References to the end times and Hazrat Mahdi (as) in verse 55 of Surat an-Nur

1.Allah has promised those of you who believe and do right actions...

Through these words, Allah reveals His promise to Muslims who genuinely believe, one which has not yet come about but which certainly will. This promise concerns the world dominion of Islam. (Allah knows the truth.)

2.... As He made those before them successors ...

Allah has twice brought religious morality to world dominance, through the Prophet Solomon (as) and Dhu’lqarnayn (as). Allah bestowed both power and dominion on Solomon (as) and Dhu’lqarnayn (as). The Qur’an reveals that the Prophet Solomon (as) had djinn at his command that worked in his service, and that Allah also placed the winds and the metal copper at his disposal. (Surah Saba’, 12) In addition, Allah bestowed various other knowledge on the Prophet Solomon (as). He also ruled the demons, by the will of Allah, and spoke with the birds and was able to hear what ants said to one another. All these are special that Allah bestowed on the Prophet Solomon (as). In the same way. Allah has also revealed that in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as) he will place underground wealth at his disposal:
 

“Hazrat Mahdi (as) is one of my children…He will bring forth treasures from under the ground and conquer the lands of polytheism.”    (Signs of the Awaited Mahdi, Ahmad Ibn Hajar al-Makki (Haytami), p. 25)

“…In his time, the earth will cast forth the treasures within it.” (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, p. 33)

 3.... He will make them successors in the land, ...

In this passage, Allah states that following the period of dominion of the Prophet Solomon (as) and Dhu’lqarnayn (as) there will come another term of dominion. However, no such global dominion ever took place until 1400, Islamic calendar, the time of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as). Muslims had never literally been successors. Islamic moral values had never been adopted by all people. But in the hadith about the End Times and Hazrat Mahdi (as) our Prophet (saas) explicitly states that there will be such a period of global sovereignty in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as), that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be instrumental in many people converting to Islam and that through the light of the Prophet Jesus (as) Christians will also convert to Islam.

“The reason why he is called Hazrat Mahdi (as) is that he will head to one of the mountains in Sham. From there HE WILL BRING OUT THE BOOKS OF THE TORAH and a Jewish community will become Muslim in his hand.”(Imam Suyuti)    

Naim narrates from Salman ibn ‘Isa that he said: From what I have heard, the Ark of the Covenant found in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be brought out of Lake Tiberias and brought before him in Bayt al-Maqdis. When the Jews see that, all but a few will become Muslims. 

(Hadith from Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti’s Commentary, Portents of the Mahdi of the End Times (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 23, Translated by: Muserref Gozcu - Kahraman Nesriyat).

4.... and will firmly establish for them their religion with which He is pleased...

In this verse, Allah tells Muslims that the world dominion in question lies in the future. The words “...and will firmly establish for them their religion...” reveal that the moral values of Islam will rule the world, and because firmly installed at settled in it. None of the true religions following the times of the Prophet Solomon (as) and the Prophet Solomon were ever established so firmly until 1400, by the Islamic calendar. Our Prophet (saas) has explicitly revealed that this global dominion will take place in the time of the Great Mahdi. The fact that the portents revealed by our Prophet (saas) all began taking place from 1400, by the Islamic calendar, is a sign that Hazrat Mahdi (as) has come and the global dominion of Islamic morality is close at hand.

5.... and give them, in place of their fear, security....”  (Surat an-Nur, 55)

The final part of this verse refers to the End Times. It reveals that before the global dominion of Islam in this final age, there will be an age in which Muslims live in fear and hardship because of corruption, disorder and oppression. Indeed, the 20th and 21st centuries were those which say the worst ever bloodshed, religious wars, oppression of believers and believers having to hide and worship in secret.

6.... They worship Me, not associating anything with Me ...

However, Allah has expressed one condition for believers if this global dominion is to come about. That is for believers to entirely rid themselves of polytheism and worship Allah as the One. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will discharge that duty in the End Times. Through him, Allah will rid the religion of all subsequent accretions. He will ensure that people live by the religion in its pure and unsullied state, as in the time of our Prophet (saas).¹ Through the Prophet Jesus (as), who will appear in the same way in the End Times, Christians will convert to Islam and become Muslims and the belief in the Trinity will be eliminated.² Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be instrumental in a great many Jews becoming Muslims. ³

1   ...The Mahdi will apply the religion as in the time of the Prophet (saas). He will eliminate sects from the world. No sect will be left apart from the pure and true religion.

His enemies will be those who imitate scholars of jurisprudence. Because they will be displeased when they see that Hazrat Mahdi (as) pronounces in a manner different to that of the imams of the sects, but they will also be unable to oppose him… His declared enemies will be the scholars of canon law.

Because they will lose all public esteem. They will even have less knowledge on the subject of the laws. By his coming, this imam will also eliminate disagreements among rulings by scholars. If he had no sword (knowledge), they would issue a fatwa for his death. (Portents of Doomsday, 186-187)

Hazrat Mahdi (as) will keep Islam alive at the end in the same way the Prophet (saas) kept it alive in the beginning. (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 27)

Hazrat Mahdi (as) will leave no subsequent accretion uncleansed. He will discharge the requirements of the religion just like the Prophet (saas). (Portents of Doomsday, 163)

2 At that time, when that trend seems very powerful, true Christianity, the corporate personality of the Prophet Jesus (as), will appear, in other words, the divine mercy will appear from the sky; he will purge Christianity in the face of that truth, rid it of all superstition and distortion and it will unite with the truth of Islam; Christianity will turn into a kind of Islam. And by abiding by the Qur’an, that Christianity will be the follower and Islam will remain in the rank of that which is followed; and as a result of this amalgamation the true religion will acquire a magnificent power. (The Letters, p. 53-54)

3 Naim narrated from Salman ibn Isa that he said: I have heard that in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as) the Ark of the Covenant will be extracted from Lake Tiberias and brought to him in Jerusalem. WHEN THE JEWS SEE THIS THE MAJORITY, ALL BUT A VERY FEW, WILL BECOME MUSLIMS. (Hadith from the Commentary by Jalaladdin as-Suyuti, Portents of Hazrat Mahdi (as) of the End Times, (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman), p. 23, Translated by: Muserref Gozcu - Kahraman Nesriyat)

In referring to the perfect knowledge and successes of Hazrat Mahdi (as), it is related that WHEN HE APPEARS IN VISIBLE FORM HE WILL DEBATE THOSE MATTERS HE SPEAKS OF WITH THE JEWS ON THE BASIS OF THE TORAH AND WILL PROVE THEM, AS A RESULT OF WHICH A GREAT MANY OF THEM WILL CONVERT TO ISLAM. (Bihar al-Anwar)