PRESENTER: The people and events of the End Times – the final period in the run-up to the Last Day – have inspired considerable wonder for hundreds of years. Before moving on to the End Times and their features, it will be useful to clarify an important point. These are tidings imparted to Muslims in the Holy Qur’an, that the moral values of Islam will come to rule the world. In one verse, Allah reveals:
“Allah has promised those of you who believe and do right actions that He will make them successors in the land as He made those before them successors, and will firmly establish for them their religion with which He is pleased and give them, in place of their fear, security. ‘They worship Me, not associating anything with Me.’ Any who are unbelievers after that, such people are deviators.” (Surat an-Nur, 55)
In addition, a great many authentic hadith also describe in great detail how Islamic moral values will prevail the world, how that dominion will come about, and the position of Muslims before and during that time.
From these it appears that there will be great degeneration and corruption prior to the End Times, following which mankind will attain salvation with the ruling of the moral values of Islam.
In the first stage of the End Times there will be a huge increase in wars, conflict, killings, moral degeneration, oppression, famine and poverty, and people will ask Allah for a helper, a savior, to free them from the terrible conditions in which they find themselves.
In the hadith it is revealed that this awaited savior will be, by Allah’s leave, Hazrat Mahdi (as).
PRESENTER: Hazrat Mahdi (as) will gather the Islamic world together under a single roof and, together with the Prophet Jesus (as) who will return to Earth a second time, will be a means whereby Islamic moral virtues come to rule the world.
By Allah’s leave the time when these tidings will come about is close at hand.
The way that hundreds of events described as portents of the coming of the Mahdi (as) are taking place one after the other since Hijri 1400, which is the time we are living at the moment, is another obvious indication that Hazrat Mahdi (as) has appeared and began work.
In the hadith of our Prophet (saas) a great many features of the End Times are described.
There is one special region frequently referred to in the hadith concerning the End Times and the events that will take place during that time; the Middle East.
We are told in the hadith and in commentaries by many Islamic scholars that many events that will leave their mark on the course of history will take place in the Middle East in the End Times.
The Middle East is the general name given to the region containing such countries as Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and, in part, Turkey.
This region has always been of great value, both because of its strategic position and because of the wealth it possesses.
For example, the fact that the Middle East holds 65.3%, around two-thirds, of the world’s petrol reserves, and 36.1%, or more than a third, of its known natural gas deposits, shows just how materially important the region is.
This attractiveness has led to it witnessing many wars, conflicts and power games throughout the course of history.
The eyes of the World have been upon some various major cities in this region, generally referred to as the Middle East, in just about all periods of history.
One of the most striking instances is Jerusalem.
This city, of enormous spiritual importance, has been the scene of many wars and has had many different rulers over the years.
In our day Jerusalem is frequently to be found on the world agenda.
This city is of enormous importance to the members of all three Abrahamic faiths, giving it an even greater value.
Another very important city is Constantinople, or Istanbul as it is known today.
It fell to the Ottomans to capture this valuable city that so many states had sought to make their own down the ages.
The city remained the centre of the Ottoman administration for around 500 years, and still maintains its importance today with its strategic and geographical position and rich historic and cultural heritage.
The positive effects that the Ottoman Empire had on the states of the world are still a matter for discussion today.
The fact that the caliphate remained here under the protection of the Ottomans, the flag-bearers of the Islamic world for centuries, endows the city with an even greater importance.
In addition, it is revealed in the hadith that the Hazrat Mahdi (as) will conquer Istanbul spiritually and that he will conduct his intellectual struggle in this blessed city. Moreover it is revealed in the hadith, that the holy relics that will be brought out into the open by Mahdi (as) are also in Istanbul.
The two standards, the sword and the mantle of our Prophet (saas) as well as other sacred relics are all kept in Topkapi Palace in the city.
This increases the spiritual importance of Istanbul still further.
Our Prophet (saas) tells us in the hadith that Istanbul will witness other great events during the End Times.
