• No great fire1 illuminating the night was seen in Imam Rabbani’s time.
However, on the morning of 15 November, 1979, a giant Romanian tanker exploded on the Bosphorus in Istanbul. Following the great explosion, the tanker and the fuel it was carrying blazed for days. Giant flames, light, a smoke cloud and occasional explosions were all observed.
• The Iran-Iraq War2 had not yet broken out in Imam Rabbani’s time.
The war between Iran and Iraq began in October 1980. This war is a portent of the End Times revealed by our Prophet (saas) 1430 years ago.
• No fire3 from the East had been seen in Imam Rabbani’s time.
In 1991, Iraqi troops set fire to the Kuwaiti oil wells at Saddam’s command. As a result of that attack, a huge fire enfolded Kuwait and the Persian Gulf. With this, yet another of the portents of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) revealed by our Prophet (saas) took place in the Hijri 1400s.
• The waters of the River Euphrates had not been stopped in the time of Imam Rabbani.4
The waters of the River Euphrates were stopped for the first time in 1973 with the construction of the Keban Dam.
• There was no great terror in the region following the stopping of the waters of the Euphrates and no large number of people lost their lives in the time of Imam Rabbani.5
But following the construction of a dam across the Euphrates, PKK terror raised its head after 1400 and many innocent people and Turkish troops were killed.
• There was no great war between The Tigris and the Euphrates in the time of Imam Rabbani.6
The war between two Muslim countries, the Iran-Iraq War that broke out in 1980 and lasted for 8 years, is one in complete agreement with the hadith and that took place in 1400 (Islamic calendar).
• No attack on the Kaaba took place in the time of Imam Rabbani and no blood was shed there.7
But on the first day of 1400 (Islamic calendar), or 21 November, 1979, a bloody assault on the Kaaba did take place, resulting in terrible slaughter. Seven years later, in 1407, an even more bloody incident took place at the Kaaba and a great many pilgrims were martyred. The circumambulation of the Kaaba was halted because of this attack on it, unique in its history.
• The community of Islam was not left leaderless in the time of Imam Rabbani.
Imam Rabbani lived between 1564 and 1624. During his lifetime 8 Ottoman sultans, from Solomon the Magnificent to Mustafa I acted as caliph of Islam. In other words, this sacred position was occupied during the time of Imam Rabbani. Yet it is revealed in the hadith of our Prophet (saas) that there will be no caliph at the head of the community of Islam when Hazrat Mahdi (as) appears. One hadith of our Prophet (saas) on the subject reads:
He [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] will not appear until no caliph remains on earth. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 54)
• There were no eclipses of the Sun and Moon in two consecutive years in the month of Ramadan until the time of Imam Rabbani.8
Whereas our Prophet (saas) reveals that these celestial phenomena will take place at the time of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as). Just as revealed by our Prophet (saas), solar and lunar eclipses at 15-day intervals took place in consecutive years in the month of Ramadan in the Hijri 1400s. These eclipses took place in 1981 and 1982.
* In line with these calculations, there was a lunar eclipse in 1981 (Hijri 1401) on day 15 of Ramadan 15 and a solar eclipse on day 29 of Ramadan.
* There was a "second" lunar eclipse in 1982 (Hijri 1402) on day 14 of Ramadan and a solar eclipse on day 28 of Ramadan.
• Afghanistan was not invaded in Imam Rabbani’s time.
Whereas in one hadith our Prophet (saas) says, “Pity poor Taliqan (Afghanistan),”9 noting that the country would be invaded at the time of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as). And Afghanistan was invaded by Soviet Units in Hijri 1400 (1979 AD).
• Azerbaijan was not invaded in the time of Imam Rabbani.
Our Prophet (saas) has revealed that “A fire will appear from Azerbaijan.10” And Azerbaijan was invaded in 1990 by the Armenians, who claimed territorial possession of Nagorno Karabakh, and many of our Azeri brothers were martyred.
• The comets Lulin and Halley had not passed by the earth in close succession in the time of Imam Rabbani.
Halley’s comet passed by the Earth in 1986. This appearance takes place once every 76 years, its last appearance coinciding with the year 1400 (Islamic calendar).11
The expression 'a double-toothed, light-shedding horn will appear', described by our Prophet (saas) in the hadith as a portent of the coming of the awaited Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the End Times and described in detail by Imam Rabbani refers to the comet Lulin, which came closest to the Earth on 24 February, 2009.12 Scientists say that it will be another 1000 years before this comet comes by the Earth again.
