The Mahdi's Spiritual Army In This World

The Mahdi's Spiritual Army in This World H

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When Allah's help and victory have arrived and you have seen people entering Allah's religion in droves, then glorify your Lord's praise and ask His forgiveness. He is the Ever-Returning. (Surat anNasr, 1-3) Through the verses of the Qur'an, our Almighty Lord has imparted the glad tidings that He will place Islam above all other faiths and cause the moral values of the Qur'an to prevail over the world. In the Hadith, the Prophet (saas) tells us that Allah will bring about this welcome event through the efforts of the Mahdi. The Messenger of Allah (saas) has reported that the Mahdi, the spiritual leader of Muslims at this time, will perform a great service for the good of all mankind and Islam, and will carry out very important activities. By Allah's leave, the Mahdi—likened to the Prophet (saas) in terms of his excellent moral virtues—will restore to its essential nature the faith, which has been distorted from its true essence through various superstitious beliefs and false practices. Together with the Prophet ‘Isa (as), he will cause Islam, the one true faith, to prevail on Earth. According to the information contained in the Hadith, the Mahdi will make sincere efforts, to ensure mankind's salvation in this world and in the Hereafter. And thanks to him, peace, plenty and abundance will be found on Earth. According to the tawatur (completely trustworthy) Hadith, the long-awaited coming of the Mahdi will be one of the most important events in the Islamic world. The entire Muslim world is hoping for—and enthusiastically awaiting—the renewal of Islamic civilization and the moral values of the Qur'an to prevail on Earth, through this blessed personage. Likened to the Prophet (saas) in terms of his excellent moral virtues, the Mahdi-according to the information contained in the Hadith--will make sincere efforts to ensure mankind's salvation in this world and in the Hereafter, and will be a means for peace, plenty and abundance on Earth.

In the Hadith of the Prophet (saas), it is also reported that as the Mahdi performs this honorable and superior task, the number of those around him will be very small. Yet despite their being so few in number, the moral values of Islam will, by Allah's leave, come to prevail across the entire globe. This is, of course, a miracle of Allah's. In the Qur'an, he tells us that, "Allah reinforces with His help whoever He wills. There is instruction in that for people of insight" (Surah Al ‘Imran, 13). Allah desires Islamic virtues to prevail on Earth, and He has the power to bring this about in the manner of His choosing. Indeed, events taking place in our own day herald the fact that, by Allah's leave, this time is close at hand.

All Activities Around the Globe Serve the Mahdi and the Dominion of Islamic Moral Values As reported in the Hadith of the Prophet (saas), the Mahdi will have around him a group of supporters and helpmates that, as stated above, will be comparatively small in number. But, by Allah's will, anyone who tries to assist in the development of Islam and the spreading of Qur'anic moral values will, knowingly or

otherwise, be serving the Mahdi. For that reason, every activity on Earth is actually a service rendered to the Mahdi. Everyone who writes books or articles, publishes newspapers or magazines, or arranges conferences to that end is, wittingly or unwittingly, assisting and supporting the Mahdi, in preparing for the dominion of Islamic moral values under his leadership. No doubt that this is a promise and assistance from Allah to His true servants. Nothing can obstruct the will of Allah. He wills Islamic moral values to be installed over the world, and by His leave, this promise will come about. It is reported in the Qur'an that by Allah's will, the faithful will be victorious: We supported them, and so they were the victors. (Surat as-Saffat, 116) Allah wills Islamic virtues to prevail on Earth, and has the power to bring this about in the manner of His choosing.

