VARIOUS HADITHS REVEAL THAT THE QUR'AN REFERS TO THE MAHDI
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This hadith indicates that we should examine the stories of the prophets Dhu'l-Qarnayn and Solomon in the Qur'an as being linked to the subject of the Mahdi.
The following hadiths reveal that there are important references to the final times in the stories of Kahf and Talut. Our Prophet (saas) could have set out his hadiths regarding the final times and the Mahdi in any number of different ways. As can be seen from these examples, however, the way that he specially relates them in a manner linked to stories from the Qur'an represents strong evidence for our interpretation of the subject. Our Prophet (saas) says:
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Looked at in this light, it can be seen that that there are many verses in the Qur'an that indicate the existence of a time when the morality of Islam will come to rule the world.
VARIOUS VERSES OF THE QUR'AN THAT HINT THE END TIMES AND THE MAHDI
We desired to show kindness to those who were oppressed in the land and to make them leaders and make them inheritors. (Surat al-Qasas: 5)
We have never sent a Prophet to any city without seizing its people with hardship and distress so that hopefully they would be humble. (Surat al-A'raf: 94)
We sent Messengers to nations before you, and afflicted those nations with hardship and distress so that hopefully they would humble themselves. (Surat al-An'am: 42)
What reason could you have for not fighting in the Way of Allah—or those men, women and children who are oppressed and say, "Our Lord, take us out of this city whose inhabitants are wrongdoers! Give us a protector from You! Give us a helper from You!?" (Surat an-Nisa': 75)
Corruption has appeared in both land and sea because of what people's own hands have brought about so that they may taste something of what they have done so that hopefully they will turn back. (Surat ar-Rum: 41)
Allah makes an example of a city which was safe and at peace, its provision coming to it plentifully from every side. Then it showed ingratitude for Allah's blessings so Allah made it wear the robes of hunger and fear for what it did. (Surat an-Nahl: 112)
Or did you suppose that you would enter the Garden without facing the same as those who came before you? Poverty and illness afflicted them and they were shaken to the point that the Messenger and those who believed with him said, "When is Allah's help coming?" Be assured that Allah's help is very near. (Surat al-Baqara: 214)
An evil generation succeeded them who neglected the prayer and followed their appetites. They will plunge into the Valley of Evil. (Surah Maryam: 59)
But if anyone turns away from My reminder, his life will be a dark and narrow one and on the Day of Rising We will gather him blind. (Surah Ta Ha: 124)
If only the people of the cities had believed and guarded against evil, We would have opened up to them blessings from heaven and earth. But they denied the truth so We seized them for what they earned. (Surat al-A'raf: 96)
Would that there had been more people with a vestige of good among the generations of those who came before you, who forbade corruption in the earth, other than the few among them whom We saved. Those who did wrong gladly pursued the life of luxury that they were given and were evildoers. (Surah Hud: 116)
When he leaves you, he goes about the earth corrupting it, destroying crops and animals. Allah does not love corruption. (Surat al-Baqara: 205)
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Truly you are one of the Messengers on a Straight Path. (Surah Ya Sin: 3-4)
The People of the Book who disbelieve and the associators would not be cut off until the Clear Sign came to them: a Messenger from Allah reciting purified texts containing upright precepts. (Surat al-Bayyina: 1-3)
Do people find it so surprising that We should reveal to a man among them: "Warn mankind and give good news to those who believe that they are on a sure footing with their Lord?" The disbelievers say, "This is downright magic!" (Surah Yunus: 2)
Every nation has a Messenger and when their Messenger comes everything is decided between them justly. They are not wronged. (Surah Yunus: 47)
It is He Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the true religion to exalt it over every other religion, even though the associators detest it. (Surat at-Tawba: 33)
It is He Who sent His Messenger with the guidance and the true religion to exalt it over every other religion and Allah suffices as a witness. (Surat al-Fath: 28)
You who believe! If any of you renounce your religion, Allah will bring forward a people whom He loves and who love Him, humble to the believers, fierce to the disbelievers, who strive in the Way of Allah and do not fear the blame of any censurer. That is the unbounded favour of Allah which He gives to whoever He wills. Allah is Boundless, All-Knowing. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 54)
Let there be a community among you who call to the good, and enjoin the right, and forbid the wrong. They are the ones who have success. (Surah Al 'Imran: 104)
We appointed leaders from among them, guiding by Our command when they were steadfast and when they had certainty about Our Signs. (Surat as-Sajda: 24)
He said, "Go down from it, all of you, as enemies to one another! But when guidance comes to you from Me, all those who follow My guidance will not go astray and will not be miserable." (Surah Ta Ha: 123)
Allah has sent down the Supreme Discourse, a Book consistent in its frequent repetitions. The skins of those who fear their Lord tremble at it and then their skins and hearts yield softly to the remembrance of Allah. That is Allah's guidance by which He uides whoever He wills. And no one can guide those whom Allah misguides. (Surat az-Zumar: 33)
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Fight them until there is no more persecution and the religion is Allah's alone. If they stop, Allah sees what they do. (Surat al-Anfal: 39)
As for those who strive in Our Way, We will guide them to Our Paths. Truly Allah is with the good-doers. (Surat al-'Ankabut: 69)
Musa said to his people, "Seek help in Allah and be steadfast. The earth belongs to Allah. He bequeathes it to any of His servants He wills. The successful outcome is for those who guard against evil. (Surat al-A'raf: 128)
They said, "We suffered harm before you came to us and after you came to us." He said, "It may well be that your Lord is going to destroy your enemy and make you the successors in the land so that He can see how you behave." (Surat al-A'raf: 128-129)
This was so that He might verify the truth and nullify the false, even though the evildoers hate that. (Surat al-Anfal: 8)
Rather We hurl the truth against falsehood and it cuts right through it and it vanishes clean away! Woe without end for you for what you portray! (Surat al-Anbiya': 18)
Say: "My Lord hurls forth the Truth—the Knower of all unseen things." Say: "The Truth has come. Falsehood cannot originate or regenerate." (Surah Saba': 48-49)
Say: "Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Falsehood is always bound to vanish." (Surat al-Isra': 81)
They desire to extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths. But Allah refuses to do other than perfect His Light, even though the disbelievers detest it. (Surat at-Tawba: 32)
Those who follow the Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, whom they find written down with them in the Torah and the Gospel, commanding them to do right and forbidding them to do wrong, making good things lawful for them and bad things forbidden for them, relieving them of their heavy loads and the chains which were around them. Those who believe in him and honour him and help him, and follow the Light that has been sent down with him, they are the ones who are successful. (Surat al-A'raf: 157)
