Friday, October 15, 2021

Story of the Mahdi...

The Rightly-Guided One (Al-Mahdi), The Imaam, The Promised Deliverer, The Khalifatullah (Deputy of God), Al-Jabir (The Comforter)!

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saws) has prophesied about several events that will occur just before the advent of the Day of Judgment. Among these, the Messenger of Allah (saws) has foretold the advent of one of his descendants, the Mahdi (rightly-guided one), which will materialize when the believers are severely oppressed in every corner of the world. He will fight the oppressors, calm the trials and tribulations, unite the Muslims under his Caliphate, lead a prayer in Damascus at which Prophet 'Issa (Jesus) will be present and rule the world with equity and justice for seven years.

Throughout the history of Islam, a few individuals - driven either by the desperate state of Muslims in their community or a selfish pursuit of power and prestige - laid claim to being the Mahdi and found a following among the uninformed masses, looking for salvation from the heavens. For some of these individuals (like Bab of Iran or Mirza Ghulam of India) the claim to being the Mahdi was just a stepping stone to the development of heretic sects which broke away from the fold of Islam. Thus, it is at least prudent to visit the facts of this prophecy and avoid falling pray to false claimants that will appear from time to time.

Among the major signs of the Day of Judgment is the advent of the Mahdi. The Messenger of Allah (saws) predicted the coming of the Mahdi towards the end of this worldly existence, i.e. just before The Day of Judgment.

Abu Hurayrah (ra) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "If only one day is left for the end of the world, Allah will lengthen that day until a man from my family, whose name will be the same as mine, rules the world.” [At-Tirmidhi]
This indicates the emphasis, which the Prophet (saws) laid on the coming of the Mahdi.

There is much speculation nowadays on whether the Mahdi has already been born and if so, what would be his present age and when the impending appearance. Some Ulema have claimed that he is already born. However, Muslims should realize that mere speculation does not represent concrete evidence upon which any firm and clear-cut ruling could be based. Hence, the best course of action is to believe that the Mahdi will appear before the Day of Judgment, but exactly when, only Allah knows. The exact date and time of his arrival we leave to the Knowledge of Allah. However, the Messenger of Allah (saws) did give certain signs in the various Ahadith, which will herald the arrival of this great Imaam as well as certain details of the time period in which he would appear. The sayings on this issue leave no room for rejecting or even doubting the coming of the Mahdi. Neither do the facts leave us in the dark as to recognizing this great Imaam when he eventually does arrive.

To begin, the term "MAHDI" is a title meaning "rightly-guided one" or "one who is rightly-guided". The Mahdi is a normal man who Allah will inspire with special wisdom, knowledge and guidance and make preparations for him in one night to carry out his task successfully. His religion is Islam, his name will be Muhammad or Ahmad and his father's name will be Abdullah. He will be a descendant of 'Ali the son of Abu Talib and Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (saws), through their sons, Hassan and Hussein. The Mahdi will be very just and his capital will be in Jerusalem. The Mahdi is NOT a prophet but he is a Rightly-Guided Caliph and the Deputy of Allah. After he is given allegiance as the Caliph in Makkah, he will lead Muslims to a great victory against the tyrannical Sufyaani, as well as others tyrants in the Arabian peninsula, al-Sham (the Levant) and Egypt, in six years, thus establishing his rule over the region. Following this would be the Great war ("Armageddon"), which will end up with a great victory for the Muslims against the Romans and the Turks. Muslims would then conquer their cities and six years after the war begin, they would conquer Rome without the use of a single weapon. In the following year, the Dajjal (false Messiah) will appear and a greater war will start between his followers and the believers  for 40 days (longer that usual days) and will end when the Messiah, 'Issa ("Jesus") son of Maryam descends from Heaven and slays the Dajjal along with his followers. All the remaining people those that did not follow the Dajjal will embrace Islam, and the Mahdi, with 'Issa, would rule the whole world with equity and justice for seven years thereafter, during which peace would prevail. [All this mentioned in various sahih Ahadith]

DETAILS OF THE MAHDI:
The following are details taken from the sayings of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

NAME AND TITLE:
His name will be the same as that of the Messenger of Allah (saws), i.e. Muhammad or Ahmad. In addition, his father's name will be Abdullah. His title is Al-Mahdi, meaning the-(rightly) guided one. The Prophet (saws) also called him Khalifatullah, meaning "Deputy of God".

