A response to the claim that "one must know Arabic and the proper recitation of the Qur'an in order to understand the Qur'an and the hadiths": Hazrat Mahdi (as) will use internet knowledge

1) In our day there are hundreds of millions of Arabs around the world reading the Qur’an and the hadiths flawlessly in their native languages. However this proves to be insufficient to know the Qur’an and live by it.

2) Knowing the Qur’an and living by it becomes possible by sincerity. What matters is not knowing the Qur’an and the hadith by heart but to understand them and live by them sincerely. Allah relates in the Qur’an thus: “You will be repaid for what you did- except for Allah’s sincere servants”. (Surat as-Saffat, 40 and 74)

3) In these countries there are thousands of communists, irreligious or Darwinist people. If they wish, these people, who speak Arabic fluently, can read the Qur’an flawlessly. This is not a sign showing their devoutness and fear of Allah.

4) The people who oppressed Muslims in the past and became instrumental in holding many Muslims under severe conditions of prisons in Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia also speak very good Arabic. There are also freemasons, communists and fascists who read the Surah Al-Fatiha of the Qur’an very well. Consequently it is a flawed rationale to say, “Those who know Arabic are good Muslims” and “Those who do not speak Arabic are not good Muslims.”

5) Darwinists, materialists, atheists, communists around the world are not influenced by one’s knowledge of Arabic or tawjeed (perfecting the recitation of the Qur’an) but his piousness. They are scared to death by the knocking off Darwinism through science and philosophy.

6) Indeed the most important and influential feature of Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be his ‘profound faith’. Otherwise, HAZRAT MAHDI (as) WILL ALSO BE ILLITERATE like our Prophet (saas).

7) Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not have time to make detailed research about many subjects, learn foreign languages or explore the origins of languages. However, this state will not influence the perfection of his service. Bediuzzaman stated that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will “NOT BE AVAILABLE IN TERMS OF TIME AND STATE, FOR THIS REASON HE WILL BENEFIT FROM READY WORKS.”

Since preserving believers from depravity (preventing believers straying from the true path) and that this duty necessitates leaving behind the world and everything, and being occupied with research and bringing forth the truth, all of which requires a great deal of time, HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) WILL HAVE NO TIME OR MEANS TO PERFORM THAT TASK HIMSELF. Governance in the struggle of succeeding Muhammed [in other words, the great efforts made to spread Islam, bequeathed to Muslims by our Prophet (saas)] leaves no time for that. Someone before him will probably be engaged in that duty in one respect.

THAT PERSON WILL  MAKE A READY PROGRAM OF RESEARCH ALREADY CONDUCTED AND WRITTEN BY THAT COMMUNITY. He will fulfill that first duty in its full sense, by which he will have fulfilled his first duty. (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Emirdag Addendum, p. 266-267)


8) Sheikh al-Akbar Muhyiddin Arabi mentioned Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) “ministers”, in other words, “ students” who will help him in many works.

Know that when Hazrat Mahdi (as) appears all Muslims, high and low, will rejoice. THERE WILL BE PEOPLE (students) WHO HAVE DIVINE OR SPIRITUAL SUPPORT. They will keep his (Hazrat Mahdi’s (as)) call alive and HELP HIM (HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)) AND MAKE HIM VICTORIOUS.
They will assume all the heavy burdens of the nation.

THEY WILL SUPPORT HIM (Hazrat Mahdi (as)) UPON THE TASK IMPOSED ON HIM BY ALLAH...

The people … he (Hazrat Mahdi (as)) trusts, THOSE LEADERS, WILL BE THE MOST CERTAIN OF ALL THE TRUSTWORTHY.

... ALLAH HAS APPOINTED A GROUP OF LEADERS TO HIM (HAZRAT MAHDI (AS))...

... THESE WILL BE PEOPLE WHO POSSESS TRUE KNOWLEDGE ON ALL MATTERS.

... ONE DISTINGUISHING FEATURE OF THESE LEADERS IS THAT THEY ARE NEVER DEFEATED ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE (IN THE INTELLECTUAL STRUGGLE AGAINST DENIERS AND IRRELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS)... (Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi, Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyah, 366. bab, Vol. 3, pp. 327- 328)

9) In addition, one of the most important attributes of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is that he will be equipped with wisdom and knowledge from Allah. This is described as follows in the hadiths:

The Mahdi is from us, from the Ahl al-Bayt. ALLAH WILL PERFECT* HIM IN A NIGHT. (* i.e., will forgive him, or give him success and the inspiration of wisdom and guidance) (Sunan Ibn Majah, vol:10, Bab: 34, p. 348)

“O Ahl al-Bayt! The Mahdi (as) is one of us. Allah, the Great and Glorious, WILL PURIFY HIM (HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)) AND SHOW HIM THE TRUE PATH IN A SINGLE NIGHT.” (Ash-Sharani, Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 437)


10) By Allah’s blessing, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will possess a glorious knowledge. In the hadiths it is related that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be equipped with “HIDDEN AND SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE, SUCH AS ILM AL-LADUN, BESTOWED BY ALLAH”. Muhyiddin Arabi relates this feature of Hazrat Mahdi (as) as follows:

1-    HE HAS A STRONG SENSE OF PROVIDENCE

2-    He comprehends the Holy Book.

