

# Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is a Descendant of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh)

# Harun Yahya (Adnan Oktar)

# About the Author

Now writing under the pen-name of Harun Yahya, Adnan Oktar was born in Ankara in 1956. Having completed his primary and secondary education in Ankara, he studied arts at Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University and philosophy at Istanbul University. Since the 1980s, he has published many books on political, scientific, and faith-related issues. Harun Yahya is well-known as the author of important works disclosing the imposture of evolutionists, their invalid claims, and the dark liaisons between Darwinism and such bloody ideologies as fascism and communism.

Harun Yahya's works, translated into 63 different languages, constitute a collection for a total of more than 45,000 pages with 30,000 illustrations.

His pen-name is a composite of the names Harun (Aaron) and Yahya (John), in memory of the two esteemed Prophets who fought against their peoples' lack of faith. The Prophet's seal on his books' covers is symbolic and is linked to their contents. It represents the Qur'an (the Final Scripture) and Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), last of the Prophets. Under the guidance of the Qur'an and the Sunnah (teachings of the Prophet [may Allah bless him and grant him peace]), the author makes it his purpose to disprove each fundamental tenet of irreligious ideologies and to have the "last word," so as to completely silence the objections raised against religion. He uses the seal of the final Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who attained ultimate wisdom and moral perfection, as a sign of his intention to offer the last word.

All of Harun Yahya's works share one single goal: to convey the Qur'an's message, encourage readers to consider basic faith-related issues such as Allah's existence and unity and the Hereafter; and to expose irreligious systems' feeble foundations and perverted ideologies.

Harun Yahya enjoys a wide readership in many countries, from India to America, England to Indonesia, Poland to Bosnia, Spain to Brazil, Malaysia to Italy, France to Bulgaria and Russia. Some of his books are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Urdu, Arabic, Albanian, Chinese, Swahili, Hausa, Dhivehi (spoken in Mauritius), Russian, Serbo-Croat (Bosnian), Polish, Malay, Uygur Turkish, Indonesian, Bengali, Danish and Swedish.

Greatly appreciated all around the world, these works have been instrumental in many people recovering faith in Allah and gaining deeper insights into their faith. His books' wisdom and sincerity, together with a distinct style that's easy to understand, directly affect anyone who reads them. Those who seriously consider these books, can no longer advocate atheism or any other perverted ideology or materialistic philosophy, since these books are characterized by rapid effectiveness, definite results, and irrefutability. Even if they continue to do so, it will be only a sentimental insistence, since these books refute such ideologies from their very foundations. All contemporary movements of denial are now ideologically defeated, thanks to the books written by Harun Yahya.

This is no doubt a result of the Qur'an's wisdom and lucidity. The author modestly intends to serve as a means in humanity's search for Allah's right path. No material gain is sought in the publication of these works.

Those who encourage others to read these books, to open their minds and hearts and guide them to become more devoted servants of Allah, render an invaluable service.

Meanwhile, it would only be a waste of time and energy to propagate other books that create confusion in people's minds, lead them into ideological confusion, and that clearly have no strong and precise effects in removing the doubts in people's hearts, as also verified from previous experience. It is impossible for books devised to emphasize the author's literary power rather than the noble goal of saving people from loss of faith, to have such a great effect. Those who doubt this can readily see that the sole aim of Harun Yahya's books is to overcome disbelief and to disseminate the Qur'an's moral values. The success and impact of this service are manifested in the readers' conviction.

One point should be kept in mind: The main reason for the continuing cruelty, conflict, and other ordeals endured by the vast majority of people is the ideological prevalence of disbelief. This can be ended only with the ideological defeat of disbelief and by conveying the wonders of Creation and Qur'anic morality so that people can live by it. Considering the state of the world today, leading into a downward spiral of violence, corruption and conflict, clearly this service must be provided speedily and effectively, or it may be too late.

In this effort, the books of Harun Yahya assume a leading role. by the will of Allah, these books will be a means through which people in the twenty-first century will attain the peace, justice, and happiness promised in the Qur'an.

Translated by Carl Nino Rossini

Edited by Timothy Mossman

Published by

Global Publishing

Talatpasa Mahallesi, Emirgazi Caddesi,

Ibrahim Elmas Is Merkezi a Blok, Kat: 4

Okmeydani - Istanbul/Turkey

Phone: +90 212 2220088

Printed and bound by Entegre Matbaacilik in Istanbul

Sanayi Cad. No: 17 Yenibosna-Istanbul/Turkey

Phone: (+90 212) 4517070

All translations from the Qur'an are from

The Noble Qur'an: A New Rendering of its Meaning in English

by Hajj Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley,

published by Bookwork, Norwich, UK. 1420 CE/1999 AH.

March, 2010

www.harunyahya.com - www.harunyahya.net

www.en.harunyahya.tv

# To the Reader

The reason why a special chapter is assigned to the collapse of the theory of evolution is that this theory constitutes the basis of all anti-spiritual philosophies. Since Darwinism rejects the fact of Creation, and therefore the existence of Allah, during the last 150 years it has caused many people to abandon their faith or fall into doubt. Therefore, showing that this theory is a deception is a very important duty, which is strongly related to the religion (deen). It is imperative that this important service be rendered to everyone. Some of our readers may find the opportunity to read only one of our books. Therefore, we think it appropriate to spare a chapter for a summary of this subject.

In all the books by the author, faith-related issues are explained in the light of the Koranic verses and people are invited to learn Allah's words and to live by them. All the subjects that concern Allah's verses are explained in such a way as to leave no room for doubt or question marks in the reader's mind. The sincere, plain and fluent style employed ensures that everyone of every age and from every social group can easily understand the books. This effective and lucid narrative makes it possible to read them in a single sitting. Even those who rigorously reject spirituality are influenced by the facts recounted in these books and cannot refute the truthfulness of their contents.

This book and all the other works of the author can be read individually or discussed in a group at a time of conversation. Those readers who are willing to profit from the books will find discussion very useful in the sense that they will be able to relate their own reflections and experiences to one another.

In addition, it will be a great service to the religion to contribute to the presentation and reading of these books, which are written solely for the good pleasure of Allah. All the books of the author are extremely convincing. for this reason, for those who want to communicate the religion to other people, one of the most effective methods is to encourage them to read these books.

It is hoped that the reader will take time to look through the review of other books on the final pages of the book, and appreciate the rich source of material on faith-related issues, which are very useful and a pleasure to read.

In these books, you will not find, as in some other books, the personal views of the author, explanations based on dubious sources, styles that are unobservant of the respect and reverence due to sacred subjects, nor hopeless, doubt-creating, and pessimistic accounts that create deviations in the heart.

# Contents

Foreword: A Statement Regarding the Torah and the Gospel

Introduction: The End Times We are Living in and the Glad Tidings of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)

The Coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is Announced in all the Holy Scriptures

Following the True Faith of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh)

In the End Times, Religious Moral Values will Govern the World

The Dominion Promised to the Heirs of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) in Judaic Sources, and Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) Descent from the Line of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh)

The People Promised Dominion in the Torah is the Community of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) Signs of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in the Torah and Other Judaic Scriptures

Sings of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in the Gospels

Signs of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) Coming in the Qur'an and Other Islamic Sources

Conclusion: Allah Never Breaks His Promises

Appendix I: Gog and Magog Described in the Qur'an, Very Likely Refer to the First and Second World Wars

Appendix II: Not a Drop of Blood will Be Shed in the Time of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)

Appendix III: The Deception of Evolution

# Foreword: A Statement Regarding the Torah and the Gospel

In the Qur'an, Allah (God) reveals that Muslims should believe in the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and all the Prophets sent before him, and in all the scriptures given to those Prophets. In verse 4 of Surat al-Baqara, our Lord refers to Muslims as "those who believe in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down before you ..."

As is mentioned in the Qur'an, the Torah and the Gospel, the Psalms and the pages of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) are scriptures sent down to Prophets who lived in past centuries. Allah has revealed that these scriptures were guides for the societies to which they were sent. In one verse, our Lord reveals:

**He has sent down the Book to you with truth, confirming what was there before it. and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel, previously, as guidance for mankind, and He has sent down the Furqan. (Surah Al 'Imran, 3-4** )

Allah reveals this in another verse about the Torah:

We sent down the Torah containing guidance and light, and the Prophets who had submitted themselves gave judgment by it for the Jews–as did their scholars and their rabbis–by what they had been allowed to preserve of Allah's Book to which they were witnesses. (Surat al-Mai'da, 44)

In examining the portents of the End Times, we will also evaluate the related statements in the Torah and the Gospels in the light of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and present the sections that are compatible with the divine verses of the Qur'an and the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). for that reason, Muslims can find in this book, the passages relating the End Times from the Torah and the Gospels as well as the Qur'an.

# Introduction: The End Times We are Living in and the Glad Tidings of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)

"The End Times" is a term used to describe the final days of earth, prior to Judgment Day. In this period, according to Islamic belief, humanity will be confronted by terrible corruption and degeneration. This dark age will be one of increasing injustice, oppression, famine and poverty, moral collapse, war and conflict, anarchy and disorder. It will come to an end with people returning to Allah and religious moral values. Want will be replaced by plenty, injustice and oppression by justice and understanding, and anarchy and disorder by an environment of peace and security, and the world will enjoy a hitherto unseen beauty and abundance. Allah will make the return to earth of the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) and Hazrat Mahdi (peace be upon him), a holy personage whose name means "he who has found the path of salvation" the means whereby the world attains enlightenment and abundance. These are all valuable glad tidings imparted by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as indicated in the Qur'an.

The portents of the End Times, the characteristics of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) who will appear in that age, the changes to take place after his coming, and the return to Earth of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) have already been covered in detail in earlier books. (For details, see Portents and Features of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) Coming, the End of Times and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), the Golden Age, the Signs of Jesus' (pbuh) Second Coming, the End Times and the Beast of the Earth, the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will Come in this Century all by Harun Yahya)

This book considers signs of the End Times in both the Bible and the Qur'an. In addition, we shall examine the characteristics of the time when religious moral values will rule the world which is known as Yamot HaMashiach or the Days of the Messiah to the Jews, "Millennium" to the Christians and described as prior to Judgement Day, "Golden Age" by the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

In Judaic sources, the descriptions of both the portents of the period when Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will appear in the End Times and the Golden Age under his rule have a great deal in common with those in Islamic texts. Both faiths state that at first, people will turn their backs on religious moral values. for that reason, they will suffer many difficulties and that following a time of troubles, an age of beauty and light will dawn. In the same way, a great many Gospels passages describing the signs of the End Times, as well as the age when religious moral values will reign supreme, are in agreement with Islamic sources.

This book also includes hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and statements by Islamic scholars, together with sections from the Torah* and the Gospels. You will see for yourself how closely those portents of the age prior to the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) match conditions of this present day.

In addition, this book explains how the community of Israel whose rule is promised in the End Times mentioned in the Torah is actually the community of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). True faith will distinguish the community of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and his community will be known for the success they achieve for Allah. Whoever Allah makes a means in destiny for the dominion of the religion (deen), it will be they who manifest that title.

All believers hope for true religious moral values to rule the world and for people to be liberated from all kinds of spiritual and material difficulties. as can be seen in the portents of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) coming, many events currently taking place indicate that this long awaited holy age, has finally begun. Like all believers, we pray that Allah will let us witness this holy age and take part in the intellectual struggle that will spread religious moral values across the world.

* The Jewish Holy Book, also known as the "Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)", consists of 39 books. The first 5 of these are regarded as those sections of the Torah revealed to the Prophet Moses (pbuh). The other books are texts revealed to other Jewish Prophets or describing their lives after the Torah. In this book, the word "Torah" is used to refer to the whole of the Jewish Bible (Tanakh). Similarly, Judaic sources refer to these 39 books as "The Written Torah".

# The Coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is Announced in All the Holy Scriptures

The "End Times," the period immediately preceding the end of the world, will contain a series of portents that Allah has revealed in all the sacred scriptures. In this special age, when disorder and strife reach their fiercest level, when people are as far removed from religious moral values as they can possible be, when degeneration is at a peak, our Lord will send Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)–"he who gives the way to salvation." With his powerful love and fear of Allah Who has sent him to fulfil this important task, Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be a means of salvation for the whole world. by Allah's will, Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be successful in this duty, as is written in his destiny, and will cause faith in Allah and religious moral values to reign supreme.

For that reason, the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be one of the greatest events in history, one that is mentioned in all the sacred scriptures. Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) has been awaited not just since the time of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), but for many thousands of years. The hadith of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) reveal that the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is described in all the sacred scriptures Allah revealed:

Naim has stated: "I find Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) thus in the pages of the Prophets (in the scriptures revealed to Adam, Seth, Enoch and Abraham [peace be upon them]): There will be no cruelty and nothing shameful in the actions of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)." (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 21.)

The books of the Prophets reveal that "The work of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is not cruel and evil." (Al-Qawl Al-Mukhtasar Fi alamat Al-Mahdi Al-Muntazar, p. 49.)

Ibn al-Munawi says: "Thus it is written in the book of Daniel (pbuh)... Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will appear, and Almighty Allah will save those previously subject to persecution and believers. The sunnahs will be revived with him..." (This hadith is to be found in a handwritten copy of Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman in the Suleymaniye Library.)

These hadiths make it clear that all Abrahamic religions deal with the subject of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). Thousands of years ago, both the Torah and the Gospels described, the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), his qualities and activities, and how he will be a vehicle for the reign of faith in Allah and the religious values. Such passages can be seen in those parts of the Torah and the Gospels that are compatible with the verses of the Qur'an and the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

That the scriptures revealed by Allah contain descriptions of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), thousands of years before the fact, is another proof of this event's enormous significance. The attributes and activities of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), Allah's final herald and bearer of warnings, are of great importance in the End Times, so close to Judgement Day. In addition, all believers have a major responsibility to make everyone aware of this vital issue and to be the spiritual supporters of this holy person.

# Following the Truth Faith of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh)

Muslims and the People of the Book–Jews and Christians–have different laws. but true believers, of whatever faith, live by the same fundamental tenets of faith: Absolute faith in Allah; never ascribing equals to Him under any circumstances, and living for His mercy, approval and eventually, Paradise. All these communities have a responsibility to obey to the letter the commandments Allah has issued to them, to willingly submit themselves to our Lord for His mercy, and to compete in the performance of good deeds. Members of all three faiths, who believe in the existence and oneness of Allah and in the Hereafter and who perform good works, are united in the true faith revealed by our Lord to the Prophet Abraham (pbuh).

The Prophet Abraham (pbuh) is one of the holy and elect Prophets and a friend of Allah. He called on the society to which he was sent to abandon polytheism and to believe in the One and Only Allah. He was a holy servant of Allah, whose honesty and excellent moral values are models for everyone. In the Qur'an, Allah reveals that those who believe in Him and who willingly submit, like the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), are actually believers:

Who could have a better religion than someone who submits himself completely to Allah and is a good-doer, and follows the religion of Abraham, a man of pure natural belief? Allah took Abraham as an intimate friend. (Surat an-Nisa', 125)

The faith of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) is referred in the Qur'an as a "pure" belief. Pure belief characterizes a devout individual who surrenders to Allah's commands and never strays from His religion in any way. In the Qur'an, Allah tells the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to abide by the pure belief of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and to invite people to this religion:

Then We revealed to you: "Follow the religion of Abraham, a man of pure natural belief. He was not one of the idolaters." (Surat an-Nahl, 123)

Say, "Allah speaks the truth, so follow the religion of Abraham, a man of pure natural belief. He was not one of the associaters." (Surah Al 'Imran, 95)

The sons, grandsons and other true believers who descended from the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) abided by the true belief that Allah imparted to him. This is how this fact is revealed in the Qur'an:

Who would deliberately renounce the religion of Abraham except someone who reveals himself to be a fool? We chose him in the world and in the Hereafter he will be one of the righteous. When his Lord said to him, "Become a Muslim!" he said, "I am a Muslim who has submitted to the Lord of all the worlds." Abraham directed his sons to this, as did Jacob: "My sons! Allah has chosen this religion for you, so do not die except as Muslims." or were you present when death came to Jacob and he said to his sons, "What will you worship when I have gone?" They said, "We will worship your God, the God of your forefathers, Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac–one God. We are Muslims submitted to Him." (Surat al-Baqara, 130-133)

As the above extract shows, the world Muslim means "one who has submitted to God." the Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) pure belief is common to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Belief in the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), the love and respect felt for him, are important for Muslims in the same way as they are for Jews and Christians. However, those closest to the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) represent a role model for all believers. His joyous faith in and profound love for Allah, his willing submission to all our Lord's commandments, his obedience and his superior moral values all comply with the morality he preached. as our Lord reveals in the Qur'an:

The people with the strongest claim to Abraham are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe. (Surah Al 'Imran, 68)

Therefore, Jews and Christians who genuinely believe in Allah must, like the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and the true believers who followed him, take their excellent moral values, sincerity and profundity as role models. No doubt, one of the best ways for believers to demonstrate their love, obedience and closeness to the Prophets is to strive for purity, like them. Muslims believe in all the revelations given to all Prophets, making no distinctions between them.

Say, "We believe in Allah and what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and what Moses and Jesus were given, and what all the Prophets were given by their Lord. We do not differentiate between any of them. We are Muslims submitted to Him." (Surat al-Baqara, 136)

In addition, all the Prophets throughout history have preached a religious morality–that of the only true faith in the eyes of Allah. The Prophets Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Jesus, Noah, Shuaib (peace be upon them all) and all the other Prophets all preached unconditional belief in Allah and called on people to live for His approval alone and to abide by His commandments. as one verse reveals:

He has laid down the same religion for you as He enjoined on Noah: that which We have revealed to you and which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses and Jesus. (Surat ash-Shura, 13)

As you see, the faith revealed to Jews and Christians is essentially the same, despite a few differences in stipulations. The members of all three faiths consider each other as the descendants of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh). for example, Muslims, Jews and Christians share a responsibility to abide by the pure faith of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), ascribing no equals to Allah.

Another verse of the Qur'an tells all believers how they have a duty to comply with the faith of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh):

They say, "Be Jews or Christians and you will be guided." Say, "Rather adopt the religion of Abraham, a man of natural pure belief. He was not one of the polytheists." (Surat al-Baqara, 135)

In Jewish and Christian scriptures, many expressions, commandments and ethical considerations bear the closest similarity to the Qur'an. (For detailed information, see a Call for Unity, by Harun Yahya.)

# In the End Times, Religious Moral Values Will Govern the World

Allah has promised in Qur'an that He will cause the moral values of Islam, the religion of Abraham (pbuh), the true faith, to reign supreme on earth and to give responsibility and leadership to His believing servants. This promise, which by Allah's permission will come true, is revealed in the Qur'an:

**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...** (Surat an-Nur, 55)

**They desire to extinguish Allah's light with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, though the unbelievers hate it. It is He Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth to exalt it over every other religion, though the associaters hate it.** (Surat as-Saff, 8-9)

**They desire to extinguish Allah's light with their mouths. but Allah refuses to do other than perfect His light, even though the unbelievers detest it. It is He Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth to exalt it over every other religion, even though the associaters detest** it. (Surat at-Tawba, 32-33)

As revealed in the Qur'an, the rule of Islamic moral values is a promise of Allah's, one which our Lord will indubitably keep. The moral values to reign over the world will be those of the true faith in the eyes of our Lord. That faith is the pure faith of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), and the fact that these moral values are those of Islam is revealed in these terms in the Qur'an:

The religion with Allah is Islam... (Surah Al 'Imran, 19)

In the Qur'an, it is also revealed that communities of the faithful will most certainly have a leader at their head. In the End Times, the period through which we are living, Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will lead the faithful, as is revealed in mutawatir (authentic) hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

Several hadiths reveal that the name of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be compatible with that of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Some of these hadiths read as follows:

O People, certain it is that Almighty Allah has forbidden you the oppressors, the hypocrites, and those who follow them, and has made Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), the most auspicious of the community of Muhammad, he who is in Mecca, whose name is Ahmad, son of Abdullah, your leader. Join him. (Al-Qawl Al-Mukhtasar Fi alamat Al-Mahdi Al-Muntazar, p. 31.)

A voice will be heard from the sky: "O People, Allah has now removed the despots, the hypocrites and their helpers from you. He has placed the most auspicious of the Community of Muhammad at your head. Join him in Mecca. He is Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). His name is Ahmad bin Abdullah. Another account states: "He has appointed Jabir, the most auspicious of the Community of Muhammad, over you. Join him in Mecca, for he is Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). His name is Muhammad bin Abdullah!" (Alamat al-Qiyama, Madina Allama Muhammad bin Rasul al-Hussain al-Barzanji, Pamuk Publishing, 8th edition, p. 165.)

The names "Muhammad," which is that of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and "Ahmad"– which indicate Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in the hadith – stem from the same verb in Arabic; Ahmad means "worthy of the highest praise" or "the most lauded," while "Muhammad" means "praised over and over again." in terms of meaning therefore, and as revealed in the hadith, the two names are compatible with one another.

One indicative verse on this subject reads:

... **I am the Messenger of Allah... giving you the good news of a Messenger after me whose name is Ahmad... (Surat as-Saff, 6)**

In Judaic sources, this individual who will establish dominion is referred to as the Messiah (or "anointed king"). The important thing, however, is not the name given to this person, who may be called by various names. What is certain is Allah's promise of the rule of the moral values of Islam. There will be a community of true believers and at their head, a holy individual who will be a means whereby this comes about.

## The Messiah Awaited by the Jews and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) Awaited by Muslims are One and the Same Holy Personage

The term "Messiah," also known as the "awaited savior" in the revealed faiths, is manifested as Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in Islamic belief. The system of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in Islam appears as the period of "Messiah" in Judaic scriptures. The Messiah whose coming the Jews anticipate for the salvation of mankind in the End Times is the same Hazrat Mahdi (as) awaited by Muslims.

However, the Prophet Jesus (pbuh), whose second coming as the Messiah is awaited by Christians, is not Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). Muslims also believe that the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will return to earth during the End Times; however, when the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) does return, he will do so as a follower of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)–with whom, by Allah's leave, he will help Islamic moral values to prevail across the world.

According to reliable reports handed on from our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), "The Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will perform the prayer behind Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)." (Al-Qawl Al-Mukhtasar Fi alamat Al-Mahdi Al-Muntazar, p. 24.)

This report appears as follows in other hadiths:

The Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will appear from the sky and accept his sovereignty. People will say to the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) "Lead the prayer," but he will respond, "The ameer is among you." He will say, "This is a gift of Allah to the community of Muhammad." (Al-Qawl Al-Mukhtasar Fi alamat Al-Mahdi Al-Muntazar, p. 24.)

When Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is performing the morning prayer with the faithful at the Bayt al-Maqdis, the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will appear, and the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will place his hands on his shoulder and say, "The call to the prayer has been issued for you, so you must lead it," and finally Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will lead the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and the faithful in prayer. (Al-Qawl Al-Mukhtasar Fi alamat Al-Mahdi Al-Muntazar, p. 25.)

It is also revealed in authentic hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will appear at the same time and struggle together to spread Islamic moral values over the world. These facts, which appear in several authentic hadiths, show that the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will meet in the End Times, and will carry on their intellectual struggle together.

As mentioned above, the Messiah (Mashiach) awaited by the Jews, on the other hand, is in fact Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). In Judaic texts, the term "Messiah" in a general way can also be used to refer to kings, high priests and even a foreign king, so that the meaning is those "anointed to serve and close to God." However, the specific Messiah awaited by the Jews is an envoy, a religious leader who will be sent by Allah in the End Times, bring the world under his dominion and , by the will of Allah, turn people towards His path. and this description fits Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in Islam.

In addition, an examination of the Torah and other Judaic scriptures shows that the individual described as the Messiah possesses the characteristics of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), and that their activities and changes these two will bring about in the world are exactly the same. for that reason, the Messiah awaited by the Jews is actually Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh).

In the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) resemblance to the People of Israel, the descendants of the Prophets, is highly significant. Some of the hadiths on this subject read as follows:

Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) stature and posture resemble those of the People of Israel. (Al-Qawl Al-Mukhtasar Fi alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, pp. 36-29.)

His [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] body is an Israelite one. (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 24.)

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is like one of the People of Israel. (His demeanor resembles theirs, it is majestic and wise.) (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, pp. 23-30.)

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) has an Israelite body. He resembles one of the greatest of the People of Israel. (Ibn Hajar al-Makki)

His [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] body is like that one of an Israelite. (Mar'i ibn Yusuf al-Maqdisi, Fera Idu Fevaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar)

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will resemble one of the Israelites [in his external appearance]. (Al-Uqayli, An-Najmu's-saqib fi Bayan Anna'l Mahdi min Awladi Ali b. Abu Talib Ale't-Tamam ve'l Qamal)

It is as if he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] is a man from the people of Israel. (Nuaym ibn Hammad, vr. 52a; Mar'i ibn Yusuf al-Maqdisi, Fera Idu Fevaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar)

Allah reveals in the Qur'an that He has chosen and sanctified the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and his line (Surat al-Baqara, 130, Surah Al 'Imran, 33). The same information also appears in the Torah (Genesis, 22:17, 12:2).

# The Dominion Promised to the Heirs of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) in Judaic Sources, and Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) Descent From the Line of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh)

The line of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) continued with his two sons, the Prophets Ishmael and Isaac (peace be upon them). Throughout the course of history, a large number of Prophets descended from the Prophet Isaac (pbuh) came to the Israelites: The Prophets Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Jonah, Job, Elijah, David, Solomon, Zaccariah, John and Jesus (peace be upon them). Descended from the line of the Prophet Ishmael (pbuh) are the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), teachers from his line and finally the Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (pbuh). In addition, Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) comes from a line stretching back as far as the Prophet David (pbuh).

Therefore, the People of Israel, the People of Isaac and the People of Ishmael referred to in the Torah are all from the line of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh). All are descended from the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), one blessed by Allah. The holy personage who bears the title of "he who bestows the path of salvation" in the Abrahamic religions–and who will appear in the End Times as a means whereby the moral values of true belief come to rule the world–is also descended from the Prophet Abraham (pbuh). This means that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) himself is descended from the Prophet Abraham (pbuh).

## Allah Promises Dominion to the Line of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh)

Allah protected the two branches of the descendants of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) in order for them to establish their dominion. In the End Times, He will unite the Imam al-Mahdi (pbuh) and the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) in order for that promise to be fulfilled. This period of dominion, revealed in the Qur'an and in the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), is also promised in the Torah to a community descended from the line of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh):

I will bless you greatly, and increase your offspring like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring shall inherit their enemies' gate; all the nations of the world shall be blessed through your descendants—all because you obeyed My voice. (Genesis, 22:17-18)

God said to Abraham:... I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you great; you shall become a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and he who curses you, I will curse. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis, 12:1-3)

I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky, and grant them all these lands. All the nations on earth shall be blessed through your descendants. (Genesis, 26:4)

Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. (Genesis, 28:14)

Parts of the Torah that describe how true believers of Allah will have leadership and responsibility on earth and how religious moral values will prevail in the End Times, the final age of this world:

The Lord replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth." (Numbers, 14:20-21)

... The meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace... for the power of the wicked will be broken, the Lord upholds the righteous. The days of the blameless are known to the Lord and their inheritance will endure forever... (Psalm, 37:11, 17-18)

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord. (Psalm, 22:27-28)

For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. (Psalm, 37:9-10)

... for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous... The wicked will perish: The Lord's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish—vanish like smoke. (Psalm, 37:17, 20)

_Wait for the Lord and keep his way... The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord... The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the_ wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (Psalm, 37:34, 39-40)

As these passages make clear, the "dominion" described in the Torah is not that of one specific group or lineage over other communities, but that of the moral values of the true faith–commanded to everyone by Allah–over the world. However, expressions of praise for the believing Jews in the Torah are the good news imparted to devout believers when the Torah was revealed. Therefore, taking Torah passages referring to the dominion promised to the People of Israel as the superiority of a certain nation, without considering sincere faith in Allah, will not be a correct approach.

In fact, the concept of "the dominion of the moral values of the religion (deen)," which exists in Islam and Judaism, is the eradication of evils and difficulties stemming from religious moral values not being complied with on earth with the commencement of that compliance, and the spread of moral virtues. Muslims hope that the moral values commanded by Allah–namely, solidarity, justice, honesty, loyalty, modesty, forgiveness and compassion—will form the basis of relations between people, and construct an environment wherein everyone competes to behave in accord with moral values to attain Allah's pleasure. The establishment of such a climate will undoubtedly eradicate all evils stemming from the lack of these virtues. Muslims who share that understanding aim not to possess power and sovereignty, but to use any blessings Allah bestows on them in the finest manner in order to spread the moral values of the faith. This excellent attribute of Muslims is revealed in the Qur'an:

... **those who, if We establish them firmly on the earth, will establish the prayer and pay alms, and command what is right and forbid what is wrong. The end result of all affairs is with Allah. (Surat al-Hajj, 41)**

## The Features of the Community That is Promised Dominion in the Torah

Allah has told the Jews that if they remain loyal to the true faith, obey the Prophets and believe in Him alone, He will bestow leadership on them. The characteristics of the servants to whom Allah has promised dominion are described in these terms in the Torah:

If you carefully safeguard and keep this entire Mandate that I prescribe to you today, [and if you] love God, walk in all His ways, and cling to Him... no man will be able to stand against you... I am setting before you today... The blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. (Deuteronomy, 11:22-27)

Devotion to Allah, scrupulous implementation of His commandments and love of Him are revealed as preconditions for the dominion of the People of Israel. In the continuation of this passage from the Torah, Jews are offered two choices; blessings if they choose faith, or tribulation if they turn their backs on it:

You can therefore see that I am placing before you both a blessing and a curse. The blessing [will come] if you obey the commandments of God your Lord, which I am prescribing to you today. The curse [will come] if you do not obey the commandments of God your Lord, and you go astray from the path that I am prescribing for you, following the gods of others, which you have not known. (Deuteronomy, 11:26-28)

The characteristics of the society that is promised dominion are also described as follows in the Torah:

... God your Lord, is the Supreme Being. God is the faithful, Who keeps in mind [His] covenant and love for a thousand generations when it comes to those who love Him and keep His commandments. (Deuteronomy, 7:9-10)

... Love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him... He will give you many years in the land He swore... (Deuteronomy, 30:20)

God will then grant you a good surplus in all the work of your hands, in the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your livestock, and the fruit of your land. God will once again rejoice in you for good, just as He rejoiced in your fathers. All this will happen when you obey God your Lord, keeping all His commandments and decrees, as they are _written in this book of the Torah, and when you return to God your Lord with all your heart and soul. (Deuteronomy, 30:9-10)_

Elsewhere in the Torah, it is revealed that dominion is promised to those who fear Allah:

Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord?... He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear Him. (Psalm, 25:12-14)

Again in the Torah, it is revealed that those who place their trust in Allah, who are humble, who take pleasure from their belief in Allah, will inherit dominion and His blessings:

Trust in the Lord and do good... Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him... Those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land... The meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. (Psalm, 37:3-5, 9, 11)

... _If you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in His ways... The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. The Lord will open the good treasure in the heavens, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. (Deuteronomy, 28:9-14)_

When the features of the society to which dominion is promised in the Torah, are considered as a whole, it appears that the people on whom Allah will bestow sovereignty will have the following qualities:

* Living in Allah's path,

* Turning to Allah in all ways,

* Scrupulously obeying all His commandments,

* Loving Allah,

* Fearing Him,

* Ascribing no equals to Allah,

* Remaining loyal and faithful to Him,

* Trusting in Allah,

* Taking pleasure from belief in Allah,

* Doing good deeds, and

* Being humble.

The dominion in the Torah is that of the moral values of the true faith, of which believers have been told. as it is stated in the verse 85 of S **urah Al 'Imran, "If anyone desires anything other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from Him..."** That true faith in the eyes of Allah is Islam.*

### * Additional Statement:

Devout Jews refer to righteous Muslims as the "B'nai Noah (The Children of Noah.)" to put it another way, Jews regard Muslims as people who implement the commandments given to the Prophet Noah (pbuh). Our Almighty Lord reveals in the Qur'an that what He revealed to the Prophet Noah (pbuh) He also revealed to the other Prophets and our own Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace):

He has laid down the same religion for you as He enjoined on Noah: that which We have revealed to you and which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses and Jesus: "Establish the religion and do not make divisions in it." What you call the associaters to follow is very hard for them. Allah chooses for Himself anyone He wills and guides to Himself those who turn to Him. (Surat ash-Shura, 13)

For a Jew to regard a gentile (non-Jew) as a member of the B'nai Noah means that he abides by the following provisions:

1. Believing in the One and Only Allah (the prohibiton of ascribing equals to Allah; surely Allah is beyond that)

2. Feeling a profound respect for Almighty Allah (the prohibition of blasphemy; surely Allah is beyond that)

3. Protecting lives given by Allah (the prohibition of murder)

4. Protecting the concept of the family (the prohibition of adultery)

5. The protection of property (the prohibition of theft)

6. Eating lawful meat (the prohibition of eating meat from a living animal)

7. Ensuring justice (the foundation of the courts that provide justice)

In this sense, for a Jew, "Muslims" are righteous people who submit to Allah and live in compliance with these provisions. Jews hope that in the time of the Messiah (Hazrat Mahdi [pbuh]) all humanity will submit to Allah and live according to these fundamental laws. From the Jewish perspective, the fact that all mankind will be Muslim and that the moral values of the religion will rule in the End Times is seen as the same as saying all humanity will be proper "B'nai Noah".

# The People Promised Dominion in the Torah Is the Community of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)

The attributes of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) who will appear in the End Times, and of his community, and of the glorious period they will usher in are described in considerable detail in the holy scriptures of the Abrahamic religions. These descriptions are surprisingly similar in all three faiths. Today, the appearance of hundreds of proofs, of an environment described many centuries in the past, shows that the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is now very close at hand.

According to the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will perform very important actions, highly beneficial for the future of all humanity. but initially, he will not be recognized and will have no supporters, apart from a very small community of believers. However, those able to seeing with the eyes of faith will recognize Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and his community through the excellent impression they make. His success in spreading the faith of Allah will manifest itself that he possesses the true rank of Mahdi.

One verse says that the People of the Book will recognize our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as they recognize "their own sons":

Those We have given the Book recognize it as they recognize their own sons. Yet a group of them knowingly conceal the truth. (Surat al-Baqara, 146)

In figurative terms, this verse also indicates that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), too, will be recognized (Allah knows the truth). When Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) appears, people will recognize him as they do their own sons, in the light of our Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) descriptions. Yet some people will nevertheless fail to recognize this holy personage and will persist in their denial.

## Pure Faith is the Measure in Allah's Promise of Dominion

The rule of true faith referred to in Holy Scriptures and to be established in the End Times will be the result of sincere faith and moral rectitude. Neither genealogy nor any material criterion can substitute for pure faith. Some Jews maintain that the society promised dominion in the Torah is the Jewish people regardless of their devotion and sincerity. However, this view is not accepted by devout Jews, but even criticized and condemned by them.

Clearly, whoever possesses the qualities of the sincerely believing society promised dominion in the Torah, Allah will make them the means whereby the faith in Allah and moral values prevail. to put it another way, those who will bring about the dominion of religious moral values are believers of sincere faith, who fear and respect Allah, who maintain the moral virtues He has commanded, who are obedient to Him, and who live by love and compassion. Dominion is promised to true believers, not to any particular community or descent.

