1. The fact is, however, that trustworthy hadith of our Prophet (saas) state that at the beginning of every century Allah will send someone, a guide, who will cleanse Islam of all inessential or superstitious customs and belief that are not part of the Qur’an, who will restore the faith to its original form in the Qur’an, who will act in the light of the Sunnah of our Prophet (saas) and who will find solutions from the Qur’an to questions arising in people’s minds according to the requirements of the age. It is stated totally clearly in the Sunan Abu Dawud, one of the six most important books in Sunni hadith literature, in the Letters of Imam Rabbani, the mujaddid (renovator) of the year 1000 according to the Islamic calendar, and in the treatises of Said Nursi, the mujaddid of the 1300s, that Allah will send a mujaddid every hundred years:
Allah will raise for this community AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY HUNDRED YEARS THE ONE WHO WILL RENOVATE ITS RELIGION FOR IT. (Sunan Abu Dawud, 5/100) |
AT THE HEAD OF EACH CENTURY, ALLAH SENDS A MUJADDID AMONG THE ULAMA OF THIS COMMUNITY WHO REVIVES THE SHARIAH [THE ESSENCE OF QUR'ANIC MORAL VALUES AND THE SUNNAH OF OUR PROPHET (SAAS). (The Letters, Rabbani, 1/520) |
"IN EVERY CENTURY, ALLAH SENDS A MUJADDID (SOMEONE WHO RENOVATES RELIGION)." (Barla Addendum, p. 119) |
It now occurs to mind that if each of the letters "mim" and "lam" bearing the gemination mark are counted as two, the people WHO WILL DISSOLVE THE OPPRESSIONS A CENTURY LATER MAY BE THE DISCIPLES OF THE MAHDI." (Bediuzzaman, Risale-i Nur Collection, First Ray, p. 85) |
• Bediuzzaman states that the mujaddid of the 1200s was Mawlana Khalid.
In line with the information that "He sends a mujaddid (renovator) who will restore the religion AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY CENTURY” (it is agreed by the great majority of religious scholars that) HAZRAT MAWLANA KHALID IS THE MUJADDID OF THE YEAR 1200, IN OTHER WORDS, THE TWELFTH CENTURY. (Barla Addendum, p. 120) |
• After stating that the mujaddid of the 1200s was Mawlana Khalid, a hundred years later Bediuzzaman Said Nursi clearly expressed that himself and his works served the duty of being a mujaddid as follows:
"Exactly AFTER A CENTURY, the cures of the RISALE-I NUR appear all around and SERVE TO THE VERY SAME PURPOSE… With the meaning fortified by the clear expression of the hadith, it is our conviction that, in terms of reviving the religion, the Risale-i Nur is IN THE POSITION OF A MUJADDID." (Barla Addendum, p. 121) |
2. With hundreds of trustworthy hadith narrated from our Prophet (saas) and statements made by Said Nursi, our Lord will appoint the greatest mujaddid (a great scholar sent at the beginning of every century to teach the truths of the faith according to the needs of the time), the greatest regenerator, the greatest guardian, judge, enlightened one andQutb azam, one century after the Master’s own time, in other words in 1400 according to the Islamic calendar. Our Prophet (saas) reports that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear in 1400 in this hadith:
“People WILL GATHER AROUND THE MAHDI IN 1400. (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 108) |
There will be such intellectual trends at that time even IF THAT PERSON WHO IS TRULY AWAITED AND WILL COME IN A CENTURY’S TIME comes at that time, since he takes everything for his own account... (Kastamonu Addendum, p. 57) |
It now occurs to mind that if each of the letters "mim" and "lam" bearing the gemination mark are counted as two, the people WHO WILL DISSOLVE THE OPPRESSIONS A CENTURY LATER MAY BE THE DISCIPLES OF THE MAHDI." (Bediuzzaman, Risale-i Nur Collection, First Ray, p. 85) |
The confirmation of the decrees of the Qur’an, the renovation of people takes place IN THIS SECOND THOUSAND. The just witnesses of the truthfulness of this cause are the existence of the Prophet Isa [as] and MAHDI IN THIS THOUSAND PERIOD (THE SECOND THOUSAND YEARS). (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 1, p. 611) |
Those among the nation of Allah's Messenger (saas) are highly perfected in faith. It does not matter whether they are few in number, even a thousand years passes after the death of our Prophet (saas). Their being perfected in faith serves to the following end: strengthening the Islamic law in its true sense. THE COMING OF THE MAHDI AFTER 1000 YEARS SERVES THIS PURPOSE. Our Prophet (saas), the last Messenger, gave the glad tidings of his coming. The Prophet ‘Isa (as), on the other hand, will come down after 1000 years. (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 1, p. 440) |
It is expected that, AFTER 1000 YEARS, this secret administration will be renovated. It will be granted with superiority... This way, genuine virtue will emerge and cover the degradation... AND IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE MAHDI, THE SUPPORTER, WILL COME. May Allah be pleased with him." (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 1, p. 569) |
3. Yet if, despite all these trustworthy hadith and statements by Master Said Nursi, the greatest Islamic scholar of the last 1000 years, some religious scholars reject the fact that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear in 1400 (Hegira style) and continues to espouse their own idea, then they must therefore have abandoned all hope of the mercy of Allah and of Islamic moral values ever ruling the world. Yet no Muslim who believes in Allah can ever abandon hope of His mercy. Only people who do not believe in Allah and the verses of the Qur’an ever fall into such despair. Allah reveals in one verse that:
