Do Sunnis believe in the Mahdi, and is it the same belief the Shia hold?

Yes, Ahl al-Sunnah affirm the Mahdi. Narrations in Sunan Abi Dawud, Sunan Ibn Majah and Jami' at-Tirmidhi state that a man from the Prophet's family, bearing his name, will appear near the end of time and fill the earth with justice as it had been filled with injustice. Sunnis hold that he is a future man not yet born, an ordinary righteous believer with no infallibility, no divine attributes, and no authority to add to the Shari'ah. Twelver Shia belief differs fundamentally: they hold he is the twelfth imam, born in the ninth century, infallible, and currently in occultation. Some scholars have discussed the strength of individual chains, but the majority of Ahl al-Sunnah accept the Mahdi reports as collectively established, while warning strongly against anyone who claims the title for himself.

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