The Ashab al-Suffa;
They devoted all their time to earning Allah’s approval alone.
The constantly studied the Qur’an and listened to the teachings of our Prophet (saas).
Our Prophet (saas) took a close interest in their training.
They took no interest in commerce or worldly things.
They did not marry, and had no family or tribal loyalties.
They were few in number.
They traveled to teach the Qur’an and the Sunnah to Muslim tribes.
They were known as the Army of the Learned.
They devoted their entire lives to Allah’s path.
The Ashab al-Suffa of the End Times are the followers of Hazrat Mahdi (as).
“Ashab al-Suffa” is the name given to a group of Companions made up of young people who stayed in an area subsequently added on to the northern part of the Mosque of our Prophet (saas) and known as the Suffa. The followers of Hazrat Mahdi (as) bear a close resemblance to these blessed people in terms of many of their characteristics. The moral values of the followers of Hazrat Mahdi (as) resemble those of the Ashab al-Suffa, such as their faith and loyalty and obedience to Almighty Allah and Hazrat Mahdi (as) are all praised in the hadiths.
ADNAN OKTAR: Hazrat Mahdi (as) also has an Ashab al-Suffa. A small group of young people constantly acting together with Hazrat Mahdi (as). They also leave their families and strive together for Allah, just as it was in the time of the Prophet (saas), insha’Allah. (10 October 2010, Kanal Avrupa and Çay TV)
According to the hadiths, the followers of Hazrat Mahdi (as) are devout by night and lions by day. By night they teach, while by day they wage an intellectual struggle like lions.
They intellectually uproot such bastions of disbelief as Darwinism and materialism.
They are courageous, determined and submissive on Allah’s path.
Patience is one of their characteristics; they are never hasty. They wage a patient intellectual struggle with all their might so that Qur’anic values will dominate the world.
Submission to Allah is their greatest source of strength in their faith.
They are fully submitted to Almighty Allah.
In times of danger, they are never uneasy, but say, “It is all for the best.”
Let us now look at the features of these blessed people of the End Times, the followers of Hazrat Mahdi (as), in the light of the hadiths.
Like the Ashab al-Suffa, the Followers of Hazrat Mahdi (as) Will Consist of Young People
The hadiths reveal that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will have youthful helpers.
“THE FOLLOWERS of the Qaim [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] ARE YOUNG, and there are no elderly people among them. (Seikh Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim Numani, Ghaybah al Numani, p. 374)
Many prophets had young helpers. Allah reveals this in verse 83 of Surah Yunus:
No one believed in Moses except for a few of his people out of fear that Pharaoh, and the elders, would persecute them. Pharaoh was high and mighty in the land. He was one of the profligate. (Surah Yunus, 83)
Other hadiths reveal that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will have youthful followers:
Most of these followers [of Hazrat Mahdi (as)] ARE YOUNG while the old are very few. (Bihar al-Anwar, vol: 52, p. 334)
Another hadith indicating there will be young people around Hazrat Mahdi (as) reads:
Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) standard-bearer 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)
ADNAN OKTAR: ... The followers of Hazrat Mahdi (as) are made up of young people. The followers of the Prophet Moses (as) were made up of young people. Young people are less worn down mentally. A rigidity sets in with age. It is harder for an older person to turn to living by the True Religion. But young people are less entrenched in sin. They are more innocent. They are more idealistic. That is how Allah creates their natures. So Allah produces a blessing within them, insha’Allah...
