Descriptions of Al-Mahdi in Islam
In this section, we will consider the various
hadith reports (plural. ahadith) and Muslim teachings concerning
al-Mahdi to get a good idea of this End Times personality in Islam. The hadiths
are the records of words or deeds of Muhammad, and is second in importance as
the source of inspiration after the Qur'an. As such, the hadiths play a very
important part in the doctrine and practice of Islam. However, not all the
hadiths are equal, in that some of the them, especially the Sahih
(authentic or sound) hadiths, are considered to be most authentic and beyond
dispute. The Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are considered the
most authentic.
Al-Mahdi is considered a Major Sign of the
Qiyamah. This title means "the Guided One," i.e., he will be guided by
Allah. It can also mean "the Gifted One," obviously in reference to the various
gifts he will possess. There are many hadiths recording Muhammad's teachings
about al-Mahdi. Many Muslims have also written about al-Mahdi and the
accompanying signs of his coming. On the internet, one can find many articles
related to his coming.
In essense, the hadiths speak of al-Mahdi as a
character that is expected to appear in the Last Days from out of the earth (a
well in Qom, Iran), unite the Muslims and
with the help of Isa (Muslim version of Jesus), conduct jihad (lit.
struggle, more commonly, referring to warfare in Allah's cause) against the rest
of the world. He is expected to be victorious and to usher in a new era of
Islamic Caliphate. The Caliphate is the jurisdiction of the Caliph. Muslims
expect this Islamic Caliphate to eventually cover the entire world as the entire
world comes under Islam. He will rule for seven years, bringing in an era of
"justice and equity". This is an age that many Muslims look fondly towards:
The final times represents an age that contains
all of these "better" concepts. They will be a holy age, when shortages are
replaced by plenty and abundance, injustice by justice, immorality by
morality, conflict by peace and security, and the Islamic morality that all
believers have yearned for down the centuries comes to prevail...the world
will experience that period of great peace, security, happiness, and
well-being known as the Golden Age. (Harun Yahyah, The End Times and Signs of the Mahdi)
The Mahdi in Shi'ite and Sunni (the two main
sects of Islam) traditions are somewhat different as to the exact identity of
al-Mahdi. The Shi'ites believe that al-Mahdi was the 12th Imam (leader) of the
Shi'ite sect (the fourth Caliph, Ali, was considered the first Shi'ite Imam,
followed by his sons Hasan, Hussein, and their descendents, etc). This 12th
Imam, who was then a small boy, was said to have disappeared and went into
occultation around 260 A.H. (874 A.D.). The Shi'ites believed that in the Last
Days, he will reappear and rule the earth. In contrast, the Sunnis believe
al-Mahdi to be someone to appear in the future, and do not necessarily have any
special connection to the 12th Imam of the Shi'ites. Nevertheless, this is not
important in our study, as our focus is on the Mahdi that is to appear and his
characteristics and exploits. In this respect, there is essentially no
difference in Sunni and Shi'ite versions of what he will be and what he will do.
Historically, there have been many Muslims who
have claimed to be al-Mahdi. However, we do not dwell on these claimants, but
rather on the apocalyptic character that Muslims believe will come before the
End of Times. OK. So let's sit tight and see what the hadiths and Muslim
scholars have to say about al-Mahdi.
Conditions at the Emergence of
Al-Mahdi
According to the hadiths, just prior to the
emergence of Al-Mahdi, "Christian rule will be dominant". (Note that Muslims
often equate Western with Christian). A descendent of Abu Sufyan (a Meccan who
converted to Islam under threat of beheading) is supposed to emerge in Syria (Sham)
and kill many of Muhammad's descendents and rule over Syria and Egypt. There is
then supposed to be a battle between the ruler and the Christians, after which,
one group of the Christians will enter into a treaty with the Muslims while the
other group will attack and conquer Constantinople (Istanbul). The Muslims and
their Christian allies will then attack the other Christians and win over them.
Then the Muslims and the Christians will argue over if the battle had been won
with the Cross or Islam, until a full-scale battle ensued, resulting in the
killing of the Muslim ruler. These Christians are supposed to conquer Syria and
reconcile with the other group of Christians, and will exercise their rule till
Khaybar.
At this point, it is said that this turmoil will
cause Muslims everywhere to be searching for Al-Mahdi to lead them and end all
these trials. Given the current situation in the Middle East, it should be
understandable why many Muslims look forward to the day al-Mahdi will appear.
Al-Mahdi -- A Descendent of Muhammad
The first thing we will notice about the Mahdi is
that the hadiths say that he will be a direct descendent of Muhammad:
Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
The Mahdi will be of my family, of the descendants of Fatimah.
Abdullah ibn Ja'far said: I heard AbulMalih praising Ali ibn Nufayl and
describing his good qualities. (Sunan
Abu Dawud 36.4271)
The world will not come to pass until a
man from among my family, whose name will be my name, rules over the Arabs.
(Tirmidhi Sahih, Vol. 9, P. 74; Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 5, P. 207; also
narrated by Ali b. Abi Talib, Abu Sa'id, Umm Salma, Abu Hurayra, quoted by
Idara Dawat-o-Irshad,
"Identification of the Prophesied Imam Mahdi")
Many similar hadiths were also recorded by other
Muslims like Ahmad ibn Hanbal, ibn Majar, etc. Thus al-Mahdi is supposed to be a
descendent of Muhammad, and will have the same name as Muhammad, but some
Muslims also think that names that are variants of Muhammad, like Mahmoud or
Ahmad, might be acceptable. Fatimah, Ali's wife, was the only child of Muhammad
to have descendents, as the rest of Muhammad's children either died young or did
not have offsprings. Thus, al-Mahdi is supposed to be a descendent of Fatimah
and Ali. Muhammad's descendants are numerous. The royal family of Jordan, for
example, are descended from Hasan, eldest son of Fatimah and Ali.
In another hadith, we read:
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If only
one day of this world remained. Allah would lengthen that day (according to
the version of Za'idah), till He raised up in it a man who belongs
to me or to my family whose father's name is the same as my father's,
who will fill the earth with equity and justice as it has been filled with
oppression and tyranny (according to the version of Fitr). Sufyan's version
says: The world will not pass away before the Arabs are ruled by a man of my
family whose name will be the same as mine. (Sunan
Abu Dawud 36.4269)
This hadith seem to say that al-Mahdi's father
will also have the same name as Muhammad's father (i.e., Abdullah). If so, then
al-Mahdi's name should be Muhammad ibn Abdullah. However, some Muslims dispute
the authenticity of these hadiths. Shi`ites believed that his name is Muhammad
ibn Hasan. There are also other hadiths that give the name of al-Mahdi's mother
to be the same as Muhammad's mother (i.e., Amina).
Al-Mahdi's Looks
From the hadiths, we gather that al-Mahdi will
have a broad forehead and a prominent nose.
Narrated Abu Sa'id al-Khudri:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
The Mahdi will be of my stock, and will have a broad forehead a prominent
nose. He will fill the earth will equity and justice as it was
filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years. (Sunan
Abu Dawud 36.4272)
He will also supposedly look like "Bani Israel"
(children of Israel):
Then, Hudhayfah asked: 'O Messenger of Allah,
how shall we know him?' He replied: "He is a man from my children,
he looks like the men from the children of Israel, (quoted by
Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, AL MAHDI, JESUS
and DAJJAL [Moshaikh -- the ANTI-CHRIST], tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
This could mean he will
look like a Jew, or as
some Muslims speculate, like one of the "lost tribes of Israel." For
example, some claim that the Pathans (or Pashtuns) of Afghanistan
and Pakistan were descended from the lost tribes of Israel (actually
only from
King Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin), who later converted to Islam.
They
identify themselves as Bani Israel, but not Jews. (The relationship
between Jews
and Muslims have been extremely tumultous since the days of Muhammad,
something
we shall see also in other hadiths regarding the End Times).
However, the above reference as refering to the
Jews is the most likely interpretation, since Muhammad dealt with many Jews in
Arabia during his time, and the Qur'an and he consistently used Bani Israel to
refer to the Jewish people in Arabia (See Qur'an,
Surah 2:40, 2:47, for example).
