Day of judgement (Qiyamah)
Major Signs: Arrival of the Mahdi
Please note that the Quran does not mention anything about the Dajjal and the Mahdi, all the information we have is from the collected Hadiths (teachings) of Prophet Muhammad
The Mahdi (مهدي transliteration: Mahdī, also Mehdi; "Guided One") is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on earth seven, nine, or nineteen years (depending on the interpretation) before the coming of the day, Yaum al-Qiyamah (literally "Day of the Resurrection" or "Day of the Standing"). Muslims believe the Mahdi will restore righteousness and change the world into a perfect and just Islamic society alongside Jesus. The concept of Mahdi is not explicitly mentioned in the Qu'ran, but there are many hadith (traditional sayings of Muhammad) on the Mahdi.
The advent of Mahdi is not a universally accepted concept in Islam and among those that accept the Mahdi there are basic differences among different sects of Muslims about the timing and nature of his advent and guidance. The idea of the Mahdi has been described as important to Sufi Muslims and a "powerful and central religious idea" for Shia Muslims who believe in Muhammad al-Mahdi. However, among Sunni, it "never became a formal doctrine" and is neither endorsed, nor condemned "by the consensus of Sunni Ulama." It has "gained a strong hold on the imagination of many ordinary" self-described orthodox Sunni though, thanks to Sufi preaching.Another source distinguishes between Sunni and Shia beliefs on the Mahdi saying the Sunni believe the Mahdi will be a descendant of Prophet Muhammad named Muhammad who will revive the faith, but not necessarily be connected with the end of the world, Jesus or perfection.
Abdullah-bin-Masood has reported that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him
said: "The world will not pass away before the Arabs are ruled by a man
(referring to Mahdi) of my family whose name will be the same as mine."Abu Daud
False claims of being the Mahdi
Many people in the past
falsely claimed to be Imaam Mahdi. One of these false claimants was Mohd-bin-Tomart,
a tyrant who spread corruption and even buried some of his companions because
they didn't believe that he was the Mahdi described by the Ahadith of Prophet peace be upon him .
Some believe it was Mohd-bin-al Askari who disappeared at the age of 5
and went into hiding and has been hiding for 10 centuries. Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad (The Cursed) was also one of those who claimed to be the
Mahdi as well as many other people. Besides those mentioned there were
many others who claimed the office of Mahdi, the most recent being someone
from Manchester who claimed the position for himself.
It should be noted that none of the
above or anybody else who claimed to be the Mahdi in the past fulfilled
the conditions laid down by Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him .
A list of some of the signs which
will precede Imaam Mahdi and some that describe him have been gathered
in this book so that we Muslims are not misled.
Signs that will precede the Mahdi
1. General signs
There are many signs that will precede the Mahdi
- A general and very important sign is that he will come at a time when
there is great confusion, intense disputes and violent death.
- When people are afflicted by disturbances and fear.
- Calamities will fall
upon the people, so much so that a man shall not find shelter to shelter
him from oppression.
- There will be many battles and fitnaas before his
appearance. Every time a fitnaa has come to an end, another will start,
spread and intensify. The people will be troubled to such extent that they
will long for death.
It is then that Imaam Mahdi will be sent.
Abu Saeed al-Khudri has reported
that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him peace be upon him
said: ''He will be sent at a time of intense
disputes and differences among people and earthquakes.''Ahmad
2. The Double Eclipse In Ramadan
This is a statement quoted from Darequtni but it
is NOT verified, indeed it's authenticity is questionable. It is NOT to
be considered as authentic Hadith.
3. The Battle in Mina
Before Imaam Mahdi emerges an inter-tribal
fight will take place. In the same year Hajj
will be looted and a battle will erupt in Mina in which many people will
be killed.
Amr-bin-Shuaib reported from his
grandfather that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him peace be upon him
said, ''In Dhul-Qada
(Islamic month) the tribes will fight, Hajis will be looted and there will
be a battle in Mina
in which many people will be slain and blood will flow until it runs over
the Jamara-tul-aqba. Their companions (referring to Imaam Mahdi) will flee
to a point between the Corner and the Maqaam and will be forced to accept
people's allegiance.'' Al-Fitan Nuaim-b-Hammad
4. The
Euphrates Will Disclose Mountain of Gold
The final hour will not come until
the river Euphrates (which flows through Syria and Iraq and finally opens
in the Gulf) will disclose a mountain of gold over which people will fight
and die. It should be noted that this is a sign, which will precede Imaam
Mahdi only according to some Ulama.