It is a grave error for any to imagine that they have been promised dominion solely on the grounds that they were simply born Jewish or Christian. What matters is not his birth, but his devotion to Allah, to His Prophets and the moral values of the faith, and his obedience and submission. If anyone denies the existence of Allah or fails to appreciate His might properly; if he fails to abide completely by religious moral values; if he does not believe in the Prophets or does not comply with their Sunnah, then his race or line of descent is to of no advantage at all. If someone who does not believe in Allah and has not truly surrendered to Him, it is irrelevant whether that person is descended from the Prophets Abraham, Jacob or Moses (peace be upon them). In any case, such a person has rejected the Prophets from whose very line he is descended. Merely being descended from the Prophets does not confer holiness on a person in the absence of true faith. The ancestry of someone who rejects the Prophets Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses (peace be upon them), who does not love and fear Allah, is of no importance in Allah's sight.

Allah has revealed in the Qur'an that fear [and respect] of Allah is the only measure that confers any value on someone in His sight:

The noblest among you in Allah's sight is the one who most fears [and respects] Allah. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (Surat al-Hujurat, 13)

Another verse reveals the finest outcome that awaits those who fear and respect Allah:

... **So be steadfast. The best end result is for those who fear and respect Allah. (Surah Hud, 49)**

Those who fear and respect Him are those who hope for such an outcome from Allah by striving on His path, who hope for no other reward than His good pleasure, who have dedicated their lives and belongings to Allah, who have a great fear of and passionate love for Him. They are the true heirs of Allah for the dominion of the moral values of the true faith.

In conclusion, the fundamental requirement in Allah's promise of dominion is true faith. The accounts of and references to dominion in the Torah are not limited to any one particular nation. Muslims–in other words, those who have surrendered to Allah–and anyone who truly believes without ascribing any equals to Him, becomes part of the community of believers. "The People of Israel" was the name for this community in the Torah. to put it another way, the "People of Israel" includes the sincere, devout descendants of Jacob, and the true Muslims (who have surrendered themselves to Allah) regardless of their descent.

The community chosen and promised dominion by Allah, as revealed in verse 55 of Surat an-Nur, will possess the following qualities:

1) Believing in Allah,

2) Doing right actions,

3) Ascribing no equals to Allah, and

4) Worshipping Allah alone.

The dominion promised by Allah is directed towards such a community. Otherwise, it could hardly be expected that a people descended from the People of Israel, but lacking any devout belief, could rule the world. Moreover, it is out of question for ethnic groups to have lived in close proximity over the course of centuries without intermixing. nor is it possible for the lines of the Prophets Isaac and Ishmael, sons of the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon them), to have survived in pure form. Obviously, what is being referred to is unity of belief, not genealogy.

In the Book of Genesis (28: 7-10), it is revealed that the son of the Prophet Isaac (pbuh) married the Prophet Ishmael's (pbuh) daughter. This event described in the Torah represents a clear example of how lines of descent became intermingled right from the outset. Furthermore, descendants of the Prophets Isaac and Ishmael (peace be upon them) who lived in areas very close to one another, have close family ties. Therefore, the community that will be given dominion is not any specific line, but a group that will adhere to the pure moral values of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh)–or to give it its contemporary name, Islam.

In addition, Allah has revealed in the Qur'an that all messengers represent one single family:

Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of 'Imran over all other beings–descendants one of the other. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Surah Al 'Imran, 33-34)

In Surat al-An'am, Allah refers to messangers coming from each others' lines:

Those who believe and do not mix up their belief with any wrongdoing, they are the ones who are safe; it is they who are guided. This is the argument We gave to Abraham against his people. We raise in rank anyone We will. Your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing. We gave him Isaac and Jacob, each of whom We guided. and before him We had guided Noah. and among his descendants were David and Solomon, and Job, Joseph, Moses and Aaron. That is how We recompense the good-doers. and Zaccariah, John, Jesus and Elijah. All of them were among the righteous. and Ishmael, Eljada, Jonah and Lot. All of them We favored over all beings. and some of their forebears, descendants and brothers; We chose them and guided them to a straight path. (Surat al-An'am, 82-87)

All the Prophets are related to one another. Any reference to the line of the Prophet Jacob, or the Prophet Solomon, or the Prophet David (peace be upon them) also encapsulates the line of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), and dominion is promised to the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), of the line of the Prophets. The Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is also a member of this holy line. The hadiths also state that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will come from that same line. Everyone who can trace his lineage back to this line is popularly known as a "sayyid." Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be a sayyid.

In those hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), it is revealed that:

Abu Dawud reported a hadith from Abd Allah ibn Masud: The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "If there were only one day left for the world, that day would be lengthened until a man from among my descendants or from among the people of my household [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], was sent."

Days and nights will not come to an end until a man from the People of my House [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will prevail. (Al-Uqayli, An-Najmu's-saqib)

## Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and His Community are Predetermined in Destiny

A human being is no more than a spectator of his own destiny and the world's. No one can change the course of that destiny. Similarly, making judgments about that destiny, submitting to or objecting to it, can in no way alter the promises Allah has set out in destiny. Whomsoever Allah chooses in destiny and determines as a vehicle whereby religious moral values are brought to rule the world, that individual will be Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh).

Otherwise, nobody can stand up and claim to be the Mahdi. The rank of the Mahdi is not based upon claims to be him. Neither is it a rank that can be attained through hard work. In order for someone to be the Mahdi, that must be written in his destiny; he needs to have been created as the Mahdi.

As set out in the hadiths and in analyses by Islamic scholars, Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be known more by his actions than by his lineage. Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) and his community's main activity will be waging an intellectual struggle against atheism and spreading the true faith all over the world. Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is the one who will inflict an intellectual defeat on atheism, who will reveal the proofs of Allah's existence, and who, (by Allah's leave) by spreading moral values across the world, will be a means whereby people turn to faith. In the absence of these activities and phenomena, it is meaningless for any individual or group to make any claims about the identity of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh).

# Signs of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in the Torah and Other Judaic Scriptures

Belief in the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)—Mashiach (Messiah) as Jews call him—is one of Judaism's fundamental beliefs. Ever since the 12th century, the Jews have regarded Rabbi Maimonides (or in Arabic, Ibn Maimun) as one of the greatest scholars of the Torah. Maimonides stated that of the 13th fundamental principles of Judaism, the 12th was "to believe in the coming of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]." According to these principles, Jewish belief regarding Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is set out as follows: "I sincerely believe in the coming of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], and even if his coming is delayed, I await his coming every day."

The Mishnah, the authorized explanation of the Judaic scriptures, describes the position of those who deny the coming of the Messiah—that is, of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):

Whoever does not believe in him, or does not await his coming, denies not only [the statements of] the other Prophets, but also [those of] the Torah and of Moshe (Moses [pbuh]), our teacher... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:1)

In addition, the Shmoneh Esrei prayer, which Jews perform three times every day, also includes the prayer for the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) to be close at hand. They recite this prayer in the expectation of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), for the restoration of justice as a requirement of religious moral values, for immorality, sin and evil to come to an end, and for the truth to prevail.This section contains those parts of the Torah that concern Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and that agree with the verses of the Qur'an and the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

## The Events Leading up to the Appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in Judaic Scriptures

According to Jewish tradition, before the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) (or the Messiah, as they refer to him), there will be a huge moral collapse stemming from atheism. People's feelings of shame will decline. Pride and oppression will grow. No one will have any compassion, the devout will be reviled, and corruption and denial will spread. on the larger scale, there will be a succession of wars and oppression. Land will become increasingly less fertile, and the cost of living, famine and poverty will increase.

Some of the features of this period preceding the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) are described in Judaic scriptures:

1. The appearance of portents in the End Times:

"And I... am about to come and gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory. I will set a sign among them..." [declares the Lord.] (Isaiah, 66:18-19)

"I am the Lord... See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you." (Isaiah, 42:8-9)

2. The spread of atheism:

The generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... all the governments will be turned over to Minuth (will embrace the religion of the Minim [atheism]), and no preaching will avail... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

... [Even] the priests are godless; even in My Temple I find their wickedness," declares the Lord. (Jeremiah, 23:11)

The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until the whole world is converted to the belief of the heretics. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

3. The reviling of the devout:

In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... fearers of sin will be despised, and truth will be lacking. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)

In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... God-fearing men [will be] despised. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... he that departs from evil makes himself a prey... He who departs from evil will be dubbed a fool by his fellow-men. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

4. Admiration of the wicked:

In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... An evil man will be honored. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

You who hate good and love evil. (Micah, 3:2)

5. Distancing from religious education:

The Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come... unless the disciples [who learn Allah's words] will decrease. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

6. Administrations turn their backs on religious moral values:

In the generation of Messiah's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] coming... The Kingdom will be converted to heresy with none to rebuke them. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... The government will turn to heresy, and there will be none [to offer them] reproof. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)

... _the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until the wicked kingdom of Rome [irreligion] will have spread [its sway] over the whole world for nine months... (Talmud, Yoma 10a)_

7. Rulers are not competent:

And I will make children their chiefs, and foolish ones will have rule over them. (Isaiah, 3:4)

8. A rise in female leaders:

... A babe is their master, and women rule over them... (Isaiah, 3:12)

9. Leaders look to their own interests:

In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... The leaders of that generation will have the nature of dogs. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

... Judges are wolves of the desert, they leave not a bone for the morrow. (Zephaniah, 3:3)

10. The wicked become strong:

... _They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness... (Jeremiah, 23:14)_

... Their course is evil, and their force is not right. (Jeremiah, 23:10)

Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions... (Zephaniah, 3:3)

11. No one is left to establish justice:

The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until all judges and officers are gone... (Talmud, Sanhedrin, 98a)

In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... truth [will be] entirely lacking... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

12. Increasing poverty:

The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come... until the pockets will be empty... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

13. An increase in unfair earnings:

... The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of His people: "It is you who have ruined My vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the faces of the poor?" (Isaiah, 3:14-15)

In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... [There will be] plunderers and plunderers of the plunderers... (Talmud, Kethuboth 112b)

14. Hunger and famine:

... In the seven-year cycle at the end of which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... The arrows of hunger will be sent forth... A great famine, in the course of which men, women, and children, pious men and saints will die. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until a fish is sought for an invalid and cannot be procured... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)

15. The land becomes less fertile:

... The vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come. Smiting upon the breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine; for the land of My people whereon thorns and briers come up; yea, for all the houses of joy and the joyous city. (Isaiah, 32:10-13)

... The seeds are shrivelled beneath the clods. The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down... How the cattle moan! Even the flocks of sheep are suffering... for the grain has dried up... flames have burned up all the trees of the field. (Joel, 1:17-19)

The fields are ruined, the ground mourns; the grain is destroyed... grieve for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field is destroyed. The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree—all the trees of the field—are dried up... (Joel, 1:10-12)

16. Drought:

The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers... (Isaiah, 24:4)

... The pastures of the wilderness are dried up... (Jeremiah, 23:10)

The vine withers... (Isaiah, 24:7)

... The grain has dried up... The streams of water have dried up... (Joel, 1:18-20)

The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and apple tree—all the trees of the field—are dried up... (Joel, 1:12)

17. Animals suffer:

How the cattle moan! the herds mill about because they have no pasture; even the flocks of the sheep are suffering... even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures. (Joel, 1:18-20)

A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps. (Zechariah, 14:15)

18. A time of trial and tribulation:

The cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter the shouting of the warrior there. That day will be... A day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness... (Zephaniah, 1:14-15)

"Therefore their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there they will fall. I will bring disaster on them..." declares the Lord. (Jeremiah, 23:12)

... In _the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... and as for the rest [other than scholars], their eyes will fail through sorrow and grief. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)_

... The travails of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]: "day" is written here... (Talmud, Shabbath 118a)

Let him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] come... When one goes out into the field and meets a bailiff, it is as though he had met a lion. When he enters the town, and is accosted by a tax-collector, it is as though he had met a bear. on entering his house and finding his sons and daughters in the throes of hunger, it is as though he were bitten by a serpent!... Ask you now, and see whether a man travails with child? Wherefore do I see every man [gever] with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)

19. A succession of disasters:

In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... Multitudes of trouble and evil decrees will be promulgated anew, each new evil coming with haste before the other has ended... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

When you see a generation overwhelmed by many troubles as by a river, await him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], as it is written, when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him [Isaiah, 59:19]; which is followed by, and the Redeemer [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] shall come [Isaiah, 59:20]... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)

In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... [there will be] test after test. (Talmud, Kethuboth 112b)

... A curse consumes the earth... (Isaiah, 24:6)

Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare... (Isaiah, 24:18)

"When will the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] come?" He replied, "When darkness covers those people." "You curse me," he exclaimed. He retorted, "it is but a verse: For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall shine upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you." [Isaiah, 60:2] (Talmud, Sanhedrin 99a)

20. A rise in corruption:

... In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... multitudes of trouble and evil decrees will be promulgated anew... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

O my people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path. (Isaiah, 3:12)

... They were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. (Zephaniah, 3:7)

21. The rule of despair:

[Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come... unless they will renounce their hope to be redeemed. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

22. The spread of prostitution and adultery:

In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come, the houses of assembly will be converted into houses of prostitution. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

... and traded boys for prostitutes... they sold girls. (Joel, 3:3)

The land is full of adulterers... (Jeremiah, 23:10)

... I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery ... (Jeremiah, 23:14)

23. A decline in people's sense of shame:

... In the generation when the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... A son will not be abashed in his father's presence. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

In the generation of Messiah's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] coming impudence will increase, esteem be perverted ... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

In footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] insolence will increase and honor dwindle... (Talmud, Sota 49b)

In footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... A son will revile his father... A son will not feel ashamed before his father. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)

... The child shall behave insolently against the aged, and the base against the honorable. (Isaiah, 3:5)

24. Increasing immorality:

Rabbi Johanan also said: The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come only in a generation that is... altogether wicked. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)

Rabbi Johanan said: When you see a generation ever dwindling, hope for him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)

In the generation of Messiah's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] coming... esteem [will] be perverted... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... youths will put old men to shame, the old will stand up in the presence of the young... A son will not be ashamed before his father. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)

In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... The meeting-place [of scholars] will be used for immorality. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)

... They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness... all of them become... as Sodom, and ... as Gomorrah... (Jeremiah, 23:14)

25. An increase in lies and fraud:

... [They] walk in lies... (Jeremiah, 23:14)

In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... [there will be] plunderers and plunderers of the plunderers. (Talmud, Kethuboth 112b)

... People shall oppress one another, every man his fellow, and every man his neighbor... (Isaiah, 3:5)

26. Faces grow ugly:

In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog... (Talmud, Sotah 49b)

In the generation when Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes, the people shall be dog-faced. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

27. The marginalization of feelings of love and compassion:

In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... The dewellers on the frontier will go about [begging] from place to place without anyone to take pity on them... (Talmud, Sotah 49b)

28. Increasing rebelliousness:

... In the generation when the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... daughters will rise up against their mothers, and daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... A son will revile his father, a daughter will rise against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)

29. A weakening of family ties:

In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... A man's enemies will be the members of his household... (Talmud, Sotah 49b)

30. Rising numbers of hypocrites:

... The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until denunciators [of believers] are in abundance. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

The treacherous deal treacherously; yea, the treacherous deal very treacherously. (Isaiah, 24:16)

31. A decline in the number of scholars:

... In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come, scholars will be few in number... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

32. A decline in the importance attached to people of knowledge:

In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... The wisdom of scribes [men of knowledge] [will be] in disfavor... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

33. Intellectual bigotry:

In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... The wisdom of the learned will degenerate... (Talmud, Sotah 49b)

In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come, there will be prosecution against scholars. (Talmud, Kethuboth 112b)

... Her priests have profaned that which is holy, they have done violence to the law [of God]. (Zephaniah, 3:4)

34. Increasing wars:

... In the seven-year cycle at the end of which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... In the seventh, wars; and at the conclusion of the septennate the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

They... are destined to be redeemed in the seventh year (of the coming of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]) therefore the mention of redemption was placed in the seventh blessing. but a master has said, "In the sixth year will be thunderings, in the seventh wars, at the end of the seventh the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come?" — War is also the beginning of redemption. (Talmud, Megilah 17b)

And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. (Joel, 2:30)

I will gather all the nations... to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile... (Zechariah, 14:2)

35. Bloodshed in the Middle East:

"When will the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] come?"... "give us a sign"... "The waters of the grotto of Paneas* turn into blood..." (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)

* Paneas: The name of an ancient city on the banks of the River Jordan, some 200 km from Jerusalem called Banias in modern atlases.

36. Ruin in the Middle East:

In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... Galilee* will be destroyed, Gavlan** desolated. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a; Sotah 49b)

*Galilee: The region to the west of the River Jordan, and north of the lake of Tiberias, in Palestine, now located in modern Israel.

** Gavlan: The region including part of the modern-day Golan Heights, northwest Jordan and southwest Syria.

37. The killing of the innocent:

... They shed innocent blood. (Joel, 3:19)

38. Rising numbers of refugees:

In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... The dwellers on the frontier will go about [begging] from place to place without anyone to take pity on them. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)

39. An increase in rebellion and revolt:

... Transgression thereof is heavy upon it [the earth], and it shall fall, and not rise again. (Isaiah, 24:20)

40. Looting:

The earth shall be utterly emptied, and despoiled: for the Lord had spoken this word. (Isaiah, 24:3)

... The houses rifled... (Zechariah, 14:2)

41. Signs in the bodies of those who oppose the truth:

This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought... Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. (Zechariah, 14:12)

... Their words and deeds are against the Lord... The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it... (Isaiah, 3:8-9)

42. Unhappiness:

... All the merrymakers groan. The gaiety of the tambourines is stilled, the noise of the revelers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent. (Isaiah, 24:7-8)

Surely the joy of mankind is withered away. (Joel, 1:12)

... All joy turns to gloom, all gaiety is banished from the earth. (Isaiah, 24:11)

43. Despair among men of religion:

The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the Lord. (Joel, 1:9)

Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. (Joel, 1:13)

44. Earthquakes:

... The foundations of the earth shake... The earth is thoroughly shaken... It sways like a hut in the wind... (Isaiah, 24:18-20)

... The heavens and the earth shall shake... (Joel, 3:16)

Therefore I [the Almighty Lord] will make the heavens to tremble, and the earth shall be shaken out of her place. (Isaiah, 13:13)

The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook... The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare... (Psalms, 18:7, 15)

45. Ever more natural disasters:

The Lord of Armies will punish you with thunder, earthquakes, and loud noises, with windstorms, rainstorms, and fire storms. (Isaiah, 29:6)

... I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth... (Joel, 2:30)

... The windows on high are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. (Isaiah, 24:18)

46. Floods in one region and drought in another:

In the seven-year cycle at the end of which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come–in the first year, this verse will be fulfilled: and I will cause it to rain upon one city and cause it not to rain upon another city. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

47. Locust attacks:

What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten... A nation has invaded my land, powerful and without number... (Joel, 1:4, 6)

48. Rising environmental pollution:

The earth is defiled by its people... (Isaiah, 24:5)

49. Spiritual decline:

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will only come when all the souls destined to [inhabit earthly] bodies will be exhausted... (Talmud, Abodah Zarah 5a)

50. War in Iraq:

50. 1. The fact that the occupying army in the Iraq war was multinational:

... Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! (Isaiah, 13:4)

Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude!... (Isaiah, 13:4)

50.2 Distant countries wage war in Iraq:

An oracle concerning Babylon* that Isaiah... saw... They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens... to destroy the whole country. (Isaiah, 13:1, 5)

*Babylon: The name of an ancient city near Baghdad, the capital of modern-day Iraq.

50.3. That war is declared with sirens and loud noises:

... Shout to them [warriors]; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles. (Isaiah, 13:2)

50.4. The death of many children and the young during the war:

Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants nor will they look with compassion on children. (Isaiah, 13:18)

50.5. That women are wronged:

... Their wives [will be] ravished. (Isaiah, 13:16)

50.6. The looting of people's homes:

... Their houses will be looted... (Isaiah, 13:16)

50.7. Enormous bloodshed:

Whoever is captured will be thrust through; all who are caught will fall by the sword. Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes... (Isaiah, 13:15-16)

50.8. The public in a state of fear and suffering:

... All hands will go limp, every man's heart will melt. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them... They will writhe... They will look aghast at each other ... (Isaiah, 13:7-8)

50.9. People flee to neighboring countries:

Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, each will return to his own people, each will flee to his native land. (Isaiah, 13:14)

50.10. Cities deserted after the war:

But desert creatures will lie there [in Babylon], jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will howl in her strongholds, jackals in her luxurious palaces... (Isaiah, 13:21-22)

I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir. (Isaiah, 13:12)

50.11. and the damage done to peace and order:

... No Arab [Bedouin] will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flocks there. (Isaiah, 13:20)

... to make the land desolate... (Isaiah, 13:9)

... The earth will shake from its place. (Isaiah, 13:13)

50.12. The razing of Iraqi cities:

Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms... will be overthrown by God. (Isaiah, 13:19)

51. The appearance of Gog and Magog in the End Times (World Wars I and II):

The travails of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]: "day" is written here... The wars of Gog and Magog: "day" is written here; whilst there it is written, in that day when Gog shall come. (Talmud, Shabbath 118a)

... [Time on the earth] will be spent... some in the war of Gog and Magog, and the remaining [period] will be the Messianic era [that of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], whilst the Holy One, blessed be He, will renew His world only after seven thousand years. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97b)

51.1. Their being a vast population:

... All the hordes gathered... (Ezekiel, 38:7)

You will advance... like a cloud that covers the land... (Ezekiel, 38:16)

... All of them brandishing their swords... (Ezekiel, 38:4)

51.2. Their constituting a multinational society:

... Many nations with you, all of them riding on horses... (Ezekiel, 38:15)

You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm... (Ezekiel, 38:9)

51.3. Their having large armed forces:

... Your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords... with them, [their troops] all with shields and helmets... (Ezekiel, 38:4-5)

... All of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. (Ezekiel, 38:15)

51.4. Their causing corruption:

... You will devise an evil scheme. You will say... "I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people"... (Ezekiel, 38:10-11)

Every man's sword will be against his brother. (Ezekiel, 38:21)

51.5. Their being an aggressive, plundering society:

You will say, "... I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins..." (Ezekiel, 38:11-12)

[People] will say to you, "Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?" (Ezekiel, 38:13)

You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm... (Ezekiel, 38:9)

51.6. Their waging war in the mountains:

"I will summon a sword against Gog on all My mountains," declares the Sovereign Lord... (Ezekiel, 38:21)

51.7. Their using chemical weapons in wars:

... I will pour down... hailstones and burning sulfur*... on the many nations... (Ezekiel, 38:22)

* Mustard gas, a chemical weapon containing sulfur chloride and used in World Wars I and II, was widely employed and had a burning effect on the human body.

51.8. The outbreak of epidemics in time of war:

I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed... (Ezekiel, 38:22)

Men will be regularly employed to cleanse the land [from epidemics]... (Ezekiel, 39:14)

51.9. The deaths of many people in war:

... Gog and all his hordes will be buried there... for seven months, [people] will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. All the people of the land will bury them... Some will go throughout the land and , in addition to them, others will bury those that remain on the ground... (Ezekiel 39:11-14)

You will fall in the open field... (Ezekiel, 39:5)

Every man's sword will be against his brother... (Ezekiel, 38:21)

51.10. Attacks on defenseless people:

... You will invade a land that has recovered from war whose people... now... live in safety... (Ezekiel, 38:8)

You will say, "I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. (Ezekiel, 38:11)

52. Statements by the Prophets (peace be upon them all) referring to the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):

All the Prophets prophesied only for the days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Talmud, Berachoth 34b, Shabbath 63a)

All the Prophets prophesied [all the good things] only in respect of the Messianic era [the era of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 99a)

53. The troubled period of the End Times having no effect on devout believers:

Abaye enquired of Rabbah: "What is your reason [for not wishing to see him]? Shall we say, because of the birth pangs [preceding the advent] of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]?" but it has been taught... "What must a man do to be spared the pangs of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]?" "Let him engage in study and benevolence; and your master do both." (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)

## The Characteristics of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in Judaic Scriptures

The Messiah (Hazrat Mahdi [pbuh]) whose coming is awaited in the Judaic tradition—will be a spiritual leader who will establish world peace. Besides being a guide to nations, he will be a just and honest judge who always makes the most accurate decisions. He will have exemplary moral values and be a model for the entire humanity, simply because of his fear and love of Allah. Since Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will fill the world with justice, neutralize all corrupt societies and be a guide for all nations to follow, Jews refer to him using the title "Yahev" or "Shahev" (The one who restores the people, returns the people to God).

In addition, Judaic tradition says that Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) personality and beauty of soul will influence others, and that he will turn people in the direction of faith with very wise words. However, this servant whom Allah chooses and supports will very definitely not be any superhuman entity. He will be an individual born normally to ordinary parents, but whom Allah supports in every way physically and spiritually and bestows glory upon. Some of the characteristics ascribed to Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) according to Jewish references are:

1. He will be just:

With righteousness he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will judge the needy... (Isaiah, 11:4)

... In judging, [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] seeks justice... (Isaiah, 16:5)

... A scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom... (Psalms, 45:6-7)

Righteousness will be his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] belt, and faithfulness the sash around his waist. (Isaiah, 11:5)

[Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is] righteous and having salvation, gentle ... (Zechariah, 9:9)

"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous branch [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... who will... do what is just and right in the land... (Jeremiah, 23:5-6)

2. He will protect the rights of the oppressed:

With righteousness shall he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] judge the poor, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth... (Isaiah, 11:4)

3. He will bring justice to the whole world:

Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight!... He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will bring justice to the nations. (Isaiah, 42:1)

... In faithfulness he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. ... (Isaiah, 42:3-4)

Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] in righteousness to his service... (Isaiah, 41:2)

4. He will be honest and truthful:

You love righteousness and hate wickedness... (Psalms, 45:7)

... With righteousness shall he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] judge the poor... (Isaiah, 11:4)

"In those days and at that time I will make a righteous branch sprout from David's line; he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will do what is just and right in the land." (Jeremiah, 33:15)

One from the house of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... who in judging seeks justice... (Isaiah, 16:5)

... [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] shall reign in righteousness... (Isaiah, 32:1)

The Messianic age [the Golden Age] will be ruled by the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], a righteous and honest king... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

5. He will be a savior:

... [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is] righteous and having salvation... (Zechariah, 9:9)

6. His message will influence the world:

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth [he will influence with his words without having a weapon]; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked [he will make them spiritually ineffective by his speech.] (Isaiah, 11:4)

... and he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will be called wonderful counselor. (Isaiah, 9:6)

You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery [that is, Hazrat Mahd (pbuh) will demolish the irreligious systems by his ideas]. (Psalms, 2:9)

7. His words will act on people's hearts:

Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) words are so wise and affective that he will make the irreligious ideologies ineffective]. (Psalms, 45:5)

8. He will turn the whole world toward belief in Allah:

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will [then] correct the entire world to serve God together, as is written: "For then I shall turn to the nations a pure tongue, that all shall call upon the name of God to serve Him shoulder to shoulder." [Zephaniah, 3:9] (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:4)

9. He will spiritually cleanse mankind:

But who can endure the day of his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] coming? Who can stand when he appears? for he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify... and refine them like gold and silver. (Malachi, 3:2-3)

... I will... make you [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... A light for the nations, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. (Isaiah, 42:6-7)

10. He will succeed with the power of faith, without resorting to force:

"Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah, 4:6)

11. He will possess power and success:

See, My servant [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. (Isaiah, 52:13)

"Here I will make a horn grow for David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] and set up a lamp for My anointed one. I will clothe his enemies with shame, but the crown on his head will be resplendent." (Psalms, 132:17-18)

Through the victories You gave, his glory is great; You have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. Surely You have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of Your presence. for the king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. (Psalms, 21:5-7)

... He [Lord] will give strength unto His king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], and exalt the horn of His anointed. (1 Samuel, 2:10)

... A son is given unto us; and the government is upon his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] shoulder... That the government may be increased, and of peace there be no end... (Isaiah, 9:6-7, Targum and Debarim Rabbah)

12. He will be a spiritual leader to nations:

The Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will be a very great king... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] was given authority, glory and sovereign power. All the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him... (Daniel, 7:14)

[He] will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Isaiah, 11:10)

All the nations will come to listen to him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Repentance 9:2)

In his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] law, the islands will put their hope. (Isaiah, 42:4)

Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you... (Isaiah, 60:3-4)

... Until Shiloh [sent by God] comes, and to him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will be the obedience of peoples. (Genesis, 49:10)

13. People will be subjected to Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):

May the king's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] name endure for ever; may his name be continued as long as the Sun; may men also bless themselves by him; may all nations call him happy. (Psalms, 72:17)

His [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] great righteousness and the wonders that he will bring about will cause all peoples to make peace with him and all lands to serve him... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin, 10:1)

... Let the nations fall beneath your feet [All the people will be subjected to Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. (Psalms, 45:5)

14. He will possess hegemony:

... There was given him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] dominion, and glory, and a kingdom. All the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel, 7:14)

... He [your king] will proclaim peace to the nations. His [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth. (Zechariah, 9:10)

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever... (Isaiah, 9:7)

Here I will make a horn grow for David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... I will clothe his enemies with shame, but the crown on his head will be resplendent. (Psalms, 132:17-18)

He [God] gives His king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] great victories. He shows unfailing kindness to His anointed. (2 Samuel, 22:51)

In future time, the King Moshiach [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will arise and renew the Davidic dynasty, restoring it to its initial sovereignty... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:4)

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will rule from sea to sea and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth. (Psalms, 72:8)

15. He will rule the world from his own base:

... Son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), like the the Prophet Solomon (pbuh)]... reigned only over his couch... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 20b)

16. He will rule the world through his helpers:

... Son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), like the Prophet Solomon (pbuh)]... reigned only over his staff [helpers]. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 20b)

17. He will establish world peace:

I will take away the chariots... and the battle bow will be broken... He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will proclaim peace to the nations... (Zechariah, 9:10)

His [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] great righteousness and the wonders that he will bring about will cause all peoples to make peace with him... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

(In the days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)])... battles and wars will cease... "They will not lift a sword, nation against nation." (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

18. He will be chaste:

... and the glory of the Lord rises upon you... and His glory appears over you. (Isaiah, 60:1-2)

Through the victories You gave, his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] glory is great; You have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. (Psalms, 21:5)

19. He will trust in Allah and rely on Him:

... for the king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. (Psalms, 21:7)

20. Allah will support Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in every way:

Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Isaiah, 42:1)

I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you... A light to the nations ... (Isaiah, 42:6)

And the Spirit of Lord shall rest upon him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Lord. (Isaiah, 11:2)

You welcomed him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked You for life, and You gave it to him... (Psalms, 21:3-4)

Our Rabbis taught, the Holy One, blessed be He, will say to the Messiah, the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]: "Ask of Me anything, and I will give it to you." (Talmud, Sukkah 52a)

This is what the Lord says: "In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people..." (Isaiah, 49:8)

The spirit of the God is upon me... (Isaiah, 61:1)

O Lord, the king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories You give! You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. (Psalms, 21:1-2)

21. He will be intelligent and wise:

"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous branch, a king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land." (Jeremiah, 23:5)

That king who will arise from the descendants of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will be even wiser than Solomon... (Mishnah Torah, Repentance 9:2)

The Messianic age [Golden Age] will be ruled by the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... outstanding in wisdom... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

Rabbi Nahman said: If he (the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]) is of those living today... he would be our holy master. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)

22. He will be a servant beloved of Allah:

He gives His king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] great victories; He shows unfailing kindness to his anointed ... forever. (2 Samuel, 22:51; Psalms, 18:50)

... Through the unfailing love of the Most High, he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not be shaken. (Psalms, 21:7)

Here is My servant [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight... (Isaiah, 42:1)

23. He will be filled with the fear of Allah:

... The spirit of the fear of Lord shall rest upon him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... His delight shall be in the fear of Lord... (Isaiah, 11:2-3)

24. He remains close to Allah:

The Messianic age [Golden Age]... will be ruled by the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... outstanding in wisdom, close to God. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

25. He is good-looking:

Your eyes will see the king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] in his beauty... (Isaiah, 33:17)

You are the most excellent of men... (Psalms, 45:2)

26. Allah's glory will be upon him:

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you... Nations will come to your light. (Isaiah, 60:1-3)

27. His speech is wise:

... and your lips have been anointed with grace... (Psalms, 45:2)

28. He will teach and call people to Allah's path:

... That king who will arise from the descendants of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... will therefore [be able to] teach the people the ways of God and to fear them. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Repentance 9:2)

If a king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will arise from the House of David... and repair the breaches [in the observance of Allah's Laws]... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:4)

... He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will then perfect the entire world, to serve God together... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:4)

29. He will have majesty and splendor:

... You have bestowed on him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] splendor and majesty. (Psalms, 21:5)

30. His dwelling will be magnificent:

... His [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] resting-place shall be glorious. (Isaiah, 11:10)

31. He will have humility:

... He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] is triumphant, and victorious, lowly... (Zechariah, 9:9)

32. He will act in accord with Allah's approval:

If a king [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] will arise from the House of David... and if he will fight the wars of God [if he wages intellectual struggle for Allah]; we may, with assurance, consider him Mashiach [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:4)

33. He will rule not superficially, but with the knowledge of the hidden (ladun):

... He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears... (Isaiah, 11:3)

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] smells [a man] and judges, as it is written, and he will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. [Isaiah, 11:3-4] (Talmud, Sanhedrin 93b)

34. He will possess love and compassion:

For he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. (Psalms, 72:12)

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will have pity on the poor and needy, and the souls of the needy he will save. (Psalms, 72:13)

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will redeem their soul from oppression and violence, and precious will their blood be in his sight. (Psalms, 72:14)

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will defend the afflicted among the people, and save the children of the needy... (Psalms, 72:4)

35. He will be good-natured:

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. (Isaiah, 42:2)

A bruised reed he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. (Isaiah, 42:3)

36. He will be courageous:

... He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth... (Isaiah, 42:4)

O mighty one [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty. (Psalms, 45:3)

37. He will be given abundance:

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] grew up before Him [the Lord] like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground... (Isaiah, 53:2)

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. (Psalms, 72:6)

Surely You have granted him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] eternal blessings... (Psalms, 21:6)

38. He will impart glad tidings:

How beautiful... are the feet of those... who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation... (Isaiah, 52:7)

39. He will epitomize Allah's title of the Salam (Peace):

... and he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will be called... prince of peace. of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end... (Isaiah, 9:6-7)

40. He will have human form, and be a genuine human being:

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], coming with the clouds of heaven... (Daniel 7:13)

Rabbi Nahman said: If he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] is of those living [today], it might be one like myself, as it is written. and their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governors shall proceed from the midst of them. [Jeremiah, 30:21] (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)

41. He will rule the world without working miracles:

Do not consider it possible that the King Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] must make signs and wonders and make new things in the world or revive the dead and the like, as the matter is not so... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:3)

Let no one consider that in the days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] anything of the customary way of the world will be defunct, or that there will be anything new in Creation, rather the world will remain as it is. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:1)

Do not think that the ways of the world or the laws of nature will change in the era of the Messiah [in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... The world will continue as it is. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

The Sages did not ask him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] for any signs or wonders. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:2)

42. He will be known throughout the world:

He [Messiah (Hazrat Mahdi [pbuh])] will achieve great fame, and his reputation among the nations will be even greater than that of King Solomon... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

43. He will appear in the End Times:

... and in the last jubilee* the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97b)

*Jubilee: A period that the Jews regard as holy and occurs once every 50 years.