Another of the important cities of the Middle East is Sham, or Damascus. But the region of Sham is not limited to the city of Damascus, the Syrian capital. The word “Sham” means “left” in Arabic, and has long been used to refer to the Hijaz region, those lands to the left of the region in which the cities of Mecca and Medina stand.
In the hadith we are told that this region will play a major role in the events unfolding in the End Times.
The information contained about the prophets in the Qur’an shows that the majority of the Messengers preached the word of Allah in the lands collectively known as the Middle East.
That is why the Middle East is also known as the home of the prophets.
The region contains many holy sites sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians.
In addition, these sacred lands where the messengers of Allah lived have also witnessed miraculous events.
The Prophet Noah (as), for example, preached the word of Allah to his people in the lands known as Mesopotamia.
After the Flood, the ark he built at Allah’s command settled on a mountain, again in the same region.
At Allah’s command, the Prophet Abraham (as) and his son Ishmael (as) began constructing the Kaaba in Mecca.
The people wanted to martyr the Prophet Abraham (as) by casting him into the fire, but Almighty Allah commanded the flames to be cool.
The Prophet Lot (as), a contemporary of the Prophet Abraham (as), preached to his people in the region known as Lake Lot, or the Dead Sea.
The people, who did not believe and who continued to do things Allah had made unlawful, were destroyed at His command, and our Lord has made that destruction a deterrent for people in all subsequent ages.
The Children of Israel, who left Egypt with the Prophet Moses (as) and survived for a time as nomads, adopted a settled lifestyle in Jerusalem in the time of the Prophet David (as).
After the Prophet David (as), the Prophet Solomon (as) had the Masjid of Solomon built, one of the most magnificent structures that Jerusalem has ever seen.
The miracles performed by the Prophet Solomon (as), all blessings from Allah, include jinn and satans being placed at his command, his ability to speak with birds and other animals and his dominion over the wind and copper.
The Prophet Jesus (as) was born in Nazareth, in a region near Jerusalem, which is where he began preaching the word of Allah and where he worked many miracles with the special knowledge Allah had bestowed upon him.
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saas) was born in Mecca, and that is where the Holy Qur’an was revealed to Him.
It was from the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem that he embarked on the Mi’raj as another miracle and blessing from our Lord.
In the hadith we are informed that the Middle East, which has witnessed such miracles throughout the course of history, will become a central location in which a great many important events will take place in the End Times, just as it was in previous ages.
Indeed, this region, one that the whole world is watching, is somewhere that significant developments are occurring.
The region is constantly being placed at the forefront of people’s minds with the “The Great Middle East Project” and the war in Iraq.
PRESENTER: The events of the End Times are described in detail in the hadith. Sometimes a specific location is given, while at others they point to a specific time frame or date.
Close examination of these signs shows that it is the Middle East where just about all special events have taken place.
Now we will have a look at some of the events that are expected to happen before the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) and the Prophet Jesus (as) as revealed in the hadith:
In the hadith there is a reference to a major war that will break out in the End Times:
“A people will emerge from the direction of Persia and will say: “O, Arabs! You have become too easy-going! If you do not approach matters properly, none will join in union with you… Let one day be given to them and one day to you, and let your mutual promises be kept…” They will come to Mutik, and the Muslims will descend from there to the plain …The polytheists will halt on the other side of Rakabe, by the banks of a pitch-black river. There will be war between them. Allah will withhold victory from both sides.” (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 179)
Let us now consider the details of the hadith:
They will come from “the direction of Persia,” in other words from Iran.
They will “descend to the plain,” in other words the plain of Iraq.
“Mutik” is the name of a mountain in the region.
“Rakabe” is an area rich in oil wells.
“Allah will withhold victory from both sides.”
As reported in the hadith, the Iran-Iraq War lasted for 8 years, and was inconclusive, despite the deaths of tens of thousands of people.
Neither side was able to establish superiority.
In short, all the detail in the hadith came about, and everything happened just as described in the hadith.
"Pity poor Talikan (Afghanistan). It is certain that Almighty Allah has treasures there that are not of gold or silver." (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 59)
In the hadith it is indicated that Afghanistan will be invaded during the End Times.
