Throughout the history devout young people who have adopted the true path they were called to by the messengers sent as a mercy from Allah, who have supported them and have believed in the divine scriptures sent down to them by Allah, have always been exposed to considerable pressure from the people around them, and particularly from their families. These young people will have a great love for Hazrat Mahdi (as), whose coming in the End Times is anticipated with great excitement. They will genuinely believe that he is a holy personage sent down from the Sight of Allah and they will live by the moral values of the Qur’an alongside him. These young people will be subjected to the kinds of tests that have befallen other Muslims throughout history, as a requirement of the verse: “did you suppose that you would enter the Garden without facing the same as those who came before you?”(Surat al-Baqara, 214) There will therefore be great similarities between the examples set out in the Qur’an and things that befall some of the followers of Hazrat Mahdi (as).
It is reported in one hadith that Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) followers will have no friends other than one another, so much so that if they become lost, nobody will look for them. This also indicates the negative attitude of the society they live in and of their families and relatives toward them:
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 ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 239)
The hadith notes that the followers of Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be few in number like the followers of the Prophet Moses (as), and the People of the Cave:
Hukaim Ibn Sa'd says: I heard Imam Commander of the faithful, Hazrat Ali (ra) say: "THE COMPANIONS OF THE QAIM [HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)] ARE YOUNG, AND THERE ARE NO ELDERLY PEOPLE AMONG THEM. They are as few in number as kohl on the eye or salt in victuals, and salt is the smallest component of victuals..” (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 374)
Other hadiths that indicate there will be young people around Hazrat Mahdi (as) read:
Hazrat Mahdi (as) IS A YOUNG MANfrom the Ahl al-Bayt (from my line). Your elderly will not live to see him, but the young will hope to. Allah will do what He wills. (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 23)
Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) flagman will be a small YOUNG MAN with a slight, yellow beard.(Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 51)
His [Hazrat Mahdi’s (as)] flagman WILL BE A YOUNG MANfrom the line of Tamimi from the East. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 26)
In the Qur’an, Allah refers to Muslims who abandon their families or the socities in which they live because of the pressure and oppression they are subjected to, as:
The People of the Cave:
When the young men TOOK REFUGE IN THE CAVEand said, “Our Lord, give us mercy directly from You and open the way for us to right guidance in our situation.” (Surat al-Kahf, 10)
... But he should go about with caution so that no one is aware of you, FOR IF THEY FIND OUT ABOUT YOU THEY WILL STONE YOU OR MAKE YOU REVERT TO THEIR RELIGIONand then you will never have success. (Surat al-Kahf, 19-20)
The young people who believed in the Prophet Moses (as):
NO ONE BELIEVED IN MOSES EXCEPT FOR A FEW OF HIS PEOPLE OUT OF FEARthat Pharaoh, and the elders, would persecute them. Pharaoh was high and mighty in the land. He was one of the profligate. (Surah Yunus, 83)
The Prophet Abraham (as) who separates himself from his father:
(His father) said, “Do you forsake my gods, Abraham?IF YOU DO NOT STOP, I WILL STONE YOU. Keep away from me for a good long time.”’ (Abraham) said, “Peace be upon you. I will ask my Lord to forgive you. He has always honored me. I WILL SEPARATE MYSELF FROM YOU AND ALL YOU CALL UPON BESIDES ALLAH and I will call upon my Lord. It may well be that, in calling on my Lord, I will not be disappointed.” (Surah Maryam, 46-48)
Abraham would not have asked forgiveness for his father but for a promise he made to him, and WHEN IT BECAME CLEAR TO HIM THAT HE WAS AN ENEMY OF ALLAH, HE RENOUNCED HIM. Abraham was tender-hearted and forbearing. (Surat at-Tawba, 114)
The Prophet Noah (as) separates himself from his son:
Noah called out to his Lord and said, “My Lord, my son is one of my family and Your promise is surely the truth and You are the Justest of Judges.” (Surah Hud, 45)
He said, “NOAH, HE IS DEFINITELY NOT OF YOUR FAMILY.He is someone whose action was not righteous. Do not, therefore, ask Me for something about which you have no knowledge. I admonish you lest you should be among the ignorant.” (Surah Hud, 46)
The Prophet Noah (as) and Lot (as) separate themselves from their wives:
ALLAH HAS MADE AN EXAMPLE FOR THOSE WHO DISBELIEVE: THE WIFE OF NOAH AND THE WIFE OF LOT. They were married to two of Our servants who were righteous but they betrayed them and were not helped at all against Allah. They were told, “Enter the Fire along with all who enter it.” (Surat at-Tahrim, 10)
As we can see from these verses, if believers who believe in Allah and the prophets and who have decided to live for Allah’s approval are subjected to pressure and oppression from their families and those around them, they turn their backs on them and live by the moral values of the faith, in peace and security with other believers. Allah praises this behavior in the Qur’an.