FAMILY LINEAGE:
The Mahdi will belong to the tribe of Qurayish and will be a sayyid (chief), descending from the family of Fatima, the offspring of Hassan and Hussein, the sons of 'Ali, son of Abu Talib.

CHARACTER:
He will have the character and morals of the Messenger of Allah (saws). In one night Allah will grant him unique qualities of faith, piety, leadership and knowledge, hence the title Mahdi.

Narrated Ali ibn Abu Talib: Abu Ishaq told that Ali looked at his son Hassan and said: "This son of mine is a sayyid (chief) as named by the Prophet (saws) and from his loins will come forth a man who will be called by the name of your Prophet (saws) and resemble him in conduct but not in appearance." He then mentioned the story about his filling the earth with justice. [Sunan Abu Dawud]

BIRTHPLACE:
He will be born in Medinah.

PHYSICAL FEATURES:
He will be tall with a fair complexion, having a broad forehead and an aquiline nose, with a mole on his right cheek. His face will be like a glittering star and his body will be like that of the people of Israel. He will have a slight stutter in his speech, as a result at times he will hit his thigh with his palm.
 
SIGNS BEFORE HIS APPEARANCE AS THE MAHDI:
Before the appearance of the Mahdi, the world will be filled with a great amount of injustice and oppression. There will be widespread evil in which all people will be heavily involved. Throughout the world, earthquakes would occur frequently, corruption would be rampant, innocent people would be massacred, with major events and appalling things happening. Terrible wars, anarchy and chaos would also become common place, with constant bloodshed. As a result, great cities would be destroyed/ruined. Muslim countries and their people will have become so weak that even animals would defeat them in battle, due to their love of life and fear of death, as well as their disunity. On the other hand, the Kuffaar of the whole world would be united under one leader. Their rule would spread over the entire world, and would reach as far as Khayber, a mere hundred miles from Medinah. Such would be the dominance of the kuffaar during that era. The Muslims would also be under severe persecution and oppression, not only from the Romans, but also from the tyrannical leader of that time (i.e. the Sufyaani), who will rule Syria. The Ahlul-Bayt (Family of Prophet Muhammad) will experience difficulties and persecution under his reign. The Abdaals and pious leaders will all be on the lookout for the Mahdi, knowing that only he could bring relief to the failing Ummah.
 
FROM WORLD WAR-I TO THE TIME OF THE MAHDI:
Among the general signs of the Mahdi, there are also specific events that lead up to his appearance.

