'the Pure Soul', Persian: نفس زکیه, romanized: Al-Nafs al-Zakiyyah), according to Shia Islamic eschatology, is one of the apocalyptic characters that Mahdi will send as his envoy to Mecca before his reappearance which will end the Major Occultation.
[1][2] He is named Al-Nafs al-Zakiyyah because he is very pious and devout[2] and another reason for his nickname is that he will be slain without any sin and crime.
[1] The hadith of Ja'far al-Sadiq mentions these signs: "there are five signs for our Dhuhur (the reappearance of the twelfth Imam), the appearance of Sufyani and Yamani, the loud cry in the sky, the martyr of Al-Nafs al-Zakiyyah,[1] and the earth swallowing (a group of people) in the land of Beyda.
[7] Ibn Babawayh in his work mentions a hadith of Ja'far al-Sadiq that says the uprising of Muhammad al-Mahdi will occur 5 days after the murder of Al-Nafs al-Zakiyyah.
[9] Al-Irshad contains biographies of each of the fourteen infallibles and says the reappearance of Muhammad al-Mahdi will occur at an interval of 5 days after this event.