44. He will appear unexpectedly:

(In calculating the time of the Messiah's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] coming)... Three come unawares... Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], a found article and a scorpion. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)

45. He will be Allah's blessing upon humanity:

... What is his (the Messiah's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)]) name?... His name is Shiloh [sent by God]... His name is Yinnon [His name shall endure for ever]... His name is Haninah [blessed by God]... His name is Menahem [the comforter]... Because Menahem [the comforter], that would relieve my soul... Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)

46. His value was unknown at first:

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah, 53:3, Messianically quoted in Targum, Talmud Sanhedrin 98b)

47. He will be tested with hardships:

In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come there will be prosecution against scholars. When I repeated this statement in the presence of Samuel, he exclaimed, [there will be] test after test... (Talmud, Kethuboth 112b)

The Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]—as it is written, and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge of the fear of the Lord... Rabbi Alexandri said: "This teaches that He loaded him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] with good deeds and suffering as a mill [is laden]. [Isaiah, 11:2] (Talmud, Sanhedrin 93b)

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His anointed one [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters." (Psalms, 2:1-3)

48. His helpers' main task will be to serve Allah:

And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. (Isaiah, 61:6)

49. Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) being is predestined:

The world was created only on David's account; Samuel said: on Moses account; Rabbi Johanan said: for the sake of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)

Seven things were contemplated (by the Holy One, Blessed be He) before Creation: The Torah, repentance, the Garden of Eden and Gehinnom, the Throne of Glory, the Holy Temple and the Messiah's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] identity. (Talmud, Pesachim 51a)

Seven things were created before the world, viz., the Torah, repentance, the Garden of Eden, Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... The name of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], as it is written, his name shall endure forever, and [has existed] before the Sun! [Psalms 72:17] (Talmud, Nedarim 39b)

50. Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will have a serving period of 40 years:

It has been taught: Rabbi Eliezer said: The days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will last forty years, as it is written, forty years long shall I take hold of the generation. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 99a)

## The Period of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) Rule in Judaic Scriptures

According to Judaic belief, in the period following the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), all hatred, enmity and war in the world will come to an end. Peace and justice will be established, and an administration based on love will be set up.

During the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), there will also be great scientific advances. Cities will be beautified, and people will enjoy high standards of living. The land will be fertile and water plentiful, and there will be such wealth and plenty that no one will lack for anything. but people will also make great efforts, attaching greater importance to the spiritual than the material in order that they may draw closer to Allah. When religious moral values rule, disputes will come to an end. Populations will live in peace and security and the world will be filled with the knowledge of Allah.

The Yamot HaMashiach (the Days of Messiah)—an expression that Jews use to describe the time of the reign of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)—exhibits a very close agreement with the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that describe it as "the Golden Age." Here are some of these references to be found in Judaic scriptures:

1. The end of troubles:

The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces... (Isaiah, 25:8)

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy... (Isaiah, 35:5-6)

In his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] days... prosperity will abound till the Moon is no more. (Psalms, 72:7)

[They]... will enjoy great peace. (Psalms, 37:11)

You [my Lord] have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor... (Isaiah, 9:3-4)

They will not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble... (Isaiah, 65:23)

... The light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun, and the light of the Sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days? [Isaiah, 30:26]... The latter [refers] to the days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Talmud, Pesachim 68a)

2. Abundant water resources:

I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. (Isaiah, 41:18)

... I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. (Ezekiel, 34:26)

In that day... all the rivers will run with water... (Joel, 3:18)

I will send you rain in its season... (Leviticus, 26:4)

Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs... (Isaiah, 35:6-7)

3. Abundance and plenty:

... and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. (Isaiah, 32:15)

I will call for the grain and make it plentiful... I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field. (Ezekiel, 36:29-30)

... I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. and the tree of the field will give its fruit and the earth will give its increase... and I have raised for them a plant for renown. and they are no more consumed by hunger in the land ... (Ezekiel, 34:26-29)

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy... In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds will grow. (Isaiah, 35:1-2, 7)

In that time [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) era] there will be neither famine nor war, neither envy nor strife. All good things will be bestowed in abundance, and all delicacies will be accessible like dust. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)

In his days, the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the Moon is no more. (Psalms, 72:6-7)

... He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord... (Isaiah, 51:3)

In that day... The hills will flow with milk, all the rivers will run with water... (Joel, 3:18)

The shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor will possess the land forever. (Isaiah, 60:21)

... They will inherit a double portion... (Isaiah, 61:7)

"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes... They will make gardens and eat their fruit." (Amos, 9:13-14)

Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon... (Psalms, 72:16)

4. An end to hunger and want

"I... will not bring famine upon you..." declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezekiel, 36:29, 32)

[They] are destined to eat [their fill] in the days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Talmud, Sanhedrin, 98b)

"... Therefore wait for me," declares the Lord... They will eat and lie down... (Zephaniah, 3:9, 13)

They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. They will neither hunger nor thirst... (Isaiah, 49:9-10)

... and they are no more consumed by hunger in the land... (Ezekiel, 34:29)

5. An abundance of fruits:

In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... all the wild trees... will bear fruit; for it is said in Scripture, for the tree bears its fruit, the fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength. [Joel, 2:22] (Talmud, Kethuboth, 112b)

"The days are coming," declares the Lord... They will plant vineyards... They will make gardens and eat their fruit. (Amos, 9:13-14)

... The desert becomes a fertile field. (Isaiah, 32:15)

I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. (Leviticus, 26:4-5)

6. The eradication of atheist ideologies:

... It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be shattered... (1 Samuel, 2:9-10)

The Lord will be Ruler over the whole earth. on that day there will be one Lord, and His name the only name. (Zechariah, 14:9)

7. Faith in Allah will rule the earth:

... for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea... (Isaiah, 11:9)

And at that time... The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)

... In those days [of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], knowledge, wisdom and truth will be increased in the world, as it is written, "... for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord"... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Repentance 9:2)

In the time to come, the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring the evil inclination [the system of dajjal/antimessiah] and slay it in the presence of the righteous and the wicked. (Talmud, Sukkah 52a)

... The Lord your God... will do you good... will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. (Deuteronomy, 30:5-6)

"After that time... no longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know Me..." declares the Lord. (Jeremiah, 31:33-34)

"The days are coming," declares the Sovereign Lord, "when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord." (Amos, 8:11)

8. People will begin to properly appreciate the greatness of Allah:

In that [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] era, [they] will attain an understanding of their Creator to the [full] extent of human potential... as it is said: "The earth shall be full with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea!" (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)

... They will see the Glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. (Isaiah, 35:2)

And the Glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it... (Isaiah, 40:5)

9. People will turn to Allah in awe:

... [They] will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. They will come trembling to the Lord and to His blessings in the last days. (Hosea, 3:5)

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him, for dominion belongs to the Lord... (Psalms, 22:27-28)

Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the Lord your God. Follow My decrees and be careful to obey My laws... (Leviticus, 25:17-18)

10. Allah will be revered as the One and Only God:

... The Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear. (Isaiah, 2:17-18)

Then will I [the Lord] purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve Him shoulder to shoulder. (Zephaniah, 3:9)

They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding... and I will be their God. (Ezekiel, 37:23)

In the Messianic age [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) age]... all nations will return to the true religion [to believe in One and Only Allah]... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

"On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more," declares the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah, 13:2)

11. Compliance with Allah's commandments and prohibitions:

They will follow My laws and be careful to keep My decrees. (Ezekiel, 37:24)

Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve Him shoulder to shoulder. (Zephaniah, 3:9)

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. and I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws. (Ezekiel, 36:26-27)

... "After that time," declares the Lord. I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God..." (Jeremiah, 31:33-34, Messianically applied in Yalkut Shimoni)

... In his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] days all the statutes [Laws of God] shall be reinstituted as in former times... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:1)

12. They will live with the purity of faith, cleansed from sin:

They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding and I will cleanse them... (Ezekiel, 37:23-24)

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. (Ezekiel, 36:25)

And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people... [on] both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (Joel, 2:28-29)

I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against Me... (Jeremiah, 33:8)

Then will all your people be righteous... (Isaiah, 60:21)

And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; the simple will not stray from it. (Isaiah, 35:8)

The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. (Psalms, 37:29)

Instead of their shame, My people will receive a double portion... (Isaiah, 61:7)

... Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in Me will not be disappointed. (Isaiah, 49:23)

13. An end to lies and fraud:

... [At the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), people] will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths... (Zephaniah, 3:13)

"On that day..." declares the Lord Almighty. "I will remove both the fake prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land." (Zechariah, 13:2)

in his days, the righteous will flourish... (Psalms, 72:7)

For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. (Isaiah, 61:11)

14. There being no need for prisons:

This is what the Lord says: "... to say to the captives, 'come out,' and to those in darkness, 'be free!'" (Isaiah, 49:8-9)

15. Justice and honesty will rule the world:

Justice will dwell in the desert and righteousness live in the fertile field. (Isaiah, 32:16)

In the Messianic age [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) age]... all nations... will no longer steal or oppress. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

The Messianic age [Golden Age] will be highlighted by a community of the righteous and dominated by goodness and wisdom. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

16. Rulers will be just:

... Rulers will rule with justice. Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. (Isaiah, 32:1-2)

17. An end to wars:

... In the last days... He [the Lord]... will settle disputes for many peoples... Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Isaiah, 2:2-4; Micah, 4:1-3)

I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken... (Zechariah, 9:10)

And at that time [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) time], there will be no hunger or war, no jealousy or rivalry... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)

... Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. (Hosea, 2:18)

I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid... and no sword of war will go through your land. (Leviticus, 26:6)

18. An end to the arms race:

... Burn them [the weapons] up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears... They will use them for fuel... declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezekiel, 39:9-10)

They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. (Isaiah, 2:4; ; Micah, 4:3)

19. An end to violence and terror:

They will neither harm nor destroy... (Isaiah, 11:9)

The meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace... (Psalms, 37:11)

"The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food... They will neither harm nor destroy..." says the Lord. (Isaiah, 65:25)

20. A climate of peace and security:

Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken... (Micah, 4:4)

The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest... How blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free. (Isaiah, 32:17-18, 20)

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together, and a little child will lead them... The lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy... (Isaiah, 11:6-9)

They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety... Then they will know that I am the Lord their God. (Ezekiel, 28:26)

I will... rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forests in safety. (Ezekiel, 34:25)

... The people will be secure in their land... They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. (Ezekiel, 34:27-28)

... No one will make them afraid. (Zephaniah, 3:13)

They will not... bear children for calamity... (Isaiah, 65:23)

... You will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. (Leviticus, 26:5)

21. People will live in happiness and joy:

Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah, 51:11)

Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. (Isaiah, 51:3)

You [the Lord] have... increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. (Isaiah, 9:3)

... Everlasting joy will be theirs. (Isaiah, 61:7)

Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! for the Lord... will have compassion on his afflicted ones. (Isaiah, 49:13)

22. They will enjoy peace and security:

... You will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. (Leviticus, 26:5-6)

... You will live safely in the land. (Leviticus, 25:18)

... Jerusalem will be living without fear of danger... It will be... secure. (Zechariah, 14:11)

I will heal My people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. (Jeremiah, 33:6)

23. There will be no difficulties in making ends meet:

... In the [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] age... it will be very easy for people to make a living... and with very little effort they will be able to accomplish very much. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

With His love, He [the Lord] will rejoice over [the city]... restore your fortunes before your very eyes... (Zephaniah, 3:17, 20)

Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. (Leviticus, 25:19)

24. Danger and worry will vanish:

No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there... Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah, 35:9 -10)

... [They] shall again be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid. (Jeremiah, 30:10)

25. People being mentally and physically healthier:

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. (Isaiah, 35:5-6)

The Messianic era [the era of the Mahdi (pbuh)] will witness ultimate physical and spiritual bliss. All will be healed. (Midrash, Bereshit Rabba 20:56)

26. Ravaged cities will be rebuilt:

... They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them... (Amos, 9:14)

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. (Isaiah, 61:4)

I will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I... will rebuild them as they were before. (Jeremiah, 33:6-7)

27. More roads and bridges will be built:

I will turn all My mountains into roads, and My highways will be raised up. (Isaiah, 49:11)

28. The humble will replace the proud:

I will remove... those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty. (Zephaniah, 3:11)

I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the Lord. (Zephaniah, 3:12)

... The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low... (Isaiah, 2:17)

29. Faith will soften the hearts of humanity:

... In those days [of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] knowledge, wisdom and truth will be increased in the world, as it is written "... and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh"... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Repentance 9:2)

30. An increase in reason and wisdom:

The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. (Isaiah, 32:4)

... In the Messianic [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] age... it will be a time when the number of wise men will increase... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin, 10:1)

... In the Messianic [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] age... with very little effort they will be able to accomplish very much... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin, 10:1)

The Messianic age [Golden Age] will be... dominated by goodness and wisdom. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

31. The learning of secret knowledge:

And at that time [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) time]... they will perceive the esoteric truths and comprehend their Creator's wisdom as is the capacity of man. as it is written: "For the earth shall be filled with knowledge of God, as the waters cover the sea..." (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)

32. False judgments will be corrected:

No longer will the fool be called noble, nor the scoundrel be highly respected. (Isaiah, 32:5)

... The horn of the righteous is exalted, as it is written: All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up. (Talmud, Megilah 17b)

# Signs of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in the Gospels

The Gospels contain a great many passages regarding the End Times and the second coming of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh). We can find the social phenomena and natural events that will take place before and after the return of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) in those sections of the Gospels that are compatible with the verses of the Qur'an and the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) describe .

As our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has revealed, the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will conduct a great struggle against the antichrist, the manifestation of atheism on earth, will finally overcome the antichrist and thus, usher in a holy age in which religious moral values reign supreme.

According to the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will meet up with the Prophet Jesus (pbuh), and they will perform the daily prayer together. One account relates that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will recognize the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and offer him public recognition. The Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will reign together for a while on earth and collaborate in order to eradicate the system of the antichrist (Allah knows the truth).

Just as the portents of the Judgment Day and those concerning the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) agree, so do the portents regarding the second coming of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) also agree that he and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will join forces in the same period—the End Times. The descriptions of this period include indications of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and the second coming of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh). Even if we cannot be absolutely certain of the accuracy of relevant accounts in the Gospels, still it is noteworthy that some descriptions exhibit the closest agreement with the Qur'an and the hadiths of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

In the light of these similarities, practically all the descriptions foretold in the Gospels are coming about in the present day, one after the other. on the basis of Islamic scriptures first, and also of the Torah and the Gospels, this makes it possible to say that we are living in the age in which Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is expected to appear.

## The Events Leading up to the Appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in the Gospels

The portents of the End Times that describe the time of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) are at the same time portents of the return to earth of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh). This period, described as the End (Last) Times in the Gospels is sometimes portrayed literally and at others metaphorically.

Looking at the relevant terms that the Gospels employ, it appears that this period preceding the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be one of social and moral degeneration, major wars, terrifying catastrophes, extraordinary phenomena in the skies, a turning away from religious moral values, the spread of injustice and unfairness, the oppression of true believers, and peace and security being replaced by disorder and unease. In addition, one feature of the End Times, the moral degeneration that can be encountered in all ages, will be most intense and severe in this period.

Some of these signs in the Gospels include:

1. The spread of irreligion:

At that time, many will turn away from the faith... (Matthew, 24:10)

... In the last times, some will abandon the faith... (1 Timothy, 4:1)

... [That day will not come] until the rebellion occurs... (2 Thessalonians, 2:3)

In the last times, there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires. (Jude, 1:18)

But mark this... In the last days... these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. (2 Timothy, 3:1, 8)

As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Romans, 3:10-12)

They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. (2 Peter, 2:19)

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God [Allah is beyond this], He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. Although they know God's righteous decree... They not only continue to do these [doing evil] but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans, 1:28, 32)

2. The denial of Creation, support for pagan philosophies:

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word, the heavens existed and the earth was created out of water and by water. (2 Peter, 3:5)

And exchanged the Glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles... They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator [Allah is beyond this]—Who is forever praised. Amen. (Romans, 1:23-25)

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those gods who by nature are not gods. but now that you know God [see the evidence of God's existence]... how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? (Galatians, 4:8-9)

For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God [Allah is beyond this] nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. (Romans, 1:21-22)

3. The spread of polytheism (ascribing equals to Allah):

The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. (Revelation, 9:20)

... In the last times, some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. (1 Timothy, 4:1)

... and [they] exchanged the Glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles... They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator [Allah is beyond this]. (Romans, 1:23-25)

... You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught... to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. (Revelation, 2:14)

4. Their non-abidence by Allah's commandments and prohibitions and display of deterrence for this end:

... These dreamers... reject authority [of the Lord]... (Jude, 1:8)

... They never stop sinning... (2 Peter, 2:14)

Woe to you experts in the Law [Allah's decrees and prohibitions], because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering. (Luke, 11:52)

5. Loss of respect for religious values:

These dreamers... slander celestial beings. These men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them. (Jude, 1:8-10)

6. The emergence of people who use religion for their own ends:

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. (2 Timothy, 4:3)

... Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. (Matthew, 24:11)

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. for many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many." (Matthew, 24:3-5; Mark, 13:3-5)

"At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. for false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it." (Matthew, 24:23-26; Mark, 13:21-22)

... There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies... bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit... (2 Peter, 2:1-3)

7. The faith is distorted and distanced from its true essence:

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine... They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy, 4:3-4)

... In the last times some will they... order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. (1 Timothy, 4:1, 3)

Thus you nullify the word of God [Allah is beyond this] by your tradition that you have handed down. and you do many things like that. (Mark, 7:13)

8. Increasing corruption:

... Just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies... Many will follow their sensuality and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. (2 Peter, 2:1-2)

Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come... but woe to that person through whom they come. (Matthew, 18:7; Luke 17:1)

At that time many will turn away from the faith... because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold... (Matthew, 24:10, 12)

... Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings... They are... reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you... They never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable... (2 Peter, 2:10-14)

9. The spread of superstition:

Nor did they repent of... their magic arts. (Revelation, 9:21)

... In the last times... some will... follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. (1 Timothy, 4:1)

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. (2 Timothy, 4:3)

10. An increase in hypocrisy:

There will be... In the last days treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (2 Timothy, 3:1, 4-5)

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians, 1:6-7)

11. The oppression of true believers:

All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me [the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)]. (Matthew, 24:8-9)

... You will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name [the name of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)]... You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me [the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)]... by standing firm, you will gain life. [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and his followers will be similarly oppressed.] (Luke, 21:12, 16, 17, 19)

You will be handed over to the local councils... on account of me [that you followed me (the Prophet Jesus [pbuh]) for the good pleasure of Allah], you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them... All men will hate you because of me [the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)]... (Mark, 13: 9, 13)

... I am sending you Prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill... others you will flog... and pursue from town to town. (Matthew, 23:34)

[The Prophet Jesus (pbuh)]: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me [that you followed me for the good pleasure of Allah]. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the Prophets who were before you. (Matthew, 5:11-12)

[The Prophet Jesus (pbuh)]: "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves... They will hand you over to the local councils and flog you [oppress you]... on my account [that you followed me for the good pleasure of Allah], you will be brought before governors and kings... (Matthew, 10:16-18)

12. Increasing earthquakes:

... See to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. There will be... earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew, 24:6-8)

There will be great earthquakes... (Luke, 21:11)

... The time will come when not one stone will be left on another. (Luke, 21:6)

Then there came... A severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. (Revelation, 16:18-19)

There will be earthquakes in various places... (Mark, 13:8)

13. Famine:

... See to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come... There will be famines... In various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew, 24:6-8)

There will be... famines... In various places. (Luke, 21:11)

They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by... famine... (Revelation, 6:7)

There will be... famines. (Mark, 13:8)

14. Hurricanes and tsunami:

On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. (Luke, 21:25)

15. Volcanic eruptions:

The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. (2 Peter, 3:10)

It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. but the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed [before the coming of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)]. (Luke, 17: 28-30)

16. An increase in storms and lightning:

Then... there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. (Revelation, 8:5)

And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm. (Revelation, 11:19)

Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man [before the Prophet Jesus's (pbuh) coming]. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. (Luke, 17:26-27)

17. Falling of hailstones:

From the sky, huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men... The [hail] plague was so terrible. (Revelation, 16:21)

18. Reshaping of the structures of the earth by natural disasters:

Every island fled away, and the mountains could not be found. (Revelation, 16:20)

... Every mountain and island was removed from its place. (Revelation, 6:14)

19. Landslides:

They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us... " (Revelation, 6:16)

20. Extraordinary events in the skies:

The heavens will disappear with a roar... (2 Peter, 3:10)

There will be... great signs from heaven. (Luke, 21:11)

The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up... (Revelation, 6:14)

21. Meteorite storms:

... and the stars in the sky fell to Earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. (Revelation, 6:13)

22. Signs in the Sun and Moon:

There will be signs in the Sun, Moon and stars... (Luke, 21:25)

23. Drought:

... and the Sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat... (Revelation, 16: 8-9)

24. Increasing fires:

A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. (Revelation, 8:7)

25. Epidemics:

There will be... pestilences. (Luke, 21:11)

They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by... plague... (Revelation, 6:8)

I [the Lord] will kill her children with pestilence. Then all... will know that I am He Who searches hearts and minds... (Revelation, 2:23)

26. Plagues of locusts:

And out of the smoke, locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. (Revelation, 9:3-4)

During those days... The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle... The sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle... They had power to torment people for five months. (Revelation, 9:6-10)

27. Wars and maritime accidents destroy marine life:

... Something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died... (Revelation, 8:8-9)

... [The sea] turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died. (Revelation, 16:3)

28. Terrifying catastrophes:

Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world... (Luke, 21:26)

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains... (Revelation, 6:15)

29. A lowering of the water of the Euphrates (with the Keban Dam):

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east. (Revelation, 16:12)

30. Major wars:

When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom... These are the beginning of birth pains. (Mark, 13:7-8)

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom... (Matthew, 24:6-7)

When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away. Then he [the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)] said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." (Luke, 21:9-10)

31. The disappearance of peace on earth:

[It] was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other... (Revelation, 6:4)

32. Increased rebellion:

When you hear of... revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away. (Luke, 21:9)

33. Increased corruption and separatism:

They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." These are the people who cause divisions... (Jude, 1:18-19)

Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. (Luke, 12:51)

From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. (Luke, 12:52)

34. A rise in hatred and enmity:

Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. (Mark, 13:12)

... Men [will] slay each other. (Revelation, 6:4)

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God [Allah is beyond this], He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice... (Romans, 1:28-29)

35. Destruction of places of worship:

Some of his disciples were remarking about how the Temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. but Jesus said, "As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another..." (Luke, 21:5-6)

36. Increasing deaths:

I will show... signs on the earth below, blomamod and fire and billows of smoke. (Acts, 2:19)

... They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. (Revelation, 6:8)

37. The use of technological weapons and vehicles in wars:

Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. [People] were killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. (Revelation, 9: 17-19)

... I have come to bring fire on the earth... (Luke, 12:49)

38. An increase in murders:

Nor did they repent of their murders. (Revelation, 9:21)

Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. (Matthew, 10:21)

39. The spread of prostitution:

Nor did they repent of... their sexual immorality. ((Revelation, 9:21)

... These dreamers pollute their own bodies... (Jude, 1:8)

With eyes full of adultery... (2 Peter, 2:14)

... by her teaching she misleads My servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. (Revelations, 2:20-21)

40. Increasing cohabitation out of wedlock:

... In the last times, some will abandon the faith and ... forbid people to marry. (1 Timothy, 4:1- 3)

41. Increasing theft:

Nor did they repent of... their thefts. (Revelation, 9:21)

42. Increasing fraud:

... They are... carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you. (2 Peter, 2:13)

... Evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, misleading and being misled. (2 Timothy, 3:13)

... They boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. (Jude, 1:16)

43. The hardening of consciences:

In the last times... speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared... (1 Timothy, 4:2)

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you have become dull of hearing. (Hebrews, 5:11)

44. Immoral and purposeless living:

Their shame is like the foam on the wild waves of the sea. They are like wandering stars... (Jude, 1:13)

"Where will this happen...?" they asked. He [the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)] replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather." (Luke, 17:37)

Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. (Matthew, 24:28)

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. (Romans, 1:24)

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God [Allah is beyond this], He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. (Romans, 1:28)

... Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. (2 Peter, 2:13)

45. A decline in love between people:

At that time... because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. (Matthew, 24:10-12)

You should know... that in the last days there will be very difficult times... People will be... unholy, without love... (2 Timothy, 3:1-3)

46. People lacking spirituality:

These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of... Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have faith in God in them. (Jude, 1:16-19)

... The hearts of the rest were hardened, as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day." (Romans, 11:7-8)

But mark this: There will be... In the last days... treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (2 Timothy, 3:1, 4-5)

47. A rise in anger and a decline in forgiveness:

At that time many will turn away from the faith and ... betray and hate each other... (Matthew, 24:10)

You should know this... that in the last days there will be very difficult times... People will be... unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good... (2 Timothy, 3:1-3)

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God [Allah is beyond this], He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters [Allah is beyond this], insolent, arrogant and who praise themselves; they invent ways of doing evil... They are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. (Romans, 1:28-31)

48. A decline in respect, and children growing rebellious:

Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. (Mark, 13:12)

But mark this... In the last days... people will be... disobedient to their parents... (2 Timothy, 3:1-2)

... They are... insolent, arrogant and boastful... They disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree... They not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans, 1:29-32)

49. Family relations impaired:

From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. (Luke, 12:52-53)

50. People consider only material values:

But mark this:... In the last days people will be... lovers of money... (2 Timothy, 3:1-2)

51. The rich grow richer and the poor, poorer:

For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. (Matthew, 25:29)

Now listen, you rich people... You have hoarded wealth in the last days. (James, 5:1, 3)

... to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. (Luke, 19:26)

You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' but you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Revelation, 3:17)

People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy, 6:9-10)

52. People living in drunkenness and dissipation:

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. (Luke, 21:34)

Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes... (2 Peter, 2:13)

These men are blemishes... eating... without the slightest qualm. (Jude, 1:12)

Certain men... have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality [Allah is beyond this]... (Jude, 1:4)

53. People seeking earthly pleasures (personal passion and desires) rather than Allah's approval:

But mark this:... In the last days, people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud... without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God... (2 Timothy, 3:1-4)

These men [ungodly sinners] are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of... Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." (Jude, 1:16-18)

But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand... [They] are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct... (2 Peter, 2:12)

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. (2 Peter, 3:3)

... God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. (Romans, 1:24)

Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach [Allah is beyond this], and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. (Philippians, 3:19)

54. Aberrant relations becoming widespread:

But mark this:... In the last days... people will be... unholy, without love... without self-control, brutal... (2 Timothy, 3:1-3)

... God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. (Romans, 1:24, 26-27)

55. Lack of faith leads to an irrational way of life:

Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them. (Jude, 1:10)

But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed.... (2 Peter, 2:12)

For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. (Romans, 1:21-22)

56. Lack of faith leads to unproductiveness:

... These... reject the Lord's Authority [Allah is beyond this], and slander His glorious beings... These men are blemishes... They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. (Jude, 1:8-12)

57. Increased selfishness:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days... People will be lovers of themselves... brutal, treacherous... (2 Timothy, 3:1, 2-5)

... These... reject the Lord's Authority [Allah is beyond this]... These men are... shepherds who feed only themselves... They boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. (Jude, 1:8, 12, 16)

58. An increase in greed:

... They are experts in greed—an accursed brood! (2 Peter, 2:14)

In their greed, these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. (2 Peter, 2:3)

... Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God [Allah is beyond this]... They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity... (Romans, 1:28-32)

59. People being prone to complain:

These men [ungodly sinners] are grumblers and faultfinders... (Jude, 1:16)

60. People using evil words:

Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. (Romans, 3:13-14)

These men [ungodly sinners] are grumblers and faultfinders... They boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of... Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." (Jude, 1:16-18)

61. Increased arrogance:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves... praise themselves, proud... (2 Timothy, 3:2-5)

... for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. (John, 12:43)

62. Increased mockery:

They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." (Jude, 1:18)

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of Creation." They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of His command... (2 Peter, 3:3-5)

63. Events causing terrible distress and suffering:

How dreadful it will be in those days...! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. (Luke, 21:23)

[Prior to the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)'s returning] While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (1 Thessalonians, 5:3)

[The Prophet Jesus (pbuh) telling about the End Times] Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events." (Luke, 21:10-11)

... Those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. (Mark, 13:19)

For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. (Matthew, 24:21)

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. (2 Timothy, 3:1)

Men gnawed their tongues in agony. (Revelation, 16:10)

... No one buys their [world's merchants'] cargoes any more—cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. (Revelation, 18:11-13)

64. People refuse to submit to Allah and rebel because of what befalls them:

... and defied the God of Heaven [Allah is beyond this] because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done. (Revelation, 16:11)

65. People losing hope in salvation:

During those days, men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. (Revelation, 9:6)

66. The days growing short:

If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened. (Matthew, 24:22)

If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. but for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has shortened them. (Mark, 13:20)

67. War in Iraq:

67.1. The bombing of Iraq:

Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon* will be thrown down, never to be found again." (Revelation, 18:21)

*Babylon: The name of an ancient city near Baghdad, the capital of contemporary Iraq.

In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin! Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city [Babylon]?' (Revelation, 18:17-18)

67.2. The destruction of Iraqi cities:

A second angel followed and said, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!... " (Revelation, 14:8)

With a mighty voice he [another angel] shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!... (Revelation, 18:2)

67.3. Severe destruction in a very short period of time in Iraq:

And [the merchants] cry out: 'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! in one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!... (Revelation, 18:16-17)

They... cry out: "Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth!" in one hour, [the city] has been brought to ruin. (Revelation, 18:19)

67.4. The impoverishment of Iraq:

"The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her [Babylon] because no one buys their cargoes any more— cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense... and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages... They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished...' the merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment... (Revelation, 18:11-15)

67.5. A halt to art and creativity in Iraq:

No workman of any trade will ever be found in you [Babylon] again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. (Revelation, 18:22)

67.6. The Iraqi people in a state of trouble and despair:

The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you [Babylon] again... (Revelation, 18:22)

The light of a lamp will never shine in you [Babylon] again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. (Revelation, 18:23)

68. The appearance of the antichrist (dajjal):

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. (1 John, 2:18)

68.1. The antichrist works intensively to spread atheism:

Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness [antichrist] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction... exalt[s] himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God's Temple, proclaiming himself to be God [Allah is beyond this]. (2 Thessalonians, 2:3-4)

The beast [antichrist] was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to rise up against God, and to defy His name and His dwelling place [Allah is beyond this] and those who live in Heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. and he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. (Revelation, 13:5-7)

Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? and now you know what is holding him [antichrist] back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. for the secret power of lawlessness [antichrist] is already at work... (2 Thessalonians, 2:5-7)

... This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (1 John, 4:3)

Many deceivers... have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. (2 John, 1:7)

68.2. The antichrist deceives people who have turned away from religion by illusions:

The coming of the lawless one [antichrist] will be in accordance with the work of satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders... They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. for this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie. (2 Thessalonians, 2:9-11)

And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he [antichrist] was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth... (Revelation, 13:13-14)

68.3. The antichrist influences all nations:

... He [antichrist] was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. (Revelation, 13:7)

... The dragon [satan] gave the beast [antichrist] his power and his throne and great authority... The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. (Revelation, 13:2-3)

68.4. He draws support from countries' irreligious ideologies and military forces:

Then I saw the beast [antichrist] and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army [those who are subject to Allah]. (Revelation, 19:19)

... for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast [antichrist]. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. (Revelation, 17:12-13)

For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish His purpose by agreeing to give the beast [antichrist] their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. (Revelation, 17:17)

And I saw a beast [antichrist] coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. [That is; the system of the antichrist, gaining its power from countries that embrace atheistic ideologies.] (Revelation, 13:1)

68.5. The antichrist's perseverance in his activities until the moralilty of religion holds an utter sway:

For the secret power of lawlessness [the system of the antichrist] is already at work... and then the lawless one [antichrist] will be revealed, whom... Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. (2 Thessalonians, 2:7-8)

68.6. He intensifies his evil activities as the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) approaches:

The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his helpers with him... because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. (Revelation, 12:9, 12)

68.7. He attracts all those who are weak in faith:

... The whole world was astonished and followed the beast [antichrist]. Men worshiped the dragon [satan] because he had given authority to the beast [antichrist], and they also worshiped the beast... [Allah is beyond this.] (Revelation, 13:3-4)

They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. for this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie. (2 Thessalonians, 2:10-11)

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast [antichrist]... [Allah is beyond this.] (Revelation, 13:8)

68.8. He acts under satan's command:

The coming of the lawless one [antichrist] will be in accordance with the work of satan... In every sort of evil. (2 Thessalonians, 2:9-10)

68.9. He produces corruption and causes war:

And then the lawless one [antichrist] will be revealed. (2 Thessalonians, 2:8)

He performed great... signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. (Revelation, 13:13)

Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon (Megiddo Mountain). (Revelation, 16:13-16)

You [who follow the antichrist] belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John, 8:44)

68.10. The fact that the antichrist will inevitably be vanquished:

[That day will not come] until... The man of lawlessness [antichrist] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. (2 Thessalonians, 2:3)

And then the lawless one [antichrist] will be revealed, whom... Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. (2 Thessalonians, 2:8)

The beast [antichrist], which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the Creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not... (Revelation, 17:8)

69. The emergence of Gog and Magog in the End Times (World Wars I and II):

69.1. They constitute a multinational community:

... Satan... will go out from prison to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. (Revelation, 20:7-8)

69.2. They are very great in numbers:

In number, they are like the sand on the seashore. (Revelation, 20:8)

69.3. They produce corruption:

They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city He loves. (Revelation, 20:9)

69.4. They act according to satan's suggestion:

... The devil, who deceived them... (Revelation, 20:10)

69.5. There being mass deaths:

But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. (Revelation, 20:9)

70. The return to earth of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh):

After he [the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)] said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky?" "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts, 1:9-11)

... He will appear a second time... to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews, 9:28)

... While we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of... Jesus... (Titus, 2:13)

This will happen when... Jesus is revealed from heaven. (2 Thessalonians, 1:7)

He [the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)] was chosen before the Creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. (1 Peter, 1:20)

So that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold... may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter, 1:7)

... May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of... Jesus Christ. The One [Allah] Who calls you is faithful and He will do it. (1 Thessalonians, 5: 23-24)

## The Period of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) Rule in the Gospels

The supremacy of religious moral values—Allah's promise in the Qur'an—also appears in the Gospels, as well as the Torah. This promise, set out in the scriptures of all the Abrahamic faiths, refers to a community descended from the line of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), with an unconditional faith in Allah, living solely for His approval and striving to spread the moral values of the faith across the world. Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), who is due to appear in the End Times, and his helpers are the believers who, by Allah's leave, will be the means whereby this promise comes about.