Here is an esoteric narration, which demonstrates this:
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah: "The war of the end of time is the war of the world. There will be a third war after two great wars in which many are killed. He who will light the fires of the first/second world war will be known as the 'Great Leader' and then the world speaks the name (Hitler). 1300 years after the Hijrah, count a few decades. At that time, the Greek King wants to wage a war against the entire world. Meanwhile, Allah commands the war for that man. A short while later, that is, in two decades, a man whose name is associated with a cat name from the (German) lands, appears as a scourge on the Romans. He starts to bother people and wants to hold control over the world. He wages war against the entire world, both the warm and cold lands. After years filled with severe war fires, he meets Allah's punishment. Then, he is killed as the Russians' mystery. Count five or six or seven or eight decades after 1300 of Hijrah. At that time, a man called "Nasser" rules Egypt. Arabs call him "succa-ul Arab" (the "brave of the Arabs"). Allah disgraces him twice, once in a war, and then in another one, in which that "Nasser" can never attain victory. Then Allah grants victory to Egypt in the most beloved month of Allah. Upon this, Allah, the Lord of the House, makes a dark-colored person, whose father is more enlightened than himself, the leader of the Egyptian people and the Arab nation. But, he makes an agreement with the thieves of the Masjid al-Aqsa in the land of sadness. Then a cruel man appears in Iraq, which is located in the Damascus region. This man, with a slight injury in his eye, is a Sufyani. His name comes from confrontation (Saddam), and he is confrontational against his opponents. All the world gathers for him in small Kut, the region to which he came previously because he was deceived. There is no good in that Sufyani except with Islam and he is both good and bad.....and woe to he who betrays the trustworthy Mahdi. Count two or three decades after the year/decade of Hijri 1400. At that time, the Mahdi emerges. He fights the whole world and both the ones who have gone astray (Christians) and the ones who have earned Allah's anger (Jews) join against him with the hypocrites in the land of Isra and Miraj at Mount Megiddo. And there comes out against him the Queen of the world and deception, an adulteress called (America), who incites the world to deviation and infidelity...and the Jews of the world at that time would have the upper hand, ruling Quds and the holy city. And all the nations come to fight by sea and air except those in the land of extreme cold and the land of extreme heat. And the Mahdi sees that all the world does plot against him, but he also sees that Allah's plan is stronger than all, and he sees that the World belongs to Allah and to Him it will return, and that the World is but a tree that Allah wills him to rule from its roots to its branches.......and Allah throws down on them (unbelievers) with a disastrous punishment, burning their lands and seas and skies. And the sky rains down a harmful shower, with the people of the Earth cursing the infidels, and Allah wills the defeat of the unbelievers." (Asma al-Masalik Li'ayyam al-Mahdi al-Malik Li-Kul al-Dunya Bi-Amr Allah al-Malik ("The Best ways to know the time of the Mahdi, King of the World, by Allah's command"), Qalda bin Zayd, p. 216)
[The source mentioned for this narration, is said to be a rare hand-written book (manuscript), dated around 300 years after the Hijra and is found today, in Istanbul, Turkey in "Kitab Khane" (which is possibly the Süleymaniye Library), under the section listed as "Islamic manuscripts 3664/ Al Medina Al Munawara". This book contains an amazing collection of narrations, compiled by its author, Qalda son of Zayd son of Baraka, in Medinah]

It is said in another book, “Kitab Al-Fitan” by Abu `Abdullah Nu`aim bin Hammad, that Abu Hurayrah had two areas of knowledge he gained from the Prophet; one of them he imparted, while he hid the other. Abu Hurayrah commented on that saying that if he had imparted the other area of knowledge, he would have been slaughtered (and he pointed to his neck when saying so). The same hadith of Abu Hurayrah's "hidden knowledge" is also confirmed in Sahih Bukhari:
Narrated Abu Hurayrah: "I have memorized two kinds of knowledge from Allah's Apostle . I have propagated one of them to you and if I propagated the second, then my pharynx (throat) would be cut (i.e. killed)." [Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 1, Book 3, No. 121]
The prophetic narration in question can be said to come from this area of knowledge he "hid". On his deathbed (he died in 59 AH / 681 CE), he is said to have disclosed this "hidden knowledge" to others, including the narration in question. The (...) is where the text was eroded. As we know, the Dajjal and the son of Maryam both appear during the time of the Mahdi. Therefore, it can be assumed that 'Issa's descent happens in the last eroded text, and the Dajjal's appearance happens in the 2nd-to-last eroded text.

So, to briefly summarize; the Mahdi will fight the entire world in his jihad for equity and justice with Islam. They will gather against him on Mount Megiddo, and America too will come out against him. Amidst their failure to stop the Mahdi, the Dajjal will emerge to offset the Mahdi's revolution with deceptive miracles and a false religion, and the Mahdi will fight him as well. Then, under the Dajjal, the nations of the world will come to fight against the Mahdi by sea and air. As they fight the Mahdi and his armies, the Messiah son of Maryam will descend. His descent will spell the end of the Dajjal, along with his followers, and a defeat with a disastrous punishment for the unbelieving nations that joined with the Dajjal against the Mahdi. Allah's will would be fulfilled, and the Mahdi will rule the world, equitably and justly through Islam, as he is destined to, with the Messiah 'Issa (Jesus), son of Maryam there to help and succeed him in doing so.

