Most Read in the Category of Mahdi and Dajjal

As it is known, everything is present in the Quran. However, the Quran explains things sometimes directly and clearly, and sometimes with a sign, secretly, and indirectly. We see that it tells about Dajjal indirectly and with signs too. In the surah (chapter) of Nisa (Women), following the verse in which it is said that Hazrat Eesa (Jesus/) was not killed but raised to the skies, verse 159 says:

And there is not one of the People of the Book but most certainly believes in this before his death, and on the day of resurrection he (Eesa) shall be a witness against them.

Scholars comment on the statement of before his death as follows:

During the end of time, Hazrat Eesa will descend to earth, and the People of the Book who will be in conflict will believe in him. Before the doomsday, it will be clear that the Jews who went beyond limits by slandering him, and the Christians who called him god, are liars.

Because the descent of Hazrat Isa is in question, Dajjal, whom he will struggle with, is indicated automatically too. It is the practice of Arabs to mention only one of the two opposites, and not to mention the other.(1)


Dajjal - an important sign of the doomsday- is also indicated in the verse On the day when some of the signs of your Lord shall come (2). In addition, many interpreters tell that the verse [>And most surely it is a knowledge of the hour (3) indicates Dajjal.

Badiuzzaman, who says As our time is having the biggest disorders, both many hadiths (word of prophet Muhammad) and many signs in the Quran gives the same dates. (4) and Every verse has many meanings, every meaning is universal and has members in every century, says that many verses indicates our time and adds In that universal meaning our century is a member too, but it has a special feature that it contains the date element. He also says our century is having terrible disorders (5). According to what he tells in his book Şualar (Rays), the verse Nay, verily, man becomes grossly overweening (6) indicates both the time and the personality of that terrible character (Dajjal) by both the meaning and by a special deciphering method called abjad (7).

When Badiuzzaman interprets the surah of Falaq (The Dawn), which recommends taking shelter in God to be protected from the evildoers, he tells that the surah points especially to our strange time clearly and obviously as it also points to all centuries. When he analyses the verses by meaning and abjad he tells that the surah indicates the four physical and spiritual dreadful evils of our time giving the same date by mentioning the word evil four times, and says that it is a way of warning which suits the Quran. In the same place, he tells that the surah also indicates by meaning and abjad that there will be important shocks by the pressure of the treaties with the foreigners and the pious people will have significant transformations by the despotism of the philosophy. The surah indicates both the dreadful Genghis and Hulagu Khan disorders, who were Dajjals of their time, and the material and spiritual evils of our time.(8)

In the 256th verse of the surah al-Baqara (The Cow) -which comes right after the Ayatul Kursi (The Throne Verse)- those dreadful destructions of our time are indicated by both meaning and abjad too. (9)

In addition, Badiuzzaman finds indications to Dajjal and his committee when explaining the meanings looking to our time of the 32nd verse of the surah of at-Tawba (Repentance), They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, and Allah will not consent save to perfect His light, though the unbelievers are averse. According to this explanation, the cruel Europe makes a big assassination plan to put out the light of the State of Islam. Patriots try to eliminate that plan announcing the Liberty in 1324(Hijri). Six or seven years later, at the end of the First World War, in order to give harm to the Quran with their evil ideas they make the same assassination plans via the Treaty of Sevres which contains severe conditions. This time, Turkish patriots try to eliminate that plan by announcing the Republic. Here the verse, with the calculation of abjad, matches exactly the date 1324-34-54 (Hijri) in which that plan is made, while at the same time it indicates the selfless people who try to preserve the light of the Quran in the turmoil.

Also the verse, by the calculationf jifr, indicates that in 1284, the unbelievers of Europe provoked the Russians in order to put out the light of the State of Islam and veiled the bright light of the world of Islam ten years later by a temporary cloud with the ominous war of Ninety-three and that Mawlana Khalid broke up that cloud of cruelty with his students. Then this phrase is added: If the lams (L letter) with shadda (marks the doubling of a consonant) and the mim (M letter) are counted twice, the people who will break up the cruelty a century later can be the students of Hazrat Mahdi (10)

In a place where the service of Hazrat Mahdi is in question, Dajjal is assumed to perform his actions too. His spiritual destruction can only be healed spiritually.

In addition, let us mention here that the Islamic scholars take the examples in the Quran like Taghoot, Jalut and Samiri as prototypes of the Dajjal.

As is seen, Dajjal is not mentioned in the Quran explicitly. However, there are many verses indicating him.

Scholars describe the reason why Dajjal is not explicitly mentioned in the Quran as follows: There are two main sources of Islam. The first is the Quran, and second is the sunnah (the way of prophet Muhammad). Though Dajjal is not mentioned in Quran explicitly, it is mentioned in many hadiths explicitly. Sometimes it is not needed to mention apparent things for a second time.

----------------------------
(1) Ibn Kathir, Al Bidayah wa-Nihayah (The Beginning and the End) (Muhammad Fahim, 1968), .I:153; al-Asqalani, Fath al-Bari (Grant of the Creator), XIII:98.
(2) Surah al-Anam (The Cattle), 158.
(3) Surah al-Zukhruf (The Embellishment), 61.
(4) Sualar (Rays), p. 293.
(5) ibid, p. 240.
(6) Surah al-Alaq (The Clot), 6.
(7) Sualar (Rays), p. 514-515.
(8) ibid, p. 238-241.
(9) ibid, p. 242.
(10) ibid, p. 619-620.

a. He is from Ahl-i Bayt

We learn from the hadiths that Mahdi is from Ahl-i Bayt. It is stated in several hadiths clearly.

Once Hazrat Ali asked the Messenger of Allah (pbuh): O Messenger of Allah! Is Mahdi from us or from outside? our Prophet (pbuh) said: He is from us. Allah will end this religion with us and will open it with us again. They will be freed from shirk (polytheism) with us. Allah will put affection between their hearts thanks to us after an apparent enmity. 1

In a hadith some of which we mentioned before, the issue is mentioned. If only one day of this world remained, Allah would lengthen that day, till He raised up in it a man who belongs to me or to my family whose father's name is similar to mine 2

At first glance, it is understood from the hadith that the name of Hazrat Mahdi and his fathers name will resemble the name of our Prophet. However, the resemblance does not mean that it will be exactly the same. That is, the name of the Mahdi does not necessarily have to be Muhammad and his fathers name does not have to be Abdullah.  If it were like that, instead of the verb yuwatiu, yutabiqu could be used.  Then, it would have been stated clearly, which would have been contrary to testing.  Testing necessitates that events related to the future be somewhat veiled, implied. Thus, not everybody will believe and the secret of testing will not be revealed.  

 Bayazid-i Bistami, a great wali (saint), says that Hazrat Mahdis fathers bloodline goes back to Hazrat Hasan and his mothers bloodline goes back to Hazrat Husayn. 3  The determination of Aliyyu'l-Qari is the same.  Aliyyu'l-Qari says the strongest probability that is understood from the narration is that Hazrat Mahdis fathers bloodline goes back to Hazrat Hasan and his mothers bloodline goes back to Hazrat Husayn. 4

b. His description

Hazrat Ali looks at his son Hasan one day and says, "My son is sayyid as the Messenger of Allah named him. From his descendants, someone having the name of our Prophet will emerge. His high ethics will resemble him but his appearance will not. " 5

We see detailed narrations in the hadiths regarding the description of Mahdi. He has a wide forehead, thin nose 6; his face shines like a star 7; he has big eyes and rare, bright teeth. There is a sign on his right cheek that enlightens his face like a star; he has a dark skin; he is of medium height and has curved eyebrows. 8 His eyes are lined. 9 There is a seal, sign of the Messenger of Allah, on his shoulder. He is very impressive like the men of Bani Israel. 10

Hazrat Ali attracts attention to his period of youth and says that he is a handsome young man. He has a nice face. He has shoulder-length hair; the light of his face goes up to his head and the black of his hair.11 There is a narration that he will not have a beard: Doubtlessly, a happy person is the one who keeps away from mischief (The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) repeated that sentence three times.) However, he faces mischief and shows patience. Glad-tidings for him and shame on those who make him suffer." 12

The word fawahan that appears in the hadith, that is repeated three times and is explained as glad-tidings has some different meanings, which are explained in Mirqatu'l-Mafatih of Aliyyul Qari 13 and Rumuz and Lawami 14. In Rumuz, it is seen that the word "fawahan" is defined as al-wahyu, that is, shaven. The same meaning is given in Tadhkira al-Qurtubi.

The head of Mahdi is also mentioned in the hadiths; it is stated that he will not take off his turban, which is sunnah. 15

Another narration is as follows: "When Hazrat Mahdi emerges, he will have a turban on his head, and a crier will shout, This is Mahdi, the caliph of Allah. Obey him"." 16

We find out from another narration that he will start his duty when he is about forty. 17

c. His virtue

The spiritual rank of Hazrat Mahdi is so great that he comes just after the four caliphs and the Companions of the Prophet. There is unanimous agreement about it. 18

Imam Rabbani says the following in his Maktubat, "The rank of Mahdi seems to be before the rank of the Companions." 19

In Mahdi, the secret of the inheritance of prophethood, which is also called, walaya kubra (greater sainthood) has developed. That secret passes directly from the apparent to reality without traveling the intermediate path, looks to the unfolding of Divine immediacy. Although this way of sainthood is very short, it is extremely elevated. Its wonders are few, but its virtues many. 20

Imam Rabbani says Hazrat Mahdi will be given a lot of prosperity and abundance without any intermediary, hindrance and means because of that rank. 21

The following is stated in the Mustadrak of Hakim in a narration from Hazrat Ali about the virtues of Hazrat Mahdi and his soldiers: Salaf (predecessors) cannot be superior to them and khalaf (successors) cannot reach them. 22

Hazrat Mahdi is at the highest point of sainthood. 23 He is the best one on the earth. 24

When Hazrat Husayn was asked how Hazrat Mahdi would be recognized, he said: He will be recognized through his tranquility and dignity, his knowledge about halal and haram,  and the fact that people need him but he does not need anyone. 25.

Hazrat Mahdi is a sufferer on whom the secret of the following hadith of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is manifest "My Ahl-u Bayt will suffer murders, troubles and banishment after me." 26

Therefore, the real virtue of Hazrat Mahdi is his patience against those troubles and banishments like Hazrat Ayyub (Job). The following is stated in a narration:

The virtue of Mahdi is due to his maximum patience he shows against all grieves and severe mischief. The siege of Dajjal on him will never lift. The virtue of Mahdi is not due to his rewards and his high rank in the presence of Allah.27

Hazrat  Mahdi is given the good news, while he is still alive, that He will go to Paradise due to his important service like some of the people from Ahl-i Bayt. Anas bin Malik says: I heard from the Messenger of Allah: We, the children of Abdulmuttalib are the dignitaries of the people of Paradise. Me, Hamza, Ali, Jafar, Hasan, Husayn and Mahdi. 28

Muhyiddin Arabi attracts attention to his nine important characteristics: He has foresight, understands the Book well and knows its meaning, foresees well the actions and attitudes of the people he will appoint; he does not deviate from justice when he is furious; he knows the classes of the beings and the intricate aspects of things; he understands the needs of people well and especially he is well aware of the secret sciences of his period. 29

Hazrat Mahdi is very pious. "He is a person who fears Allah a lot. He fears Allah like a bird of eagle family (nasir) shivering its wings." 30

We find our from the narrations that Hazrat Mahdi will act very fast 31 and that he will be firm while fulfilling his duty.  He will be so determined and resolute that even if mountains blocks his way he will crush the mountain and find a way through it. 32

The students of Hazrat  Mahdi are so virtuous that they come first in rank after the Companions of the Prophet.

d. His Knowledge

Hazrat  Mahdi will be outstanding with his knowledge. According to what is stated in a hadith, he is a person to whom wisdom, that is, knowledge has been granted as a divine gift; he is an influential person. 33

Bayazid-i Bistami, a great wali (saint), says that God Almighty will grant him extensive knowledge and deeds when he is only a child. 34

According to what is stated in Kitabu'n-Nihaya, knowledge and dignity will be the adornment of Mahdi. 35

He does not need to learn so much information because he will be sent with a very important mission in the most terrible period of the end of time. Therefore, he will receive the knowledge in an extraordinary way. We learn about it from the following hadiths Allah will improve him overnight. 36, "God Almighty guides Mahdi perfectly in one night. " 37

Explaining those two hadiths, scholars state that Allah will accept his repentance and fill him with prosperity, merits and wisdom and grant him success. Explaining that hadith, Al-Hafni, in his hashiya (annotation) of Jami Saghir, states that God Almighty will give him sovereignty over people and grant him scholarly virtues in one night. 38

Abdulkarim Ibnu'l-Arabi says Hazrat Mahdi will be given the highest spiritual rank and the ability to make ijtihad without his effort; he will receive them not as a result of hard work but as the grant of Allah. 39

Muhyiddin Arabi says the following while mentioning those characteristics of Mahdi: "He will never make a mistake because there is an angel that corrects him in a place that he does not see." Futuhat Makkiya, Chapter 366. Arabi considers that angel as the angel of inspiration and he states the relationship between Mahdi and the angel as follows:
"As the hadith of Mahdi indicates, he will rule with the principles that the angel of inspiration gives him. The angel inspires him the Sharia of Muhammad; and Mahdi fulfills his duty.  In the hadith of Mahdi, the following is stated: 'He will be subject to my mission and he will not make any mistakes about it."40

Mahdi guides people as a blessing of Allah. He fulfills his duty by the help of Allah. 41

It is stated in the sources that Mahdi will know the secrets of the letters, that is, the science of cipher and abjad. 42  Taşköprülüzâde Ahmed Efendi, who is one of the authors of İlimler Ansiklopedisi (the Encyclopedia of Science) says, in his book Mawzuatu'l-Ilim that Mahdi will know the science of cipher. 43

e. Period of His Activities

In a hadith in Abu Dawud, it is stated that Hazrat Mahdi will rule seven years 44 and in a hadith in Ibn Majah that he will rule seven years if he lives short, otherwise nine years.

A hadith in Musnad reported by Abu Saidi'l-Khudri is similar: Mahdi is from my community (umma). He will live seven, eight or nine years whether his life is long or short. 46

According to some narrations, Hazrat Mahdi will rule forty years. 47 Ibrahim Haqqi of Erzurum says in his Marifatnama that Hazrat Mahdi will rule forty years with justice. 48

Hazrat  Mahdi will fulfill his duty with a congregation that is based on sincerity, perseverance and loyalty, and with their collective personality. In a narration in Abu Dawud, it is stated that the last group of that congregation that will struggle for the right path will fight Masih Dajjal. 49

Explaining the hadith, A group from my umma will continue jihad in the way of Allah till Doomsday 50 Badiuzzaman calculated it with abjad and found out the activity period of the collective personality of Hazrat Mahdi. Accordingly, the abjad value of the expression Zahirina ala'l-haqq=sovereign with truth in the hadith is 1506. That congregation will rule openly and dominantly until 1506 Hegira. Then, the following activities will be carried out secretly and in defeat until 1542. Hatta ya'tiyallahu biamrihi=until the Doomsday 1545 indicates the doom that will hit the unbeliever. 51

In addition, Badiuzzaman, in his sermon in the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus in 1911, addressing more than one hundred scholars, said, The future will belong to Islam only and the ruler will be the truths of the Quran and belief, 52 and once he said, The future, the earth and the skies of Asia together will surrender to the white hand of Islam. Giving glad-tidings; thus he attracted attention to those periods of Islamic sovereignty and stated their dates.