They desire to extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths but Allah will perfect His Light, though the disbelievers hate it. (Surat as-Saff: 8)
Then We will rescue Our Messengers and those who believe as well. It is incumbent upon Us to rescue the believers. (Surah Yunus: 103)
Allah is the Protector of those who believe. He brings them out of the darkness into the light. But those who disbelieve have false gods as protectors. They take them from the light into the darkness. Those are the Companions of the Fire remaining in it timelessly, for ever. (Surat al-Baqara: 257)
They say, "If we follow the guidance with you, we shall be forcibly uprooted from our land." Have We not established a safe haven for them to which produce of every kind is brought, provision direct from Us? But most of them do not know it. (Surat al-Qasas: 57)
Similarly We never sent any warner before you to any city without the affluent among them saying, "We found our fathers following a religion and we are simply following in their footsteps." Say: "What if I have come with better guidance than what you found your fathers following?" They say, "We reject what you have been sent with." (Surat az-Zukhruf: 23-24)
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And peace be upon the Messengers. (Surat as-Saffat: 181)
Those are Allah's Signs which We recite to you with truth. You are indeed one of the Messengers. (Surat al-Baqara: 252)
...Wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together. Truly Allah has power over all things. (Surat al-Baqara: 148)
They said, "Are we to forsake our gods for a mad poet?" Rather he has brought the truth and confirmed the Messengers. (Surat as-Saffat: 36-37)
Our Word was given before to Our servants, the Messengers, that they would certainly be helped. It is Our army which will be victorious. (Surat as-Saffat: 171-173)
Messengers before you were also denied but they were steadfast in the face of the denial and injury they suffered until Our help arrived. There is no changing the Words of Allah. And news of other Messengers has come to you. (Surat al-An'am: 34)
By those sent forth in succession. (Surat al-Mursalat: 1)
It is He Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the true religion to exalt it over every other religion, though the associators hate it. (Surat as-Saff: 9)
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Allah has promised those of you who believe and do right actions that He will make them successors in the land as He made those before them successors, and will firmly establish for them their religion with which He is pleased and give them, in place of their fear, security. "They worship Me, not associating anything with Me." Any who disbelieve after that, such people are deviators. (Surat an-Nur: 55)
When Allah's help and victory have arrived and you have seen people entering Allah's religion in droves, then glorify your Lord's praise and ask His forgiveness. He is the Ever-Returning. (Surat an-Nasr: 1-3)
We wrote down in the Zabur, after the Reminder came: "It is My servants who are righteous who will inherit the earth.' (Surat al-Anbiya': 105)
He bequeathed their land, their houses and their wealth to you, and another land you had not yet trodden on. Allah has power over all things. (Surat al-Ahzab: 27)
Then We appointed you after them to be successors on the earth so We might observe how you would act. (Surah Yunus: 14)
He Who responds to the oppressed when they call on Him and removes their distress, and has appointed you as successors on the earth. Is there another god besides Allah? How little you pay heed! (Surat an-Naml: 62)
Those who, if We establish them firmly on the earth, will establish prayer and give alms, and command what is right and forbid what is wrong. The end result of all affairs is with Allah. (Surat al-Hajj: 41)
Do not give up and do not be downhearted. You shall be uppermost if you believe. (Surah Al 'Imran: 139)
...except those who believe and do right actions and remember Allah repeatedly and defend themselves after they have been wronged? Those who do wrong will soon know the kind of reversal they will receive! (Surat ash-Shu'ara': 227)
And We bequeathed to the people who had been oppressed the easternmost part of the land We had blessed, and its westernmost part as well... (Surat al-A'raf: 137)
Allah has written, "I will be victorious, I and My Messengers." Allah is Most Strong, Almighty. (Surat al-Mujadala: 21)
Do not imagine that Allah will break His promise to His Messengers. Allah is Almighty, Exactor of Revenge. (Surah Ibrahim: 47)
We will leave you the land to live in after them. That is the reward of those who fear My station and fear My threat. They asked for Allah's victory, and every obdurate tyrant failed. (Surah Ibrahim: 14-15)
And other things you love: support from Allah and imminent victory. Give good news to the believers! (Surat as-Saff: 13)
Truly We have granted you a clear victory, so that Allah may forgive you, your earlier errors and any later ones and complete His blessing upon you, and guide you on a Straight Path. (Surat al-Fath: 1-3)
...He knew what you did not know and ordained, in place of this, an imminent victory. (Surat al-Fath: 27)
There is good news for them in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. There is no changing the words of Allah. That is the great victory! (Surah Yunus: 64)
"Everyone is waiting expectantly so wait expectantly. You will soon know who are the Companions of the Right Path and who is is guided." (Surah Ta Ha: 135)
... Allah will certainly help those who help Him—Allah is All-Strong, Almighty. (Surat al-Hajj: 40)
You who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in command among you... (Surat an-Nisa': 59)
We said, "Have no fear. You will have the upper hand." (Surah Ta Ha: 68)
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Those who recite the Book of Allah and establish prayer and give of what We have provided for them, secretly and openly, hope for a transaction which will not prove profitless. (Surah Fatir: 29)
The metaphor of those who spend their wealth in the Way of Allah is that of a grain which produces seven ears; in every ear there are a hundred grains. Allah gives such multiplied increase to whoever He wills. Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing. (Surat al-Baqara: 261)
... "Eat of your Lord's provision and give thanks to Him: a bountiful land and a forgiving Lord." (Surah Saba': 15)
What is with you runs out but what is with Allah goes on for ever. Those who were steadfast will be recompensed according to the best of what they did. Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will give them a good life and We will recompense them according to the best of what they did. (Surat an-Nahl: 96-97)
Allah calls to the Abode of Peace and He guides whom He wills to a straight path. Those who do good will have the best and more! Neither dust nor debasement will darken their faces. They are the Companions of the Garden, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. (Surah Yunus: 25-26)
...Say, "All favour is in Allah's Hand and He gives it to whoever He wills. Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing. He picks out for His mercy whoever He wills. Allah's favour is indeed immense." (Surah Al 'Imran: 73-74)
He gives wisdom to whoever He wills and he who has been given wisdom has been given great good. But no one pays heed but people of intelligence. (Surat al-Baqara: 269)
THE SIGNS OF THE END TIMES ARE COMING ONE AFTER THE OTHER
The hadiths that form the subject of our inquiry will be easily recognized as issuing from the Prophet (saas). There is a method to distinguish those that are true from those that are false. As we know, hadiths about the Doomsday relate to events that are to take place in the future. For this reason, when a hadith comes true in the course of time, all doubt as to the source of the words is removed.
