IMAM MAHDI AND THE SIGNS OF THE HOUR

The following unprecedented cosmic phenomena mentioned in this article have never happened. They are expected to take place in the month of Ramadan and will be signs of the appearance of Imam Mahdi.

It is narrated in a hadith that Imam al-Daraqutni cited in his Sunan, "Truly, our Mahdi has two signs that have never appeared since the creation of the heavens and the earth. The Moon will be eclipsed on the first night in Ramadan and the Sun will be eclipsed in the middle and these signs have not appeared since God created the Heavens and the Earth.”

So one should keep a close eye on the moon on the first night of Ramadan. If there is an eclipse of it, and in the middle of the month there is an eclipse of the sun, then according to the hadith, that is the year Imam Mahdi will appear.

But what do we know about Imam Mahdi? What kind of person is he? What is his role in the history of mankind and why are millions of people on the planet waiting for his arrival? And will he, together with Jesus (peace be upon him), overcome the Antichrist (Dajjal)?

The book "The History of the Prophets" by the Venerable Sheikh Said Afandi from Chirkei discloses details about this extraordinary man.

The Messenger of God ﷺ predicted everything that would happen before the world was mired in vices and the Day of Judgment would come. When the whole earth is filled with violence and injustice, an imam will appear to restore order. The books say that his name is Muhammad or Ahmad, and his father's name is ‘Abdullah'. As for the hadiths about him from the Messenger of God ﷺ, there are a many of them. This is Imam Mahdi, for whom we are waiting, and do not believe those who deny his appearance, since the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ truly said that he would appear, even if it happens on the day before the end of the world.

He who wants to know the authentic hadiths transmitted by the imams should look them up in the books. In all the hadiths of the Prophet ﷺ, it is reliably stated that Mahdi is from his offspring. It is transmitted that he has a beautiful appearance, facial features like an Arab and a physique similar to the Israelites. It is said that "The religion that began with us will end with Mahdi, who is also one of us (that is, from my offspring)." Moreover, we will convey joy to the followers of the tariqa: Imam Rabbani says that the chain of the Naqshbandi Tariqa will not be interrupted until near the end of the world and that Imam Mahdi will be from this tariqa. The tariqa that has reached us in its pure form, with an unchanged foundation, will reach him in the same intact and pure form.

He is the last of the successors of the Naqshbandi tariqa and there will be no more Murshids after him. He is alive today but hidden from the people and will appear when the earth is filled with violence.

As for those signs of the Day of Judgment that have not yet appeared, first of all Imam Mahdi will appear, then will be the appearance of the Antichrist (Dajjal), after that Jesus (Isa)  will descend and then a certain animal Dabat al-Ard will appear. Then the sun will rise from the west and the text of the Koran will be removed from the earth, leaving only blank sheets. After killing Dajjal, Yajuj-Majuj will appear. People will choose Mahdi as the Imam and will swear their allegiance to him between the maqam of Ibrahim and the Black Stone corner of the Kaabah. It is said that this will happen on the day of Ashura (the tenth day of the month of Muharram). The last sign of the appearance of Mahdi will be an eclipse of the Moon on the first night of Ramadan and an eclipse of the Sun on its fifteenth day. These will be unprecedented eclipses of the Sun and Moon. Then the accursed Dajjal will appear in Khorasan and the Jews and Turks will be his followers. It is said that from Isfahan alone some seventy thousand people will follow him.

Another legend says that the year when Mahdi appears will be an odd year according to the Hijra calendar and that after his election as Imam, he will live no more than nine years.

The appearance of Mahdi and his announcement will be a great joy for all Muslims of the world. Angels in the sky, birds, and insects – there will not be an animal that will not rejoice. The number of those who will give their oath to him in the Sacred Mosque (Masjidul-Haram) will be equal to the number of participants in the battle of Badr, which is three hundred and thirteen, and the first speech after the oath will be delivered by the caliph, leaning his back against the Kaabah. Then he will recite verse 86 of the surah "Hood" meaning, "That which Allah leaves with you (Baqiyatullah) is better for you if you are believers."

And will conclude his speech with the words, "I am the one whom Allah has given you, and His vicegerent." He will be greeted with the words, "As-salam alaika, ya Baqiyyatullah fil-Arzi."

Then Imam Mahdi will arrive in Kufa and send troops in all directions. A hadith says that an angel will hover in the air above him, announcing, "This is Mahdi, the vicegerent of God on earth, so follow him!"

Dajjal, imprisoned by the might of the Almighty on an island before his hour, together with the aforementioned army of followers, will begin an invasion like a dog that has broken loose. The father of all troublemakers, Dajjal will take the opportunity to plunge people into such turmoil, that has never been seen on earth since the day of its creation and from which all things ask for refuge. There will be no place left where the cursed enemy will not set foot; he will even intend to go to Mecca and Madina. These two sacred places, as well as the al-Aqsa Mosque and Mount Tur Sayna’ (Sinai), will be protected by angels and will not allow the cursed Dajjal to set his dirty foot there.

The situation in the countries of the East will become very difficult, as if in a conflagration, mixed with fire and water. Great upheavals will begin all over the world and the banner of holly war will be raised. One of the damned offspring of Yazid in Damascus will come out against Mahdi and the Imam will kill him. With the sword, Mahdi will call the people to the path of Islam and thus the true faith will spread on earth. Those who oppose will be humiliated and those who turn away from Islam will find destruction. Seventy thousand Muslims, performing takbir, will take the city of Rumiyat.

As for the ill-fated Dajjal, he was born in the time of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. At the request of the Messenger of God, the Almighty God transported him from the land of Hejaz to a remote island in the sea. This cursed one is a man from the offspring of Adam  and his mother is from the offspring of the cursed Iblis. He will be a follower of the Jewish faith and will claim that he is God. "If I revive your dead father, will you follow me?" he will say to one of the people. At this time, Satan will appear before him in the guise of a father and the son, taking this for the truth, will believe in Dajjal and fall into error. This cursed and damned man will be lacking an eye and on his forehead will be written "kafir" (infidel). They say his mount will be a donkey, with such ears that they will carry a hundred people. "Heaven and Hell are in my power and my religion is true and there is no one else besides me," this infidel will assert.

And then Almighty Allah will descend from heaven the son of Maryam – Ruhullah ‘Isa (Jesus) . He will be lowered to the minaret of the al-Amawiya Mosque in Damascus, when the Jamaat and the imam of this mosque, appointed by Imam Mahdi, will collectively perform the sunset prayer.

(to be continued)

The article is based on the book "The History of the Prophets" by the Honourable Sheikh Said-Afandi Al-Chirkawi