--------------------------------------
1 ash-Shablanji Nuru'l-Absar, p. 189.
2 Abu Dawud, Mahdi: 4; Tirmidhi, Fitan: 43.
3 Nursi, B. Said, Tılsımlar Mecmuası, İstanbul: Tenvir Neşriyat, 1988, p. 205, 206.
4 Hatiboğlu, Haydar, Sunan Ibn Majah Trns and Expl (İstanbul: Kahraman Yayınları, 1983), 10:351.
5 Abu Dawud, Mahdi: 1.
6 Abu Dawud, Mahdi: 1.
7 Is'afu'r-Raghibin, p. 46; al-Hawi, 2:66, 67. Kitabu'l-Burhan, p. 22.
8 Nuaym bin Hammad, Kitabu'l-Fitan, Waraq: 52a.
9 Is'afu'r-Raghibin, p. 146; Nuru'l-absar, p. 187.
10 al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 41; Kitabu'l-Burhan, p. 23, 30.
11 Iqdu'd-Durar, Waraq: 11a.
12 Abu Dawud, Fitna: 2.
13 Aliyyu'l-Qari, Mirqatu'l-Mafatih, 5:151
14 Lawami', 1:652
15 al-Burhan, Waraq: 81a; al-Hawi, 2:61, 62; İs'afu'r-Raghibin, p. 148, 149.
16 al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 25.
17 ibid., p. 43.
18 Lawami, II:85; al-Haytami, al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 71; Nursi, Mektûbât, (Letters) p. 271.
19 İmam Rabban, Maktubat, I:45;
20 Nursi, Mektûbât, (Letters)  p. 54.
21 İmam Rabbanî, Maktubat, 2:763, 764.
22 Mustadrak, Muqaddima: Chaper 52, p. 319.
23 İmam-ı Rabbanî, Maktubat, p. 357 (from 251st letter).
24 al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 27.
25 Iqdu'd-Durar, Waraq: 12b.
26 Kanzu'l-Ummal, 14:267.
27 repeorted from Is'afu'r-Raghibin, Tılsımlar, p. 212.
28 Ibn Majah, Kitabu'l-Fitan: 34 (H. 4087.)
29 Sharani, Kıyamet Alâmetleri, p. 189.
30 Kitabu'l-Burhan, p. 53.
31 al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 12.
32 ibid., p. 39.
33 Ramuzu'l-Ahadith, p. 518.
34 Tılsımlar Magazine, p. 205, 206.
35 Ibn Kathir, Kitabu'n-Nihaya, 1:29-30.
36 Ibn Majah, Kitabu'l-Fitan: 34 (H. 4085).
37 Musnad, 1:84.
38 Sunan Ibn Majah Trns and Expl, 10:351.
39 Nursi, Tılsımlar Magazine, p. 207.
40 ibid., p. 211.
41 Hajjaj, Abdullah, Alamatu'l-Qiyamati'l-Kbra, Cairo: 1986, p. 73.
42 Tılsımlar, p. 206.
43 Taşköprülüzâde Ahmed Efendi, Mawzuatu'l-Ulûm, II:246.
44 Abu Dawud, Kitabu'l-Mahdi, 4:170; Musnad, 3:117.
45 Ibn Majah, Kitabu'l-Fitan: 33, 34 (H. 4083.)
46 Musnad, 3:36.
47 Kitabu'l-Burhan, s. 83; al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, s. 50.
48 İbrahim Haqqi of Erzurum, Marifatnama, 1:27.
49 Abu Dawud, Jihad: 1.
50 Bukhar, I'tisam: 10; Muslim, Eeman: 247; Ibn Majah, Muqaddima: 1; Tirmidhi, Fitan: 51.
51 Nursi, Kastamonu Lahikası, p. 23.
52 Nursi, Hutbe-i Şamiye (İstanbul: Yeni Asya Neşriyat, 1993), p. 28.

Allahs Messenger (Peace and blessings be upon him) says in one of his Hadiths: "An ummah (community) that I exist at the beginning, Jesus the son of Mary (Upon whom be peace) exists lasting the end and Mahdi (May God be pleased with him) exists at the middle (before the end) does not perish. 1

As history witnessed, the community in which He (PBUH) was leader did not perish. The community that Jesus (UWP) will live in during its last period and Mahdi, from the Prophets (PBUH) blessed descendants, (May God be pleased with him) will exist in before its last period will not perish.

Services, which Mahdi will do, are so enormous and important that, according to the narratives, not only the men on the earth but also the world and heaven will be pleased with his caliphate. 2 His emergence will bring about felicity for people of belief and for all of the creatures of the world and heaven. So much so that, birds, wild animals, fish in the sea will become delighted with his emergence. 3 Even dead people wish to come to life in his era on account of his services. 4 In brief, Allah will fill hearts with his love. In addition, Tawus al-Yamani, one of the Islamic saints, wanted so much to live in his era.

After expressing this significant truth, we should point out that, supposing or trying to introduce that Islam just deals with the hereafter and not with this world means lack of knowledge about the religion. We should also point out that prophets are not guides for affairs concerning only the hereafter but also this world and that Hazrat Mahdi will take the lead in every aspect, material and immaterial and will make reforms in every field.

Yes, Mahdi will execute his duty not only in the field of religion but also in the fields surrounding the life such as sovereignty, caliphate, social life and jihad (holy war).

Now, we will demonstrate his most remarkable duties referring to the narratives.

a. Reviving the Religion

Hazrat Mahdi is a mujaddid (reviver, reformer). God Almighty will restore the religion by means of him. 6 He will make Islam prevail again at the end of time as it was during the era of bliss, and will declare its exaltation and supremacy to the world. Said bin Jubair, author of Nuru'l-Absar (The Light of Eyes), indicates in the commentary of the verse: " to cause it to prevail over all religion, even though the Pagans may detest (it). 7, that the one who will make the religion superior is Hazrat Mahdi, from the descendants of Hazrat Fatima.

He also states that it does not contradict those who say, He is Jesus (Upon whom be peace), yet Jesus (UWP) will pave the way for Mahdi. 8

There is a statement in al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar (Brief statements) indicating that, just as the Prophet (PBUH) sustained the religion Islam at first, so will Mahdi do at the end of time. 9

Saadet-i Ebediye (Eternal Bliss) includes a narration that states Ashab Kahf (Companions of the Cave) will leave the cave and be the soldiers of Mahdi. 10 We do not know exactly what Ashab Kahfs resuscitation and becoming soldiers mean. We can only say that dead spirits will resuscitate and return to life by means of the messages of Mahdi concerning belief, like Ashab Kahfs resurrection. It shows us that the fundamentals of his messages are composed of the realities of belief that will revitalize man spiritually.

Muhyiddin-i Arabi (a scholar of Islam) states that Mahdi will sustain the religion that he will make the religion valuable again after it is regarded as insignificant and will revive it. He also says: Mahdi will apply the religion like it was during the time of the prophet."11

Imam Rabbani, the mujaddid of the Second Millennium, points out that the fading sun of Islam will again rise and shine by means of Mahdi. 12

According to the hadith narrated by Umm Salama, Mahdi will cause Islam to prevail over the various regions of the world. 13

It is stated that a withered branch and even a withered tree planted by him will turn green and come into leaf14; from this we can conclude that he is a man possessing wonders and that his teachings and guidance will give life to the hearts becoming dead with unbelief and that will bring them back to life again, as a tree refreshes.

b. Restoring the Prophets Glorious Sunnah (Practices of the Prophet)

Because Mahdi is a mujaddid, he will place the stamp of Islam on the face his era. He will get rid of the attacks targeting Islam and will restore the Prophets glorious Sunnah.

The issue is explained explicitly in this hadith narrated by our mother Aisha, the prophets wife: "Just as I campaigned for Divine revelation, so will Mahdi campaign for my Sunnah. 15

According to the narratives, Mahdi will not leave any Sunnah unrestored, and any bida (innovation) abolished;he will fulfill all the obligations of the religion as the Messenger of Allah did at the end of time. 16

In his book Mektubat (The Letters), Imam Rabbani , emphasizes that significant service of Mahdis. He states that one of his his fundamental duties is to revive the Prophets glorious Sunnah and to abolishing bidas. 17 While explaining the importance of Sunnah, he writes the following: the Sunnah and bida necessitate the nonexistence of the other. Considering this statement, reviving the Sunnah means eradicating bidas and vice versa. 18
He also mentions a modern scholar who strives to adapt the community to bidas while Mahdi tries to perform his duties of spreading the religion and reviving the Sunnah.

When Mahdi comes, he will face an overturned atmosphere. There will be a destruction directed towards Islam from head to foot. A great number of breaches will have been opened in the all-embracing citadel of Islam containing stones as large as mountains. He will observe that doubts piled and accumulated for a thousand years will have been brought up at once, the foundations, currents, and marks of Islam will have been destroyed, the collective heart and public opinion will have been seriously injured and the general conscience will have been corrupted.

All of that will be caused under the leadership of Sufyan (the Muslims Antichrist (Dajjal)). As for Mahdi, he will cure the spiritual illnesses caused by that devastating destruction with the medicines of the Quran. He will strive to establish the principles of the Glorious Sunnah that the enemies of Islam tried to erase from memories by means of bidas and waged war against. In fact, each of those principles are elixirs. Mahdi and his luminous community will repair the destruction of the bida regime of the committee of Sufyan and will revive the Glorious Sunnah. 19

c. Struggling Against Sufyan

One day, Gods Noble Messenger (Peace and blessings be upon him) showed Hazrat Umar one child in a group of Jewish children, and said: That is the very image of Sufyan! 20 Umar said: Then I shall kill him! However, Gods Messenger (PBUH) replied: If that is Sufyan, the Islamic Dajjal, you cannot kill him. And if it is not, he cannot be killed through his image.

Yes, Sufyan will come at the end of time and be killed by a community that continues jihad (holy war) for the sake of the truth and that cannot be harmed by any opposing groups or enemies 21, that will continue jihad victoriously 22 and whose last group 23 will fight against Messiah Dajjal and by their representative Hazrat Mahdi.

Mahdi will struggle against both the Great Dajjal who emerges to deny all sacred things and the Muslims Antichrist Sufyan, the unreligious and deceitful, who wages war against Islam and the Quran. Mahdi will kill Dajjal as a result of that struggle and repair the destruction.

Disclaiming Allah, the Quran and prophets, Sufyan, who sustains his activities systematically and hypocritically, fights everything related to Islam, trying to enervate and eradicate the fundamentals of faith, which are the foundations of Islam.24He will watch and follow Mahdi continually and will not quit the besieging.

So, Mahdi will serve and struggle under very hard conditions.

Hadiths include not only the destructions of Sufyan, but also Mahdis struggles with Sufyan as well. This struggle will not be, as many people predict, materially by sword, but in the form of a peaceful jihad, jihad of word, by means of reason; it will not be bloody but will be bloodless. Al-Haytami (a scholar of Islam) explains it as follows: People who obey him will perform this obedience between rukun and maqam (some sacred places around the Kaaba). They will not wake anybody from sleep, and will never shed blood. 25

Badiuzzaman indicates that Mahdi will repair the destruction of the bida regime of the committee of Sufyan and that this service will not be fulfilled by force and strength but by means of reforming and repairing, in his book Mektubat (Letters)

An interesting struggle between Mahdi and Dajjal is narrated in a hadith, contained in Muslim. Although some scholars such as Mamar and Abu Ishaq tell, that man is Hazrat Hidr, from the precedent and antecedent of the hadith it is understood that this man is Mahdi. It is understood from that hadith that Dajjal has soldiers for observation in his headquarters, which shows he will posses a great power of military and government forces. Accordingly, he wants Mahdi to be his slave, but as Mahdi rejects him, Sufyan persecutes and harasses him, doing whatever he could in order to make him ineffective. So much so that his back and abdomen are widened by beating; that is, his cause spreads around more and more.

Despite all the pain and torments he suffers, he does not bow to, does not obey Dajjal; on the contrary, his opinion about who Dajjal is becomes strong. He calls to people in a victorious manner: O men! There is no doubt that Dajjal cannot do what he did to me to anyone from the mankind. Then, Dajjal picks him up again. However, the place between his neck and his collarbone becomes a copper sheet, so Dajjal could find no way to cut him. Then he clutches Mahdi with his hands and feet, hurls him away. People think Dajjal hurls him into hell; however, that faithful man is thrown into paradise.

Those comments demonstrate that although Dajjal wants to kill Mahdi, he will not succeed. He will not be able to make Mahdi obey him, and his sword will not cut him. As for throwing Mahdi to the fire, it means to imprison him in the dungeons that become like hell during the time of Dajjal. However, his belief converts those dungeons into a kind of paradise because hell and paradise are in the world of one's own before anywhere else. Being an effective elixir, faith converts dungeons into palaces and flames into the water of life. In addition, it shows that Dajjal exiles Mahdi to the corners and desolate places but those places become full of gardens.

That Hadith in Muslim ends as follows: that believer is the greatest man in terms of martyrdom, before the Lord of this world. 28

Another narration draws attention to the struggle between Mahdi and Dajjal as follows:Mahdi and Dajjal come forward as they are race horses, sometimes Mahdi wins, sometimes Dajjal. 29 When Mahdi comes to Damascus, the community of Sufyan cut rampant trees and throw them into the Tabariya Lake 30
A group going to Khorasan defeats the community of Sufyan. 31 In the end, the Sufyan society delivers the caliphate (management) to Mahdi 32

As it could be understood from those narratives, in spite of everything, Sufyan will not escape from Mahdis sword. Is it possible to assume that Dajjal, who challenges the order of this universe that is governed by righteousness and truth, who hopes to get help from sophistry, lie and deceit, should not hand over his arms?

Besides, Dajjal will be slugged so grievously by Mahdi that it will not be possible to forget it. Yes, People who inflict blows on Islam will receive such awesome blows on their heads that they will not be forgotten until the Doomsday.' 33

We should indicate that Dajjal is a human being after all. What is important is to kill his ideas, his skepticism, and his destructive current, not to kill him. Dajjal might as well be killed by a virus.

Mahdi will emerge from among the Prophets (PBUH) descendants and will mess up and eradictate the hypocritical current brought about by that fearsome person who will come to lead the community of hypocrites, and will try to destroy the Islamic Shari a.34

Yes, this blessed man, who is from the Prophets (PBUH) descendants, who struggles against the destructive regime founded by Dajjal, will end off their mischief-making. Mahdi will also repair the destruction of the bida regime of the Sufyan society, reviving the Prophets glorious Sunnah. That is to say, the secret society of Sufyan will try to destroy the Sharia of Muhammad (PBUH) in the World of Islam with the intention of denying his prophethood, and Sufyan will be killed and routed by the miraculous immaterial sword of the Mahdis community. 35


Hazrat Mahdi will do it, with the collective personality that he depends on, with the community of Sayyids, who are from the blessed Family of the Prophet (PBUH), and with believers.

There are remarkable points in the course of the development of the issue:

According to Badiuzzamans comments: Sufyan will temporarily try to use the Turkish nation and Turkism, which for seven hundred years has been a flashing diamond sword, a mark of honor, in the hand of Islam and the Quran, against some of the marks of Islam. However, he will not be successful and will withdraw. It is understood from the narrations that The heroic army will save its reins from his hand. 36

Hope in Divine Mercy must not be lost. Almighty God will not cause to perish through temporary set-backs the Magnificent Army and Mighty Community of the People of this Land, whom He has employed for a thousand years in the service of the Quran, appointing them as its standard-bearer. He will once again kindle that Light and cause them to continue their duty. 37

Badiuzzaman writes additionally this footnote with his own handwriting (in the handprint copy) about the issue: He does not strike his sword on his feet, strikes it on his enemy, instead. He assigns his sword to the service of the Quran, makes the crying World of Islam laugh."