Other hadiths ascribe to him a regular height, an
Arab complexion, a glittering face, about the age of 40, and has a black mole on
his right cheek. He will be wearing two cloaks (similar to Jewish tallits
or Afghan Qutwani cloaks).
An Army Bearing Black Flags Coming
From Khorasan (Or The East)
Several hadiths tell of the coming of an army
bearing black flags (or banners) prior to the revealing of al-Mahdi. A man from
Khorasan by the name of al-Harith ibn Harrath will be preparing the people for
the appearance of the Mahdi, and at the front of this army is a man by the name
of Mansur.
On their way to Jerusalem, they will kill many infidels (kuffars, i.e.,
non-Muslims).
Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: A man
called al-Harith ibn Harrath will come forth from Ma Wara an-Nahr. His army
will be led by a man called Mansur who will establish or consolidate things
for Muhammad's family as Quraysh consolidated them for the Apostle of Allah
(peace be upon him). Every believer must help him, or he said: respond to
his sermons. (Sunan
Abu Dawud 36.4277)
Hadhrat Buraidah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah
(Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "There will be many armies after me.
You must join that army [that] [sic] will come from
Khurasaan". (Ibn Adi, as quoted by Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad
Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")
"Rasulullah" means "Messenger of Allah", a title
Muslims used to refer to Muhammad. Khorasan today is a province in north eastern
Iran, but in ancient times, Greater Khorasan refers to a region that extends
over north eastern Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Thus, out of this central Asian region is supposed to arise an army carrying
black flags. At one time, it was speculated that Osama bin Laden or his
lieutenants, then based in Afghanistan, could have been leading this army.
As Muhammad commanded all Muslims to give this
army their support when they see it appear, this army, though not necessarily
very well equpped, will be very formidable. The army is said to be very
successful on its journey to Jerusalem.
Abu Hurairah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah
(Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "(Armies carrying) black flags
will come from khurasaan. No power will be able to stop them and they will
finally reach Eela (Baitul Maqdas) where they will erect their flags".
(Tirmidhi, as quoted by Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali,
"Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")
Baitul Maqdas (literally Holy House) came from
the Hebrew term for the Jewish Temple, Bait HaMiqdash, and is used to
refer to Jerusalem, or more specifically, to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of
the Rock on the so-called Temple Mount (the compound is known as al-Haram al-Sharif).
This army will kill many infidels on the way, and finally on reaching Jerusalem,
will plant the black flags on the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is said that when the black
flags appear, the appearance of al-Mahdi will be imminent.
The black flags have been a prominent sign in
Islam's army since Muhammad's days.
In Islam there are two flags. One is white and
one is black. Written across both flags in Arabic are the words, "There is
no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger". The white flag is called
Al-Liwaa and serves as the sign for the leader of the Muslim army
and is the flag of the Islamic State. The black flag is called Ar-Raya
and is used by the Muslim army. It is also called the flag of jihad, and is
carried into battle. One flag is governmental and the other is a military
flag. When Muhammad returned to his home city of Mecca after being exiled
for eight years, he returned as a conqueror. With him were ten thousand
Muslim soldiers. They carried with them black flags. On the flags was one
word written in Arabic: punishment. (Joel Richardson,
Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah, 2006.)
In modern days, the black flags have been used by
Muslims in several places during demonstrations, eg.
a demonstration against the Pope in Palestine,
in another demonstration in Cairo, etc. This imagery is of course an
invocation of the desire for al-Mahdi to arrive on the world scene. It is clear
that many Muslims understand the significance behind this flag: a coming
retribution against those who defy Islam (whether it be non-Muslims or
non-devout Muslims).
In summary, when the army of black flags appears
in Khorasan, the emergence of al-Mahdi is supposedly imminent.
Al-Mahdi's Ascension to Rule
As we study the hadiths on al-Mahdi, we come to
some very interesting developments. This very important person may not be some
prominent person that is already ruling over some country in the world. Instead,
Muslims believe al-Mahdi to be a person living in obscurity before his
emergence, and that his heart will be changed overnight to take up this
responsibility:
Al Mahdi is from the family of the House Allah
will 'yuslihu' him in a night.
(Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, AL MAHDI,
JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh -- the ANTI-CHRIST], tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
Since al-Mahdi's heart is supposed to be changed
overnight, it is well-nigh impossible to say what kind of person he currently
is, if he exist today. He will suddenly burst into the world scene. He will be
recognized as the Mahdi by a group of Muslims known as abdals and will
be suddenly thrusted into the limelight. The hadiths say:
Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
Disagreement will occur at the death of a caliph and a man of the
people of Medina will come flying forth to Mecca. Some of the people of
Mecca will come to him, bring him out against his will and swear allegiance
to him between the Corner and the Maqam. (Sunan
Abu Dawud 36.4273)
From this hadith, we can see that al-Mahdi is
said to escape from Medina to Mecca (the two holiest cities in Islam) possibly
due to the fear of the responsibilities on him. This must indicate that he will
know he is to be al-Mahdi. Note that it is not indicated whether he actually is
a Medinan. Some Muslims speculated that al-Mahdi will be Meccan, just like
Muhammad. However, given the ease of travel in the world today, there is no
telling where he will be, or what nationality he will be.
During the Haj, while performing the
tawaf
between Hajrul Aswad and Maqam Ibrahim, some people known as the abdals
are said to approach him and forcefully pledge their allegiance (bayah)
to him. The tawaf is the ritual of circumambulation around the Ka'aba
(the holiest building in Mecca) performed by Muslims during the pilgrimage to
Mecca (known as the Haj). Hajrul Aswad refers to the Black Stone at a
corner of the Ka'aba, whereas Maqam Ibrahim (the Station of Abraham) is located
in front of the only door to the Ka'aba. Thus, people will suddenly pledge
allegiance to al-Mahdi at this vicinity. Other hadiths say that at this time a
voice from heaven will tell the people there that he is the khalifah
(Caliph, meaning viceroy) of Allah (Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair
Ali, Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)). News of this unveiling
of al-Mahdi will then travel quickly around the world to the Muslims.
The same hadith continues:
An expeditionary force will then be sent
against him from Syria but will be swallowed up in the desert between Mecca
and Medina. When the people see that, the eminent saints of Syria
and the best people of Iraq will come to him and swear allegiance to him
between the Corner and the Maqam. (Sunan
Abu Dawud 36.4273)
So, the above hadith tells us that a huge army
from Syria ("expeditionary force") is said to come and attack him, but will be
swallowed up in the desert between Medina and Mecca. When the surrounding people
see or hear about this event, leaders of Syria and Iraq will come to pledge
their allegiance to him. At this point, al-Mahdi would have gained the
allegiance of quite a number of influential Muslim leaders.
Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: A man
called al-Harith ibn Harrath will come forth from Ma Wara an-Nahr. His army
will be led by a man called Mansur who will establish or consolidate things
for Muhammad's family as Quraysh consolidated them for the Apostle of Allah
(peace be upon him). Every believer must help him, or he said: respond to
his sermons. (Sunan
Abu Dawud 36.4277)
Thawban (R.A) reported that the Propet [sic]
Muhammad said, 'In your old age three men will be killed. Each of them will
be the son of a Khalifah (caliph -- a Muslim ruler). Then the black
banners will come out of the east, and they will slaughter you in a
way that no Nation has ever done before. Then the Dear Prophet said
something that I didn't remember. Then again the Dear Prophet said
if you see him give him your allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice,
because he is the Khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi.' (Ibn Majah Page
300, Also Ahmad's Musnad, al-Haakim's Mustadrak and others).
There is also the Hadith narrated by Thawban
(may Allah be pleased with him) in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) said: "If you see the black banners emerging from
Khurasan, seek to join their supporters even if creeping, because among them
will be caliph Al-Mahdi." That Hadith was reported by Al-Hakim and
Ahmad. But the chains of narration of that hadith were all unauthentic,
though some Hadith scholars rendered it sound in general. (Islam
Online)
What the last sentence in the quote above means
is that the content of the hadith is sound, and fits other data available, but
the specific isnad (chain of narrators) is weak. The phrase "even if
creeping" has also been translated to "even if crawl over ice", and Muslims said
that some mountainous regions in Khorasan area are often covered with ice and
snow. Basically, what this means is that Muslims are told to go and join them
when they appear, even if it means a great deal of hardship to get there. This
is not difficult to imagine since many foreign Muslims have gone to the
difficult mountainous region to train with al-Qaida.