It's time-framing of future events, although it may seem strange and suspicious to some, isn't really unusual, as we can see this being done in the Qur'an (30:2-5) and in a few mainstream ahadith (the end of the Rashidun Caliphate for example, in the Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and Hanbal ahadith collections). The naming of people and locations also isn't unusual for prophecies in ahadith literature. What is unusual about this one, is its implied use of the hijrah calendar. However, it was narrated by Abu Hurayrah on his deathbed, and he lived during the time the hijrah calendar was first officially used by the 2nd Caliph 'Umar ibn al-Khattab during his rule. This would give its implied use of the hijrah calendar precedence related to the time period it was first narrated to others. What this would imply, however, is that this hadith isn't an exact quote from the Prophet, but rather, it might've been "converted" to the hijrah calendar by Abu Hurayrah, when he conveyed it to others on his deathbed. This could possibly explain the uncertainty of the exact decade an event is to occur, in relation to the hijrah calendar, while, in relation to other events mentioned (i.e. the time between World War 1 and World War 2) the exact number is given (i.e. 2 decades).
 
THOSE THAT PAVE THE WAY FOR THE MAHDI BEFORE HE APPEARS:
Before the Mahdi's appearance, there would be those who pave the way for his appearance.

Narrated 'Ali son of Abu Talib: “The Prophet (saws) said, ‘A man named al-Harith son of Hirath will come from Transoxania. His army will be led by a man named Mansoor. He will be pave the way for and establish the government of the family of Muhammad, just as the Quraysh established the government of the Messenger of Allah. Every believer will be obliged to support them.’” [Sunan Abu-Dawud]
Thus, from the east, a man named "al-Harith" would appear, with his army being led by another individual called "Mansoor" who would pave the way for and establish the government for the family of Prophet Muhammad, which can be taken to be a reference to the Mahdi's government, since he would be a descendant from the family of Prophet Muhammad. In other narrations, we find implied references to "al-Harith" as the Hashimi (Hashemite) and to "Mansoor" as Shu'ayb son of Salih, with their army coming from Khorasan, carrying black banners. This army would continue moving westward against the armies of the Sufyaani, conquering the lands they pass over, until they reach the city of Jerusalem, where they would establish the Mahdi's government, after the Mahdi appears. When the Mahdi migrates to Jerusalem six years later, the Mansoor would give his army to him.

Ibn-i Munawi said that, "Danyal (Daniel) reported in his book that: "There are 3 Sufyaanis and 3 Mahdis. When the first Sufyaani appears and his name and fame become widespread, the first Mahdi will confront him, the second Mahdi will confront the second Sufyaani and the third Mahdi will confront the third Sufyaani and Allah will send him (the third Mahdi) to save the ones who have suffered mischief, and the believers. The Sunnah will be revived through him and oppression, injustice and cruelty will come to an end through him. The people will be highly prized and become victorious over their opponents at his time. A beautiful life will be lived, and the earth and the heavens will increase their blessing..." [This quote exists in a handwritten copy of the book titled Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman held in the Suleymaniye Library]
According to this quote, the book of Daniel says that there are 2 Mahdis that appear before the Mahdi. Assuming this reference is correct, it can therefore be said that these 2 Mahdis, one succeeding the other, would be those who pave the way for the Mahdi. They would therefore be Caliphs, but without a Caliphate system or an Islamic state in place to govern. al-Harith son of Hirath the Hashemite must therefore be one of these mahdis. When the Mahdi appears, he would succeed, with al-Harith's army's support, in finally overthrowing the despotic tyrants, then establishing his Caliphate over the Muslims. The other Mahdi can be said to be the Yemeni leader from the Quraysh, mentioned in the Kitab al-Fitan of Nu'aym bin Hammad.