Several Islamic scholars who conducted research on the subject of the End Times and of the signs of the Last Day have used this criterion. An expert on the subject, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, said that the fact that the hadiths concerning the End Times correspond to events observed in our day shows the truth of the hadiths.(Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Risale-i Nur Collection, The Rays, Fourteenth Ray)
Some of the signs related in the hadiths were observable in some part of the world in any period during the 1400 year history of Islam, but that would not have proven that that period was the the End Times. For a certain period to be called the End Times, all the signs of the Last Day must be observed to be occurrence in that same period. This is expressed in a hadith:
Signs following one another like the pieces of a necklace falling one after the other when its string is cut. (Tirmidhi)
THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT THE COMING OF THE MAHDI
The hadiths regarding the Mahdi are certain
The word 'tewatir' means 'powerful news, an account based on a whole community and which cannot be wrong.' (Büyük Lugat-Tür-Dav, 3003). According to hadith analysts, if an account has been related by several people, and if it is impossible for these people to have come together and fabricated it, then that account is said to be 'mutawatir' (known by common consensus of reporters). Many Islamic scholars have stated that our Prophet's hadiths on the subject of the Mahdi are 'mutawatir'.
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As well as the sources cited above, many writers in countless works have stated that the hadiths which have come down to us on the subject of the Mahdi possess a 'tewatur' level of certainty. Some of these Islamic scholars and their works are:
1. Ebu Abdullah Muhammed b. Yusuf Genci Nufeli, el-Beyan fi Ahbari Sahib'üz-Zaman, page 126 2. Semseddin Muhammed b. Ahmed Kurtubi, et-Tezkiretü fi Ahval'il-Mevta ve Umur'il-ahireti, page710
3. Ibni Kayyim Cavziye Muhammed b. Ebi Bekr Dimiski, el-Menar'ül-Münif, page 142
4. Sehabeddin b. Hacer Ahmed b. Ali Askelani, Tahzib et-Tahzib, C.9, page126
5. Celaleddin Abdurrahman Suyuti, Arf'ül-Verdi, eki el-Havi Lilfetavi, C.2, page 165
6. Eb'ul-Abbas b. Hacer Ahmed b. Muhammed Haytemi, Sevaik'ül-Muhrika, page 99 / El-Kavl'ül Muhtasar, page 23
7. Serif Muhammed b. Resul Berazenci Medeni, el-Isae, pages 147, 185
8. Semseddin Muhammed b. Ahmed Sefarini, Levaih'ül-Envar'il-Behiyye, C.2, page 89 / Ahval-i Yevm'ül-Kiyamet, page 33
9. Muhammed b. Ali Sabban Misri, Is'afur-Ragibin, Nur'ul-Ebsar printed footnotes page 192 directly from Sevaik'ül-Muhrika'.
10. Mü'min b. Hasan Mü'mim Seblanci, Nur'ul-Ebsar, page 189
11. Muhammed Sedik Hasan Kunuci Buhari, el-Izae, page 120
12. Muhammed b. Cafer Idrisi Ketani, Nzm'ül-Mütenasir Fi'l-Hadis'il-Mütevatir, page 145
13. Eb'ul-Feyz Ahmed b. Muhammed Gumari, Ibraz'ül?Vehm'il-Meknun, pages 3-4
14. Abdülmuhsin b. Muhammed Abbad, Meccelet'ül-Camiat'ül-Islamiyye, No. 3, Year 1, page 598
Accounts of the Coming of the Mahdi by Islamic Scholars
Many great Islamic scholars have made statements confirming that no doubt attaches to the coming of the Mahdi in the final times. One of the best known of these is Muhyiddin Arabi. In his work Futuhat-I Mekkiye, Arabi says:
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Someone else who has made statements on this subject is the famous Egyptian writer Sheikh Mansur Ali Nasif, who describes belief in the Mahdi in these terms in one of his works:
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The writer Seyyid Sabik, an academic at Egypt's al-Azhar University's Department of Beliefs, makes the following comments about the coming of the Mahdi in his book el-Akaid'ül Islamiyye, published as a selected text by the Islamic Conference:
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In his book 'er-Reddü,' Alaeddin Ali b. Hisham Muttaki Hindi says:
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Alongside these statements of famous Islamic scholars, there are also detailed accounts of the belief of the People of the Sunna regarding the coming of the Mahdi. Some of these are as follows:
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There can be no doubt that these commentaries by Islamic scholars of those hadiths concerning the coming and actions of the Mahdi are of the greatest importance. Even more important, however, is the fact that our Prophet's hadiths regarding the final times and the Mahdi are actually coming true one after the other. These events leave no room for doubt about their veracity, nor that they are coming true as a miracle of our Prophet (saas).
SIGNS OF THE EMERGENCE OF MAHDI
Fourteen hundred years ago, the Prophet Muhammad (saas) related a number of secrets concerning the Doomsday, and of his thoughts about it, to his Muslim companions. These valuable words have been passed down from generation to generation to the present day in the form of books of hadiths and works of Islamic scholars. The hadiths used in the coming sections of this book contain such information given by the Prophet (saas) in this regard.
At this point, there may arise some doubt in the reader in regards to the truth and authenticity of these hadiths about the end. It is a recognized fact that, in the past, there had been a number of fabricated hadiths falsely attributed to the Prophet (saas), but the hadiths that form the subject of our inquiry will be easily recognized as issuing from the Prophet (saas). There is a method to distinguish those that are true from those that are false. As we know, hadiths about the Doomsday relate to events that are to take place in the future. For this reason, when a hadith comes true in the course of time, all doubt as to the source of the words is removed.
Several Islamic scholars who conducted research on the subject of the End Times and of the signs of the Last Day have used this criterion. An expert on the subject, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, said that the fact that the hadiths concerning the End Times correspond to events observed in our day shows the truth of the hadiths. (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Risale-i Nur Collection, The Rays, Fourteenth Ray)
Some of the signs related in the hadiths were observable in some part of the world in any period during the 1400 year history of Islam, but that would not have proven that that period was the the End Times. For a certain period to be called the End Times, all the signs of the Last Day must be observed to be occurrence in that same period.
When we examine the End Times we come up with a surprising conclusion. The signs that the Prophet (saas) described in detail are occurring one after the other in every corner of the world, just in the way they were described in the age in which we live. It is so that the hadiths paint a perfect portrait of our time. This is indeed a miracle, and demands careful consideration. Every sign that occurs is to remind people once again that the Doomsday is very near, a day when they will give account of themselves in the presence of Allah, and therefore, that they should immediately apply the moral values of the Qur'an to their lives.
While a corrupt environment enablesbelievers with strong faith to increase their faith and patience, and their rewards in the Hereafter, it leads those with weak and superficial faith to lose their faith or weaken it further. The Mahdi will come when the existing corrupt environment is extremely intense and severe.
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The hadiths speak of a corruption that will touch everybody and spread quickly. In other words, a certain type of corruption that is known to everybody and opposes religion and Allah will target the people's faith. Today, materialist philosophy is the largest and most comprehensive trend designed to deny Allah's Existence and creation. Underlying this philosophy is the 'theory of evolution,' which provides it with a self-proclaimed 'scientific' basis. Even though it is not based on any scientific and logical evidence, certain materialist circles throughout the world continue to work for its acceptance by using methods associated with strong propaganda, deceit, and even fraud.