Notice, however, that this hadith says that
"among them will be caliph Al-Mahdi". That is, al-Mahdi will be one of those
among the army, and then later he will be revealed. Other hadiths seem to
indicate that he is revealed and then this army will join him. Whatever the
case, al-Mahdi and the army are certainly intertwined.
Thus far, we see that al-Mahdi will suddenly be
recognized, and then some leaders will pledge allegiance to him, and due to a
miraculous event, many more leaders will then come and follow to him. This news
will spread very quickly among the Muslims and many more Muslims will then come
and pledge allegiance to him. This meteoric rise to power of a leader will be
unprecendented in the history of mankind.
Let's pause a moment and consider the
implications of this event. Today, there are an estimated 1.3 to 1.5 billion
Muslims in the world. And if only 10% of all Muslims were to join this army, we
will see 130 to 150 million Muslim mujahideens (those who participate
in jihad). Given that Muhammad exhorted all Muslims to join and support
them (and assuming only the able-bodied and adult ones can actually join), the
size of this coming Muslim army is still considerable, running in the hundreds
of millions. No nation in this world has such a large army. One can easily
imagine that very very few nations can stand against this large army.
Al-Mahdi The World Leader
We have seen the expected meteoric and sudden
rise to power of al-Mahdi, but this is not the end. The aim of al-Mahdi is not
just the Muslim world, but the entire world. The title for Book 36 of Sunan Abu
Dawud, one of the six Sahih Sunni collections of hadiths, is "The
Promised Deliverer (Kitab Al-Mahdi)". This is a collection of hadiths related to
the coming of al-Mahdi. Thus, early Muslims saw al-Mahdi as a coming deliverer
of the Muslims.
Jews are waiting for the Messiah, Christians are
waiting for Jesus, and Muslims are waiting for both the Mahdi and Jesus. All
religions describe them as men coming to save the world. (Shaykh Muhammad
Hisham Kabbani, "The Approach of Armageddon? An Islamic Perspective",
Canada, Supreme Muslim Council of America, 2003, p. 229, as quoted by Joel
Richardson, Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah, 2006)
The hadiths tell us:
Even if the entire duration of the world's
existence has already been exhausted and only one day is left before the Day
of Judgment, Allah will expand that day to such a length of time, as to
accommodate the kingdom of a person out of my Ahl al-Bayt who will be called
by my name. He will then fill the Earth with peace and justice
as it will have been filled with injustice and tyranny before then. (Sahih
Tirmidhi, vol. 2, p. 86, vol. 9, p. 74-75)
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: The Prophet
(peace be upon him) said: If only one day of this world remained. Allah
would lengthen that day (according to the version of Za'idah), till He
raised up in it a man who belongs to me or to my family whose father's name
is the same as my father's, who will fill the earth with equity and
justice as it has been filled with oppression and tyranny
(according to the version of Fitr). Sufyan's version says: The world will
not pass away before the Arabs are ruled by a man of my family whose name
will be the same as mine. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 36, #4269, Also #4270,
#4272, #4276A)
Then there will arise a man of Quraysh whose
maternal uncles belong to Kalb and send against them an expeditionary force
which will be overcome by them, and that is the expedition of Kalb.
Disappointed will be the one who does not receive the booty of Kalb. He will
divide the property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their
Prophet (peace be upon him) and establish Islam on Earth.
He will remain seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him.
(Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 36, #4273)
As the expected rule of al-Mahdi is to
cover the whole earth and not just the Muslim countries today, non-Muslims will
also be affected by this turn of events. In order to bring about a
world of "peace and justice", al-Mahdi will rely on a number of means. Muslims
tell us:
Allah (c.c.) will sow love of him in the
hearts of all people. (Harun Yahya quoting El-Kavlu'l Muhtasar Fi Alamet-il
Mehdiyy-il Muntazar, 42) ...
So, Allah will sow love of him in the chests
of the people
(Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, AL MAHDI,
JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh -- the ANTI-CHRIST], tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
There will remain no individual not pleased
with the Muslims. (Harun Yahya quoting Signs of the Judgment Day, 163) ...
Al Mahdi appears, everyone only talks about
Him, drinks the love of Him, and never talks about anything other than Him.
(Harun Yahya quoting Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, 33)
The dwellers of Heaven and Earth, even the
birds in the sky, will be pleased with his Caliphate. (Harun Yahya quoting
El-Kavlu'l Muhtasar Fi Alamet-il Mehdiyy-il Muntazar, 29)
The above quotations paint a picture where Allah
will cause the people of this world to admire and love him. As such, al-Mahdi
will exude a charisma, charm, and as we shall also see, persuasiveness, that
many will find difficult to resist. As a result, many people will willingly come
under his rule and become Muslims as al-Mahdi and Isa make Islam the only
religion in this world.
Under his authority, al-Mahdi will send out invitations to Islam
to the rest of the world, starting with the states around his own jurisdiction,
according to the stipulation of Muhammad. After these are passed, then according
to Muhammad's sunnah (lit. path, i.e. Muhammad's example), Al-Mahdi is
free to conduct warfare against these nations and subdue them. He is expected to
bring about a new era of "peace and justice" over the entire world. Muslims tell
us about his success in conducting jihad:
Nafi' b. Utba reported: ...I repeat (on the
fingers of my hand) that he (Allah's Messenger) said: You will attack Arabia
and Allah will enable you to conquer it, then you would attack Persia and He
would make you to Conquer it. Then you would attack Rome and AllgLh [sic]
will enable you to conquer it, then you would attack the Dajjal and Allah
will enable you to conquer him. Nafi' said: Jabir, we thought that the
Dajjal would appear after Rome (Syrian territory) would be conquered. (Sahih
Muslim 41.6930)
JIHAAD ON INDIA
A jamaat of Muslims wages Jihaad on India and be successful.
SYRIA UNDER MUSLIM RULE
Imam Mahdi returns to Syria and establishes Muslim rule over the lands he
passes. (Mufti Afzal Hoosen Elias, MAJOR SIGNS OF QIYAMAT)
So we see that first of all, people will love
al-Mahdi and come willingly to submit to him, some will become persuaded by his
message and be amazed at his military success, and the rest of the world who
refuse to follow him will be conquered, and "he will then fill the Earth with
peace and justice".
Al-Mahdi And The Laws Of His
Government
Having seen al-Mahdi's rise to power and how he
will establish his Caliphate over the whole world, we now explore the nature of
his government. According to the hadiths, al-Mahdi will govern according to the
Sunnah of Muhammad. The word sunnah literally means "trodden
path" and refers to the words and acts of Muhammad, and these are recorded in
the hadiths. The Sunnah of Muhammad refers to the precedents
set by Muhammad. All Muslims try to emulate Muhammad, and some go to the extent
of emulating everything he did, including the beard, the turban, the sequence of
putting on clothes, and other acts. As to matters of law, the Sunnah is
codified into the Shari'a (Islamic Law).
Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:
...Then there will arise a man of Quraysh
whose maternal uncles belong to Kalb and send against them an expeditionary
force which will be overcome by them, and that is the expedition of Kalb.
Disappointed will be the one who does not receive the booty of Kalb. He will
divide the property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of
their Prophet (peace be upon him) and establish Islam on Earth. He
will remain seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him. (Sunan
Abu Dawud 36.4273)
So, we see that al-Mahdi will make Islam the
religion across the entire world. And he will also govern using the Shari'a Law.
That means, he and Isa will institute Shari'a Law over all the world. Even
though the different Sunni schools have some disagreements over the actual
implementation of Shari'a (the different schools have about 75% of Shar'ia that
are in complete agreement), al-Mahdi will probably not have any problems since
the Muslims have already pledged allegiance to him and also believed that he is
rightly guided by Allah (hence, his title of al-Mahdi). This means all those
legal disputes will probably be resolved under his direction.
In the world today, whenever Muslims become the
majority of the land, the law is often changed to Shari'a. You can see this
happening in Somalia, Sudan. Even in more "moderate" countries where Muslims are
already under Shar'ia Law,, (eg. Malaysia and Indonesia), the call for complete
Shar'ia, even over non-Muslims, is regularly heard. In places were the Muslims
are minority, Shar'ia Law is practiced among Muslims, and often recognized by
the government (e.g., England, Singapore, etc).