Those who reject Allah’s signs and the meeting with Him, such people can despair of My mercy, such people will have a painful punishment. (Surat al-‘Ankabut, 23) |
4. All Muslims living in the 1400s (Hegira style) are awaiting, with great enthusiasm, fervor and hope, the manifestation of the verses in the Qur’an regarding the world dominion of Islamic moral values revealed by Allah. Our Lord gives Muslims the glad tidings that Islamic moral values will rule the world in many verses of the Qur’an. He says that after the severe pressure and persecution they suffer from the system of the Dajjal because of their faith in Allah, after all their fears and troubled lives, Muslims will finally attain well-being, peace and happiness. (Surat a-Tawba, 32-33, Surat al-Qasas, 5, Surat as-Saff, 8-9, Surat al-Ahzab, 27, Surat as-Saff, 13, Surat al-Fath, 1-3, Surat al-Anbiya’, 105, Surah Ibrahim, 14-15)
In verse 55 of Surat an-Nur, Allah says; Allah has promised those of you who have iman 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. “They worship Me, not associating anything with Me.” Any who are unbelievers after that, such people are deviators. (Surat an-Nur, 55) |
5. By maintaining that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not appear in 1400, these religious scholars are claiming that the moral values of Islam will not rule the world in this century. But the portents of the End Times, that have taken place one after the other, “like the beads of a rosary” in the words of the hadith, definitively repudiate that claim. How is this person able to ascribe these hadith, only some of which are quoted below, which have been taking place since the year 1400, to the next century?
• For example, the waters of the Euphrates were stopped by a dam in 1400, just as described by our Prophet (saas).
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. (Bukhari) |
• Our Prophet (saas) also spoke of the invasion of Afghanistan;
Pity poor Taliqan (a region in Afghanistan) that 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 the helpers of Hazrat Mahdi (as) of the End Times. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi' 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p.59) |
• Our Prophet (saas) has cited eclipses of the Sun and Moon in two consecutive years during the month of Ramadan as one of the portents of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as). Eclipses of the Sun and Moon took place during the month of Ramadan in the 1400s (Hegira style), in 1981 and 1982. The fact this happened two years in succession shows that the hadith has been fulfilled. A similar phenomenon may also take place in subsequent centuries, but that is inapplicable in terms of the hadith.
• Halley’s comet, which passes by the Earth once every 76 years, also passed by in 1986 (1506 according to the Hegira style), in complete agreement with the description given by our Prophet (saas) in the hadith:
A COMET WILL BE APPEARING IN THE EAST, giving out illumination before he arrives. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi' 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 53) |
• In one hadith our Prophet (saas) says;
“ ... A FIRE WILL CERTAINLY APPEAR FROM AZERBAIJAN. And nothing will be able to stand in its way. Stay in your homes when this happens. (Sheikh Muhammad bin Ibrahim Nomani, al-Ghaybah al-Nomani p. 311) |
• One hadith of our prophet (saas) narrated by Imam Rabbani refers to a two-tailed star resembling a horn, and says that this is also a portent of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as).
" When Abbasi Malik arrives at Khorasan, one of the signs of the coming of the promised Mahdi, A DOUBLE-TOOTHED LIGHT SHEDDING HORN WILL APPEAR IN THE EAST." Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, 381st Letter, p .1184 |
• A huge massacre took place at the Kaaba during the Hajj in 1979 (1 Muharram, 1400 according to the Hegira style). The incident took place on the first day of the Islamic year 1400. Thirty people lost their lives. In one hadith the Prophet (saas) says;
THE YEAR IN WHICH HE [HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)] WILL EMERGE, people will perform hajj together and gather without an amr. 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, which represents satan, that is stoned during the pilgrimage.) (Portents of Doomsday, pp. 168-169) |
• Another of the portents of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is a major economic crisis in the End Times. The hadith speaks of a time of stagnation during which people will complain of such economic difficulties as “low earnings, stagnation in the markets, and business going badly.”
Everyone complaining of low earnings... the rich respected for their money...... (Portents of Doomsday, p. 146) (Before the emergence of the Mahdi) Stagnation IN THE MARKETS, A REDUCTION IN EARNINGS… (Portents of Doomsday, p. 148) Everyone will complain, “I cannot sell, buy or earn money.” (Portents of Doomsday p. 152) |
" the world faces an unprecedented economic crisis, poor people could suffer the most and that we must continue to act in real time to prevent a human catastrophe.” " |
Hundreds more such trustworthy hadith have been taking place one after the other since the year 1400.