All Activities Carried out against the Mahdi in fact serve his Coming and his Mission This century is a glad epoch when signs of the End Times are coming about, one by one, and the whole Muslim world is in a state of expectancy. The second coming of Prophet ‘Isa (as)—who, as indicated in the verses of the Qur'an, did not die and will return to Earth again, as is described in great detail in the Hadith— is awaited with great excitement. In the same way, the appearance of the Mahdi, whose name, qualities and activities are all set out in detail in tawatur Hadith of the Prophet (saas), is another event awaited by the entire Islamic world. Some of the Hadith referring to the second coming of Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the appearance of the Mahdi read as follows: By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, son of Maryam [‘Isa] will shortly descend amongst you people as a just ruler. (Sahih al-Bukhari) ‘Isa (as), son of Maryam, will come down as a just judge [ruler] and imam for his nation. . . . (AlTabari, Al-Awsat, Hadith no. 4577, 5:292.) [The Day of Judgment] will not come until you see ten signs . . . [one of which is] the descent of ‘Isa son of Maryam . . . . (Sahih Muslim) Abu Dawud reported a Hadith from Abd Allah ibn Masud: The Prophet said, If there were only one day left for the world, that day would be lengthened until a man from among my descendants or from among the people of my household, was sent; . . . He will fill the earth with justice and fairness, just as it will have been filled with injustice and oppression. (Abu Dawud) . . . From Abu Hurairah, the Prophet said, "If there were only one day left for this world, Allah would lengthen it until he [the Mahdi] took power." (at-Tirmidhi) All the Ahlul Sunnah scholars are in agreement about these glad tidings in the Hadith. Among eminent Islamic scholars, there is no difference of opinion at all about the coming of these blessed individuals who will cause Islamic virtues as imparted by the Prophet (saas) to prevail on Earth. Therefore, the coming of Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi is too certain a matter to be concealed or misinterpreted. Even so, some may still harbor doubts about the second coming of Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the appearance of the Mahdi—which doubt is a most serious error. The important fact to realize is this: Even if people do hold such views, this is actually nothing more than another sign of the appearance of the Mahdi. The position of such people is a clear indication of the imminence of the Mahdi's coming.

These glad tidings are imparted thus in the Hadith of the Prophet (saas): Allah Almighty will send the Mahdi after despair has reached the point that people will say, "There is no Mahdi." (Nu'aym ibn Hammad) The Mahdi will appear with the standard of the Messenger of Allah (saas), when people encounter one trouble after another and when all hope for his emergence is lost . . . (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 55) The Mahdi is an individual whose tidings have been imparted and who is enthusiastically awaited by the faithful. It is the duty of every Muslim to await and spread the good news of his coming.

In the Qur'an, too, Allah has revealed that some may doubt that He will send a messenger to lead the faithful. As an example, he cites those who said that there would be no prophet after Prophet Yusuf (as): Yusuf brought you the clear signs before, but you never stopped doubting what he brought to you to the extent that when he died, you said, "Allah will never send another messenger after him." That is how Allah misguides those who are unbridled and full of doubt. (Surah Ghafir, 34) In the light of tawatur (trustworthy) Hadith, the Mahdi's long-awaited coming is one of the most important events in the Islamic world.

In the Qur'an, our Lord has promised that He will cause Islamic values to prevail over the world and will bestow power and authority on His faithful servants. He tells us that this promise is a certain one. The Hadith of the Prophet (saas) and the words of all the great Islamic scholars state that Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi will be instrumental in this taking place. In the light of this absolute promise of Allah's, Islamic moral values will come to rule, and an individual will assume leadership of Muslims. For a long time now, Muslims have had no such leader to bring them all together. By Allah's leave, this first leader—the tidings of whom have been reported for 1,400 years—will be the Mahdi. He will eliminate oppression and darkness and be a means whereby the beauty of Islamic virtues is experienced by all the world. As this concluding time approaches, all the events taking place, be they great or small, will play important roles in the coming about of this destiny determined by Allah. Knowingly or unknowingly, willingly or not, people's every action will help in this outcome being attained. All efforts and propaganda expended against its happening will be just as effective as work carried out to further the appearance, recognition and service of the Mahdi. Every action taken in opposition to the Mahdi will further increase his effectiveness and contribute to his activities being echoed around the world. Those who maintain that Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi will not appear, those who say "I do not believe in the second coming of Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi," will, through their very words and deeds, again draw attention to those two blessed individuals and, by serving them thus unwittingly, become a means whereby others can reflect on these important tidings. In that sense, therefore, to say "Prophet ‘Isa (as) will not come" is the same as saying "Prophet ‘Isa (as) will come"! Similarly, saying "The Mahdi will not come" actually means "The Mahdi will." Anyone who says "I stand opposed to the Mahdi" will encourage , further curiosity, interest in and discussion about the Mahdi. By Allah's leave, deniers and hypocrites, those who adopt ideas opposed to Qur'anic moral values, and the enemies of Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi greatly assist—albeit unwillingly and unknowingly—in these glad tidings being disseminated and in Islamic virtues spreading across the world. Even if some are reluctant, Allah's promise will become reality; He will cause Islamic moral values to prevail on Earth, and will bestow the virtues of the faith through one who will become the spiritual leader of all Muslims.