Another important aspect of Shar'ia relates to
the calendar. Muslim nations use the Islamic calendar that dates from the
Hijra (the escape of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina). Thus, Islamic dates
are labelled as A.H. (after Hijra) instead of A.D. (Ano Domini, latin
for "in the Lord"). The Islamic Calendar is totally lunar in nature and has no
intercalation to synchronize with the solar year (unlike the Jewish or Chinese
luni-solar calendar). When al-Mahdi implements the Shari'a Law over his empire,
it is a given that he will also use the Islamic calendar.
Length Of Al-Mahdi's Reign
A number of sahih or hasan (good) hadiths say that
the reign of al-Mahdi will be about seven years. We have seen it mentioned in
Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4273. Here is another one:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The
Mahdi will be of my stock, and will have a broad forehead a prominent nose.
He will fill the earth will equity and justice as it was filled with
oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years. (Sunan
Abu Dawud 36.4272)
There are some other hadiths that gives his
length of rule as 5, 7, 9 or 10. There is even one that says 20 years. However,
the hadith with seven years seems to be the most authentic (Sahih). There is
some doubt in the authenticity of the other hadiths.
The Treaty of Seven Years
We also read of a peace treaty that the Muslims
will enter into:
Hadhrat Abu Umamah radhiyallahu anhu says
that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: "There will be four peace
agreements between you and the Romans. The fourth agreement will be
mediated through a person who will be from the progeny of Hadhrat Haroon
alayhis salaam and will be upheld for seven years."
The people asked: "O Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam , who will be the Imaam of the people at the time?"
Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said:
"He will be from my progeny and will be forty years of age. His face will
shine like a star and he will have a black spot on his left cheek. He will
don two "Qutwaani" cloaks and will appear exactly as a person from the Bani
Israeel..." (Tabrani, as quoted by Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn
Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")
The Romans are often equated with the Christians
or the West (as the Romans Empire that came in contact with the Muslims at that
time was the Eastern Roman Empire, known also as the Byzantine Empire). The
above quotation tells us that the agreement will be with a descendent of Aaron (Harun
or Haroon), i.e., a person from the priestly family. The Aaronites have
been entrusted with the job of taking care of the daily sacrifices and only the
Chief Priest may enter into the "Holy of Holies". Exactly what the treaty is
about, the hadiths did not specify.
Al-Mahdi's Seat of Authority
--
Jerusalem and/or Kufa
Another important characteristic of al-Mahdi is
his seat of authority. We have already seen this hadith above:
Abu Hurairah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah
(Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "(Armies carrying) black flags
will come from khurasaan. No power will be able to stop them and they will
finally reach Eela (Baitul Maqdas) where they will erect their flags".
(Tirmidhi, as quoted by Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali,
"Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")
We can see that the hadiths say that Jerusalem
will be captured by the Muslims. Muhammad ibn Izzat and Muhammad 'Arif,
commenting on the above tradition, said:
The Mahdi will be victorious and eradicate those
pigs and dogs and the idols of this time so that there will once more be a
caliphate based on prophethood as the hadith states...Jerusalem
will be the location of the rightly guided caliphate and the center of
Islamic rule, which will be headed by Imam al-Mahdi...That will abolish the
leadership of the Jews...and put an end to the domination of the
Satans who spit evil into people and cause corruption in the earth, making
them slaves of false idols and ruling the world by laws other than the
Shari'a [Islamic Law] of the Lord of the worlds. (Muhammad ibn Izzat and
Muhammad 'Arif, as quoted by Joel Richardson, Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah, 2006)
In other words, Muslims believe that Israel will
be defeated and the nation of Israel wiped out. Muslims consider that Jerusalem
will be the future headquarters of al-Mahdi's caliphate. For example:
Head of the northern faction of the Islamic
Movement Sheikh Raed Salah said Friday that "soon Jerusalem will be
the capital of the new Muslim caliphate, and the caliph's seat will be there."
(Salah:
Caliph will sit in Jerusalem, Ynet News, Sep 15, 2006.)
A. Hijazi explains:
The flourishing of Jerusalem will happen by
the hands of Muslims, by the will of Allah, after it will be retrieved from
the Jews.
The Holy Land will be the seat of the
Caliphate because the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said
to Ibn Hawalah,
"O Ibn Hawalah! If you live to see
the seat of the Caliphate of the Holy Land, then earthquakes,
disasters and great calamities are imminent. Then, the Hour will be closer
to people than this hand of mine to your head!" (Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak,
vol. 4, p. 420, and he says, "Sahih", as quoted by A. Hijazi,
Signs of the
Appearance of the Dajjal and His Destruction. Major Signs of the Last Hour)
The fact that al-Mahdi will choose to rule from
Jerusalem sometime into his reign (not explicitly stated when) means there has
to be a conflict with the Israelis currently ruling Jerusalem, in order to
resolve this issue. In fact, as we have seen above, and we shall see next, the
Jews will be defeated and slaughtered.
However, this does not mean that Jerusalem will
be the seat of his throne throughout his entire reign. In fact, Shi`ite Muslims
believe that he will rule from Kufa (in modern day Iraq) and also go to
Jerusalem, whereas other Muslims believe that he will rule from Damascus in
Syria. That said, this does not preclude al-Mahdi from first ruling in Damascus
or Kufa, then ruling from Jerusalem after it was captured.
Al-Mahdi and the Jews
The relationship with the Jews is at a boiling
point today, due especially to the establishment of the modern nation of Israel.
Some Muslim nations do not recognize Israel, and some make no pretense about
their desire to completely annihilate Israel from the world map. The Sahih
Muslim contain a number of hadiths that describe what will happen to the Jews
under al-Mahdi:
This hadith paints a very dire picture of the
Jews at the End Times. This particular hadith is often recalled by many
terrorists like al-Qaida and others. It is also taught in Saudi school textbooks
and in sermons in the mosques around the world. Given the strong sentiments
against Jews in the Middle East, this hadith is a clear statement of what will
happen to the Israelis the moment Israel lapses in her defenses. The recent war
in Lebanon has also destroyed the myth of invincibility of the Israeli army, and
so Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria, Iran and other groups will probably be even more
emboldened in the future. This means a coordinated effort by the Muslims to
destroy Israel is becoming more and more a not-too-distant reality.
Al-Mahdi and Prosperity -- A New
Golden Age of Islam
Another aspect of the reign of al-Mahdi is the
expectation that it will be a great time of wealth and peace, in other words, a
new Golden Age of Islam. During the reign of Al-Mahdi, there will be a lot of
wealth, rain in its season and good harvest of crops and cattle. It will be a
very prosperous period of time.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may
peace be upon him) as saying: The Last Hour will not come till
wealth is abundant and overflowing, so much so that the owner of
the property will think as to who will accept Sadaqa from him, and a person
would be called to accept Sadaqa and he would say: I do not need it. (Sahih
Muslim 5.2209)
According to a Hadeeth narrated by Abu Saeed
Khudri (R.A.) Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "...(regarding
the rule of Imaam Mahdi) the skies will rain down in abundance and the earth
will yield forth its crop in abundance, and those alive will desire that
those who have already passed away should have been alive to enjoy this
prosperity.)" (Mustadrak, as quoted by Mohammed All Ibn Moulana
Zubair Ali, "Signs of Qiyamah".)
"At the end of my nation Al Mahdi will come
for whom Allah will send rain so that the earth produces its plants.
He will give wealth equally; cattle will increase and the nation will be
great. He will live for seven or eight."
(Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, AL MAHDI,
JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh -- the ANTI-CHRIST], tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
Al-Mahdi will also be so wealthy that he will
have at his disposal plenty of wealth to distribute to his followers, without
even counting.
Abu Nadra reported: "...He (Jabir b. Abdullab) kept quiet for a while and then reported Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said There would be a
caliph in the last (period) of my Ummah who would freely give handfuls of
wealth to thd [sic] people without counting it. I said to
Abu Nadra and Abu al-'Ala: DO you mean 'Umarb. 'Abd al-Aziz? They said: No (he
would be Imam Mahdi.). (Sahih
Muslim 41.6961)
The late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, Shaykh
Abdullah ben Sadek, Ph.D., said:
"He will fill the earth with fairness and
justice
just as it had been filled by oppression and injustice.
