Comparing the Al- Mahdi in Islam and the Antichrist in the Bible
by Andre Widodo
© Talmîd HaMashiach
Shalom,
Descriptions of Al-Mahdi in Islam
In this section, we will consider the various hadith reports 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," which 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, unite the Muslims and with the help of Isa (Muslim version of Jesus - but in biblical perspective he will be the false prophet), conduct jihad (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.
So let's sit tight and see what the hadiths and Muslim scholars have to say about al-Mahdi.
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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 (Abdullah). If so, then al-Mahdi's name should be Muhammad ibn Abdullah.
However, some Muslims dispute the authenticity of these hadiths, or consider that the name may simply be compatible to Muhammad (which include variants like Ahmad, etc). 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 (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" whatever that may mean. 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, or 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 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, example : 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, p86, vol. 9, p74-75)
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 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,, (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 (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), 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 :
(Muhammad said:) The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; (Sahih Muslim 41.6985. Also, Sahih Muslim 41.6981, Sahih Muslim 41.6982, Sahih Muslim 41.6983, Sahih Muslim 41.6984)
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 nation 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)
"The reason he is called Hazrat Mahdi (as) is that he shows the way to a hidden thing. He will bring forth the ark (holy relics chest) in a place known as Antioch." (Suyuti, Al-Hawi li al-Fatawa, II. 82)
"He is called Hazrat Mahdi (as) because he is the key to something nobody knows. He will bring the ark of the covenant forth from the cave of Antioch. " (Naim Ibn Hammad, Kitab Al-Fitan)
"He [Hazrat MahdI (AS)] wilL bring forth the ark of the covenant from the cave of Antakya." (Naim Ibn Hammad, Kitab Al-Fitan)
"Hazrat Mahdi (AS) will bring the ark of the covenant out of the cave of Antioch." (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, 54)
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.
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". He is the Antichrist!
The Bible says :
1Jn 2:22 KJV
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1Jn 2:23 KJV
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
The Antichrist is a person who will deny Yeshua/Jesus is the Messiah, will deny Yeshua/Jesus is Son of God and will deny the Heavenly Father Y-H-V-H (ADONAI)
And so is the Al-Mahdi, he will deny Yeshua/Jesus and will deny the Heavenly Father Y-H-V-H, the Living God.
The Antichrist of the Bible
It is important to keep the concept of this Antichrist in the Bible and the antichrist in Islam known as ad-Dajjal separately. They are not the same!
In the Bible, the title of "Antichrist" is a generic title refering to a personality that is to appear at the End Times. He is also referred by many different titles in the Bible, like "the Beast," "the Little Horn," "the Son of Perdition," etc. He is to be the epitome of those who oppose the real Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach) of the Bible (hence "the Antichrist").
We first begin by roughly locating where the Antichrist will come from. In Ezekiel 38, we read of a prophecy about a gathering of nations that will attack Israel. The list of nations include :
This alliance of different nations will rise up and attack Israel.
If you look at a map of Middle East, you will see that these are most of the nations surrounding Israel. Before 1948, there was no nation of Israel to destroy and this prophecy hung in limbo. However, after the miraculous birth of the modern state of Israel under the UN in 1948, this prophecy suddenly came to life.
Dan 7:24 KJV
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
Rev 13:1 KJV
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev 13:2 KJV
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3 KJV
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4 KJV
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
The description of the Antichrist here is that he will start with ten nations (note: nations may not be countries as we know today) in his alliance, but he will subdue three of them (probably because they fail to respond to his call or fail to submit completely to his authority). The beast symbolizes his empire, with the leopard symbolizing the Greek Empire, the bear symbolizing the Medo-Persian Empire and the lion symbolizing the Babylonian Empire. Just as this beast is a composite of these animals, the Antichrist Empire combines the three empires. If we combine these three empires, we get an area that covers the list of nations above.
The Bible also describes that the Antichrist will appear from the remnants of the Seleucid Empire. In Daniel Chapter 8, we read about a vision in which prophet Daniel saw a two-horned ram and a goat with a prominent horn attacking it. The ram symbolized the Medo-Persian Empire (Daniel 8:20) and the goat symbolized the Greek Empire (Daniel 8:21). The prominent horn symbolized the prominent king of the Greek Empire (Daniel 8:21), which was Alexander the Great.