This promise of Allah's appears as follows in the Gospels:

... You are heirs of the Prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, "Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed." (Acts, 3:25)

It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. (Romans, 4:13)

... for if the inheritance depends on the Law [Allah's decrees and prohibitions], then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in His grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. What, then, was the purpose of the Law? It was added because of transgressions until the descendant to whom the promise was given came to Abraham... (Galatians, 3:18-19)

The following are some passages from the Gospels that refer to the period of sovereignty following the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):

1. Religious moral values rule is close at hand when the portents take place:

When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. He [the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)] told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near." (Luke, 21:28-31)

He [the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)] said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. and when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is... You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?" (Luke, 12:54-56)

Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it [the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)] is near, right at the door. (Matthew, 24:31-33)

2. Belief in Allah rules the entire world:

... [From now on] the city does not need the Sun or the Moon to shine on it, for the Glory of God gives it light... There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the Sun, for the Lord God will give them light. and they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation, 21:23-25; 22:5)

... but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. and this gospel of God's kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew, 24:13-14)

I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, "Know the Lord,"—because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. (Hebrews, 8:10-11)

And this gospel of God will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations... (Matthew, 24:14)

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. (Revelation, 14:6)

No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God... will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. (Revelation, 22:3)

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah [Praise the Lord]! for our Lord God Almighty reigns." (Revelation, 19:6)

For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man [the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)]. [The light of faith will prevail the earth.] (Matthew, 24:27)

For the Son of Man [the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)] in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. [The light of faith will prevail the earth.] (Luke, 17:24)

People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. [They will be blessed with the blessings of faith in Allah.] (Luke, 13:29)

the words of the Prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear My name, says the Lord, Who does these things that have been known for ages. (Acts, 15:15-18)

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord... and He will reign for ever and ever." (Revelation, 11:15)

3. The collapse of materialism:

The heavens will disappear with a roar; the material substances will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare... That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the material substances will melt in the heat. (2 Peter, 3:10-12)

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. for by it our fathers had God's approval. by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews, 11:1-3)

4. Deepening in faith:

Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days and they will have morals like Prophets. (Acts, 2:18)

In the last days God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will have morals like Prophets. (Acts, 2:16-17)

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God... In Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians, 2:2-3)

This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. (Hebrews, 10:16)

5. The folly of unbelievers comes to the surface:

But mark this:... In the last days... [those who oppose the truth], men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. but they will not get very far because... their folly will be clear to everyone. (2 Timothy, 3:8-9)

6. Believers govern the world:

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? (1 Corinthians, 6:2)

The Lord God will give them light. and they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation, 22:5)

Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? (James, 2:5)

... but they will be priests [religious men] of God... and will reign with Him... (Revelation, 20:6)

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests [religious men] to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. (Revelation, 5:10)

The words of the Prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it. (Acts, 15:15-16)

7. A new world order based on religious values:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth... There will be no more... mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelation, 21:1, 3-4)

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." (Revelation, 21:5)

... Until the times of a restitution of all... (Acts, 3:21)

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers... nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians, 6:9-10)

For they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. (1 Thessalonians, 1:9)

And because of His [Allah's] Glory and excellence, He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the Divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter, 1:4)

8. Peace and justice reign supreme:

Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. (James, 3:18)

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. In His [Allah's] name the nations will put their hope. (Matthew, 12:20-21)

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, or they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called servants of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven..." (Matthew, 5:1-11)

9. The dominion of enormous wealth and splendor:

The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. on no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. (Revelation, 21:24-26)

10. The end of sorrows and troubles:

... The only God our Savior Who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy... (Jude, 1:24)

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain... (Revelation, 21:4)

No longer will there be any curse... There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the Sun. (Revelation, 22:3-5)

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Revelation, 7:17)

Jesus said to them... "At the renewal of all things... everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake [that you followed me for the good pleasure of Allah] will receive a hundred times as much..." (Matthew, 19:28-29)

11. An age of liberation as a blessing from Allah:

... Because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising Sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace. (Luke, 1:78-79)

... The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. (Titus, 2:11)

He has raised up a horn of salvation [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] for us in the house of His servant David, just as He promised through His holy Prophets long, salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us... (Luke, 69:71)

And all mankind will see God's salvation. (Luke, 3:6)

... as it is written: "The deliverer [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... [and] he will turn godlessness away from Jacob." (Romans, 11:26)

Take the helmet of salvation... which is the word of God. (Ephesians, 6:17)

And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God Who sits on the throne [Owner of Sovereignty]... (Revelation, 7:10)

After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: Hallelujah [Praise be to Lord]! Salvation and Glory and power belong to our God. (Revelation, 19:1-2)

12. The total eradication of the system of the antichrist:

He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or satan, and bound him... (Revelation, 20:2)

He threw him into the abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore... (Revelation, 20:3)

13. Moral degeneration comes to an end:

Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful... (Revelation, 21:27)

... Through them you may participate in the Divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter, 1:4)

14. The spread of moral virtues among people:

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew, 5:5)

But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child [pure and innocent] will never enter it." (Luke, 18:16-17)

15. An end to famine and drought:

Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst... (Revelation, 7:16)

## The Word Paraclete Mentioned in the Gospel

Paraclete: Helper, the spirit of truth, comforter

If you love me, you will obey what I command. and I will ask God, and He will give you another Paraclete to be with you forever. (John, 14:15-16)

But the Paraclete whom God will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John, 14:26)

When the Counselor comes... he will testify about me. and you also must testify about me... (John, 15:26-27)

But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. (John, 16:7-8)

In regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to God, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. but when he, the spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (John, 16:9-13)

I will not speak with you much longer, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no hold on me. (John, 14:30)

# Signs of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) Coming in the Qur'an and Other Islamic Sources

By indicating, some 1,400 years ago, various signs that will be manifested in the present day, our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), has told us of a time when people will turn their backs on the moral values of the Qur'an, when there will be terrible, worldwide corruption, strife, disorder and degeneration. He has also revealed that in the wake of this, Allah will use a holy servant, bearing the title of the "Mahdi," to bring Qur'anic moral values to prevail across the world, and to replace the existing spiritual degeneration with virtue, peace, security, happiness and well-being. Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has also described how during this time the Prophet Jesus (pbuh), who had previously been raised into the presence of Allah, will once again return to earth. by the will of Allah, the system of the antichrist (dajjal) will be brought to a spiritual end and totally neutralized by the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) during this holy age.

The great majority of the signs discussed in this book have already taken place, and by the will of Allah this age we are living in will be one of great well-being, in which the system of the antichrist is defeated, and in which believers and the moral virtues of the true faith prevail across the world. Our Lord reveals how He will impose the moral virtues of the true faith through the light of faith:

They desire to extinguish Allah's light with their mouths. but Allah refuses to do other than perfect His light, even though the unbelievers detest it. It is He Who sent **His Messenger with guidance and the religion of Truth to exalt it over every other religion, even though the associaters detest it. (Surat at-Tawba, 32-33** )

This promise of Allah's will very definitely be made good within the destiny appointed by Him. Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will fulfill all the services promised by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and will, by the will of Allah, impose the moral values of the Qur'an across the world. An age which, because of its abundance and plenty, the comforts of all kinds it will bestow on mankind and its general atmosphere of peace, will be one that all Muslims will wish to live to see, is a most sublime blessing for the faithful in the life of this world.

Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has revealed the glad tidings of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in the words "Hear the glad tidings of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). He is one of the Qureysh and is of my line." (Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 13.), and he has revealed how believers must follow this worthy personage sent by Allah:

... He (Hazrat Mahdi [pbuh]) will possess land and will fill the earth, which before him was full of oppression and cruelty, with justice. Whoever lives to see him after you, let him join him even if he has to crawl over the snow. Let him join him, because he is Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). (Hadiths from Jalaluddin al-Suyuti's Classification: Signs of the Mahdi of the End Times p. 14.)

## Signs of the Coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and the Dominion of Islamic Moral Values, According to the Qur'an

Signs in the Qur'an of the Coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) has been described in the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in considerable detail, with his name, attributes, helpers, the features of his time and his activities. So clear and detailed are our Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) descriptions of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) that anyone seeing him in person will immediately be able to recognize him.

It is related in a Qur'anic verse that the People of the Book will recognize our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) "as they recognize their own sons":

Those We have given the Book recognize him as they recognize their own sons. Yet a group of them knowingly conceal the truth. (Surat al-Baqara, 146)

Metaphorically, this verse also refers to the recognition of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). When he appears, people will recognize him, in the light of our Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) descriptions, as they do their own sons. and Allah knows the truth.

One of the verses in the Qur'an pointing to the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) refers to "a messenger who will appear after the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)."

Through this verse, Allah tells us that He has made a covenant with the Prophets that they would believe in and help a messenger who will come after them:

Remember when Allah made a covenant with the Prophets: "Now that We have given you a share of the Book and Wisdom, and then a messenger comes to you confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and help him." He asked, "Do you agree and undertake my commission on that condition?" They replied, "We agree." He said, "Bear witness, then. I am with you as one of the witnesses." (Surah Al 'Imran, 81)

The names of the Prophets referred to in this verse, those reported to have made that covenant, are revealed in another verse:

When We made a covenant with all the Prophets—with you and with Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus son of Maryam—We made a binding covenant with them. (Surat al-Ahzab, 7)

It is revealed in the verse that a covenant has been made with Prophets "Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus" (peace be upon them) and with "the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)," as the term "with you" implies.

This revelation in the verse shows that "this messenger whose coming is described is not the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), but is a messenger who will come after our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)." and Allah knows the truth. This messenger, whom Allah reveals will come after the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), may well be "Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)," the glad tidings of whose coming are related also in the sayings of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). and Allah knows the truth.

The way that the messenger whose coming has been promised has also received a promise of assistance from the Prophet Jesus (pbuh), as reported in verse 7 of Surat al-Ahzab, further reinforces this view. That is because as we know, the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is reported in the hadith of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as returning to earth in the End Times and following and supporting Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):

And when Jesus son of Maryam said, "Tribe of Israel, I am the Messenger of Allah to you, confirming the Torah which came before me and giving you the good news of a messenger after me whose name is Ahmad." When he brought them the clear signs, they said, "This is downright magic." (Surat as-Saff, 6)

The Prophet Jesus (pbuh) imparts the tidings that this messenger who will come after him will be called "Ahmad." Examination of the Qur'an as a whole shows that those verses referring to the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) either use the name "Muhammad" or else just the term "Prophet." Nowhere in the Qur'an is the name "Ahmad" used for our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The name appears only once in the Qur'an, in a verse revealing the glad tidings of a messenger. This supports the idea that the name "Ahmad" may well refer to Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) who will come in the End Times, as well as our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). and Allah knows the truth. In addition, as in the previous verse, the fact that it is the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) who imparts the name of the messenger is another piece of evidence reinforcing this interpretation.

In his hadiths our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also provides the following information about the name of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):

... _He has made Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), whose name is AHMAD, and whose father's name is Abdullah, a ruler over you. Follow him. (al-Qawl al-mukhtasar fi alamat al-mahdi al-muntazar, p. 31.)_

... Follow him, he is Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). and his name is AHMAD bin Abdullah... (Alamat al-Qiyama, Madina Allama Muhammad bin Rasul al-Hussain al-Barzanji, Pamuk Publishing, 8th ed., p. 165.)

Ibn Masood (ra) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "His name will be similar to my name and his father's name to my father's name." (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi)

## Some Verses Indicating the Coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and the Global Dominion of Islamic Moral Values

And other things you love: support from Allah and imminent victory. Give good news to the believers! (Surat as-Saff, 13)

We wrote down in the Psalms, after the Reminder came: "It is My servants who are righteous who will inherit the earth." (Surat al-Anbiya', 105)

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... (Surat an-Nur, 55)

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)

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)

It is He Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth to exalt it over every other religion, though the idolaters hate it. (Surat as-Saff, 9)

It is He Who sent His Messenger with the Guidance and the Religion of Truth to exalt it over every other religion and Allah suffices as a witness. (Surat al-Fath, 28)

It is He Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth to exalt it over every other religion, even though the idolaters detest it. (Surat at-Tawba, 33)

"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)

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)

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 and so that Allah may help you with a mighty help. (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)

... The unbelievers will soon know who has the Ultimate Abode. (Surat ar-Ra'd, 42)

... 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)

Then We will rescue Our messengers and those who believe as well. It is incumbent upon Us to rescue the believers. (Surah Yunus, 103)

Say: "Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Falsehood is always bound to vanish." (Surat al-Isra', 81)

Then We appointed you after them to be successors on the earth... (Surah Yunus, 14)

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)

They desire to extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths. but Allah refuses to do other than perfect His Light, even though the unbelievers detest it. (Surat at-Tawba, 32)

They desire to extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths but Allah will perfect His Light, though the unbelievers hate it. (Surat as-Saff, 8)

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)

Say: "Everyone is waiting expectantly so wait expectantly. You will soon know who are the Companions of the Right Path and who is guided." (Surah Ta Ha, 135)

Allah will give security those who had piety in their victorious Safe Haven. No evil will touch them and they will know no sorrow. (Surat az-Zumar, 61)

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)

Allah confirms the Truth by His words, even though the evildoers hate it. (Surah Yunus, 82)

Those who, if We establish them firmly on the earth, will perform the prayer and give the 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 are believers. (Surah Al 'Imran, 139)

## The Coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and His Rule, According to the Hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah Bless Him and Grant Him Peace)

The hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) contain very detailed information and signs regarding the End Times, which will take place close to the Judgment Day. According to this information, the End Times will be made up of two parts. The beginning of this holy time will be one of corruption, degeneration, disasters, conflict, wars and famine. but the second part will see the return to earth of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), and will be a time of beauty when peace, security and freedom dominate the world—a period of plenty and abundance, when people will be happy in every regard.

The hadiths contain hundreds of portents that reveal when and what form the End Times will begin. The way that the portents revealed by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) 1,400 years ago are taking place one after the other in our own day shows that the first portion of the End Times has already begun. With the fulfilment of these signs, the Islamic world has begun a hopeful and joyous expectation of the second coming of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and the emergence of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), putting an end to the corruption of the antichrist (dajjal) so that Islamic moral values will rule the world.

Earlier books in this series have described, in the light of the authentic (tawatur) hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), and this holy personage's characteristics, physical appearance, and moral and intellectual superiority, his intellectual struggle, and the period of peace and security he will usher in. [For detailed information, see the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will Come in This Century, Portents and Features of the Mahdi's (pbuh) Coming, the End of Times and the Mahdi (pbuh), the Golden Age by Harun Yahya.] for that reason, this book deals only with certain specific portents out of the hundreds of hadiths which reveal that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) has already appeared or else is about to do so.

Some of the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) concerning the End Times and related by great Islamic scholars are listed below:

1. Successive fulfilment of portents of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) appearance:

... _These [the portents of the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will follow upon one another like the beads of a rosary. (Ali ibn Husamaddin al-Muttaki, Hadiths from Jalaluddin al-Suyuti's Classification: Signs of the Mahdi of the End Times, Kahraman Publications, p. 34.)_

The signs of the Last Day will follow one another. Like beads strung out one behind the other. (Ramuz al-Ahadith, 277/6; Al-Jami' al-Sagir, 3/167.)

The portents of the End Times revealed in the hadiths are far too clear and definitive to leave any room for doubt. The most important point, however, is that they have taken place and are still occurring, in our own day and age. Some of these signs, of course, might have been observed at any time during Islam's 1,400-year history, anywhere in the world and in a specific environment. but that does not mean that those were the End Times, because in order for an age to qualify as the End Times revealed by Allah, all the portents—which we shall describe in some detail—must occur at the same time, one after the other.

2. The Iran-Iraq war:

There will be tumult in Shawwal, talks of war in Dhu al-Qa'dah, and the outbreak of war in Dhu al-Hijja. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 166.)

* Shawwal, Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijja: First, second and third months of pilgrimage according to the Islamic calendar.

The months of Shawwal, Dhu al-Qa'dah and Dhu al-Hijja mention in the hadith correspond to the stages of development of the Iran-Iraq War:

"Tumult in Shawwal..."

The first uprising against the Shah took place on 5 Shawwal 1398 (8 September 1976), as indicated by the hadith:

"Talks of war in Dhu al-Qa'dah, and the outbreak of war in Dhu al-Hijja..."

A full-blown war broke out between Iran and Iraq in Dhu al-Hijjah 1400 (October 1980).

Another hadith describes the details of this war:

A nation will come from the Farsi direction, saying: "You Arabs! You have been too zealous! If you don't give them their due rights, nobody will have an alliance with you... It must be given to them one day and to you the following day, and mutual promises must be kept... "They will be going up Mutekh; Muslims will be coming down to the plain... Mushrikun [associaters] will be standing over there on the bank of a black river [Rakabeh] on the other side. There will be a war between them. Allah will deprive both armies of a victory... (Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 179.)

* Farsi: Iran, Iranian

** Mutekh: Name of a mountain in the region

*** Yazi: The Plain of Iraq

**** Rakabeh: A region where the oil wells are concentrated

"You Arabs! You have indulged yourselves to bigotry! Unless you grant due rights to them, no one will agree with you on a plan of action."

This part of the hadith states that a dispute will arise between the two sides, stemming from extreme nationalism. Because of that dispute, they will descend to Yazi (the Plain of Iraq), and war will begin.

"Allah will not give victory to any one of the armies..."

Further, as noted by the hadith, the Iran-Iraq war lasted for eight years. Despite the many thousands of casualties, neither side could claim victory or a decisive superiority.

3. A great battle between the Tigris and the Euphrates:

There will be a city called Zawra [Baghdad] between the Tigris and the Euphrates. There will be a great battle there. Women will be taken prisoner, and men will have their throats cut like sheep. (Muntakhab Kanz al-'Ummal, vol. 5, p. 38.)

Quite likely, this hadith calls attention to the Iran-Iraq war, which saw many great clashes between these two Muslim countries. Heavy bombardments reduced villages, towns, and cities to rubble. Women, elderly people, and children lost their lives. After the war, the mass graves uncovered that the casualties were far higher than anticipated. The fact that conflict, disorder and anarchy are still going on in the region is in complete agreement with the hadith.

4. Stopping the flow of the Euphrates:

One of the portents of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is: The stopping of the River Euphrates. (Small Book of Portents of the Mahdi of the End Times, p. 39.)

_Allah's Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "The Hour will not come to pass before the river Euphrates dries up to unveil the mountain of gold, for which people will fight. Ninety-nine out of one hundred will die [in the fighting], and every man among them will say: 'Perhaps I may be the only one to remain alive.'" (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim_ )

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "The Euphrates reveals the treasures within itself. Whoever sees it should not take anything from it." (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 28.)

Soon the river Euphrates will disclose the treasure [the mountain] of gold. So, whoever will be present at that time should not take anything of it. (Sahih Bukhari)

(1) ... The River Euphrates dries up...

As-Suyuti mentions this hadith as "the stopping of water." the Keban Dam, built in 1975, has accomplished this.

(2) ... unveils the mountain of gold...

The surrounding land has become as valuable as gold for various reasons, for the Keban Dam has enabled electricity production and higher soil fertility through irrigation and transport facilities.

The Keban and other dams lining the Euphrates resemble a concrete mountain, and wealth as valuable as gold comes out of it. Therefore, these dams take on the properties of "the golden mountain." (Allah knows the truth.)

(3) There will be conflict over this wealth, leading to many deaths

Because of the widespread anarchy and disorder that still persist in the region, those who buy land there may suffer losses. as the hadith puts it, they will either die or be killed.

5. Lunar and solar eclipses during Ramadan:

There are two signs for Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)... The first one is the lunar eclipse in the first night of Ramadan, and the second is the solar eclipse in the middle of this month. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 47.)

The solar eclipse in the middle of the Ramadan, and the lunar eclipse at the end... (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 37.)

During his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] reign, on the fourteenth of the Ramadan, a solar eclipse will occur. on the first of that month, the Moon will darken... (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, p. 380; Letters of Rabbani, vol. 2, p. 1163.)

A lunar eclipse will occur in the first night of the Ramadan. In the middle of the Ramadan, a solar eclipse will occur. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 199.)

The most striking points here are that a solar eclipse will take place in the middle of the month, and two solar and two lunar eclipses will take place within one month (Ramadan).

In line with these calculations, there was a lunar eclipse in 1981 (Hijri 1401) on Ramadan 15 and a solar eclipse on Ramadan 29. There was a "second" lunar eclipse in 1982 (Hijri 1402) on Ramadan 14, and a solar eclipse on Ramadan 28.

These incidents occurring during the same period coinciding with the signs of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) emergence, and their miraculous recurrence for two consecutive years at the onset of the fifteenth Islamic century (1401-02), indicates that they might be the signs foretold by the hadiths.

Moreover, an astoundingly similar series of eclipses occurred in the years 2002 and 2003.

DATES and TYPES of ECLIPSES

Lunar Eclipse November 20, 2002

Hijri 1423 (in the middle of Ramadan)

Solar Eclipse December 4, 2002

Hijri 1423 (at the end of Ramadan)

Lunar Eclipse November 9, 2003

Hijri 1424 (in the middle of Ramadan)

Solar Eclipse November 23, 2003

Hijri 1424 (at the end of Ramadan)

6. The occupation of Afghanistan:

Pity poor Taliqan [a region in Afghanistan]. at that place are treasures of Allah, but these are not of gold and silver but consist of people who have recognized Allah as they should have. They are Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) servants. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-l-Zaman, p. 59.)

The hadith may well refer to Afghanistan's being invaded in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). In fact, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan took place in 1979, or 1400 Hijri or at the beginning of Hijri 14th century. The hadiths tell us that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will appear at the beginning of that century. The fact that many other portents regarding Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) have taken place in 1400 Hijri and at the beginning of the 1400s shows that these dates have a particular significance in terms of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh).

7. Sighting a flare in the east:

A _big flame will occur in the east for three or seven days in a row, followed by darkness in the sky and a brand-new redness unlike the usual color of red spreading over the sky. A proclamation will be heard in a language earth can understand. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 166.)_

This is a hadith narrated by Abu Ja'far b. Muhammad b. Ali (ra): "When you see a flame rise in the east for three or seven days, then wait for the emergence of Al-i Muhammad; Allah will proclaim from the sky uttering the name of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and everybody, whether in the east or the west, will hear that voice." (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 32.)

" _I swear that a flame will engulf you. That flame is presently in an extinguished state at the valley called Berehut. That flame swallows up people with terrible pain inside it, burns down and destroys people and property, and spreads all over the world by flying like a cloud with the assistance of winds. Its heat at night is much higher than its daytime temperature. by going as deep as the center of earth from above the heads of people, that flame becomes a terrible noise, just like the lightning between the ground and the sky," he narrated. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 461.)_

Some people wait for this flame as a sign that comes suddenly and for no particular reason, that never goes out, and that everyone in the world can see. Since the test in this world continues during the occurrence of these signs, just because people will see them does not mean that they will understand them. Thus, people will make their decisions by using their intellects, minds, consciences, and will. The portents concerning the flame must be evaluated in this manner.

The first part of the hadith says that the flame "is presently in an extinguished state." Given that the flame results from burning a flammable substance, what waits "in an extinguished state" is not the flame itself, but rather the material to be burned. In this context, this may mean underground oil. "Berehut" is the name of a well. This can be considered as an oil well. When the time comes, oil extracted from these wells will become a fire ready to be burned.

"That flame swallows up people with terrible pain inside it."

That flame is not merely a burning flare that makes people miserable and sorrowful, but also deprives them of their lives and possessions, and contaminates the surrounding environment.

"That flame... burns down and destroys people and property."

It causes the death of certain people and in addition, burns down property, causing material damage and , by polluting the surrounding environment, destroys what people need in order to live.

"... spreads all over the world by flying like a cloud with the assistance of winds."

This particular element is the smoke that the flame it produces. Thus, this hadith indicates that the smoke will reach as high as the clouds and be spread by the wind in all directions.

"Its heat at night is much higher than its daytime temperature."

In other words, the flame will burn around the clock.

"By going as deep as the center of earth from above the heads of people, that flame makes a terrible noise, just like the thunder between the ground and the sky."

The flame will climb very high into the air and cause very strong explosions resembling a thunder.

"... A brand-new redness unlike the usual color of red spreading over the sky..."

This part of the hadith points out that the incident will occur at night, with the flames of a large explosion leading to a very strong illumination. The reddish illumination caused by such flames is very different from the reddishness of "dawn with which people are familiar. Such an illumination at night, very similar to daylight, is an extraordinary phenomenon.

In July 1991, after Iraq invaded Kuwait, fires spread throughout Kuwait and the Persian Gulf as the Iraqis fired Kuwait's oil wells. This is how the media described these fires:

The burning oil in Kuwait led to the deaths of people and animals. According to experts, half a million tons of oil went up into the atmosphere as smoke. Every day, more than 10,000 tons of soot, sulfur, carbon dioxide and large quantities of hydrocarbons with their carcinogenic properties hang suspended over the Gulf. It is not just the Gulf but, on its behalf, the world is burning.1

Two wells that were set alight produced as much oil as Turkey does in one day, and the smoke from them were even seen from Saudi Arabia, 55 kilometers (34 miles) away.2

An endless reports of disasters in the Gulf: Hundreds of oil wells set alight in Kuwait are still burning fiercely. Experts say it will be "exceedingly difficult to put those fires out," and it is said that the fires may affect a wide area from Turkey to India for the next 10 years.3

8. The rise of a comet:

A star with a luminous tail will rise from the east before Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) emerges. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 200.)

Before he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] arrives, a comet will appear in the east, giving out an illumination. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 53.)

The rise of that star will occur after the eclipse of the Sun and the Moon. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 32.)

Throughout history, comets have heralded times of very important developments for Muslims, some of which became milestones in Islamic history. The Companions of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also narrated some of these occurrences, as follows:

\- the people in the time the Prophet Noah (pbuh) drowned.

\- the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) was cast into the fire.

\- Pharaoh and his people were perished.

\- the Prophet John (pbuh) was killed.

\- the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was born.

\- Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was honored with prophecy.

\- the Ottoman state first entered the world stage.

\- Constantinople was captured by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror.

Some interesting statistics regarding Halley's comet:

Particularly striking is the way that multiplies of 19 keep occurring in the appearances of this comet:

* Halleys comet passes by once every 76 years (76=19 x 4)

* the comet was last seen in Hijri 1406 (1406 = 19 x 74)

Another interesting aspect of this is that the year Hijri 1406, when Halley's comet last passed by, is also an exact multiple of 19 (74 x 19). The number 74 is also that of Surat al-Muddaththir, in which the miracle of the number 19 is set out. (For detailed information about the miracle of the number 19, see Allah's Miracles in the Quran, Harun Yahya)

In verse 30 of Surat al-Muddaththir (the 74th sura), the number 19 is revealed as a great blessing for believers, but a vehicle for strife for unbelievers.

This miraculous link between Halley's comet and the number 19 may indicate strife for unbelievers and a blessing for believers.

In verses 1 and 2 of Surat al-Muddaththir, the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is told: "You who are enveloped in your cloak! Arise and warn." This is the outward meaning of the verses. However, the verses may also contain a second, secret sign: The word "enveloped" may refer to Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), who will be descended from our Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace). and one of the portents of his appearance will take place in Hijri 1406 (the year of the appearance of the comet).

Surat al-Muddaththir (sura 74)

1) ... You who are enveloped in your cloak!

2) ... Arise and warn

(The word muddaththir means that which is covered up or concealed.)

Another great sign and miracle is that the appearance of Halley's comet in 1986 (Hijri 1406) is the 19th such passage since 607 AD, when the blessed Muhammad (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) was honored with prophecy.

9. Storming the Ka'bah and the subsequent bloodshed:

The year in which he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will emerge, people will perform pilgrimage together and gather without an imam. The pilgrims will be looted, and there will be a battle at Mina in which many will be slain, and blood will flow until it runs over the Jamra al-'Aqaba. [Jamra: one of the stone pillars representing satan that are stoned during the pilgrimage.] (Narrated by 'Amr ibn Shu'ayb, al-Hakim and Nu'aym ibn Hammad.)

People make pilgrimage without an imam leading them. Big wars break out when they come down to Mina, and they are entwined just the way dogs entwine, and tribes attack each other. This strife is so widespread that legs are buried in lakes of blood. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 35.)

In the month of Dhu al-Qa'dah, the nations will wage war, pilgrims will be kidnapped, and there will be bloody wars. Great sins will be committed beside the Ka'bah. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 34.)

The phrase "the year in which he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will emerge" draws attention to a massacre that will occur on the date of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) emergence. In 1979, a massacre very like this one occurred during the Ka'bah raid, which took place during the pilgrimage month at the very beginning of the period during which the signs of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) advent appeared—the first day of the Islamic year 1400 (21 November 1979).

The hadiths also mention bloodshed. The killing of 30 people during the clashes between Saudi soldiers and militants during the raid fulfill the rest of this hadith.

Seven years later, an even bloodier incident happened during the pilgrimage. In this incident, 402 demonstrating pilgrims were killed. Both the Saudi soldiers and the Iranian pilgrims committed great sins by killing one another. These bloody incidents have strong parallels to the incidents described in the hadiths.

There will be cries of war in Shawwal, act of war and carnage (battle, fight) in Dhu al-Hijja. Again in [the month of] Dhu al-Hijja, pilgrims will be despoiled and their streets will be full of blood and prohibitions are broken. Great sins will be commited in Bayt al-Muaddham. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 37.)

"... Great sins will be committed in Bayt al-Muaddham."

This hadith draws attention to the incidents that will occur not in Bayt al-Muaddham (Ka'bah) but close to it. The incidents during the month of Dhul al-Hijja (pilgrimage season) of the Hijri year 1407 actually took place near the Ka'bah, and not inside it, unlike the event of 1400 (Hijri year). The first incident that we narrated at the beginning occurred on Muharram 1,1400 in Bayt al-Muaddham (Ka'bah) itself. Both incidents happened just as the hadiths indicated that they would.

It is no mere coincidence that two such major events as bloodshed in the Ka'bah and the killing of pilgrims, as reported in the hadiths, are taking place one after the other in the period when all portents regarding Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) are coming true.

"[There will be] act of war and carnage in [the month of] Dhu al-Hijja."

The fact that this war and conflict is discussed together with the killing of pilgrims shows that these events will take place in the same period of time. During that same period, the Iran-Iraq war broke out, and the world saw the worst fighting and disorder in the Middle East.

10. A sign out of the Sun

He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come unless a sign emerges out of the Sun. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 49.)

Another sign of the Judgment Day is extraordinary solar flares. During the twentieth century, a great solar explosion took place and had a great impact upon the world. The sign referred to in the hadith may well be this great explosion.

11. A solar eclipse:

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will not emerge unless the Sun rises as a sign. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 33.)

Along with the solar explosion mentioned above, the "sign" to appear on the Sun may well be the great solar eclipse on August 11, 1999—the last total solar eclipse of the twentieth century, and the first time that so many people had been able to watch and study an eclipse for so long.

12. The appearance of dusty, smoky fitnah:

... There will be a dusty and smoky fitnah like patches of dark night... (Sunan Abu Dawud)

The word fitnah (tribulation) implies war, incitement, disorder, and conflict—anything that turns peoples' reason and hearts away from the true path.4 the fitnah mentioned in this hadith will leave behind smoke and dust.

This hadith could well refer to 9/11, one of the world's worst terrorist attacks, when New York City and Washington DC, were attacked. as television screens and newspapers depicted, a huge thick cloud of dust and smoke swallowed up the immediate surroundings in lower Manhattan.

This incident, one of the most serious acts of terror in history, occurred along with other signs and bears characteristics similar to ones described in the hadith. Therefore, this act may well be the "fitnah (tribulation) like patches of dark night" foretold as the sign of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) emergence. (Allah knows the truth.)

13. A change of systems:

A man called Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will come at a time when time is interrupted... (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 14.)

In this hadith, our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) foretold that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) would come when "time is interrupted." Many scholars interpret this expression as a "differentiation of time" when a "change of systems" takes place. This "change of systems" may be the collapse of communism, the governing ideology of many nations, toward the end of the twentieth century.

14. Killing of the rulers of Damascus and Egypt:

Before he comes, the inhabitants of Egypt and Sham will kill their rulers and their commanders... (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 49.)

In 1981, Anwar al-Sadat (President of Egypt since 1970) was assassinated during a military review. Other Egyptian leaders who have been killed include the prime ministers Boutros Ghali (1910), Prime Minister Ahmed Maher Pasha (1945), and Mahmoud Nukrashy Pasha (1948).

The word Sham is not used only for Damascus, for it also means "left" and has long been used to refer to those countries to the west of the Hijaz (where the cities of Mecca and Madina lie).5 Many leaders have been killed in the region, among them;

Former Syrian prime ministers Salah al-Din Bitar (1920),

Droubi Pasha (1921),

Muhsin al-Barazi (1949),

King Abdullah of Jordan (1951), and the Lebanese Phalange leader Bashir Gemayel (1982).6

15. The killing of Abdullah, former King of Jordan:

Another portent of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) coming is the killing of a senior member of the Hashemites. (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 12.)

Jordan, known as the Hashemite Kingdom, was detached from the Ottoman Empire and came under British control for a period of time. Great Britain recognized Jordanian independence in 1946, as part of the Treaty of London. The monarchy was given to Abdullah, head of the principality of Jordan. King Abdullah was later killed in 1951. Thus the incident foretold in the hadith came to pass.

16. The loss of an army:

There are five portents of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh): ... The sinking of an army in Bayda... (Narrated by Nu'aym ibn Hammad)

An army will be sent to him. This army will be leveled while it is somewhere in the desert. (Sahih Muslim)

An army comes to fight. Once they enter the desert, the one in the front and the back disappear, and the ones in the middle cannot save themselves. (Tirmidhi, Sunan Ibn Majah, Sunan Abu Dawud)

The almost sudden disappearance of a large part of the Iraqi army was one of the most striking features of the 2003 American-led war against Iraq. Many newspapers and television channels reported that a 60,000-man army from the Republican Guard, along with some 15,000 Iraqi militiamen from the Fedayeen, got "lost." This account indicates that "the loss of an army," a portent of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) coming, and hence of the Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) second coming, may already have taken place. (Allah knows the truth.) in fact, the discovery of some war planes buried under the desert sands reinforces the possibility that the "leveling of an army" refers to the Iraqi army.

17. No money will be left to the Iraqis:

The Iraqis will be left with no weighing equipment, and no money will be left to them with which to buy and sell. (Muntakhab Kanz al-'Ummaal, vol. 5, p. 45.)

This hadith may indicate two situations. One is Iraq's economic collapse after the Iran-Iraq and the Gulf wars. The Iraqi economy, faced with such crises, could not recover in the postwar period due to the embargos imposed by the USA and the UN. The Iraqi people grew even poorer, and famine became a major problem.

Or it might also refer to abolishing the dinar, the Iraqi unit of currency in the postwar era. During 2003, the rapid loss of the Iraqi currency's value and the possibility of its being withdrawn from circulation appeared in the newspapers.

18. Flames destroy homes in Baghdad:

Baghdad is destroyed by fire in the End Times... (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, vol. 3, p. 177.)

From the very first day of the Second Gulf War in 2003, Baghdad was the target of very intensive bombing. Under heavy bombardment, the city burned, just as the hadith said it would. Images of Baghdad, appearing on TV and in newspapers, conveyed this reality to the world—a clear indication that we are living in the End Times.

19. An embargo against Iraq and Damascus:

" _It may happen that the people of Iraq may not send their qafiz [their measures of food-stuff] and dirhams [their money]." We said: "Who would be responsible for it?" He said: "The non-Arabs would prevent them." He again: "There is the possibility that the people of Syria may not send their dinar and mudd." We said: "Who would be responsible for it?" He said: "This prevention would be made by the Romans." (Sahih Muslim)_

The embargos imposed upon Iraq and Damascus are signs of the End Times. for more than a decade, Iraq had endured embargos. Meanwhile, there exists the possibility of placing an embargo upon Syria.