Today, as this theory has penetrated almost every household by means of both the press and television, almost everyone in the Muslim world and everywhere else has heard of it. This theory is first presented as fact when people are children by means of countless lies and deceit. As they grow older, they continue to be misled by such funny nonsense that they, and humanity as a whole, came into being merely as a result of coincidences and that they descended from monkeys. Youths of all age are brainwashed at all stages of their education by evolutionist lies.
There is a noteworthy point here. As our Prophet (saas) noted in one of his hadiths, corruption's global pervasiveness and rapid spread can materialize only when suitable technological means are available, as they are today (e.g., the press, publications, broadcasting, the Internet, and satellite communication). As the relevant technology did not exist in the past, corruption could not spread throughout the world. As a result, no other worldwide corruption that had declared war against Allah's Existence, creation, and religion was seen in the past. All of these are among the important signs that the Mahdi's advent coincides with the present time.
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The hadith above mentions about corruption, which steadily spreads in the World and continues for extended periods. The term "corruption" also means "war, disorder, quarrel, dispute" as mentioned earlier. Given such meanings of the word, wars, civil wars and disorder, "which just spreads to another place from where it stays" as expressed by the narrative continue unceasingly all over the World during the current century. In particular, the 20th century we have just left behind is remembered as "the Century of Wars". As for the 21st century we are just in, it started off with wars and terror and they still continue unabatedly all over the World.
As we earlier mentioned, about 180 million people lost their life at the wars in the 21st century. For the first time in the history of man, such a huge number of lives were lost in wars within one century. Again, 165 wars and confrontations took place each causing the death of minimum 6000 people.
When we analyze the regions in the World where wars and civil wars have taken place in the last 25 years, it is quite possible to see that the World cannot get rid of instances of corruption, which ends in one place, but yet re-emerges in another. Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosova, Albania, Bulgaria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Palestine, Israel, North Korea, Cambodia, Eastern Turkistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen, Uganda, Algeria, Ruanda, Mozambique, Angola, Congo, Liberia, Burundi, Sudan, Lebanon, Argentine, Northern Ireland, El Salvador, Nicaragua…. They are just a few of those countries beset by wars and civil wars for the last 25 years.
World history is so full of wars but the wars and massacres taking place in the 20th century differ from all the other mass killings which ever occurred in World history so far by so many of their aspects. As earlier mentioned, the total death toll in all these wars was much more higher than the total of all the wars. Besides, wars used to remain regional and contained throughout history, not spreading from one place to another, so not spreading globally. However, these clashes spread all over the World in the 20th century. There are virtually no countries not having a war or confrontation or acts of terror in the previous century.
Another feature that distinguishes the 20th century wars from others is the power of weaponry used. Much more terrible massacres were suffered as a result of the use of nuclear and chemical weapons in particular in that century ; immense damages have been inflicted upon not only those generations physically undergoing the wars but also one or more new generations that followed. They are topped by the atomic bombs thrown down on to the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Presently, biological warfare is seen as one of the biggest dangers. As a result, the bacteria of anthrax sent out to addresses in envelopes by mail immediately after the September 11 terror attack in the USA serves an example of this and it has already caused so many casualties.
As a result, it is highly probable that the specific incidence of corruption referred to in the hadith as spreading to many places in the World relates to the wars, confrontations, disorder and acts of terror, which started in the 20th century and continue well into the 21st century. All this may just be the sign of the Golden Age period approaching and that the end of time is being lived.
Religious prohibitions gaining acceptance
The prevailing lifestyle of our own time, which has spread so widely in the last several decades and makes no distinction between what religion prohibits and allows, while tolerating all kinds of debauchery, reflects the environment depicted in the hadiths. Several hadiths describe this dark environment, the harbinger of the Mahdi's emergence, as follows:
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The three months referred to in this hadith coincide with the months during which the Iran-Iraq war developed. The first uprising against the Shah took place on 5 Shawwal 1398 (8 September 1976), as indicated by the hadith, and a full-blown war broke out between Iran and Iraq in Dhu'l-Hijjah 1400 (October 1980).
Another hadith describes the details of this war as follows:
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| - those coming from the Farsi direction : | those coming from the Iranian side |
| - Farsi : | Iran, Iranian (Grand Dictionary) |
| - Coming down to the plain : | Plain, Iranian Plain |
| - Mutekh : | Name of a mountain in the region |
| - Rakabeh : | Region where oil wells are concentrated |
This hadith draws attention to the outbreak of a racial dispute that would cause both sides to come down to the plain (Iranian Plain) and wage war. Further, as noted by the hadith, the Iran-Iraq war lasted for 8 years and, despite the many thousands of casualties, neither side could claim victory or a decisive superiority.
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There is an indication that Afghanistan will be occupied during the Last Days. The Russian invasion of Afghanistan took place in 1979 (1400, according to the Islamic calendar). In addition, this hadith draws attention to Afghanistan's material riches. Today, large oil deposits, iron basins, and coal mines that have not been commercially exploited yet have been detected there.
Stopping the flow of the Euphrates river
Stopping and interrupting the flow of the Euphrates river is just one sign of the Mahdi's emergence.
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Many respected books of hadith mention both of these events. Al-Suyuti mentions this hadith as 'the stopping of water.' Actually, the Keban Dam has stopped the flow of this river's water. The surrounding land has become as valuable as gold for various reasons, such as electricity production and higher soil fertility through the irrigation and transport facilities that the dam has made possible. The dam resembles a concrete mountain, and wealth as valuable as gold comes out of it. Therefore, the dam takes on the properties of 'the golden mountain' (Allah knows best).
Eclipse of the moon and sun in Ramadan
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The most striking point here is that it is impossible for there to be two solar as well as two lunar eclipses within one month. Such things cannot occur under ordinary conditions. However, most signs of the End Times are incidents that the human mind can grasp and realize, depending on certain reasons.
If these incidents are examined carefully, some differences become apparent. The best thing to do in such a situation is to locate the areas of agreement. Theses are the following: There will be solar and lunar eclipses during Ramadan, these will be spaced about 14-15 days apart, and the eclipses will be repeated twice.
In line with these calculations, there was a lunar eclipse in 1981 (Hijri 1401) on the 15th day of Ramadan, and a solar eclipse on the 29th day of the month. There was a "second" lunar eclipse in 1982 (Hijri 1402) on the 14th day of Ramadan, and a solar eclipse on the 28th day of the month.
It is also particularly significant that in that particular instance, there was a full lunar eclipse in the middle of Ramadan, a most striking prophecy.