Mahdi, surely, will encounter some difficulties during his struggles and there will be people supporting him, and people opposing him.

Supporters of Mahdi

Neither Mahdi nor Sufyan carry their activities on their own. They both find support. Since that period will be a period of collective personality not individuality, Sufyan will depend on an evil community and Mahdi will depend on a community of truth based on the principle of solidarity.

At first, number of people gathering around Mahdi is very few. However, they are sincere, faithful and persevering. They have perseverance without any quail, bravery without any fear and sacrifice rarely seen.

Yes, their number was equal to the Companions of Badr, that is, about 313. Their group consists of people who are as few as the ones crossing the river with Talut (Saul), whose hearts were united, and who do not feel sorry for their martyrs and who do not feel happy when people join them. 39
On the way of Allah, they are not afraid of the reproaches of people who find faults or their gossip.40
According to Hazrat Alis comment: those people do not fear anything, and do not feel happy for any benefits.41
They are few but as strong as an army. Their power comes from their sincerity, faithfulness and solidarity. Therefore they are regarded as strong as and as precious as an army immaterially although they are few.

Thus, that numerous and powerful army is the Family of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace), the most selected army of Mahdi. 42

This Group with its loyalty, perseverance and bravery resembles Talut, who struggled against Goliath at the time of Moses. Taluts forces were weak. A small group that was self-sacrificing, and that suffered a lot said the following to the soldiers who were disobedient to the commands by drinking water from the river which was a test for them and who said that they were not able to cop with Goliaths army:How oft by Allah's will, has a small force vanquished a big one.43

Those people who depend on sincerity and believe that the tiniest act performed with sincerity will be equal to the size of the sun will not find it difficult to demolish the regime of Sufyan.

Those helpers who are not Arabs 44 will defeat any tyrant person. One of the attributes of these lionhearted people is that they pray during the night and fight like lions during the day. 45

Mahdis army will sometimes receive blows and sometimes some of their supporter will quit because of not being able to bear that hard duty, or propensity for leisureliness or fear of losing possessions, life or rank and some other reasons. However, they will not bother too much about it. 46
Neither quitters nor opposing people will harm him. Despite the departures, he will proceed with his way victoriously. 47
Consequently testing those of you who fought hard and remained steadfast. 48 will be obvious.

His Adversaries

Mawdudi says: I am afraid that the first people to oppose the innovations that Mahdi brings will be the scholars (ulama) and sufis. I hope he will have some qualities more different than an ordinary man in order to be recognized. 49

Unfortunately, Mahdi will not only encounter Sufyans obstructions but also the opposition of some hodjas (preachers, Muslim clergymen). Some imitative interpreters of the Law (Ijtihad) will turn out to be enemies of him. They will not like it when they see that Mahdi decrees contrary to school Imams but they will not be able to oppose. *

d. Uniting the Hearts

Making the imitative belief certain and ensuring progress and evolution in belief, Mahdi, at first, will provide a peaceful atmosphere with belief, which is the origin of all goodness and beauty. He unites the hearts with the unity of faith. He establishes friendship, brotherhood, respect and love so much so that a wolf and a lamb will live together. Thus, believers will gather a great strength.

According to what Hazrat Ali says God will gather a lot of people around Mahdi as He gathers the clouds and will unite their hearts."

Again, in a Hadith narrated by Hazrat Ali when the end of the world comes, mischief-makings and conflicts will rise as much as gold is extracted from the mine, people will become absorbed with disorder, Damascus people will be messed up with troubles bombarded from the inhabitants of the sky and it will be so weak that even if a fox attacked, it would be defeated.

Emerging with three flags of victory at that time, Mahdi will unite the hearts of Muslims, return them their former bounties, unite their views and soften their hearts. 50

e. Establishing Justice, Peace and Tranquility

Right is defined as something which belongs to a person; justice is defined as giving the deserved right to the rightful and placing where it has to be. As for oppression, it means to take the right from the place it belongs to and to put it in another place.

In a period when everything is turned upside down and tyranny has donned the hat of justice, people whose spiritual world turned dark will seek more than ever a saver who will establish justice. Mankind will expect a person, who is on the path of Allahs Messenger (PBUH) and in his style, to become the leader of the world and govern it, and also stop tyranny, ensure peace and provide justice.

Thus, Mahdi will appear at such a time, and will fill the world that is full of oppression with justice 51, will set things aright 52, and struggle until people turn to truth. 53

He will restore that world which is mastered by tyranny and despotism to peace and tranquility and Muslims will start living like the first period of Islam. No blood will be shed and nobody will be disturbed while sleeping any more. 54

In his era, the good deeds of the good people will increase and even the evil ones will be done favors.55

f. Conducing to abundance and blessing

Think of what will be realized in a world where belief prevails. Hard work, endeavor, activity, self-sacrifice, generosity and similar qualities will be flourish and these yield fruit. As a matter of fact, faith is a tree giving beautiful fruits, isnt it?

Thus, covered feelings will be budding one by one and blossoming during the time of Mahdi as in the era of bliss. Most remarkable feature of this peaceful and calm period will be the abundance and blessing as it is stated in narrations. 56

It is stated in Muslim that the Caliph who is indicated to come at the end of time - according to the scholars of Islam this man will be Mahdi- will dispense uncountable bounties. 57 As for the statement in Abu Dawud (a hadith commentator), it is as follows:

A Caliph comes at the end of time, gives bounties lavishly and does not count what he offers. 58

While mentioning the abundance and welfare in his era, a hadith narrated by Abu Saidi'l-Khudri (a hadith commentator) states as follows:

My community will reach such a level of welfare in his era that it will be unprecedented until that day. So much so that the earth gives its harvest and does not hide anything from people, property accumulates so much that when a man rises and says O Mahdi, give me! Mahdi says Here you are!. 59

Another Hadith:

My community will obtain unprecedented bounties in his era, heaven will send plenty of rain and the earth will not conceal any plants and property (that is to say, the earth will offer its underground treasures for men) 60. The earth will eject its treasures in his era. 61. The number of animals will increase. 62

In the encyclopedia of Islam written by a western author, Macdonald, this abundance in the time of Mahdi is expressed as: Muslims will reach at a level of welfare that they have never seen before, by following his Shari a. The earth will give all its fruit and the sky will pour rain. Silver coin will be disregarded; it will not even be counted. A man will rise and say: O Mahdi, give me! Mahdi will always say Here you are!. He will cast before him everything that he can carry with his shirttail. That comment is supported by this hadith narrated by Muslim: When my community approaches to degeneration a caliph spreading uncountable bounties will come. 63

Understanding the reason of this abundance will not be difficult at this age, when technology has progressed and production in agriculture has increased many times more than in the past with the improvement of seeds.

In his era, the number of Muslims will increase like everything else. 64

g. Uniting Mazhabs (Schools)

Muhyiddin-i Arabî (a scholar of Islam), in his treatise Futuhat-ı Makkiyya, tells that Mahdi will abolish mazhabs and there will no mazhabs left but an absolute and true religion. 65

Saadet-i Ebediye (Eternal Bliss) includes a narration that Mahdi will abolish mazhabs. 66

What is meant by abolishing mazhabs may be a return to the era of the Prophet (PBUH). To put it more clearly mazhabs will be united in his time. As it is explained in Words (from Risale-i Nur Collection) in the past, although Sharias (Laws) differed in accordance with ages and even different nations in the same age had different Sharias, the Sharia of the Prophet Muhammad is enough for all times because human beings have been created in a position to receive a single lesson and listen to a single teacher and act in accordance with a single Law; so, there is no need for different Laws. However, because all human beings did not reach the same level and did not have the same sort of social life, different mazhabs which are different from each other in details were necessary. When, like students of a school of higher education, the vast majority of mankind have the same sort of social life and attain the same level, then all mazhabs can be united. 67

So, at the time of Mahdi, mankind will attain the same intellectual and cultural level like students of a school of higher education and will proceed to share the same sort of social life. Therefore, there will be no need for various mazhabs and one law system like Majalla (An Islamic law code) will give ample answers for all the needs of Muslims.

h. World Sovereignty

Imam-I Rabbani tells about a hadith in his book Mektubat (The Letters). According to that hadith, the Prophet indicates that there are four kings of the earth, two of them are religious and two are unbelievers. The believers are Dhul-Qarnain and Solomon (Upon whom be peace) and unbelievers are Namrud and Buhtannasr. The fifth is Mahdi, from his glorious descendants, who will govern the world. 68

Another Hadith related to the matter is:

Mahdi will govern the world like Dhul-Qarnain and Solomon (Upon whom be peace). 68

It is very interesting that Mahdi is compared to Dhul-Qarnain in the hadith. Being one of the kings of Yemen, Dhul-Qarnain, who lived in the time of Abraham (Upon whom be peace), is known for his journeys, the struggles against different nations and especially for building the great wall against Gog (Yajuj) and Magog (Majuj) who were wild and boisterous.

The verse We completely understood what was before him mentioning Dhul-Qarnain who is also known as the Great Alexander came across a community, expanding between two mountains, lacking in understanding. People who were tired of their cruelty said. "O Dhul-Qarnain! Gog and Magog are people corrupting the world. Will you set up a wall between us and them if we paid you some tax? 70

As for him, he got ready to build a firm wall with their help. He stacked between two mountains with iron mass and filled the gaps with melted copper in order to consolidate it. After that, neither Gog nor Magog could pass that wall nor could they dig a hole.

This event is told of in the Surah of Cave (Kehf) between the verses 93-97.

It means that this barrier of Dhul-Qarnain undertook a significant responsibility against the terrorism of that time. In the time of Mahdi, the anarchy supported by atheism will oppress the world and Mahdi will set a barrier with the Islamic truths against terrorism.

Hazrat Mahdi, who will be known for his activities setting barriers against irreligiousness, will place the flag of Islam onto the tower of world castle. What we learn from a narration from Ummu Seleme, Mahdi, who is based on the Glorious Sunnah, will spread Islam all over the world. 71 However, his conquest will be in the form of spreading Islam, a peaceful and scientific way, not material.

He will fix the pre-eternal and post-eternal bases and principles of Islam, which are bright and fresh in every stage of time and which do not lose anything from their beauty, into minds and hearts; he will not leave any place where they are not heard; those principles will influence all people that read them. He will conquer hearts and minds.

Mahdi will show the exalted truths of Islam so brightly and firmly and he will prove them with so steadfast proofs that even obstinate philosophers will be silenced and they will not be able to find a point to oppose what he tells. All kinds of godlessness and misguidance will crash that firm barrier of Dhul-Qarnain and will have to collapse. No force will be able to stand against this sovereignty.

Those spiritual walls are the strongest barriers of Dhul-Qarnayn against anarchy and terror. Those barriers stop invasions of Gog and Magog, known as the Mongols and Manchurians, who were the source of mischief-making and corruption in the different periods of history, who always stirred up the currents of corruption and disorder, inviting the Great Dajjal in this age when the regime of Dajjal strives to rule over.

During the era of Dhul-Qarnain, innocent nations were oppressed by their terror. Dhul-Qarnain saved them from that disaster by building that strong barrier, which was impossible to open a gap couldnt be made on it.

Todays people are also in need of a barrier against both communism, which forms the basis of the system of the great Dajjal and the regime of Sufyan, which aims to destruct Islam and all the holy things. The Christian world that represent the collective personality of Jesus (Upon whom be peace) and cast off trinity, embracing the Oneness, and the Islamic world that is under the leadership of Mahdi are obliged to build a spiritual barrier in addition to founding communities and associations which to defend against that grievous corruption, in other words, against atheism. That spiritual barrier, which will prevent communism, the representative of Gog and Magog in this age, from invading the hearts and minds.

Yes, ample power for governing that days world is bestowed upon this powerful ruler, who managed to stop those predatory, anarchist, corruptive, destructive Gog and Magog nations, and Allah established his power on earth 71, and showed him the ways and the means to all ends. 72 He managed to do these with knowledge and power bestowed by Allah.

Mahdi will dominate the world, too. 73 Firstly, Mahdi, who is supported by bestowed knowledge and spiritual power, will get rid of grievous evils with his collective personality that is based on sincerity, perseverance and solidarity, and then he will establish his spiritual authority. By virtue of his explanations and proofs supported by strong evidence, unbelievers and unrighteous people will have to embrace faith or keep quiet.

When the threat of communism, which is the collective personality of the regime of Dajjal, had not appeared yet, in 1911, the great Islamic scholar Badiuzzaman informed about this emerging, grievous danger in his treatise Muhakemat. He indicated that, world, particularly Europe, is pregnant with an awesome corruption. Europe civilization, which moved away from religion, was starting to go into disorder; some currents of corruption and insurrection were starting to rise. If they did not hold the strong rope of Islam or depended on the truth of Islam, which is as strong as the barrier of Dhul-Qarnain, those destructive groups would demolish their civilization. Actually, they had already started to threaten their civilization. 74

In the next years, that disorder would appear and tyrannize the whole world, sweeping all barriers like a bulldozer.

Badiuzzaman expressed with sorrow that danger surrounding the community like an octopus as follows: Just as Gog and Magog caused corruption and disorder in the world through destroying 'the barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnain', so too with the barrier of the Qur'an formed by the Sharia of Muhammad being shaken, a dark anarchy and tyrannous irreligion in morality and life more fearsome than Gog and Magog have begun corrupting and subverting. 75

They were the footfalls in different countries of the atheism current which emerged from north and defeated Christianity, bringing up anarchy. Gathering the power on themselves by deceit, conspiracy and deforcement, those evil centers became executioners, and considered tyranny, despotism and blood as the only way to establish their inauspicious regime in innocent countries.

How would this grievous destruction be resisted?

Only, a barrier of the Quran like the barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnayn was needed if this trouble were to be stopped. The barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnayn was the truth of the Quran.

Yes, the invasion of the grievous current that ruled Europe invadingly and that were not based on heavenly religions could only be resisted by the truths of belief and the Quran that are like a castle. 76

What did not let the ungodliness invade us and stopped it is the truths of belief and the Quran while it has spread in Russia, over half of China and Europe up to now. Otherwise, against the immaterial forces of destruction of Russia it was impossible to resist by punishing only one out of a thousand. Only immaterial bombs are needed against this force which has invaded half of Europe in a short time and considers it lawful for vagabonds and the poor to plunder the property of the rich, for the youths to consider the daughters and wives of upright people as permissible. Those bombs are the truths of the Quran and belief which could to stop that awesome leftism. Otherwise, that universal force cannot stopped by the punishment of one percent of them by justice courts.77

So, it means that, the weapon of Mahdi for the world sovereignty is not material but immaterial. Immaterial power is so forceful that it can do the things that material power cannot.

Now, let us discuss the relation between Solomon (UWP) and Mahdi a bit. Solomon (UWP) was a learned man who knew the language of birds; he was a commander of creatures even the djinn: he was an industrialist that could melt copper and produce boilers: he mastered technology so well that he built magnificent palaces. How did Solomon (UWP) described by Quran in the verse: How excellent is the servant! 79 obtain such great bounties some of which we have mentioned?

Solomon (UWP) owes everything to this prayer he said:

"O my Lord! Forgive me, and grant me a kingdom which will not belong to another after me: for You is the Grantor of Bounties (without measure). 80
Allah accepted his prayer. Ever did he turn (to Us in repentance)! 81

Solomon (UWP) had wanted so many bounties but he did not disregard looking at them with the eye of gratitude and used them as means for the remembrance of his Lord 82.

His commitment of himself to the path of God yielded him so many unexampled bounties. He (UWP) was a king ruling the world. He (UWP) was so equitable. He (UWP) became a nightmare for the oppressors and an angel of compassion for the oppressed people. He (UWP) always sided with the truth and the righteous, helped the oppressed people and brought his land the peace and serenity.
Solomon (UWP) is the symbol of affluence and abundance. He constructed his land from end to end. During his 40 years reign, He brought peace to everybody even to animals, He provided them with a happy life.