3-    He knows the meanings of the verses

4-    HE KNOWS THE STATE AND BEHAVIORS OF THE PEOPLE HE ASSIGNS

5-    He sticks to mercy and justice even when he gets angry

6-    He knows to which classes beings belong

7-    HE KNOWS THE INEXPLICIT ASPECTS OF ISSUES because a leader who is aware of them does not err in his judgments. Hazrat Mahdi (as) knows the science of comparison not to command with it but to avoid it. That is because, his command will be the conclusion of a right inspiration. That is to say, he will command in the light of the Qur’an brought by our Prophet (saas). For this reason our Prophet (saas) described him as follows: “He will follow in the footsteps of mine and will not err.” From this we understand Hazrat Mahdi (as) is not the one who brings a new religion but the one who complies with the Qur’an.

8-    He very well knows the needs of people
Because Allah chose him over other people so as to make him fulfill all sorts of works of people. The acts and works of leaders should serve the interests of other people rather than him…A leader who gets involved with issues contrary to the benefits of public and neglects their works should be dismissed, for there exists no difference between him and others.

9- HE KNOWS THE HIDDEN SCIENCES THAT ARE NEEDED ESPECIALLY IN HIS TIME, because he can resolve the issues only by them. (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 189)

 

11) Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) main attribute is that he is enormously wise, profoundly faithful and scrupulous. Indeed, for a reviver and a great scholar deducing judgment from the Qur’an and the hadith, what is important and needed is his deep faith and conscience.


12) Besides in the End Times Allah will give the computer and internet technology to the service of Hazrat Mahdi (as). INSTEAD OF MEMORIZING AND HIS OWN MEMORY, HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) WILL USE THE MEMORY OF INTERNET AND COMPUTER, AND THUS WILL REACH ENORMOUS KNOWLEDGE. Indeed no one in this world has information as much as Internet. Noone can keep the accumulated knowledge of thousands of people in his memory; this can only be accomplished by Internet. Consequently Hazrat Mahdi (as) will reach all sorts of information by means of Internet and use all the information achieves of the time. Whenever he wishes, all the information in the world will be brought to him in an outline form. Normally while a scholar only uses his own knowledge, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will employ a very wide commission of consultants and information storage through the Internet. He will get hold of the most right and most perfect information by benefitting the knowledge of best experts and scholars of his time. 



13) BY MEANS OF THE WEALTH OF INFORMATION ON INTERNET HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) WILL NOT NEED TO MEMORIZE THE QUR’AN, THE HADITH AND OTHER KIND OF INFORMATION. In the past the conditions of the time made it compulsory to learn Arabic and thus it was important to memorize the Qur’an in Arabic. However IN OUR DAY THE QUR’AN IS RENDERED INTO ALL LANGUAGES. Consequently the Internet eliminates this necessity because Internet provides all kinds of information. In order to be expert on the interpretation of the Qur’an and its recitation in compliance with its style, the Arabic roots of all the words and their use in other languages should be known. For this one needs to also know various languages such as Persian and Hebrew. However it is obvious that no one can know the content of all dictionaries by heart. For this end one needs computer and Internet. Various meanings of each Arabic word, the original Quran and its interpretation in various other languages, the Arabic versions of the hadith included in the Al-Kutub as-Sittah and the meaning of each word with their explanations are available on the Internet. Everyone having access to Internet can rapidly reach this information. HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) will also use this information on the Internet and will benefit from many researches in many languages such as Arabic, Persian and Hebrew and linguists and a wide cadre of scholars. THIS WAY HE WILL KNOW ARABIC DOWN TO ITS MOST ANCIENT ORIGINS. Besides all branches of science such as genetics, molecular biology, paleontology, bio-chemistry and information about every subject are available on the Internet. Such information that no one can know by heart are given to the service of humanity as a blessing of Allah. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will also have access all this information.

14) AS A RESULT OF ALL THESE HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) WILL HAVE AN UNIQUE INFORMATION OF THE WORLD AND HE WILL DETERMINE WHAT IS RIGIHT AS A CONSEQUENCE OF ALL THIS ACCUMULATED INFORMATION BY HIS PERSONAL CONVICTION. BECAUSE HE WILL ACT BY ALLAH’S INSPIRATION HE WILL NOT ERR AND HE WILL MAKE THE MOST PERFECT COMMENTS AND JUDICIAL OPINION. As a result even the most perfect scholar will have insufficient knowledge compared to the knowledge possessed by Hazrat Mahdi (as).

FOR THIS REASON HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) WILL HAVE THE ATTRIBUTE OF BEING THE GREATEST REVIVER AND A GREAT SCHOLAR OF HIS TIME WHO DEDUCES JUDGMENTS FROM THE QUR’AN AND THE HADITH.