The occurrence of these incidents during the same period coinciding with the signs of the Mahdi's emergence, and their miraculous recurrence at the onset of the fourteenth Islamic century for two consecutive years (1401-02) makes it possible for these events to be the signs foretold by the hadiths.
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The large explosions detected on the Sun during the twentieth century may well be this sign.
Also, the August 11, 1999 solar eclipse was the last of the century. It was the first time that so many people had been able to watch and study an eclipse for so long.
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As referred to by the hadiths,
In 1986 (1406), Halley's comet passed by Earth. The comet is a bright, shining star that travels from East to West. This happened after the lunar and solar eclipses of 1981 and 1982 (1401-1402).
The concurrence of this star's rise with other signs of the Mahdi's emergence indicates that Halley's comet is the star pointed to in the hadith.
Storming the Ka`ba and the subsequent bloodshed
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The phrase 'the year in which he will emerge' draws attention to a massacre that will occur on the date of the Mahdi's emergence. In 1979, a massacre very like this one occured during the Ka'ba raid, which took place during the pilgrimage month. It is very interesting that this raid occured at the very beginning of the period during which the signs of Mahdi's advent appeared, that is, the first day of the Islamic year 1400 (21 November 1979).
The hadiths also mention bloodshed and massacres. The killing of 30 people during the clashes between Saudi soldiers and attacking militants during the raid confirms the rest of this hadith.
Seven years later, an even bloodier incident happened during the pilgrimage. In this incident, 402 demonstrating pilgrims were killed, and vast amounts of blood was shed. Both the Saudi soldiers and the Iranian pilgrims committed great sins, for they killed one another. These bloody incidents have great parallels to the environment described in the hadith.
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This hadith draws attention to the incidents that will occur near the Ka`ba. The incidents during 1407 actually took place near the Ka`ba, and not inside it, unlike the event of 1400. Both incidents happened just the hadiths indicated that they would.
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A brief explanation of this flame, a sign of the Mahdi's advent, is as follows:
In July 1991, after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, a huge fire spread through Kuwait and the Persian Gulf after the Iraqis fired Kuwait's oil wells.
In addition, the first part of the hadith says that the flame 'is in an extinguished state.' Given that the flame is the result of burning an inflammable substance, what waits in an extinguished state is not the flame itself but the material to be burnt by the flame.
In this context, this means underground oil. Berehut is the name of a well—an oil well. When the time comes, oil extracted from these wells will become a fire ready to be burned.
Occurrence of big events and appaling things
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Great and extraordinary events had taken place before the birth of the Prophet Mohammad. A new star rose on the night of his birth; 14 towers of the Palace of the Iranian emperors worshipping flame collapsed; the Magians' (fire worshippers') fire that was burning for 1000 years in Iran went out; Semavi Valley was flooded ; Save Lake dried up, etc.
As indicated in the hadiths above, the emergence of Mahdi will resemple that of our holy Prophet. Big and miraculous phenomena will also take place during the period witnessing his emergence.
Some of the big and remarkable phenomena taking place in the World for over 100 years are as follows:
-Kaaba was raided, with a high number of Muslims being killed.
-The shah rule in Iran that continued for 2500 years was overthrown and Iranian Shah Reza
Pahlavi passed away.
-Gas leaking out of a factory in the City of Bombay in India caused the death of 20,000 people.
-An 8-year war broke out between two Muslim countries, Iraq and Iran.
-Russians occupied Afghanistan.
-Mexico City was destructed by a heavy earthquake.
-Nevada Del Ruiz Volcano in Northern Columbia erupted for the first time in 400 years. The city of Armero was wiped off the map by mud resulting from the melting snow and ice. 20,000 people died.
-Flooding in Bangladesh killed 25,000 people.
-Rome, the center of Christianity, was flooded.
-A forest fire, the biggest ever in its history, took place in China in 1986.
-Indian Prime Minister Ghandi, Egyptian President Anvar Sadat, Swedish PM Olof Palme were massacred.
-Pope John Paul II was shot.
-First AIDS incidents reported in the early 1980s. This disease, which has so far claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people, has been named "the Plague of the Century". AIDS has put an end to the "Sexual Revolution", which started in the USA in the 1960s and introduced all kinds of sexual liberties.
-In 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger explodes into pieces after the launch.
-The biggest ever nuclear accident in history broke out at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine on April 26, 1986. Many European countries were affected by the spreading radiation.
-The perforation in the Ozone layer has had very adverse impact on the global climate.
-The Soviet Union collapsed, followed by the emergence of a number of Independent States thanks to Gorbachov.
-The Gulf War broke out and continued into many years after the annexation by Iraq of Kuwait.
-An earthquake in Armenia turned cities into rubbles. As 500,000 people were evacuated from houses, the death toll rose exceeded 40,000.
-In 1989, communist troops marched on the students with tanks at Tiananmen Square, killing 2000 students.
-Berlin Wall, the symbol of the Cold War, was pulled down 28 years after its construction.
-More than 1,400 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at a tunnel in Kaaba in 1990.
-More than 120,000 people died as a result of the flooding in Bangladesh in 1991 as millions were homeless.
-For the last 20 years, storms, typhoons, cyclones and flooding never come to an end in the USA. Thousands of people were killed, millions left homes and material damage was estimated at billions of Dollars in each instance.
-Hundreds of thousands of Muslims were massacred in Bosnia and Kosova while hundreds of thousands more were banished from their homeland.
-The Ebola Virus claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people.
-El Nino inflicted immeasurable disasters on all the countries around the World.
-London Stock Exchange collapsed on October 19, 1987. The consequent panicking resulted in a value loss of 50 billion Pounds.
-168 people were killed in a bomb attack on a Federal building in the City of Oklahoma in the USA on April 19, 1995.
-On March 22, 1997, the Comet of Hale-Bopp passed by at a distance of 195 million km to the World at a speed of 160 km per hour. The passage of Hale Bopp, which could be watched by eyes, was welcome by millions of people all over the World with much interest.
-1,500 people died in an earthquake measuring at 7.1 on Richter scale in Iran on May 10, 1997.
-5,000 people lost lives in an earthquake measuring at 6.1 on Richter scale in Afghanistan on February 1998.
-1171 people were killed in an earthquake measuring at 6 in Columbia on January 25, 1999.
-More than 2,100 people died in an earthquake measuring at 7.6 in Taiwan on September 21, 1999.
-The biggest ever terrorist attack on the USA in history took place on September 11, 2001. Two passenger airplanes crushed into the two sky scrapers housing the World Trade Center in New York one after the other just with an 18 minute interval briefly after the working hours began in the morning. The death toll of the attack was over 5,000.
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In this hadith, our holy Prophet (saas) foretold that Mahdi would come during a time when "the systems have changed". "The change of system" pointed to by this hadith is likely to be the communist regimes which ruled all over the World in the 20th century and collapsed towards the end of the century.