Dan 8:8 KJV
Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
Alexander the Great died at the young age of 33, after conquering all the way to the Indus Valley in India. Alexander did not leave behind any heir, and after his death, his four generals divided up his empire ("four prominent horns") :
The Seleucid Empire is the largest of the four partitions covering Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc. See this map for an idea of this partition.
Then the vision continues :
Dan 8:9 KJV
And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
"The Pleasant Land" refers to the land of Israel, so the partition from the Greek Empire that fits this description is the Seleucid Empire.
From this region, we see a horn appearing that started small but grew in power. "A little horn" is a description of the Antichrist.
In other words, we see that the Antichrist will arise from the region of the Seleucid Empire. He will not come onto the scene and immediately rule over the world. He will start humbly and then grow in power towards the land of Israel. This also indicates that his empire will increase over time from the initial stage until it encompasses the whole world. The Bible continues to describe him :
Dan 8:24 KJV
And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
Dan 8:25 KJV
And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
A very important characteristic of the Antichrist is that he will become strong not through his own power. His authority to rule was given to him.
Rev 6:2 KJV
And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
Rev 13:2 KJV
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Dan 11:21 KJV
And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
The above Biblical passages describe a future leader who is currently rather obscure. He probably didn't even ask to rule. Instead, somehow, he was persuaded or forced to take up the leadership position. Revelations 13:2 indicates that behind the scenes, it was the Dragon (Satan) that actually gave the Antichrist the authority to rule.
Rev 17:17 KJV
For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
The Bible tells us that a huge army 200 million strong will arise in the Euphrates region (modern Iraq). This army will kill one third of mankind :
Rev 9:14 KJV
Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
Rev 9:15 KJV
And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
Rev 9:16 KJV
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
Another bit of information comes from the passage of Daniel 8:24-25 above. This phrase was also translated as "by peace shall destroy many" (KJV).
In other words, he will come with a message of peace and prosperity, and as a result cause many people to believe him. However, this peace is counterfeit and so he will lead many into destruction (either physically and/or spiritually).
Dan 11:24 KJV
He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest [משׁמן - mashmân] places of the province [מדינה - medı̂ynâh]; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
Dan 11:39 KJV
Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
This indicate a military leader that will be plotting to overthrow many strong nations, even the strongest of the nations. With the help of his god, he will be successful.
The reign of the Antichrist will result in a lot of wealth. The fact that he will distribute "prey" and "spoil" indicates that these wealth come from the nations that he will conquer. Not only that, he will also leave some of the rulers of the nations in authority after they submit to him, similar to the picture of the fourth beast of Daniel 7.
Another interesting bit of information is that the word for "fattest" comes from the Hebrew word "mashmân" or "mashemen" meaning "fat", "grease" or "oil".
In modern Hebrew, crude oil (petroleum) is called "neft" (not a Biblical word) or "shemen adamah" literally means "earth oil".
Also, the word "province" in Dan 11:24 comes from the Hebrew word "medı̂ynâh".
Does this verse have any relation with the Islam's second holiest city, Medina, and its oil? We do not know for sure, but it certainly is interesting considering all the oil the Middle East has, and how al-Mahdi will have control over all of that.
In another Biblical passage, we read :
Dan 11:43 KJV
But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
In Daniel 11:43, we see that the Antichrist can distribute treasures from Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia. This must mean that the Antichrist will be in control over these lands. Ethiophia covers what is modern day southern Egypt and Sudan. Today, these are Muslim lands.
Dan 8:23 KJV
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
The reaction of the world towards the Antichrist is one of astonishment. Due to his miraculous healing, and due to his military genius, the world will follow him. This results in people worshipping the Dragon that gave him the power.
The word "worship" is from the Hebrew word "שׁחה - shâchâh", which is similar in meaning to the English word "prostration". This also results in people prostrating before the god of the Antichrist (many people will follow his religion and worship his god).
People will also prostrate before the Antichrist (most likely at the second half of his reign).
Dan 8:24 KJV
And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
Dan 8:25 KJV
And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
He will oppose the "Prince of princes" (Yeshua HaMashiach/Jesus Christ of the Bible).
