The Healing of a Sunni Woman Named Malikah by Imām Zamān (mGehr)

This account tells the story of a Sunni woman named Malikah, the daughter of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, who lived in Najaf.

One night, Malikah developed a headache. At first, the pain was mild, but it gradually intensified throughout the night. She spent the night in pain and distress. By dawn, as darkness gave way to daylight, she discovered that she could no longer see.

According to the account, she had developed an unusual illness that left her blind. In the midst of this distress, the headache was no longer her main concern.

Her husband, Mullā Amīn, anxiously sought the advice of the religious speaker Sayyid Muḥammad Saʿīd Afandī and explained what had happened to his wife.

Expressing his sympathy, Sayyid Muḥammad Saʿīd advised him:

“If you wish your wife to recover her sight, take her to the holy shrine of Amīr al-Muʾminīn, Imām ʿAlī (pbuh), tonight. Seek his intercession there and pray for your wife’s recovery. May God restore her sight through the blessings of Amīr al-Muʾminīn (pbuh)!”

However, Malikah was so distressed and anxious that she could not bring herself to visit the holy shrine. She remained at home and eventually fell asleep during the final hours of the night.

Suddenly, she awoke with joy and recounted a remarkable dream:

“I dreamed of a noble woman named Lady Zaynab (pbuh). My husband helped me approach Amīr al-Muʾminīn (pbuh) so that I could visit his sacred resting place. As we were making our way there to seek intercession, we came across a magnificent mosque filled with people. We decided to enter and find out what was happening.

Inside, a man who knew me called out:

‘O woman who has lost the sight of both eyes! Do not be distressed or afraid. Your sight will be restored!’

Since I was blind, I asked him, ‘Who are you? May God increase His blessings upon you!’

He replied, ‘I am Ṣāḥib al-Zamān, Imām Mahdī!’”

The year was 1938. Malikah, her husband, and a group of women set out for the holy shrine of Imām ʿAlī (pbuh). Before reaching the shrine, they stopped at Wādī al-Salām Cemetery to visit a courtyard and a dome known as Maqām al-Mahdī.

There, Malikah began fervently seeking the Imām’s intercession, praying and weeping aloud. Shortly afterward, she lost consciousness.

When she regained consciousness, she found that she could see again. The women who witnessed this were overjoyed and cried out in celebration.

Malikah then recounted what she had experienced while unconscious:

“I saw two noble men. One was older than the other and stood closer to me. He said, ‘Do not be afraid. Do not fear!’

I asked him, ‘Who are you?’

He replied, ‘I am ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, and the one standing behind me is my descendant, Mahdī!’”