One of the biggest reasons for the bloody wars and massacres, which had their stamp on the 20th century, is the rule of the communist ideology which was a product of the materialist philosophy. This ideology was influential in a great part of the World extending from Europe and Asia to Southern America and Africa and many countries were ruled by the communist regimes for decades or they were the target of the communist rings. Communism was the reason for the cold war which continued until the 1990s as well as the most ruthless assassinations.
Apart from attempting to spread their ideologies by fighting other countries, the communist regimes applied great oppression to their subjects and they killed big basses through executions, mass massacres, heavy conditions at the concentration camps and scarcities.
According to the historians' estimates, the communist regimes caused the death of 120 million people during the 20th century. Most of them were civilians killed by the communist states in their societies, not the soldiers killed in action in wars. Tens of millions of people including men and women, the old aged, infants and children lost their lives just because of the rigid and savage characteristics of the communist regimes. Apart from this, millions of people were subjected to communist atrocities, they were forced to migrate as a result, their possessions and land were seized and they constantly lived with fear of being arrested without a crime or being subject to atrocities unfairly.
However, these regimes, which were thought to be very powerful and invincible, began collapsing one after the other, losing power. The destruction of the Berlin Wall is the most distinctive symbol of this collapse. 2 years later, the Soviet Union, which was the biggest and most powerful communist state in the World, collapsed, with the Eastern Bloc falling to pieces totally. Various other communist regimes on a geography extending from Africa to Indochina collapsed one after the other, "the bi-polar World Order", which was the constant international system in the World since 1945 vanished and as put by the political commentators, a new World Order has been established. The "change of system" referred to by the hadith has thus materialized following this development which came true in a most surprising manner.
Today, the last ideological and political remnants of communism - also those of another totalitarian system, fascism, which is based on the same ideological sources - are also disappearing and the World is being cleansed of these bloody ideologies. With the spread of the Islamic ethics, the atrocities, pain, ignorance and poverty will be eradicated in the real sense and man will attain beauty, wealth, prosperity and peace. As a manifestation of his forgiveness and grace and benevolence after hardship, darkness, wars, massacres and sorrows, Allah will offer mankind matchless benefaction.
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This hadith points out that before the Mahdi comes, those who lack religious morals and have a cruel and merciless character will come to power in some Muslim countries. As a matter of fact, some contemporary Muslim rulers oppress Muslims and crush people with their oppressive and despotic regimes. In other countries, people are subjected to trouble because their rulers are unqualified to rule. Muslims in some countries, particularly Iraq, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Tunisia, and Djoubiti, are oppressed by their respectives, and so are subjected to various hardship and problems. Muslims are prevented from practicing their religion and worshipping, and economic difficulties make life harder.
Examples of some incidents taking place in such countries are as follows:
In Iraq which lost about one million of its 3 million population in the war against Iran, the Fascist dictator Saddam Hussein has applied unbelievable torture and atrocities to his people. At present, Iraqi Muslims are crushed under Saddam's Fascist practices and they are subject to international sanctions just because of Saddam's unwise policies.
Instability and turmoil have ruled in Afghanistan ever since the Soviet occupation in 1979 and the political powers which never represented the real Islam have established a very oppressive, ruthless and intolerant system.
Djibouti, one of the tiny countries in Africa, has been ruled by a harsh regime under which, between 1977 and 1991, about 2 thousand Muslims were slaughtered and 7 thousand people were arrested and tortured without any justification.
In Somalia, an oppressive regime led by Major General Mohammed Siad Biare, which targeted at Muslims directly, was in power for about 20 years between 1969 and 1991.
Tunisia was ruled by Habib Burghiba's dictatorship for 31 years. Declaring himself as "the Life President", Burghiba oppressed people during his entire rule.
Syrian Muslims suffered a myriad of atrocities during Hafez Assad's rule that lasted 30 years. Some cities were entirely destructed during the massacres which also led to rapes of women and all kinds of torture to men.
Tribulation like patches of dark night
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Furthermore, the way that tribulation is described as 'darkness' in the hadith, can be seen as an indication that its origins are unclear, that it is unexpected. Looking at it from that regard, it is probable that the hadith is referring to one of the world's worst terrorist attack, on the cities of New York and Washington in the United States on September 11, 2001. Therefore, this most saddening act of terror, which caused the lives and injuries of thousands of innocent people, may well be that 'tribulation like patches of dark night' foretold by the hadith as the sign of the Mahdi's emergence.
Widespread massacres
Most hadiths about the Mahdi's advent focus on the prophecy that turmoil, insecurity, and disorder will rule the world before his coming. Massacres, wars, and confrontations are one of the major features of such a period. Besides, the hadith draws attention to the fact that massacres will occur all over the world. During the two world wars of the twentieth century, an estimated 65 million people were killed. The number of the civilians slaughtered for political reasons during the same century is estimated to be well over 180 million. This is an extraordinarily high figure compared with previous centuries. Such atrocities still continue; today, bloody wars and combats are at full swing all over the World. The common feature of such wars is that as indicated by the hadith above, these are the wars during which massacres take place. Commencement of use of mass destruction weapons, and the ideological domination of those views encouraging confrontation and blood shed have caused massacres to be very comprehensive. A look at the recent history will point to the examples of many massacres in which so many people lost their lives. For instance, the Bosnian War went down in history as a war which targeted at the civilian population heavily, resulting in the murder of thousands of people without discrimination including women, children and the old aged. The mass graves uncovered after the war are striking evidence displaying the dimensions of such massacres. Another "ethnic cleansing" campaign that was carried out against the Palestinian people since the 1940s is a long term policy of massacre. The exemplary massacres of Sabra and Shatilla as part of this policy fully expose the exact dimensions of the incidents. There is also violent fighting occurring between various ethnicities in Africa so frequently and thousands of people die as a result. In spring 1997, a large scale ethnic war broke out between 2 major tribes, Hutu and Tutsi, covering 5 big countries - Zaire, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania. About half a million people lost their lives in this war. Tens of thousands of people had to fight poverty, misery and contagious diseases in the jungles and a big portion of them died. Even children and babies were savagely murdered just because they were from the rival tribes. Massacre of innocent people
While the hadiths about his emergence mention such massacres as commonplace, they also emphasize that such massacres will target innocent people. As we discussed earlier, almost all of the wars today target people. So, civilians and such innocent people as children, the elderly, and women are slaughtered. Targeting these defenseless people in particular has resulted in more comprehensive massacres, while the number of people dying as a result continues to climb. Since terror seeks to spread fear and horror, the very group on which such attacks focus are often innocent civilians. |
VARIOUS CHARACTERISTICS OF AL MAHDI
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He will be the best of his time
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His name is mentioned in the Holy Books revealed to the Prophets
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Just as the companions and disciples of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) are heralded in the Pentateuch and the Old Testament, Al Mahdi is also heralded in the books revealed to the other prophets and is highly praised in the books revealed to other prophets.