During the time of the Yemeni, there would be a war in Byzantium (Turkey), in which the Byzantine ruler will be at war with the Turks (who will be invading them) and will be allied with the Romans. Thus the Turks will run over Qustuntuniyyah (Istanbul), and will occupy it. The Byzantine ruler will flee and go to Bilad al-Sham (The Levant). Following this, an agreement is made between the Yemeni and the Roman king, which is mediated by an Israelite, descending from Aaron. This agreement will be upheld for seven years. Together, they will wage war against, and invade, the enemy beyond Rome, and will be victorious. This war would be global in which many people will be killed.

There would be joint re-conquest of Istanbul, and a Christian from the allied Romans will erect a cross, and announce that "because of the cross, victory was gained, and in the name of the cross we won." On hearing this, a person from the Muslim army will assault him and will say, "No. Islam was victorious and because of Islam victory was gained", and shall go and break the cross. As a result of this incident, the Romans and the Turks will join together, breaking their peace-agreement with the Arabs, and then going to war against them. Those Muslims, as well as their leader, the Yemeni, will be martyred and the Romans, with the Turks, will take over al-Sham.

THE HASHIMITE:
The Hashimite (a descendant of the Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe) named of Harith son of Hirrath, will emerge during the time of the Sufyaani, from beyond the Euphrates River, with his army; the army of the Mahdi, whose vanguard will be the Mansoor . The former (i.e. Harith) will be preparing the minds of Muslims to-accept the Mahdi when he comes and pave the way for the Mahdi's government. He will perform the same task for the Mahdi, what the Qurayish performed for The Messenger of Allah (saws) in Madinah before the Hijrah. The Mansoor will aid him in this direction. It is compulsory upon every Muslim to help this Harith, or to respond to his call.

THE MANSOOR (VICTOR):
At head of the Hashemite's army will be the Mansoor, named Shu'ayb son of Salih from the tribe of Tamim. The term "Mansoor" is a title, meaning "victor", or "one who is given victory". As such, Shu'ayb is the one who leads the Mahdi's army to victory. He will lead the army of the Mahdi, who will come from the East carrying Black flags. The East here refers to Taliqan in Khurasan, i.e. Afghanistan. They will pave the way for the establishment of the Mahdi's kingdom and nothing shall stop their onward march, and eventually they will plant their flags on the soils of Jerusalem.

After al-Sham is taken over by the Romans, their rule would extend up to Khyber. At that point, the comet with a tail (a sign of the Mahdi), will appear. Its passing would cause much devastation across the world, resulting in a shift in the balance of powers. The Sufyaani would then come and take over Syria, then start massacring people in Iraq. When some flee to Khurasan, the Sufyaani's army would attempt to move eastward in pursuit of them. Then the Hashemite's army of the Mahdi, led by the Mansoor, would engage them in Iran, and defeat them. The Sufyaani's army would escape, then launch an assault into Arabia, capturing the Hashemites there and imprisoning them in Iraqi city of Kufa. Then the Euphrates river would dry up, revealing a treasure, which everyone would kill each other over. The three leaders competing for authority over the entirety of al-Sham (the Sufyaani, the Ashhab, and the 'Abqa) will also fight each over this treasure. However, none of them will attain it. After this, the Mahdi would appear.
 
THE MAHDI'S EMERGENCE AS THE NEW KHALIFAH:
Abdullah bin Mas'ood reports from the Prophet (saws), who said: "The world will not come to pass until a man from among my family, whose name will be my name, rules over the Arabs." [at-Tirmidhi; Abu Dawud]
From the above we can see that that the Mahdi would be from amongst the family of Prophet Muhammad, his name would be Muhammad, and he would come to rule over the Arabs.