Therefore, he will also preach against the Biblical Yeshua/Jesus, and by extension will be against the Christians who hold to the Bible. His ability in persuasion and in cunning exploits is clear in the Bible. In Daniel 11:21 quoted above, we see that he will "obtain the kingdom by flatteries".
Dan 11:21 KJV
And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
In carrying his conquests and rule of his global empire, the Antichrist will have to deal with those who are against him. In particular, there are the Jews and Christians that the Bible said the Antichrist will be able to overcome them.
The Bible describes that those who oppose him will face death, and some or many of them will be beheaded:
Rev 13:10 KJV
He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Rev 20:4 KJV
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
We next consider the reign of the Antichrist.
Dan 9:26 KJV
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Dan 9:27 KJV
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
From this passage, we see that the followers of the Antichrist will destroy Jerusalem and the sanctuary (Temple or Temple Mount) and that the Antichrist will rule for one week / "seven" (his reign happens in the last "sevens"). The "seven" is most commonly interpreted as seven years.
This period (or the second half of this period) has been commonly known as the Great Tribulation because of the persecution against the Jews and Christians. The Antichrist will make a treaty for one "seven". In the middle of the "seven", the treaty will be broken and he will put a stop to sacrifice. That's when the second half of persecution begins.
Today, there is no temple on the Temple Mount. As the sacrifice can only be performed in the Jewish Temple, many believe that the temple will be rebuilt (at least by the middle of the Tribulation) in order for the sacrifice to be reinstated.
In fact, some Orthodox Jews are carefully preparing for this day. The major obstacle is of course the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. However, many researchers believe that the actual temple courts lies apart from the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque on the southern end.
So there is a possibility that under the treaty that the Antichrist will enter into, the temple may be rebuilt without disturbing these two structures currently on the mount. See this article to understand some of these different views.
However, mid-way through his reign, the Antichrist will break the treaty, most likely putting the blame on the Jews. As a result, he will put a stop to the temple sacrifice. Not only that, he will also desecrate the temple. Yeshua also told us :
Mat 24:15 KJV
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Mat 24:16 KJV
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Mat 24:17 KJV
Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Mat 24:18 KJV
Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
Not only will the Jews and Christians at that time face many persecutions including death (some by beheading), the Bible also sadly revealed that many Christians will fall away from the Biblical faith (the Great Apostasy):
2Th 2:3 KJV
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 KJV
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
This great apostasy is also due to other very important reasons, namely the persuasive ability of the Antichrist (since he is called a master of deception), as well as his military genius, as we have seen in Revelations 13:1-4.
We shall also see that the Antichrist's assistant, the False Prophet, will also be a very persuasive man to cause many Christians to be led astray.
The type of government of Antichrist will not only be military and political, it will also be religious, as various passages above have shown. More importantly, he will seek to change the laws and calendar used :
Dan 7:25 KJV
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
According to the Bible, the Antichrist will also face opposition from the Two Witnesses.
Rev 11:7 KJV
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Some identify these two witnesses to be two prophets of Moses and Elijah.
Elijah is because of the ability to call down fire from heaven. Moses is because of the ability over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues.
However, what we can see from this passage is that the Two Witnesses will be able to perform miracles to torment the people of this world for following the Antichrist.
Finally, the Antichrist will then kill both of them, and the followers of the Antichrist will rejoice greatly.
Finally, we deal with the question of whether the Antichrist will perform miracles.
In Matthew 24:24-26, Yeshua warned that there will be false christs and prophets that will perform "great signs and wonders to deceive even the very elect".
However, this passage does not say that every false christ and prophet will perform miracles, and we have no way of telling if the Antichrist is meant here.
Revelations 16:13-14 says that
Rev 16:13 KJV
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 KJV
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
This passage seems to suggest that the Antichrist ("the beast") will also perform miracles, but since the passage was dealing with three figures, namely Satan (the Dragon), Antichrist (the beast) and the False Prophet, it is hard to say if all were meant or a generic application to the trio.
Then we have the passage in 2 Thessalonians 2:9,
2Th 2:9 KJV
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
which once again identifies that the "Wicked" (the Antichrist) will be accompanied by miracles, but does not identify who performs them.
