All Muslims believe that a man from the progeny of the Prophet (p) by the title of al-Mahdī will appear near the end of times. He will fill the earth with justice and peace, after being filled with tyranny and injustice. The Shī‘a are unique amongst the Muslim sects, as they believe that the Mahdī is the 12th Imam (a), the son of Imam Ḥasan al-‘Askarī (a), who is already born, but in occultation, under the protection of Allah.