The Russian invasion of Afghanistan happened in 1979, or 1400 according to the Hijri calendar, or the very beginning of the 14th century (Hijri).
“There are treasures there that are not of gold or silver.”
This part of the passage refers to the mineral wealth of Afghanistan.
Vast oil beds, iron seams and coal deposits that have not been exploited for various reasons have today been identified in Afghanistan.
Just as indicated in the hadith.
“In the year when he (Hazrat Mahdi(as)) appears, people will go on the hajj with nobody at their head... They will all go to the Sacred House, and when they descend to Mina they will attack one another like dogs, pilgrims will be despoiled and blood will flow over the Kaaba.” (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 168-169)
The words “the year when he appears” refer to a massacre during the hajj that will take place at the time of the coming of the Mahdi (as).
In 1979, during the hajj, there was just such slaughter as that described in the hadith in the attack on the Kaaba.
That bloody assault on the Kaaba occurred on the first day of the year 1400 according to the Hijri calendar, on the first day of the month of Muharrem (21 November, 1979); in other words, right at the beginning of the End Times, just when other portents of the coming of the Mahdi (as) were taking place.
Another major portent of the return to earth of the Prophet Jesus (as) and the emergence of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is the halting of the waters of the River Euphrates and the appearance of a treasure as valuable as gold.
This portent appears in many collections of hadith.
“The stopping of the River Euphrates is one of the portents of Hazrat Mahdi (as).” (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 39)
The Keban Dam did indeed halt the waters of the River Euphrates.
“The Messenger of Allah (saas) said: The Last Day will not happen until the water of the Euphrates is stopped and a mountain of gold appears from beneath it...” (Riyadhu’ as-Saliheen, 3/332)
Due to the dam, the land in the region really did become as valuable as “gold,” for reasons such as the production of electricity, the use of the water collected for irrigation to enhance the productivity of the soil, and easier transportation.
The Keban Dam and other dams constructed on the Euphrates following the Keban Dam do indeed resemble huge concrete mountains.
According to the description in the hadith, a treasure as precious as gold pours down from the mountain, in other words from these dams.
The dams have therefore become “a mountain of gold.”
In addition, using satellite technology gold beds were detected beneath the Euphrates, which may be a sign that the hadith also has other meanings. Allah knows the truth.
Before him [Hazrat Mahdi(as)], the rulers of Sham and Egypt will be killed…” (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 49)
In the hadith the assassination of the rulers of Sham and Egypt prior to the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is indicated.
An examination of recent Egyptian history shows that a “ruler” was indeed killed, just as revealed in the hadith: this was Anwar Sadat, who assumed power in Egypt and 1970 and remained in power for the next 11 years.
Anwar Sadat was assassinated by his opponents during an official march-past in 1981.
Other Egyptian leaders to be assassinated were Prime Minister Butros Ghali, who was killed in 1910, Prime Minister Ahmed Maher Pasha killed in 1945, and Prime Minister Mahmud Nukrashi Pasha, murdered in 1948.
In the light of the hadith, all these events show that the great majority of the signs of the End Times have manifested themselves in the Middle East.
Surely, Allah knows the truth.
Recent events in the Middle East reveal a close parallel to the accounts in the hadith. The most striking example of this is the Iraq War and the events accompanying it in the region.
With the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) the current disputes, wars, torture and killing will come to an end, and with the return to Earth of the Prophet Jesus (as) the moral values of the Qur’an will, by Allah’s leave, rule the world.
The days when truth and justice will replace injustice, when torture and war give way to peace and toleration, and when heretical and atheistic ideologies are replaced by the moral virtues of Islam are, by Allah’s leave, close at hand.
Some of the hadith referring to recent events taking place in the region are as follows:
“Baghdad will be destroyed by fire in the End Times...” (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, Vol. 3, p. 177)
Baghdad was one of the most heavily bombed cities right from the very first day of the 2003 war in Iraq.