Finally, we have explicit statements that it was the False Prophet who will perform miracles on behalf of the Antichrist :
Rev 16:13 KJV
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 KJV
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev 19:20 KJV
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
From these passages, we see that it is the False Prophet who will perform most or all of the miracles during the time of the Antichrist (of course with Satan behind the scenes). The Bible does not really explicitly say that the Antichrist will perform miracles.
Overall, we see a picture of a very capable leader coming in the End Times to lead the world, lead them in a global religion and establish a new world order with laws and calendar based on this religion.
This religion will be opposed to the teachings and the Jesus Christ / Yeshua HaMashiach of the Bible.
He will be successful militarily, politically, religiously and economically. He will cause many Christians to fall from the faith, and he will also persecute the Jews and Christians and those who oppose him will be killed (many will be beheaded).
He will have a miracle working religious leader to assist him in setting up his empire. He will have the Two Witnesses killed and the world will rejoice as a result.
Ultimately, however, he will be destroyed.
Hallelu-Yah!
Now we can compare the Al-Mahdi in Islam and the Antichrist in the Bible.
Comparing the Al-Mahdi in Islam and the Antichrist in the Bible
From the hadiths and teachings about Al-Mahdi, we know some characteristics of Al-Mahdi in Islam :
At this point, we have a pretty good picture of who al-Mahdi will be, and what he will do.
The personality of the Al-Mahdi in Islam is similar to the personality of the biblical Antichrist.
by Andre Widodo
© Talmîd HaMashiach
Shalom,
Descriptions of Al-Mahdi in Islam
In this section, we will consider the various hadith reports 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," which 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, unite the Muslims and with the help of Isa (Muslim version of Jesus - but in biblical perspective he will be the false prophet), conduct jihad (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.
So let's sit tight and see what the hadiths and Muslim scholars have to say about al-Mahdi.
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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 (Abdullah). If so, then al-Mahdi's name should be Muhammad ibn Abdullah.
However, some Muslims dispute the authenticity of these hadiths, or consider that the name may simply be compatible to Muhammad (which include variants like Ahmad, etc). 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 (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" whatever that may mean. 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, or 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 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, example : 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, p86, vol. 9, p74-75)
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 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,, (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 (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), 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 :
(Muhammad said:) The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; (Sahih Muslim 41.6985. Also, Sahih Muslim 41.6981, Sahih Muslim 41.6982, Sahih Muslim 41.6983, Sahih Muslim 41.6984)
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 nation 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)
"The reason he is called Hazrat Mahdi (as) is that he shows the way to a hidden thing. He will bring forth the ark (holy relics chest) in a place known as Antioch." (Suyuti, Al-Hawi li al-Fatawa, II. 82)
"He is called Hazrat Mahdi (as) because he is the key to something nobody knows. He will bring the ark of the covenant forth from the cave of Antioch. " (Naim Ibn Hammad, Kitab Al-Fitan)
"He [Hazrat MahdI (AS)] wilL bring forth the ark of the covenant from the cave of Antakya." (Naim Ibn Hammad, Kitab Al-Fitan)
"Hazrat Mahdi (AS) will bring the ark of the covenant out of the cave of Antioch." (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, 54)
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". He is the Antichrist!
The Bible says :
1Jn 2:22 KJV
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1Jn 2:23 KJV
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
The Antichrist is a person who will deny Yeshua/Jesus is the Messiah, will deny Yeshua/Jesus is Son of God and will deny the Heavenly Father Y-H-V-H (ADONAI)
And so is the Al-Mahdi, he will deny Yeshua/Jesus and will deny the Heavenly Father Y-H-V-H, the Living God.
The Antichrist of the Bible
It is important to keep the concept of this Antichrist in the Bible and the antichrist in Islam known as ad-Dajjal separately. They are not the same!
In the Bible, the title of "Antichrist" is a generic title refering to a personality that is to appear at the End Times. He is also referred by many different titles in the Bible, like "the Beast," "the Little Horn," "the Son of Perdition," etc. He is to be the epitome of those who oppose the real Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach) of the Bible (hence "the Antichrist").
We first begin by roughly locating where the Antichrist will come from. In Ezekiel 38, we read of a prophecy about a gathering of nations that will attack Israel. The list of nations include :
- Egypt, which he will attack and subdue (Daniel 11:42).
