Meeting with Imām al-Mahdī (a) in the period of the Major Occultation has been a challenging issue for the Shi’as. Many Shiite scholars have talked about their meetings with Imam al-Mahdi (a) during the Major Occultation. However, some other scholars, such as al-Nu’mani, believe that it is impossible to meet the Imam (a) during the Occultation.

The most important evidence in this regard is the last tawqi’ by Imam al-Mahdi (a) addressed to his fourth deputy according to which whoever claims to have met the Imam (a) is called a liar. Some people believe that this is restricted to those who claim that they met the Imam (a) along with being his deputy or representative.

Some hadiths have recommended supplications and practices for meeting Imam al-Mahdi (a), and there are hadiths according to which it is possible for special followers of the Imam (a) to have contact with, and meet, him. Some scholars, such as al-Shaykh al-Saduq and al-Shaykh al-Tusi have devoted particular chapters of their books to stories of people who have met the Imam (a) and have explicitly confirmed the possibility of meeting him.

People who are said to have met Imam al-Mahdi (a) include: Mirza Muhammad Husayn Na’ini, Sayyid b. Tawus, Ibrahim al-Kaf’ami, Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi, Abu l-Hasan Sha’rani, al-Shaykh al-Hurr al-‘Amili, al-Muqaddas al-Ardabili, Mirza Muhammad Astarabadi, al-Shahid al-Thani, al-Sayyid Bahr al-‘Ulum, al-Sayyid Ni’mat Allah al-Jaza’iri, and al-Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari.