Bigotry: The Dark Danger
Portents and Features of the Mahdi's Coming
Portents of the Mahdi's Coming -214) Stoppıng the Flow of the EuphratesThe blocking and stopping of the Euphrates’ water is another portent: One of the portents of the Mahdi’s coming is the stopping of the Euphrates. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi, p. 39) Other hadiths provide more details: The river’s water has been blocked by the Keban Dam.
The Euphrates will soon disclose the treasure [the mountain] of gold. Whoever will be present at that time should not take any of it (because the end of the old world has come). (Sahih Bukhari, 12:305) As we have seen, stopping the Euphrates’ water is an important sign. In addition, many hadiths say that a treasure as valuable as gold will emerge. Let’s examine these signs further: Allah's Messenger (saas) said: "The Hour will not come to pass before the 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.' " (Narrated by Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim/ Riyazu's Salihin, 3:332) 1)… the Euphrates dries up …As-Suyuti calls this the “stopping of the water.” The Keban Dam did, in fact, accomplish this feat. 2)… unveils the mountain of gold…Thanks to this dam, the newly exposed land became “worth its weight in gold,” for the resulting increased production of electricity made it possible to irrigate more land and facilitated transport. 3)… for which people will fight.Due to the widespread anarchy and killing in the region, anyone asserting ownership of land in that area may kill or be killed, just as the hadith states. 15) Solar and Lunar Eclipses During Ramadan
There are two signs for the Mahdi... 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.(al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar, p. 49) The most important points here are the solar eclipse in the middle of Ramadan and that the Sun and Moon cannot be eclipsed twice in one month under normal conditions. However, other portents can happen as a result of certain causes and can be comprehended. Close inspection of the phenomena described in these hadiths reveals various differences between the accounts. According to the first, second, and third accounts, the Moon will be eclipsed on the first day of Ramadan, and according to the fourth it will be eclipsed on the last day. The correct course of action here is to find the common ground in these accounts:
In line with these calculations, the Moon was eclipsed on 15 Ramadan 1401 (1981) and the Sun on 29 Ramadan 1401. And, the Moon was again eclipsed on 14 Ramadan 1402 (1982)) and the Sun on 28 Ramadan 1402. Significantly, this hadith declares that the Moon should be eclipsed in the middle of Ramadan as a full moon. This is noted as being a portent. The fact that these events took place in the same period as the other portents of the Mahdi’s coming and were miraculously repeated twice at the beginning of the 1400s ah strengthens the assumption that the hadith is pointing toward these events. 16) The Rise of a Comet
A star with a luminous tail will rise from the east before the Mahdi emerges. (Barzanji, Al-Isha`ah, p. 200) As stated in the hadiths: Halley’s Comet passed close to Earth in 1986, at the beginning of the 1400s ah (1406 ah). This comet was a bright, shining star that moved from east to west and appeared after the lunar and solar eclipses of 1981-82 (1401-02). The fact it was born at the same time as the other portents confirms that Halley’s Comet is the celestial body referred to in the hadith. Imam Rabbani provides the following information about this specific portent: A tailed star will be born in the east and spread its light. Its daily direction will be from east to west.(Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, 2:1170) Whenever this comet has passed by, events that represent significant turning points with regard to Muslims have taken place. Some of these are revealed in the accounts handed down from our Prophet (saas). According to these accounts, when the comet was seen:
Some Interesting Figures Linked to Halley’s CometInterestingly, some figures pertaining to the comet are multiples of 19. For example, Halley's Comet appears every 76 years (19 x 4 = 76) and was last seen in 1406 ah (19 x 74 = 1406). Surat al-Muddaththir, which refers to the miracle of 19 in the Qur'an, is the seventy-fourth surah. Moreover, its thirtieth verse reveals that 19 is a means of mercy for believers and of fitna for unbelievers. A last great miracle and sign of this comet is its appearance in 1986 (1406 ah), its nineteenth appearance since 610, when Prophet Mohammed (saas) was honored with prophecy. In Surat al-Muddaththir 74:1-2, Allah commands our Prophet (saas): "O you who are enveloped in your cloak, arise and warn." The meaning is clear. Yet, they may be a hidden meaning: "(the one) enveloped in cloak" may well refer to the Mahdi, who is from our Prophet's (saas) lineage and whose appearance will be signaled by the rise of Halley's Comet in 1406 ah. 17) Storming the Ka`Bah and the Subseouend Bloodshed
The year in which he will emerge, people will perform hajj together and gather without an imam. The Hajjis 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: a stone pillar representing Satan that is stoned during the pilgrimage.] (Narrated by `Amr ibn Shu`ayb, al-Hakim and Nu`aym ibn Hammad) The phrase "the year in which he will emerge" draws attention to a massacre that will occur on the date of the Mahdi's emergence. In 1979, a massacre very like this one occurred during the raid on the Ka`bah, which took place during the pilgrimage month on 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 confirms the rest of this hadith. Seven years after this attack, an even bloodier event took place during the Hajj: 402 people were killed in attacks on pilgrims demonstrating in the streets, and much blood was spilled. Muslims committed terrible sins by killing each other (the Saudi troops and the Iranian pilgrims) beside al-Bayt-al Mu`azzamah (the Ka`bah). These bloody incidents bear a close resemblance to the climate described in the relevant hadiths:
The Prophet (saas) said: "There will be a voice in Ramadan, a noise in Shawwal, and war between the tribes in the month of Dhu al-Qa`dah. Pilgrims will be despoiled. There will be a war in Mina in which many will die, to such an extent that so much blood will flow as to leave the stones there in a lake of blood."(Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi, p. 31) A great sin will be committed beside al-Bayt al-Mu`azzamahThe above hadith draws our attention to incidents that will occur by al-Bayt al-Mu`azzamah (the Ka`bah), not inside it. In contrast to the first, the events of Dhu al-Hijjah 1407 ah (during the hajj season) happened not inside the Ka`bah, but beside it. The first event described took place inside the Ka`bah on 1 Muharram 1400, in line with the indications given in both hadiths. Two major events, shedding blood in the Ka`bah and killing pilgrims, take place one after the other at a time when all of the portents regarding the Mahdi are coming true. This appears to be more than coincidental. When we examine the expressions in these hadiths, we see signs pointing to other important events that will occur at the same time:
The combined reference in the hadiths to war, conflict, and the killing of pilgrims shows that the incidents in question will take place at the same time. The period in question was when the Iran-Iraq war broke out and when the worst conflict and chaos were experienced in southeastern Turkey and the Middle East.
This may be a reference to tension in the Persian Gulf, heightened tension between Iran and the United States, and a state of war. 18) Sighting a Flare in the East
... the emergence of a big flare, which is seen in the east, in the sky for three nights; The sighting of an extraordinary redness, not as red as the usual color of the dawn; and its spread over the horizon.(Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi, p. 32) Here, we give a brief explanation of this flame: Some people wait for this flame as a sign that comes suddenly and for no particular reason, that never goes out, and that everyone can see. Since the trial 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 intellect, mind, conscience, and will. If the End Time signs had been narrated in full detail (e.g., how, when, and where they will occur), everybody would have had to accept them. Thus, no differences of degree would be left among the people. For this reason, these hadiths have been communicated in a semi-implicit manner. The sign concerning the flame must be evaluated in this manner. A flame is the result of either an accident due to neglect or to a deliberate action. The hadiths do not say that it must occur as a very strange and extraordinary sign. What really counts is its occurrence in compliance with the properties of the flame described in the hadiths and the time of its occurrence. To do this, first we must consider its properties. In July 1991, after Iraq invaded Kuwait, a huge fire spread throughout Kuwait and the Persian Gulf as the Iraqis fired Kuwait's oil wells. This is how this fire was covered in the media:
The fire and smoke coming from the wells constantly polluted the atmosphere. Daytime resembled night in Kuwait. The brown smoke that rose together with the flames reminded one of the sky as the autumn turns into winter… It has been stated that it would take at least a century for Kuwait to be completely habitable again. The smoke that rises with the flames is visible from miles away, totally blocking out the sky and making the country unfit to live in. The wealthy are abandoning Kuwait.
The hadith’s first part says that the flame "is presently in an extinguished state." Given that the flame is the result of burning an inflammable substance, what waits in an extinguished state is not the flame itself but rather the material to be burned by the flame. In this context, this may mean underground oil. Berehut is the name of a well. This can be considered 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." This flame is not merely a burning flare, but also one that deprives people of their lives and possessions, making them miserable and sorrowful, and contaminates the surrounding environment. "That flame … burns up and destroys people and property." This flame causes the death of people. In addition, it burns up property, causing material damage, and, by polluting the surrounding environment, destroys what people need in order to live. "… spreads all over the world in eight days by flying like a cloud with the assistance of winds." This particular element is the smoke that the flame produces. Thus, this metaphor indicates that the smoke will reach as high as the clouds and spread in all directions due to the wind. "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." Attention is drawn to the facts that the flame will climb very high into the air and cause a very strong noise and 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, for the flames of a large nighttime explosion lead to a very strong illumination. The red illumination caused by such red flames is very different from the red "dawn" redness with which people are familiar. Such an illumination at night, which is very similar to daylight, is an extraordinary phenomenon. 19) An Increase in the Number of False ProphetsThe appearance of false prophets is another portent of the Mahdi’s coming. Many people claiming to be Prophet ‘Isa have emerged in recent times.
The Hour will not be established until about thirty Dajjals [liars] appear, and each one of them will claim that he is Allah's Apostle…(Sahih Bukhari) 20) The Use of Religion For Personal Ends
When the learned acquire knowledge solely to make money … when they sell the religion for the sake of this world …when they sell the laws … then Doomsday will be at hand. (Death, Doomsday, and Resurrection, p. 480) 21) The Occurance of Great and Astonishing Events
Great phenomena will happen in his time.(al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar, p. 27) Great and extraordinary events preceded Prophet Mohammed's (saas) birth. For example, a new star rose on that night, 14 towers of the Iranian emperor's palace collapsed, the Magians' (fire worshippers') sacred fire that had burned for 1,000 years in Iran went out, the Semavi Valley was flooded, and the Save Lake dried up. As indicated in the hadiths above, the Mahdi's emergence will also be marked by great and miraculous phenomena. Some of the remarkable phenomena that took place during the twentieth century are as follows: The Ka`bah was raided, and many Muslims were killed, The 2,500-year-old Iranian monarchy collapsed, and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi fled and died in exile, 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 Indira Gandhi and her successor Rajiv Gandhi, along with 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 tens of thousands of people and is known as the "Plague of the Age," The Challenger space shuttle exploded after take-off in 1986, The worst nuclear accident in history occurred when the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor, located in the Soviet Union, exploded on 26 April 1986 and affected many European countries by the released radiation, 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 The United States and Britain occupied Iraq in 2003, An earthquake in Armenia reduced cities to rubble, causing 500,000 people to leave their homes and more than 40,000 people to lose their lives, 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 10 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 tens of thousands, and The hurricanes, tornadoes, whirlwinds, and floods caused by El Niño led to the deaths of thousands of people, to millions fleeing their homes, and to billions of dollars worth of damage. 22) A Sign Outof the Sun
He [the Mahdi] will not come unless a sign emerges out of the Sun.(al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar, p. 49) During the twentieth century, a great solar explosion took place and had a great impact upon the world. Eclipse of the SunThe solar eclipse of 11 August 1999 was the final eclipse of the Sun during the twentieth century. This was the first time that so many people could actually watch and investigate such an event for an extended period of time. One noteworthy aspect of this eclipse was that it could be seen in Turkey in some 12 cities and 100 districts. It is no coincidence that so many signs have taken place one after the other in such a short space of time. Each of these portents represents glad tidings for believers. 23) The Destruction of Great CitiesGreat 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, p. 38)
The hadith indicates that certain large cities will be destroyed as a result of wars and various natural disasters. Several large cities were indeed destroyed or severely damaged during the 1400s ah. These events are major signs of the Mahdi’s coming. The atomic bombs dropped by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 killed innumerable people and razed both cities to the ground. So look at the end result of all their plotting: We utterly destroyed them and their people. These are the ruins of their houses because of the wrong they did. There is certainly a Sign in that for people with knowledge. (Surat an-Naml, 51-52) How many cities We have destroyed that lived in insolent ingratitude. There are their houses, never again inhabited after them, except a little. It was We Who were their Heir. (Surat al-Qasas, 58) Those cities: We destroyed them when they did wrong and fixed a promised time for their destruction. (Surat al-Kahf, 59) How many cities that did wrong have We utterly destroyed, raising up other people after them. (Surat al-Anbiya’, 11) When Our command came, We turned their cities upside down and rained down on them stones of hard baked clay. (Surah Hud, 82) How many cities We have destroyed. Our violent force came down on them during the night or while they were asleep during the day. (Surat al-A`raf, 4) The twentieth century’s wars totally ruined many great cities (e.g., Berlin, Hamburg, Warsaw, Leningrad, Bucharest, Beirut and London). It took years to rebuild them. 24) An Increase in the Number of EarthouakesDoomsday will not come until earthquakes multiply, strife appears, and murders increase.(Portents of Doomsday, p. 109) Our Prophet (saas) stated in the above hadith that “a rise in the number of earthquakes” will be a sign that the End Times is nigh. Indeed, the twentieth century went down in history as one in which many thousands of people lost their lives in earthquakes. The devastating earthquake in Kobe (Japan), and those that followed one after the other in Turkey, Taiwan, Greece, and Mexico, are important signs.