20. The restructuring of Iraq:

The Judgment Day will not come until Iraq is attacked. Innocent people in Iraq will seek shelter in Sham. Sham will be rebuilt, and Iraq will be rebuilt. (Muntakhab Kanz al'Ummal, vol. 5, p. 254.)

The hadith draws attention to the reconstruction of Iraq, many of whose cities were reduced to rubble during the Iran-Iraq war, and then again during the two Gulf wars of 1991 and 2003. After this latest war, Iraq's rebuilding became a necessity because so much of it had been ruined. Looting also contributed to this situation, as was widely discussed in the press.

21. Iraqis flee to Damascus and the north:

The innocent and clean people of Iraq will flee to Sham. (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 210.)

Innocent people in Iraq will seek shelter towards Sham... (Kanzul Ummal, Kitab al-Qiyamah, qism al-af'al, vol. 5, p. 254, al-Muttaki)

Immediately before the outbreak of the latest Gulf war, tens of thousands of Iraqis sought to migrate to other countries, especially Syria. This bears great similarity to the event described in the hadith. News and pictures about this attempted migration appeared in the media.

22. Fitnah in Damascus:

The fitnah in Sham will calm down on the one hand and flare up again on another. This corruption will not end until an Angel from the sky calls: "Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is your leader. Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is your successor." (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 63.)

This hadith very probably refers to the disorder that took place in Syria. However, the Sham region is not limited to Damascus, the Syrian capital, alone. as mentioned earlier, Sham means "the left" and refers to those countries to the west of the Hijaz (which includes the cities of Mecca and Medina).

During the early years of the twentieth century, civil wars, rebellions, conflict and great wars were already raging in this region. These conflicts triggered one another and greatly impacted all the people living there. The statement that "this fitnah (tribulation)... will calm down on the one hand and flare up again on another" is noteworthy in that over the last fifty years, several major conflicts occurred in this region, among them the Suez War, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the Lebanese Civil War, and the ongoing tension in Palestine.

23. Disorder in Damascus, Iraq, and Arabian Peninsula:

Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "There will be such troubles and calamities that nobody will be able to find a place of shelter. These woes will move around Sham, fall upon Iraq, and tie the hands and feet of the Arabian Peninsula. The community of Islam will fight against troubles in the steppes. Nobody will feel any sympathy for them or even say: "Alas!" as they try to remedy their woes on the one hand, they will emerge again on the other." (Muntakhab Kanz al-'Ummal, vol. 5, pp. 38-39.)

The expression, "the woes will move around Sham, fall upon Iraq" may well indicate the Second Gulf War in 2003. Before and during this war, there was always the possibility of the conflict extending into Syria, however the war remained limited to Iraq.

24. The division of Iraq into three parts:

According to our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the people of Iraq will be divided into three groups. One part will join the looters. One group will flee, leaving their families behind. and one group will fight and kill. Prepare yourselves for the Judgment Day when you see this. (Fera Idu Fevaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar)

As the hadith relates, some Iraqis will join the "looters." Indeed, at the end of the war, some Iraqis took advantage of the loss of authority and engaged in looting. In fact, some of these people stole and pillaged, acts that can be defined as looting.

The hadith informs us that some people would be so eager to escape that they would not even think about the families they left behind. The hadith also tells that some people would fight and be killed. During this latest Gulf War, some Iraqis fought and died.

"The division of Iraq into three," as is related in the hadith's first section, also came true after the first Gulf War in 1991, when the country was divided into three regions: between the 32th and 36th parallels, south of the 32th parallel, and north of the 36th parallel.

25. War in the streets:

"Between the Tigris and the Euphrates, a city will be built where the children of Abbas will reign. It is called Zawra [Baghdad]... " "O Rasul al-Akram, the leader of believers, why is it called Zawra?" "It is called Zawra because the war surrounds it, expanding to the borders." (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 426, no. 776.)

You do not see for I am seeing the places of turmoil between your houses as the places of rainfall. (Sahih Muslim, the Judgment Day: Portents & Prophecies, p. 84.)

In the twentieth century, guerilla warfare became widespread. The ensuing conflicts often take place in streets and between houses. The most recent example occurred in Baghdad in 2003. Indeed, the first hadith above relates that a war will expand to all the corners of Baghdad. The events of the latest Gulf War and the related news reported by the media confirm the news foretold in the hadiths. (Allah knows the truth.)

26. The occurrence of great and astonishing events:

So many appalling incidents will occur in his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] time. (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 2, p. 258.)

The signs of his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] emergence resemble those preparatory signs that earlier gave an indication of our Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 2, p. 258.)

Great and extraordinary events preceded the birth of our Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). for example, a new star rose on that night, 14 towers of the Iranian Emperor's Palace collapsed, the fire of the fire-worshipping Magians' in Iran that had burned for 1,000 years went out, the Semavi Valley was flooded, and the Save Lake dried up.

As indicated in the above hadiths, Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) appearance will resemble that of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Great and miraculous phenomena will also take place when he emerges.

Some of the remarkable phenomena that took place during the last century are as follows:

\- the Ka'bah was raided, and many Muslims were killed.

\- the 2,500-year Iranian monarchy collapsed.

\- a gas leak in a Bombay factory killed 20,000 people.

\- War broke out between two Muslim nations: Iran and Iraq.

\- the Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan.

\- on September 19, 1985, Mexico City was devastated by an earthquake.

\- the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted, wiping the town of Armero off the map and killing 25,000 people.

\- Floods in Bangladesh killed 25,000 people.

\- Rome, the heart of the Catholic Church, was flooded.

\- the worst forest fire in history broke out in China.

\- Indian Prime Minister Gandhi, President Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt, and Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme were assassinated.

\- Pope John Paul II was shot.

\- the AIDS virus, identified in 1980, has so far killed more than 25 million people and is known as a "today's plague."7

\- the Challenger space shuttle exploded after take-off in 1986.

\- the worst nuclear accident in history occurred when the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in the Soviet Union exploded on 26 April 1986, and the released radiation affected many European countries.

\- a hole was discovered in the ozone layer.

\- the Soviet Union collapsed, thanks to Gorbachev, and the newly independent states of Central Asia emerged.

\- the Gulf War broke out, Iraq annexed and then fled Kuwait, and was finally occupied by America and Britain in 2003.

\- an earthquake in Armenia reduced cities to rubble, causing 500,000 people to leave their homes and more than 40,000 dead.

\- the Chinese government sent its tanks into Tienanmen Square during 1989 to crush a student movement demanding greater freedom; 2,000 students died.

\- the Berlin Wall, which for 28 years had symbolized the Cold War, was torn down.

\- More than 1,400 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at a tunnel in the Ka'bah in 1990.

\- Approximately 139,000 people died from flooding in Bangladesh in 1991, and ten million were left homeless.

\- Hundreds of thousands of Muslims were killed in the atrocities in Bosnia and Kosovo, and hundreds of thousands more were exiled.

\- the Ebola virus led to the deaths of a few hundreds.

\- the climate pattern known as El Nino, causing changes in sea temperature and air pressure, has inflicted huge disasters on all the countries of the world.

\- the London Stock Exchange collapsed on October 19, 1987, and the ensuing panic resulted in a value loss of 50 billion British pounds.

\- 168 people were killed in a bomb attack on a federal building in Oklahoma City on 19 April 1995.

-In 1997, the Hale-Bopp Comet passed so close to Earth that it could be seen with the naked eye.

\- 5,000 people died in an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale in Afghanistan on February 1998.

\- the biggest-ever terrorist attack on America took place on September 11, 2001. Within 18 minutes of each other, two passenger airplanes crushed into the World Trade Center in New York City. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon. Over 5,000 people died.

\- an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck India, killing thousands of people.

\- Many European countries have experienced heat waves that have killed many people.

\- the 13-year research known as the Human Genome Project was completed in April, 2003. The approximately 30,000 genes in human DNA were thus identified and the human genome map produced.

\- Mars was closer to Earth in August 2003 than at any other time in the past 60,000 years.

\- the deadly SARS virus spread in 2003, killing 775 people.

\- Twelve lost their lives as floods hit Mecca, one of the most arid regions in the world.

\- 86,000 lives lost in the Iranian earthquake on 27 December 2003. The city of Bam was completely devastated.

\- a total of 263 people have so far lost their lives as a result of bird flu, first observed in birds in Asia.

\- an earthquake in the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004, measuring 9.1 to 9.3 on the Richter scale and the following 30-meter (98.5 feet) tsunami lead to the deaths of some 300,000 people in 11 countries, particularly Indonesia. More than 1 million people were left homeless. This earthquake, the second most severe ever recorded, has been described as the deadliest in history.

\- on 23 August 2005, Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest hurricanes in history, causes the deaths of around 2,000 people and economic damage of $100 billion, the highest figure ever. Many settled areas, particularly the city of New Orleans, had to be evacuated.

\- 75,000 lives lost in an earthquake in Kashmir on 8 October 2005, with more than 100,000 injured.

\- Because of the collapse of a hotel in Mecca on January 5, 2006, 76 Muslim pilgrims who were there to fulfill their religious obligations lost their lives. One week later, on the last day of the Hajj, 362 pilgrims died in a stampede during the stoning of the devil in Mina.

\- More than 6,000 people died in a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Java, Indonesia, on May 27, 2006, while another 36,000 were injured and 1.5 million were left homeless.

\- in August 2007 the financial markets in the United States of America started to collapse and the economic crisis continued to intensify, beginning to spread across the whole world.

\- More than 3,000 people died due to Cyclone Sidr that struck Bangladesh on November 16, 2007. The Bangladeshi Red Crescent announced that 7 million people were in need of aid.

\- on March 19, 2008, NASA's Swift X-ray telescope recorded a cosmic explosion which occurred 7.5 billion years ago.

\- More than 13,000 people died in Cyclone Nargis that struck Burma (Myanmar) on May 3, 2008 .

\- More than 70,000 people died and millions were left homeless in a 7.9-magnitude earthquake in China on May 12, 2008 .

\- the Icelandic government and banking system went bankrupt on January 26, 2009, and the country collapsed.

\- the H1N1 epidemic that broke out on June 11, 2009, under the name of swine flu, was regarded as a threat to the whole world.

\- the comet Lulin approached closest to the Earth on February 24, 2009. This comet, which was very bright and emitted a green light, possesses features not found in any other heavenly body, being double tailed and travelling, unlike them, from east to west.

\- Some 100,000 people lost their lives and more than 3 million were affected in the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.

27. The loss of hope of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):

Allah Almighty will send Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) after despair has reached the point that people will say: "There is no Mahdi." (Narrated by Nu'aym ibn Hammad)

The above hadith reveals that another of the portents of the End Times is people's increasing abandonment of belief in Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) coming. This state of mind can frequently be observed in the present day. Despite the existence of countless hadiths about Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) coming, the Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) return, and the Golden Age characterized by great blessings, many people doubt that such a period will ever come. This assumption is also a sign of the End Times. In a time of despair, people will enjoy the benefits of the prevailing Qur'anic morality, thanks to Allah's mercy.

28. Pervasive corruption:

Islamic literature defines fitnah as severe trial terms where life conditions are hardened and people's faith are attempted to be weakened and destroyed through denial of Allah and religion by various methods.

One hadith reveals that the believers' faith will weaken in the End Times and also provides information about the developments that will lead to this:

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), one of my children, comes into being, by the blessing of Allah, upon the approach of the Day of Judgment; the weakening of the believers' hearts because of death, hunger, fitnah and the disappearance of the Sunnah; and the emergence of innovations and the loss of means by which to enjoin the right and forbid the wrong. His justice and prosperity will ease the believers' hearts, and friendship and love will settle between the non-Arab and the Arab nations. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 66.)

Briefly, the following events will take place before the End Times and Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) appearance:

1- Death: as a consequence of anarchy and mass murder, people will not be safe and will be greatly concerned about dying.

2- Hunger: The struggle to make a living will become harder because the cost of living will rise. Natural disasters and catastrophes will lead to starvation and hunger.

3- Fitnah: Such troubles will spread and encourage unlawful and immoral acts among all people, both in public and in private.

4- Innovation (bid'at): Adoption of some rituals or innovations on the grounds that they are essential components of Islam, although they violate the teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunnah.

5- Disappearance of the communication of moral values of Islam: Believers will be hindered from enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, and a spiritual decline will occur as a result.

Such fitnah (tribulation) will lead to a stronger faith, an increase in patience and rewards in the Hereafter for the believers' having a solid faith, while weakening further the faith of those with weak faith.The latter group might even lose their faith completely.

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will appear when such fitnah is prevalent.

Other hadiths and Islamic scholars state that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will appear when a particular type of fitnah has become worldwide.

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will come when fitnahs (tribulation) appear. (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 2, p. 258.)

Disorder, fitnah, and fear will emerge in the west... Corruption will proliferate. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 440.)

Fitnahs will follow one another in the near future. Then, there will be other fitnahs and even more following them. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 374, no. 684.)

There will emerge widespread fitnah that seems impossible to ever end... (Al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar, p. 55.)

29. The emergence of widespread slaughter:

Before Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) there will be widespread slaughter and terrible fitnah. (The Book of Portents of the Mahdi of the End Times, p. 37.)

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will only appear at a time when people are experiencing great fear and are afflicted by disturbances, civil war, and other disasters. (Narrated by Abu Ja''far Muhammad ibn 'Ali)

Most painful situations and grievous sights will be seen. Strife will go on and on... It will kill mothers, fathers, daughters, men, and everyone... Among these will be strife, violence, destruction, and looting. People will ask when it will end, but it will still go on. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 36.)

... Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will appear when the inhabitants of the earth and sky can no longer bear the slaughter... (The Book of Portents of the Mahdi of the End Times, p. 37.)

... _will make bloodshed lawful and be the enemy of Al-i-Muhammad... (Ali ibn Husamaddin al-Muttaki, Hadiths from Jalaluddin al-Suyuti's Classification: Signs of the Mahdi of the End Times, Kahraman Publications, p. 37.)_

... The shedding of blood... is one of the signs of the Last Day. (Alamat al-Qiyama, p. 142.)

The hadiths forecast massacres that will occur all over the world.

During the twentieth century's two World Wars, an estimated 150 million people were killed. The number of civilians slaughtered for political reasons during the same century is estimated to be well over 200 million. This is an extraordinarily high figure when compared with those of previous centuries. Wars and conflicts are still going on all over the world in the 21st century. Their common feature is, as stated in the above hadith, all these wars have entailed the mass slaughter of civilians.

30. Pervasiveness of global disorder and conflict:

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Fitnah (tribulation) will spread after me. Terror and war will rage. Then, there will be greater fitnahs. When people will say that the fitnah has ended, new rebellions will appear. Until someone from my lineage [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] emerges, there will be no home in Arabia into which fitnah will not enter and a Muslim to whom fitnah will not reach." (Fera Idu Fevaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 147.)

At a time when the world will be in harj [utter confusion and disorder], fitnah will appear, people will be attacked, the old will not have mercy on the young, and the young will not show respect to the old, Allah will send someone to eradicate hostility and conquer the castles of perversion, uphold faith in the End Times just as I upheld it formerly, someone who will fill this earth with justice where violence prevailed before. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 12.)

As these hadiths reveal, such disorder will spread around the world. Indeed, many countries have been ruined, either wholly or in part, by disorder, war, murder, and terrorism. Every day, hundreds are exiled or murdered for no reason. (For further information, see Harun Yahya's Signs of the Last Day [Global Publishing: 2003].)

31. Days of anarchy and disorder:

The Hour will come when violence, bloodshed, and anarchy become common. (Muntakhab Kanz al-'Ummal)

... _[At that time,] fitnah (tribulation), disorder and rebellion will be many, and people will kill one another... (Death, the Last Day, the Hereafter and Signs of the End Times, p. 482, no. 901; Kitab an-Nihaya, Ibn Kathir, 1/131.)_

T _his much is certain, there will be some people in the near future who cause constant dispute and division. (Death, the Last Day, the Hereafter and Signs of the End Times, p. 376, no. 685.)_

Anarchy and conflict were among the most obvious features of the twentieth century. In countless wars, rebellions, and conflicts, great numbers of people died, and security and peace became one of the survivors' greatest longings. The seemingly unending civil wars in some African countries, rebellions in many countries (especially in Central and South America), wars and clashes throughout Asia, and conflict in the Middle East are only the most obvious examples of this disorder.

32. The killing of women, children and the innocent:

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will not appear until seven out of nine [people] are killed. The killing of the innocent will be among them. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 35.)

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will not emerge until innocent people are massacred, and he will appear when those on earth and up in the sky can no longer put up with such massacres... (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 37.)

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will not emerge until innocent people are killed. When those who are without sin are killed, the people of earth and sky [will] detest the killers. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 35.)

While the hadiths about Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) emergence mention such massacres as becoming common, they also emphasize that such massacres will target innocent people. In addition, acts of terror, particularly in recent years, have resulted in the mass annihilation of people. Since terror seeks to spread fear and horror, the very group that such attacks often target are innocent civilians.

Many continue to lose their lives in different countries as a result of terrorists targeting shopping malls, restaurants, and schools frequented by defenseless women, youths, and children.

33. The enslavement of the Egyptians:

The people of Sham will take prisoner the communities of Egypt... (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 49.)

As stated earlier, Sham (Damascus) is the region located on the western part of Hijaz, where Mecca and Medina are located. Today, Israel is one of the countries located in this region. Consequently, this hadith may well hint at Israel's war with Egypt and her occupation of Egyptian lands. on October 26, 1956, Israel, with British and French support, attacked Egypt and began to occupy the Sinai Peninsula. The fighting ended shortly afterwards, following intervention by the United States and the United Nations, and a UN peacekeeping force was stationed on the Israeli border.

Another conflict between Israel and Egypt was the Six-Day War in 1967, during Israeli troops took prisoner a large number of Egyptians, and a large number of Egyptians were killed.

34. The destruction of great cities:

Great cities will be ruined, and it will be as if they had not existed the day before. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 38.)

When developed places are ruined, then the Judgment Day is no further away than the distance between your two fingers. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 143.)

There will be ruins all around the world. Ultimately, Egypt will also be ruined. but until Basra is destroyed, Egypt will remain secure. The ruin of Basra will be because of Iraq's destruction. Meanwhile, the downfall of Egypt will come with the drying up of the Nile... (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 530.)

The ruin of great cities spoken of in these hadiths brings to mind the destruction that now arises from war and natural disasters. In addition, recently developed nuclear weapons, aircraft, bombs, missiles, and other weapons have caused untold destruction, bringing about a level of devastation heretofore unknown. Indeed, the great cities targeted are most affected by this destruction.

35. Rebuilding of ruined places:

The rebuilding of the ruined places in the world, and the ruination of constructed places, are signs and portents of the Judgment Day. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 138.)

The reconstruction of these ruins is a further sign of the End Times. as stated in the previous section, many cities were reduced to rubble during the twentieth century and thus had to be rebuilt, among them Berlin, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), and Dresden.

A similar example is Kobe, a Japanese city devastated by a powerful earthquake in January 1995. The region around Kobe and Osaka is one of Japan's most prominent industrial and commercial centers. Thus, the Kobe earthquake's total economic impact was immense, amounting to billions of dollars. Yet, despite this loss, Japan reconstructed Kobe.

36. One type of fitnah will spread everywhere:

One kind of fitnah (tribulation) will surface, from which no party will be able to protect itself, and spread immediately in all directions. This situation will persist until someone comes and says: "O people, from now on your leader is Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)." (Ibn Hajar Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 23.)

The hadiths speak of a tribulation that will touch everybody and spread quickly. This tribulation will be known to everybody, oppose religion and Allah, and target the people's faith. Today, materialist philosophy is the largest and most comprehensive trend produced to deny Allah's existence and Creation. Its underlying philosophy, the theory of evolution, provides it with a self-proclaimed "scientific" basis. Even though it is not based on any scientific and logical evidence, certain materialist circles continue to work for its acceptance via constant propaganda, deceit, and even fraud.

As our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) noted in one of his hadiths, global pervasiveness and rapid spread of this tribulation can materialize only when current technological means (that is, the press, publications, broadcasting, the Internet, and satellite communication) are available. as the relevant technology did not exist in the past, tribulation could not spread throughout the world so quickly. as a result, no other worldwide trend was seen that declared war on Allah's existence, Creation, and the morality of religion (Allah is beyond this). All of these are among the important signs that the second coming of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) advent coincide with the present time.

37. Religious prohibitions gain acceptance:

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will not emerge until unbelief invades everywhere and is openly committed in public. What rules in such times is the invasion by unbelief... That is its power. (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 2, 259.)

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will emerge following the occurrence of such vile fitnah, whereby all of the prohibitions are regarded as lawful. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 23.)

Such unlawful acts as prostitution, alcohol, and bribery are widespread in the world today. The Western media praises and encourages those who commit these unlawful acts, while criticizing those who do not. Statistics reveal that the number of people engaged in such activities is steadily increasing.

38. Openly denying Allah (Allah is beyond this):

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will not come until Allah is not said on the earth. (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman p. 27.)

Atheism has been around for a long time, but started to spread on a heretofore unknown scale by the end of the nineteenth century. The number of people deluded by the spread of materialism and Darwinism, atheism's philosophical and so-called "scientific" bases, increased markedly in the twentieth century, atheism will be defeated by Allah's will, thanks to the ideological struggle of sincere believers.

39. The spread of materialist philosophy:

Ha _zrat Mahdi (pbuh) will appear when the letters of the Bismillah lose their importance. (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 29.)_

"The letters of the Bismillah" may mean the people's stance toward Islamic morality and the condition of their faith. Indeed, in a period when the people's faith weakens, Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will appear and eliminate those ideological movements. Considered from this viewpoint, this hadith may indicate materialism's and Darwinism's amazing influence on people.

Another hadith describes how atheism and lack of belief will rise during the End Times:

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will not appear until denial is manifest everywhere in the community. What will be seen then... is the invasion of denial, and its power. (Letters of Imam Rabbani, 2-259.)

40. Fitnah alienates people from the Qur'an:

Before the _Last Hour, there will be fitnah (commotions) like pieces of a dark night in which a man will be a believer in the morning and an infidel in the evening, or a believer in the evening and infidel in the morning. (Sunan Abu Dawud)_

Surat al-An'am, 26 speaks of those who keep others away from the Qur'an.

They keep others from it and avoid it themselves. They are only destroying themselves but they are not aware of it. (Surat al-An'am, 26)

The hadiths also indicate that corrupt patterns of thought will be prevalent before the Judgment Day comes, and that systems far removed from truth and justice will come into being. These developments will cause great discord and draw people away from the ways of Allah.

Other hadiths reveal that this fitnah (commotions) will be disseminated by various propaganda and indoctrination techniques:

" _At that time, inviters will call the people to the gates of Hell. Whoever heeds that call, they will cast him into Hell. "O Messenger of Allah, tell us of the nature of those inviters!" they said. "Very well," he replied, "they will be from our nation and speak in our tongue." (Death, the Last Day, the Hereafter and the Signs of the End Times, p. 382, no. 698.)_

In the near future, there will be some terrible fitnah that makes people blind, deaf and mute and conceals the truth, that makes people deaf to the truth, and mute, unable to speak the truth... In a state of tumult because of fitnah, the engagement of the tongue in fitnah and propaganda will enable it to spread like a stroke from a sword. (Death, the Last Day, the Hereafter and the Signs of the End Times, p. 390, no. 720.)

The deafening silence imposed by this fitnah reminds one of the authoritarian regimes in power in many countries. These regimes suppress intellectual freedom of thought and prevent people from expressing themselves and their beliefs as they wish. Muslims cannot freely express their thoughts and are persecuted because of their beliefs, particularly in some Arab and African countries—one instance of this state of affairs.

41. The destruction of masjids and mosques:

The Sufyani will emerge from a dry valley... He will destroy madrassas (religious schools) and mosques, and punish everyone bowing [ruqu'] and prostrating [sajda] themselves in prayer. (Ali ibn Husamaddin al-Muttaki, Hadiths from Jalaluddin al-Suyuti's Classification: Signs of the Mahdi of the End Times, Kahraman Publications, p. 35.)

42. The appearance of false Prophets:

The Hour will not be established until about thirty dajjals [liars] appear, and each one of them will claim that he is Allah's messenger... (Sahih Bukhari)

The appearance of 60 liars, each of whom claims that Allah, the One God, has sent them as a Prophet. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 36.)

43. People who exploit religion for their personal interests:

When scholars learn knowledge solely in order to make money... when they sell religion for worldly things... when they sell the judgment... The Last Day will be close at hand. (Death, the Last Day and Resurrection, p. 480.)

There will be people in the End Times who will sell their religion in return for worldly gain. (Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 60.)

Whoever reads the Qur'an, let him seek [his reward] from Allah. In fact, in the End Times, there will be some who read the Qur'an but seek [gain] from others. (Hadith Concerning the End Times, p. 9.)

44. The number of true believers being very few:

There will come a time for my people when... mosques will be full of people, but they will be empty of right guidance. (al-Hakim)

A time will come when people will... adopt the views of people who make innovations [bid'at–those who seek to impose things that do not belong to the religion as if they actually do] and unknowingly fall into idolatry, when they study knowledge for profit, and when they use their religion as a tool to obtain worldly goods. (Daylami; Hadiths Concerning the End Times, p. 68.)

45. The oppression on true believers:

I swear that this community will suffer such [fierce] tribulations that people will be unable to find anywhere to escape cruelty and oppression. at such a troubled time, Almighty Allah will send one [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] from my own line. (Death, the Last Day, the Hereafter and the Signs of the End Times, p. 437.)

He will punish all those who prostrate themselves to pray... He will be the enemy of Al-i Muhammad... (Ali ibn Husamaddin al-Muttaki, Hadiths from Jalaluddin al-Suyuti's Classification: Signs of the Mahdi of the End Times, Kahraman Publications, p. 37.)

Here, one third of Muslims will be killed... (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 73.)

Another of the portents of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) revealed in the hadiths is that at that time, Muslims will be subjected to great oppression and difficulty. The situation in the Islamic world today is proof that this portent is coming about. From Indonesia to Palestine and from Chad to East Turkestan, Muslims are being persecuted. Some of the details regarding these difficulties are set out in the hadiths:

\- Despotic rulers:

Woe to this community, because of the cruel, murdering rulers. These oppressors will terrify even those who remain silent, excepting only those who obey them... (from Abu Nuaym; al-Suyuti, vol. II, p. 64.)

Leaders oppressing the people is one of the signs of the Last Day. (Alamat al-Qiyama, p. 143.)

These hadiths indicate the rise of irreligious, despotic and ruthless rulers in certain Muslim countries prior to the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh).

\- the spread of atheist ideologies:

[ _One sign of the Last Day is] the raising of the voices of the wicked inside mosques and the victory and rule of sinners over true believers who abide by the commands of the religion. (Death, the Last Day, the Hereafter and the Signs of the End Times, p. 450.)_

\- Believers forced to hide their faith:

In another hadith, our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) states that in the End Times, all this persecution will constrain true believers to conceal their faith and to worship in secret:

A time will come when believers will seek to maintain their faith in secret among other people, much as the hypocrites live in concealment among you today. (Ibn al-Sunni, Hadiths Concerning the End Times, p. 12.)

46. The degeneration of politicians:

One important feature of this time is the emergence of ruthless, cruel leaders who lead their peoples to disaster. The twentieth century was full of such people—individuals who adopted ideologies far removed from the moral values of religion. They became notorious for the cruelties they inflicted and for the sufferings they caused due to war and other conflicts. Mao had thousands of citizens killed solely for opposing him, and was responsible for the deaths of millions during his regime. Under the influence of fascist ideology, Mussolini led his people to disaster by dragging his country into World War II. Mobutu has gone down in history as one of Africa's most ruthless dictators.

In the End Times, there will be cruel rulers, wicked ministers, treacherous judges, and lying hodjas. If anyone goes to them, let him not be allied to them, help them, or show them the way. (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 182.)

Soon there will appear some chiefs who will confiscate your food and soothe you with lies. They will work, yet what they do will be evil. Their worst attribute is that they will not be pleased with you until you consider their evil as good and confirm their lies. (al-Tabarani)

One by one, the principles of Islam will be violated and some statesmen will misguide people... (al-Hakim, Mustadrak)

47. The concepts of virtue and vice change places:

The proliferation of the wicked and liars being believed is one of the signs of the Last Day. (Bayhaqi, Ibn Najjar; Hadiths Concerning the End Times, p. 107.)

The confirmation of falsehood and the rejection of the truth is one of the signs of the Last Day. (Alamat al-Qiyama, p.137.)

The liar will be believed, and he who tells the truth denied. The traitor will be trusted, and the trustworthy treated like a traitor... Falsehood will spread in those times. (Fera Idu Fevaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar; the Awaited Mahdi, 3rd edition, pp. 146-147.)

48. Fighting among Muslims:

The Judgment Day will not come until the two great Islamic armies war with one another... (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 454, no. 831.)

Muslims who fail to get along well with one another in those days cannot avoid being the target of the dajjal (antichrist). (al-Hakim, Mustadrak, vol. 4, pp. 529-30.)

Abu Huraira reported that Allah's Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) narrated: "The Last Hour will not come until the two [Muslim] parties confront each other, and there is a large-scale massacre amongst them and the chain of both of them is the same." (Sahih Muslim)

In these hadiths, our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) called attention to some events that would take in our day. Indeed, as these hadiths reveal, at the beginning of the year 1400 of the Islamic era, Iraq and Iran were fighting each other, and Iraq would later invade Kuwait in 1999.

49. The cutting of trade and roads:

When trade and roads are cut and fitnah (tribulation) multiplies... (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 52.)

Before Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) appears, trade and roads between nations will be cut and fitnah among people will grow. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 39.)

Despite the commercial and economic cooperation between countries in our day, security concerns sometimes hinder many commercial activities. You can see this in the difficulties faced by those who want to transport the Caspian region's underground riches to other regions. Disputes and tensions elsewhere hinder similar economic cooperation and thereby limit commercial opportunities.

50. An increase in the number of earthquakes:

The Hour [Last Day] will not be established until... earthquakes become very frequent. (Sahih Bukhari)

There are two great events before the Day of Judgment... and then years of earthquakes. (Ramuz al-Ahadith, p. 187, no. 2.)

The days when you can find no homes to shelter you, or animals to carry you, have come close. Earthquakes will demolish your houses, lightnings will burn your herds, turning them into coals. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 146.)

There will be disagreements and frequent earthquakes. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-Ashrat al-Sa'ah, p. 166.)

According to U.S. Geological Survey reports, the number of earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater on the Richter scale that took place during the 400 years between 1556-1975 was only 110; between 1980-2009, the number of earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 or greater on the Richter scale was 4,176.8 These figures reveal that the number of earthquakes had increased by the beginning of the year Hijri 1400.

51. Drought:

During the three years just before the dajjal (antichrist) comes, there will be one year when the sky will withhold one third of its rain and the earth one-third of its fruits. In the second year, the sky will withhold two-thirds of its rain, and the earth two-thirds of its fruits. In the third year, all of its fruits and all the animals will die. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal)

Drought that is to occur in the End Times for a certain period of time is also a very important sign that will happen right before the descent of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh).

52. Winds and tornadoes:

The Judgment Day will not happen until ten portents are seen. The tenth is a tornado that will hurl people into the sea... (Muhammad ibn 'Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 288.)

These are the most important disasters arising from climatic changes that have occurred in recent years:

On October 1987, the largest storm since 1703 hit southeast England. Around 15 million trees were felled, a great part of the forests disappeared, 16 people died, buildings were damaged, and ships were driven onto the shore.

On March 20, 1998, 12 people died during the tornado in Georgia.

On 27 March 1997, 27 people died in a tornado that hit Texas.

Storms in Bangladesh on 13 May 1996, were estimated to have killed between 500 and 1,000 people. The same storms also led to 30,000 people being injured and 100,000 left homeless.

The damage caused in the Gulf of Mexico alone by Hurricane and rew in 1992 was around $500 million, and approximately $250 million in the Bahamas. and 2 million people in the eastern USA were forced to leave their homes.

Floods in central and eastern parts of Europe in August 2002 caused 114 deaths. The most violent storms in South Korea for 40 years, on 21 September, 2003, led to around 200 fatalities over the course of two days.

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated eight towns and cities in Mississippi, destroying 80% of New Orleans and causing the deaths of 2,000 people. It is regarded as the second-worst storm in American history, with damage costs totalling around $81.2 billion. With the collapse of the barriers constructed to protect the city against flooding almost all the city was inundated. This may correspond to the description of "a storm that will cast people into the sea" given in the hadith.

Hurricane Sidr, which struck Bangladesh with wind speeds of up to 250 km/hour (155 miles/hour) in 2007, ended in the loss of 3,200 lives and wreaked terrible destruction. Waves up to 6 meters (19,6 feet) high destroyed thousands of homes and led to the deaths of some 1,000 people. The hurricane affected around 5 million people and is regarded as one of the worst disasters of the century.

53. Violent rain:

The Hour will not come until there has been rain which destroy all dwellings. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal)

An increase in rain and a reduction in grass... occur because the Judgment Day is near. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 137.)

The Hour does not come until all mud-brick buildings, except for the stone ones, collapse. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 13, p. 291, no. 7554.)

Heavy rains and the subsequent floods are among the great natural disasters that cause many casualties. In recent years especially, such events have caused serious material damage and killed many people throughout the world. The floods that affected Europe in recent years are an example. Heavy downpours hit almost all of Europe, causing floods and submerging portions of many large cities.

The seasonal monsoon rains that struck India, Nepal, and Bangladesh in 2002 left behind 900 dead. In China, mudslides caused by heavy summer rains killed 1,000 people in August 2002. Following the flooding in Europe in 2002, further floods in 2006 affected many European countries, especially Hungary, but also Romania, Serbia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In 2007, thousands were left homeless in flooding in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, while strong rain in July that year led to flooding that affected some 1 million people in Great Britain.

54. An increased amount of lightning:

Thunderbolts will increase so much as the Hour approaches that when a man comes to a group of people, he will ask, "Who amongst you was struck by a thunderbolt this morning?" and they will say, "So and so and so and so was struck." (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal)

Earthquakes will destroy your homes, lightning will burn your herds, turning them into coals. (Nu'aym ibn Hammad)

The hadiths relate that the increased amount of lightning is a sign of the Judgment Day. as weather statistics indicate, the loss of possessions and the increased number of deaths due to lightning have become far more frequent in recent years. In 1998, for example, 11 soccer players were killed in Congo when lightning struck their field. Similarly in 2001, lightning hit a football field in Mexico and killed six people. Aside from these incidents, lightning kills many people and animals each year.

Data from China show that each year, lightning strikes are increasing in frequency at a specific rate. The numbers rose from 7,625 in 2003 to 8,892 in 2004, 11,026 in 2005 and 19,982 in 2006. In 2006, lightning strikes killed 717 people in China alone.

55. Earth's collapse:

The first sign of the Hour is earth's collapse. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 518.)

When the latter generations of these people insult the former ones, expect red winds, earth's collapse, or the raining of stones from the heavens. (Tirmidhi)

At the End Times, when entertainment and dancers pervade and drinking is considered permissible, earth will collapse, stones will pour [from the sky], and people will strip off their humane qualities. (Ahmad Diya'al-Din al-Kamushkhanawi, Ramuz al-Ahadith, vol. 2, p. 302, No. 8.)