The
Messenger of Allah peace be upon him
said, ''The hour shall not occur until the Euphrates will disclose a mountain
of gold over which people will fight . Ninety- nine out of which
hundred shall be killed and every one of them will say' Perchance I shall
be the one to succeed. ''Muslim, Narrated by Abu Huraira
In another narration we have been
told that whoever is present at the time when the Euphrates discloses a
mountain of gold should not take the gold.
5. Emergence
of the Suffyani
The Suffyani (a descendant of Abu
Sufyan) will emerge before Imam Mahdi from the depths of Damascus. According
to some weak narration his name will be Urwa bin Muhammed and his Kuniya
'Abu-Utba'. The Ahadith regarding the Suffyani specify that he is a tyrant
who will spread corruption and mischief on the earth before Imam Mahdi.
He will be such a tyrant that he will kill the children and rip open the
bellies of women. When he hears about the Mahdi, he will send an army to
seize and kill him. However the Earth will swallow this army before it
even reaches Imam Mahdi.
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him
said, ''A man will emerge from the depth of Damascus. He will be called
Suffyani. Most of those who follow him will be from the tribe of Kalb.
He will kill by ripping the stomachs of women and even kill the children.
A man from my family will appear in Haram, the news of his advent will
reach the Suffyani and he will send forth one of his armies. He (referring
to Imam Mahdi) will defeat them. They will then travel with whoever remains
until they come to a desert and they will be swallowed . None will be saved
except the one who had informed the others about them. 'Mustadarak, Narrated by Abu Huraira
6. The Emergence
of Haris-Al-Harrath and Mansur
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him
said, ''There will be a man from Transoxania who will be called Harith-Harrath
and a man called Mansur will be at his vanguard. He will give abode to
the family of Mohammad (referring to Imam Mahdi) just as the Quraish gave
abode to Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him Mishkat, Narrated by Hazrat Ali
7. An army
will perish in Baidah
Once he has appeared an army that
has come to fight him will perish in Baidah (a flat piece of land next
to Madinah facing the direction of Mecca).
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him
said ''There shall be differences and intense dispute at the time of the death
of a Khalifh. Then a man from the inhabitants of Madinah (referring to
Imam Mahdi) will come out of the flee to Mecca (so that he does not get
caught in the dispute and is not made the Khalifh). Some Makkans will come
to him and take him out though he will be unwilling. They will then make
him accept their Bayat between the Black Stone and the place of Ibrahim peace be upon him .
An army will then be sent to fight him from Syria , however it will perish
in Baidah, between Mecca and Madinah. When the people see and hear about
this event ,the awliya (God fearing people) of Syria and Iraq will make
Bayat with him.''Abu Daud, Narrated by Umme-Salama
8. A star with a luminous tail will rise from the east before his emergence. (Al-Iza'ah).
9. A voice in Ramadan will
awaken sleeps and alarm those that are awake (Ibid)
10. The
emergence of al-A'hraj al-Kindi, Abqa and Ashab before Imam Mahdi
(Ibid)
11.The earth will swallow a village near Damascus (Ibid)
12. An
army with black banners will come from the East (Ibid)
There are other signs which
will precede Imam Mahdi.
Characteristics of Imaam Mahdi
- He will be from the progeny of
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him
and descendent of Fatimah
Umme Salama (R.A) reported: I heard Prophet Muhammad of Allah ( peace be upon him )
saying, "The Mahdi will appear from my progeny, from the descendants of
Fatimah." (Abu Daud)
- His name will be Muhammad
or Ahmad and his father's name will be Abdullah
Ibne
Masood reported that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said, "If there remains in the world but a day, the mighty Allah will greatly
prolong that day till he will send there in a man from me or from the members
of my house. His name will be similar to my name and his father's name
to my father's name." (Abu Daud)
- He will resemble Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him in character
Hadrat Ali (R.A) once
looked at his son and remarked, "This son of mine is Saiyid who was named
by Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and soon from his loins will come forth a man by the name of your Prophet peace be upon him and who will resemble him in conduct but not in appearance." (Abu Daud)
- He will have a shiny forehead
and a high bridge nose
Abu Saeed reported that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said, "The Mahdi will appear from me, shining of forehead, long of nose."
(Abu Daud).
- General appearance
Once Hadrat Ali (R.A) was
asked regarding his description. He replied, "He is a well built youth
of average height and a handsome face, his hair reaches his shoulders and
the light of his face is contrasted by the darkness of his hair and beard."
(Al-Isha'ah)
- He will be slow of speech with a slight stutter
and when he is delayed, he will strike his left thigh
with his right hand." (Al-Isha'ah)
- He will appear from the
east.