There will be earthquakes in my community. Ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand people will die. Allah will make this a counsel for the taqwa, a mercy on believers and a suffering for unbelievers.(Ibn ‘Asakır, Geleceğin Tarihi 1(History of the Future 1), Orhan Baytan, Mevsim Publishings, p. 81) Is the Iraq War a Portent of the Mahdi?World events taking place after the second edition of the book Harun Yahya’s The Awaited Mahdi, which sold out very quickly, as well as the American invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and the neighboring countries’ behavior during the war, are important means whereby we can review the hadiths on these subjects. The Loss of an ArmyThere are five portents of the Mahdi: a cry from Sufyani, Yamani, and Sama; the sinking of an army at Bayda; and the killing of the innocent. (Narrated by Nu`aym ibn Hammad) No Money Left to the IraqisThe Iraqis will have no measuring scales and almost no money with which to buy provisions. (Muntakhab Kanz al-`Ummal, 5:45) Flames Destroy BaghdadBaghdad is destroyed by fire in the End Times... (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, 3:177) An Embargo against Iraq and Syria“It may happen that the people of Iraq may not send their qafiz and dirhams [their measures of food-stuff and their money].” We asked: “Who will be responsible for it?” He said: “The non-Arabs will prevent them.” He again said: “There is the possibility that the Syrians may not send their dinar and mudd.” We asked: “Who will be responsible for it?” He said: “This prevention will be made by the Romans.” (Sahih Muslim) The Rebuilding of IraqDoomsday will not come until Iraq is attacked. Innocent people in Iraq will seek shelter in Damascus, which along with Iraq, will be rebuilt. (Muntakhab Kanz al-`Ummal, 5:254) Iraqis Flee to Damascus and the NorthDoomsday will not come until Iraq is attacked. The innocent and clean people of Iraq will flee to Damascus.(Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 210) Fitna in DamascusThe tribulations in Damascus will calm down on the one hand and flare up again on the other. This tribulation will not end until an angel from the sky calls: “The Mahdi is your leader. The Mahdi is your caliph.” (Ibid., p. 63) Damascus, Iraq, and ArabiaOur Prophet (saas) said: “There will be such troubles and calamities that nobody will be able to find a place of shelter. These woes will move around Damascus, 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, 5:38-39) " A Great Battle between the Tigris and the Euphrates "There will be a city called Zawra [Baghdad] between the Tigris and the Euphrates, where a great battle occurs. Women will be taken prisoner, and men will have their throats cut like sheep. (Ibid., 5:38) “The Division of Iraq into Three Parts”
According to our Prophet (saas) 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 Doomsday when you see this. (Fera Idu Fevaidi'l Fiqr fi'l Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar) " The Killing of Innocent Children "When an innocent child of Muhammd’s community is killed, an angel from the sky will cry: “Allah is with him [the Mahdi] and with those who are with him.” (Muhammad ibn `Ali Sabban, Ishaf ar-Raghibin, p. 154)
|