The heavy bombing left Baghdad in flames, just as described in the hadith.
The images of Baghdad that appeared in the papers and on the television are in complete agreement with the burning indicated in the hadith.
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “...There will be such troubles and woes that nobody will find any shelter from them. These troubles will rove around Sham and descend upon Iraq. They will tie the hands and feet of the Arabian peninsula... As they try to resolve a problem on one side, it will re-appear on the other.” (Al Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-Ummal, Vol. 5, p. 38-39)
The words of the hadith concerning “troubles roving around Sham and descending upon Iraq” are in complete agreement with the recent Iraq War.
Before and during that war there were concerns that it could spread to Syria, though it in fact remained confined to Iraq.
The reference in the hadith to the “hands and feet of the Arabian peninsula being tied” may concern neighboring Arab countries being too weak to intervene in the war and to their fear that the war could also spread so as to involve them.
“... The Last Day will not take place until Iraq is attacked. And innocent people in Iraq will seek places of refuge in Sham. Sham will be rebuilt, and Iraq will be rebuilt.” (Al Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-Ummal, Vol. 5, p. 254)
The hadith refers to the reconstruction of Iraq.
The reconstruction of Iraq, which was devastated as a result of bombing and looting during the fighting, became unavoidable.
Indeed, after the war some companies from great many countries became involved in rebuilding it.
“The people of Iraq will be divided into three groups. One will join the pillagers. One will leave their families behind and flee. And one will fight and die. When you see these things, prepare yourselves for the Last Day.” (Mar'i Ibn Yusuf Ibn Abi baqr Ibn Ahmet Ibn Yusuf al-Maqdi'si “Feraidu Fawaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l Imam Al-Mahdi Al-Muntadhar)
According to the hadith, one section of the Iraqi people will join the “pillagers.”
Taking advantage of the power vacuum after the war, many acts of looting did take place.
In the hadith it is stated that one section of the people will prefer to flee at once, without even stopping to think of the families they leave behind them.
The reports in the papers on that subject are particularly noteworthy.
Then it is said in the hadith that one part of the people will join in the fighting and be killed.
And during the Iraq War some people did become involved in fighting in various areas and lost their lives so doing.
PRESENTER: It is clear from what we have seen so far that the great majority of the signs that our Prophet (saas) has said will take place in the End Times have done so in the Middle East.
In addition, many other references to the region have come down to us from our Prophet (saas).
In general terms, the common point in all these accounts is that the disorder, corruption and major events taking place in the Middle East will continue until the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as).
The following is stated in a relevant hadith:
As corruption quiets down in one part of Sham, it will flare up again in another. That corruption will never end until an angel from heaven calls out “The Mahdi is your leader. The Mahdi is your caliph [spiritual leader].” (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 63)
The hadith is referring to the conflicts in the Middle East quieting down at some times and flaring up again at others, but that they will never come to a complete end until the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as).
However, the events that will occur in the Middle East are not confined to strife, conflict and war alone.
The hadith and commentaries by great Islamic scholars also say that many other major events that will leave a deep impression on history will take place in the Middle East. Allah knows the truth, of course.
Hazrat Mahdi (as) will bring the great majority of the countries of the Islamic world together, and will be the means whereby a powerful economic and political union comes to fruition and Turkish Islamic Union will be established.
Hazrat Mahdi (as) and the Prophet Jesus (as) will meet up in that region and will perform the prayer together. Prophet Jesus (as) will put his hands between Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) shoulders and tell him to lead the prayer as the imam.
Hazrat Mahdi (as) will also unearth the Ark of the Covenant and other sacred relics in the region that we are told in the hadith.
HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) WILL SERVE AMONG THE TURKS
Accounts in the Is’afur Raghibin say that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not depart from the Romans, in other words from the Turks; because Turkey used to be known as Land of the Romans. (Muhammad ibn Ali al-Sabban, Is'afur Raghibin)
One hadith in Tirmidhi says that the Last Day will not happen until Hazrat Mahdi (as) rules Arabia (mentioned in Tirmidhi), from which it appears that he will not come from among the Arabs. In order to rule over the Arabs, one has to be Non-Arab(Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 170)
Some people will appear from the East and prepare the way for Hazrat Mahdi (as). Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be the ruler among them. (Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Fitan: 35 (4088))
This hadith shows that he will come from among a people existing in or coming from the east. This refers to the Turks, who were then living in the east and who subsequently settled in Anatolia, and Allah knows the truth. (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 171)
Ibn Khaldun and al-Qurtubi record that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come from the Mashriq (the East), Khorasan (the area to the west of the Caspian Sea) and the Amu Darya (these being regions inhabited by the Turks). (Macdonald, Encyclopedia of Islam, 7:478)
These things all show that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will engage in intensive activities among the Turks. (Saban Dogen, Mehdi ve Deccal [The Mahdi and the Dajjal], p. 172)
Sayyid Ahmad Husamaddin says this about Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) birthplace in his Istihracname:
"An individual will come from among the Muslims, and the honor of that individual will be radiant like the rays of the Sun, shining around from the greatest peak of the Caucasus.” (Osman Yuksel Serdengecti, Mabedsiz Sehir [City with No Temple], Serdengecti Publication: VI, p.107)
THE CURRENTLY FRAGMENTED TURKISH STATES WILL UNITE AND HELP HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)
... And dispersed Turkish flags will appear and help my son [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] in every nook and cranny. (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Nomani, al-Ghaybah al-Nomani, p. 323)
...Allah will cause him [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] to conquer Roman land, Daylam, Sindh, India, Kabul and the Caspian. (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Nomani, al-Ghaybah al-Nomani, p. 274)
"The spiritual leadership will come as Hazrat Mahdi (as), the most auspicious of men in the world, is sitting at home." (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 26)
“Allegiance will be sworn to him between the rock and the pillar..." (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 42)
"… Hazrat Mahdi (as) will sit between the rock and the pillar, and he will extend his hand and accept oaths of allegiance." (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, s. 39-40)
“... When Hazrat Mahdi (as) reaches Sham he will prepare a home for him in Jerusalem.” (Nuaim Ibn Hammad, Kitab Al-Fitan, p. 57)
Nuaim says, based on a report from Salman ibn Isa; “Hazrat Mahdi (as) will remain in Jerusalem for 14 years..” (Mar'i Ibn Yusuf Ibn Abi baqr Ibn Ahmet Ibn Yusuf al-Maqdi'si “Feraidu Fawaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l Imam Al-Mahdi Al-Muntadhar)
Nuaim also reports from Damra ibn Hubaib and Meshayih; Shuaib ibn Saleh will flee and enter Jerusalem in secret. When he learns that Hazrat Mahdi (as) has come to Sham he will go and join him and transfer his powers to him. (Mar'i Ibn Yusuf Ibn Abi baqr Ibn Ahmet Ibn Yusuf al-Maqdi'si “Feraidu Fawaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l Imam Al-Mahdi Al-Muntadhar)
“He will unearth the Ark of the Covenant in the cave of Antioch. He will produce the true Torah from the mountain in Sham, at which he will debate with the Jews, and many Jews will become Muslims.” (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 124-125)
“Hazrat Mahdi (as) will produce the Ark of the Covenant from Lake Tiberias.” (Iqd al-Durar Fi Akhbar al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 51)
“The reason he will be called the Mahdi is that he will show the way to something hidden. He will unearth the “Ark” from a place known as Antioch.” (As-Suyuti, Al-Hawi Lil-Fatawi, Vol. 2, p. 82)
“Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear in the evening, with the Prophet of Allah’s (saas) standard, shirt, sword, signs, radiance and beauty.’ (Ali ibn Sultan Muhammad al-Qaari al-Hanafi, ‘Risalat al-Mashrab al Vardi fi Mazhabi ‘l Mahdi)
It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Surafa that: “Hazrat Mahdi (as) will have an embroidered banner of our Prophet (saas) with him.” (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 65)
As for signs, he (Hazrat Mahdi (as)) will have with him the shirt, the sword, and the banner of our Prophet (saas). That banner has never been unfurled since the death of our Prophet (saas). And, it will not be unfurled until the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as). (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 164)
He will appear with the camelhair banner of our Prophet (saas). That banner will have four corners, will be stitchless and black in color. There will be a crescent on it. That banner, never opened since the death of Rasulullah (saas), will be unfurled when Hazrat Mahdi (as) emerges. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 23)
‘Allah will capture Constantinople (Istanbul) by the hands of His beloved friends... He will lift disease and tribulation from them.’ (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 181)
‘Nations will come under his (Hazrat Mahdi’s (as)) command. Allah will work the capture of Constantinople by his hand.’ (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 56)
It is reported by Ibn Amr that: “Our Prophet (saas) said, ‘O, People! There are six things without which the Last Day will not happen… the sixth is the capture of the city.