Thawban (R.A) reported that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said, "Three men will be killed at the place where your treasure is. Each
of them will be the son of a Khalifah but none of them will get hold of
the treasure. Then the black banners will come out of the east, and they
will slaughter you in a way that has never been seen before. If you see
him give him your allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice, because
he is the Khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi." (Ibne Majah)
Only some of the signs that will
precede Imaam Mahdi and of the Mahdi himself have been gathered in this
book. The true Mahdi, the one referred to in the Ahadith of Prophet peace be upon him
as one of the signs of Qiyamah, is the one in whom the pre-mentioned signs
are found.
His
Emergence and the People's Bayat
After the death of a Khalifh there
shall be intense dispute and difference of opinion in whom should become
the next Khalifh. Fearing he may get caught up in the dispute and made
the Khalifh, Imaam Mahdi will flee from Madinah to Mecca. However, to
his surprise on reaching Mecca, some Makkans will bring him out of his
house against his will and take him to Masjid Haraam and 313 as has been
mentioned in the hadith reported by Imam Hakim in Al-Mustadrak will force
him to accept their Bayat between the Rukn (corner of the Ka'aba containing
the black stone) and the place of Ibrahim. The news of his allegiance will
quickly spread and thus an army from Syria will be sent to fight him. However
no harm will come to Imaam Mahdi nor his followers who will be supported
by Allah. The earth will swallow up this army before it can get near to
the Imaam in a place called Baidah (a flat piece of land between Mecca
and Madinah). After seeing and hearing about this extraordinary event and
sign, the Awliya (pious saints) of Syria and Iraq will come to Imaam Mahdi
and swear allegiance to him between the black stone and the Maqam (the
place of Ibrahim which is near the Ka'aba). (The above content can be found
in the Hadith of Umme Salama/Abu Daud)
The
First Battle
His first battle will be against
the tribe of Kalb. A short period after the eminent saints of Syria and
Iraq have sworn allegiance; a man from the Quraish will rise whose maternal
uncle's belong to the Kalb tribe and he will send an army to fight Imaam
Mahdi. However this army will be overcome and defeated. This will be his
first victory.
The
Great War
(The author of al-Isha'ah has mentioned
that this battle will take place in Imam Mahdi's time).
Imam Mahdi will have to fight many
battles, the most important and difficult being the battle against the
Christians in which a large number of Muslims will be martyred.
' Yusayr bin Jabir said, "A red sandstorm
erupted in the city of Kufah. Afterwards, a man came shouting and repeating
the same words, 'O Abdullah bin Mas'ud! The hour has come.' He (Yusayr)
then said that he sat up after he was leaning (on his side) and said, ''The
hour will not arrive until no inheritance will be divided and no war possessions
will bring about satisfaction. ''He pointed with his hands towards Ash-Sham
saying, ''An enemy will gather its forces against the followers of Islam.''I
said, ''Do you mean Ar-Rum?" He said ''Yes.''Then, during this war,
fierce fighting will occur. Muslim will ask for a volunteer expedition
that will vie to die or return victorious. They will fight until the night
separates them. Both sides will return to their camps not yet victorious
and the expedition will perish.
Muslims will then (in the third day)
ask for volunteer expedition that will vie to die or return victorious.
They will fight until the night separates them. Both sides will return
to their camp not yet victorious and the expedition will perish. In the
fourth day, the rest of the Muslim forces will turn against them (the disbelieves)
and Allah will defeat them (the disbelieves). They will suffer casualties
never heard of before or he said, ''Never seen before, even birds flying
near them will not pass without falling down dead.
Afterwards, sons of
the same fathers (from the Muslim side), who were near a hundred, will
count the survivors and will find out only one of them survived. Therefore,
what war possession will bring satisfaction and what inheritance will be
divided? While they are doing this they will hear of an even bigger calamity;
That is, a man will scream amongst them that the Dajjal has appeared among
their families which they left behind. They will discard what they have
in their hands and proceed. They will send ten horsemen as an expedition
force.
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him peace be upon him
said, ''I know their names and their fathers name and the colours of their
horses. They will be the best horsemen on the face of Earth, ''or (he said)
''(They) Will be amongst the best horsemen on the face of Earth.'Muslim
The cause of this great battle will
be the Christians. The Christians and Muslims as allies will conquer a
third enemy. However, the Christians will act treacherously as they will
claim the victory on the strength of their religion, thus the Muslims will
be driven to arms and will fight them.
