ADNAN OKTAR: What I say is all said under the shadow of the system of the Mahdi and the Messiah. I am a precursor of Hazrat Mahdi (as). I prepare the ground for him. I tell people of the delights of the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as). Not a single drop of blood will be spilled in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as). Nobody’s nose will be made to bleed. Everyone will live together in peace. The world will overflow with justice. All enmity, conflict, war, disagreement and fighting will come to an end inshaAllah. This important fact is imparted for certain in the hadith handed down from our Prophet (saas):
People will seek refuge in the Hazrat Mahdi (as) as honey bees cluster around their sovereign. He will fill the world that was once full of cruelty with justice. His justice will be as such that HE WILL NOT WAKE A SLEEPING PERSON OR EVEN SHED ONE DROP OF BLOOD. The Earth will return to the age of happiness. (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p.29)
[Hazrat Mahdi (as)] will follow the way of the Prophet. HE WILL NOT WAKE UP A SLEEPING PERSON OR SHED BLOOD. (Al-Barzanji, Pamuk Publishing, Istanbul, 2002, p. 163)
In the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as) no one will be woken up from their sleep OR HAVE A BLEEDING NOSE. (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 44)
Those obeying him [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] will pay homage to him between ruqun and maqam (around Qaba). They will not wake a sleeping person, NEVER SHED BLOOD. (Al-Haytamî, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 24)
This (Amr) [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] WILL FILL EARTH WITH JUSTICE, just as people previously filled it with cruelty. (Sunan Ibn Majah, 10/348)
The world filled with oppression and tyranny WILL OVERFLOW WITH JUSTICE AFTER HE [HAZRAT MAHDI (as)] COMES. (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 20)
THERE WILL BE SUCH AN ABUNDANCE OF JUSTICE IN THE HAZRAT MAHDI'S (as) TIME that just as all the goods taken away by force will be returned to their owners. (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 23)
HIS [THE MAHDI'S (as)] JUSTICE WILL COVER ALL PLACES and he will rule among people with the Sunna of the Prophet (saas). He will even also call for one who is in need to be brought forward, and when that command is obeyed only one person will come. (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 20)
If there were only one day left for the world, that day would be lengthened until a man from among the people of my household, was sent; just as the Earth is filled with cruelty, HE WILL FILL THE EARTH WITH JUSTICE. (Sunan Abu Dawud, 5/92)
Hazrat Mahdi (as) is one of my people, and HE WILL FILL THE EARTH WITH TRUTH AND JUSTICE, just as it is now filled with cruelty and torture. (Sunan Abu Dawud, 5/93)
Like the cup fills with water, SO WILL EARTH FILL WITH PEACE. THERE WILL BE NO ENMITY LEFT between any people. ALL HOSTILITY, FIGHTING, AND ENVY WILL DISAPPEAR. (Sahih-i Muslim, 1/136)
... In the same way that Almighty Allah began with me, so He will bring matters to an end with him (Hazrat Mahdi (as)). In the same way that THEY WERE FREED FROM POLYTHEISM AND ANTIPATHY (DISCORD AND ENMITY) AND THEIR HEARTS WERE FILLED WITH FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE THROUGH ME, SO IT WILL BE AGAIN (WITH THE COMING OF HAZRAT MAHDI (as)). (Portents of the Coming of the Mahdi of the End Times, Jalaladdin as-Suyuti , p. 20)
... IN HIS [ HAZRAT MAHDI (as)] TIME THE GOOD BECOME EVEN MORE GOOD, AND EVEN THE WICKED ONES ARE TREATED WELL. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 17)
As the hadith handed down from our Prophet (saas) clearly show, peace, love and affection will reign on Earth in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as). All Muslims, Jews and Christians will leave in comfort, peace and security. That same climate of peace, abundance and security will continue in the time of Hazrat Messiah (as); not a single unbeliever will be left in that time, and the whole world will believe and be Muslim. Almighty Allah has revealed this in the following verse:
There is not one of the People of the Book who will not believe in him before he dies; and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them. (Surat an-Nisa’, 159)
In the time of Hazrat Messiah (as) all the People of the Book, all Jews and all Christians in other words, will be Muslims. The whole world will convert to Islam, and Israel will be Muslim. This will be with love and affection, not through force. Every Christian and every Jew will convert to Islam, out of love and of their own free will. No duress of pressure will be used against the People of the Book, and the conversion to Islam will be a totally sincere one.