15)  Apart from making a good use of the knowledge of his time, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will also employ consultation in a very good way. This way he will conscientiously assess the truest knowledge in the most pertinent way. AND HE WILL BE INNOCENT IN THE DECISIONS HE MAKES. Muhyiddin ibn ‘Arabi relates a related hadith of our Prophet (saas) as follows:

It is for this reason that while describing Hazrat Mahdi (as) our Prophet (saas) said, “He will follow in my footsteps; he will not err.” We understand from this explanation Hazrat Mahdi (as) is not the one who brings Sharia (sacred law of Islam), but the one who abides by it. (That is to say, he will not bring a new Book but comply with the Qur’an.) At the same time HE IS INNOCENT OF SINS, meaning HIS INNOCENCE IN JUDGMENT. That is because only our Prophet (saas) is virtuous in its real sense. However Hazrat Mahdi (as) is not a prophet but a wali (saint). Walis are protected from committing sins. They are not innocent. (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 190) 


16) Hazrat Mahdi (as) is from us, from the Ahl al-Bayt. ALLAH WILL  PURIFY* HIM IN ONE NIGHT. (* i.e., will forgive him, or give him success and the inspiration of wisdom and guidance) (Sunan Ibn Majah, vol:10, Bab: 34, p. 348)


“O Ahl al-Bayt! Hazrat Mahdi (as) is one of us. ALLAH, the Great and Glorious, WILL PURIFY HIM [HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)] AND SHOW HIM THE TRUE PATH IN A SINGLE NIGHT.” (Ash-Sharani, Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 437)

As is expounded in details in the previous parts, our Prophet (saas) related that “extraordinary atrributes and sciences will be bestowed to Hazrat Mahdi (as) from Allah’s Sight in one night.”  However the pharase “IN ONE NIGHT” also implies to every sort of information that one can access very rapidly through Internet, and Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) increase of knowledge by accessing to this information in one night. Employing the technology of Internet, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be instrumental in communicating the morality of Islam and in rendering them faithful by means of the communication means such as radio, television and cellular phones.

This guidance duty of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is also stressed in other hadiths. Our Prophet (saas) draws attention to the activities Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his students engages especially at nights is stressed as follows:


Similar to those who fought in Badr, he will command the 313 people and challenge unbelievers. That is because these 313 people will have the attributes of worshippers by night and heros by day. (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 169)

He will defy those around by keeping control of these 313 people in his hand, like the warriors of the battle of Badr. THESE 313 ARE DEVOUT BELIEVERS BY NIGHT and heroes by day. (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 169)

They consist of a group, including women, of 314 people. They will overcome all tyrants. Their hearts are like iron, and they are lions by day and DEVOUT BELIEVERS BY NIGHT. Neither those before nor after them can match them in self-sacrifice. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 57-58)

As Bediuzzaman also states, the hadith above states that Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his followers will use Internet at nights and thus have accesss to all kinds of information and guide people to the truth. The phrase “they are... DEVOUT BELIEVERS BY NIGHT” in the hadith expresses that Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his followers will continue their activities of communicating the religion also by night by means of, television and radio. As the verse in the Qur’an “Certainly rising at night has a stronger effect and is more conducive to concentration.” (Surat al-Muzzammil, 6) also refers, just as how our Prophet (saas) communicated Allah’s religion at nights, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will also enlighten many subjects and inform people at nights.

17) Indeed, in many of the hadith of our Prophet (saas) there are signs to the “perfection of this internet technology given to the service of Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his followers and non-dependence on memorization”. Some of these hadiths are as follows:

... THEY [THE FOLLOWERS OF HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)  WILL POSSESS THE POWER TO TRAVEL THE WORLD IN MINUTES. (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 52, p. 318; Mikyaal al-Makaarem, Vol. 1, p. 148 from Basaaer al-Darajaat)

Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his followers will be able to communicate with every point of the world by means of internet in only minutes.

Hazrat Mahdi (as) HE WILL SEE THE WHOLE WORLD AS IF IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND. (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol.52, p. 328)

It appears from the hadith that Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his followers will make use of internet technology in the End Times.

According to Muhammad, son of Imam Jaffar Sadik, the imam said: "WHEN THE QAIM [HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)] APPEARS, he will send a messenger to every country, and will say to them: "YOUR AGREEMENT IS IN YOUR HAND. If you encounter a situation you do not understand and find it difficult to rule on, LOOK AT YOUR HAND AND DO WHAT IS WRITTEN THERE..." (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 381)

In the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as), administers will make research and communicate by means of the palm-computers and computer-like cellular phones over the internet.

Hazrat Mahdi (as) walks about WITH FLAMMY TORCH OF GUIDANCE IN THE UNIVERSE and lives as the genuine believers... (Al-Mahdiyy al-Maw’ud, volume. 1, p. 281-282 ve 266 and 300).

Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his followers will communicate the religion of Allah by means of television, internet and satellite and thus become instrumental in people’s guidance to the true path.

When matters are entrusted to competent Hazrat Mahdi (as) Almighty Allah will raise the lowest part of the world for him and lower the highest places. SO MUCH THAT HE WILL SEE THE WHOLE WORLD AS IF IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND. Which of you can not see a single hair in the palm of his hand? (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 5, p. 328)

In the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as) satellite imaging, television and internet systems will serve Hazrat Mahdi (as).