However, although he had such a majestic sultanate, He had to undergo some disastrous periods.

There are some similarities between Hazrat Mahdi and him.

Hazrat Solomon was employed morally, so will be Mahdi.

Solomon ruled the world, so will Mahdi. It is true that Mahdi will not have sovereignty over mountains, stones and animals but, with God willing, he will has a service and works which can soften the hard hearts, convert the coal-like spirits into diamonds, resurrect the dead spirits with the light of belief and give happiness to the people of belief and sorrow to the people of unbelief by his services even if they are in the other end of the world.

Yes, Mahdi will rule over the world just as Solomon (UWP) did.83 However, he will do it with his collective personality. He will engrave the sacred truths that he advocates into the spirits and hearts. The existence, power and authority of those truths could be felt from America, to Japan and from Russia to Australia and all over the world. The rotten posts of irreligiousness will be demolished one by one and they will lay down their arms. The gang of corruption which consists of coincidence, polytheism and nature will be repulsed and dismissed.

Solomon (UWP) had a 40 year-reign. Mahdi will govern for 40 years, too.

The era of Solomon (UWP) was a period of abundance and bliss. The era of Mahdi will be period of abundance and bliss, too.

Solomon (UWP) had got his servants to construct his country from end to end. Mahdi will rebuild the mankind spiritually with his students.

Solomon (UWP) had been undergone some mischief. Mahdi will not be free of the troubles of the irreligious committee.

i. The Conquest of Istanbul

One of the activities of Mahdis is the conquest of Istanbul. In a narrative the following is stated; being the last commander of the community of Muhammad (PBUH), Mahdi who is from the blessed family of the Prophet (PBUH) and who has a fine character will emerge and conquer the city of Kaiser; Dajjal will appear and Jesus (UWP) will be descended from Heaven in his era. 84

The Prophet (PBUH) mentioned the issue so much that he stated that even if there were only one day to the end of the world, God would extend that day for Mahdi to conquer Constantinople (Istanbul). 85

Muhyiddin-i Arabi says that Mahdi will save Istanbul from Dajjal. 86
In narratives, it is indicated that this conquest will be without fight and with reciting La ilaha illallah, there is no God but Allah and takbirs (exaltations). 87 From this we understand that this conquest will be morally.
We know that the city of Kaiser, Constantinople, in other words Istanbul, was conquered by the Conqueror Sultan Mehmed at first and both his soldiers and he are praised by a glorious hadith.

The above-mentioned hadith attracts attention to another aspect: that is, Istanbul will be conquered in the time of the emergence of Mahdi and Dajjal. We can conclude that in some time in the future, Istanbul will be invaded but will be saved, and in some other time when it is absorbed by tyranny and corruption, Mahdi will come and conquer it morally.


-------------------------------------------
1. Nasai and Abu Nuaym (Said Hawwa, ibid, 9:339).
2. Is'afu'r-Raghibin, p. 146; al-Hawi, 2:66-67.
3. Ibid., p. 67-68; Rahbawî, Kıyamet Alâmetleri (The signs of the Doomsday), p. 162-163.
4. Tazkiratu'l-Qurtubî, p. 186; Sharhu'l-Maqàsid, 2:307; Isafur-Raghibin, p. 145.
5. al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 42.
6. Iqdu'd-Duraer, Waraq: 9a.
7. Chapter at-Tawbah: 33.
8. Nurul-Absar (Light of The Eyes), p. 186.
9. al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 27.
10. Hüseyin Hilmi Işık, Saadet-i Ebediye (Eternal Bliss), p. 1029.
11. M. Arabi, Futuhat Makkiyya, p. 66.
12. Imam Rabbani, Maktubat (The Letters), 1:565.
13. Said Hawwa, Ibid, 9:334.
14. Kitabu'l-Burhan (The Book of Proofs), p. 67; al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 43
15. Iqdu'd-Durar, Waraq: 5b; al-Burhan, Waraq: 85b
16. Rahbawî, Kıyamet Alâmetleri (The signs of the Doomsday) p. 162, 163.
17. Nursî, Mektubat (The Letters), p. 255.
18. Imam Rabbani Maktubat (The Letters), (Arabic), 1:234; Mektubat-ı Rabbani Tercümesi (Translation), trs. Abdülkadir Akçiçek, Istanbul: Çile Publishing, 1:565, 566.
19. Nursi, Mektubat (The Letters), p. 426.
20. Bukhari, Janaiz: 80, Jihad: 178; Muslim, Fitan: 85-86, 95; Tirmizi, Fitan: 63.
21. Bukhari, I'tisam: 10; Ibni Majah, Muqaddima: 1; Tirmizi, Fitan: 51.
22. Muslim, Eeman: 247.
23. Abu Dawud, Jihad: 4.
24. Tılsımlar Mecmuası, p. 212 (transferred from Isafur-Raghibin).
25. al-Haytemi, al-Qawlul-Mukhtasar, p. 24.
27. Muslim, Kitabu'l-Fitan, 23. Bab, 113. H. (H. 2938).
28. Buhari, Fitan: 27; Fazailul-Madinah: 9; Muslim, Fitan: 112 (H. 2938).
29. Nuaym bin Hammad, Kitabu'l-Fitan: Waraq: 76a; al-Burhan, v. 92a.
30. al-Hawi li'l-Fatawa, p. 67-68.
31. Ibid, p. 67, 68; Tazkira, p. 187.
32. Kitabu'l-Fitan, v. 50a.
33. Kastamonu Lâhikası, (Kastamonu Addendum) p. 55.
34. Mektubat (The Letters), p. 56.
35. Mektubat (The Letters), p. 413.
36. Şuâlar (The Rays), p. 515.
37. Mektubat (The Letters), p. 327.
39. Kitabu'l-Burhan (The Book of Proofs), p. 57.
40. Ibni Majah, 10:259.
41. Siddiq Khan, al-Izaa, p. 128.
42. Emirdağ Lâhikası (The Emirdağ Addendum), p. 259.
43. Chapter al-Baqara), 249.
44. Kıyamet Alâmetleri (The signs of the Doomsday), p. 169.
45. Kitabu'l-Burhan (The Book of Proofs), p. 57, 68.
46. Ramuzu'l-Ahadis, p. 476 (Referring to Ibni Majah).
47. Ramuzu'l-Ahadis, p. 487 (referring to Kabir written by Tabarani.)
48. Chapter Aal-e-Imran, 142.
49. Mawdudi, İslâmda İhya Hareketleri, p.
* for the Comments of Muhyiddin-i Arabi About the topic see: p. 164.
50. Hakim, Mustadrak Mukaddima, Part: 52; p. 318.
51. Abu Dawud, Kitabu'l-Mahdi, 4:107 (H. 4284, 4290.); Saduddin Taftazani, Sharhu'l-Maqasid, 2:307.
52. Bukhari, Kitabu'l-Fitan, 5.
53. Ibni Hajar, al-Matalibu'l-Aliya, 4:342 (H. 4553.)
54. al-Burhan, Waraq: 82a; Kitabu'l-Fitan, Waraq: 51a.
55. al-Burhan, p. 17.
56. al-Hawi li'l-Fatawa, p. 67, 68; Rahbawi, Kıyamet Alâmetleri (The signs of the Doomsday), p. 162, 163.
57. Muslim, Book: 52 (H. 67-69.
58. Abu Dawud, Book: 34.
59. Ibni Majah Kitabu'l-Fitan: 34 (H. 4083.)
60. Majmau'z-Zawaid, 7:317.
61. al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 45.
62. Mustadrak, 4:558.
63. Macdonald, Mahdi, İslâm Ansiklopedisi (The Encyclopedia of Islam), 7:478.
64. Mustadrak, 4:558.
65. Rahbawi, Kıyamet Alâmetleri (The signs of the Doomsday), p. 186-187.
66. Hüseyin Hilmi Işık, Saadet-i Ebediye (The Eternal Bliss), p. 1029.
67. Sözler (The Words), p 447.
68. Mektubat (The Letters), 2:251.
69. Kitabu'l-Burhan, p. 10; al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 32; Rahbawi, Kıyamet Alâmetleri (The signs of the Doomsday), p. 162, 163.
70. Chapter al-Kahf 91.
71. Ibni Kathir, an-Nihaya, 1:27, 28; Suyuti, al-Hawi, 2:58, 59.
72. Chapter al-Kahf, 84.
73. Ramuzul-Ahadis, 1:135.
74. Nursî, Muhakemat, p. 38.
75. Kastamonu Lâhikası (The Kastamonu Addendum), p. 111.
76. Emirdağ Lâhikası (The Emirdağ Addendum), p. 1:90.
77. Emirdağ Lâhikası (The Emirdağ Addendum), p. 2:297.
79. Chapter Sad, 30.
80. Chapter Sad, 35.
81. Chapter Sad, 30.
82. Chapter Sad, 32.
83. al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 24.
84. Nuaym bir Hammad, Kitabu'l-Fitan, Waraq: 59a.
85. al-Burhan, p. 74.
86. M. Arabi, Futuhat Makkiya, p. 66.
87. Şârânî, Ölüm, Kıyamet, Âhiret ve Âhirzaman Alâmetleri (The Death, The Doomsday, The Signs The Hereafter and The Doomsday), p. 445-446.

The important personalities that are stated in the accounts about the time near the end of the world are: Dajjal, Mahdi and Hazrat Jesus (Christ)... The first one is the person to destroy all of the things relating religion, belief, ethics, virtue and humanity, to inflict despotism, oppression and terror; the others are the people to struggle against him In a horrible period when Dajjal starts to inflict his actions, Mahdi and Hazrat Jesus are longed for. These spiritual saviors inflict great impacts on disbelief and become the greatest support and source strength, morale and hope for believers.

The Prophet (PBUH) mentioned both the big Dajjal and the Islam Dajjal Sufyan. Their characteristics and attributes are different. Since there were no limitations in the accounts some narrators and scholars were confused and mistook one for the other. Therefore they are regarded like ambiguous hadiths.

Dajjal

In the accounts the emergence of Dajjal was shown as on of the most frightening happenings of the universe. Therefore our Prophet (PBUH) informed his followers about it especially, avoided its sedition and asked his followers to avoid it.

He said, "There would be no creation (creating more trouble) than the Dajjal right from the creation of Adam to the Last Hour." (1)

and attracted people's attention to its big destruction and terror. In another hadith he states that Dajjal is more effective than the devil (2). The fact that not only our Prophet (PBUH) but also all of the other prophets without any exception warned their followers and wanted them to avoid it (3) indicates that the sedition of Pharaohs and Namruds will be small compared to that of Dajjal's.

The evil of Dajjal is so great that according to what our Prophet (PBUH) informs us when he emerges; people will have to go to the mountains out of fear and in order to be free of his evils. (4)

Our Prophet (PBUH) found it necessary to mention Dajjal during the Farewell Sermon in Farewell Hajj, in which he summarized the essentials of Islam, as he always did and warned his followers like the other prophets because of the greatness of Dajjal's evil and sedition. (5)

Dajjal is an Arabic word derived form dajl. Dictionaries define Dajjal as "liar, fraud, a seditious and damned person who confuse the minds, hearts, good and bad, the right and the wrong, who hides the real face of something by gilding it, who wanders everywhere."

In a hadith attention is attracted to his "lying and misguiding" (6) characteristics.

Dajjal is a deceiving and denying person who does frightening tricky things. The most terrible aspect of his sedition is the fact that he tries to take away people's beliefs and to destroy people's lives in this world and in the hereafter by setting up a system based on atheism. He carries out his sultanate based on atheism, immorality and lies not by himself but together with his committee that love him and with his system that he represents blasphemously and hypocritically.

Dajjal is also called al-Masih ad-Dajjal "The False Messiah" by adding the word "Messiah". The reason why he is called masih is that one of his eyes is blind. Masih has various definitions in the dictionaries. Some of the meanings that can be attributes for Dajjal are as follows: without eyebrows and an eye on one side of his face, congenitally imperfect, evil, ill-omened, liar, serial killer.

In a hadith he is mentioned as "Masih al-Dalalah" "The Messiah of Misguidance".(7)

Sufyan

In a hadith the following is stated: "During the time near the end of the world a man will emerge and he will be called Sufyan"(8).

His nature is explained as follows: "He is a frightening hypocritical person who will emerge during the time near the end of the world, who will make Muslims undergo hard times and who will try to destroy the principles of Islam."(9)

His wonders are mentioned a lot. Attention is attracted to his commandership.(10)

While the great Dajjal focuses on atheism and fights Christianity, the Islam Dajjal, Sufyan, fights Islam, which is the only true religion before Allah, openly. Therefore he is regarded as more frightening. Quitting an abrogated and falsified religion will not offend Allah as much as betraying the true, eternal and valid religion.(11)

There are widespread accounts about Dajjal

Most of the scholars say there are widespread accounts about Dajjal and it is impossible to deny it.(12) The great scholar Shawkani even wrote a book called "Explaining that the Accounts about Mahdi, Dajjal and Messiah Have Become Widespread". In this book Shawkani states that like the hadiths about the descent of Mahdi and Hazrat Jesus, the hadiths accounted about Dajjal have become widespread.(13)

Ibn Manda says it is wajib (compulsory) to believe in the emergence of Dajjal.(14) To deny his emergence is at least aberration.

Are there any hadiths about Sufyan?

Definitely yes. There are a lot of them. To say that there is not, arises from either ignorance or an evil purpose. When Badiuzzaman answered the claim of the prosecutor that "There are no hadiths about Sufyan" in the court he attracted attention to this fact:

"The prosecutor who says that 'There are no hadiths about Sufyan; if there are they are false' although he has not read the books of Hadiths nor has read the chapters of Quran, and although Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, who memorized a million Hadiths, and Imam Bukhari, who memorized five hundred thousand, did not have the courage to deny them, has broken the bonds thousands of times and committed a great error. It is a hadith but even if we assume that it is not a hadith, it is something that has been accepted by the Umma; and a number of aspects and samples of them which are completely true have appeared and been seen.."(15)

There are a lot of Dajjals. There are Dajjals of each century. We learn from a hadith that the number of Dajjals will reach to thirty.(16)

The Dajjals of the end of the world have a different place among them; because they are more frightening. There are two of them. One of them is the great Dajjal, which emerges worldwide; the other is the Islam Dajjal. Hazrat Ali (17) and some researchers call the latter Sufyan (18) and Hazrat Ali always talked about him. (19) Sufyan will emerge from among Muslims and deceive people.

There are a lot of true hadiths about Dajjal in a lot of hadith books including Bukhari and Muslim. As a matter of fact, there are no discussions about Dajjal and his emergence except for his attributes and actions.

The emergence of Dajjal is definite; and likewise the arrival of Mahdi is inevitable. There is no poison without an antidote. As we cannot think of Namrud without Hazrat Ibrahim, Pharaoh without Hazrat Moses; we cannot think Dajjal without Mahdi. If there exists Dajjal so does Mahdi.

Will the brain accept it that Dajjal will act freely, make any destruction, material or spiritual, he wants, try to establish the wrong but there will be nobody to stand against him, to fight him, to stop his destruction and establish the right? It is impossible to correlate it with the mind, science or religion; it is against the sunnah of Allah.