"The promised Mahdi will be among my family. Allah will make the provisions for his emergence within a single night." [Ibn Majah]

Thus, the Mahdi will be inspired, and preparations will be made for him in one night to carry out his task successfully. They will actually lead him by the hand towards the Hajar Aswad, where people will then formally pledge their allegiance to him as the Khalifah. This pledge will take place in front of The Holy Ka'bah, between the Hajar Aswad and the Maqaam Ibraheem, during or just after the days of Hajj.

Initially the number of people to take the bay'ah (pledge of allegiance) at his hands will be 313, which is the number of Sahabah that took part in the battle of Badr. He will be 44yrs old at the time of his appointment. This will all take place in the  month of Dhul-Hijjah.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudari narrated that the Prophet (saws) said: "Our Mahdi will have a broad forehead and an aquiline nose. He will fill the earth with justice as it is filled with injustice and tyranny. He will rule for seven years." [Abu Dawud; Fusul al-muhimma, p. 275]

PROTECTION AND ACCEPTANCE BY ALLAH:
The following new year, immediately upon his appointment as the new Khalifah the Mahdi will witness the direct Help of Allah. This would be considered the first year of the Mahdi's rule, as he only emerged at the end of the previous year. Before the Mahdi, as has already been mentioned, a man from the heart of Damascus, known as the Sufyaani (from the family of Abu Sufyaan) had begun a horrendous campaign of bloodshed and killing, during which no tribe or community will be left alone. Even women and children will be mercilessly butchered. His chief supporters and followers will be the tribe of Kalb. Just before allegiance is pledged to the Mahdi, a great battle will be fought at Ahjar Al Zayt - The Stone of Oil - between the army of the Sufyaani and the Muslims of Medina in which the people of Medina will suffer. Shuayb, the son of Salih from Tamin will learn of the coming of the Mahdi and march to join him from Khurasan under three banners, under which will be 5,000 warriors ready to pledge their allegiance to the Mahdi. Muslims from Talakaan, Kufa, Yemen and Tunisia will also march to join him.

When this Sufyaani hears of the Mahdi, he will immediately dispatch an army towards Makkah - where the Mahdi will be. The Imaam and his handful of followers will easily defeat this army. Then this Sufyaani will himself lead a contingent from Syria towards Makkah to fight against the Mahdi.

This army will be destroyed by an enormous earthquake at Baidaa, a place just after Dhul-Hulaifa, on the way to Makkah. First the rear of the army will be devastated and when those in front go back to see what had happened, they too will meet the same fate. All but two members of this army will perish and these sole survivors will take back the news of this disaster. There will be many in this army who had been brought along by force, people who did not intend to oppose the Mahdi. Such people would also be destroyed along with the others, but on the Day of Judgment they will be raised up according to their intentions. When the story of Divine Help being granted to the Mahdi spreads through the Muslim world, the Abdaals of Syria and the pious people of Iraq will come to pledge allegiance to the Mahdi and join his ranks.

Similarly, other Muslim armies from Madinah and elsewhere will also come to Makkah and offer their support and allegiance to the Mahdi.

The Mahdi then moves forward to Syria, where he fights the armies of the Sufyaani who has the backing of the tribe of Kalb. He too will send an army against the Mahdi - who will yet again, through The Grace of Allah, inflict heavy defeat on his enemies. This will be known as the "Battle of Kalb".

The Prophet of Allah (saws) actually castigated those who do not participate in this battle against Kalb. The inhabitants of the heavens and the inhabitants of the earth will be pleased with him. It will be compulsory upon all Muslims who hear of the Mahdi to pledge their allegiance and full support to him.  
 
