His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Yasin explains the portents of the last day and says that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will emerge from Istanbul.

We have always been talking about the hadiths of Our Master (saas). We have mentioned such special blessed hadiths that these are not hadiths that take place every other day. More than 1400 years have passed and these happened only for once. Their being authentic and their strength had thus been apparent for us. What did our Master (saas) say; "The water of Euphrates will be halted near the Last Day." This has not happened for ten times, twenty times, fifty times like any other blessed hadith might have, but it happened only for once. He said : "There will be a raid in Kaaba near the Last Day." This did not happen all the time; no such thing has ever been seen for 1400 years. He said that blood will be shed in the Kaaba. He said that the way to Haj [Pilgrimage] will be closed, and it did that year. These are not incidents that happen all the time.  These are hadiths that manifest the miracles of our Prophet (saas). It has been said that a comet will pass by near the time of the Last Day. This one passed through, it was said that it would have two horns.. 

Some people say that the Mahdi (pbuh) will emerge from Al Madinah Al Munawwarah. They are at fault in this point. The word "Madinah" means city in the Arabic. He will emerge from a great Islamic city. Is there any other Islamic City greater than Istanbul now? And this is in your country, in Turkey. Al-Madinah, the city is there [Istanbul]. It is the place two seas meet. And all these blessed hadiths have been realized. The wars between Iran and Iraq had happened. He says "Afghanistan, Taliqan is very nice", and he says "woe to Taliqan!" in the blessed hadith. And that is what they did to that land. 

And this Mahdi (pbuh), by the leave of Allah, will emerge from our country and that is a great blessing. We should take refuge in Almighty Allah. Let us follow those blessed hadiths. Let us embrace the Qur'an, the Book of Allah.  Let us pray for the owner of the time to emerge as soon as possible. Let us pray saying "My Lord make him known to us". These prophecies of His Highness Master Bediuzzaman Said Nursi are out in the open. He has specified a date. He addressed him "That person who will come 100 years after me, that strange person." That time is near. Let us prepare for that.