The inhabitants of the heavens and earth will be pleased with him.
He will distribute wealth equally."
At this point a companion asked what 'equally' meant so the Prophet replied:
"Equally, between the people, and Allah will fill the hearts
of the nation of Muhammad with richness
and his justice will satisfy them
until he sends a messenger saying:
'Who is in need of wealth?'
None except one man will stand and say, 'Me'.
So he will say: 'Go to the treasurer and tell him
that Al Mahdi orders you to give me wealth.'
So the treasurer will say to him:
'Fill with your hands!'
And he will put it in his clothing then tie it.
Then he will become contrite and say:
'I was the most greedy among the nation of Muhammad,
and he will attempt to return it but it will not be accepted,
and it will be said to him:
'We do not accept what we have given.'
And so he (Al Mahdi) will remain
seven, eight or nine years --
then, there is no goodness left in life
nor yet in living after him.
The preceding narrations were reported by Abi
Said Al Khudri in the reference of Abi Dawood, Al Hakim, At-Tirmizi, Ahmad,
ibn Hibban, Muslim, Al Tabarani (in his middle dictionary), Al Barudi and
Abu Nuaym in his forty Hadith concerning Al Mahdi.
(Narrated by the late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek,
Ph.D., AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh -- the ANTI-CHRIST], tr. Shaykh
Ahmad Darwish)
Consider for a moment, the jurisdiction of
al-Mahdi. Once he united all the Muslim states, consider the map of his empire.
This region contains more than three quarters of the world's known oil reserves
(the only significant one outside this is Canada, in the form of tar sands that
are very expensive to extract). At the record high price of oil today, a lot of
wealth is already going into the oil-producing countries. Without oil, the
world's economy will grind to a halt and so the entire world will become very
dependent on al-Mahdi's Caliphate. Al-Mahdi will have much greater clout than
Saudi Arabia in the 1970s (during the Oil Crisis). There will be no need for
OPEC meetings to determine the amount of oil to produce. Al-Mahdi will be able
to unilaterally set the price of oil, and therefore hold the world's nations
hostage.
Muslims invading Arabia
The hadiths tell of an invasion of Arabia by a group
of Muslims:
Nafi' b. Utba reported: ...I repeat (on the
fingers of my hand) that he (Allah's Messenger) said: You will attack Arabia
and Allah will enable you to conquer it, then you would attack Persia and He
would make you to Conquer it. Then you would attack Rome and AllgLh [sic]
will enable you to conquer it, then you would attack the Dajjal and Allah
will enable you to conquer him. Nafi' said: Jabir, we thought that the
Dajjal would appear after Rome (Syrian territory) would be conquered. (Sahih
Muslim 41.6930)
Under Muhammad, Arabia has already been conquered
by the Muslims. Due to the reference to the Dajjal, which Muslims expect will
appear in the End Times, this hadith appears to refer to the End Times. Could
the reference to "you will attack Arabia" be a reference to the Muslims invading
to topple the Saudi government which many feel are not real Muslims (many
Muslims think the Saudi government is corrupt and not a real Islamic
government)? It is not insignificant that Al-Qaida often singled out Saudi
Arabia, Jordan and Egypt accusing them of collusion with the west.
There is another apocalyptic predication
concerning Arabia, where Arabia will be destroyed (although it is not clear if
they are the same event):
Zainab bint Jahsh reported that Allah's
Apostle (may peace be upon him) got up from sleep saying: There is no god
but Allah; there is a destruction in store for Arabia because of turmoil
which is at hand, the barrier of Gog and Magog has opened so much. And
Sufyan made a sign of ten with the help of his hand (in order to indicate
the width of the gap) and I said: Allah's Messenger, would we be perished in
spite of the fact that there would be good people amongst us? Thereupon he
said: Of course, but only when the evil predominates. (Sahih
Muslim 41.6881. Also
Sahih Muslim 41.6883)
Al-Mahdi the Archaeologist
Muslims also tell us of an interesting bit of
information about al-Mahdi:
I said, "O Messenger of Allah, praise and
peace be upon him, I have never seen a Roman city like the city of Antioch
and I have never seen more rain than it has." Whereupon the Messenger of
Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said: "Yes, that is because the Torah,
Staff of Moses, Tablets, and the Table of Solomon, the son of David are in
its caves. There is not a single cloud that comes from any direction to it
that does not pour its blessing in that valley. And the days and night will
not pass until a man from my musked children live in it. His name is like my
name and his father's name is like my father's name; his manners are like my
manners. He will fill the world with fairness and justice just as it had
been filled by harm and transgressions." Reported by Tamin Ad-Dari, in the
reference of Ibn Hibban Ad-Du'fa.
(quoted by Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco,
AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh - the ANTI-CHRIST], tr. Shaykh Ahmad
Darwish)
Ka'b al-Ahbar says "He will be called 'Mahdi"
because he will guide (yahdi) to something hidden and will
bring out the Torah and Gospel from a town called Antioch." (Izzat
and Arif, p. 40, as quoted by Joel Richardson, Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah, 2006)
As-Suyuti mentioned in al-Hawi that the
messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "he is
called the Mahdi because he will guide the people to a mountain in Syria
from which he will bring out the volumes of the Torah to refute the
Jews. At the hands of the Mahdi the Ark of the Covenant will be brought
forth from the Lake of Tiberias and taken and placed in Jerusalem."
(Izzat and Arif, p. 16, as quoted by Joel Richardson, Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah, 2006)
Ad-Dani said that he is called the Mahdi
because he will be guided to a mountain in Syria from which he will
bring forth the volumes of the Torah with which to argue against the Jews
and at his hands a group of them will become Muslim. (Izzat and
Arif, p. 16, as quoted by Joel Richardson, Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah, 2006)
Basically, we see a picture of al-Mahdi going to
some caves in Antioch (in modern-day Turkey) and he will bring out a version of
the Torah and the Gospel. And he will use it to refute the Jews and the
Christians, thereby convincing some of them to become Muslims. As to the actual
contents of these manuscripts, we can only speculate. However, it is clearly
implied that this version will be different from what is in the Bible today.
Since it is with these manuscripts that many will be convinced to become
Muslims, we can speculate reasonably as follows: since many Muslims believe that
the Torah and the Gospels have been corrupted, supposedly, this version of the
Torah and the Gospel will contain the kind of message that is the same as the
Qur'an, and maybe explicit prophecies of Muhammad which is missing from the
Bible today. For example, the Qur'an says:
Those who follow the messenger, the Prophet who
can neither read nor write, whom they will find described in the
Torah and the Gospel (which are) with them. He will enjoin on them
that which is right and forbid them that which is wrong. He will make lawful
for them all good things and prohibit for them only the foul; and he will
relieve them of their burden and the fetters that they used to wear. Then
those who believe in him, and honour him, and help him, and follow the light
which is sent down with him: they are the successful. (Surah
5:157)
No such prophecies exist in the Bible, of course,
despite some Muslim claims to have found them. However, it might be that the new
Torah and Gospel will contain such explicit statements, much like the fraudulent
Gospel of Barnabas did. That way, some Jews and Christians will believe him and
become Muslims. Of course, those who refuse to believe him and submit to Islam
will face the consequences as we have mentioned.
Summary — Characteristics Of
Al-Mahdi
Having examined the hadiths and teachings about
Al-Madhi, we now summarize what we know about al-Mahdi from the above
discussion.
- He will be Islam's deliverer.
- He is to be a descendent of Muhammad.
- He is to bear the name or some variant name
of Muhammad.
- He will look like a Bani Israel.
- He will lead the Muslims and wage jihad
against them rest of the world.
- He will rule over the world.
- He will cause Islam to be the only religion
in the world and rule with Islamic Law.
- He will be much loved by the world.
- He will conquer the Jews and slaughter them.
- He will set up his seat of authority in
Jerusalem.
- He will rule for seven years (or 8, or 9).
- He will make a treaty of seven years with a
person of priestly lineage.
- He will possess and distribute wealth to the
Muslims.
-
He will discover a new Torah, Gospel, and
the Ark, and will use them to argue and persuade Jews and Christian, and
cause many people to follow him into Islam.
