Through the verses of the Qur'an, our Almighty Lord has imparted the glad tidings that He will place Islam above all other faiths and cause the moral values of the Qur'an to prevail over the world. In the Hadith, the Prophet (saas) tells us that Allah will bring about this welcome event through the efforts of the Mahdi. The Messenger of Allah (saas) has reported that the Mahdi, the spiritual leader of Muslims at this time, will perform a great service for the good of all mankind and Islam, and will carry out very important activities. By Allah's leave, the Mahdi—likened to the Prophet (saas) in terms of his excellent moral virtues—will restore to its essential nature the faith, which has been distorted from its true essence through various superstitious beliefs and false practices. Together with the Prophet ‘Isa (as), he will cause Islam, the one true faith, to prevail on Earth. According to the information contained in the Hadith, the Mahdi will make sincere efforts, to ensure mankind's salvation in this world and in the Hereafter. And thanks to him, peace, plenty and abundance will be found on Earth. According to the tawatur (completely trustworthy) Hadith, the long-awaited coming of the Mahdi will be one of the most important events in the Islamic world. The entire Muslim world is hoping for—and enthusiastically awaiting—the renewal of Islamic civilization and the moral values of the Qur'an to prevail on Earth, through this blessed personage.
In the Hadith of the Prophet (saas), it is also reported that as the Mahdi performs this honorable and superior task, the number of those around him will be very small. Yet despite their being so few in number, the moral values of Islam will, by Allah's leave, come to prevail across the entire globe. This is, of course, a miracle of Allah's. In the Qur'an, he tells us that, "Allah reinforces with His help whoever He wills. There is instruction in that for people of insight" (Surah Al ‘Imran, 13). Allah desires Islamic virtues to prevail on Earth, and He has the power to bring this about in the manner of His choosing. Indeed, events taking place in our own day herald the fact that, by Allah's leave, this time is close at hand. All Activities Around the Globe Serve the Mahdi and the Dominion of Islamic Moral Values As reported in the Hadith of the Prophet (saas), the Mahdi will have around him a group of supporters and helpmates that, as stated above, will be comparatively small in number. But, by Allah's will, anyone who tries to assist in the development of Islam and the spreading of Qur'anic moral values will, knowingly or otherwise, be serving the Mahdi. For that reason, every activity on Earth is actually a service rendered to the Mahdi. Everyone who writes books or articles, publishes newspapers or magazines, or arranges conferences to that end is, wittingly or unwittingly, assisting and supporting the Mahdi, in preparing for the dominion of Islamic moral values under his leadership. No doubt that this is a promise and assistance from Allah to His true servants. Nothing can obstruct the will of Allah. He wills Islamic moral values to be installed over the world, and by His leave, this promise will come about. It is reported in the Qur'an that by Allah's will, the faithful will be victorious:
All Activities Carried out against the Mahdi in fact serve his Coming and his Mission This century is a glad epoch when signs of the End Times are coming about, one by one, and the whole Muslim world is in a state of expectancy. The second coming of Prophet ‘Isa (as)—who, as indicated in the verses of the Qur'an, did not die and will return to Earth again, as is described in great detail in the Hadith—is awaited with great excitement. In the same way, the appearance of the Mahdi, whose name, qualities and activities are all set out in detail in tawatur Hadith of the Prophet (saas), is another event awaited by the entire Islamic world. Some of the Hadith referring to the second coming of Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the appearance of the Mahdi read as follows:
All the Ahlul Sunnah scholars are in agreement about these glad tidings in the Hadith. Among eminent Islamic scholars, there is no difference of opinion at all about the coming of these blessed individuals who will cause Islamic virtues as imparted by the Prophet (saas) to prevail on Earth. Therefore, the coming of Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi is too certain a matter to be concealed or misinterpreted. Even so, some may still harbor doubts about the second coming of Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the appearance of the Mahdi—which doubt is a most serious error. The important fact to realize is this: Even if people do hold such views, this is actually nothing more than another sign of the appearance of the Mahdi. The position of such people is a clear indication of the imminence of the Mahdi's coming. These glad tidings are imparted thus in the Hadith of the Prophet (saas):
In the Qur'an, too, Allah has revealed that some may doubt that He will send a messenger to lead the faithful. As an example, he cites those who said that there would be no prophet after Prophet Yusuf (as):
In the Qur'an, our Lord has promised that He will cause Islamic values to prevail over the world and will bestow power and authority on His faithful servants. He tells us that this promise is a certain one. The Hadith of the Prophet (saas) and the words of all the great Islamic scholars state that Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi will be instrumental in this taking place. In the light of this absolute promise of Allah's, Islamic moral values will come to rule, and an individual will assume leadership of Muslims. For a long time now, Muslims have had no such leader to bring them all together. By Allah's leave, this first leader—the tidings of whom have been reported for 1,400 years—will be the Mahdi. He will eliminate oppression and darkness and be a means whereby the beauty of Islamic virtues is experienced by all the world. As this concluding time approaches, all the events taking place, be they great or small, will play important roles in the coming about of this destiny determined by Allah. Knowingly or unknowingly, willingly or not, people's every action will help in this outcome being attained. All efforts and propaganda expended against its happening will be just as effective as work carried out to further the appearance, recognition and service of the Mahdi. Every action taken in opposition to the Mahdi will further increase his effectiveness and contribute to his activities being echoed around the world. Those who maintain that Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi will not appear, those who say "I do not believe in the second coming of Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi," will, through their very words and deeds, again draw attention to those two blessed individuals and, by serving them thus unwittingly, become a means whereby others can reflect on these important tidings. In that sense, therefore, to say "Prophet ‘Isa (as) will not come" is the same as saying "Prophet ‘Isa (as) will come"! Similarly, saying "The Mahdi will not come" actually means "The Mahdi will." Anyone who says "I stand opposed to the Mahdi" will encourage , further curiosity, interest in and discussion about the Mahdi. By Allah's leave, deniers and hypocrites, those who adopt ideas opposed to Qur'anic moral values, and the enemies of Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi greatly assist—albeit unwillingly and unknowingly—in these glad tidings being disseminated and in Islamic virtues spreading across the world.