- Meschek and Tubal (most likely parts of Turkey, parts of Southern Russia, parts of Iran),
- Magog (a region convering parts of Turkey, Syria, and/or former Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Dagestan),
- Persia (modern Iran and Iraq. Ancient Persia also includes Iraq. The Euphrates River in Iraq is also mentioned together with the two Beasts in Rev 16:12-13),
- Cush (African Cush covers parts of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia. Asian Cush covers Arabia through Euphrates),
- Put (Libya),
- Gomer (Cappadocia, Turkey),
- Togarmah (southeastern part of Turkey near Syria)
This alliance of different nations will rise up and attack Israel.
If you look at a map of Middle East, you will see that these are most of the nations surrounding Israel. Before 1948, there was no nation of Israel to destroy and this prophecy hung in limbo. However, after the miraculous birth of the modern state of Israel under the UN in 1948, this prophecy suddenly came to life.
Dan 7:24 KJV
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
Rev 13:1 KJV
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev 13:2 KJV
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3 KJV
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4 KJV
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
The description of the Antichrist here is that he will start with ten nations (note: nations may not be countries as we know today) in his alliance, but he will subdue three of them (probably because they fail to respond to his call or fail to submit completely to his authority). The beast symbolizes his empire, with the leopard symbolizing the Greek Empire, the bear symbolizing the Medo-Persian Empire and the lion symbolizing the Babylonian Empire. Just as this beast is a composite of these animals, the Antichrist Empire combines the three empires. If we combine these three empires, we get an area that covers the list of nations above.
The Bible also describes that the Antichrist will appear from the remnants of the Seleucid Empire. In Daniel Chapter 8, we read about a vision in which prophet Daniel saw a two-horned ram and a goat with a prominent horn attacking it. The ram symbolized the Medo-Persian Empire (Daniel 8:20) and the goat symbolized the Greek Empire (Daniel 8:21). The prominent horn symbolized the prominent king of the Greek Empire (Daniel 8:21), which was Alexander the Great.
Dan 8:8 KJV
Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
Alexander the Great died at the young age of 33, after conquering all the way to the Indus Valley in India. Alexander did not leave behind any heir, and after his death, his four generals divided up his empire ("four prominent horns") :
- Seleucus (Seleucid Empire),
- Ptolemy (Egypt),
- Lysimachos (Thrace) and
- Cassander (Macedon and Greece).
The Seleucid Empire is the largest of the four partitions covering Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc. See this map for an idea of this partition.
Then the vision continues :
Dan 8:9 KJV
And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
"The Pleasant Land" refers to the land of Israel, so the partition from the Greek Empire that fits this description is the Seleucid Empire.
From this region, we see a horn appearing that started small but grew in power. "A little horn" is a description of the Antichrist.
In other words, we see that the Antichrist will arise from the region of the Seleucid Empire. He will not come onto the scene and immediately rule over the world. He will start humbly and then grow in power towards the land of Israel. This also indicates that his empire will increase over time from the initial stage until it encompasses the whole world. The Bible continues to describe him :
Dan 8:24 KJV
And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
Dan 8:25 KJV
And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
A very important characteristic of the Antichrist is that he will become strong not through his own power. His authority to rule was given to him.
Rev 6:2 KJV
And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
Rev 13:2 KJV
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Dan 11:21 KJV
And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
The above Biblical passages describe a future leader who is currently rather obscure. He probably didn't even ask to rule. Instead, somehow, he was persuaded or forced to take up the leadership position. Revelations 13:2 indicates that behind the scenes, it was the Dragon (Satan) that actually gave the Antichrist the authority to rule.
Rev 17:17 KJV
For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
The Bible tells us that a huge army 200 million strong will arise in the Euphrates region (modern Iraq). This army will kill one third of mankind :
Rev 9:14 KJV
Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
Rev 9:15 KJV
And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
Rev 9:16 KJV
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
Another bit of information comes from the passage of Daniel 8:24-25 above. This phrase was also translated as "by peace shall destroy many" (KJV).
In other words, he will come with a message of peace and prosperity, and as a result cause many people to believe him. However, this peace is counterfeit and so he will lead many into destruction (either physically and/or spiritually).