- During his rule, there will be good rain,
great harvest and crops.
At this point, we have a pretty good picture of
who al-Mahdi will be, and what he will do. Is there a personality in the Bible
that is similar to al-Mahdi? The answer, not surprisingly, is yes. However, this
personality may not be what a Muslim expects. So, please carefully read the next
section in order to understand the implications.
Muhammad: The False Prophet and Teacher
When Islam’s defenders
challenge Christianity and other faiths, their dialogue is based upon their
assumption that Muhammad was the "Seal of the Prophets." According to them,
this would give him the authority to supersede and refute the teachings in
the Bible with his writings in the Qur'an.
So, how can we determine
whether Muhammad (or the coming Mahdi) is a false prophet or, as all Moslems
believe, Islam's righteous deliverer who will be loved by the entire world?
The necessary guidance is found in the Old Testament -- Deuteronomy 18:18.
In order for Muhammad -- or
the coming Mahdi -- to
qualify to be the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:18, it will become necessary for
him to satisfy the unique attributes that belonged to Moses. The following seven categories will
provide the necessary proof that not only is he to be considered
ineligible as the Prophet like Moses, but declared as a false prophet and
teacher:
1). During the time of
Moses' birth, Exodus 1:22 reveals that the Pharaoh of Egypt had made
a decree that all newly born male children of Israel would be
killed. When Muhammad was born, a decree of this nature and
magnitude was never made.
2). In order to rescue
the newborn Moses from Pharaoh's decree, Exodus 2:2-6, 10 reveals
that his mother sent him into Egypt when he was three months of age.
It was there where he was kept safe. This never happened to
Muhammad!
3). Moses was a
descendent of the tribe of Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob,
who was renamed Israel. Unlike Moses, though Muhammad’s genealogy is
not mentioned in the Qur'an, he is said to be a descendent of
Ishmael, NOT Israel.
This last fact may not seem
important, but it is! According to Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses told the
children of Israel that YEHOVAH God would raise up a Prophet who will be
like him "of thy brethren." Therefore, he must be a descendent of Abraham’s
promised son Jacob, not Ishmael:
“The LORD thy God will
raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren,
like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.”
According to the Qur'an,
Muhammad was not a prophet since there are no proven prophecies that are
recorded. Many Muslims, however, are taught that Sura 30:2-4 is the "Great Prophecy of
Muhammad." It states:
“The Romans
are vanquished, In a near land, and they, after being vanquished, shall
overcome, Within a few years. Allah’s is the command before and after;
and on that day the believers shall rejoice.”
During Muhammad’s lifetime
the Romans, who were also called the Byzantines, were at war with the
Persians. As Muhammad predicted, they eventually became victorious over the
Persians who had first defeated them. Does this citation in the Qur'an prove
that Muhammad was a Prophet like Moses? What is a near land? Where is it? Is
it near Mecca, Medina, or Jerusalem? How many years are a few years?
Seemingly, this quote from the Qur'an lacks detail and is extremely vague!
It is also important to
remember that, considering that YEHOVAH God is all knowing, providing a
precise time frame should be expected. For YEHOVAH God to be unspecific that
the Romans would become victorious within “a few years” is inconsistent with
His profile and the notion that He is an Omniscient Being who knows all
things.
Unlike Muhammad, when the
prophets of the Bible provide their prophecies, there are times when the
exact number of years that a specific event would take place is recorded. As
an example, in Genesis 15:13 YEHOVAH told Abraham exactly how long the
children of Israel would be in captivity in Egypt, four hundred years. Also,
according to Jeremiah 25:11, the prophet successfully foretells that the
children of Israel would be captive in Babylon for seventy years. To the
exact year, this happened! The applicable verses follow:
Genesis 15:13: “And he
said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a
land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict
them four hundred years.”
Jeremiah 25:11: “And this
whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations
shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”
Since Sura 30:2-4 is quite
vague, accepting it as the "Great Prophecy of Muhammad" could result in a
serious mistake. It may be more appropriate to consider it not a prophecy at
all! Therefore, since Muhammad was not a descendent of Jacob like Moses, and
the Qur'an fails to uncover any fulfilled prophecies, he cannot be the
Prophet like Moses that was prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:18.
4). As we have seen, the
LORD advised Aaron and Miriam that Moses was allowed to see His
appearance. The proof that Moses actually saw YEHOVAH God can be found in
Exodus 34:29-30, 35. This passage testifies that after Moses saw
YEHOVAH God
on Mount Sinai, and he returned to the children of Israel with the
Ten Commandments, his face glowed from being in YEHOVAH’s presence.
Unlike Moses, the Qur'an
teaches that Muhammad did not get his revelation directly from "God"
Himself, he received it from the angel Gabriel:
“Say: Whoever
is an enemy to Gabriel -- for he brings down the [revelation] to thy
heart by Allah’s will, a confirmation of what went before, and guidance
and glad tidings for those who believe.” Sura 2:97
Therefore, unlike Moses,
Muhammad was never in YEHOVAH God’s presence. His face never shined with
YEHOVAH’s glory. Therefore, with respect to this requirement, Muhammad must
be disqualified!
5). According to
Deuteronomy 9:10-11, Moses introduced a covenant relationship
between YEHOVAH God and the children of Israel when he brought the Ten
Commandments down from the mount. Exodus 24:4-8 reveals that his
covenant was sealed by blood.
Since the Scriptures teach
that the children of Israel broke this covenant that was made, a new and
better covenant was required. This was established through Yeshua the
Messiah when he shed his blood at his crucifixion on the Mount of Olives.
Not only did Muhammad fail to
establish any type of a covenant between Allah and his people, he taught
against such beliefs. In the Qur'an, Sura 4:157 states:
“And their
saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa [Jesus] son of Marium,
the apostle of Allah; and they did not kill him nor did they crucify
him, but it appeared to them so.”
According to this Sura,
Muhammad taught that the Messiah was never crucified. However, the Bible
teaches that he was. John 19:16-20 states:
“Then delivered he him
therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him
away. (17) And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the
place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: (18) Where
they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and
Jesus in the midst. (19) And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the
cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. (20)
This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was
crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek,
and Latin.”
In order for the Islamic
faith to be true, that Muhammad is the "Seal of the Prophets," there must be
some type of evidence that a prophecy that is written in the Qur'an was
fulfilled. However, there is not! The best illustration of a prophecy that
the Muslims can provide is located in Sura 30:2-4. This has already been
addressed.
Since there is no prophecy in
the Qur'an, Muhammad had absolutely no authority to challenge and supersede
the writings and teachings of Moses and the prophets. Furthermore, he had no
authority to refute the crucifixion that is clearly taught in the New
Testament Scriptures. Islam’s defenders use the teachings in the Qur'an and
the so-called authority of Muhammad to justify their beliefs. However, it
must be noted that many Muslims are innocent and unaware of the fact that
Muhammad himself failed to establish his own credibility as a prophet of
YEHOVAH God. As a result, everything that is written in the Qur'an must stand
on its own merits and should not be seriously considered unless it is
supported by other sources that have credibility.
6). Through Moses, the
LORD God of the Bible displayed miraculous signs and wonders. The
Qur'an reports no signs and wonders that Allah demonstrated through
his prophet Muhammad.
7). As we have seen,
Moses offered himself to YEHOVAH God to be slain so that his people
could live. He also made intercession for the people. Likewise, so
did the Messiah! By giving himself up as the final sacrifice for sin
so that all can obtain everlasting life, the Messiah satisfied all
seven requirements to be the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15, 18.
Muhammad
failed to meet this final requirement, and all other qualifications to be
the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15, 18.
The Hadiths
Muhammad’s birthplace was in
Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Most sources support the fact that he was born in
approximately AD 570 and died in AD 632. As previously mentioned, though he
is the acclaimed Prophet of the Islamic religion, the Qur'an does not contain
any prophecy which was fulfilled that was written by him. However, contained
within Islam is another sacred source, called the sunnah (what the
Prophet Muhammad said, did or approved of). The sunnah is
comprised of hadiths, which are considered to be reliably transmitted
reports by Muhammad’s companions of what he said, did, or approved of during
his lifetime. Belief in the sunnah is foundational within the Islamic
faith. The hadiths were recorded approximately two centuries after Muhammad
died. Since then, they have been used as a source of inspiration and
guidance for Muslims throughout the world.
