at dawn, Imam Mahdi was born in secret and opened his eyes to this world.