-Which city? He was asked.
-He answered, Constantinople.
(*) This is the capture of Constantinople by Hazrat Mahdi (as). (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 204; Ahmad Diya ad-Din al-Kamushkhanawi, Ramuz al-Ahadith, p. 296)
According to Abu Huraira, the Messenger of Allah (saas) said :
“...When they come to the land of Sham (Jerusalem), the dajjal will appear.” (Muslim, Kitab al-Fitan 34)
The Prophet Jesus’ (as) Defeat of the dajjal
“...The Prophet Jesus (as) will seek to apprehend him. He will eventually catch and destroy him (the dajjal) at the gates of the city of Lot (Palestine).” (Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Fitan 33)
Abu Huraira (ra) says: “The Messenger of Allah (saas) stated that: '... When the enemy of Allah (the dajjal) sees the Prophet Jesus (as), he will melt away like salt in water. Left to himself he will melt away until totally destroyed...” (Muslim, Kitab al-Fitan 34)
“The call will be made for the morning prayer. At that moment, Jesus, the son of Maryam, will descend. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will suggest he act as imam. But he will point to Hazrat Mahdi (as).” (Muslim, Kitab al-Fitan 34)
In the Sunan, Imam Abu Amr Uthman ibn Said al-Maqari says, “According to Jabir ibn Abdullah, the Messenger of Allah (saas) said:
“One group from my community will always struggle for the truth. Jesus, son of Mary, will appear in Jerusalem. They will say to him: ‘O, Prophet of Allah! Move to the front and lead us in the prayer.’ He will reply, ‘This is such a community that some have command over others’.” (Al-Uqayli, An-Najmu's-saqib fi Bayan Anna'l Mahdi min Awladi Ali b. Abu Talib Ale't-Tamam wa al-Qamal)
“Hazrat Mahdi (as) is an immaculate individual. At a time when he has gone to the front to lead the prayer, ‘Jesus (as), son of Maryam, will descend to Earth. At that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will step back to allow him to lead the prayer, but the Prophet Jesus (as) will place his hands between his shoulders and say, ‘You go to the front and lead the prayer. Because the call has been made for you. In the wake of those words, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will lead them in the prayer.” (Mar'i Ibn Yusuf Ibn Abi baqr Ibn Ahmet Ibn Yusuf al-Maqdi'si “Feraidu Fawaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l Imam Al-Mahdi Al-Muntadhar”)
As we have seen during this film, all the sources of the hadith and all the works written by great Islamic scholars agree that the events concerning the End Times will take place in the same region.
The Middle East.
All the sources reveal the important fact that this region will come to the fore, even though there are many regions in the world that can be regarded as critical from one point of view or another.
The fact is that:
Throughout the course of history the Middle East, the cities of which are so often referred to in the hadith, has been a holy land in which the prophets have lived and the divine scriptures have been revealed, the region that has witnessed the birth of the three Abrahamic faiths and in which places sacred to all three faiths have been erected.
We are living at a time when the wondrous events of the End Times are taking place in that region, which has always played such a leading role in history.
Our duty, as witnesses to the End Times, is to transmit these glad tidings to all Muslims and all mankind.
ZIP