He will have good moral character
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Verse interpretation in the indicated meaning:
"By the Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and hard-hearted, they would have broken away from about you..." (Surah Al 'Imran: 159)
"And, doubtlessly, you are blessed with a great moral character." (Surat al-Qalam: 4)
He will be much loved by everyone
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Verse interpretation in the indicated meaning:
"Therefore, carry out the orders given to you and disregard the idol worshippers." . (Surat al-Hijr: 94)
"Therefore, do not obey the disbelievers, and strive against them with this (Qur'an), a great striving." (Surat al-Furqan: 52)
"Those who respond to Allah and his Messenger, despite the persecution they suffer, and maintain their good works and lead a righteous life, will have a great reward." (Surat al'Imran:172)
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An interpretation of these is as follows:
"It is meant that, through Al Mahdi's showing favor to and guiding a person, who is compared to a dead tree and who could not be of help to the people about him formerly just like a dead tree, such person would become beneficial to the people about him and to all the humanity just like a tree that has turned green and produced fruit. (Allah knows the best)
The following hadith also points out in a similar way that a person, who was ignorant, miser, and coward formerly, would become a learned, generous and brave person, and change his personality just as a tree, which was dead and useless formerly, turns green and produces leaves, through guidance and instructions of the great spiritual guide of the end of time. (Allah knows the best)
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Excellency Imam Rabbani also explains this power granted to Al Mahdi using the same simile.
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Verse interpretation in the indicated meaning:
"You shall invite to the path of your Lord with wisdom and kind enlightenment, and debate with them in the best possible manner. Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows best who are the guided ones." (Surat an-Nahl: 125)
"We made a covenant with the Children of Israel: "You shall not worship except Allah. You shall honor your parents and regard the relatives, the orphans, and the poor. You shall treat the people amicably. You shall observe the Contact Prayers and give the obligatory alms (Zakat)." But you turned away, except a few of you, and you became averse." (Surat al-Baqara: 83)
"Go to Pharaoh, for he transgressed. Speak to him nicely, he may take heed, or become reverent." (Surah TaHa: 43-44)
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An interpretation of this is as follows:
All practical sciences can be learned by everyone through reading and studying.
here is also the "Innate" knowledge which cannot be obtained through studying but is a favor of Allah, the Mighty, and bestowed by Him to any one of His servants He desires. In the above narration, the expression "cannot be known by anyone" indicates that Al Mahdi has such knowledge. (Allah knows the bestualem)
It is possible that this knowledge is the "Ledun", the knowledge of knowing and finding God. In the Surat Al-Kahf, a similar knowledge is mentioned in an anecdote between Moses (peace be upon him) and a blessed person, whose name is not given. (In narrations, it is told that this person was Hizir (as).
"Then, they found one of our servants, whom we blessed with mercy, and bestowed upon him from our own knowledge." (Surat al-Fath: 65)
"Moses said to him: "Can I follow you, that you may teach me some of the knowledge and the guidance bestowed upon you?"
He said, "You cannot stand to be with me."
(So) "How can you stand that which you do not comprehend?"
(Moses said:) "You will find me, God willing, patient. I will not disobey any command you give me".
He said, "If you follow me, then you shall not ask me about anything, unless I choose to tell you about it." (Surat al-Kahf: 66-69)
Ledun: Name of a strange knowledge. A person who has this knowledge not only discovers secrets and mysteries to the extent Allah permits but also knows various divine mysteries. (TUR-DAV, Buyuk Lugat, 558)
In this anecdote, three experiences of Moses (as) and Hizir (as) are narrated. Moses opposed to Hizir by raising an objection to Hizir's three conducts, which had seemed to him wrong and strange at first due to his ignorance of that knowledge. However, when Moses learned the real truth of the things done by Hizir from him at the time when they would part (verses 18/78-82), he realized that he had been impatient and he acknowledged that Hizir was right.
It is highly significant that this anecdote was narrated in the Surah Al Kahf; because our Prophet (saas) attracted attention to the close connection of the other two anecdotes (Ashab-I Kehf and Dhu'l-Qarnayn anecdotes) narrated in this Surah with Al Mahdi through his various hadiths. The fact the anecdote about Moses (as) and Hizir (as) takes part particularly in this Surah is an indication of the fact that the experiences of them may be closely related with Al Mahdi as in the hadiths above and that Al Mahdi might also have Hizir's knowledge.
Muhyiddin Arabi lists Al Mahdi's 9 characteristics in his explanation below. If examined carefully, it is seen that they bear the characteristics of the innate knowledge, such as wisdom, intelligence and ledun.
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Al Mahdi's another characteristic relating to the innate knowledge is that he has knowledge of the "abjad calculation", numeration by letters of the alphabet, and the related secrets.
He will be informed of the Cifr (Abjad) Knowledge
In his work "Mevzuatu'l-Ulum" (11/246), Taskopruluzade Ahmet Efendi wrote that Al Mahdi would be cognizant of the knowledge of cifr.
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Verse interpretation in the indicated meaning:
"And, hasn't he found you astray, and guided you?" (Surat ad-Duha: 7)
That he is on the way to prophethood
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The term 'Prophethood (Nubuvvet in Arabic) is derived from the root 'prophet' (nebi in Arabic), and defines the mission of prophets to invite the people to the right way by the order of Allah.
Allah grants the mission of Nubuvvet (Prophethood) to any of His servants he desires. Prophethood cannot be attained through striving or desiring. The mission the Mahdi is in the same way granted by Allah to any person He desires. Al Mahdi will not attain this position through his own efforts. While attaining the position of Velayet (Spiritual nearness to God). requires endeavor and zeal, there is no such condition for prophethood; what counts here is being selected. Other differences of the way to prophethood from the route to Velayet are as follows:
1. The blessings and prosperity directly reach to them without any mediators (guides) in between.
2. The route of prophethood is the route of the prophets, their method of communication and manner of struggle are expressed with this word. Since Al Mahdi will come through this route, his manner of struggle will be the same as that of the prophets.
3. Generally, an inward structure exists on the route of prophethood. Religious sects are in this group. The principle of this route is that the disciples try to better their own selves. Since the route of Nubuvvet is the route of prophethood, it appears before us with continuous struggle and communication, i.e. with a social structure aimed at all the people.
He is to encounter trials and tribulations
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All prophets (as) and saints (as) have not been understood by the people because of communicating and spreading the religion sent by Allah, the Exalted, and they were exposed to various accusations and slanders of them.
Al Mahdi (as), who will come from the Family of Muhammad (saas), will also suffer such trials and tribulations. Our Prophet Muhammad's (saas) hadith reports that, "Al Mahdi will explain to the people that he has suffered trials and tribulations during allegiance".
