Verse 9 of Surat as-Saff refers to the end times and Hazrat Mahdi (as)

IT IS HE WHO SENT HIS MESSENGER WITH GUIDANCE AND THE RELIGION OF TRUTH TO EXALT IT OVER EVERY OTHER DEEN, THOUGH THE ASSOCIATERS HATE IT. (SURAT AS-SAFF, 9)

1.

It is He Who sent His messenger with guidance and the religion of truth…

All the messengers sent by our Almighty Lord have preached the religion of Allah and called on people to believe in Allah, the One and Only. The sons and grandsons of the Prophet Ibrahim (as), and the other true believers who came after, all abided by the true religion revealed by Allah. This is revealed as follows in the Qur’an:

Who would deliberately renounce the religion of Ibrahim except someone who reveals himself to be a fool? We chose him in the world and in the Hereafter he will be one of the true believers. When his Lord said to him, ‘Become a Muslim!’ he said, ‘I am a Muslim who has submitted to the Lord of all the worlds.’ Ibrahim directed his sons to this, as did Ya‘qub: ‘My sons! Allah has chosen this religion for you, so do not die except as Muslims.’ Or were you present when death came to Ya‘qub and he said to his sons, ‘What will you worship when I have gone?’ They said, ‘We will worship your Allah, the God of your forefathers, Ibrahim, Isma‘il and Ishaq –  the one Allah. We are Muslims submitted to Him.’ (Surat al-Baqara, 130-133)


As revealed in the Qur’an, the Gospel, the Torah, the Psalms and the Pages of the Prophet Ibrahim (as) are all books that were revealed to Prophets in the past. Some of these books have disappeared, and others have been corrupted or altered. The only true book today is the Holy Qur’an, and the only true religion in the sight of Allah is Islam. The Qur’an is the Great Book sent down by our Lord as a guide to all the worlds, whose provisions will apply until the Judgment Day, and which is full of unmatched wisdom. Allah reveals pronouncements about and the solutions to all matters, so that people can leave the darkness for the light. In Surat an-Nahl, our Lord reveals as follows:

We have sent down the Book to you making all things clear and as guidance and mercy and good news for the Muslims. (Surat an-Nahl, 89)


2.

…and the Religion of Truth to exalt it over every other religion,

…

Allah promises the dominion of the moral values of Islam. Our Lord will definitely keep His promise. The religious moral values He reveals will rule the world will be those of the true religion in the sight of Allah. It is revealed in the last Holy Scripture, the Qur’an, that these moral values are those of Islam, the pure religion of the Prophet Ibrahim (as):

The religion with Allah is Islam... (Surah Al ‘Imran, 19)

Allah reveals in several verses of the Qur’an that there will be another period of dominion following the global dominions of the Prophet Sulayman (as) and Dhu’lqarnayn (as). Muslims have never to date enjoyed global “power and governance.” Great empires such as the Ottoman Empire spread across vast territories, but they never conquered the whole world. This dominion described in the verses has not, therefore, yet taken place.

However, in the hadiths regarding the End Times and Hazrat Mahdi (as) our Prophet (saas) tells us of a global dominion that will arise in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as). Allah will make a virtuous servant bearing the title of “Mahdi,” meaning “He who leads to the truth,” instrumental to lead people who have turned away from moral values and societies that have suffered degeneration back to the true path. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will particularly bring about the intellectual collapse of irreligious philosophies and systems that deny the existence of Allah. He will also restore Islam to its original form as revealed in the Qur’an and the Sunna of our Prophet (saas). He will purge Islam of all distortions and inaccuracies and enable people to live by true Qur’anic values. He will provide solutions to all the disorder, social problems and social troubles mankind faces in the first part of the End Times and will be instrumental in peace, justice, security, happiness and moral virtues ruling the whole world. In that time, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be instrumental in many Jews converting to Islam, while the return to Earth of the Prophet ‘Isa (as) will be instrumental in many Christians adopting Islam. In this period, and as revealed by the verse, Islam will be exalted “over every other religion” and the moral values of Islam will pervade the world. Our Prophet (saas) has revealed in the hadiths that people will follow Hazrat Mahdi (as), a very valuable person who will be instrumental in their salvation in this world and the Hereafter, and refers to all the goodness that will take place in that time:



... He [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] will rule the Earth and he will fill the Earth, that was full of oppression and torture before him, with justice instead. Whoever of you lives to see him must come to him and join him, even by crawling over snow. Because he is the Mahdi. (Portents of the Mahdi of the End Times, Jalaladdin Suyuti, p. 14)



3.

...even though the associaters hate it.

In the words "…even though the associaters hate it" in the last part of the verse our Lord reveals that this dominion will be unwelcome to materialists, Darwinists, atheists and freemasons. These people, who are unwilling to see the status quo impaired will not support Muslims who strive for the dominion of Islamic moral values, and will even use all their means to try and obstruct them. 

It must not be forgotten that the global dominion of the moral values of the Qur’an is a promise of Allah revealed in the Qur’an. And Allah certainly does not go back on His promises. This is a promise that will turn to truth by Allah’s leave and desire. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will perform all these services promised by our beloved Prophet (saas) and, by Allah’s leave, will cause the moral values of the Qur’an to rule the world. A period that every Muslim will wish to see, with its plenty, abundance and all the comforts it will bestow on everyone, is a great reward for believers in the life of this world. It is also certainly a great honor for Muslims to be given the good news of this beautiful age.