Many religions such as
rabbinical Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism contain some wonderful teachings
that are universally accepted by mankind in general. For example in the
Bible, Exodus 20:13 states, “Thou shalt not kill.” This is a universal
principle that is shared by all religions except Islam! According to YEHOVAH, it is against His law!
Christians and Jews refer to
the teachings in the Bible as written by Moses and the prophets. Meanwhile,
Muslims refer to the Qur'an. Though the Bible contains numerous proven and
supported prophecies, the Qur'an does not contain any. Just like any other
religion, many teachings that were written by Muhammad in the Qur'an may be
noteworthy, while some may not. To investigate the possibility of Muhammad
being a great teacher, it is necessary to refer to the hadiths and find out
what some of Muhammad’s friends wrote about him, the things he said, and
what he taught.
1). In a certain hadith,
Muhammad prescribes a remedy for those of a certain tribe who
traveled to Medina. They became ill because the climate did not suit
them:
Sahih Al-Bukhari:
Volume 1, Book 4, Number 234
Narrated Abu Qilaba: Anas said, “Some people of ‘Ukl or ‘Uraina tribe
came to Medina and its climate did not suit them. So the Prophet ordered
them to go to the herd of [Milch] camels and to drink their milk and
urine [as a medicine]. So they went as directed and after they became
healthy, they killed the shepherd of the Prophet and drove away all the
camels.”
Contrary to Muhammad’s
prescription, those in today’s medical profession believe that the
combination of camel milk and urine for consumption will not result in
curing any sicknesses.
2). In another hadith,
Abdullah bin Salam asks Muhammad three questions. The third question
is quite interesting. He asks Muhammad why a child resembles its
father or its maternal uncle? This was Muhammad’s response:
Sahih Al-Bukhari:
Volume 4, Book 55, Number 546:
Narrated Anas: When ‘Abdullah bin Salam heard the arrival of the Prophet
at Medina, he came to him and said, “I am going to ask you about three
things which nobody knows except a prophet: What is the first portent of
the Hour? What will be the first meal taken by the people of Paradise?
Why does a child resemble its father, and why does it resemble its
maternal uncle” Allah’s apostle said, “Gabriel has just now told me of
their answers.” ‘Abdullah said, “He [i.e. Gabriel], from amongst all the
angels, is the enemy of the Jews.” Allah’s Apostle said, “The first
portent of the Hour will be a fire that will bring together the people
from the east to the west; the first meal of the people of Paradise will
be Extra-lobe [caudate lobe] of fish-liver. As for the resemblance of
the child to its parents: If a man has sexual intercourse with his wife
and gets discharge first, the child will resemble the father, and if a
woman gets discharge first, the child will resemble her.” On that
‘Abdullah bin Salaam said, “I testify that you are the Apostle of
Allah.”
Contrary to Muhammad’s teachings of how a
child resembles either parent, modern day Biology scholars disagree!
According to them, the order in which the parent discharges during sexual
intercourse is quite irrelevant!
In conclusion, using these
two hadiths as illustrations, Muhammad must be considered a false teacher!
Muhammad: a Prophet?
Muhammad allegedly claimed
that the Antichrist, called the Dajjal, was to appear shortly after the
Muslim conquest of Constantinople. The following traditions are taken from
the Sunan Abu Dawud:
Book 37, Number 4281:
Narrated Mu'adh ibn Jabal: The Prophet [peace be upon him] said, "The
flourishing state of Jerusalem will be when Yathrib [Medina] is in
ruins, the ruined state of Yathrib will be when the great war comes, the
outbreak of the great war will be at the conquest of Constantinople and
the conquest of Constantinople when the Dajjal [Antichrist] comes
forth." He [the Prophet] struck his thigh or his shoulder with his hand
and said, "This is as true as you are here or as you are sitting.
Book 37, Number 4282:
Narrated Mu'adh ibn Jabal: The Prophet [peace be upon him] said, "The
greatest war, the conquest of Constantinople and the coming forth of the
Dajjal [Antichrist] will take place within a period of seven months."
Accordingly, the Muslims
conquered Jerusalem in AD 636 and Constantinople was taken over by the
Muslims in May of AD 1453. Based on the preceding traditions, the antichrist
should have manifested himself in December of AD 1453. This never happened!
The only possible conclusion that can be made with respect to this matter is
as follows: The prophecies regarding Yathrib (Medina) being in ruins and the
Antichrist's arrival to take place seven months after the conquest of
Constantinople never materialized. Therefore, Muhammad was a false prophet!
Consequently, the Holy
Scriptures provide a warning to all people regarding those who prophesy
falsely in the name of the LORD. Deuteronomy 18:22 states:
“When a prophet speaketh
in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that
is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken
it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”
Regarding Muhammad, this was
certainly the case as he prophesied falsely in the name of the LORD.
Finally, assuming that Muhammad lived today and that the world submitted to
the laws written in the Bible, Deuteronomy 18:20 decrees the death penalty
upon Muhammad:
“But the prophet, which
shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him
to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that
prophet shall die.”
Is Muhammad -- Or a
Descendant of His -- the False Prophet of Revelation?
Now that we have determined
that the historical Muhammad was a false prophet, is he -- or a descendant
of his -- THE False Prophet of Revelation?
The book of Revelation
foretells that at the time of the end, in the last few years of Satan's
dominion over the earth, a religious personality will arise and deceive the
whole world by means of miraculous signs. This individual is referred to as
"another beast" (Revelation 13:11), as well as "the false prophet" (Revelation
16:13;
19:20;
20:10). The False Prophet is given
supernatural power to do things like calling fire down from heaven
(Revelation 13:13), and the signs he performs, combined with the demonic
words he speaks (Revelation 16:13-14), will cause people to give their
allegiance to -- and even worship -- the Beast (Revelation 13:14). This man
will wield tremendous religious influence, and inspired by Satan, he will
successfully convince most of the world to commit idolatry (Revelation
13:12).
The Bible does not reveal the
False Prophet's name or even the number of his name, as it does for the
Beast. Instead, we will have to recognize him by his fruits -- by what he
says and does (Matthew 7:15-20).
Let's take a look at
Revelation 13 in more detail --
"Then I saw another
beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a
lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the
first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants
worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he
performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down
from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was
given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the
inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in
honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He
was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that
it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be
killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free
and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so
that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name
of the beast or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:11-17, NIV).
Turning to Revelation 16:13,
we learn a few more attributes of the False Prophet:
"And I saw three unclean
spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the
mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they
are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the
kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the
battle of that great day of God Almighty" (NKJ).
What nations will be aligned
with the False Prophet and will be led by him into conflict with the
returning YEHOVAH God? Notice Psalm 83 --
"They have taken crafty
counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your
sheltered ones. They have said, 'Come, and let us cut them off from
being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.'
For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a
confederacy against you: the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab
and the Hagarites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the
inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; they have helped
the children of Lot" (verses 3-8).
The territories occupied by
the nations/tribes named in Psalm 83 are roughly as follows: Edom in modern
Jordan: Ishmaelites in modern Saudi Arabia; Moab in modern Jordan; Hagrites
-- the territory bordering modern Jordan and Saudi Arabia; Gebal -- probably
modern Golan Heights and nearby in Syria; Ammon in modern Jordan; Amalek in
the modern Sinai peninsula and the Negev; Philistia -- modern Gaza Strip,
part of the Palestinian authority; Tyre in modern Lebanon; Assyria -- modern
Syria and Iraq.
It's significant that the
nations described above are all ISLAMIC NATIONS (led by the False Prophet of
Revelation). It's also interesting that the only list of 10 confederate
nations or tribes anywhere in Scripture is in Psalm 83. These are probably
the ten heads or ten horns mentioned elsewhere.