56. Conversion of homes into graves:

_He asked: "What becomes of you when death meets people and homes become graves?" (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 392, no. 726_ )

57. Epidemics:

Epidemics such as plague, that is, the disease that hits sheep; it will seize you... (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 417, no. 761.)

Two fatal diseases will spread among you, such as the Ikasu'l-Ganem [a fatal and epidemic animal disease]. (Jami' al-Ushul, vol. 10, p. 412.)

This aside, in our day, new and unknown epidemics appear. Within the last 20 to 30 years, we have had to deal with AIDS, SARS, Ebola, Mad Cow disease, bird and swine flus all of which have become grave threats.

58. People fleeing one another:

O Messenger of Allah, what is the fitnah of Akhlas?" He said: "Fleeing—that is, the fleeing of people from one another due to mistrust and the looting of people's possessions." (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 386, no. 714.)

The hadith states that people will flee from one another due to mistrust and fear. This might refer to those who are forced to flee their homelands. Indeed, the number of refugees and exiles had increased greatly by the beginning of the twentieth century.

Especially during the last 20 to 30 years, this increase has reached significant totals. by 2001, the number of refugees reached 23 million while the number of people who had abandoned their homes was about 30 million.

59. Abandoning "enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong" as an act of worship:

The Hour will approach... when good is abandoned and nobody enjoins it, and evil is committed and no one forbids it. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 480.)

The Hour draws near, and the good deeds diminish. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 264.)

60. Poverty and hunger:

The poor will grow in number. (Amal al-Din al-Qazwini, Mufid al-'Uulum wa Mubid al-Humum)

Gains will be shared out only among the rich, with no benefit to the poor. (Tirmidhi)

Three years before the appearance of the dajjal (antichrist), there will be exceedingly stressful days and hunger will rule. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 220.)

Today, many people all over the world live without sufficient food and water, as well as in unhealthy conditions. While most of them are located in Africa, Asia, and South America, they are also quite numerous in rich countries such as in America and western Europe. as only a small portion of people live in great prosperity, nearly 2 billion live below the poverty line.

United Nations reports show that, in 1960, the 20% of the people in the richest countries had 30 times the income of the poorest 20; by 1995 it was 82 times.9 as an example of the collapse of social justice, the wealth of the world's 225 richest individuals is equal to the annual income of the poorest 47%!10

61. Abandoning almsgiving:

When they regard giving alms as a punishment [i.e., as a burden instead of a religious observance]... (Tirmidhi)

When that time comes, alms will be taken by force as a punishment and extortion as loot. (Fera Idu Fevaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, pp. 146-47.)

62. An increase in murders:

The Hour [Last Day] will not be established until murders increase. (Sahih Bukhari)

The Judgment Day will not come until your leaders kill and the wicked inherit your world. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 141.)

... The appearance of fitnahs (tribulation), terrifying situations, and murders. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 39.)

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "When the time would draw close to the Last Hour, the Harj will increase." They said: "What is al-Harj?" Thereupon he said: "It is bloodshed and slaughter." (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim and Sunan Abu Dawud)

"... The shedding of blood... is one of the portents of the Judgment Day." (Muhammad ibn 'Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 142.)

He [our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)] said: "Before the Hour comes, there will be a lot of harj." I asked: "O Allah's Messenger, what is harj?" He replied: "It is murder, that is, murders... killing one another, to such an extent that it is killing one's neighbor, nephew, or close relative." (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 385, no. 711)

63. Increase in suicides:

People kill themselves, and mischief prevails all over the world. (Ibn Kathir, An-Nihaya, vol. 1, p. 131.)

64. Moral degeneration:

The Hour will not come... until there will be prevalence of open illegal sexual intercourse. (Sahih Bukhari)

... [One day] the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked: "What will become of you when your young people fall into wrongdoing?" (Al-Kutub as-Sitta, hadith no. 4752; recorded by al-Haithami in Majma' az-Zawaid [7, 281].)

The time will come when people's faces will be human faces. but their hearts will be the hearts of satan. They will be bloodthirsty and will not avoid evil deeds. If you obey them, they will look after you. If you trust them, they will betray you. Their children will be immoral, and their young people unrestrained. Their elderly will command no goodness, and forbid no evil. (al-Hatib, the History of the Future 1, p. 23.)

65. Spread of adultery:

The Hour will come when adultery becomes widespread. (Sahih Bukhari)

The Last Hour will not be established until they [wicked people] commit adultery on the roads [public ways]. (Ibn Hibban and al-Bazzar)

Children of adultery will grow in number. Many people will commit adultery with women in the middle of the street. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 140.)

A time will come when adultery with women will be committed in the middle of the road. Nobody will object to this. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li -Ashrat as-Sa'ah, p. 142.)

66. Economic problems and social inequalities:

People will prosper until the ninety-fifth year, that is, their business will prosper. In the ninety-seventh and the ninety-ninth year, their possessions will go to waste... (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 54.)

It is highly probable that "ninety-fifth year" refers to the year 1995, when people had a relatively better life and its conditions had not become so difficult. Indeed, as described in the hadith, during that year people had enough income to earn a living and had some possessions. However, during 1997 to 99, the economy deteriorated, poverty spread, and possessions lost their value. Such an event can happen very quickly, as exemplified by Argentina's recent economic crisis.

One economic issue reported in the End Times is a decrease in earnings:

Everyone complains of low earnings... The rich are respected because of their wealth... (Alamat al-Qiyama, p. 146.)

Stagnation in the markets and falls in profits... (Alamat al-Qiyama, p. 148.)

According to these hadiths, the End Times will see social injustices as well as economic crises, and national wealth will not be distributed equally:

Allah's Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "When my people do fifteen things trial will alight on them." He enumerated these things as follows: "When the booty is taken as personal commodity [circulating only through the hands of the rich and powerful, never being touched by the poor]..." (Tirmidhi, Fitan: 39, [2211])

This state of affairs, described by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as one of the signs of the Judgment Day, is currently taking place at an intense rate in the world as a whole. The richest in the world control a very large part of its wealth, while billions live in poverty and starvation. The poverty and hunger suffered by millions of people on the African continent alone are apparent for all the world to see.

67. Social deterioration:

When people suffer strife and social upheaval... (Ahmad Diya'al-Din al-Kamushkhanawi, Ramuz al-Ahadith, vol. 7, p. 7.)

One striking mark of social decline is the huge increase in crime, which has now reached substantial proportions. The report Universal Crime and Justice prepared by the United Nations' International Crime Prevention Center, contains a general appraisal of crime throughout the world:

Basically, as in the 1980s, the crime rate continued to rise in the 1990s.

Everywhere in the world, in a five-year period, two-thirds of the people living in large cities have been the target at least once of a criminal action.

All over the world, the odds of being the target of a serious crime (robbery, sexual crimes, assault) are one in five.

Regardless of the area, crimes against property, and crimes of violence committed by youth, have both had economic ramifications.

The number of types of illicit drugs has increased, and their nature has diversified in recent years.11

68. Increased life expectancy:

At that time... life spans will grow longer. (Ibn Hajar Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 43.)

Records clearly show that the average life expectancy is now the highest in history. There was already a great difference between the beginning and the end of the twentieth century. for example, a person born in 1995 can expect to live more than 35 years longer than a person born in 1900.12

69. The greening of the deserts:

The Day of Judgment will not come until there are rivers and gardens in Arabia. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 17, p. 22, no. 8819.)

The Day of Judgment will not come until there are rivers and streams in Arabia. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 471.)

To green the deserts, sufficient amounts of water and land must be obtained. One relevant technology now being developed is computer-controlled irrigation. This enables water to be sent directly to the plant's roots so that not a single drop is wasted. Given that purified water is a crucial element of desert agriculture, flood and sea water provide the basis of agricultural technology. In this way, vast water resources will be obtained, a development that also will be a major support of countries' economies.

Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also indicated the very productive use of water:

Both the ummah's good and wicked members will be blessed with a blessing, the like of which they have never seen before. Despite the abundance of rain, not a drop will go to waste. The land will grow fruitful and fertile, without demanding a single seed... (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 23.)

70. The speaking of voices by means of a "whip":

The Last Hour will not come before the end of a man's whip speaks to him. (Tirmidhi)

In ancient times, the whip was widely used while riding saddle beasts, especially camels and horses. In this hadith, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is making a comparison. Thus, "What speaking object can we compare to the handle of a whip?" the most likely answer would be a cell phone or similar communication devices. Such wireless communication devices are very recent developments, and are more indications that the Judgment Day is drawing near.

There will be no Judgment... until a person's own voice speaks to him. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 471.)

The message here is quite clear: A person's hearing his own voice is a characteristic of the End Times. for this to become a reality, one's voice must first be recorded. Such recording and reproduction technology was developed during the twentieth century. This turning point in the advancement of science enabled the birth of the communications and media industries. Voice recording has now reached its apogee via the latest developments in computer and laser technology.

In short, such electronic devices as microphones and speakers have made it possible for people to record and listen to their own voices, and thus fulfill the above hadith.

71. Bird and swine flus:

Fourteen hundred years ago, our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) revealed that two epidemics would spread during the End Times. In addition, the detailed information provided by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) about these diseases makes it possible to identify them very easily. The diseases in question are bird and swine flu, both fatal epidemics, that emerged one after the other during the years in which the signs of the End Times are taking place on an intensive basis. (Allah knows the truth.) Some hadith on the subject read:

"Six things will happen before the Judgment Day... Then many people will die. Two deadly sickness will spread among you, that kill in a moment and drip from the noses of sheep." (Sahih Bukhari, vol. 2/278 Fath al-Bari)

"Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will not appear until people are terrified. Earthquakes and fitnahs (tribulation) will afflict people first, and plagues will be seen... Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will appear at that time. Glad tidings for those who will live to see him and be his helpers. Woe to those who oppose him (Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)) and reject his commands." (Fara Idu Fawaidi al-Fiqr, Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar)

The A/H1N1 swine flu and A/H5N1 bird flu viruses settle in the cell receptors in animals' respiratory passages. The fact that birds and pigs are the cause of these epidemics, as revealed by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and despite their having been in existence for millions of years, is further evidence that we are living in the End Times. This state of affairs has spread just as Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) has appeared by Allah's command.

72. The economic crisis that began in 2007:

One of the portents of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) revealed by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is a rise in economic problems and economic stagnation. The Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has revealed that in the End Times, trade will stagnate, everyone will complain of reduced earnings, prices will rise and , in short, there will be major economic troubles. The great economic crisis that began in 2007 and made itself evident in all spheres in 2008 was revealed as one of the signs of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) 1,400 years ago.

Stagnation in the markets is one of the signs of the Judgment Day. I asked, "What does stagnation in the markets mean?" This: "Everyone complaining of reduced earnings..." (From Ibn Marduwayh Abu Huraira (ra), Portents of the Judgment Day, Pamuk Press, p. 146.)

Stagnation in the markets and reduced earnings [will be one of the signs before the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. (Portents of the Judgment Day, p. 148.)

Everyone complaining of low earnings... The rich respected for their money... (Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 146.)

Business being slack. Everyone will complain, "I cannot sell, buy or earn money." (Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 152.)

Before the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), the trade and the roads are cut and fitnah (tribulation) increases. (Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 52.)

73. The appearance of the double-tailed comet Lulin:

Based on the hadith of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), Imam Rabbani cites the passage near the Earth of a "bright, double-tailed comet":

You repeatedly ask about a bright pillar born from the east.

Know that,

According to his Companions, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

"When Abbasi Malik arrives at Khorasan, one of the signs of the coming of the promised Mahdi (pbuh), a double-toothed (1) light shedding (2) horn (3) will appear in the east."

According to the account, that pillar had two heads.

The first birth of this pillar was at the time of the destruction of the people of Noah (pbuh). The same thing was born when they cast Abraham (pbuh) into the fire. It was born again in the time of Pharaoh and his people.

It was born again at the time of the martyring of the Prophet John (pbuh).

Let whoever sees it seek shelter in Allah from the evil of fitnah (tribulation).

That whiteness emerging from the east was formerly in the shape of a radiant pillar. A curvature then came to it, and it took the form of a horn.

It is probable, therefore:

\- It is described as double-headed probably because both sides will be thin and resemble a tooth, and it will have a head at both ends. Indeed, if a blade has a cutting edge on two sides,

\- They use the term double-headed.

My brother Sheikh Muhammad Takhir Badahshi came from Confor. He says:

\- There are two heads on the upper part of that pillar. They resemble two teeth. There is a short space between them.

This was recognized at the desert.

The same report was also given by another community.

But this birth is not that which will appear at the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). That is because his appearance will be at the beginning of the century. Eighteen years have currently gone by since the beginning of the century.

The hadith says this about the portents of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):

"A tailed star (comet) will be born in the east and shed its light."

That comet has been born. but is it that one, or another similar one?

That this star is called a comet, is probably based on the following:

-The course of the constant is from west to east (4)...

The situation of this star follows this course. In other words, its head faces east and its tail faces west. The long white part is in its rear. Therefore:

-It is appropriate for it to be described as having a tail.

Its daily passage, on the other hand, is from east to west. (5) [Allah knows the truth.] (Imam Rabbani, Maktubat, Letter 381, p. 1184)

The expression "a double-toothed, light-shedding horn will appear," described by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in the hadith as a portent of the coming of the awaited Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in the End Times and described in detail by Imam Rabbani refers to the comet Lulin, which came closest to the Earth on 24 February, 2009. The way that the terms in the hadith completely fit the characteristics of the comet Lulin is a great miracle and glad tidings for believers awaiting the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh).

(1) ... double-toothed... :

The fact that the tail of the comet Lulin is forked completely matches the term double-toothed in the hadith.

(2) ... light-shedding... :

The term light-shedding in the hadith refers to the brightness of the comet Lulin, which exceeded that of six stars as it approached the Earth.

(3) ... A horn... :

The main distinguishing feature between Lulin and other comets is that as well as the comet having a tail in the rear of its body, it also has a tail in the front. Examination of photographs of Lulin and its two tails immediately put one in mind of a horn.

(4) the course of the constant is from west to east... :

The hadith goes on to say that "The course of the constant is from west to east..." This refers to the movement of heavenly bodies, which information is in full agreement with the astronomical findings of the 20th century. Indeed, all heavenly bodies travel from west to east.

(5) Its daily passage, on the other hand, is from east to west... :

Here the expression "its daily passage, on the other hand..." indicates that the comet Lulin, as opposed to all other heavenly bodies, travel from east to west.

The fact that this characteristic, seen in no other heavenly body, applies to the comet Lulin and that this was described 1,400 years ago by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as a portent of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is a great miracle.

74. An image shaped like a hand will appear in space:

... Asma bint Umays says: "The portent of that day [the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is a hand extending from the sky and people turning to look at it." (Hadith Collected by Jalaluddin As-Suyuti, Portents of the Mahdi of the End Times, Ali Ibn Hasamaddin Al Muttaki, p. 69.)

Conflict and disputes will persist until a hand appears from the sky and a voice cries; "Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is your amir." the sign of that day: A hand will extend from the sky and people will look at and see it. (Ahmad Ibn Hajar al-Makki (Haytami), Portents of the Anticipated Mahdi, Al-Qawl Al-Mukhtasar Fi alamat Al-Mahdi Al-Muntazar, p. 53.)

... at that time [of the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] a hand will be seen revealing itself from the sky... (Hadith Collected by Jalaluddin As-Suyuti, Portents of the Mahdi of the End Times, Ali Ibn Hasamaddin Al Muttaki, p. 51.)

These hadith transmitted from our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) speak of a "hand" being seen in the sky, and say that this is a portent of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). It appears that disputes will continue until that time and that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will constantly be a matter of discussion, i.e. through means of communication such as radio, television and the Internet.

A picture of space taken by NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory shows a mass of neutron stars shaped like a hand appearing to close round another star mass. The reference to a hand in the hadith may be suggestive of this image in the indicated meaning, described by NASA as the "hand of God," giving rise to a celestial phenomenon. (Allah knows the truth.)

The shape of a hand formed by the stellar mass is in complete agreement with the description of its extension as given in the hadith. The photograph taken by NASA shows a hand stretching out somewhere. In addition, the way that people were able to see and observe this celestial phenomenon by means of telescopes thanks to the advanced space and astronomical technology in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is also in complete agreement with the expressions employed in the hadith.

# Conclusion: Allah Never Breaks His Promises

The coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) has always occupied an important place in the history of the Abrahamic faiths. The coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)—described in detail in terms of his qualities, helpmates, the characteristics of his day and the deeds he will perform—is the subject of excited glad tidings in the scriptures of each faith.

From the way these portents have intensified and are taking place one after the other, we can see that the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is close at hand. Corruption and strife, war and conflict, immorality and atheism have never been so intense, and degeneration is literally at a peak. This shows that the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is imminent. However, all these tribulations will come to an end with the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), like fire being extinguished by water. and Allah will most certainly " **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..." (Surat an-Nur, 55)**

The Prophet Jesus (pbuh) who will appear at the same time as Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), will particularly address the Christian world, free them from the superstitions into which they have fallen, and call on them to live by Islamic moral values. When Christians follow the Prophet Jesus (pbuh), the Christian and Islamic worlds will join together in faith of Islam. as promised in all three Abrahamic faiths' Holy Scriptures—the Torah, the Gospel and the Qur'an—people all over the world will live in a climate of sincere belief, filled with peace, security, and well-being.

Those who are engaged in superstitious struggles in the face of these welcome developments, however, will witness the defeat written in their destinies. as revealed in the verse " **This was so that He might verify the Truth and nullify the false, even though the evildoers hate that" (Surat al-Anfal, 8), Allah's desires will prevail.**

This is how the Qur'an describes the situation of those who resist the spread of religious moral values:

" **But the actions of those who do not believe are like a mirage in the desert. A thirsty man thinks it is water, but when he reaches it, he finds it to be nothing at all, but he finds Allah there. He will pay him his account in full. Allah is swift at reckoning." (Surat an-Nur, 39)**

People living in the Golden Age will be restored to faith under the leadership of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and will, Allah willing, witness a most honorable age. for believers, this period, which every Muslim will wish to experience because of its abundance, fertility, comfort and peaceful environment—will be a great joy in the life of this world. as a result of anarchy, terror, disorder, enmity and violence coming to an end in the Golden Age, they will attain a heavenly climate in this world, and lives filled with peace and ease.

This blessing of Allah's upon believers is a promise of our Lord's, as revealed in the verse: "As for those who make Allah their friend, and His Messenger and those who believe: it is the party of Allah who are victorious!" (Surat al-Ma'ida, 56) and "... Allah does not break His promise. but most people do not know it." (Surah Rum, 6).

In another verse of the Qur'an, our Lord tells us: "What you are promised will certainly happen." (Surat al-Mursalat, 7).

# Appendix I: Gog and Magog, Described in the Qur'an, Very Likely Refer to the First and Second World Wars

Who Gog and Magog may be, when they will appear and how they will be eliminated have been subjects of concern for hundreds of years, and a great many books and articles have been written about them. However, we can obtain the most accurate information about Gog and Magog, who also appear in the Gospels, the Christians' Holy Scripture, and in the Torah of the Jews, from the verses of the Qur'an, the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). When all this information is taken into consideration, Gog and Magog very likely refer to World Wars I and II.

In the Qur'an, Gog and Magog are a people noteworthy as a bloodthirsty movement opposed to Allah. Important characteristics related to Gog and Magog are informed in the Qur'an. In the verses in which He describes the peoples of Gog and Magog, Almighty Allah says:

Until he arrived between the two mountains where he found a people scarcely able to understand speech. (Surat al-Kahf, 93)

They said, 'Dhu'l-Qarnayn! Gog and Magog are causing corruption in the land. Can we, therefore, pay tribute to you in return for your constructing a barrier between us and them?' (Surat al-Kahf, 94)

The first is that this people is 'scarcely able to understand speech.' in other words, they are a heedless people.

The second feature is that they cause corruption in the land. The word 'land' here is used in the sense of the world, meaning the corruption will be global. In order for corruption to emerge anywhere, it needs to have a philosophical origin, a defect of belief. In order for such a system of corruption to be able to take place across the world and affect the whole planet, it is essential for a great heretical philosophical foundation that will hold everyone under its sway to come about. Therefore, the emergence of Gog and Magog and system of destruction they bring with them therefore refers to a terrible disaster based on a totally perverted philosophy and that will inflict oppression on the entire world. (Allah knows the truth.)

In all probability, this global tragedy is a reference to the First and Second World Wars. Because these wars were initiated under the influence of Darwinist, materialist, communist and fascist ideologies, under the influence of which they wreaked destruction on the whole world. Communists and fascists comprise Gog and Magog of the End Times. The world's bloodiest leaders adopted the teachings of the theory of evolution as their guide and inflicted disaster and destruction on vast masses of people through communist and fascist movements. These wars, based on a perverted philosophy and in which so many Muslims were martyred, took place across the world, as indicated in the verses, and resulted in the deaths of 150-200 million people.

Other verses in which Gog and Magog are described read:

He said, 'The power my Lord has granted me is better than that. Just give me a strong helping hand and I will build a solid barrier between you and them. (Surat al-Kahf, 95)

Bring me ingots of iron!' Then, when he had made it level between the two high mountain-sides, he said, 'Blow!' and when he had made it a red hot fire, he said, 'Bring me molten brass to pour over it.' (Surat al-Kahf, 96)

They were, therefore, unable to climb over it nor were they able to make a breach in it. (Surat al-Kahf, 97)

When Gog and Magog are let loose and rush down from every slope. (Surat Al-Anbiya', 96)

The verses refer to intensive use of iron and brass. Large quantities of iron and brass were used in World Wars I and II. Tanks, vehicles, motorcycles and planes were made using huge amounts of iron and brass. This is in complete agreement with the verses.

The verses also refer to two high mountain sides. This may be a reference to the defensive lines that sprang up in the two World Wars. Great defensive lines, such as the French and German lines, were built in World War I in particular. Huge, solid fortifications, equipped with tanks and that could only be entered through tunnels, were constructed to defend their borders. The aim was to prevent any attack from the outside and to neutralize the enemy.

As revealed in the verse, one of the distinguishing features of Gog and Magog is that they rush down from the slopes. Indeed, countless armies descended from the hills in the World Wars, and the armies of many countries penetrated right inside the cities and attacked millions of innocent people.

In the light of such portents as the whole world being influenced on the basis of a heretical philosophy, a climate of corruption and strife being built on the basis of the bloody ideologies of communism and fascism, the use of iron and brass and the building of defensive fortifications, it is very probably that Gog and Magog described in the Qur'an refer to the First and Second World Wars. During these wars, the consequence of Darwinist and communist philosophy, the worst mass killings in history were committed, together with the worst destruction the world had ever seen. The terrible destruction wreaked by Gog and Magog in the End Times is in complete agreement with this interpretation. (Allah knows the truth.)

## Indications from the Hadith that Gog and Magog are Likely to Be World Wars I and II

Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has revealed that the human society known as "Gog and Magog" is one of the portents of the Judgment Day. The appearance of Gog and Magog in the End Times, shortly before the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), became a reality with the First and Second World Wars. (Allah knows the truth.) It appears from the hadith of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that "Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will rule over the world just like Dhu'l-Qarnayn (pbuh) and the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) _." That there are indications of the End Times in the story of Dhu'l-Qarnayn (pbuh), in which the community of Gog and Magog is mentioned. (Portents of the Judgment Day, p. 183/ Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar p. 32/ Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 10_.)

In the Qur'an, Gog and Magog are a people noteworthy as a bloodthirsty movement opposed to Allah. There have always been corrupt movements opposed to Allah; but the real global corruption took place in the End Times in World Wars I and II.

The want experienced in this time of corruption can be seen in the following hadith of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace):

"... The peoples of Gog and Magog will flood down from high places, such as mountains and hills, and will infect people and eat everything and drink lakes dry, as a result of which there will be a great famine." (Ibn Majah, Fitan: 33, no: 4075-4077, 2/1358; Tirmidhi, Fitan: 59, no: 2240, 4/510)

"Gog and Magog... will attack people and drink all their water, and people will begin to flee from them..." (Abû Ya'lâ, no: 6436; Khâkim, al-Mustadrak: 4/488; Abdurrazzâk, al-Musannaf, 2/28,29; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Musnad, no: 10632, 16/369; Tirmidhî, no: 3153; Ibn Mâjah, no: 4080; Ibn Hibbân, no: 6829)

"Gog and Magog will come down. as Almighty Allah says, 'They will flow down from high places,' and infect people, and Muslims will flee from them and retire to the cities and their castles and will take their animals with them. Gog and Magog will drink the waters of the earth and when they come to a river they will drink it dry, and those who come after them will say, 'There used to be water here.' When nobody remains who has not entered special shelters, their spokesman will say, 'We have been saved from the people of the earth, now it is the turn of the people of the sky...' (Ahmad ibni Hanbal, al-Musnad, no: 11731, 18/256; Ibn Mâjah, 4079; Abû Ya'lâ, 1144, 1351; Tabarî, 15/399; Ibn Hibbân, no: 6830; Khâkim, al-Mustadrak: 2/245, 4/489)

The hadiths may be indicating the climate of trouble, famine and difficulty between the World Wars. (Allah knows the truth.) the wars involved cities, and people fled the bombing from the ground and sky by moving into shelters. These hadiths emphasize the misery and poverty of those days.

In another hadith, our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) reveals that Gog and Magog are a human society made up of various peoples:

" _Gog and Magog consist of 22 communities..." (Fathul Bari (13/107); Tuhfetul Ahfezi (6/351); Keshful Hafa (1/38-39); Barzanji, al-Ishaa (249))_

In that regard, Gog and Magog refer to the alliance of communist and fascist countries that joined forces in the World Wars. (Allah knows the truth.)

We also know from other hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that the people Gog and Magog will "spread corruption" (Portents of the Judgment Day, composed by: Muhammad ibn Rasul Al-Husseini, translator: Naim Erdogan, expanded 8th edition, Pamuk Press, p. 257) and "be a community of deniers," (Portents of the Judgment Day, composed by: Muhammad ibn Rasul Al-Husseini, translator: Naim Erdogan, expanded 8th edition, Pamuk Press, p. 251.) in one hadith our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) states:

"On the night of the Ascension [the Miraj], Allah sent me to Gog and Magog; I called them to the religion, but they refused... for that reason, they will go to Hell together with those of the line of Adam and satan who rebelled against Allah." (Portents of the Judgment Day, composed by: Muhammad ibn Rasul Al-Husseini, translator: Naim Erdogan, expanded 8th edition, Pamuk Press, p. 251.)

## A New Sign That Gog and Magog Refer to World Wars I and II: Burning Sulfur

Another important aspect regarding the corruption of Gog and Magog referring to the World Wars is the mention in the Torah (Hebrew Bible) of burning sulfur. The Torah describes how burning sulfur will pour down from the sky during the corruption of Gog and Magog:

I will summon a sword against Gog on all My mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man's sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. and so I will show My greatness and My holiness, and I will make Myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel, 38:21-23)

Like the other portents in the Torah, burning sulfur was first used during the corruption of Gog and Magog, in other words, during World Wars I and II. The substance known as mustard gas and containing sulfur dichloride, and that known as gunpowder or black powder and containing sulfur alone, are corrosive weapons used by German troops against the British and French in World War I in particular.13

All the descriptions of Gog and Magog in the Qur'an, the hadiths and the Torah are phenomena that took place and were concluded in World Wars I and II. The idea that Gog and Magog will appear in the time of the Prophet Jesus and Hazrat Mahdi (peace be upon them both) and wreak terrible slaughter then is simply untrue. The time of the coming of the Prophet Jesus and Hazrat Mahdi (peace be upon them) will be one of peace, love, security and well-being. In this time, known as the Golden Age, sleeping people will not be awakened, no blood will be spilled, and not a single person's nose will be made to bleed.

Gog and Magog are a people who appear from time to time in order to spread corruption. There is a strong likelihood that they will appear again in the future, as they did in the past. But, as described above, this corruption will not take place in the time of the Prophet Jesus and Hazrat Mahdi (peace be upon them). The world will see a physical and spiritual degeneration following the deaths of the Prophet Jesus and Hazrat Mahdi (peace be upon them), after 1506 (Islamic calendar), at a time close to the Judgment Day. After that date, wars will begin breaking out one after the other, and there will be terror and anarchy and slaughter. Perversion will reach its vilest point, and a bloody and repressive system will rule the world. Irreligion will spread, and there will not a single Holy Book in the whole world. Nobody will call on the Almighty name of Allah. This period will be that of the final appearance of the corruption of Gog and Magog. Following this terrible corruption, our Lord will inflict a terrifying the Judgment Day in return for all this perversion.

Some masons, wearing an Evangelical or Islamic guise and seek to equate the corruption of Gog and Magog with the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), try to portray the Golden Age awaited under these descriptions in a totally different manner. Their aim is to depict the Golden Age, under the leadership of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), as one of slaughter, and to spread an utterly false and terrifying impression of Muslims. Their objective as a result of this indoctrination is to establish an artificial prejudice toward Muslims in the minds of Christians and thus to divide true believers and prevent them uniting together. as we have already warned countless times before in other articles, we must all be on our guard against this cunning stratagem. Because masons wearing an evangelical or Islamic guise want to spread irreligion by dividing believers and to prepare the ground for atheism. Their aim is to prevent true believers from uniting together and to permit the heretical religion of satan to rule the world. They are therefore trying to muster support by distorting the signs in the Torah and pointing to them as evidence. It is of the very greatest importance that no true Christian of good conscience should fall under the spell of this repellent indoctrination.

# Appendix II: Not a Drop of Blood Will Be Shed in the Time of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)

Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) reveals in his accounts that "the life span of my ummah will be 7,000 years."

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) stated: The life span of the world is seven days in the afterlife days. Almighty Allah said that a day in the sight of the Lord is like a thousand of your years. (Suyuti, Al-Kashf 'an (fi) Mujawazat Hadihi l-Umma al-Alf, al-Hawi lil Fatawi, p. 10.)

In another hadith, our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) states that 5,600 of these 7,000 years had passed up until his own day.

Five thousand, six hundred years have passed from this world. (Ali Ibn Husamaddin, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 89.)

A calculation of 7,000-5,600 based on these dates given by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) gives the 1,400. We are now in the year 1430 [Hijri year.] (The 100 years from 1,400 to 1,500 represent the 1400s.)

Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has revealed has revealed this with regard to the life span of the ummah of Islam:

" _The life of my ummah (community) will not exceed the year 1500." (Suyuti, Al-Kashf 'an (fi) Mujawazat Hadihi l-umma al-Alf, al-Hawi lil Fatawi, Suyuti. 2/248, commentary by Ruhul Bayan. Bursevi. (Arabic) 4/262, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Kitab al-Ilal, p. 89.)_

This means that during the 100-year period between 1400 and 1500 [Hijri year], believers will meet with two such holy personages as the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), and this will be a very significant age when the moral values of Islam rule the world and the system of the antichrist is intellectually destroyed.

The period we are living in is the End Times, in other words the last age of the world. All of the portents concerning the coming of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) described by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) have come true. and this will be a holy age when faith, love and peace rule the world. Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has reported that "the life of the ummah will extend up to 1500" [Hijri year]. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, the great Islamic scholar of the last century, said that "The probable life span of the ummah, the time when Islamic moral values rule the world, will extend up to 1506." After Hijri 1506 there will be a period close to the Judgment Day of strife, corruption and bloodshed, when people are entirely distanced from the religion.

The earth is now very old. We have now come to just about the end of the world. What we now await is the coming of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and the genuine faith and Islamic moral values that will rule the world by means of these holy individuals.

## All the Portents of the End Times have Come About: There will Be No More Major Wars

All of the portents of the End Times provided by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) have come about. All the climates of war and disorder in the End Times described in the hadiths as heralding the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) have taken place. The World Wars that are probably meant by the references to "Gog and Magog" in the Qur'an and the hadiths are over and done with. Ideologies such as communism, fascism and Darwinism that dragged whole societies toward irreligion once dominated, but these have now lost almost all their former influence. The Dabbat al-Ardh, a likely reference to the computer, has also appeared, and the Internet has spread across the world. All of these phenomena the hadiths say will happen in the End Times have taken place. This period, so close to the end of the world, is now that of the coming of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh).

No blood will be spilled and no one will be killed in the time when the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will appear. and there will be no oppression during that period. Following a long period of disorder, the world will finally live by the love and peace brought with them by the moral values of the Qur'an for the first time after the Age of Happiness in which the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) lived. The honesty, beauty, compassion and love of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will conquer people's hearts and instill the beauty of faith in them.

For that reason, it is unjustified to produce terrifying scenarios regarding this holy period that will see the coming of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). Because this age is one of peace, happiness and brotherhood. It is an age when war, oppression, injustice and bloodshed will all come to an end, and when beauty will prevail. This period is the Golden Age. It is a period of calm and love, when people attain material and spiritual peace, enjoy Allah's bountiful blessings and turn away from war, oppression and conflict.

People will live by the essential moral values of Islam, the religion of peace and love, as a result of which disorder and conflict will come to an end. We are told all this in the hadiths.

The Golden Age is a time when Muslims, as well as Christians and Jews, will live in peace and ease. Contrary to the idea some masonic circles try to indoctrinate people with, the members of the Abrahamic faiths will not war against one another in the time of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). There will be no question of such phenomena as war, conflict, atom bombs, attacking Israel or shedding blood at the Kaaba in this holy age. on the contrary, Jerusalem will be a better, pleasanter and securer place than ever before, and peace will reign there, as in the rest of the world.

Almighty Allah has always defended the Jews, the descendants of the Prophets. In the End Times, Allah will again protect the Jews through Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). Allah speaks of the existence of the Jews in the Holy Land in the Qur'an. The Qur'an notes that so long as they live honestly and in devotion to Allah's commands, the Jews will live in peace and security in the Holy Land. (Surat al-Baqara, 62; Surat al-Ma'ida, 69). Therefore, in the End Times Jerusalem will be filled with faith and love of Allah and will become a city of peace in which believers from all faiths live together in safety and brotherhood.

Those who, under the influence of various masonic circles, expect war and bloodshed in the time of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) are mistaken. Some ill-informed Muslims and Christians who have been exposed to this masonic indoctrination and provocation act in the light of that way of thinking and fall out with one another, totally ignoring the danger posed by irreligion. However, these events they anticipate will not take place, and absolutely no blood will be spilled in the time of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). Allah will not allow the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) to be instrumental in any such possibility.

## Degeneration will Begin After 1506, and the Society of Denial That will Rule the World will Be Confronted by the Judgment Day

Shortly before the Judgment Day, after Hijri 1506s and the martyrdom of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), there will be a worldwide physical and spiritual degeneration. After that date, wars will follow one after the other and there will be anarchy, terror and slaughter; the bloodthirsty system of oppression will rule the world. Irreligion will spread and not one Holy Book will remain in the world. This period is that of the final appearance of the corruption of Gog and Magog.

The distinguishing feature of Gog and Magog, described in the Qur'an, is that they are bloodthirsty and anarchic. This system, which led to the deaths of 150-200 million people in the First and Second World Wars, will come to the fore in the run-up to the Judgment Day after Hijri year 1506. The final stage of the corruption of Gog and Magog that will erupt after 1506 will be of the kind of that of "Genghis Khan and Hulagu," in the worlds of the worthy Islamic scholar Bediuzzaman. Genghis Khan and Hulagu are two despotic rulers who shed rivers of blood. The corruption of Gog and Magog that will occur after 1506 will be on that scale.