Hazrat Mahdi (as) will rule the People of the Book with the original forms of the Torah and the Gospel
Hazrat Mahdi (as) will tell Muslims of the proper moral values of the Qur’an, and will treat Muslims in the light of proper, Qur’anic virtues. But he will rule Christians with the Gospels, that part of them which has not been corrupted or distorted, and will rule the Jews with the true Torah, the genuine Torah. Therefore, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not, as some Christians believe, force Christians and Jews to convert to Islam. He will rule them with those parts of the Gospels and the Torah that are compatible with the Qur’an. This is revealed in another of the hadith of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace):
"[Hazrat Mahdi (as)] will rule among Jews with the Torah and among Christians with the Gospel." (Jabir Ibn Yazid al-Jo'fi narrates from Imam Muhammad Baqr)
As a miracle from Allah, in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as) the original forms of the Torah and the Gospels will be found. Our Prophet (saas) reveals that the uncorrupted forms of these holy scriptures will be found in the End Times:
"...The reason why Hazrat Mahdi (as) is known as Hazrat Mahdi (as) is this; he will be directed toward a secret matter, will extract the Torah and other Divine books from a cave in Antioch... (Jabir Ibn Yazid al-Jo'fi narrates from Imam Muhammad Baqr)
"It is certain that Hazrat Mahdi (as) is known as the ‘Mahdi.’ Because he will be directed to salvation to one of the mountains of Sham, from where he will extract the books (volumes) of the “Torah” and will enter into debate with the Jews on the basis of these and (eventually) a group of Jews will become Muslims by his hand. (Harun Ibn Maruf narrates from Zamra Ibn Rabia from Abdullah Ibn Shawzab)
According to the Qur’an, Muslims’ Behavior toward the People of the Book Is Always to Be Based on Love and Affection
The behavior recommended to all Muslims in the Qur’an is to treat the People of the Book with love, respect, affection and compassion, to protect and watch over them and to meet their needs in the finest manner.
The pronouncement of the Qur’an regarding the People of the Book is crystal clear, and is also clear from the Sunna of our Prophet (saas). The people of the Book are our La Ilaha IllaAllah (there is no god but Allah) brothers; Armenians, Jews, the Orthodox, Protestants and the whole Christian world are all our brothers. We all believe in the same Allah. There is the same belief in the Christian, Jewish and Islamic worlds. We are all the children of the Prophet Abraham (as). Members of all three faiths share the same basic beliefs, and the existence of the People of the Book is therefore a great blessing. Islam is not solely based on the peace and comfort of Muslims. The Qur’an says that the People of the Book also exist. And according to the Qur’an, the People of the Book must also live in peace and comfort and be protected by Muslims. It is an excellent thing to live as brothers and talk and converse with the People of the Book. According to the Qur’an, one may marry members of the People of the Book, eat their food and enjoy business and social relationships with them. Islam demands that the People of the Book be shown affection and respect. This is a religious obligation for Muslims. Allah says in one verse:
Today all good things have been made lawful for you. And the food of those given the Book is also lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. So are chaste women from among the believers and chaste women of those given the Book before you, once you have given them their dowries in marriage, not in fornication or taking them as secret intrigues. But as for anyone who rejects faith, his actions will come to nothing and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. (Surat al-Ma’ida, 5)
You can read the verses of the Qur’an that command love and affection be shown to the People of the Book from here.
