Mahdi: the Shiite Islamic messiah

The paper deals with the complex issue of Mahdi, the Shiite Islamic messiah, with a brief introduction to the doctrinal-religious context. It describes the panorama of Sunni Islam with its doctrinal and historical characteristics. It addresses the characteristics of Duodecimalistic Shia and the question of the Imamate, which are essential for understanding the Shia messianic concept. It concludes with a reflection on the possible unfolding of the question, in a remote future, based on the expectation of the return of the Mahdi awaited by the Shiites.