This heretical, bloody and corrupt period is that when the world has come to an end. From what we can tell from the hadith and Bediuzzaman's accounts, the Judgment Day will take place in 1545 (2120 AD). The terrible corruption that has enfolded the earth will come to an end with the Judgment Day, which will break the pride of the deniers who turned their backs on belief in Allah. (Allah knows the truth.)

## Genuine Muslims, Christians and Jews must not Fall for the Masons' Tricks

It is very important for Muslims, Christians and Jews not to fall into error on this subject: According to the indications in the hadiths, the final corruption of Gog and Magog and the climate of war and oppression in the world will take place after 1506, very close to the Judgment Day. Until that time, and by Allah's leave, the age of peace, security and love of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will prevail on earth. This period is the Golden Age. During that time, "not a single person's nose will be made to bleed, and a sleeping person will not be wakened." (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 44.)

It must not be forgotten that the aim of various masonic circles is always to divide those who believe in Allah, to set them against one another, and to set up an oppressive system by intellectually spreading bloodshed. Therefore, the important thing is not to fall for the tricks of the masonic circles in question, but to strengthen genuine belief in Allah by spreading the peace and love of which He approves.

Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has said that in the time of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), love, peace, affection, compassion and security will reign and that no blood will be spilled:

[ _Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will follow the way of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace.) He will not wake up a sleeping person or shed blood. (Al-Barzanji, Pamuk Publishing, Istanbul, 2002, p. 163.)_

In the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) no one will be woken up from their sleep or have a bleeding nose. (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 44.)

People will seek refuge in Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) as honey bees cluster around their sovereign. He will fill the world that was once full of cruelty with justice. His justice will be as such that he will not wake a sleeping person or even shed one drop of blood. The earth will return to the age of happiness. (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 29.)

Those obeying him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will pay homage to him between ruqun and maqam (around Qaba). They will not wake a sleeping person, never shed blood. (Al-Haytamî, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 24.)

This (Amr) [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will fill earth with justice, just as people previously filled it with cruelty. (Sunan Ibn Majah, 10/348)

The world filled with oppression and tyranny will overflow with justice after he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes. (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 20.)

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is one of my people, and he will fill the earth with truth and justice, just as it is now filled with cruelty and torture. (Sunan Abu Dawud, 5/93)

His [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] justice will cover all places and he will rule among people with the Sunna of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). He will even also call for one who is in need to be brought forward, and when that command is obeyed only one person will come. (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 20.)

There will be such an abundance of justice in Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) time that just as all the goods taken away by force will be returned to their owners. (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 23.)

If there were only one day left for the world, that day would be lengthened until a man from among the people of my household, was sent; just as the earth is filled with cruelty, he will fill the earth with justice. (Sunan Abu Dawud, 5/92)

Like the cup fills with water, so will earth fill with peace. There will be no enmity left between any people. All hostility, fighting, and envy will disappear. (Sahih-i Muslim, 1/136)

... In the same way that Almighty Allah began with me, so He will bring matters to an end with him (Hazrat Mahdi [pbuh]). In the same way that they were freed from polytheism and antipathy (discord and enmity) and their hearts were filled with friendship and love through me, so it will be again (with the coming of Hazrat Mahdi [pbuh]). (Portents of the Coming of the Mahdi of the End Times, Jalaladdin as-Suyuti , p. 20.)

... In his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] time the good become even more good, and even the wicked ones are treated well. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 17.)

# Appendix III: The Deception of Evolution

Darwinism, in other words the theory of evolution, was put forward with the aim of denying the fact of Creation, but is in truth nothing but failed, unscientific nonsense. This theory, which claims that life emerged by chance from inanimate matter, was invalidated by the scientific evidence of miraculous order in the universe and in living things, as well as by the discovery of about 300 million fossils revealing that evolution never happened. In this way, science confirmed the fact that Allah created the universe and the living things in it. The propaganda carried out today in order to keep the theory of evolution alive is based solely on the distortion of the scientific facts, biased interpretation, and lies and falsehoods disguised as science.

Yet this propaganda cannot conceal the truth. The fact that the theory of evolution is the greatest deception in the history of science has been expressed more and more in the scientific world over the last 20-30 years. Research carried out after the 1980s in particular has revealed that the claims of Darwinism are totally unfounded, something that has been stated by a large number of scientists. In the United States in particular, many scientists from such different fields as biology, biochemistry and paleontology recognize the invalidity of Darwinism and employ the fact of Creation to account for the origin of life.

We have examined the collapse of the theory of evolution and the proofs of Creation in great scientific detail in many of our works, and are still continuing to do so. Given the enormous importance of this subject, it will be of great benefit to summarize it here.

## The Scientific Collapse of Darwinism

As a pagan doctrine going back as far as ancient Greece, the theory of evolution was advanced extensively in the nineteenth century. The most important development that made it the top topic of the world of science was Charles Darwin's the Origin of Species, published in 1859. In this book, he opposed, in his own eyes, the fact that Allah created different living species on Earth separately, for he erroneously claimed that all living beings had a common ancestor and had diversified over time through small changes. Darwin's theory was not based on any concrete scientific finding; as he also accepted, it was just an "assumption." Moreover, as Darwin confessed in the long chapter of his book titled "Difficulties on Theory," the theory failed in the face of many critical questions.

Darwin invested all of his hopes in new scientific discoveries, which he expected to solve these difficulties. However, contrary to his expectations, scientific findings expanded the dimensions of these difficulties. The defeat of Darwinism in the face of science can be reviewed under three basic topics:

1) the theory cannot explain how life originated on Earth.

2) No scientific finding shows that the "evolutionary mechanisms" proposed by the theory have any evolutionary power at all.

3) the fossil record proves the exact opposite of what the theory suggests.

In this section, we will examine these three basic points in general outlines:

## The First Insurmountable Step: The Origin of Life

The theory of evolution posits that all living species evolved from a single living cell that emerged on the primitive Earth 3.8 billion years ago. How a single cell could generate millions of complex living species and , if such an evolution really occurred, why traces of it cannot be observed in the fossil record are some of the questions that the theory cannot answer. However, first and foremost, we need to ask: How did this "first cell" originate?

Since the theory of evolution ignorantly denies Creation, it maintains that the "first cell" originated as a product of blind coincidences within the laws of nature, without any plan or arrangement. According to the theory, inanimate matter must have produced a living cell as a result of coincidences. Such a claim, however, is inconsistent with the most unassailable rules of biology.

## "Life Comes From Life"

In his book, Darwin never referred to the origin of life. The primitive understanding of science in his time rested on the assumption that living beings had a very simple structure. Since medieval times, spontaneous generation, which asserts that non-living materials came together to form living organisms, had been widely accepted. It was commonly believed that insects came into being from food leftovers, and mice from wheat. Interesting experiments were conducted to prove this theory. Some wheat was placed on a dirty piece of cloth, and it was believed that mice would originate from it after a while.

Similarly, maggots developing in rotting meat was assumed to be evidence of spontaneous generation. However, it was later understood that worms did not appear on meat spontaneously, but were carried there by flies in the form of larvae, invisible to the naked eye.

Even when Darwin wrote the Origin of Species, the belief that bacteria could come into existence from non-living matter was widely accepted in the world of science.

However, five years after the publication of Darwin's book, Louis Pasteur announced his results after long studies and experiments, that disproved spontaneous generation, a cornerstone of Darwin's theory. In his triumphal lecture at the Sorbonne in 1864, Pasteur said: "Never will the doctrine of spontaneous generation recover from the mortal blow struck by this simple experiment."14

For a long time, advocates of the theory of evolution resisted these findings. However, as the development of science unraveled the complex structure of the cell of a living being, the idea that life could come into being coincidentally faced an even greater impasse.

## Inconclusive Efforts of the Twentieth Century

The first evolutionist who took up the subject of the origin of life in the twentieth century was the renowned Russian biologist Alexander Oparin. With various theses he advanced in the 1930s, he tried to prove that a living cell could originate by coincidence. These studies, however, were doomed to failure, and Oparin had to make the following confession:

Unfortunately, however, the problem of the origin of the cell is perhaps the most obscure point in the whole study of the evolution of organisms.15

Evolutionist followers of Oparin tried to carry out experiments to solve this problem. The best known experiment was carried out by the American chemist Stanley Miller in 1953. Combining the gases he alleged to have existed in the primordial Earth's atmosphere in an experiment set-up, and adding energy to the mixture, Miller synthesized several organic molecules (amino acids) present in the structure of proteins.

Barely a few years had passed before it was revealed that this experiment, which was then presented as an important step in the name of evolution, was invalid, for the atmosphere used in the experiment was very different from the real Earth conditions.16

After a long silence, Miller confessed that the atmosphere medium he used was unrealistic.17

All the evolutionists' efforts throughout the twentieth century to explain the origin of life ended in failure. The geochemist Jeffrey Bada, from the San Diego Scripps Institute accepts this fact in an article published in Earth magazine in 1998:

Today as we leave the twentieth century, we still face the biggest unsolved problem that we had when we entered the twentieth century: How did life originate on Earth?18

## The Complex Structure of Life

The primary reason why the theory of evolution ended up in such a great impasse regarding the origin of life is that even those living organisms deemed to be the simplest have incredibly complex structures. The cell of a living thing is more complex than all of our man-made technological products. Today, even in the most developed laboratories of the world, a living cell cannot be produced by bringing organic chemicals together.

The conditions required for the formation of a cell are too great in quantity to be explained away by coincidences. The probability of proteins, the building blocks of a cell, being synthesized coincidentally, is 1 in 10950 for an average protein made up of 500 amino acids. In mathematics, a probability smaller than 1 over 1050 is considered to be impossible in practical terms.

The DNA molecule, which is located in the nucleus of a cell and which stores genetic information, is an incredible databank. If the information coded in DNA were written down, it would make a giant library consisting of an estimated 900 volumes of encyclopedias consisting of 500 pages each.

A very interesting dilemma emerges at this point: DNA can replicate itself only with the help of some specialized proteins (enzymes). However, the synthesis of these enzymes can be realized only by the information coded in DNA. as they both depend on each other, they have to exist at the same time for replication. This brings the scenario that life originated by itself to a deadlock. Prof. Leslie Orgel, an evolutionist of repute from the University of San Diego, California, confesses this fact in the September 1994 issue of the Scientific American magazine:

It is extremely improbable that proteins and nucleic acids, both of which are structurally complex, arose spontaneously in the same place at the same time. Yet it also seems impossible to have one without the other. and so, at first glance, one might have to conclude that life could never, in fact, have originated by chemical means.19

No doubt, if it is impossible for life to have originated spontaneously as a result of blind coincidences, then it has to be accepted that life was "created." This fact explicitly invalidates the theory of evolution, whose main purpose is to deny Creation.

## Imaginary Mechanism of Evolution

The second important point that negates Darwin's theory is that both concepts put forward by the theory as "evolutionary mechanisms" were understood to have, in reality, no evolutionary power.

Darwin based his evolution allegation entirely on the mechanism of "natural selection." the importance he placed on this mechanism was evident in the name of his book: The Origin of Species, by Means of Natural Selection...

Natural selection holds that those living things that are stronger and more suited to the natural conditions of their habitats will survive in the struggle for life. for example, in a deer herd under the threat of attack by wild animals, those that can run faster will survive. Therefore, the deer herd will be comprised of faster and stronger individuals. However, unquestionably, this mechanism will not cause deer to evolve and transform themselves into another living species, for instance, horses.

Therefore, the mechanism of natural selection has no evolutionary power. Darwin was also aware of this fact and had to state this in his book the Origin of Species:

Natural selection can do nothing until favourable individual differences or variations occur.20

## Lamarck's Impact

So, how could these "favorable variations" occur? Darwin tried to answer this question from the standpoint of the primitive understanding of science at that time. According to the French biologist Chevalier de Lamarck (1744-1829), who lived before Darwin, living creatures passed on the traits they acquired during their lifetime to the next generation. He asserted that these traits, which accumulated from one generation to another, caused new species to be formed. for instance, he claimed that giraffes evolved from antelopes; as they struggled to eat the leaves of high trees, their necks were extended from generation to generation.

Darwin also gave similar examples. In his book the Origin of Species, for instance, he said that some bears going into water to find food transformed themselves into whales over time.21

However, the laws of inheritance discovered by Gregor Mendel (1822-84) and verified by the science of genetics, which flourished in the twentieth century, utterly demolished the legend that acquired traits were passed on to subsequent generations. Thus, natural selection fell out of favor as an evolutionary mechanism.

## Neo-Darwinism and Mutations

In order to find a solution, Darwinists advanced the "Modern Synthetic Theory," or as it is more commonly known, Neo-Darwinism, at the end of the 1930s. Neo-Darwinism added mutations, which are distortions formed in the genes of living beings due to such external factors as radiation or replication errors, as the "cause of favorable variations" in addition to natural mutation.

Today, the model that Darwinists espouse, despite their own awareness of its scientific invalidity, is neo-Darwinism. The theory maintains that millions of living beings formed as a result of a process whereby numerous complex organs of these organisms (e.g., ears, eyes, lungs, and wings) underwent "mutations," that is, genetic disorders. Yet, there is an outright scientific fact that totally undermines this theory: Mutations do not cause living beings to develop; on the contrary, they are always harmful.

The reason for this is very simple: DNA has a very complex structure, and random effects can only harm it. The American geneticist B. G. Ranganathan explains this as follows:

First, genuine mutations are very rare in nature. Secondly, most mutations are harmful since they are random, rather than orderly changes in the structure of genes; any random change in a highly ordered system will be for the worse, not for the better. for example, if an earthquake were to shake a highly ordered structure such as a building, there would be a random change in the framework of the building which, in all probability, would not be an improvement.22

Not surprisingly, no mutation example, which is useful, that is, which is observed to develop the genetic code, has been observed so far. All mutations have proved to be harmful. It was understood that mutation, which is presented as an "evolutionary mechanism," is actually a genetic occurrence that harms living things, and leaves them disabled. (The most common effect of mutation on human beings is cancer.) of course, a destructive mechanism cannot be an "evolutionary mechanism." Natural selection, on the other hand, "can do nothing by itself," as Darwin also accepted. This fact shows us that there is no "evolutionary mechanism" in nature. Since no evolutionary mechanism exists, no such any imaginary process called "evolution" could have taken place.

## The Fossil Record: No Sign of Intermediate Forms

The clearest evidence that the scenario suggested by the theory of evolution did not take place is the fossil record.

According to the unscientific supposition of this theory, every living species has sprung from a predecessor. A previously existing species turned into something else over time and all species have come into being in this way. In other words, this transformation proceeds gradually over millions of years.

Had this been the case, numerous intermediary species should have existed and lived within this long transformation period.

For instance, some half-fish/half-reptiles should have lived in the past which had acquired some reptilian traits in addition to the fish traits they already had. or there should have existed some reptile-birds, which acquired some bird traits in addition to the reptilian traits they already had. Since these would be in a transitional phase, they should be disabled, defective, crippled living beings. Evolutionists refer to these imaginary creatures, which they believe to have lived in the past, as "transitional forms."

If such animals ever really existed, there should be millions and even billions of them in number and variety. More importantly, the remains of these strange creatures should be present in the fossil record. In the Origin of Species, Darwin explained:

If my theory be true, numberless intermediate varieties, linking most closely all of the species of the same group together must assuredly have existed... Consequently, evidence of their former existence could be found only amongst fossil remains.23

However, Darwin was well aware that no fossils of these intermediate forms had yet been found. He regarded this as a major difficulty for his theory. In one chapter of his book titled "Difficulties on Theory," he wrote:

Why, if species have descended from other species by insensibly fine gradations, do we not everywhere see innumerable transitional forms? Why is not all nature in confusion instead of the species being, as we see them, well defined?... But, as by this theory innumerable transitional forms must have existed, why do we not find them embedded in countless numbers in the crust of the earth?... Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory.24

## Darwin's Hopes Shattered

However, although evolutionists have been making strenuous efforts to find fossils since the middle of the nineteenth century all over the world, no transitional forms have yet been uncovered. All of the fossils, contrary to the evolutionists' expectations, show that life appeared on earth all of a sudden and fully-formed.

One famous British paleontologist, Derek V. Ager, admits this fact, even though he is an evolutionist:

The point emerges that if we examine the fossil record in detail, whether at the level of orders or of species, we find – over and over again – not gradual evolution, but the sudden explosion of one group at the expense of another.25

This means that in the fossil record, all living species suddenly emerge as fully formed, without any intermediate forms in between. This is just the opposite of Darwin's assumptions. Also, this is very strong evidence that all living things are created. The only explanation of a living species emerging suddenly and complete in every detail without any evolutionary ancestor is that it was created. This fact is admitted also by the widely known evolutionist biologist Douglas Futuyma:

Creation and evolution, between them, exhaust the possible explanations for the origin of living things. Organisms either appeared on the earth fully developed or they did not. If they did not, they must have developed from pre-existing species by some process of modification. If they did appear in a fully developed state, they must indeed have been created by some omnipotent intelligence.26

Fossils show that living beings emerged fully developed and in a perfect state on the earth. That means that "the origin of species," contrary to Darwin's supposition, is not evolution, but Creation.

## The Tale of Human Evolution

The subject most often brought up by advocates of the theory of evolution is the subject of the origin of man. The Darwinist claim holds that man evolved from so-called ape-like creatures. During this alleged evolutionary process, which is supposed to have started 4-5 million years ago, some "transitional forms" between present-day man and his imaginary ancestors are supposed to have existed. According to this completely imaginary scenario, four basic "categories" are listed:

1. Australopithecus

2. Homo habilis

3. Homo erectus

4. Homo sapiens

Evolutionists call man's so-called first ape-like ancestors Australopithecus, which means "South African ape." These living beings are actually nothing but an old ape species that has become extinct. Extensive research done on various Australopithecus specimens by two world famous anatomists from England and the USA, namely, Lord Solly Zuckerman and Prof. Charles Oxnard, shows that these apes belonged to an ordinary ape species that became extinct and bore no resemblance to humans.27

Evolutionists classify the next stage of human evolution as "homo," that is "man." According to their claim, the living beings in the Homo series are more developed than Australopithecus. Evolutionists devise a fanciful evolution scheme by arranging different fossils of these creatures in a particular order. This scheme is imaginary because it has never been proved that there is an evolutionary relation between these different classes. Ernst Mayr, one of the twentieth century's most important evolutionists, contends in his book One Long Argument that "particularly historical [puzzles] such as the origin of life or of Homo sapiens, are extremely difficult and may even resist a final, satisfying explanation."28

By outlining the link chain as Australopithecus > Homo habilis > Homo erectus > Homo sapiens, evolutionists imply that each of these species is one another's ancestor. However, recent findings of paleoanthropologists have revealed that Australopithecus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus lived at different parts of the world at the same time.29

Moreover, a certain segment of humans classified as Homo erectus have lived up until very modern times. Homo sapiens neandarthalensis and Homo sapiens sapiens (present-day man) co-existed in the same region.30

This situation apparently indicates the invalidity of the claim that they are ancestors of one another. The late Stephen Jay Gould explained this deadlock of the theory of evolution although he was himself one of the leading advocates of evolution in the twentieth century:

What has become of our ladder if there are three coexisting lineages of hominids (A. africanus, the robust australopithecines, and H. habilis), none clearly derived from another? Moreover, none of the three display any evolutionary trends during their tenure on earth.31

Put briefly, the scenario of human evolution, which is "upheld" with the help of various drawings of some "half ape, half human" creatures appearing in the media and course books, that is, frankly, by means of propaganda, is nothing but a tale with no scientific foundation.

Lord Solly Zuckerman, one of the most famous and respected scientists in the UK, who carried out research on this subject for years and studied Australopithecus fossils for 15 years, finally concluded, despite being an evolutionist himself, that there is, in fact, no such family tree branching out from ape-like creatures to man.

Zuckerman also made an interesting "spectrum of science" ranging from those he considered scientific to those he considered unscientific. According to Zuckerman's spectrum, the most "scientific"—that is, depending on concrete data—fields of science are chemistry and physics. After them come the biological sciences and then the social sciences. at the far end of the spectrum, which is the part considered to be most "unscientific," are "extra-sensory perception"—concepts such as telepathy and sixth sense—and finally "human evolution." Zuckerman explains his reasoning:

We then move right off the register of objective truth into those fields of presumed biological science, like extrasensory perception or the interpretation of man's fossil history, where to the faithful [evolutionist] anything is possible – and where the ardent believer [in evolution] is sometimes able to believe several contradictory things at the same time.32

The tale of human evolution boils down to nothing but the prejudiced interpretations of some fossils unearthed by certain people, who blindly adhere to their theory.

## Darwinian Formula!

Besides all the technical evidence we have dealt with so far, let us now for once, examine what kind of a superstition the evolutionists have with an example so simple as to be understood even by children:

The theory of evolution asserts that life is formed by chance. According to this irrational claim, lifeless and unconscious atoms came together to form the cell and then they somehow formed other living things, including man. Let us think about that. When we bring together the elements that are the building-blocks of life such as carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium, only a heap is formed. No matter what treatments it undergoes, this atomic heap cannot form even a single living being. If you like, let us formulate an "experiment" on this subject and let us examine on the behalf of evolutionists what they really claim without pronouncing loudly under the name "Darwinian formula":

Let evolutionists put plenty of materials present in the composition of living things such as phosphorus, nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, iron, and magnesium into big barrels. Moreover, let them add in these barrels any material that does not exist under normal conditions, but they think as necessary. Let them add in this mixture as many amino acids and as many proteins—a single one of which has a formation probability of 1 in 10950—as they like. Let them expose these mixtures to as much heat and moisture as they like. Let them stir these with whatever technologically developed device they like. Let them put the foremost scientists beside these barrels. Let these experts wait in turn beside these barrels for billions, and even trillions of years. Let them be free to use all kinds of conditions they believe to be necessary for a human's formation. No matter what they do, they cannot produce from these barrels a human, say a professor that examines his cell structure under the electron microscope. They cannot produce giraffes, lions, bees, canaries, horses, dolphins, roses, orchids, lilies, carnations, bananas, oranges, apples, dates, tomatoes, melons, watermelons, figs, olives, grapes, peaches, peafowls, pheasants, multicoloured butterflies, or millions of other living beings such as these. Indeed, they could not obtain even a single cell of any one of them.

Briefly, unconscious atoms cannot form the cell by coming together. They cannot take a new decision and divide this cell into two, then take other decisions and create the professors who first invent the electron microscope and then examine their own cell structure under that microscope. Matter is an unconscious, lifeless heap, and it comes to life with Allah's superior Creation.

The theory of evolution, which claims the opposite, is a total fallacy completely contrary to reason. Thinking even a little bit on the claims of evolutionists discloses this reality, just as in the above example.

## Technology in the Eye and the Ear

Another subject that remains unanswered by evolutionary theory is the excellent quality of perception in the eye and the ear.

Before passing on to the subject of the eye, let us briefly answer the question of how we see. Light rays coming from an object fall oppositely on the eye's retina. Here, these light rays are transmitted into electric signals by cells and reach a tiny spot at the back of the brain, the "center of vision." These electric signals are perceived in this center as an image after a series of processes. With this technical background, let us do some thinking.

The brain is insulated from light. That means that its inside is completely dark, and that no light reaches the place where it is located. Thus, the "center of vision" is never touched by light and may even be the darkest place you have ever known. However, you observe a luminous, bright world in this pitch darkness.

The image formed in the eye is so sharp and distinct that even the technology of the twentieth century has not been able to attain it. for instance, look at the book you are reading, your hands with which you are holding it, and then lift your head and look around you. Have you ever seen such a sharp and distinct image as this one at any other place? Even the most developed television screen produced by the greatest television producer in the world cannot provide such a sharp image for you. This is a three-dimensional, colored, and extremely sharp image. for more than 100 years, thousands of engineers have been trying to achieve this sharpness. Factories, huge premises were established, much research has been done, plans and designs have been made for this purpose. Again, look at a TV screen and the book you hold in your hands. You will see that there is a big difference in sharpness and distinction. Moreover, the TV screen shows you a two-dimensional image, whereas with your eyes, you watch a three-dimensional perspective with depth.

For many years, tens of thousands of engineers have tried to make a three-dimensional TV and achieve the vision quality of the eye. Yes, they have made a three-dimensional television system, but it is not possible to watch it without putting on special 3-D glasses; moreover, it is only an artificial three-dimension. The background is more blurred, the foreground appears like a paper setting. Never has it been possible to produce a sharp and distinct vision like that of the eye. In both the camera and the television, there is a loss of image quality.

Evolutionists claim that the mechanism producing this sharp and distinct image has been formed by chance. Now, if somebody told you that the television in your room was formed as a result of chance, that all of its atoms just happened to come together and make up this device that produces an image, what would you think? How can atoms do what thousands of people cannot?

If a device producing a more primitive image than the eye could not have been formed by chance, then it is very evident that the eye and the image seen by the eye could not have been formed by chance. The same situation applies to the ear. The outer ear picks up the available sounds by the auricle and directs them to the middle ear, the middle ear transmits the sound vibrations by intensifying them, and the inner ear sends these vibrations to the brain by translating them into electric signals. Just as with the eye, the act of hearing finalizes in the center of hearing in the brain.

The situation in the eye is also true for the ear. That is, the brain is insulated from sound just as it is from light. It does not let any sound in. Therefore, no matter how noisy is the outside, the inside of the brain is completely silent. Nevertheless, the sharpest sounds are perceived in the brain. In your completely silent brain, you listen to symphonies, and hear all of the noises in a crowded place. However, were the sound level in your brain measured by a precise device at that moment, complete silence would be found to be prevailing there.

As is the case with imagery, decades of effort have been spent in trying to generate and reproduce sound that is faithful to the original. The results of these efforts are sound recorders, high-fidelity systems, and systems for sensing sound. Despite all of this technology and the thousands of engineers and experts who have been working on this endeavor, no sound has yet been obtained that has the same sharpness and clarity as the sound perceived by the ear. Think of the highest-quality hi-fi systems produced by the largest company in the music industry. Even in these devices, when sound is recorded some of it is lost; or when you turn on a hi-fi you always hear a hissing sound before the music starts. However, the sounds that are the products of the human body's technology are extremely sharp and clear. A human ear never perceives a sound accompanied by a hissing sound or with atmospherics as does a hi-fi; rather, it perceives sound exactly as it is, sharp and clear. This is the way it has been since the Creation of man.

So far, no man-made visual or recording apparatus has been as sensitive and successful in perceiving sensory data as are the eye and the ear. However, as far as seeing and hearing are concerned, a far greater truth lies beyond all this.

## To Whom does the Consciousness that Sees and Hears within the Brain Belong?

Who watches an alluring world in the brain, listens to symphonies and the twittering of birds, and smells the rose?

The stimulations coming from a person's eyes, ears, and nose travel to the brain as electro-chemical nerve impulses. In biology, physiology, and biochemistry books, you can find many details about how this image forms in the brain. However, you will never come across the most important fact: Who perceives these electro-chemical nerve impulses as images, sounds, odors, and sensory events in the brain? There is a consciousness in the brain that perceives all this without feeling any need for an eye, an ear, and a nose. to whom does this consciousness belong? of course it does not belong to the nerves, the fat layer, and neurons comprising the brain. This is why Darwinist-materialists, who believe that everything is comprised of matter, cannot answer these questions.

For this consciousness is the spirit created by Allah, which needs neither the eye to watch the images nor the ear to hear the sounds. Furthermore, it does not need the brain to think.

Everyone who reads this explicit and scientific fact should ponder on Almighty Allah, and fear and seek refuge in Him, for He squeezes the entire universe in a pitch-dark place of a few cubic centimeters in a three-dimensional, colored, shadowy, and luminous form.

## A Materialist Faith

The information we have presented so far shows us that the theory of evolution is incompatible with scientific findings. The theory's claim regarding the origin of life is inconsistent with science, the evolutionary mechanisms it proposes have no evolutionary power, and fossils demonstrate that the required intermediate forms have never existed. So, it certainly follows that the theory of evolution should be pushed aside as an unscientific idea. This is how many ideas, such as the Earth-centered universe model, have been taken out of the agenda of science throughout history.

However, the theory of evolution is kept on the agenda of science. Some people even try to represent criticisms directed against it as an "attack on science." Why?

The reason is that this theory is an indispensable dogmatic belief for some circles. These circles are blindly devoted to materialist philosophy and adopt Darwinism because it is the only materialist explanation that can be put forward to explain the workings of nature.

Interestingly enough, they also confess this fact from time to time. A well-known geneticist and an outspoken evolutionist, Richard C. Lewontin from Harvard University, confesses that he is "first and foremost a materialist and then a scientist":

It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, so we cannot allow a Divine [intervention]...33

These are explicit statements that Darwinism is a dogma kept alive just for the sake of adherence to materialism. This dogma maintains that there is no being save matter. Therefore, it argues that inanimate, unconscious matter brought life into being. It insists that millions of different living species (e.g., birds, fish, giraffes, tigers, insects, trees, flowers, whales, and human beings) originated as a result of the interactions between matter such as pouring rain, lightning flashes, and so on, out of inanimate matter. This is a precept contrary both to reason and science. Yet Darwinists continue to ignorantly defend it just so as not to acknowledge, in their own eyes, the evident existence of Allah.

Anyone who does not look at the origin of living beings with a materialist prejudice sees this evident truth: All living beings are works of a Creator, Who is All-Powerful, All-Wise, and All-Knowing. This Creator is Allah, Who created the whole universe from non-existence, designed it in the most perfect form, and fashioned all living beings.

## The Theory of Evolution: The Most Potent Spell in the World

Anyone free of prejudice and the influence of any particular ideology, who uses only his or her reason and logic, will clearly understand that belief in the theory of evolution, which brings to mind the superstitions of societies with no knowledge of science or civilization, is quite impossible.

As explained above, those who believe in the theory of evolution think that a few atoms and molecules thrown into a huge vat could produce thinking, reasoning professors and university students; such scientists as Einstein and Galileo; such artists as Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavarotti; as well as antelopes, lemon trees, and carnations. Moreover, as the scientists and professors who believe in this nonsense are educated people, it is quite justifiable to speak of this theory as "the most potent spell in history." Never before has any other belief or idea so taken away peoples' powers of reason, refused to allow them to think intelligently and logically, and hidden the truth from them as if they had been blindfolded. This is an even worse and unbelievable blindness than the totem worship in some parts of Africa, the people of Saba worshipping the Sun, the nation of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) worshipping idols they had made with their own hands, or some among the people of the Prophet Moses (pbuh) worshipping the Golden Calf.

In fact, Allah has pointed to this lack of reason in the Qur'an. In many verses, He reveals that some peoples' minds will be closed and that they will be powerless to see the truth. Some of these verses are as follows:

As for those who do not believe, it makes no difference to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe. Allah has sealed up their hearts and hearing and over their eyes is a blindfold. They will have a terrible punishment. (Surat al-Baqara, 6-7)

... **They have hearts with which they do not understand. They have eyes with which they do not see. They have ears with which they do not hear. Such people are like cattle. No, they are even further astray! They are the unaware. (Surat al-A'raf, 179)**

Even if We opened up to them a door into heaven, and they spent the day ascending through it, they would only say: "Our eyesight is befuddled! or rather we have been put under a spell!" (Surat al-Hijr, 14-15)

Words cannot express just how astonishing it is that this spell should hold such a wide community in thrall, keep people from the truth, and not be broken for 150 years. It is understandable that one or a few people might believe in impossible scenarios and claims full of stupidity and illogicality. However, "magic" is the only possible explanation for people from all over the world believing that unconscious and lifeless atoms suddenly decided to come together and form a universe that functions with a flawless system of organization, discipline, reason, and consciousness; a planet named Earth with all of its features so perfectly suited to life; and living things full of countless complex systems.

In fact, the Qur'an relates the incident of the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and Pharaoh to show that some people who support atheistic philosophies actually influence others by magic. When Pharaoh was told about the true religion, he told the Prophet Moses (pbuh) to meet with his own magicians. When Moses (pbuh) did so, he told them to demonstrate their abilities first. The verses continue:

He said: "You throw." and when they threw, they cast a spell on the people's eyes and caused them to feel great fear of them. They produced an extremely powerful magic. (Surat al-A'raf, 116)

As we have seen, Pharaoh's magicians were able to deceive everyone, apart from Moses (pbuh) and those who believed in him. However, his evidence broke the spell, or "swallowed up what they had forged," as revealed in the verse:

We revealed to Moses: "Throw down your staff." and it immediately swallowed up what they had forged. So the Truth took place and what they did was shown to be false. (Surat al-A'raf, 117-118)

As we can see, when people realized that a spell had been cast upon them and that what they saw was just an illusion, Pharaoh's magicians lost all credibility. In the present day too, unless those who, under the influence of a similar spell, believe in these ridiculous claims under their scientific disguise and spend their lives defending them, abandon their superstitious beliefs, they also will be humiliated when the full truth emerges and the spell is broken. In fact, world-renowned British writer and philosopher Malcolm Muggeridge, who was an atheist defending evolution for some 60 years, but who subsequently realized the truth, reveals the position in which the theory of evolution would find itself in the near future in these terms:

I myself am convinced that the theory of evolution, especially the extent to which it's been applied, will be one of the great jokes in the history books in the future. Posterity will marvel that so very flimsy and dubious an hypothesis could be accepted with the incredible credulity that it has.34

That future is not far off: on the contrary, people will soon see that "chance" is not a deity, and will look back on the theory of evolution as the worst deceit and the most terrible spell in the world. That spell is already rapidly beginning to be lifted from the shoulders of people all over the world. Many people who see its true face are wondering with amazement how they could ever have been taken in by it.

# Notes

1. Kurtlar Sofrasinda Ortadogu (The Middle East at the Wolves' Supper), M. Necati Ozfatura, p. 175.

2. Hurriyet, January 23, 1991.

3. Kurtlar Sofrasinda Ortadogu (The Middle East at the Wolves' Supper), M. Necati Ozfatura, p. 171.

4. Ottoman-Turkish Dictionary, Istanbul: 2000, p. 274.

5. Ottoman-Turkish Dictionary, Istanbul: 2000, p. 896.

6. "Individual Murders and Assassinations inside Syria and Abroad," Syrian Human Rights Committee. Online at: www.shrc.org/books/hr.20year/hr6.htm

7. Worldwide HIV&AIDS Statistics. http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm

8. US Geological Survey. Online at: http://neic.cr.usgs.gov:1711/neis/eqlists/

9. Human Development Report 1998, New York: United Nations Development Program, September 1998. Online at www.oneworld.org/ni/issue310/facts.htm.

10. Manufacturing Dissent, "World Statistics \- the Rich and the Poor", 1999, http://www.reagan.com/HotTopics.main/HotMike/document-8.13.1999.6.htm

11. Global Report on Crime and Justice, United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention: 1999. Online at: www.uncjin.org/Special/GlobalReport.html.

12. "Aging," M. Encarta Encyclopedia 2000.

13. http://en. wikipedia.org /wiki/Sulfur_mustard

14. Sidney Fox, Klaus Dose, Molecular Evolution and the Origin of Life, W. H. Freeman and Company, San Francisco, 1972, p. 4.

15. Alexander I. Oparin, Origin of Life, Dover Publications, NewYork, 1936, 1953 (reprint), p. 196.

16. "New Evidence on Evolution of Early Atmosphere and Life", Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, vol. 63, November 1982, p. 1328-1330.

17. Stanley Miller, Molecular Evolution of Life: Current Status of the Prebiotic Synthesis of Small Molecules, 1986, p. 7.