It must not be forgotten that Allah's promise is the truth. Even if some prove reluctant, Allah's promise will be fulfilled: He

will cause Islamic moral values to prevail on Earth, and will bestow the virtues of the faith through one who will become the spiritual leader of all Muslims. By the will of Allah, these are all events that cannot be prevented; they have already taken place in destiny. And our Almighty Lord has turned all the propaganda and measures taken against Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi into means by which this blessed outcome will be achieved, and has placed even those opposed to the Mahdi at his service. To believers, Allah reveals this state of affairs in the Qur'an: It is He Who sent His messenger with guidance and the religion of truth [Islam] to exalt it over every other religion, even though the idolaters detest it. (Surat at-Tawba, 33) They desire to extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His Light, though the unbelievers hate it. It is He Who sent His messenger with guidance and the religion of truth [Islam] to exalt it over every other religion, though the idolaters hate it. (Surat as-Saff, 8-9) Even if some are reluctant, Allah's promise will become reality; He will cause Islamic moral values to prevail on Earth, and will bestow the virtues of the faith through one who will become the spiritual leader of all Muslims.

The Power of the Mahdi's Faith will Spread a Spiritual Awakening Across the World As already mentioned, those who surround and support the Mahdi will be few in number. But the light of the Mahdi's system has illumined the whole world. Without being aware of it, the whole world will abide by the logic and perspective of the Mahdi's message and will come to be influenced by the fervor of his faith. Spiritual excitement and the tendency towards faith will spread from the Mahdi to his disciples, and from them to others around them, and thus throughout the whole world. One person will read a book, listen to a talk or see a film; increase in spiritual fervor as a result, and then tell someone else of what he's learned. And that person will tell others. There will be a chain reaction, increasing spiritual fervor, and influence will spread over the entire world, reaching even Jews and Christians. As a result, a huge spiritual awakening will take place all over the Earth. The world will not know the origin of this spiritual excitement; those opposed to faith will be unaware that this fervor originates from the system of the Mahdi. But in fact, this is one of the most important signs of the Mahdi and his order. The brightness of the system of the Mahdi has fallen over the whole world. Without being aware of it, everyone will abide by the logic and perspective communicated by the message of the Mahdi and will come to be influenced by the fervor of his faith. This is one of the most important signs of the Mahdi.

Islamic scholars have stated that this spiritual fervor, spreading in waves across the world, will stem from the Mahdi’s attributes of being “Qutb al-Irshad” and “Qutb al-Aqtab.” Qutb al-Irshad is one who provides a means for the world to awaken from heedlessness, who leads it to guidance and the true path, and who is the true heir of the Prophet (saas)—a great individual who inherits his knowledge and manners, his task of purifying souls by means of light, his work of turning hearts towards Allah, and his art of taming lower selves and giving balance to life. The Qutb al-Aqtab is one who brings order to the world, a means whereby people discover the true path through the greatest mentor of their time: . . . Indeed, [Qutb al-Madar] always exists, and it also exists in our day. It had also existed in the time of the Prophet (saas). Such people are also called Qutb al-Aqtab. However, they need seclusion. No one knows them. Furthermore, sometimes, they even do not know themselves. The duty of protecting Islam is granted to that blessed person called Qutb al-Irshad. Guidance and faith is granted to everyone through . . . that person, who protects Islam, so it does not remain vulnerable. The enemies of the religion cannot dare to demolish or change it. In the Thirty-fifth Marifat of his book [Ma'arif-i Ladunniyya], Imam Rabbani says: Qutb al-Abdal, that