Dan 11:24 KJV
He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest [משׁמן - mashmân] places of the province [מדינה - medı̂ynâh]; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
Dan 11:39 KJV
Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
This indicate a military leader that will be plotting to overthrow many strong nations, even the strongest of the nations. With the help of his god, he will be successful.
The reign of the Antichrist will result in a lot of wealth. The fact that he will distribute "prey" and "spoil" indicates that these wealth come from the nations that he will conquer. Not only that, he will also leave some of the rulers of the nations in authority after they submit to him, similar to the picture of the fourth beast of Daniel 7.
Another interesting bit of information is that the word for "fattest" comes from the Hebrew word "mashmân" or "mashemen" meaning "fat", "grease" or "oil".
In modern Hebrew, crude oil (petroleum) is called "neft" (not a Biblical word) or "shemen adamah" literally means "earth oil".
Also, the word "province" in Dan 11:24 comes from the Hebrew word "medı̂ynâh".
Does this verse have any relation with the Islam's second holiest city, Medina, and its oil? We do not know for sure, but it certainly is interesting considering all the oil the Middle East has, and how al-Mahdi will have control over all of that.
In another Biblical passage, we read :
Dan 11:43 KJV
But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
In Daniel 11:43, we see that the Antichrist can distribute treasures from Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia. This must mean that the Antichrist will be in control over these lands. Ethiophia covers what is modern day southern Egypt and Sudan. Today, these are Muslim lands.
Dan 8:23 KJV
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
The reaction of the world towards the Antichrist is one of astonishment. Due to his miraculous healing, and due to his military genius, the world will follow him. This results in people worshipping the Dragon that gave him the power.
The word "worship" is from the Hebrew word "שׁחה - shâchâh", which is similar in meaning to the English word "prostration". This also results in people prostrating before the god of the Antichrist (many people will follow his religion and worship his god).
People will also prostrate before the Antichrist (most likely at the second half of his reign).
Dan 8:24 KJV
And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
Dan 8:25 KJV
And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
He will oppose the "Prince of princes" (Yeshua HaMashiach/Jesus Christ of the Bible).
Therefore, he will also preach against the Biblical Yeshua/Jesus, and by extension will be against the Christians who hold to the Bible. His ability in persuasion and in cunning exploits is clear in the Bible. In Daniel 11:21 quoted above, we see that he will "obtain the kingdom by flatteries".
Dan 11:21 KJV
And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
In carrying his conquests and rule of his global empire, the Antichrist will have to deal with those who are against him. In particular, there are the Jews and Christians that the Bible said the Antichrist will be able to overcome them.
The Bible describes that those who oppose him will face death, and some or many of them will be beheaded:
Rev 13:10 KJV
He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Rev 20:4 KJV
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
We next consider the reign of the Antichrist.
Dan 9:26 KJV
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Dan 9:27 KJV
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
From this passage, we see that the followers of the Antichrist will destroy Jerusalem and the sanctuary (Temple or Temple Mount) and that the Antichrist will rule for one week / "seven" (his reign happens in the last "sevens"). The "seven" is most commonly interpreted as seven years.
This period (or the second half of this period) has been commonly known as the Great Tribulation because of the persecution against the Jews and Christians. The Antichrist will make a treaty for one "seven". In the middle of the "seven", the treaty will be broken and he will put a stop to sacrifice. That's when the second half of persecution begins.
Today, there is no temple on the Temple Mount. As the sacrifice can only be performed in the Jewish Temple, many believe that the temple will be rebuilt (at least by the middle of the Tribulation) in order for the sacrifice to be reinstated.
In fact, some Orthodox Jews are carefully preparing for this day. The major obstacle is of course the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. However, many researchers believe that the actual temple courts lies apart from the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque on the southern end.
So there is a possibility that under the treaty that the Antichrist will enter into, the temple may be rebuilt without disturbing these two structures currently on the mount. See this article to understand some of these different views.