Some of the hadith of our prophet (saas) concerning the People of the Book read as follows:
1. The Prophet Muhammad (saas) has stated the following:
“Someone who unjustly kills a dhimmi (person under protection) cannot get a whiff of Heaven. However, its fragrance is felt from a distance of forty years. (Sahih Bukhari, Jizya, 5)
2. Our Prophet (saas) said: “However oppresses a dhimmi or burdens a weight over him more than he can carry, I will be his enemy.”
3. “Whoever oppresses a dhimmi or loads a work that is over his strength or takes something away from him by force, I am his foe on the Day of Judgment.” (Abu Dawud, Kharaj, 31-33)
4. “I am claimant of anyone who depresses a dhimmi. The one who I am claimant of (in this world), I am also claimant of on the Day of Judgment.” (Ajlouni, Kashf al-Khafa’ II, 218)
5. Holy Prophet (saas) commands: “Beware! I will be complainant of those who act cruelly and heartlessly to these people (who are bound by agreement) and restrict their rights or who load a work over what they can sustain or take away something out of their will, on the Day of Judgment.” (Abu Dawud, Jihad; (İslamda Devlet Nizami [Islamic State Order]), Abu’l-A’la Mawdudi, Hilal Yayınları, 1967, p. 71)
6. In any one of the countries conquered at the time of Hazrat Omar, not even one place of worship was failed to respect. Abu Yusuf writes:
“All places of worship were left as they were before. Neither were they demolished, nor the defeated people were deprived of their properties or belongings.” (Abu Yusuf, Kitabu'l-Haraj; Islam’da Devlet Nizamı, Abu’l-A’la Mawdudi, Hilal Yayınları, 1967, s. 74)
7. Hazrat Ali said, “Whoever is our Dhimmi, his blood is as blessed as ours, his property is as protected from damage as ours.” In another verse it is related that Hazrat Ali said the following: “The property and life of the ones who accept status of Dhimmi is blessed as ours (the Muslims).” (Islam’da Devlet Nizamı "Islamic State Order”, Abu’l-A’la Mawdudi, Hilal Yayınları, 1967, p. 76)
8. In the agreement which our Holy Prophet (saas) decreed the articles to Ibn Harris ibn Ka’b, who is a Christian, and other Christians:
“The religion, churches, lives, chastity and property of the entire Christians living in the East and the West are under the protection of Allah, His Prophet (saas) and all the believers. None of the people embracing the religion of Christianity will be forced to accept Islam. If one of the Christians suffers murder or injustice, Muslims are obliged to help him,” he narrated the verse: “Only argue with the People of the Book in the kindest way…” (Surat al-Anqabut, 29/46). (Ibn Hisham, Abu Muhammad Abdu’l-Malik, (v.218/834), as-Seerat an-Nabaweeyat, Daru't-Turasi'l-Arabiyye, Beirut, 1396/1971, IV/241-242; Hamidullah, Al-Wasaiq, s.154-155, No.96-97; Doğu Batı kaynaklarında birlikte yaşama, “Living together in Eastern and Western sources”, p. 95)
There Is No Pressure or Compulsion in the Qur’an, and All Forms of Terror and Violence Are Unlawful in Islam
According to the Qur’an, there is absolutely no pressure or compulsion in Islam. Our Almighty Lord has set this rule out in the verses of the Qur’an:
There is no compulsion where the religion is concerned. Right guidance has become clearly distinct from error. Anyone who rejects false gods and has belief in Allah has grasped the Firmest Handhold, which will never give way. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Surat al-Baqara, 256)
You are not in control of them. (Surat al-Ghashiyya, 22)
We know best what they say.You are not a dictator over them. So remind, with the Qur’an, whoever fears My Threat. (Surah Qaf, 45)
It is clear that there is no room for violence in Islam. According to the Qur’an, war is only possible for defensive purposes, when property, lives or virtue are in danger. But even then, Muslims never go to excess, and have a responsibility to treat the captives they take kindly, even give their prisoners food while they themselves go hungry, to establish peace without delay and to protect civilians and the innocent. It is clear from the life our Prophet (saas) the kind of behavior in this regard that Islam demands. Throughout the 13 years they lived in Mecca our Prophet (saas) and the Companions were subjected to terrible duress, attacks and slanders; they were forced to leave their homes and threatened with death. But they never resorted to violence despite all this aggression and oppression. When the oppression in Mecca increased, they migrated to Medina, and during the Medina period they only engaged in wars that were unavoidable and for defensive purposes. For example, the Battle of Badr began when the Meccan pagans gathered their armies and attacked the Muslims, intending to martyr them. At Hendek the Muslim erected obstacles around the city in order to protect themselves, and the fighting was purely defensive. In short, the wars in the past were all unavoidable and defensive, the result of direct and ferocious attacks by pagans. None was an offensive war.