Some of the companions in the time of our Prophet (saas) were exposed to severe pressure from their families, imprisoned and subjected to violence, merely for believing in Allah and choosing a life compatible with the moral values of the Qur’an:
Umm Gulthum Bint Ukda was forced to live among the polytheists of Mecca for seven years because of pressure from her family. From the moment she swore allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (saas), she, like other Muslims, was subjected to various forms of mistreatment and pressure. She was exposed to pressure and cruelty from her father in particular and from other polytheists in order to force her to abandon the moral values of the faith... Despite all these troubles, she was an example to other believers BY ABANDONING HER FAMILY AND SETTING OUT ON MIGRATION ALONE.
Mus’ab ibn Umayr (ra) continued to visit our Prophet (saas) in secret, hiding the fact he was a Muslim from his family and friends. When his family learned he was secretly establishing prayer (salat) he was detained and imprisoned by his own relatives, and when the opportunity to migrate to Ethiopia arose HE ABANDONED HIS FAMILY AND MIGRATED TO ETHIOPIAwith the first group in order to be more easily able to live according to the moral values of the faith.
Hazrat Salamais a companion who was for long subjected to mistreatment by his family because he believed in Allah. Although he and his brother Haris believed and followed our Prophet (saas), their other brothers, Abu Jahl, As and Khalid turned their backs on the religious moral values revealed by Allah and became the enemies of their brothers who believed. Salama was tortured for a long time by those closest to him. Since his brothers resorted to all possible means to make Salama renounce the moral values of the faith, HE MIGRATED TO ETHIOPIA IN ORDER TO SAVE HIS LIFE AND TO BE ABLE TO LIVE FREELY BY THE MORAL VALUES OF ISLAM.
It is clear in the hadith of our Prophet (saas) that the family and friends of some of the young people who will be with Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the End Times, in which the corruption of the antichrist reaches a peak, will call on them to take the path of the antichrist:
It is clear that some of the followers of Hazrat Mahdi (as) who have been pressurized will behave in a similar way to other believers examplified in the Qur’an:
Part of his (the antichrist’s) corruption is that he will say this to a Bedouin: “Will you bear witness that I am your Lord if I bring your mother and father back to life?” The Bedouin will say, “Yes.” Two demons will then appear in the form of his mother and father and will say, “O MY CHILD, FOLLOW HIM. HE IS MOST CERTAINLY YOUR LORD.”(Tirmidhi)
In the Qur’an, Allah commands people not to associate with but to turn their backs on those who seek to turn them from His path, even if they be their mothers, fathers, sons or brothers:
We have instructed man to honor his parents, but if they ENDEAVOR TO MAKE YOU ASSOCIATE WITH ME SOMETHING ABOUT WHICH YOU HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE, DO NOT OBEY THEM. It is to Me you will return and I will inform you about the things you did. (Surat al-‘Ankabut, 8)
You who believe, DO NOT BEFRIEND YOUR FATHERS AND BROTHERS IF THEY PREFER DISBELIEF TO FAITH.Those among you who do befriend them are wrongdoers. (Surat at-Tawba, 23)
You who believe! Some of YOUR WIVES AND CHILDREN ARE AN ENEMY TO YOU, so be wary of them. (Surat at-Taghabun, 14)
You will not find people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having love for anyone who opposes Allah and His Messenger, THOUGH THEY BE THEIR FATHERS, THEIR SONS, THEIR BROTHERS OR THEIR CLAN. (Surat al-Mujadala, 22)
As can be seen from all these verses and hadith, SOME OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE TIME OF HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) AND FOLLOW THIS WORTHY GUIDE TO SALVATIONwill suffer similar treatment from their families, who have fallen under the influence of the antichrist, to that inflicted on believers in the past, and they will choose the “RENUNCIATION AND SEPARATION” revealed by Allah in the Qur’an.