Dhu Makhbar said, ''I
heard the Apostle of Allah ( peace be upon him )
say, ''You will make a secure peace with the Byzantines, then you will
fight an enemy behind you, and you will be victorious, take the boot, and
be safe you will the return and alight in a meadow with mounds and one
of the Christians will raise the cross and say, 'The cross has conquered'.
One of the Muslims will become angry and smash it, and the Byzantines will
act treacherously and prepare for battle.'''
Conquest
of Constantinople
The great war between the Christians
and Muslims will result in the Muslims conquering Constantinople (which
is modern day Istanbul) without army by the sheer force of Takbeer (Allahu
Akbar).
Abu Hurairah reports that Prophet Muhammad
peace be upon him
said, ''Have you heard of a town of which a part is in the sea?''
''Yes'' said they. He said: 'The
last hour shall not occur till 70,000 of the children of Isaac shall attack
it. When they come to it, they (Muslims) will not fight with arms, nor
throw arrows. They will only say: There is no god but Allah, Allah is the
greatest, and then on of its sides will fall down. They will recite for
the second time : there is no god but Allah, Allah is the greatest, and
then another of its side will fall down. After that they will say it for
the third time: there is no god but Allah and Allah is the greatest, and
then it will be opened for them and they will enter and acquire booty.
While they will be dividing the booty, a proclaimer will come to them and
proclaim: 'Verily Dajjal has come out. 'Then they will leave everything
and return. 'Muslim
It should be noted that the conquests
will take place a very short period.
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him peace be upon him
has said: 'Between the Great War and the conquest of the city (Constantinople)
there will be six years, and the Dajjal shall appear in the seventh year Abdullah-b-Busr
Blessings
at the time of Imam Mahdi
Once again the Quran and Sunnah will
govern the people, this time by the rightly guided Khalifh, Imam Mahdi.
Islam will gain an upper hand and will be firmly established in the land.
The oppression, tyranny, and darkness that prevailed all over the globe
will be replaced with justice, peace and equity. The smile, which was long
forgotten, will be restored on the Muslim faces and the inhabitants of
the Heaven and Earth will be pleased with him. Everybody will be happy
to the extent that even birds an wild animals will rejoice in his rule.
Heaven will end rain profusely, livestock will be in abundance, land will
become fertile, the earth will become green and sprout with abundant fruit
ad vegetation.
The above content has been taken from various hadith, which can be found
in Abu-Daud and from the hadith narrated by Abu-Saeed al-Khudri in Musnad
Ahmad.
Due to the loot acquired from the
various conquest everyone will have so much wealth that an eyebrow will
not even be raised at somebody else's wealth. Callers will proclaim in
the street, ''Is anybody in need of anything?'' Nobody will respond except
one person.
''A caller will call 'Who is in need of wealth?' Only one person will stand
(and response to the call and say I am in need of wealth) he will be told
to go to the treasurer and tell him that the Mahdi orders you to give some
wealth. 'Gather and take it', he will be told. (He will begin to put it
in his lap, when he realized that nobody else has come and he was the only
one) he will regret it and say 'I was the greediest from among the Ummah
of Muhammed peace be upon him .
The narrator says, he will return it but it will not be accepted and it
will be said to him that we do not accept what we have given.
The above content has been taken from various hadith, which can be found
in Abu-Daud and from the hadith narrated by Abu-Saeed al-Khudri in Musnad
Ahmad. Ahmad, Narrated by Abu-Saeed al-Khudri
Abu-Saeed al-Khudri has also reported
that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him
said regarding Mahdi; that a man will come to him and say, 'Give me, give
me'. Then he will spread his cloth and put in it as much as he can carry.
His Reign as a Khalifh
There are different narration's regarding
his reign as a Khalifh. Some traditions indicate that is reign will be
seven years like the hadith of Umme Salama in Abu-Daud, ''He will remain
seven years, then die, and Muslims will pray over him. '' (Abu-Daud)
Other traditions indicate that his
reign will last seven, eight or nine years like the Hadith of Abu Saeed
in Mustadrak.
Due to different traditions the period of Imaam Mahdi's reign is disputed.
Many Scholars have taken seven years to be the period of his reign due
to the fact that the Ahadith which indicate seven years are the most authentic.
Other Scholars like Shah Rafiud-din, after careful analysis have concluded
that the first seven years if his reign will pass without worry, he will
spend the eight preparing to fight the Dajjal and spend the ninth with Prophet
Isa (Jesus) peace be upon him .
He will thereafter die, Prophet Isa peace be upon him
will read his funeral prayer and bury him.