• The rulers of Sham and Egypt were not killed in the time of Imam Rabbani. 13
Yet just as reported in the hadith, the rulers of Egypt and Sham were assassinated just before 1400 (Islamic calendar). Some of the incidents concerned are:
- The killing of former Syrian President Salah Al-Deen Beetar in 1920,
- Syrian Prime Minister Droubi Pasha in 1921,
- Syrian Prime Minister Muhsin al-Barazi in 1949,
- King Abdullah of Jordan in 1951,
- And the death of Lebanese Phalangist leader Bachir Gemayel in a bomb attack
• Nothing resembling the Egyptians being taken prisoner took place in the time of Imam Rabbani. 14
In 26 October, 1956, Israel attacked Egypt and occupied the Sinai Peninsula. The Six-Day War between Egypt and Israel followed. The West Bank, Golan Heights and Jerusalem are still under Israeli occupation. A great many Egyptian troops were either taken prisoner or martyred during these conflicts.
• There was no corruption of smoke and dust in the time of Imam Rabbani. 15
This hadith came totally true on 11 September, 2001, with the worst ever terror attacks on New York and Washington in the USA. As the whole world saw, a big, thick cloud of dust and smoke swallowed up the immediate surroundings.
• There was no worldwide slaughter in the time of Imam Rabbani. 16
Some 250 million people lost their lives in World Wars I and II alone. Conflicts, invasions and wars, the result of the arms technology that developed in the 20th century and the ensuring military strategies cost the lives of a great many people. Terrible slaughter has taken place in Palestine, Ruanda, Bosnia, Chechnya, East Turkestan and many other places in the world.
• Muslims and Jews did not go to war in the time of Imam Rabbani. 17
But the disputes between Muslims and Jews have persisted in the present day in the form of war and conflict.
• There was no question of open denial of Allah in the time of Imam Rabbani. 18
Atheism, the perversity of denial of Allah (Allah is surely beyond that), although around for a long time, started to spread on a heretofore unknown scale by the end of the nineteenth century. The number of people deluded by the spread of materialism and Darwinism, atheism's philosophical and so-called "scientific" bases, increased markedly in the twentieth century. Heretical belief systems such as atheism, materialism, Darwinism and communism will be intellectually destroyed in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as). The moral values of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of our Prophet (saas) will previal the people of the world. But no such system of denial dominated the world in the time of Imam Rabbani, and neither was there any question of such systems being intellectually eliminated or the moral values of the Qur’an prevailing the world in his time.
• Muslims did not wage war with one another in the time of Imam Rabbani. 19
But there have been wars between some Muslim countries since 1400 (Hijri style). The Iran-Iraq War and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait shows that the hadith refers to the period after 1400.
• There was no anarchy and disorder across the world in the time of Imam Rabbani. 20
Anarchy and terror, war and slaughter, reached the highest levels in the 20th century, that which saw the advent of Hazrat Mahdi (as).
• There was no question of “an army being lost in the desert” in the time of Imam Rabbani. 21
During the invasion of Iraq in 2003, a 15000-man unit of the Iraqi Army, known as the Fedayeen, simply disappeared.
• There was no question of the Iraqi currency disappearing or their monetary units no longer being in circulation in the time of Imam Rabbani. 22
With the last war, the rapid loss of the Iraqi currency's value and the possibility of its being withdrawn from circulation appeared in the newspapers during 2003.
• There was no question of Baghdad being in flames in the time of Imam Rabbani. 23
During the Second Gulf War in 2003, from the very first day Baghdad was the target of a very intensive bombing campaign. Under heavy bombardment, Baghdad burned in flames, just as the hadith said it would.
• There was no question of the reconstruction of Iraq in the time of Imam Rabbani. 24
Yet Iraq, which was devastated in the invasion of 2003, is being rapidly reconstructed in the present day.
• No tall buildings could be built in the time of Imam Rabbani. 25
But the 1400s in which we are living is a century in which very tall skyscrapers have been constructed.