is, Qutb al-Madar [the one who becomes the means], becomes a means of prosperity for everything in the universe and the world to exist and to remain in existence. Qutb al-Irshad, on the other hand, becomes a means for prosperity to be granted for the guidance of the universe. Creation of everything, grant of blessings, removal of trouble and ills, recovery of the sick, well-being of the people are possible through the prosperity of the Qutb al-Abdal. Having faith, being guided to the true path, being able to engage in worship, asking for repentance, on the other hand, become possible through the prosperity of the Qutb al-Irshad. The existence of Qutb al-Abdal is essential in every time and age. Its absence is unthinkable, for the universe orders itself thanks to its existence. . . . Through the Qutb al-Irshad, all people are granted faith and guidance. (Tam Ilmihal, Saadet-i Ebeddiyye ["The Complete Laws of Islam, Eternal Happiness"], Hakikat Publishing, 93rd Edition, Prepared by: Huseyin Hilmi Isik, p. 909.) In the second letter in his Mabda' wa Maad, Imam Rabbani describes the matter under the heading "The Prosperity of the Qutb al-Irshad": A qutb al-irshad who possesses inherent personal excellence exists very rarely. Such great virtue comes only after several ages. The dark universe becomes bright with the light of his coming. His luminous guidance surrounds the entire universe. Whoever receives the true path through his means, takes benefit from it—guidance, faith and knowledge, from the heights of the Divine Might to the midst of the Earth. Without his mediation, no one can reach this blessing. His guiding light surrounds the entire universe like an ocean. And as if frozen, this ocean never moves. In one who is sincerely drawn toward this great person, the heart opens at the very moment of this inclination. Through this means, one feels fulfilled with his sincerity and love, his heart filling with prosperity. A person who gives himself to keep in mind remembrance of Allah and fails to tend to this individual— not out of denial, but from ignorance of his existence—also benefits from this prosperity. In the first case, however, the prosperity is greater than in the latter. . . . Even if they remain distant from remembering Allah and turning to Him, for those who turn to that great person and love him sincerely, the light of guidance reaches them, merely on account of their love. May peace be upon those who are subject to guidance. (Mabda' wa Maad, Sufi Books, Istanbul, October 2005, pp. 23-24.) Today, waves of people are turning to faith in Allah.

In our own time, a great many developments are taking place day by day to show that great spiritual awakening, prosperity and excitement are increasing across the entire world. As revealed by Allah in the verse, "and you have seen people entering Allah's religion in droves" (Surat an-Nasr, 2), droves of people are turning to faith in Allah. Many examples reveal this state of affairs. For example, in the 15 August, 2006, edition of the British daily The Guardian, an article titled "How Did We Get Here?" noted that an astonishing 30% of students in the UK did not believe in evolution, and that this level had been much lower in the past. "Evolution," it concluded, "is on the way out." As reported in Science magazine, according to research conducted from the year 1985 to 2004 in 34 countries by Michigan State University in the USA, Turkey has become the only country in which the overwhelming majority believe that the theory of evolution is invalid.

A report on the American website www.pitch.com quoted the evolutionist professor Umit Sayin as saying, "There is no fight against the creationists now. They have won the war. . . In 1998, I was able to motivate six members of the Turkish Academy of Sciences to speak out against the creationist movement. Today, it's impossible to motivate anyone." The report went on to describe Turkey as a country in which adherents of the theory of evolution had been almost entirely routed. Even a few of these developments clearly reveal the effects of this spiritual strength spreading across the world. Most remain unaware of the source of this spiritual awakening and of the effect it is having on the world. Yet this spiritual resurrection is one of the clearest signs that the Mahdi's appearance is close at hand

—because this spiritual fervor originates from the radiant powerful faith, prosperity and abundance of the Mahdi. But as we know, one of the great signs of the Mahdi is the way that this blessed personage will not claim to be the Mahdi, because there is no need for the Mahdi to make himself known. Since his destiny has entrusted him this duty, Allah will let him become known to people through his global impact, the light of his faith and his fervor. Our Almighty Lord revealed the moral virtues of the Mahdi, his physical characteristics, his actions, service and global impact to our Prophet (saas), 1,400 years ago. In the same way that it is impossible to imitate these features or to acquire them through one's own efforts, so by Allah's leave, it is impossible to obstruct or neutralize his work. Allah has placed the whole world at the service of the Mahdi. All who work for him or against him, whether willingly or not, knowingly or unknowingly, are actually helping the Mahdi attain this outcome appointed by Allah and is contributing to the glorious destined rise of Islamic moral values. In that sense, therefore, it is impossible to engage in any activity against the Mahdi, since Allah converts every development working against him into one working in the Mahdi's favor. Very soon, Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi will appear in the manner appointed in their destinies. And by Allah's leave, they will cause Islamic moral values to prevail across the world.

Prophet ‘Isa (as) and the Mahdi will very soon appear in their appointed destinies and, as reported by the Prophet (saas), will discharge all their duties and, by Allah's leave, cause Islamic moral values to prevail across the world. This is the destiny appointed by Allah. The Qur'an tells us that no matter how unwilling unbelievers may be, Allah will preserve His influence: They desire to extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths. But Allah refuses to do other than perfect His Light, even though the unbelievers detest it. (Surat at-Tawba, 32) It is He Who sent His messenger with guidance and the religion of truth [Islam] to exalt it over every other religion, even though the idolaters detest it. (Surat at-Tawba, 33) Allah confirms the truth by His words, even though the evildoers hate it. (Surah Yunus, 82)