As Badiuzzaman says, "Out of His perfection of mercy and as a sign of protection for the eternity of the Islamic shariah He always sent an improver, a mujaddid (reviver), a caliph, a great pole, a perfect guide or a holy person acting like Mahdi during the time of corruption or sedition; He eliminated the corruption or the sedition, corrected the people and protected the religion. Since this is the custom of Allah, during the time near the end of the world He will send an enlightening person as the greatest mujtahid, mujaddid (reviver), as a ruler, Mahdi, guide and a great pole; and this person will be from Ahli Bayt (a descendant of the Prophet (PBUH))."(20)

Sources:

(1) Muslim, Fitan: 126.
(2) Ramuzu'l-Ehadis, s. 518.
(3) Bukhari, Fitan: 26; Muslim, Fitan: 101.
(4) Muslim, Fitan: 125; Tirmizi, Kitabu'l-Manaqib: 70.
(5) Bukhari, Kitabu'l-Maghaz: 64.
(6) Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, I-VI (Kahire: 1313), 5:372.
(7) al-Haytami, Majmau'z-Zawaid-I-VIII (Bayrut: 1403/1982), 7:348.
(8) Hakim an-Nisaburi, Abu Abdullah Muhammad, Mustadrak, I-IV (Bayrut: Daru'l-Marifa, ts.), 4:520; Kanzu'l-Ummal, 14:272.
(9) Alaaddin al-Muttaqì bin Husamaddin bin Ismail al-Hindi, Kanzu'l-Ummal (Bayrut: 1989), 11:125; Bursalı İsmail Hakkı, Ruhu'l-Beyan fî Tefsîri'l-Kur'ân, I-X (Istanbul: 1330), 8:197.
(10) Muslim, Fitan: 125.
(11) Nursi, Sözler (The Words), p. 158.
(12) al-Munavi, Fayzu'l-Qadir (Bayrut: 972), 3:537; Said Havva. al-Assas fi's-Sunna-İslâm Akàidi. trans. M. Ahmed Varol, Orhan Aktepe v.d. (Istanbul: Aksa Yayın-Pazarlama, 1992), 9:335.
(13) Siddik Hasan Han, al-İzaa, p. 114; Said Havva, al-Assas fi's-Sunna, 9:335-336.
(14) Saritoprak, ibid., p. 67.
(15) Şuâlar, p. 360.
(16) Bukhari, Fitan: 25; Manaqib: 25; Muslim, Fitan, 84; Abu Dawud, Fitan: 1.
(17) Gazali, ibid., 1:59
(18) Barzanji, al-Ishaa fi Ashrati's-Sâa, s. 95-99; Muhtasar u Tazkirati'l-Kurtubî, p. 133-134; Şuâlar (The Rays), p. 501, 504.
(19) Şuâlar (The Rays), p. 501.
(20) Mektûbât (The Letters), p. 425

One day, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said to Awf bin Malik: Very dark and intense mischief comes. Then mischief follows one another. This goes on until a man from my Family (Ahl-i Bayt), who will be called Mahdi emerges. When you reach him, follow him so that you may become among the ones rightly guided. (1)

Abu Saidul Hudri narrates: We feared that an important event would take place after the Messenger of God and asked him about that. He gave the good news of the Mahdi. (2)

Surely these times are the times when spiritual saviors are eagerly anticipated. As in such a time the expected person of the Final period, Hazrath Mahdi, will come, the importance of giving oath to him and following him is unquestionable. And Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) encouraged his community to this and said: Whoever among you reaches this day should follow him even by crawling on snow. (3)

In another one of his Hadiths, upon the question of Huzayfatul Yamani, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that after good, evil would come, and peace would follow the evil; when he was asked: What will come after this peace? he stated:

People will be called into debauchery. When you see a caliph that day, run for him till death reaches you even by biting the root of a tree. (4)

The caliph we are recommended to follow even by crawling on snow or by biting the root of a tree is clearly Hazrath Mahdi.

This issue was shown such importance in the Age of Bliss-the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)- that Ummu Salama felt the need to ask the Prophet: Will the Mahdi come? and he answered: Yes, his coming is true. (5) Moreover, in one of his Hadiths, the Prophet says, even if one day were to remain in the life of the world, God will lengthen this day and send the Mahdi (6), which means he will surely come.

According to another hadith narrated by Hazrath Ali, one day he looked at his son Hasan and said, As the Prophet (PBUH) named, this son of mine is surely Sayyid (gentleman, good-tempered and graceful.) Soon from his lineage, a man named after the Prophet will come; he will resemble the Prophet in his morals, but in his creation (bodily features) he will not. (7)

In his renowned work Şehrul- Makasıd, in the beginning of the topic about the Mahdi, the great learned Taftazani (Masud b. Omar) says: Sahih (authenticated) Hadiths have been narrated about the topic of the emergence of an imam (leader, great person, Mahdi) who will fill the world with goodness and justice. (8)

Who is this Hazrath Mahdi? Why did Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) recommend following especially him? How can we recognize him if we are to live in his age? As the man of the time of upheaval, debauchery, and vices, how and against whom will he fight? What are his qualities? Unless the answers of these and such questions are known, the function of the Mahdi and the importance of his actions will not be completely understood.

Who is the Mahdi?

The Mahdi, which means the person who is on the right path and who leads others to the right path, who is a great person from the Family of the Prophet, whose good news of coming in the final period is given to us, who is especially shown the right path by God, who is directed to the truth, who is saved from mistakes and faults in religious matters, who leads people, especially Muslims, to the right path, and who establishes justice in a world full of cruelties and injustice. The Mahdi is a great learned who will save people who are in unbelief and who have doubts and hesitations concerning faith; and who will fortify beliefs of believers.

In the Arabic language, Mahdi is described as the person, who has reached the right way, has found salvation and whom God shows the right way. (9)

In this respect, every Muslim who follows the right path is a Mahdi. We know that Hazrath Ali is called both Hadi-who shows the right path- and Mahdi. (10)

The Four Caliphs and their followers are also remembered as mahdiyyun-mahdis. Likewise, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, I encourage you to stick fast to my Sunnah-the way he behaved- and to follow my rightly guided and mahdi caliphs. (11) And thus, recommended us to follow them.

We also know that Hazrath Ibrahim, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Four Caliphs, Hazrath Hussein, Suleiman bin Abdulmalik and some Abbasid caliphs are also called Mahdi. (12)

Amawi caliph Omar bin Abdulaziz was called Mahdi; furthermore, some attributed certain Hadiths about the Mahdi to him. (13) We see that the Abbasid Mahdi, who possessed many of the qualities of the great Mahdi (14), fulfilled his duty in the political field. (15)

Therefore, the word Mahdi is a word with a wide spectrum. However, when we put the particle el (the equivalent of the in Arabic) before it, it becomes a specific name for a certain person and it is used thus for the renowned spiritual savior who will come in the final period as we are informed in Hadiths.

Sources:

1. Suyuti, el-Havi, 2:67-68; el-Burhan, v. 87a.
2. Tirmizi, Kitabu'l-Fiten, 34; Ibni Mace, Kitabu'l-Fiten: 36, Hurucu Mehdi: 34.
3. Ibni Mace, Kitabu'l-Fiten: 36 (H. 4082, 4084); Mustedrek, 4:465.; Ibni Kesir, Kitabu'n-Nihaye, 1:28-29.
4. Ebu Avane, Musned, 4:476.
5. Ikdu'd-Durer, Varak: 7b.
6. Ebu Davud, Mehdi: 1 (H. 4282); Tirmizi, Fiten: 52 (H. 2231-2232).
7. Tac V, 363
8. TAFTAZANI, Mesud b. Omar, Sherhul-Makasıd, I-V, Tahkik, talik Abdurrahman Amire, Alemul- Kutub, Beirut, 1989, V, 312; krş, et-Tac, V, 343, (Kitabul- Fiten, bab, 7)
9. Ibni Manzur, Lisanu'l-Arab, (Ibni Manzur, h-d-y md), 15:354.
10. Ibnu'l-Esir, Ebus-Saadat el-Mubarek bin Mohammad el-Cezeri, Usdu'l-Gabe fi Marifetis-Sahabe, I-VIII (Kahire: ts), 4:31.
11. Tirmizi, Ilim: 16; Ibni Mace, Mukaddime: 6; Ebu Davud, Sunnet: 5.
12. Ibnu'l-Esir, A.g.e., 4:31.
13. Nuaym bin Hammad, Kitabu'l-Fiten, İstanbul: Atıf Efendi Kütüphanesi (el yazma) no. 602, v. 53a.
14. Nursi, the Letters, p. 96.
15. Nursi, the Rays, p. 509.

A believer aims for the good, the justice and the truth to dominate. Apart from the major responsibility of ordering the good and prohibiting the evil, the believer should also contend with the evil. If the believer lives during the time of Dajjal, (s)he will do his/her best to contend with Dajjal.

The Messenger of Allah mentioned Dajjal as one of the things when he said: Whoever is saved from three things will achieve salvation...(1)

How can we avoid the evils of Dajjal?

He said If Dajjal emerges when I am among you, I will overcome him. If he emerges when I am not among you, everyone should try to do their best to contend with him. O servants of Allah, resist him and show perseverance.(2)

It is stated in the Ibn-Majah narration of the hadith, I will overcome him with proofs. It shows that Dajjal, who attacks all the sacred faith issues like Allah, the Hereafter and fate, cannot be resisted with physical power but can be resisted with spiritual power, that is, by proving faith principles with definite proofs. Basing his opinion on earlier important people, Imam Rabbani gave the good news that, A person from the Mutakallemeen and the scholars of ilm-e kalaam will come; he will prove all the principles of faith and Islam (truths of faith and Islam) with reasonable evidence and perfect clarity .(3) One can only resist Dajjal with the evidence and proven truth of that wise scholar.

Those evidences will be needed a lot because Dajjal will throw in front of the followers of Muhammad all the doubts against Islam that had been accumulated for a thousand years. Confused people will require strong proofs so that they can be protected from those doubts. It can only be achieved through strong evidence.

In addition, Dajjal will not refrain from coercion, tyranny and giving annoyance to make people accept his irreligious ideas. To be able to resist those things one needs to be equipped with strong Quranic and faith principles. One should not submit to despotism in whatever circumstance even if (s)he is executed. Even if (s)he submits, it will not be willingly. Eventually (s)he will triumph. the following is stated in the the Rays (Şualar), The people who will not submit to the absolute compulsion of the Big Dajjal will be martyrs and the ones who submit unwillingly will not become unbelievers and probably not even sinners .(4)

The people who do not submit to the oppression and tyranny of communism, which prides in taking on the duty of the Big Dajjal, will be martyrs if they die for that cause. Even the Christians who resist communism will get great rewards:

Seeing that in the end of time, there is great indifference to religion and to the religion of Muhammad and seeing that the true religion of Jesus (pbuh) will govern and will stand shoulder to shoulder with Islam; certainly, it could be said that the oppressed Christians following Jesus who face calamities will become martyrs (shaheed) in a sense. Especially the elderly and those who face disasters, the poor and the weak face calamities under the compulsion and violence of the despotic tyrants. Surely, I have learned from the truth that not only will that calamity act as atonement against the sin and ungodliness of the civilization but it will also be a benefit to them a hundred times As for the people who suffer that calamity, who assist the oppressed and those who struggle to maintain the tranquility of humanity and the essence of religion and the sacredness of Divine Holy things and the rights of the people, the result of that spiritual and the Hereafter-related sacrifice is so big that it will make that disaster lovable and a source of honor .(5)

Dajjal, who takes ruining and destruction as a principle, ruins every established thing and overturns the legitimate social order. He kills everyone who opposes him, jails them or tries to sideline them. The difficulty of trying to take care of the religion and to practice it is indisputably hard. In accordance with the principle, The most virtuous act is the most troublesome(6), as the troubles increase so do the rewards.

After all, one should show perseverance and should not make concessions even if it is very difficult. Prophet Muhammad said the following when the Sahaba asked him, O Messenger of Allah, what should we do if we reach that time:

You should have patience and endurance like the friends of Jesus (pbuh) (Eesa), the son of Mary. They were cut with saws and bucksaws and were crucified on trees. I swear by ALLAH, who has my life in his hands, that dying by being obedient to Allah is favorable to dying by being rebellious to Allah .(7)
The important thing is to be able to resist Dajjal with faith and thought. Dajjal sees everything materially, he does not accept the existence, the oneness of Allah and his sovereignty and possession of everything from the mote to the globe and he presents himself as divine. Dajjal will not be able to have any authority over the person who denies him as divine and says, Our lord is Allah. We trust him and we approach him. From your evil, we seek refuge in Allah.(8)

Struggle against Dajjal could change with the circumstances and conditions. The criterion in that should be the following hadith, Try to hinder the wrong with the hand. If that is not possible, then try to hinder it with the tongue. If that is not possible, then turn your heart away from it. The believer should do everything he/she can to struggle against him. The believer should never condone his evils. If there is nothing he can do, he is obliged to turn away from it. The believer should not keep silent and refrain from telling the truth lest Dajjal should harm him.

According to a narration, one of the reasons for the difficult test of Job (pbuh) (Ayyub) was because he kept silent and did not warn the tyrant Pharaoh. The people of Basaniya, on the other hand, had defended their rights and did not hesitate using sharp words against him. Job (pbuh) had chosen to be silent and mild because he wanted to protect his crop but he was responsible for warning the Pharaoh against his tyranny and ordering the Divine commands.

During the drought days in Damascus, the Pharaoh had invited him to Egypt, Come to us! For you, there is abundance and wideness here with us. Then, Job (pbuh) had taken his property and family and had gone to Egypt. The Pharaoh had given him some bounties.

He was in the Pharaohs court one day when Shuaib (Jethro) came in and shouted at the Pharaoh, O Pharaoh! Are you not afraid of the wrath of Allah when the people of the skies, the earth, the sea and the mountains are angry.

Job, meanwhile, chose to keep silent. So, Allah commanded: O Job! You kept silent because you went to the Pharaohs country! Be prepared for the calamity (test)!

Although Job replied, Did I not undertake the livelihood of the orphan? Did I not shelter the poor? Did I not feed the hungry? Did I not try to help the widow?, he could not escape the test.(9)

As can be seen, even because of some important affairs, being silent and mild towards Dajjal can bring about those kinds of results for the important people.

Apart from abandoning the struggle against Dajjal, to be in favor of Dajjal would, no doubt, summon more serious disasters. Even if the worldly life of the person prospers, (her) his Hereafter life will collapse. Even in this worldly life, the troubles and calamities will not be missing. If there is widespread support for Dajjal in a place, there is an invitation for general calamities like hunger, famine or earthquake because The general calamities come from the mistake of the majority. The majority of the people join them when they support tyrant people with their actions or when they undertake or become a part of their actions. So, they cause general calamities.(10)

As can be seen, the struggle against Dajjal is not easy. The influence of Dajjal is great and his despotism is fierce; and he will try to silence those who dare to struggle against him. The believer should not lose the sense of struggle and strive as much as (s)he can. (S)He should turn (her) his heart away if (s)he cannot do anything. (S)He should not approach him or his cause as much as possible and stay away from his mischief. The advice of the Prophet regarding the issue is as follows:

When you hear the emergence of Dajjal, stay away from him because one goes to him with the intention of refusing him but becomes a subject because he gives apprehension to the hearts and deceives and doubts them.

Another narration is as follows:

When you hear the emergence of Dajjal, do not approach him as much as possible. A person goes to him thinking that Dajjal is a believer, stays with him for a while and falls into his trap with his doubts.(11)

Approaching Dajjal in this context is not just approaching his body but also his cause which causes confusion in the minds and hearts. The system of Dajjal will continue even after he dies. He goes away by leaving a devastating mischief.

A Hadith advises us to prefer staying at home so as not to be infected with the appealing mischief of Dajjal. Prophet Muhammad informs us that before the doomsday there will be mischief like pieces of night time; one will reach the morning as a believer but become an unbeliever by the night time and many people will sell their religion for a piece of worldly benefit. The Sahaba asked him, What should we do when we reach such a time?" The Messenger of Allah said, Do not become infected by leaving your homes.(12)

The point is not to fall into his trap, to know Dajjal well so as not to be seized by his appealing mischief and carry out the struggle that one should.