Someone who sees and grasps the depth of the Qur’an can also easily see that there is nothing but forgiveness in it. The Qur’an says that Muslims must not go to extremes in war, and that they must stop fighting when the community they are at war with does so:
Fight in the Way of Allah against those who fight you, but do not go beyond the limits. Allah does not love those who go beyond the limits. (Surat al-Baqara, 190)
But if they cease, Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat al-Baqara, 192)
The Qur’an also recommends that prisoners of war be forgiven and freed. Allah tells us in the Qur’an that is it better to forgive people, even if murder has been committed. Muslims’ responsibility, according to the Qur’an, is always to do what is best for Allah’s approval. Since Allah regards forgiveness as best, even in the case of murder, that is what Muslims need to do. Islam is a religion of affection, compassion, peace and love. Those who seek to give a different impression of Islam should abandon that behavior forthwith.
An undeclared war being initiated against people is called terror. In Islam, neither state nor individual terror is acceptable. The law of war is clear in Islam. If there is a peace treaty between two parties, it is essential in the eyes of Islam that they abide by it. There are various conditions, according to the Qur’an and the Sunna, for war to be commenced. A Muslim has a duty to abide by these conditions. Only when these conditions have been met can a state declare war. And when war is declared, it must be waged legitimately and in accordance with the moral values of the Qur’an as described above.
If blood is shed in contravention of these conditions, if states or individuals shed blood after peace has been agreed, if killings are then carried out, then this is terror. And Islam denounces terrorism.
PEOPLE OF THE BOOK ARE UNDER MUSLIMS' PROTECTION
Excerpt from Mr. Adnan Oktar’s live interview dated January 23rd, 2010
Mr. Adnan Octar comments on this matter is as below:
Presenter: A few days ago 6 Coptic Christians were killed in Egypt in a drive-by shooting while leaving the church. All the media in the West started to cover this story in a negative way since the incident took place in a Muslim country. The Egyptian government does not make a declaration about the issue. What do you think about this subject?
Adnan Oktar: Recently some of our Christian friends, brothers are keen to show Muslims in the history and also today as blood shedders, cruel people who cause trouble, who flout the laws, rights and democracy. They are giving examples from the wars in history. If we were to give examples from the wars in the past—especially our American Protestant brothers, Evangelicals speak so—they murdered tens of thousands of people in Hiroshima in an instant. They killed tens of thousands of people in Nagasaki in an instant. There were also Muslims, Christians there. People from all religions. So in accordance which law was this carried out? Right? They shed blood in numerous countries. They shed blood in Afghanistan and Iraq. With which law were those done? Right?
No Muslim interpreted these incidents as; “This is how those abiding by the Gospel are, they are blood shedders.” We said, “This is the spirit of [atheist] freemasonry, a requisite of being a [atheist] mason. Those disbelievers who are neither Muslims nor Christians committed it.” In no way did we attribute it to Christianity. Let me correct the word “attribute it”, may Allah forgive me, let me say, “We did not hold Christianity responsible for it.” Consequently, it would be erroneous for our Christian friends to hold Islam responsible when an incident happens; they have to abandon that habit.