18. Jeffrey Bada, Earth, February 1998, p. 40.

19. Leslie E. Orgel, "The Origin of Life on Earth", Scientific American, vol. 271, October 1994, p. 78.

20. Charles Darwin, the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, the Modern Library, New York, p. 127.

21. Charles Darwin, the Origin of Species: A Facsimile of the First Edition, Harvard University Press, 1964, p. 184.

22. B. G. Ranganathan, Origins?, Pennsylvania: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1988, p. 7.

23. Charles Darwin, the Origin of Species: A Facsimile of the First Edition, Harvard University Press, 1964, p. 179.

24. Charles Darwin, the Origin of Species, p. 172.

25. Derek A. Ager, "The Nature of the Fossil Record", Proceedings of the British Geological Association, vol. 87, 1976, p. 133.

26. Douglas J. Futuyma, Science on Trial, Pantheon Books, New York, 1983. p. 197.

27. Solly Zuckerman, Beyond the Ivory Tower, Toplinger Publications, New York, 1970, pp. 75-14; Charles E. Oxnard, "The Place of Australopithecines in Human Evolution: Grounds for Doubt", Nature, vol. 258, p. 389.

28. "Could science be brought to an end by scientists' belief that they have final answers or by society's reluctance to pay the bills?" Scientific American, December 1992, p. 20.

29. Alan Walker, Science, vol. 207, 7 March 1980, p. 1103; A. J. Kelso, Physical Antropology, 1st ed., J. B. Lipincott Co., New York, 1970, p. 221; M. D. Leakey, Olduvai Gorge, vol. 3, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1971, p. 272.

30. Jeffrey Kluger, "Not So Extinct After All: The Primitive Homo Erectus May Have Survived Long Enough to Coexist With Modern Humans", Time, 23 December 1996.

31. S. J. Gould, Natural History, vol. 85, 1976, p. 30.

32. Solly Zuckerman, Beyond the Ivory Tower, p. 19.

33. Richard Lewontin, "The Demon-Haunted World," the New York Review of Books, January 9, 1997, p. 28.

34. Malcolm Muggeridge, the End of Christendom, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980, p. 43.

# Captions

27:

In the earth there are diverse regions side by side and gardens of grapes and cultivated fields, and palm-trees sharing one root and others with individual roots, all watered with the same water. and We make some things better to eat than others. There are signs in that for people who use their intellect. (Surat ar-Ra'd, 4)

38-39:

Anyone who thinks that Allah will not help him in the world and the Hereafter should stretch a rope up to the ceiling and then cut off. Let him see whether his stratagem gets rid of what enrages him! in this way We have sent it down as clear signs. Allah guides anyone He wills. (Surat al-Hajj, 15-16)

51:

On the day We gather them together – when it will seem if they had tarried no more than an hour of a single day – they will recognize one another. Those who denied the meeting with Allah will have lost. They were not guided. (Surah Yunus, 45)

59:

ALLAH IS BEYOND THAT

Neo-atheism on the rise, new atheists are being born

Hurriyet, June 7, 2009

Atheist busses begin running

Sabah.com.tr, January 7, 2009

61:

Benazir Bhutto, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan

Margaret Thatcher, Former British Prime Minister

Angela Merkel, German Prime Minister

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Julia Timoshenko, Ukraine Prime Minister

62:

http://halfdone.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/

Two female prime ministers in prison for corruption

Milliyet, September 4, 2007

63:

Numbers of poor are rising fast

Ortadogu, April 4, 2008

64:

Corruption is springing up everywhere

Robbed and Pillaged

Evrensel, March 20, 2007

Corruption, full speed ahead...

Gunboyu, March 28, 2007

One billion people in the world are hungry

Milliyet, December 11, 2008

Hunger and famine are just around the corner

Yeni Cag, December 5, 2006

65:

Human justice has collapsed

580 million people get by on 2 dollars a day

Halka ve Olaylara Tercuman, July 19, 2008

Dams are drying up

Once Vatan, July 27, 2008

66-67:

He has made night and day subservient to you, and the Sun and the Moon and stars, all subject to His command. There are certainly signs in that for people who use their intellect. and also the things of varying colors He has created for you in the earth. There is certainly a sign in that for people who pay heed. (Surat an-Nahl, 12-13)

68:

35 years until war over water

Turkiye, February 14, 2006

Rivers are dying

Posta, March 13, 2006

69:

139,000 people lost their lives in disastrous flooding in Bangladesh on 29-30 April, 1991. Some half a million animals also died.

71:

Europe drowning in alcohol

Turkiye, October 29, 2006

Children are turning into psychopaths

Once Vatan, October 3, 2006

73:

Gay and lesbian olympics

Sok Haber, June 7, 2007

The most obvious evidence of moral collapse observed in the End Times is no doubt the pervasion of all sorts of immorality and perversion. In our day too, appreciation of practice of homosexuality by some circles, and even granting marriage license to homosexuals in some countries is an obvious confirmation of this aberration.

150,000 people marched for homosexual rights

Hurriyet, October 13, 2009

76:

He brings forth the living from the dead and brings forth the dead from the living and brings the earth to life after it was dead. In the same way you too will be brought forth. (Surat ar-Rum, 19)

77:

Among His signs is that He created you from dust and here you are now, widespread human beings! (Surat ar-Rum, 20)

79:

The Middle East set for more bloodshed

Once Vatan, August 20, 2007

80:

Killed in their mothers' arms

Halka ve Olaylara Tercuman, August 10, 2006

Massacres of children two days apart

Posta, August 3, 2006

Call for emergency aid for 100,000 Timorese refugees

Birgun, June 13, 2006

Human drama

Halka ve Olaylara Tercuman, June 29, 2006

81:

Katrina looting in the USA!

Yeni Cag, September 2, 2005

They gorged on the humanitarian aid

Birgun, June 16, 2006

83:

8.9 earthquake in Indonesia: The 5th worst of the century hit by an earthquake, swallowed by a tsunami

Tercuman, December 27, 2004

New York Post, January 14, 2010

84:

Get ready for more storms, hail and tornadoes

Haberturk, June 30, 2009

Disasters at the gate

Cumhuriyet, August 16, 2006

China surrenders to floods

Vatan, July 6, 2009

85:

Plague of locusts

Evrensel, November 12, 2004

Locust nightmare in villages

Aksam, June 29, 2009

Plague of locusts

Dunden Bugune Tercuman, November 22, 2004

The earth on the brink of disaster

Yenicag, June 5, 2006

World pollution map

Birgun, October 20, 2006

86:

USA Army is in Iraq

Aksam, March 21, 2003

87:

655,000 deaths including children in Iraq

Gunboyu, March 28, 2007

Baghdad is burning

Tercuman, March 21, 2003

Everything being looted in Iraq

Yeni Asya, May 2, 2007

88:

Iraq once again a sea of blood

Milli Gazete, April 16, 2007

Blood in Baghdad

Yeni Asya, December 13, 2006

90-91:

Do not sell Allah's contract for a paltry price. What is with Allah is better for you if you only knew. What is with you runs out but what is with Allah goes on forever. Those who were steadfast will be recompensed according to the best of what they did. (Surat an-Nahl, 95-96)

92:

Lands longing for peace

Radikal, September 29, 2002

The destruction of a nation

Cumhuriyet, March 20, 2007

They are tearing Baghdad down

Ortadogu, December 24, 2006

Flight from hell

Yeni Asya, December 13, 2006

Nowhere is safe

Milliyet, May 10, 2007

101:

Mankind! the messenger has brought you the truth from your Lord, so it is better for you to believe. but if you do not believe, everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Surat an-Nisa', 170)

105:

What is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Allah. Allah suffices as a Guardian. (Surat an-Nisa', 132)

109:

It is He Who calls down blessing on you, as do His angels, to bring you out of the darkness into the light. He is Most Merciful to the believer. Their greeting on the Day they meet Him will be "Peace!" and He has prepared a generous reward for them. (Surat al-Ahzab, 43-44)

119:

Those to whom We have given the Book, who recite it in the way it should be recited, such people believe in it. as for those who reject it, they are the losers. (Surat al-Baqara, 121)

133:

Those who say that Allah is the third of three are unbelievers. There is no deity but One God. If they do not stop saying what they say, a painful punishment will afflict those among them who are unbelievers. (Surat-al-Ma'ida, 73)

142:

The Creation of the heavens and earth is far greater than the Creation of humanity. but most of humanity do not know it. (Surah Ghafir, 57)

147:

O humanity! You are the poor in need of Allah whereas Allah is the Rich Beyond Need, the Praiseworthy. (Surat al-Ahzab, 15)

153:

In the heavens and earth there are certainly signs for the believers. and in your Creation and all the creatures He has spread about there are signs for people with certainty. (Surat al-Jathiyya, 3-4)

155:

ALLAH IS BEYOND THAT

No need for God

Cumhuriyet, October 19, 1988

And now an insult to Allah

Takvim, March 7, 2006

Insult to religion

Takvim, 7 March, 2006

159:

They bowed to false prophets

Aksam, December 23, 2006

Western insults towards Islam continuing apace

Yeni Mesaj, October 8, 2006

Vile attacks on the Qur'an continue

Yeni Cag, August 17, 2007

OUR PROPHET [SAAS] IS BEYOND THAT

An insult to the Prophet [saas] in Norway

Milli Gazete, February 5, 2010

160-161:

Everyone in the heavens and earth belongs to Him. All are submissive to Him. It is He Who originated Creation and then regenerates it. That is very easy for Him. His is the most exalted designation in the heavens and the earth. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Surat ar-Rum, 26-27)

162:

There is nothing that does not have its stores with Us and We only send it down in a known measure. (Surat al-Hijr, 21)

166:

Racist attacks on Muslims over the Internet on the rise

Hostility towards Islam at a peak in Holland

Vakit, May 3, 2005

We must expel Muslims from Europe

Yeni Safak, June 16, 2009

No permission for the ADHAN in Switzerland!

Vakit, November 9, 2009

168:

Pakistan devastated by the 6.4 magnitude

Yeni Safak, October 30, 2008

Under the ruins

Bugun, October 4, 2009

169:

A nightmare called KETSANA

Radikal, September 30, 2009

Calamity in Japan and China

Typhoon hits Asia

Bugun, August 11, 2009

Famine: The deadliest disaster

Milliyet, November 27, 2003

170-171:

However, those who do wrong pursue their whims and desires without any knowledge. Who can guide those whom Allah has led astray? They will have no helpers. So set your face firmly towards the religion, as a pure natural believer, Allah's natural pattern on which He made mankind. There is no changing in Allah's Creation. That is the true religion—but most people do not know it. (Surat ar-Rum, 29-30)

172:

Smoke rises 3,000 meters

Vatan, June 10, 2004

Double disaster

Cumhuriyet, December 27, 2004

174:

Fire of the century in the USA

Hurriyet, October 30, 2003

Rocks literally rain down

Halka ve Olaylara Tercuman, September 13, 2003

Tsunami disaster displaces island

Aksam, January 21, 2005

A city has been destroyed

Milliyet, February 10, 2009

175:

Meteor on the metro

Star, December 20, 2004

Watch tonight's feast in the sky

Birgun, August 12, 2006

Earth, Sun and Moon in a straight line

Radikal, March 5, 2007

Full lunar eclipse on March 3

176:

And the threat of epidemics

Milliyet, December 20, 2006

Bird flu to spread again this year

Star, January 13, 2007

Belgium burns

Milli Gazete, July 27, 2007

177:

Not a sandstorm, but a plague of locusts!

Gunes, November 18, 2004

Cormorant darkens

Posta, December 31, 1999

178:

2007: A year of catastrophes

Ortadogu, December 28, 2007

180:

We killed without batting an eyelid

Hurriyet, February 6, 2007

Khaddam calls on Syria to rebel

Zaman, January 7, 2006

17 rebels killed in jail operation

Gozcu, March 16, 2005

The world is spending its money on war!

Ortadogu, June 13, 2007

We are being wiped out by wars

Birgun, December 20, 2004

The world longing for peace

Zaman, September 2, 2000

181:

A treacherous child

Sok, April 5, 2006

An unemployed father's savagery

Aksam, December 19, 2006

182-183:

What is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Allah. We have instructed those given the Book before you and you yourselves to fear [and respect] Allah, but if you do not believe, what is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Allah. Allah is Rich Beyond Need, Praiseworthy. (Surat an-Nisa', 131)

184:

Slaughter on the American University of Virginia campus

Yeni Safak, April 17, 2007

A native American high school student kills 9 people and then commits suicide in the US

Wife and eight relatives stabbed to death in China

Star, March 23, 2005

185:

Explosion in murders

Gozcu, June 29, 2006

187:

Fraud like an iceberg

Cumhuriyet, March 9, 2005

They were making a noise, so I killed them

Bugun, September 24, 2008

189:

Lack of love leads to depression

Ortadogu, July 26, 2006

Lack of spiritual values leads to violence

Vakit, April 5, 2006

Spiritual emptiness leads to drugs

Vakit, September 30, 2009

191:

Nobody watches out for our youth

Milli Gazete, September 29, 2009

192:

She said "YES" to the indecent proposal

Bugun, September 9, 2009

Huge rise in luxury car sales as the nation starves!

Sok, December 13, 2006

197:

All my husband thinks about is money!

Gozcu, December 16, 2006

They are all desperate for money

Bugun, August 8, 2006

No friends, no enemies, only self-interest...

Milli Gazete, January 20, 2002

198:

Mankind! a clear proof has come to you from your Lord. We have sent down a clear light to you. (Surat an-Nisa', 174)

199:

As for those who believe in Allah and hold fast to Him, He will admit them into mercy and favor from Him and will guide them to Him on a straight path. (Surat an-Nisa', 175)

201:

We are growing increasingly unhappy

Vatan, January 11, 2004

I am the loveliest

Tercuman, June 17, 2003

Insolence hits the language of youth

Milliyet, September 25, 2003

Mental health in a trough, violence and despotism at a peak

Tercuman, May 7, 2009

203:

When death is routine and living is a MIRACLE

Aksam, December 30, 2005

Story of the worst murder

Yeni Asya, August 8, 2007

Disaster fears in USA–September 11

Vakit, January 3, 2007

204:

The world's blood runs cold

Birgun, January 5, 2005

Death toll in Southern Asian disaster of the century exceeds 140,000

Cumhuriyet, December 31, 2004

GLOBAL MOURNING

American experts describe the force of the earthquake: 400 atom bombs

Takvim, August 19, 1999

205:

We do not send the Messengers except to bring good news and to give warning. as for those who believe and put things right, they will feel no fear and will know no sorrow. (Surat al-An'am, 48)

206:

1,500 bombs in 2 hours

Yeni Cag, March 23, 2003

207:

Fellujah burns

Vakit, November 14, 2004

They have destroyed Samarra

Bugun, March 17, 2006

Ruination in 30 minutes

Tercuman, March 22, 2003

209:

Basra suffering hunger and thirst

Yeni Safak, March 26, 2003

No comment

Date: March 26, 2003

Place: A village near Baghdad

Milliyet, March 29, 2003

Iraq weeps

Turkiye, March 23, 2003

210:

You who believe! Fear Allah the way He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims. (Surah Al 'Imran, 102)

211:

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)

216:

On the basis of Islamic sources in particular, and also on the basis of the Torah and the Gospels, we can say that the time we are living in is that of the awaited Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). Many events that have taken place in our day bear an exact similarity to those revealed in the Torah and the Gospels. One such is the coming of the dajjal (antichrist). The dajjal will be influential in all countries, spreading corruption and inciting wars and conflict. However, like all of satan's trickery, this is hollow and Allah will thwart all the ruses of the dajjal using the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) as His instruments.

219:

We pour down plentiful water, then split the earth into furrows. Then We make grain grow in it, and grapes and herbs and olives and dates. (Surat al-Baqara, 172)

222:

When the angels said, "Maryam, your Lord gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Maryam, of high esteem in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near. (Surah Al 'Imran, 45)

229:

Know that Allah brings the earth to life after it was dead. We have made the signs clear to you so that hopefully you will use your intellect. (Surat al-Hadid, 17)

238:

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)

250-251:

When those who fear [and respect] Allah are asked, "What has your Lord sent down?" their reply is, "Good!" There is good in the world for those who do good, and the abode of the Hereafter is even better. How wonderful is the abode of those who fear [and respect] Allah (Surat an-Nahl, 30)

256:

The war is hotting up

Son Havadis, September 24, 1980

Nearly 2 million deaths

Turkiye, August 3, 1988

The Iraqi Army in Iranian territory

Yeni Asya, September 21, 1980

257:

The construction of the Keban Dam stopped the flow of the Euphrates.

For the first and last time in history, Euphrates will not flow for 3 days. Electricity will be supplied to the whole country from June onwards. It will be possible to irrigate an area of 10 million hectares together with the Urfa Plain.

KEBAN: The Euphrates bed dries up for the first time...

Milliyet, November 5, 1973

Notes: The great Euphrates came to a halt right from its source.

Hurriyet, November 4, 1973

259:

A picture of the solar eclipse that took place on July 31, 1981.

Calendar pages show the dates of the lunar and solar eclipses that took place in 1981 and 1982.

Friday, July 17, 1981

Friday, July 31, 1981

Tuesday, July 20, 1982

Tuesday, July 6, 1982

260:

Total solar eclipse on December 4, 2002

The Moon will appear pale

Lunar eclipse in Ramadan

Vatan, November 8, 2003

The Moon will be darkened for 25 minutes

261:

The Soviet Army invaded Afghanistan in 1979. The occupation lasted some 9 years, ending in 1988.

The reason of the long-years' wars in Afghanistan: MINERAL WEALTH

Yeni Safak, December 2, 2001

Afghanistan, a mineral bed

262:

Coup in Afghanistan, the head of state is killed

Turkiye, December 28, 1979

The Soviets have taken over Afghanistan

Hurriyet, December 29, 1979

The coup in Afghanistan was carried out with the help of Soviet troops

Tercuman, December 29, 1979

Afghan mujahedeen are not submitting to the Red tanks

Yeni Asya, December 4, 1979

Afghan head of state Hafizullah Amin executed

Aksam, December 29, 1979

263:

He Who made the earth a stable dwelling place and appointed rivers flowing through its midst and placed firmly embedded mountains on it and set a barrier between the two seas. Is there another deity besides Allah? No indeed, but most of them do not know it! (Surat an-Naml, 61)

265:

Kuwait and the Persian Gulf were engulfed by flames as a result of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in July 1991 and the burning of the Kuwaiti oil wells.

266:

Troops set fire to the oil wells in Kuwait at Saddam Hussain's command.

268:

Chronicle, March 20, 1986

269:

In 1986, newspapers revealed the first photographs of Halley's comet and its icy nucleus taken by the Soviet Vega 1 spaceship from a distance of 5,500 miles away.

Halley over Sydney

Cumhuriyet, March 18, 1986

271:

Mecca invaded

Turkiye, November 21, 1979

Clash in Mecca: 402 dead

Turkiye, August 2, 1987

They have attacked the Ka'bah

Son Havadis, November 22, 1979

272:

The Earth in darkness; the last total solar eclipse of the century was watched with enormous interest by millions of people.

Turkiye, August 12, 1999

274:

Demolishment of communist and fascist leaders' colossi by the public is one of the most evident evidence of the system change related in the hadith.

275:

Anwar Sadat was assassinated

(Above right) New York Times, September 15, 1982

(Below) Yeni Safak, April 11, 2003

276:

Jordan's King Abdullah was assasinated in 1951 while praying in al-Aqsa Mosque.

277:

What happened to the guards?

Saddam's junta is lost

(Above) Hurriyet, April 11, 2003

(Below) Yeni Safak, April 11, 2003

278:

Do you not see that Allah makes night merge into day and day merge into night, and that He has made the Sun and Moon subservient, each one running for a specified time, and that Allah is aware of what you do? That is because Allah – He is the Truth, and what you call upon besides Him is falsehood. Allah is the All-High, the Most Great. (Surah Luqman, 29-30)

280:

Iraq at an impasse over "dinar"

Hurriyet, April 16, 2003

Iraqi dinar will be withdrawn from circulation

Vatan, April 10, 2003

281:

Baghdad in flames

Sabah, March 22, 2003

282:

Embargo extended

Zaman, June 2, 2001

283:

USA will reconstruct Iraq

Ortadogu, March 19, 2003

The reconstruction of Iraq

Once Vatan, April 18, 2003

Drama of emigration

Milli Gazete, March 19, 2003

Emigration started

Vatan, March 18, 2003

284:

Clashes in Syria continue: The city of Hama is in flames

Hurriyet, February 12, 1982

Tension between Palestine and Israel is rising every day

There is no reduction in violence

Aksam, January 22, 2002

35 km left to Damascus

Tercuman, October 13, 1973

285:

War at the gate

Aksam, March 30, 2001

286:

US warning to Syria, Iran and North Korea: Learn from Iraq

Haberturk, April 10, 2003

Destination Syria

Star, April 29, 2003

287:

Iraq to be divided into 3

Milliyet, May 4, 2003

Iraq is divided into 3

Yeni Safak, November 4, 2003

288:

Urban warfare draws close

Milliyet, April 12, 2003

The real war will be on the streets of Baghdad!

Milliyet, March 25, 2003

289:

Earthquake in Haiti

1985 Mexico earthquake

A 7.6 earthquake struck Taiwan

Hurriyet, September 12, 1999

290:

The space shuttle Challenger exploded soon after it was launched in 1986.

The Ebola virus led to the deaths of a few hundreds

291:

Flood in Mecca, the driest city of the earth: at least 8 dead

Hurriyet, November 13, 2003

The initial AIDS cases appeared at the beginning of the 1980s. This disease, also called "the plague of the century" has killed approximately 18.8 million people.

Indira Gandhi, the Indian Prime Minister, was also assassinated.

The shooting of Pope John Paul II was among the important events of the twentieth century.

292:

The eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia in 1985 was a great disaster that caused the death of 20,000 people.

In 1997, 1,8 million hectars of agricultural land remained under water due to the flood of the North Dakota Grand Forks River. The disaster, which caused a loss of more than 1 billion dollars appeared under the headline of "Great Mud: The City Disappeared." in various newspapers.

294:

picturebd.com

guardian.co.uk. January 5, 2006

bbc news, June 21, 2007

news.bbc.co.uk

295:

bbc news, December 27, 2003

302:

It is He Who made the earth a couch for you, and the sky a dome. He sends down water from the sky and by it brings forth fruits for your provision. Do not, then, knowingly make others equal to Allah. (Surat al-Baqara, 22)

303:

It is He Who created everything on the earth for you and then directed His attention up to heaven and arranged it into seven regular heavens. He has knowledge of all things. (Surat al-Baqara, 29)

305:

Stop the war

Once Vatan, March 19, 2006

The century of massacres

Yeni Safak, December 29, 1999

Religious leaders call for 'permanent peace'

Yeni Safak, January 27, 2005

Massacre shock across the world

Posta, April 19, 2007

The world is drenched in blood

Yeni Cag, February 24, 2006

306:

Anarchy on the rise!

Vatan, January 17, 2003

307:

Iraq: Country of orphans

Yeni Mesaj, April 10, 2007

308:

Maternity hospital bombed

Hurriyet, April 3, 2003

More civilian deaths

311:

Approximately 100,000 people died in Hiroshima in the immediate aftermath of the atomic bombing and subsequent months. Three days after this event, another atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki killed another 40,000 people. While bombs killed people, they also wiped out a great area of settlement. Those who survived suffered, as would their offspring, from genetic and physiological damage due to radiation.

312:

FALSE

314:

Minister's 'bribe' negotiations in Simsar

Milliyet, April 3, 2008

Child prostitution on the rise

Cumhuriyet, November 27, 2006

"Pervert father's" barbarity in Ethiopia

Radikal, July 5, 2009

317:

Bomb attacks on five mosques in Baghdad

bbc.co.uk/Turkish

July 31, 2009

318:

Any mercy Allah opens up to people, no one can withhold, and any He withholds, no one can afterwards release. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Surah Fatir, 2)

319:

Mankind! Remember Allah's blessing to you. Is there any creator other than Allah providing for you from heaven and earth? There is no deity but Him. So how have you been perverted? (Surah Fatir, 3)

321:

Time, May 03, 1993

False prophet

Takvim, April 6, 2002

25 months' imprisonment for the false prophet

Milliyet, July 27, 2009

During the last 30-40 years, many such people appeared: David Koresh was killed along 80 of his followers in 1993. (The two photographs above)

At the end of the 1970s, Jim Jones, founder of the People's Temple, a sect remembered as leading the greatest number of people to mass suicide, is one of these examples. (Lower left)

Jim Jones, who poisoned himself and his 900 followers, including children, is one of the foremost examples.

324:

Saddam the ruthless

Sabah, September 25, 2000

(Side) Saddam's oppression of his own people was reported on many occasions. The well-known German magazine Der Spiegel described Saddam and his family as the Murder Clan in its June 16, 2003, edition.

(Top right) Newsweek magazine reported on Saddam's crimes in its February 17, 2003, issue.

Radiation bomb tested

Aksiyon magazine, April 14, 2003

The Murder Clan

Der Spiegel, January 16, 2003

325:

Newsweek, February 17, 2003

328:

The Iran-Iraq war has flared up again

Daily Turkiye, 1981

BChronicle

330:

The world surrenders to disasters

Radikal, October 4, 2009

The world is rocked

Gunes, November 03, 2002

331:

First an 8.3 earthquake, then a tsunami struck

The Washington Post, January 13, 2010

One disaster after another

Bugun, October 2, 2009

332:

More people die from thirst than from war

Evrensel, August 21, 2008

The biggest threat to humanity

Cumhuriyet, August 23, 2008

No birds or fish left

Cumhuriyet, August 12, 2008

If the earth becomes a desert we've had it

Yeni Asya, June 27, 2008

333:

The photo of drought

Sabah, July 9, 2008

India dries like a leaf

Radikal, April 25, 2007

The dams are drying up

Once Vatan, June 27, 2008

Salt Desert

Gunes, August 21, 2008

335:

Tornado hits India

Yeni Cag, April 2, 2009

First Katrina, now Ernesto

Evet, August 28, 2006

Gustav, hurricane of the century

Vatan, September 1, 2008

Isabel destroys and moves on

Turkiye, September 20, 2003

Ike also hits Texas

Posta, September 14, 2008

337:

Lightning burns 400 homes

Turkiye, January 20, 2003

Lightning strikes plane

Turkiye, January 20, 2003

339:

Every where became flat

Radikal, January 28, 2001

340:

SARS is worse than war

Tercuman, April 12, 2003

AIDS: 40 million people died

Evrensel, December 1, 2006

Swine flu virus alarm, epidemic spreading rapidly

Haberturk, April 27, 2009

341:

Emigration wave of 600 thousand people

Cumhuriyet, February 6, 2003

Are you ready for droughts, floods, war and migration?

Yeni Safak, July 1, 2007

342:

**Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the sky and threads it through the earth to emerge as springs and then by it brings forth crops of varying colors, which then wither and you see them turning yellow and then He makes them into broken stubble? There is a reminder in that for people of intelligence. (Surat az-Zumar, 21** )

343:

Is he whose breast is opened to Islam, and who is therefore illuminated by his Lord? Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah! Such people are clearly misguided. (Surat az-Zumar, 22)

344:

Hunger and poverty pushing the limit

Milli Gazete, May 9, 2009

1 billion people hungry

Ortadogu, June 20, 2009

(Above) Time, August 01 , 1994

(Left) Time, December 14, 1992

346:

Time, May 3, 1999

In the USA, suicides are more than murders

Cumhuriyet, January 27, 2002

Every 40 seconds a person suicides

Yeni Asya, 20 Nisan 2009

German billionaire commits suicide because of crisis

Vatan, 7 January, 2009

Death machine

Hurriyet, May 28, 2003

347:

Psychopathic behavior at a peak, character defects on the rise

Sabah, June 10, 2009

Young people at university are miserable

Bugun, February 4, 2009

Where is the youth heading for?

Ortadogu, December 21, 2008

348:

Prostitution now the biggest sector

Gozcu, March 28, 2006

Men are renting out their wives

Hurriyet, June 20, 2006

350:

She set her son as target at the shooting range

Bugun, April 9, 2009

Fourfold rise in the number of people caught in the drugs trap

Bugun, February 5, 2009

45% of young people obtain drugs and alcohol from their families

Yeni Safak, February 21, 2009

351:

Human life expectancy will be 120 years

Cumhuriyet, November 24, 2009

The number of people aging over 100 years has exceeded 36,000

Hurriyet, September 13, 2008

Our life expectancy has grown by 60 years since the first human being

Haberturk, May 14, 2009

352:

Green miracle in the desert

Vatan, March 22, 2009

They have made a forest out of a sand dune

Hurriyet, August 23, 2003

355:

Birds are killing

Vatan, 24 January, 2004

Death flu

Star, November 30, 2004

Swine flu epidemic has spread across the continents

Sabah, April 27, 2009

The number of swine flu cases has reached 13,000

Radikal, April 27, 2009

Swine flu panic spreading fast

Radikal, May 27, 2009

357:

Explosion in bankruptcies

Ortadogu, April 4, 2007

Checks and promissory notes not being honored

Ortadogu, April 4, 2007

The crisis has demolished everyone

Yeni Safak, June 16, 2009

The crisis has melt the world

Star, April 25, 2009

The global crisis will impoverish millions

Tercuman, June 3, 2009

360:

The comet Lulin entering the Solar System

9 Sutun, February 13, 2009

Comet of the Last Day approaching fast

Gunes, February 23, 2009

361:

Approximately 1400 years ago, as a sign of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) appearance, our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) heralded the Comet Lulin, which was discovered in 2007 and made its nearest approach to Earth on February 24, 2009.

362:

A photograph taken by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. It is seen as if a pulsar in the shape of a hand, referred by NASA as "God's Hand," grasps another pulsar.

Milliyet, April 16, 2009

370:

Gog and Magog are a people described in the Qur'an as being opposed to Allah (surely Allah is beyond that) and a bloodthirsty force. Such corrupt movements have existed at all times; however, the real corruption across the world took place in the End Times with World Wars I and II.

375:

The history's greatest mass murders occured as a consequence of the World Wars I and II, which were grounded upon Darwinist, communist philosophy.

379:

And luxuriant gardens and orchards and meadows, for you and your livestock to enjoy. (Surah 'Abasa, 30-32)

389:

Say: "My Lord expands the provision of anyone He wills or restricts it. but the majority of humanity do not know it." (Surah Saba', 36)

390-391:

He sends down water from the sky and river-beds fill up and flow according to their size, and the floodwater carries with it an increasing layer of scum; a similar kind of scum comes from what you heat up in the fire, when you desire to make jewellery or other things. That is how Allah depicts the true and the false. as for the scum, it is quickly swept away. but as for that which is of use to people, it remains behind in the ground. That is a metaphor, which Allah has made. Those who respond to their Lord will receive the best. but as for those who do not respond to Him, even if they owned everything on the earth and the same again with it, they would offer it as a ransom. They will receive an evil Reckoning. Their shelter will be Hell. What an evil resting-place! (Surat ar-Ra'd, 17-18)

394:

Charles Darwin

396:

Louis Pasteur

397:

Alexander Oparin

398:

Stanley Miller

399:

One of the evolutionists' gravest deceptions is the way they imagine that life could have emerged spontaneously on what they refer to as the primitive earth, represented in the picture above. They tried to prove these claims with such studies as the Miller experiment. Yet they again suffered defeat in the face of the scientific facts: The results obtained in the 1970s proved that the atmosphere on what they describe as the primitive earth was totally unsuited to life.

401:

Lamarck believed that giraffes evolved from such animals as antelopes. In his view, the necks of these grass-eating animals gradually grew longer, and they eventually turned into giraffes. The laws of inheritance discovered by Mendel in 1865 proved that it was impossible for properties acquired during life to be handed on to subsequent generations. Lamarck's giraffe fairy tale was thus consigned to the wastebin of history.

402:

Mendel

403:

Accidental mutations develop into defects in humans as well as other living beings. The Chernobyl disaster is an eye-opener for the effects of mutations.

405:

The theory of evolution claims that living species gradually evolved from one another. The fossil record, however, explicitly falsifies this claim. for example, in the Cambrian period, some 550 million years ago, tens of totally distinct living species emerged suddenly. These living beings depicted in the above picture have very complex structures. This fact, referred to as the "Cambrian Explosion" in scientific literature is plain evidence of Creation.

408-409:

# Living Fossils Refute Evolution

Fossils are proof that evolution never happened. as the fossil record reveals, living things suddenly appeared together with all the characteristics they possess, and they never undergo the slightest change so long as they remain in existence. Fish have always existed as fish, insects as insects, and reptiles as reptiles. There is no scientific validity to the claim that species emerged gradually.

Sea Urchin

Period: Paleozoic Age, Carboniferous Period

Age: 295 million years

Sun Fish

Period: Cenozoic Age, Eocene Period

Age: 54-37 million years

Crane Fly

Period: Cenozoic Age, Eocene Period

Age: 48-37 million years

409:

Starfish

Period: Paleozoic Age, Ordovician Period

Age: 490-443 million years.

Birch Tree Leaf

Period: Cenozoic Age, Eocene Period

Age: 50 million years

Cicada

Period: Mesozoic Age, Cretaceous Period

Age: 125 million years

Sequoia Leaf

Period: Cenozoic Age, Eocene Period

Age: 50 million years

415:

Compared to cameras and sound recording devices, the eye and ear are much more complex, much more successful and possess far superior features to these products of high technology.

417:

We live our whole life in our brains. People we see, flowers we smell, music we hear, fruit we taste, the moisture we feel with our hands—all these are impressions that become "reality" in the brain. but no colors, voices or pictures exist there. We live in an environment of electrical impulses. This is no theory, but the scientific explanation of how we perceive the outside world.

424:

**They said, "Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."** (Surat al-Baqara, 32)

# Back Cover

In the End Times, when disorder and strife reach their fiercest level, when people are as far removed from Allah and religious moral values as they can possible be, when degeneration is at a peak, our Lord will send Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)–"he who gives the way to salvation." With his powerful love and fear of Allah Who has sent him to fulfil this important task, Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be a means of salvation for the whole world. by Allah's will, Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be successful in this duty, as is written in his destiny, and will cause sincere faith in Allah and religious moral values to reign supreme.

For that reason, the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be the greatest event in history, and it is mentioned in all the sacred scriptures. as is mentioned in the Qur'an, the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms and the pages of Prophet Abraham (pbuh) are scriptures sent down to Prophets who lived in past centuries. When we look at those passages in these Books that are in agreement with the verses of the Qur'an and the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), we see that the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) has been known and spoken of for thousands of years.

Many events that are taking place in our own time show that this sacred age that has been awaited for centuries has finally begun. All sincere believers have a major responsibility to make everyone aware of this crucial subject and to provide spiritual support for this holy individual, Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh).

## About the Author

The author, who writes under the pen-name Harun Yahya, was born in Ankara in 1956. He studied arts at Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University, and philosophy at Istanbul University. Since the 1980s, the author has published many books on political, faith-related and scientific issues. Greatly appreciated all around the world, these works have been instrumental in helping many to return their faith in Allah, and , in many others, to gain a deeper insight into their faith. Harun Yahya's books appeal to all kinds of readers, regardless of their age, race, or nationality, for they focus on one objective: to broaden the reader's perspective by encouraging him or her to think about a number of critical issues, such as the existence of Allah and His unity, and to live by the values He prescribed for them.