Fore more detailed information see:
http://www.awaitedmahdi.com/signs/signs_index.html
6. Another matter that these persons have neglected to consider is the fact, also revealed in the hadith, that “the life span of the community will be up until 1500 (according to the Islamic calendar).”
"THE LIFE OF MY COMMUNITY WILL NOT EXCEED 1500 YEARS." (Suyuti, al-Kasfu an Mujawazati Hazihil Ummah al-Alfu, al-hawi lil Fetawi, Suyuti. 2/248, tafsir Ruh-ul Beyan. Bursewi 4/262, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Kitâb al-Ilal, p. 89.) |
“THE LIFE OF THIS COMMUNITY WILL EXCEED 1000 YEARS, yet be limited to 1500 years. (Muhammad ibn `Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha`ah li Ashrat as-Sa`ah, p. 299) |
7. These people also claim that Hazrat Mahdi (as) is not a normal human being but someone very extraordinary who will be recognized the moment he appears. In his opinion, tanks, shells, other weapons and even nuclear weapons will have no effect on Hazrat Mahdi (as). In addition, when people look above Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) head they will supposedly see a cloud with angels on it, and these will constantly point him out to people. The fact is, however, that in the hadith our Prophet (saas) speaks of the Great Mahdi of the End Times being subjected to the oppression and mistreatment of the system of the Dajjal (the Anti-christ), of his living in fear of being killed, of his hands and feet being chained, of a copper tablet being hung round his neck, his being exposed to sufferings and difficulties and his being placed in solitary confinement. Angels being seen around Hazrat Mahdi (as) is something that will take place in the world of the angels and thus be visible to them alone. If, as these individuals maintain, angels were to be seen around Hazrat Mahdi (as) and if he were such an extraordinary entity as to be invulnerable to tanks and other weapons, then how can he be imprisoned, mistreated and oppressed and forced to live in difficult circumstances? Who could ever lay hands on, imprison or torture someone impervious to bombs and guns? In addition, our Prophet (saas) says there will be a period when Hazrat Mahdi (as) disappears from public view. If, as this person claims, Hazrat Mahdi (as) were such a wondrous entity, why would he feel the need to conceal himself?Allah also tells us that some members of the Prophet’s (saas) tribe claimed they needed to see angels sent down alongside him as evidence he was a prophet. Allah then revealed that our Prophet (saas) was simply a human being sent as a guide, a messenger:
Even our Prophet (saas) suffered sword blows, and one of his teeth was broken. Many prophets were martyred on Allah’s path, many companions and members of the Ahl al-Bayt have been martyred in battle or lost arms, legs or eyes. It is impossible that although no prophet has ever been sent with such wondrous properties, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will possess them.
Perhaps you are leaving aside part of what has been revealed to you and your breast is constricted by this because they say, “Why has treasure not been sent down to him or an angel not accompanied him?” You are only a warner and Allah is Guardian over all things. (Surah Hud, 12) |
Why do you not bring angels to us if you are telling the truth? The angels only descend with the truth and then they would be granted no reprieve. (Surat al-Hijr, 7-8) |
He said: "Look for them at the edges of the world. Their lives are simple, their homes are on their backs, even if present they are not recognized, IF THEY ARE LOST NONE WILL LOOK FOR THEM, IF THEY ARE SICK NONE WILL VISIT THEM, and if they wish to marry none will come to them. If THEY DIE, NONE WILL ATTEND THEIR FUNERALS. They share their possessions equally among them and visit one another’s graves; their wishes are all the same, even if they are in different cities." (Sheikh Muhammad bin Ibrahim Nomani, al-Ghaybah al-Nomani, p. 23) |
These unrealistic claims put forward by these people are intended to weaken the faith and impair the enthusiasm of Muslims, and to lead them to supposed despair. And they are trying to supposedly cause Muslims to lose their expectations of Hazrat Mahdi (as) and lose faith in the eventual global dominion of Islamic moral values.
But whoever tries to conceal the global dominion of the moral virtues of Islam and the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) in 1400, by whatever means they employ, these efforts will all be in vain because these people’s endeavors are also a portent of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as). Our Prophet (saas) says that when Hazrat Mahdi (as) appears, people who describe themselves as scholars of his own faith will strive against Hazrat Mahdi (as) shoulder to shoulder alongside the system of the Dajjal.
"SEVENTY THOUSAND SCHOLARS WITH TURBANS FROM MY COMMUNITY WILL FOLLOW THE DAJJAL.” (Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, p. 796) |
" Since the hadith that speak of the signs of the end of time, the events at the end of time, and the merits and rewards of certain actions have not been well understood, some scholars WHOSE BELIEF IS WEAK AND WHO ARE ARROGANT rely on their reason have moved on to deny some of them." (The Words, Twenty-Fourth Word - Third Branch - p.351) |
We desired to show kindness to those who were oppressed in the land and to make them leaders and make them inheritors. (Surat al-Qasas, 5) |
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) |