Alright, there is war in the Qur’an, but it is as a self defense, when you, your possessions, security and honor is under attack. That is to say, someone has entered one’s house, there is a raid with weapons, rifles. They had knocked the glasses-frames down and fired bullets. What can a man do in such case? Shall he bring them into court? What should he do? If he attempted to escape, he would fail. Right? What should be the action? To save one’s life, defending one’s self. There are things to do while defending one’s self; for instance, people first open fire to the air, they threaten, open fire to the air, if these measures prove to be ineffective, they try to stop the perpetrator by injuring him but in a way not to cause suffering or killing him. This is self-defense. Is there any other way of doing it? Is there any other way in the case of a sudden attack? Since he can not escape. So what is to blame or to see as a fault here?
In those periods, Muslims were under enormous pressure, under great cruelty. They were being put in pits and burnt with petrol. What should be done? What should he do? There is a mid-night raid. They come with swords, maces and spears. Were they to say ; “Welcome, let us serve you some tea? ” What should they tell? Of course they defend themselves. Meanwhile, there may be loss of lives during this defense. This is not something abnormal because the other party has already come to take your life. It is very difficult to defend oneself without harming the other side at that moment, during a mass attack. You can not say, “Let me just make him faint and deactivate him.” In the conditions of the time, there wasn’t a mean to knock someone out anyway. What can they do? Consequently, it is very erroneous to blame and criticize Muslims. They should criticize themselves. There is not the slightest error in what is done in the time of our Prophet (as). None of them are wars of attack.
Oktar Babuna: As you know better insha’Allah, there is also a disproportion in the numbers [of the armies].
Adnan Oktar: And everything is aimed at forgiving. For instance All-Mighty Allah says, “but do not go beyond the limits”, “if they stop, you also stop”, “release the captives, behave well to the captives.” What a perfect explanation. What a humanistic interpretation. In case of a murder, for instance, notice that this is a murder, Allah says that there is the right for retaliation. Normally the penalty for murder is execution. However Allah says, “It is more auspicious for you if you forgive”. Since a Muslim would always choose to forgive, which is more auspicious, so what? Don’t we see here the highest form of compassion, love and mercy? What is the meaning of forgiving an enormous cruelty such as murder? Allah relates, “It is more auspicious for you if you forgive.” Consequently Islam is a religion of love, mercy and compassion. But this also holds true for Gospel and Torah. Even in its distorted form, it has preserved these beautiful features.
Consequently they will abandon trying to provoke Muslims, murdering, acting despotically and attributing an incident perpetrated by a few psychopaths to Muslims. This is very erroneous.
Besides when we look at the murderers, we see that they were educated either in Britain or America and undergone Darwinist and materialist education. Someone with a sufistic manner, someone sensible, or let us think about a follower of Risale-i Nur, has anyone seen a follower of Risale-i Nur whose name has been involved in a murder in any corner of the world?
Oktar Babuna : No one has seen, insha’Allah.
Adnan Oktar: Let alone murder, has anyone seen such a person injuring someone? There are millions of followers of Risale-i Nur, and they, in no way, commit it. For instance a Sufi, a member of a religious order; there are, for instance, Shazinis and Nakhshibendis abroad. Do we ever see them committing such an act? Or a Fiqh scholar, a scholar who has undergone an Ahl al-Sunnah education. Have we ever seen such a scholar committing such an act? In no way. Who are the people that we see committing such acts? Those followers of Ibn Miskhawayh, those Darwinists, materialists, advocates of evolution who have sympathy for socialism, admirers of Che, Ho Shi Minh, those trying to reconcile the views of Lenin with Islam, those people suffering from inferiority complex. Consequently they need to discriminate between them. We mean the genuine Muslims. A genuine Muslim is always full of compassion, mercy and love. (From Mr. Adnan Oktar’s Interviews on Kral Karadeniz and Kanal 9 dated 10 January 2010)