We see from these passages that
this beast (the False Prophet) has a number of characteristics similar to
what Islam believes about al-Mahdi. Notice the following chart:
|
False Prophet of
Revelation
|
Islam's Al-Mahdi
|
| Comes out of the earth |
Comes out of a well in Iran |
| Has two horns |
Represents Islam's two main
subdivisions -- Sunni and Shi'ite |
| Performs miraculous
signs |
Performs miraculous signs --
"discovers" Ark of the Covenant, etc. |
| Deceives the
inhabitants of the earth |
Deceives the inhabitants of the
earth -- causes many to follow him into Islam |
| With the help of
Satan and the Beast he gathers the armies of the world to
Armageddon |
Will gather the armies of the
black flags to take Jerusalem |
| Satan gives him
power and authority like the first beast |
He will be changed by Allah
(Satan) to take up the responsibilities |
| He will direct
people to "worship the first beast" and establish one religion
in the world |
He will direct people to worship
Allah and establish Islam as the only religion in the world |
| Beheading is one of
the methods of execution -- it is a distinguishing mark of the
False Prophet and his associates (Rev. 20:4) |
Islam is the only religion that
continues to use beheading as a form of execution. The Qur'an
says to cut off the head of unbelievers (Surah 47:4, 8:12). |
| He will deceive
those who dwell on the earth and cause deceit to prosper |
According to the Sunnah of
Muhammad lying is allowed under certain circumstances.
Taqqiya is an established doctrine and practice in Islam |
| His initial
jurisdiction will be 10 Muslim states in the Middle East -- see
Psalm 83 |
Will initially control the
Muslim states of the Middle East -- with the possible exception
of Saudi Arabia |
| His final
jurisdiction will be "the earth and its inhabitants" |
His final jurisdiction will be
the entire world (after successful jihad) |
| The False Prophet
will assemble a large army of at least 200 million in the area
of Iraq -- see Rev. 9:14-16 |
Al-Mahdi will either lead a
large army of Muslims (from Khorasan) or this army will join
him. Easily in the hundreds of millions |
Some people try to establish Al-Mahdi as the
antichrist of Bible prophecy. This idea has many problems such as the use of Daniel 8 to
describe the future man of sin, which clearly is speaking of historic
fulfillment in Antiochus IV Epiphanes who performed the first abomination of
desolation in 167BC. Also, the use of Daniel 11, prior to verse 35, to
point to the future antichrist has an historic
fulfillment in Antiochus IV. The same people associate Ezekiel 38
with the antichrist due to the attack on Israel and the previous look at the
Muslim attack with black flags -- but this occurs AFTER the Millennium (see
Revelation 20:7-9). So for the points
supposedly supporting a link between the Mahdi and the antichrist,
there are other possibilities that fit much better with current events.
The events in Europe are significant enough to show a Western political/religious
infrastructure (the Roman Catholic Church) that will be the first beast's kingdom,
a revived Roman Empire that will be closely associated with Islam. It is
clear that the 12th Mahdi
will be the
False Prophet of Bible prophecy and
will "correct" the interpretations when he arrives from a well in the
earth
to point all worship to the man of sin and bring Islam under him to be
his
hands and feet of enforcement of his policies. This could include a
kind of Shar'ia law and it is clear that beheading is the method of
execution the
Bible stipulates for those that refuse to worship the beast.
Our main reason for believing this is that we hold the Bible as
infallible, written by the holy spirit through the prophets, while
everything else is best guesses at most. The Bible has a 100% accuracy to date and
we
don't see that changing. The Qur'an was derived from its text and that of the
Torah, with some other doctrine included as well. There is no doubt external
inspiration was involved in its writing too, but NOT from YEHOVAH God or the holy
spirit! So we are led to accept what the Bible lays out and view what the hadiths and
Qur'an describe as possibilities that must be put in the context of
scripture. When the Mahdi appears suddenly, what he
says will be accepted -- even if it is not what Muslim scholars have been
interpreting all these years. We do believe Islam will have a large role in
the end times under the kingdom of the man of sin, and any who refuse
will be killed just like any Christians or Jews that refuse to worship him.
He will be given power by Satan for a period of time and will not be stopped.
Is it possible that Islam and Europe could become
integrated in some way so that the political/religious structure of a revived Roman
Catholic Church would unite with Islam? The power of signs and wonders in today's world
should not be underestimated, and these are a big part of the coming
landscape. There is also a push for ecumenism in the name of peace among
religions.
Our view of the 12th Mahdi being the False Prophet
requires a future association of Islam with the Vatican, either through
ecumenism or a change in Western times and laws to appease Muslim
integration into the New World Order.
Is Muhammad Directly Mentioned in the Bible?
According to Israeli scholar Yair Davidy --
"A psychopathic vision-seeing Arab named Mohammed
[Muhammad] (550-632 C.E.) decided that he had received a prophetic
revelation superseding all others and proceeded to persuade his fellow
countrymen to believe in him. Wars were fought against non-believers and
the Arabian Jews were treacherously exterminated at Mohammed's direction
and the presence of Jews in the Arabian Peninsula ultimately forbidden
for all time, up to the present!
"Regarding the future, some type of ill-fated bond
between Ephraim and the followers of Islam appears to be spoken of in
the Biblical Book of Hosea. It is obvious that the same Biblical
prophecies may legitimately often be understood in several entirely
different ways -- as they were perhaps intended to be. The relevant
verses discussed here do not necessarily contain any prophetical
reference to Islam but nevertheless the possibility should be taken into
account."
Davidy goes on to say that the verses should be seen in
their context and that they have been rendered here as literally as possible
and perhaps are hard to understand at first glance. "The overall message,"
states Davidy, "is that the prophet Hosea condemns Ephraim, uses a word
which may be understood to be a FORM OF THE NAME 'MOHAMMED,' speaks
of the region of Egypt and the east, and predicts a disaster which somehow
involves a MAD PROPHET identified traditionally as 'Mohammed."
Here are the verses in question from Hosea 9:
Hosea 9:1: "Rejoice not, O Israel, neither make
merry, as other nations: for thou hast gone a-whoring from thy God; thou
hast loved gifts upon every threshing-floor."
Hosea 9:3: "They dwelt not in the Lord's land:
Ephraim dwelt in Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things among the
Assyrians."
Hosea 9:6: "Therefore, behold, they go forth from
the troubles of Egypt, and Memphis shall receive them, and Machmas
[Muhammad?] shall bury them: as for their silver, destruction shall
inherit it; thorns shall be in their tents."
Hosea 9:7: "The days of vengeance are come, the
days of thy recompense are come; and Israel shall be afflicted as the
prophet that is mad, as a man deranged: by reason of the
multitude of thine iniquities thy madness has abounded."
Hosea 9:8: "The watchman of Ephraim was with God:
the prophet is a crooked snare in all his ways: thet have established
madness in the house of God" (The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and
English).
The "mad prophet" mentioned above was considered by
Maimonides (1135-1204), in his Letter to Teman, to be a
reference to Muhammad and, as we have seen, the name of Muhammad ("Machmad"
in Hebrew and Arabic) does appear in Hosea 9:6. Adds Yair Davidy --
"The desert sun, sparse diet, and seclusion (as well
as the possible use of hashish and various weeds smoked by some of the
Arabs) are liable to play tricks on the highly-strung spiritually
inclined individuals. Historically, the Arabian Jews whom Mohammed
massacred may have been an offshoot from the Lost Ten Tribes, i.e.
'Ephraim.'
"Regarding the future the message of Hosea may be a
warning that the forces of Islam are a danger and association with them
threatens disaster upon Ephraim which mainly means Great Britain though
a portion of Ephraim is also to be found amongst the Jews and in North
America, South Africa, and Australia. The said verses may well contain a
hint that Ephraim will attempt some type of rapport with 'the god of the
prophet' and this will not turn out well."
As a biographical note Davidy notes that Maimonides (also
known as "Rambam") was born in Spain and was one of the greatest Jewish
legal authorities and religious philosophers of his time. He served as a
personal physician to Saladin, King of Egypt, and, according to legend, was
offered a post by Richard I of England.
We have examined in detail what the Islamic hadiths say
about the apocalyptic character of Al-Mahdi -- who will be the much-awaited
Muslim Caliph and later world leader. We also compared Al-Mahdi with an
apocalyptic character mentioned in the Bible, namely the second beast of
Revelation 13, also nicknamed the "False Prophet." We see very important
similarities between these two characters. In our view, the coming Al-Mahdi
in Islam corresponds very clearly to the False Prophet in the Bible.