HIS LEADERSHIP, BATTLES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
During the Mahdi's reign, he would be involved with three conflicts:
One conflict would be against the tyranny, oppression and injustice in the region, replacing it with equity and justice. Another conflict would be against the Romans and the Turks, who would be trying to destroy his Caliphate. Then, the final conflict would be against the False Messiah, who would be trying to rule the world, and misguide people to his false religion. This would occur as follows:

With his army now bolstered by saintly and pious people, the Mahdi will defeat his enemies, as we have seen in the initial battles mentioned above. Upon releasing Syria from the oppressive rule of the Sufyaani, whom he captures and executes, he then sends his forces to Antioch to rest. One of the Prophet's (saws) companions commented upon the lushness of Antioch saying that he had never seen a place that had so much rain, whereupon the Prophet (saws) told him that it was because the Torah, Staff of Moses, Tablets and the Table of Solomon, the son of David are concealed within its caves and that not one single cloud comes to it from any direction that does not pour its blessing upon that valley.

Thereafter the Mahdi will become the supreme leader and reformer of the Muslim Ummah.

There will be a great Islamic revival and this Deen will reign supreme with unity slowly being restored to the Muslims.

He will continue fighting against the despots of the region in his campaign of bringing equity and justice to the world after it had been plagued with oppression. Among these despots would be a disabled man, descending from the Kindah tribe, who would have seized control of Egypt from another despot; the 'Abqa (one with a spotted face). Another of these despots would be the As'hab (one who is gray or reddish white) in al-Sham.

He will practice and lead people according to the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (saws).

He will live for twenty years after his emergence, in which he will fight for the first thirteen years, and rule for the last seven, with complete justice and righteousness. All of this time, Islam will be becoming the predominant religion of the world, until finally when Prophet 'Issa (Jesus) descends to kill the Dajjal (False Messiah/Prophet) and confirm the Mahdi's Caliphate, Islam becomes the only religion.

The Mahdi will conquer the city of Constantinople (presently known as Istanbul). The story behind this conquest is as follows:
After the earthquakes, which destroyed his enemies, and the subsequent amassing of Muslim armies under his leadership, the Imaam will leave Makkah for Madinah, where he will offer salaam at the Rowdha (the grave of the Messenger of Allah (saws)).

Having done this his next step would be to proceed on to Damascus, where the tribe of Kalb and their Sufyaani leader, would be based, as was previously mentioned. There, they will be defeated and there, the Imaam will set up his headquarters where he will conduct military operations against the despotic tyrants in the region and defeat them. The Bayt-ul-Maqdis (Masjid al-Aqsa) in Jerusalem will also be rebuilt and then the Mahdi will move the capital of the Caliphate there from Madinah and the people of Madinah will flock to it. At this point, the Mansoor will hand over the black banner army to the Mahdi.

In response to this, the Roman forces, in the following year, will start to gather their forces against the Mahdi.

At a place known as either Amuq or Dabiq, somewhere near Allepo Syria, 960,000 Roman forces would be assembled under 80 banners representing 80 nations, quite clearly to annihilate the Muslims.

At this time, the Muslims will be gathering their armed forces in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, forming a huge battalion. The Mahdi will send this battalion of mujahideen, from among the best people on earth, to engage them. The Romans and the Muslims will be gathering their forces for nine months. Between the time of the initial Roman treachery and their coming out to Dabiq, the Prophet (saws) said that nine months will elapse, during which the Mahdi will wage two campaigns initiated by the Dajjal, one against the Arabs that shall not recognize him and one against the Persians of Khorasan that shall not recognize him. When the two groups, the Romans and the Muslims, encounter each other face to face, the Romans will request that the Muslims hand over to them those who had fought and captured their Roman brethren. The Muslims will refuse, saying: “By Allah, We will never hand over our Muslim brothers” thus triggering off a fierce battle, which is the beginning of the Great war (i.e. Armageddon). A third of the Muslim army will flee and Allah will never ever grant them taubah (repentance). A third will be slain, and they will be the noblest martyrs in The Sight of Allah. The surviving third will be victorious, never to suffer defeat thereafter.

The initial battle will last four days. Each day the Muslim troops will resolve on oath that they will not return but as victors. For three days, they will fail to crush the enemy, with many men becoming martyrs. On the fourth day, the Romans will falter and succumb to a tremendous onslaught from the remaining Muslim troops. The ensuing slaughter will be unprecedented in history. This decimation will utterly shatter the morale of the Romans.