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The following hadith informs that Al Mahdi (as), who will conquer Constantinople (Istanbul), and his assistants would suffer illnesses, distress and grief before the conquest, but that these distresses would be removed afterwards:
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Allah, the Mighty, the Glorified, informs in the Holy Qur'an that many prophets suffered many trials and tortures such as being rejected, being accused to be insane and magician, illnesses, unjustly being imprisoned in dungeons, etc. but that perseverance should be shown to them.
Verse interpretation in the indicated meaning:
Indeed, Messengers before you have been rejected as well; and they steadfastly persevered their rejection and their wrongs until our aid did reach them…" (Surat al-An'am: 34)
But they turned away from him, saying, "Well educated, but crazy." (Surat-ad-Dukhan: 14)
Consistently, when a messenger went to the previous generations, they said, "Magician and Crazy" ". (Surat-adh-Dhariyat: 52)
He is simply a man gone crazy. Just observe him for a while." (Surat-al-Muminun: 25)
(Pharaoh) He said, "If you accept any god, other than me, I will throw you in the prison." (Surat-ash-Shu'ara': 29)
O you who believe me, do not be like those who hurt Moses, then Allah absolved him of what they said. He was, in the sight of Allah, honorable. (Surat-al-Ahzab: 69)
They said, "Build him a (high) building and throw him into the blazing fire." (Surat-as-Saffat)
- Those who disbelieved show their ridicule in their eyes when they hear the message (the Holy Qur'an) and say, "He is really a crazy!" (Surat-al-Qalam: 51)
Therefore, be patient like the messengers before you who possessed strength and resorted to patience. Do not be in a hurry for them …" (Surat-al-Ahqaf: 35)
He will be spied on - followed
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Note: This hadith is a long one, the whole of the hadith will be explained later.
It is informed at the beginning of the hadith that Al Mahdi would be spied on and followed by the armed men of the Dajjal (the Antichrist). We know from the Holy Qur'an that some prophets, who struggled for unification in the previous periods, were also spied on similarly to keep them under control.
"He is simply a man gone crazy. Observe him for a while." (Surat Al-Muminun: 25)
The owner of the research titled "Mehdilik ve Imamiye" (Mahdism and Imam Mahdi) makes the following explanations regarding the whole hadith:
Although narrators such as Abu Ishak and Ma'mer meant that this person was Hizir (as), we are of the opinion that he is Al Mahdi (as). The whole context of the hadith indicates this. In the beginning of the hadith, the Dajjal's armed soldiers making observations at the center are mentioned. It indicates that the Dajjal will have a big army or a governmental power. He will torture Al Mahdi, who opposes to him, and try to render him ineffective using his power. According to the Hadith, that person will be beaten down in such a way that his back and abdomen will widen. That is to say, it will be continuously announced and spread. By that time, thinking that he has rendered Al Mahdi ineffective, the Dajjal sees Al Mahdi's army coming onto him like an avalanche. Then, the Dajjal will not be able to keep Al Mahdi anymore; the Hadith explains this matter as follows: "O people, it is certain that the Dajjal will not be able to do what he has done to me to any of the people. Just at that moment the part between the neck and collarbone of that believer becomes a copper plate, so that the Dajjal cannot find any way to cut it."
These final expressions are highly remarkable. As for the neck and the collarbone, we all know that the crimes of a person to be executed are written on a piece of paper and hung on his neck. Since the hadith says that this section will become a copper plate, then the Dajjal will not be able to use his sword anymore (will not be able to do anything to him). (Mehdilik ve Imamiye, (Mahdism and Imam Mahdi) 39)
The Dajjal will try to torture Al Mahdi
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The Dajjal will not want to kill Al Mahdi, who opposes to his understanding; instead he will bother and torture him. First, he will try to render him ineffective by spreading slanders about him, but upon seeing that he is unsuccessful, he will take Al Mahdi away from the people, or, as the Hadith expresses, cast him away.
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Vicious propagandas will be spread against him
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The expression "will be beaten down in such a way that his back and abdomen will widen" is used as a simile. The author of the book titled "Mehdilik ve Imamiye" (Mahdism and Imam Mahdi says regarding this portion that, "The reputation of Al Mahdi will be continuously announced and spread around". However, since this will be done by the followers of the Dajjal, we can say that this propaganda will be made against Al Mahdi.
The enemies of Islam would use the poets, who were considered the press of that age, at the time of our Prophet (saas) to speak ill of him. The poets would insult the Prophet in many ways at the fairgrounds and marketplaces and call him insane, magician, soothsayer, etc. And now, the followers of the Dajjal, who is the enemy of Islam, will speak ill of Al Mahdi through the mass media and press organs, trying to tarnish Al Mahdi's reputation before the people. (Allah knows the best)
We have seen that the hadiths indicate the first years of Al Mahdi will be the years of struggle filled with trials and tribulations. The period that we have mentioned to be the "Golden Age" is related to the final periods when Al Mahdi will have become the Caliph. Only in this period Al Mahdi and the Muslims will attain comfort, prosperity and peace and live a life based on love, peace and brotherhood.
Verse interpretation in the indicated meaning:
"Doubtlessly, the Hereafter is better for you than this first. And your Lord will give you enough; and you will be pleased." (Surat-ad-Duha: 4-5)
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PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF AL MAHDI
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All prophets are the descendants of one another. Al Mahdi (a.r.) is also from this lineage. The ones who are the descendants of this lineage are called the Seyyid (descendant of the Prophet).
Verse interpretations in the indicated meaning:
"Our Lord, make us submitters to You, and from our descendants let there be a community of submitters to You. Teach us the rites of our religion, and redeem us. You are the Redeemer, Most Merciful." (Surat al-Baqara: 128)
"Allah has chosen Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of Amram (as messengers) to the people." (Surah Al 'Imran: 33)
From among their ancestors, their descendants, and their siblings, we chose many, and guided them in a straight path. (Surat-al-An'am: 87)
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Verse interpretation in the indicated meaning:
When she heard of their gossip, she invited them, prepared for them a comfortable place, and gave each of them a knife (to peel the fruit). She then said to him (Joseph), "Enter their room." When they saw him, they so admired him that they cut their hands and they said: "Glory be to Allah, this is not a human being. This is an honorable angel!" (Surat Yusuf: 31)
He will have the seal of prophethood on his shoulder
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As can be understood from the Hadiths, Al Mahdi will have a seal of prophethood between his shoulders, which can be clearly seen, just as that of the Messenger of Allah (praise and peace upon him).
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The complexion that tends to resemble red, which comes into existence as a result of the effects of the sun and winds, is called dark complexion; and the color of the skin remaining under the clothes so that no sunrays reach is called white complexion.
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