Question:
A man appeared in one of the Gulf countries claiming to be the awaited Mahdi, and now he claims to be the Messenger, and he has many followers who even believe in him to the point of absolute certainty. What is the ruling regarding this man and his followers, given that books and publications by him have been distributed within that country and abroad?
Answer:
This man, whom the questioner says claimed to be the Mahdi and then claimed to be a Prophet and has followers, falls into one of two categories:
Either there is an impairment in his intellect; if there is an impairment in his intellect, then accountability is lifted from him.
If there is no impairment in his intellect, then if he were in our country, the matter must be referred to the court so that he may be executed. This is because he deserves execution if it is proven that he claims prophethood; he is executed, the legal punishment (hadd) is carried out against him, and he is executed—this is what ought to be done.
As for the matter of refutation, there is no refutation and refuting [him] is not permissible. Nothing is of benefit in this case except carrying out the legal punishment (hadd), provided he is sane and possesses his faculties. It is incumbent upon the questioner and others to prove this and refer the matter to the court so that he may be brought in and investigated, and if it is proven that he claimed prophethood, he is executed.