It must not be forgotten that Allah's promise is the truth. Even if some prove reluctant, Allah's promise will be fulfilled: He will cause Islamic moral values to prevail on Earth, and will bestow the virtues of the faith through one who will become the spiritual leader of all Muslims. By the will of Allah, these are all events that cannot be prevented; they have already taken place in destiny. And our Almighty Lord has turned all the propaganda and measures taken against Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi into means by which this blessed outcome will be achieved, and has placed even those opposed to the Mahdi at his service. To believers, Allah reveals this state of affairs in the Qur'an:
The Power of the Mahdi's Faith will Spread a Spiritual Awakening Across the World As already mentioned, those who surround and support the Mahdi will be few in number. But the light of the Mahdi's system has illumined the whole world. Without being aware of it, the whole world will abide by the logic and perspective of the Mahdi's message and will come to be influenced by the fervor of his faith. Spiritual excitement and the tendency towards faith will spread from the Mahdi to his disciples, and from them to others around them, and thus throughout the whole world. One person will read a book, listen to a talk or see a film; increase in spiritual fervor as a result, and then tell someone else of what he's learned. And that person will tell others. There will be a chain reaction, increasing spiritual fervor, and influence will spread over the entire world, reaching even Jews and Christians. As a result, a huge spiritual awakening will take place all over the Earth. The world will not know the origin of this spiritual excitement; those opposed to faith will be unaware that this fervor originates from the system of the Mahdi. But in fact, this is one of the most important signs of the Mahdi and his order.
Islamic scholars have stated that this spiritual fervor, spreading in waves across the world, will stem from the Mahdi’s attributes of being “Qutb al-Irshad” and “Qutb al-Aqtab.” Qutb al-Irshad is one who provides a means for the world to awaken from heedlessness, who leads it to guidance and the true path, and who is the true heir of the Prophet (saas)—a great individual who inherits his knowledge and manners, his task of purifying souls by means of light, his work of turning hearts towards Allah, and his art of taming lower selves and giving balance to life. The Qutb al-Aqtab is one who brings order to the world, a means whereby people discover the true path through the greatest mentor of their time:
In the second letter in his Mabda' wa Maad, Imam Rabbani describes the matter under the heading "The Prosperity of the Qutb al-Irshad":
In our own time, a great many developments are taking place day by day to show that great spiritual awakening, prosperity and excitement are increasing across the entire world. As revealed by Allah in the verse, "and you have seen people entering Allah's religion in droves" (Surat an-Nasr, 2), droves of people are turning to faith in Allah. Many examples reveal this state of affairs. For example, in the 15 August, 2006, edition of the British daily The Guardian, an article titled "How Did We Get Here?" noted that an astonishing 30% of students in the UK did not believe in evolution, and that this level had been much lower in the past. "Evolution," it concluded, "is on the way out." As reported in Science magazine, according to research conducted from the year 1985 to 2004 in 34 countries by Michigan State University in the USA, Turkey has become the only country in which the overwhelming majority believe that the theory of evolution is invalid. A report on the American website www.pitch.com quoted the evolutionist professor Umit Sayin as saying, "There is no fight against the creationists now. They have won the war. . . In 1998, I was able to motivate six members of the Turkish Academy of Sciences to speak out against the creationist movement. Today, it's impossible to motivate anyone Even a few of these developments clearly reveal the effects of this spiritual strength spreading across the world. Most remain unaware of the source of this spiritual awakening and of the effect it is having on the world. Yet this spiritual resurrection is one of the clearest signs that the Mahdi's appearance is close at hand—because this spiritual fervor originates from the radiant powerful faith, prosperity and abundance of the Mahdi. But as we know, one of the great signs of the Mahdi is the way that this blessed personage will not claim to be the Mahdi, because there is no need for the Mahdi to make himself known. Since his destiny has entrusted him this duty, Allah will let him become known to people through his global impact, the light of his faith and his fervor. Our Almighty Lord revealed the moral virtues of the Mahdi, his physical characteristics, his actions, service and global impact to our Prophet (saas), 1,400 years ago. In the same way that it is impossible to imitate these features or to acquire them through one's own efforts, so by Allah's leave, it is impossible to obstruct or neutralize his work. Allah has placed the whole world at the service of the Mahdi. All who work for him or against him, whether willingly or not, knowingly or unknowingly, are actually helping the Mahdi attain this outcome appointed by Allah and is contributing to the glorious destined rise of Islamic moral values. In that sense, therefore, it is impossible to engage in any activity against the Mahdi, since Allah converts every development working against him into one working in the Mahdi's favor.
Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi will very soon appear in their appointed destinies and, as reported by the Prophet (saas), will discharge all their duties and, by Allah's leave, cause Islamic moral values to prevail across the world. This is the destiny appointed by Allah. The Qur'an tells us that no matter how unwilling unbelievers may be, Allah will preserve His influence: ." The report went on to describe Turkey as a country in which adherents of the theory of evolution had been almost entirely routed. |