However, mid-way through his reign, the Antichrist will break the treaty, most likely putting the blame on the Jews. As a result, he will put a stop to the temple sacrifice. Not only that, he will also desecrate the temple. Yeshua also told us :
Mat 24:15 KJV
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Mat 24:16 KJV
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Mat 24:17 KJV
Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Mat 24:18 KJV
Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
Not only will the Jews and Christians at that time face many persecutions including death (some by beheading), the Bible also sadly revealed that many Christians will fall away from the Biblical faith (the Great Apostasy):
2Th 2:3 KJV
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 KJV
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
This great apostasy is also due to other very important reasons, namely the persuasive ability of the Antichrist (since he is called a master of deception), as well as his military genius, as we have seen in Revelations 13:1-4.
We shall also see that the Antichrist's assistant, the False Prophet, will also be a very persuasive man to cause many Christians to be led astray.
The type of government of Antichrist will not only be military and political, it will also be religious, as various passages above have shown. More importantly, he will seek to change the laws and calendar used :
Dan 7:25 KJV
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
According to the Bible, the Antichrist will also face opposition from the Two Witnesses.
Rev 11:7 KJV
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Some identify these two witnesses to be two prophets of Moses and Elijah.
Elijah is because of the ability to call down fire from heaven. Moses is because of the ability over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues.
However, what we can see from this passage is that the Two Witnesses will be able to perform miracles to torment the people of this world for following the Antichrist.
Finally, the Antichrist will then kill both of them, and the followers of the Antichrist will rejoice greatly.
Finally, we deal with the question of whether the Antichrist will perform miracles.
In Matthew 24:24-26, Yeshua warned that there will be false christs and prophets that will perform "great signs and wonders to deceive even the very elect".
However, this passage does not say that every false christ and prophet will perform miracles, and we have no way of telling if the Antichrist is meant here.
Revelations 16:13-14 says that
Rev 16:13 KJV
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 KJV
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
This passage seems to suggest that the Antichrist ("the beast") will also perform miracles, but since the passage was dealing with three figures, namely Satan (the Dragon), Antichrist (the beast) and the False Prophet, it is hard to say if all were meant or a generic application to the trio.
Then we have the passage in 2 Thessalonians 2:9,
2Th 2:9 KJV
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
which once again identifies that the "Wicked" (the Antichrist) will be accompanied by miracles, but does not identify who performs them.
Finally, we have explicit statements that it was the False Prophet who will perform miracles on behalf of the Antichrist :
Rev 16:13 KJV
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 KJV
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev 19:20 KJV
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
From these passages, we see that it is the False Prophet who will perform most or all of the miracles during the time of the Antichrist (of course with Satan behind the scenes). The Bible does not really explicitly say that the Antichrist will perform miracles.
Overall, we see a picture of a very capable leader coming in the End Times to lead the world, lead them in a global religion and establish a new world order with laws and calendar based on this religion.
This religion will be opposed to the teachings and the Jesus Christ / Yeshua HaMashiach of the Bible.
He will be successful militarily, politically, religiously and economically. He will cause many Christians to fall from the faith, and he will also persecute the Jews and Christians and those who oppose him will be killed (many will be beheaded).
He will have a miracle working religious leader to assist him in setting up his empire. He will have the Two Witnesses killed and the world will rejoice as a result.
Ultimately, however, he will be destroyed.
Hallelu-Yah!
Now we can compare the Al-Mahdi in Islam and the Antichrist in the Bible.
Comparing the Al-Mahdi in Islam and the Antichrist in the Bible
From the hadiths and teachings about Al-Mahdi, we know some characteristics of Al-Mahdi in Islam :
- 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.