Unfortunately, people who do not know Dajjal well can have wrong opinions and fall into his trap because of negligence and ignorance. The famous Dajjal can hunt those people down easily because he adopts methods like deception, fraud, and hypocrisy.

Dajjal is an unbeliever; he will start a war against Islam and will attack in every chance he gets. There is no need to say that people who know those things and follow him nevertheless will risk themselves. Even their deeds will not be useful for them. As the Prophet says for the people who submit to Dajjal none of their good acts will be of any use.(13)

What can we do to avoid the mischief of the Dajjal?

Certainly, I am warning you against Dajjal. There is no prophet who has not warned his people against him. Likewise, Noah (pbuh) had also warned his people against Dajjal.(14)

The greater the danger, the more protection necessary. Accordingly, there are warnings and preventive measures. As it can be seen above, the Munificient Prophet has made the necessary warnings against that big danger.

Because of those warnings, the Sahaba had expected Dajjal as a big calamity in a nearby place and a near time and they had prepared against him accordingly.

Nawwas bin Saman explains how the Messenger of Allah expressed that mischief:

The Munificient Prophet explained Dajjal one morning. He lowered Dajjal so much and emphasized (his mischief) so much that we thought he was in that date garden (in person).(15)

Seeking refuge in Allah from the mischief of Dajjal, the Messenger of Allah(16) had taught them this prayer that he often repeated himself: I seek refuge in You from the mischief of Dajjal.(17)

In addition, after finishing the final tashahhud of the prayer (salat) he advised us to seek refuge in Allah from the following four things: the Hell torment, the grave torment, the mischief of life and death and the evil of Masihud Dajjal.(18)

Including those Sunnah prayers in his principles of methods, Badiuzzaman also mentioned avoiding the mischief of Dajjal in the prayers he made after morning (fajr) and evening (maghrib) prayers:

O Allah, protect us from Hell! O Allah, protect us from all fires! O Allah, protect us from the religious and worldly mischief! O Allah, protect us from the mischief of the end of time! O Allah, protect us from the mischief of Masihud Dajjal and Sufyan! O Allah, protect us from perversion, false innovation (bida) and troubles!(19)

The Messenger of Allah also advises reading the first verses of the Chapter al-Kahf to avoid the mischief of Dajjal.

Among his mischief is that he has a heaven and a hell by his side. However, his hell is Heaven and his heaven is Hell. Whoever is tested with his fire should ask for help from Allah and read the first verses of the Chapter al-Kahf. Then, his fire will give coolness and peace as it happened to Abraham. (20)

In addition, apart from the narration for protection from the evil of Dajjal, there are narrations that say, One who reads the Chapter al-Kahf will be protected from the mischief of Dajjal(21), one who reads the last verses(22) and one who memorizes the first ten verses will be protected.(23)

What is the Divine Wisdom in the reading that chapter (surah)?

In that chapter, Allah, the Almighty, is introduced with His personality and attributes and it is explained how, with His help, Ashab-u Kahf were rescued from the evil of the ruler of the time, Dakyanus. One can be protected from the evil of Dajjal with the help of Allah. That chapter gives the believers that security. An important wisdom of the fact that that chapter has been read in mosques every Friday since the time of the Messenger of Allah, is seeking refuge in Allah from the evil of Dajjal.

When Muhammed al-Hejazi (d. 1625) evaluates the advice of reading the Chapter al-Kahf for the protection from the mischief of Dajjal, he says that Dajjal can only be resisted with the Quran. He explains the secret as:

One who is strong against Dajjal is strong only with the Quran.(24)

The tricks, doubts and apprehensions of Dajjal cannot influence, in any way, a person who knows the Quran well and who fills his heart and mind with its sacred truths.


1. Musnad, 4:110.
2. Muslim, Fitan: 20.
3. Nursi, Şuâlar (Rays), p. 152.
4. ibid, p. 504.
5. Nursi, Kastamonu Lâhikası (Kastamonu Addendum), p. 79-80.
6. al-Ajluni, Ismail Muhammad, Kashful-Khafa wa Muzilul-Albas (Beirut: Daru Ihyaut-Turathil-Arabi, 1351), 1:155.
7. Sharani, Ölüm-Kıyamet-Âhiret ve Âhirzaman Alâmetleri, p. 380.
8. Musnad, 5:372.
9. Ibni Asakir, Tarikh-i Dimashq, 3:194-195; Ibni Athir, al-Kamil, I-13 (Beirut: 1385/1965), 1:129-130.
10. Nursi, Sözler (Words), p. 158.
11. Abu Dawud, Malahim: 14.
12. Tirmizi, Fitan: 30 (H. 2196).
13. Musnad, 5:16.
14. Abu Dawud, Sunna: 25; Tirmizi, Kitabu'l-Fitan: 56, 62.
15. Muslim, Fitan: 110.
16. Bukhari, Fitan: 26; Musnad, 2:201, 233; 6:139-140.
17. Tirmizi, Daawat: 77.
18. Muslim, Salat: 128.
19. Nursi, Namaz Tesbihatı, p. 30.
20. Ibni Majah, Fitan: 36; Abu Dawud, Kitabu'l-Malahim (Deccal'ın Çıkışı babı) (4:117).
21. Abu Dawud, Malahim: 14.
22. Musnad, 2:446.
23. Musnad, 2:449.
24. al-Hijazi, Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Abdillah al-Hijazi al-Waiz, Sawau's-Sirat fi Zikris-Saati wal-Ashrat (Egypt: Darul-Kutubil-Misriyya, Ghaybiyat Taymur, nr. 26), vr. 251, 268.

We see in every religion whether it is haq (true, from God) or false, that there is a struggle of good and evil. In theAncient Egyptians, the Chinese and the Hindus we see wars between a god representing the good and creatures representing the evil, and the similarity between Dajjal and the evil creatures is seen clearly here.

While belief of Dajjal takes place by meaning in the false religions, it takes place even by name in the corrupt religions. Wee see that, in the 2nd century BC, Dajjal takes personality as a cruel sovereign in Daniels book. (1) It is possible to find many other personalities who have some of Dajjals characteristics in the Old Testament and the ancient sources. For example Namrud is one of them. The tyrant emperor Nero of Rome was seen as a prototype of Dajjal.

Dajjal who is the opposite of the saver Messiah is described as anti-messiah by the Jews. And Dajjal is believed to be killed by the breath of the Messiah.

In the Old Testament, Dajjal of the end of time is also mentioned. The evil forcef of Dajjal who destroys everything, prepares a dreadful plan, but is defeated in the end is mentioned in the book of Ezekiel. (2) Dajjal concept which also takes place in Zechariah and Joel shows itself in Daniel more clearly. Daniel sees him in person with naked eye and pictures a portrait of him. (3) This Dajjal is known as a big sovereign, commander of strong armies, who defeated three kings, and who destroyed temples.


Dajjal is especially mentioned in Christianity, too. According to St. Paul, it is one of the religious fundamentals of Christianity to believe in the coming of the Messiah in the end of time.

In the New Testament it is told that Dajjal will appear before the second coming of Messiah and will be killed by the breath of Hazrat Eesa (Jesus/Messiah). (4)

Dajjal is mentioned as Meshiha Daggala in the Matthew Bible. Meshiha Daggala is clearly mentioned in the Syrian translation of the New Testament. (5)

We see in a verse of the Matthew Bible, this is told about the false Messiah:

Students of Jesus asked what will be the sign for the end of the world. Jesus replied them: Do not let anyone turn you, because many will come in my name saying I am the Messiah and will lead many astray. And many false prophets will lead many astray, and many others will lose his love because mischief will rise. Only those who withstand until the end will reach salvation. (6)

In another verse, those false messiahs are described as to be able to show big omens and wonders. (7)

In the first letter of the John Bible, Dajjal is mentioned as antichrist as the opposite of Jesus. (8)
As it is seen, in those verses Dajjal is mentioned as a community rather than a person. However, most of the Catholic theologians agree that it will be a person. (9)

In the Mark Bible false messiahs are mentioned too, they are described as to be able to show omens and wonders that can even lead selected people astray and it is advised to stay away from them. (10) Similar warnings take place in the Luke Bible too. (11) In the John Bible it is mentioned that the Jews will believe in Dajjal and the following is added Because they didnt believe in Messiah. Bible commentators say that Jews will believe in Dajjals, who are more than 64. (12)

Wee see that Dajjal is mentioned in the guidebooks of the apostles too. St. Paul, in a letter that he wrote to the Thessalonians, says that the doomsday will not take place unless apostasy from the religion takes place and unless the mischief-maker man who claims to be god appears, (13) and that Dajjal will disappear with the advent of Hazrat Eesa like the darkness disappears with the rising of the sun. (14)

As it is told in the booklets of John there will appear many Dajjals who deny that Hazrat Eesa is the saver. In the book of revelation, Dajjal is mentioned as false messiah, monster, and head of the dragon and with similar phrases. (15)

Nero was made identical with Dajjal by the Christians until the 2nd century, and the same identification was made for Hitler and Lenin in our time too. (16)

The belief that there are more than one Dajjal is dominant in Christianity too. But he Dajjal of the end of time is bigger and more dreadful than all. A Christian writer-teacher explains it this way:

There are many prototypes of Dajjal. However, one among those many Dajjals will be will be more severe than the others, and will be the one deserving its name the most. As the other ones appear in various times, this real Dajjal will appear in the end of time. (17)

As it is seen, even in the corrupt religions -despite many changes- the biggest event of the universe, the most dreadful mischief Dajjal is mentioned directly in many verses. It also confirms Prophet Muhammads saying that every prophet warned his people for the evil of Dajjal.

In addition, those verses show that there are big similarities between the Dajjal belief in Islam and the Dajjal belief in Judaism and Christianity.

----------------------------
1. Daniel, VII:7, VIII:10.
2. Ezekiel, 38-39.
3. Daniel, VII:8, 24.
4. II. Letters to the Thessalonians, II:8-10.
5. New Testament, Peschitta edition, Matthew: 24.
6. Matthew, XXIV:3-4, 11-13.
7. Matthew, XXIV:24-26.
8. I. John, II:18.
9. Sarıtoprak, ibid, 1992, p. 34.
10. Mark, XIII:5-7, 21-23.
11. Luke, XXI, 5-9.
12. Sarıtoprak, ibid, p. 35.
13. II. Letters to the Thessalonians, II:3-5.
14. Sarıtoprak. ibid, p. 37.
15. ibid, p. 38-39.
16. ibid, p. 43.
17. ibid, p. 44.

There are narratives about Mahdi being from the descendants of the blessed family of the Prophet (PBUH)*. However, it does not mean that Mahdi will appear among the Arabs. Moreover, it is possible to infer from hadiths that Mahdi will appear among non-Arabs. For instance, in a Hadith reported by Tirmizî the following is stated, The Doomsday will not come till Mahdi dominates Arabs. 1 From this, we could understand that he will not arise from the Arabic nations because he must appear among non- Arabs if he is to dominate them.
In another narration, it is informed that Mahdi will appear from theeast. 2

Ibni Khaldun and Qurtubî, scholars of Islam, state that Hazrat Mahdi will come from Mashriq (east), Khurasan and Amuderya. 3 The reason why Qurtubi said that Mahdi would appear from the North Africa was because there was a need of a reformer and a guide then. 4

We are informed by another Hadith the following: Some people will come forward from the east and they will pave the way for Mahdi; in other words, Mahdi will rule among them. 5
This Hadith shows he will appear from a nation in the east or coming from the east, - Allah knows the best- this Hadith points at Turks who were in the east once and then settled in Anatolia.
In Is'afu'r-Raghibin, an Islamic book, this matter is explained more: Mahdi will not be separated from Rum, **Turks. 6
In a narrative which is included in the book Mustadrak, written by Hakim, as well as in many books of Hadith and which is deemed suitable by Bukhari and Muslim, a group described as people carrying black flags and their heroic acts are mentioned.
Here is the hadith:
Three men will fight near your treasures; they are all caliph sons, but none of them could be a caliph. Then some people carrying black flags from the east will appear and they will fight so bravely that no group has ever fought like them. The Prophet (PBUH) said some other things but I couldnt keep them in my mind. Then He went on saying: When you see the man coming with those people with black flags go and obey him even if you would have to overcome some difficulties such that creeping on the snow. He is Mahdi, the caliph of Allah. 7
In a narrative in Kitabu'n-Nihaya, an Islamic book, it is stated that Mahdi will be confirmed and obeyed by those people with black flags. 8
Sayyid Ahmed Husamuddin (May Allah be pleased with him), an Islamic scholar, in his treatise Istikhrajnama, noted about the emerging place of Mahdi as follows:
A man will come among Muslims and his glory will spread lights around like the light of sun from the highest mountain of Caucasia. 9
All of those narratives demonstrate that Mahdi will perform his activities among Turks.
Muhyiddin-i- Arabi, an Islamic scholar, who comments that the most of Mahdis enemies will be the muqallids (imitators) of mujtahids and when they observe that Mahdi decrees contrary to the School Imams, they will not be pleased with it, but they will not be able to argue; he also says that Mahdis sword will be his brothers. They will bow to him and accept his sovereignty on account of being afraid of his sword.

Muhyiddin-i- Arabî goes on as follows:
His apparent enemies will be faqihs (the scholars of Islamic Law). If his sword his brothers were not with him, they would decree to kill him. However, God Almighty will purify him with His favor and with the sword, and they will obey Mahdi. Their privilege among people will disappear, and even their knowledge of fiqh will decrease. Contradiction between the decrees of the scholars will be abolished with the arrival of Mahdi. They will be scared of him and will expect some help from him. They will detest him in their hearts, but despite this hatred, they will obey his decisions. 10

-------------------------------------------------------------
* See: http://www.sorularlaislamiyet.com/index.php?s=article&aid=9407
http://www.sorularlaislamiyet.com/index.php?s=article&aid=9414
1 Tirmizi, Fitan: 43.
2 Tirmizi, Fitan: 79.
3 Macdonald, İslâm Ansiklopedisi MEB Yayınları (The Encyclopedia of Islam –Ministry of National Education Publications), 7:478.
4 ibid., 7:477.
5 Ibni Majah, Kitabu'l-Fitan: 35 (4088.).
** Turkey was called as the Territory of Rum (Greek) in the past
6 Tılsımlar, s. 212 (Referred from Isafur-Raghibin).
7 Ibni Majah, Kitabu'l-Fitan, 34 (H. 4084.); Mustadrak, 4:464; Qurtubi, Tazkira, p. 186.
8 Ibni Kathir, Kitabu'n-Nihaya, 1:29, 30; Suyuti, el-Hawî, 1:61, 62.
9 Osman Yüksel Serdengeçti, Mabedsiz Şehir, Serdengeçti Neşriyatı (City without Temple,Serdengeçti Publishing): VI, p. 107.
10 Muhyiddin-i Arabî, Futuhat-ı Makkiyya, 66th Bab.