• People were unable to talk using the end of a whip, in other words the telephone, in the time of Imam Rabbani, as this had not yet been invented. 26
• There was as yet no greening of the deserts, making desert lands suitable for agriculture, in the time of Imam Rabbani.
In the hadith our Prophet (saas) says;
“The Day of Judgment will not come until there are rivers and gardens in Arabia”. (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 17, p. 22, hadith no. 8819)
He thus described agricultural improvement work that would take place in desert lands. Today, now that water has been brought into the deserts of Arabia, agriculture is possible in even the most arid regions.
• Nobody’s own voice had yet spoken to him, in other words sound recording devices had not yet been invented, in the time of Imam Rabbani. 27
Remarkable progress in this field of technology began taking place in the 20th century in particular.
• No wars or disasters leading to the devastation of great cities took place in the time of Imam Rabbani. 28
Many major cities were destroyed in the First and Second World Wars and in earthquakes in recent years. The atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki made those cities uninhabitable.
• Another great phenomenon to which our Prophet (saas) refers in the hadith had not yet taken place in the time of Imam Rabbani. 29
These details provided by our Prophet (saas) in the hadith bear a very close similarity to the 1 May incidents that took place in Taksim Square in 1977, immediately before the year 1400 (Hijri style).
• There was no intense rain following drought in the time of Imam Rabbani. 30
But our Prophet (saas) refers to heavy rains that will take place following the appearance of the comet Lulin in the End Times. And immediately after the appearance of the comet Lulin on 24 February, 2009, very heavy rain began falling especially in Turkey from the month of March. While people had been complaining of drought and lack of rain, some people now had to be evacuated from their homes because of flooding. The gates of the Dim Dam were broken because of the heavy rainfall, for example.
These portents cited above are just a few of the signs of the advent of Hazrat Mahdi (as), whom our Prophet (saas) describes as appearing in the End Times. Yet even these few signs are sufficient to show that Hazrat Mahdi (as) very definitely did not appear in the time of Imam Rabbani. Imam Rabbani said that because of these signs, that did not manifest themselves in the early 18 years of century in which he lived, or after, it was impossible for Hazrat Mahdi (as) to have appeared in his day. Yet these portents all began taking place as of the first day of the 1400s (Islamic calendar). This, by Allah’s leave, is a clear and explicit sign of the advent of Hazrat Mahdi (as) in this century. (Allah knows the truth.)
Notes:
1 - It is narrated from Husayn ibn Ali that: “When you see a great fire from the east in the sky illuminate the night, that moment is the time of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as).” (Mari’ ibnYusuf Karami Hanbali " Fawaid Fawaid al-Fikr fil Mahdi al-Montazar )
2 - There will be tumult in Shawwal [the tenth Islamic month], talks of war in Dhu al-Qa'dah [the eleventh Islamic month], and the outbreak of war in Dhu al-Hijja [the twelfh month]. (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 166)
3 - I swear that a flame will engulf you. That flame is presently in an extinguished form at the valley called Barahut. That flame swallows up people with terrible pain inside it, burns down and destroys people and property, and spreads all over the world by flying like a cloud with the assistance of winds. Its heat at night is much higher than its daytime temperature. By going as deep as the center of Earth from the heads of people, that flame becomes a terrible noise just like the lightning between the earth and sky, he narrated. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah Qurtubi, p. 461)
4 - 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. (Sahih Bukhari)
5 - “The Hour will not come to pass before the water of the Euphrates stops 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’.” (Muslim, Fitan, 29)
6 - There will be a city called Zawra [Baghdad] between the Tigris and the Euphrates. There will be a great battle there. Women will be taken prisoner, and men will have their throats cut like sheep. (Al Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-Ummal, vol. 5, p. 38)
7 - There come the cries of war in [the month of] Shawwal with the outbreak of war, massacre, and carnage in [the month of] Dhu al-Hijja. The pilgrims are plundered in this month, the streets cannot be crossed because of the blood shed, and religious prohibitions are violated. Big sins are committed near the Magnificent House [the Kaaba]. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 37)
8 - A lunar eclipse will occur in the first night of the Ramadan. In the middle of the Ramadan, a solar eclipse will occur. (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 199)
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. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 47)
There will be two lunar eclipses in Ramadan... (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 53)