| Characteristic | Al-Mahdi in Islam | Antichrist in Christianity | Bible Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where he comes from | Either he starts appearing in Khorasan with the army of al-Harith, or this Khorasan army will come and join him. | His power base will arise in the remnants of Seleucid Empire (which includes Assyria and Khorasan). * | Dan 8:9 |
| His looks | Will look like "Bani Israel". Wears two cloaks. | Some say he will be a Jew, others say he will be a gentile. | |
| His ascension to power | Starts humble, forced to accept leadership. Muslims voluntarily pledge allegiance to him. | Starts humble, given authority to rule. | Dan 8:24-25, 11:21, Rev 6:2, 13:2, 17:17 |
| Amassing of power | Muslims voluntarily pledge allegiance to him. | People voluntarily give power to him. | Rev 17:17 |
| His change | He will be changed by Allah to take up the responsibilities. | He is given power, throne and authority by the dragon. | Rev 13:2 |
| His change | He will be changed by Allah overnight | He changes his religion. | Dan 11:37 |
| His initial jurisdiction | The Muslim states. Some states (eg. Saudi Arabia) will be attacked for their failure to support al-Mahdi. | Most Muslim states of the Middle East, except possibly Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Bible states 10 nations, and three of them will be subdued. | Dan 8:9, Ezek 38-39 |
| His final jurisdiction | The world (after successful jihad). | The world (after he won over the world) | Rev 12:19, 13:3, 16:14 |
| His persuasive ability | Will win over people, including Jews and Christians. He will preach peace, justice and equity | By his words, will win over many people, including Jews and Christians. "By peace he will destroy many". | Dan 8:24-25 |
| World's attitude towards him | Greatly loved by the world (after persuading the world and winning in jihad). | Greatly loved by the world (after he conquers the world). | Rev 13:3-4, 13:7-8 |
| The rider | Comes on a white horse (?), conquering. | Comes on a white horse, conquering (one interpretation). | Rev 6:2 |
| His army | Will either lead a large army of Muslims (from Khorasan) or this army will join him. Easily in the hundreds of millions. | A large army of at least 200 million will assemble in Iraq region. | Rev 9:16 |
| His campaigns | Will wage war and win over the world and be successful. | Will wage war and no one can stand against him. | Dan 11:24, 11:39, Rev 13:4 |
| His length of rule | Will rule for seven, eight or nine years. Seven years seem to be the concensus. | Will rule for seven years (most common interpretation). | |
| Treaty with the Jews | Truce treaty of seven years with a Jew of priestly lineage. Though not explicitly stated, truce (hudna) treaties may be broken in the case of a minor infraction and when the Muslims are strong enough, as was in the case of the Treaty of Hudaibiyya. | Peace treaty of seven years with the people of God. This treaty will be broken in the middle of seven years. | Dan 9:27 |
| His relationship with Jews and Christians | Will kill many Jews and Christians. | Will kill many Jews and Christians. | Dan 7:21, 8:12, Rev 13:7. 13:10, 16:16, 17:6, 18:24 |
| Method of execution | Not explicitly stated, but if he is expected to follow the Sunnah of Muhammad, then beheading is a possibility. Islam is the only religion that continues to use beheading. Qur'an said to cut off heads of unbelievers (Surah 47:4, 8:12) | Beheading is one of the methods of execution. It is a distingushing mark of Antichrist. | Rev 20:4 |
| His type of government | Will implement Shari'a Law. | Will change the law. | Dan 7:25 |
| His type of calendar | Not explicitly stated, but as he is expected to follow the Sunnah of Muhammad, then he will use Islamic Calender. | Will likely change the calendar. ("change the set times") | Dan 7:25 |
| Lying | Lying allowed under certain circumstances, according to the Sunnah of Muhammad. Taqqiya is an established doctrine and practice in Islam. | Will cause deceit to prosper. | Dan 8:24-25, 11:23, 2 John 1:7, Rev 13:14, 2 Thess 2:9 |
| His religion | Direct people to worship Allah. Establish Islam as the only religion. | Direct people to worship the dragon. Establish one religion in the world. | Rev 13:4 |
| Worship | Not explicitly stated, but implicitly stated. | People forced to worship Antichrist | Rev 13:4-15, 14:9,14:11, 16:2, 19:20 |
| Prosperity | Great prosperity and wealth. Distributes wealth and booty. | Great prosperity and wealth. Distributes booty and land. | Dan 11:24, 11:39, 11:43 |
| An assistant to al-Mahdi | Al-Mahdi has Isa to assist him. | Antichrist has Second Beast (False Prophet) to assist him. | Rev 13:11-18 |
| His adversaries | His assistant, Isa, will kill ad-Dajjal who exercises miracles that will torment the world. | The Beast will kill the Two Witnesses who exercise miracles that will torment those who try to kill them. | Rev 11:1-14 |
| Miracles during his reign | Allah will enable good rain and crops. The hadiths does not ascribe miracles to him. | The Bible does not explicitly ascribe miracles to Antichrist. His assistant will perform miracles for him. | Rev 13:13-14, 16:14, 19:20 |