Mahdi in the Quran

Mahdi is not mentioned clearly in the Quran. However, signs can be found. If we think that mahdi is a savior, an improver, the verse and to every people a guide (1) can be said to point to Mahdi. In addition, the word muhtadi which means Mahdi is used in three places in the Quran. (2)

Mahdi in the Sunnah

In a hadith it is stated that a mujaddid (reviver) will emerge in every one hundred years.(3) The word man used in the hadith can be used both for singular and plural. It shows that the mujaddid can be more than one. Iraqi scholar Prof. Dr. Muhsin Abdulhamid says In a century when especially Muslims underwent a great recession, the civilization of jahiliyyah spread everywhere, virtues disappeared, notions deteriorated, people doubted religion, their beings were under the threat of non-existence and mentions personalities like Badiuzzaman, Afgani, Muhammad Abduh, as-Sinusi, Muhammad İkbal, Hasan al-Banna and Abdulhamid bin Badis as revivers. (4)

Mahdi is stated clearly in some Kutub Sitta (six famous hadith books), Abu Dawud, Tirmizi and Ibn Majah. In Bukhari and Muslim the expressions imam and khalifah are used. For instance, Ibn Hajar, Taftazani and al-Kashmiri say in the following hadith in Bukhari, What will your state be like when Ibn Maryam comes down and when your imam is from among you? (5) Mahdi is meant by the word imam. (6) Depending on this narration, Ibn Hajar thinks that the accounts about the emergence of Mahdi are true and he reports from Imam Shafi that the accounts that he is from this ummah and that Hazrat Eesa (Jesus) will pray after him are genuine. (7)

In Muslim a caliph that enabled people to lead a prosperous and affluent life during the time near the end of the world is mentioned (8), this caliph is Hazrat Mahdi.

Hadiths about Mahdi are present in most of Kutub Sitta. Abu Dawud allocated a separate part to it in Sunan due to its importance. Although some of the hadiths about Mahdi are regarded as weak, we should state that most of them are sahih (sound).

Are the narrations about Mahdi weak?

We know the narrations about Mahdi in Kutub Sitte and other valid hadith books are accepted by the ummah. There are not any objections that will regard them as mawdhu (forged, fabricated) in terms of hadith methodology. Although the forgery of some hadiths is mentioned by contemporary scholars in general, the general opinion is that sound hadiths are in majority.

Those who claim that these kinds of hadiths are weak refer to Ibn Khaldun in general and are in hesitation. As a matter of fact even Ibn Khaldun accepted the existence of sound hadiths relating to this issue though very few. (9)

Azimabadi who explained Abu Dawud writes that unlike Ibn Khaldun beginning from the Prophet (PBUH) all Muslims have believed that a person called Mahdi, a descendant of the Prophet (PBUH) will emerge, will strengthen the religion, will make justice dominant, will be sovereign in Islamic lands, and that this belief is common. (10)

In Nazmul-Mutanasir, Al-Kittani does not agree with the ideas of Ibn Khaldun and says there are a lot of hadiths regarding this issue and that these accounts are mutawatir (widespread). He also says that Ibn Khaldun is not an expert in this issue therefore it is necessary to ask the experts about it. (11)

Although Mawdudi says that most of the narrators of the hadiths about Mahdi are Shia and that during the period of Abbasids some hadiths were fabricated in order to support the caliphate –as in the case of the people with black sanjaks (flags) - , he accepts some hadtihs as sound. (12)

Although some scholars criticize some of the hadiths about Mahdi, most scholars think that he will emerge and that there are mutawatir accounts about this issue. These hadiths were reported by many famous Sahabas (companions of the Prophet (PBUH)), and many hadith books included them. Some obliqueness that is present in the hadiths is not because of their weakness but because of their ambiguity. The Messenger of Allah stated them concisely due to the location and subject. Because these hadiths that became well-known were accepted by the ummah without any hesitation, Kittani says they are mutawatir accounts in terms of their meaning. (13)

The Scholar Shawkani even wrote a book entitled the Explanation Showing that the Accounts about Mahdi, Dajjal and Messiah Became Mutawatir. He says that there are about 50 hadiths related to Mahdi. There are a lot of Sahaba statements related to this issue. Shawkani says the following to this effect: It is certain that the hadith accounts about the expected Mahdi became mutawatir. (14)

In Fathul Bari, Ibn Hajar says that the hadiths stating that Mahdi belongs to this ummah and that Hazrat Eesa (Jesus) will pray after him are mutawatir. (15)

Taftazani says there are many sound hadiths about the emergence of Mahdi and the descent of Hazrat Eesa (Jesus) and that although they are ahad (narrated by only one person), their meaning is mutawatir. Scholars say they have the conviction that Mahdi is an imam from the descendants of Fatima and that Allah will send him when He wants to help His religion. (16)

Imam Rabbani says the sound hadiths relating to this issue are famous and are mutawatir spiritually. (17)

Yes the ummah has ijma (consensus) relating to this issue. (18) As a matter of fact Dajjal cannot be thought without Mahdi, and Mahdi without Dajjal. If one of them is present, the other will be too.

Contemporary scholar Al-Bani sees the emergence of Mahdi as a reality accepted by scholars. (19)

Badiuzzaman has the following idea:
" Allah will send an enlightening person as the greatest mujtahid, mujaddid (reviver), as a ruler, Mahdi, guide and a great pole; and this person will be from Ahli Bayt (a descendant of the Prophet (PBUH)).." (20)


To limit the sound hadiths to Bukhari and Muslim and to have the approach if they exist in these two books they are sound, if not, they are weak shows the ignorance about the ilm (science) of hadith. How can sound hadiths be limited to these two or the other four books of Kutub Sitta. There are a lot of sound hadiths outside these books.

The inclusion of an issue in the essentials of belief is one thing; realization of that issue is another. There are so many hadiths that are not present in Bukhari and Muslim – like the hadith about the conquest of Istanbul - that were realized. Some of the hadiths about the time during the end of the world, especially about Dajjal, Sufyan and Mahdi are like that. What matters is to be able to interpret and explain them correctly. This is possible only by deepness in ilm. The answer that Badiuzzaman gave to the claim of the prosecutor who said The hadiths he depends on are weak, even fabricated, and their interpretation is wrong and they have no origins has the quality of being a criterion:
"All of the ummah have accepted it for one thousand years; and although a few ulama (scholars, scientists) decided by interpretation that they were weak most of the hadith scholars and ummah accepted them; none of the scholars in the world can regard the explanations that the interpretations of some happenings that will take place in the time during the end of the world coincide as wrong. Supposing that one of those hadiths is fabricated; fabricated means it is not a hadith, it does not mean its meaning is wrong; the ummah accepted that narration like a proverb. Calling these interpretations wrong is wrong itself and is the denial of the hadiths and betrayal to the acceptance of the ummah." (21)


The prosecutor said In a book it is said that all of the hadiths about Mahdi are weak. There is agreement that these are weak. Badiuzzaman answered this claim as follows:
"Whichever issue is not criticized in some books. Ulama reported in astonishment that a great hadith scholar like Ibn Jawzi called some sound hadiths fabricated. It does not mean that the meaning of every weak or fabricated hadith is wrong. Perhaps it is not certain in terms of traditional documents. Its meaning may be right and correct.

The fact that this reality has been continued for one thousand years by the scholars of hadith and the ummah is definite proof that there is no agreement in this issue." (22)


There are dajjals in every century as well as mahdis. Each of mahdis helped the ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) during their hard times. During the great sedition of the end of the world, the great Mahdi starts to carry out his duty.

The most important difference of the great Mahdi from the others is that he undertook many tasks like politics, religion, sultanate and (jihad) holy war. The Mahdi of other centuries undertook one or some of these tasks, not all. For instance, some great personalities like Mahdi Abbasi in politics and Gaws Azam, Shah Nakshband, the Four Poles and the Twelve Imams in religion carried out some tasks of the great Mahdi.

Some great personalities decided that Mahdi emerged because these personalities carried out some tasks of Mahdi. (23)

There are similar statements in Maktubat (The Letters):
Similar to the Great Mahdi who is promised to come at the end of time, one or more Mahdis from the Prophet's Family have been found in every century. Indeed, one of them was among the Abbasid Caliphs who were the descendants of the Prophet's Family, and had many of the characteristics of the Great Mahdi. The reason, then, for the apparent variance between the different narrations (concerning Mahdis) is that the qualities of the Great Mahdi were confused with those of the revivalists (mujaddids) who precede him.." (24)


Another important reason for the disagreement is the difference in the narrations about Mahdi. The scholars who interpreted the hadiths regarding this issue explained them in such a way that they imagined the mahdis would emerge in places like Damascus, Basra and Kufa because the centers of the caliphate then were in Madina or Damascus and that the whole world would know and accept them. As a matter of fact, if everybody knows and accepts them, it will be contrary to the principle of testing and trial. The principle in testing and trial is that the door should be open to the mind and the will should not be removed. That is the reason why many people will not recognize Dajjal and Sufyan. (25)

---------------------------
1 Chapter ar-Rad,13:7.
2 Chapter al-Araf, 7:178; Chapter al-Isra, 17:97; Chapter al-Kahf, 18:17.
3 Abu Dawud, Malahim: 31.
4 Prof. Dr. Muhsin Abdülhamid, 3. Uluslararası Bediüzzaman Sempozyumu, from the paper Modern asrın kelâm düşünürü Bediüzzaman.
5 Bukhari, Anbiya: 49.
6 Ibn Hajar, Fathul-Bari, 6:570; Taftazani, Sharhu'l-Makasid, 5:314; al-Kashmiri, Muhammad Anwar Shah al-Hindi, at-Tasrih bimm tawatara fi nuzulil-Masih (Halep: 1385/1965), p. 97.
7 Taftazani, Sharhu'l-Makasid, V:314.
8 Muslim, Fitan: 67-69.
9 Ibn Khaldun, Muqaddima. trans. Zakir Kadiri Ugan (Ankara: MEB Yayınları, 1970), II:
10 Canan, ibid., 14:77.
11 al-Kittani, Nazmul-Mutanasir, p. 145-146.
12 Mawdudi, Meseleler ve Çözümleri, trans. Yusuf Kara (Istanbul: 1990), p. 45.
13 al-Kittani, Nazmul-Mutanasir, p. 144-6.
14 Siddik Hasan Han, al-İzaa, p. 114; Said Hawwa, el-Asas fis-Sunna, 9:335, 6.
15 Ibn Majah, 10:338.
16 Taftazani, ibid, 2:307.
17 Imam Rabbani, Mektûbât, 2:250.
18 Abû Hayyan Muhammad bin Yusuf al-Andulusi, al-Bahrul-Muhît, I-VIII (Bairut: 1983), 2:473.
19 Sarıtoprak, from the paper Bediüzzaman Said Nursî'ye göre Mehdîlik Meselesi, Uluslararası Bediüzzaman Sempozyumu (3)
20 Nursi, Mektûbât (The Letters), p. 411.
21 Nursî, Şuâlar (The Rays), p. 360.
22 ibid, p. 364.
23 ibid, p.. 509-510.
24 Nursî, Mektûbât (The Letters), p. 96.
25 Nursî, Şuâlar(The Rays), p. 505; Nursî, Sözler (The Words), p. 310.

We think that if some points about the Mahdi are well known, the narrations and comments about this issue will be better understood. This is as follows:

-The issue of Mahdi is not included in the faith. That is to say; if a believer denies the Mahdi, he will not be out of the religion; he will only become deprived of his light and he will not benefit from his service.

-It is difficult to determine the Mahdi as a person. Almost every group tends to see its master or sheik as the Mahdi.

-It is different to be the Mahdi and to suppose oneself as the Mahdi. Sometimes some mad people go forth and present themselves as the Mahdi or Jesus Christ. However, the Mahdi invites not into believing in his being the Mahdi, but into Islam. A prophet says, I am the messenger of God; follow me. However, the Mahdi cannot say, I am the Mahdi; follow me, otherwise you will fall into unbelief.

-Every century is in need of a meaning of a Mahdi to save believers from despair; in other words, every century has its specific share from the meaning of Mahdi.

-Bediuzzaman Said Nursi gives very valuable information about the Mahdi. One of the most important ones of these is as follows:

This not the time of individualism. In the past, wonderful people came and performed valuable services. However, in our time, unbelief attacks as a collective identity. Against this attack even, the greatest personal resistance is bound to be defeated. For this reason, we must form a collective identity against this collective attack.

-Bediüzzaman mentions three dimensions of being Mahdi:
1-Faith
2-Life
3-the Sharia

Though Risale-i Nur serves mainly for faith, we can say that it takes the lead in also the other two dimensions. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was in the base of the cause of Islam and laid the foundation for the Islamic services yet to come. There is no obstruction for a similar situation to be also in question for the issue of Mahdi. In other words, the service of faith will affect the other two fields of service. On the other hand, while service is being made in the wide circles of life, it can be said that these services are fulfilled through the help of some extraordinary people. The great duties of the Possessor are borne only by His great people. Of course, in undertaking these sacred services, some champions of spiritual realms will be employed. As every forest has lion peculiar to itself, every field has its own peculiar brave men.

-Questions like Who is the Mahdi? When will he come? may sometimes prevent man from his real duties. Instead of this, dealing directly with active service should be chosen. We should especially avoid dragging the issue of being Mahdi into the field of dispute. As is narrated, while Said Nursi was in exile, a pure-hearted says, Master, dont be sad. The Mahdi will come and put everything upright. Said Nursi makes this meaningful reply: Let the Mahdi find you on duty when he comes!

No. If Jesus (UWP), Mahdi and Dajjal appeared as evident as the sun there would be no possibility to use the reason or the power of choice, everybody would be compelled to believe.There would be no difference between people like Abu Bakrs and Abu Jahls.

As it is stated in the Hadiths, if a Dajjal, who was as tall as a minaret, who had such a strong voice that all the world could hear him, and if the phrase this is an unbeliever was written on his forehead, who rode a wondrous donkey having a 30-meter distance between its ears, emerged, everyone would have to recognize him willy-nilly and it would be contrary to testing and trial.

Then theoretical matters should be veiled, profound and in need of careful study and experiment so that the goal of testing is achieved, so that Abu Bakrs may rise to the highest of the high and Abu Jahls may descend to the lowest of the low. If there is no will, there is no testing.

It is because of this mystery and wisdom that miracles are displayed only rarely, , The signs relating to the end of the world are obscure and open to interpretation; so are some allegorical verses of the Quran. However, the suns rising in the west is not like that; it will be so clear that everyone will be compelled to believe; the door of repentance will be closed and repentance and belief will no longer be accepted. In that case, even Abu Jahls will want to believe and they will be equal to Abu Bakrs.

Dajjal should not be expected under the name of Dajjal. He will be known not in his capacity as Dajjal, but as a despotic ruler. (1) Because of that, most of people will not be able to recognize him. He can be recognized through the insight of the light of belief. (2)

It is not expected and should not be expected that Mahdi will be recognized as evident as daylight by everyone as well as Dajjal and Sufyan. It is also contrary to testing. Eevery century should wait for Mahdi as if he is going to appear in their time and it could be stated that Mahdi appeared or lived in the past ages, as well.

As it is indicated in the Gharaibu'l-Ahadith, a commentary book concerning the Glorious Hadiths, Not everyone will be able to recognize Mahdi. Only people of wisdom will be able to recognize him through the light of belief. (3)

The descendant of Jesus (UWP) will be similar too. Not everyone will recognize him, either. However, he can be recognized through the insight which originates from the light of belief. When Jesus comes, it is not necessary that everyone should know him to be the true Jesus. His elected people and his close friends him recognize him through the light of belief. (4) He will not be self-evident so not everyone will recognize him."(5)

Man becomes specialized in a field in which he is engaged. A man who has a weak belief or who does not embark on the quest seriously, he will not see mahdi, Jesus and Dajjal; even if he sees them, he will not be able to recognize them even though he lives at the same time or is side by side with them.

Will Dajjal Know that he Himself is Dajjal?

At the beginning, Dajjal and Sufyan (Antichrist) will not know themselves to be so in spite of their all evil activities. (6) They will realize it later.