Thus, the Mahdi will smash the might of the anti-Muslim forces in that period, forces which had come together from all parts of the world.

Pressing forward against the remaining Romans, the next destination will be Turkey. From the Syrian coast, the Mahdi will dispatch 70,000 soldiers of the Banu Ishaq to re-conquer Istanbul, liberating it from Roman rule. They will cross the Mediterranean Sea, bound for Turkey and will conquer Istanbul without the use of a single weapon. Parts of the city will collapse upon the Takbeer and Tahleel of these warriors. They will recite 'Laa ilaha ilial-laahu wallahu Akbar' and simply walk over the city. The Muazzins of the Muslims will then establish the five times daily Adhaan throughout the city.  

The Mahdi will also arrive at Istanbul and set up the structure for his rule, appoint people to govern there and most importantly, make arrangements for the implementation of Islamic law. This conquest will deliver untold fortunes into the hands of the Muslims. As he and his men busy themselves capturing and rounding up these vast riches a rumor will spread that "the Dajjal has broken loose in Syria and is wreaking havoc among your families.” This news will be very disturbing to the Imaam and so consequently, he will send ten men ahead to ascertain the truth. About these ten the holy Prophet (saws) said: “I know their names and the names of their fathers they will be among the best warriors in that era.” Prophet (saws) even knew the color of their horses.

One of them will report that the whole story is false. Dajjal has not yet emerged. This was a lie fabricated by shaytaan to try and disrupt the progress of the Muslims. So the Mahdi, along with the conquerors of Istanbul, will resume their march on and continue to invade the enemy territories of Western Europe (Greece, Italy, etc.) in the same manner, with the Takbeer and Kalimah and eventually conquering Rome in the process.

In the following year, after the Mahdi reaches Jerusalem the great imposter (Dajjaal), the False Messiah, will now truly emerge and begin his campaign of mischief and corruption between Syria and Iraq. He will remain to do his bidding for forty days, one day like a year, one like a month, one like a week, and the rest like regular days, so these days will in fact cover the length of 428 days.

The Dajjal will have a large following of mainly Jews from Iran, Tatars, Bedouins, and illegitimate people (those born outside of marriage). The Muslims under the Mahdi will be in Damascus, surrounded by the armies of the Dajjaal, making preparations to fight them.

After the 40th day of the Dajjaal's reign, the Mahdi and his companions will be busy arranging the formation for prayer during the time of Fajr. The jamaat salaah will be almost about to start when suddenly the Messiah 'Issa (as) son of Maryam will descend from the heavens, dressed in two yellow garments, leaning on the shoulders of two angels and join the ranks of Muslims for salaah. The Mahdi will lead that Fajr salaah. He will go out, slaying the followers of the Dajjal, while the son of Maryam chases the Dajjal until he catches up with him at the Gate of Uhud and slays him.

After the slaying of the Dajjal and his armies, the Mahdi will then rule the entire world for seven years with equity and justice.

During his rule, the Muslims will experience great economic enrichment. There will be no droughts and lands will be exceptionally fertile. The earth will yield crops in abundance and of the best quality. This rich agricultural state will ensure a glut of money and food. In fact, so much that people who come to the Baiytul-Maal for assistance will be given as much as they can take away.

The hearts of people will become so independent of wealth and so dependent on Allah that when an announcement is made for the needy to come forward, only one person will stand up. When this person will be given wealth in such abundance, he will feel ashamed and would want to return the wealth, but the answer will be: "We do not take back what has been given. It's all yours to keep."

In short the Muslims will live a most luxurious and comfortable life, something they will never ever experience again in this world. The Mahdi will distribute lands equally among people.  

After these seven years, this great Imaam, a man who provided the perfect sequel to Allah's Supreme Religion - Islam, will pass on to the realms of the hereafter. The Muslims will perform his Janazah salaah and bury him and the Messiah son of Maryam will then become the new ruler of the Muslims.

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