There will be two solar eclipses in Ramadan before the Mahdi's advent. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 440)
9 - Pity poor Taliqan [a region in Afghanistan]. At that place are treasures of Allah, but these are not of gold and silver. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p.59)
10 - ... Abu Bashir says: Imam Abu Abdullah Jafar Sadiq said: My father told me: A FIRE WILL CERTAINLY APPEAR FROM AZERBAIJAN. AND NOTHING WILL BE ABLE TO STAND IN ITS WAY. STAY IN YOUR HOMES WHEN THIS HAPPENS. Do whatever we do. (In other words, when we stay at home, you stay at home, too). And when our Qaim [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] moves, run swiftly and without stopping towards him... (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani p. 311)
11 - Before he arrives, a comet will appear in the east, giving out an illumination. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 53)
12 - Know that, according to his Companions, the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: "When Abbasi Malik arrives at Khorasan, one of the signs of the coming of the promised Mahdi, A DOUBLE-TOOTHED (1) LIGHT SHEDDING (2) HORN (3) WILL APPEAR IN THE EAST." (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, 381st Letter, p .1184)
13 - Before he comes, the inhabitants of Egypt and Sham will kill their rulers and their commanders... (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 49)
14 - The people of Sham will take prisoner the tribes of Egypt... (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 49)
15 - Before the Hour comes, there will be a dusty and smoky tribulation like patches of dark night... (Sunan Abu Dawud)
16 - Before the advent of Hazrat Mahdi (as) a great strife will occur, in which massacres will take place. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 37)
17 - The Last Day does not take place until Muslims and Jews make war.... (Muslim, Tirmidhi)
18 - There will be great corruption, in which there will be terrible slaughter, before the Mahdi. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 37)
Most painful situations and grievous sights will be seen. Strife will go on and on. It will kill mothers, fathers, daughters, men, and everyone. Among these will be strife, violence, destruction, and looting. People will ask when it will end, but it will still go on. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman , p. 36)
19 - The Hour will not come until the two great Islamic armies get into war with one another... (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 454, no. 831)
Abu Hurayra reported that Allah’s Messenger (saas) narrated: "The Last Hour will not come until the two parties [of Muslim] confront each other and there is a large-scale massacre amongst them and the chain of both of them is the same." (Sahih Muslim)
20 - The Day of Judgment will not take place until these things come to pass… Death and slaughter will be widespread… (al-Suyuti, Al-Jami as-Sagir, 3:211; Musnad, 2:492, 4:391, 392)
21 - There are five portents of the Mahdi: a cry from Sufyani, Yemani, and Sama, the sinking of an army in Bayda, and the killing of the innocent. (Narrated by Nuaim ibn Hammad)
An army comes to fight. Once they enter the desert, the one in the front and the back disappear, and the ones in the middle cannot save themselves. (Tirmidhi, Sunan Ibn Majah, Sunan Abu Dawud)
22 - The Iraqis will be left with no weighing equipment, and no money will be left to them with which to buy and sell. (Al Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-Ummal, Kanz al-`Ummaal, vol. 5, p. 45)
23 - Baghdad is destroyed by fire in the End Times ... (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, vol. 3, p. 177)
24 - ... The Day of Judgment will not come until Iraq is attacked. Innocent people in Iraq will seek shelter in Sham. Sham will be rebuilt, and Iraq will be rebuilt. (Al Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-Ummal, vol. 5, p. 254)
25 - There will be no [Day of] Judgment until very tall buildings are constructed. (Narrated by Abu Hurayra)
When the shepherds would vie with one another in constructing buildings, it is one the signs of the Last Hour. (Sahih Muslim)
26 - The Last Hour will not come before the end of a man's whip speak to him. (Tirmidhi)
27 - There will be no Judgment Day... until a person's own voice speaks to him. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 471)
28 - Great 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 Akhir az-Zaman, p. 38)
29 - “Before the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as), there will be a great event when pitch-black stones in Medina will vanish in blood. In that event it will be as easy to kill a woman as to wave a whip. And this phenomenon will spread for 2 km, and the oath of allegiance will be taken to Hazrat Mahdi (as). (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, 41)
30 - At Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) coming, a double-toothed comet will appear and will be so bright that it will shine like the full moon. After the appearance of this comet there will be such rain that great damage will be caused. But people will welcome that rain. Because no rain will have fallen for the previous 3 years. (The Twelfth Imam, Murtadha Lakha)
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