Ibn-e-Khaldun is also held in high esteem by our opponents. He is an outstanding scholar. He says:
Ibn Abi Watil and Sha‘bah have said that there has been discussion about the Mahdi being the Messiah who would be from the progeny of the Holy Prophet. I (Ibn-e-Khaldun) would like to say that this view is held by Sufis, too. They base their view on the hadith ‘La Mahdi Illa ‘Isa—There is no Mahdi but Jesus(as),’ meaning the Mahdi and Messiah would be from the ummah of the Holy Prophet(sa), whereas Jesus was from the ummah of Moses. (Muqaddimah Ibn-e-Khaldun, vol. 1, p. 407)
In this extract, Ibn-e-Khaldun has demonstrated the attitude of a truthful and pious scholar in contrast to the so-called scholars of today. He has pondered over the issue and has come forward with a very profound point of wisdom: The Messiah to come will be none other than the awaited Mahdi, because Jesus belonged to the ummah of Moses, whereas the future Messiah needs to be a follower and devotee of the Holy Prophet(sa).