Many people narrated that the Islamic Dajjal, Sufyan, will be curious about the meaning of the verse by the fig and the olive and will ask about it. He will probably seek for a sign from the verse which says the man was created in the best of moulds, for himself and for his just built city, but in the following Surah, (Alaq) the verse Read! In the name of your Sustainer, according to jifr calculation and its meaning, also indicates his time and person, pointing out that he will oppressingly attack the mosques and the people who perform prayers. That is to say, that man with some extraordinary abilities perceives that a short Surah is about him, but makes a mistake and knocks on his neighbors door."(8)

The Belief of Shiahs about Mahdi

Generally, there exists a secret imam (leader) belief among the Shiah divisions, that is, Mahdi. Mahdi has all the attributes that the Imams possess. He will definitely emerge one day with the help of Allah.

The Shiah schools have a popular belief that the son of Hazrat Ali, Muhammad binal-Hanafiyya and imams died seemingly but they will come back.

The martyrdom of Hazrat Ali, the abdication of Hazrat Hasan and leaving the caliphate to Muawiya and then his death by being poisoned, and the martyrdom of Hazrat Hussein in a diplorable way in Karbala made Shiahs hopeless on account of losing the caliphate. So, the dignitaries of Shiahs spread the news that the caliphate will be taken over from Umayyads. Mahdi, at first, was assumed as a symbol who will take over a Shiah government, but later, Shiah believed actually that he will take over the leadership, and also, they embedded this assumption into their fundamentals of belief.

A group from Imamiya school interpreted the narratives stating about retaking over the government as the returning of the individuals and the resurrection of the dead. (1)

In fact, the belief of Mahdi el-Muntazar (expected Mahdi) varies among the Shiah groups. Instead of mentioning all of these beliefs, we will talk about the most famous of them.

Mirza Ali Muhammad, who is the organizer of the Babism and Bahaism, which derived from the Shiah of Imamiya, proclaimed himself being Mahdi. Then Mirza Hussein Ali who replaced Mirza Ali Muhammad asserted the same things for himself.

We observe that Mirza Gulam Ahmad, who is the organizer of Qadiyanism, which is supported by imperialists in India, proclaimed himself Mahdi as well as Messiah. Gulam Ahmad denied the narratives referred by Sunnah and Shiah indicating that Mahdi would be from the descendants of Hazrat Fatima.
Zaydiya, one of the most moderate schools of Shiah, founded by Zayd bin Ali in 740, does not have a belief about Mahdi. Jarudiya school introduced Muhammad bin Abdullah as the owner of the time by virtue of the name similarity. They spread narratives about it and brought about the obedience of the sons of Hashim, the sons of Abu Talib and the sons of Abbas. Later, Muhammad bin Abdullah argued with Mansur, one of the Abbasid Caliphs, and was killed by the command of him. However, his supporters, so as not to dissolve the groups who obeyed him, strived to spread that he had not died actually and would come again in the future.

Different Imams were accepted as Mahdi by different groups of Imamiya and they believed that Mahdi would come one day. According to Qitiya group, the twelfth Imam is the expected Mahdi.

According to Ismaeliya, which is one of the divisions of Imamiya and which is attributed to Ismael, the elder son of Imam Jafar, the Mahdi concept is necessary in order to be successful. They regard Imam Ubaydullah as the expected Mahdi.

According to the Ithnaashara, one of the two important groups of Imamiya, the twelfth imam Muhammad bin Hasan al-Askari is the lost Mahdi; he will come and carry out his duty one day. He disappeared two times. Firstly, he disappeared after his fathers death and this disappearance lasted until 940 and was named ghaybubah sughra (minor disappearance). During that period, he did not break off his relations with people and he communicated by means of four safirs (envoys). His second disappearance, started in 940 and has continued until today, and is named ghaybubah kubra (major disappearance).

Imam Muhammad Mahdi will appear when the Ummah is corrupted and dissension prevails in the community. He will put the world in order with his sword, and fill it with truth and justice. According to Shiah, the signs of Mahdis appearance have almost existed.

Shiah also give some evidence from the Quran. They also assert that the Hadiths related to the matter have unanimous testimony. According to them, denying Mahdis appearance is enough for being an unbeliever.

The Belief of Sunnis about Mahdi

For Sunnis, the belief of Mahdi does not take part in the fundamentals of the religion like belief in Allah, prophets or divine determining. It is not one of the indispensables of the religion. The Mahdi issue, which did not appear in the first period books of religious precepts and the Islamic theology, started to be discussed by the preachers after the second Hijri century (about 7th century) in order to give a hope to the community who had been disappointed. This issue started to be discussed after the 5th Hijri century, when the arguments increased, by Sunnis and was included in the Islamic theology books after the 8th Hijri century.

We do not observe that the first generation Sufis talked about Mahdi. Later, by means of witnessing, spiritual connections and inspiration, they started to mention Mahdi.. (2) Especially Muhyiddin-i Ibni Arabi mentioned Mahdi a lot.


(1) Âlûsî, Ruhul-Maânî, XX: 22.
(2) Ibni Haldun. ibid., II: 138.

Within the framework described in Islamic sources on the devastating circumstances of the end of time(*), does it not make it a necessity for a Mahdi to save humanity from that chaos?

If we pay a little more attention to the issue, the necessity and the inevitability of Mahdis emergence will become obvious.

The time of Mahdi is a time of disputes, turmoil and tyranny. They are like the complete darkness before the break of the dawn.

According to the narration of Abu Saidi'l-Khudri, the Messenger of Allah asked: Should I inform you with the good news of Mahdi? and continued: He will be sent at a time when there are disputes and tremors among my ummah. He will fill the earth with justice, which had been filled with tyranny. The individuals of the heavens and the earth will be consent with him.(1)

Mahdi is a person of a time of mischief. The Messenger of Allah did not neglect to warn his ummah against that devastating mischief and even stated that the mischief would come from the Islamic Dajjal, Sufyan. He also called their attention to that mischief when he warned his Ummah against the seven mischiefs. He stated that that mischief would originate from Damascus and it would be called the Sufyani mischief.(2) Damascus had been the capital for Islam in the past but it did not mean that it had to stay that way. Another city could be a capital for Islam in the later times. So, Sufyan could originate from another Islamic capital.

Other Hadiths called attention to that mischief, disturbance and immorality too:

When the world is in chaos; the mischiefs have appeared; when people waylay and loot each others property; when the elders do not have compassion for the young and when the young do not have respect for the elders, Allah will conquer the fortress of astray, open the closed hearts and establish religion during the end of time as it had been established during the early times. Allah will send someone who will fill the earth with justice when it is filled with injustice.(3)

There have been many calamities, tyrannies and torments on people throughout history. As it is mentioned in the previous narration, the end of time is filled with events that lead people to hopelessness and pessimism and demoralize them. There is the mischief of Dajjal whose spiritual destruction is so big and acts are so devastating that all prophets since Noah had felt the need to warn their followers against that evil.

The divine law and practice of the Almighty God has manifested itself in all ages as sending spiritual leaders to save people from despair. Allah had sent prophets to people who had gone astray to lead them back to the right path. During the end of time, which is the period from Prophet Muhammad until the Day of Judgment, Allah has sent important people who can be called mujaddid, murshid or a kind of mahdi to support people at times of material and spiritual calamities. Being sent during the times when the Ummah degenerated, those important people became an important point of support for the believers.

Prof. Dr. A. Salim Kılavuz states that the Mahdi in the Sunni system is not like the one believed by the Shiites and the Mahdi belief has been around as a sociological concept by saying:

It is a sociological fact that there is a need for a charismatic leader for Muslims to show them the way during times when they are depressed under oppression, tyranny and despotism and when they face material and spiritual trouble and crisis.

He continues by emphasizing this fact:

Then, by Islamicizing first on an individual and then on a communal basis, the Islamic communities have to and will bring out from among themselves in all times and all circumstances mujaddid (restorer) and mujtahid guides (murshids), mahdis and leaders who will maintain justice, peace and tranquility and who will exalt Allahs words.(4)

By relying on sources, Mawdudi, one of the important scholars of our time, states that common sense, our created nature and the way this world is going makes the emergence of Mahdi a necessity, be it in our time or centuries later.

He states that the common people expect a Mahdi, who will wipe out the unbelievers with one look, destroy tanks and planes with his curse, and who will have old-fashioned clothes and will have an outdated and mystic look and emerge from a madrasa (Islamic school) all of a sudden while the innovative inventors see it as improbable. He explains the question What sort of Mahdi? as follows:

In my opinion, the person to come will have deep knowledge and power in current branches and main problems of life and be the most modern leader of his era. The world will admire his governing skills, political foresight and strategic talent in war.

Mawdudi states that, on the one hand, Mahdi will spread the true Islamic spirit on the other hand, he will accelerate the development of practice and maturity. He also points out the following:

If the idea of the Islamic dominance of this world in terms of opinion, culture and politics is to be realized, then the emergence of a great leader who can realize such a revolution thanks to his exhaustive and capable leadership is necessary. I am amazed at the lack of common sense of the people who see the idea of the emergence of such a leader as improbable! Why should the idea for the emergence of a leader of virtue seem improbable and doubtful although this world saw sinful leaders like Lenin and Hitler?"(5)

Badiuzzaman, on the other hand, explains the need for a kind of Mahdi in every age and for the great Mahdi in the end of time. He states that, by basing it on revelation, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) informed us about a Mahdi who will rescue each age from despair, boost morale, reinforce spiritual strength, rescue believers from falling into despair when they face devastating events and connect the believers to the beautiful chain of the Islamic world (Al-e Bayt). Just like there is a final Mahdi in the end of time, each century has a Mahdi or maybe Mahdis from the Al-e Bayt.(6)

He states in another passage that, because of the perfection of His mercy, the Almighty God sends holy people like a corrector (Muslih) in times of trouble among the followers of Islam (ummah) or a restorer (mujaddid) or a glorious caliph (Khalifa-i Zishan) or a big authority (Qutb-u Azam) or a complete guide (Murshid-i Akmal) or a kind of Mahdi as a sign of protection for the infinity of the religion of Islam. They remove the trouble, improve the people and protect the religion of Muhammad (pbuh). Badiuzzaman continues as:

Because His practice tends to be that way, during the mischief times of the en of time, He will send a saintly person who is a most important interpreter (mujtahid), also a most important restorer (mujaddid), also a judge (Haakim), also a Mahdi, also a guide (murshid), also a big authority (Qutb-u Azam) and this person will be from the descendants of Prophet Muhammad (Ahl-i Bayt-i Nabawi).

Badiuzzaman states that the reasons are suitable for it and it is not at all difficult for the Omnipotence of Allah and goes further to say that the Ahl-i tafakkur have concluded that Even if there was no narration from the Loyal Messenger, it would have to be take place and will happen so.(7)

After those explanations, we could say the following about the necessity of the coming of the Mahdi:

Because Mahdi is a big spiritual authority who will repel the devastating mischief of Dajjal, he will be a strong point of support for the believers of the time. He will come when faith is in danger and there is an extremely rare and unique kind of oppression and tyranny and he will bring relief and will weave the existence and oneness of Allah to the hearts; he will sustain the delight of faith and will bring strength to endure calamities. It must be because of this need that, in one Hadith, the companions (sahaba) of the Prophet Muhammad feared of some kind of an incident after His death and they asked him. The Messenger of Allah gave them the good of news of Mahdi.(8) Again, it must be because of this need that the people of that time will seek refuge in Mahdi like the bees seek refuge in the queen bee(9) and they will love and respect him greatly. The Tazkira of Qurtubi states that people will come from all places and be subject to him.(10)

In addition, it is because of the greatness of the need for a Mahdi that, a hadith states that even if there is one day until the Day of Judgment, Allah the Almighty will prolong that day and send Mahdi.(11)

(*). See: http://www.sorularlaislamiyet.com/index.php?s=article&aid=9635
(1). Iqdu'd-Durar, Waraq: 54a; Kitabu'l-Fitan, Waraq: 51ab.
(2). Iqdu'd-Durar, Waraq: 23a-b.
(3). Tabarani, Mu'jamu'l-Kabir.
(4). Prof. Dr. Salim Kılavuz, Mehdî Meselesi, İslâm, Temmuz 1996, p. 16.
(5). Mawdudi, İslâmda İhya Hareketleri, p. 48, 49.
(6). Nursi, Mektûbât, (Letters)p. 96.
(7). ibid, p. 425.
(8). Tirmizi, Fitan: 43.
(9). al-Burhan, Waraq: 82a.
(10). Tazkiratu'l-Qurtubi, p. 187.
(11). Abu Dawud, Mahdi: 4; Tirmizi, Fitan: 43.

Mahdi is the last mujaddid (reviver) (1), he will continue his rule till the Day of Judgment. We learn this from the following hadiths:
"A group of people from the Muslims will remain on the Right Path and continue until the Day of Judgment to triumph over those who oppose them."(2)

"The last part of this group will fight Messiah Dajjal (Anti-Christ). (3)


We know that Hazrat Mahdi will fight Messiah Dajjal. So the spiritual leader of this group that will fight for the right path will be Hazrat Mahdi.

If that is the last group then the leader is the last, too. So there wont be any other mahdi or mujaddid after Hazrat Mahdi. His deep-rooted and permanent works and services based on the Quran have the strength to enlighten and meet the needs of his age and ages after that.

Those coming after him will be only his helpers and executors of his program.

------------------------

(1) Mujaddid: What is stated in the hadith is the scholars that will emerge at the beginning of each age and clean the religion from things added to it later and from superstitions. The above –mentioned hadith is : "Allah sends a reviver of the religion in every one hundred years." (al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 4:522; al-Munavi, Fayzul-Qadir, 2:281, hadith no: 1845.)
(2) Muslim, Iman: 247.
(3) Abu Dawud, Jihad: 4.

Is there anything that is not a miracle?

The water we drink; the air we inhale; the soil we walk on; the night falling onto us with its stars every day, the sun, the moon

Are all of them not miracles?

Once man believes in Allah, there is no mute stone, mountain and star and there is no being without a miracle. A humble, tiny caterpillar which suffers agony and strives in order to convert itself into a butterfly is a miracle. An egg or a seed is a luminous miracle.

The Divine Power inscribing the life program of a creature into the egg and embedding the projects of giant trees into a seed sends creatures into this field of practice called the earth. Not a slightest irregularity or purposelessness can be seen in the life programs of creatures; their reproduction is not left to chance, either. Creatures in all sort of environments live in a very good harmony. Destruction of this harmony caused by the interference of humanbeings results in damages that are difficult to recover.

If the discoveries of population planning of animals are examined carefully in detail, the way the Planner Divine Wisdom encompasses the earth pointing every point can be understood better. It can again be understood that the One, who planned this superb universe, created the creatures with miraculous attitudes, assigned the sun, air, light, wind to the service of living beings and assigned the plants to the assistance of animals, and made the animals help human beings, and assigned those particles of food to the cells of the body, is the Lord of Glory.

What happens if the population density of the communities of living beings rises? A biologic mechanism which stops population increase becomes active before famine starts. The hormone systems of the creatures work variously. Ovulation stops, the quality of sexual organs deteriorate. Psychologic behaviors changes: as it happens among rabbits, foxes, deer and rats

J. Calhoun revealed this important discovery by means of his experiments on rats in 1962. He gave plenty of food and enough space to wild Norway rats, prevented them from diseases and provided population density to rise. After 27 months, with normal reproduction tempo instead of producing, 5000 rats from 20 couples, only 150 rats remained. When the rats, left in a closed, limited place, reached a certain population density their habits started to change. Although at the beginning they got on astonishingly well with each other , later male rats started to treat the females roughly, females did not make nests or they made sketchy and unfinished holes; they gave birth in casual places and left their babies; and unprotected babies were killed and eaten by the others. Mortality rate increased up to %90 for babies and %50 for mothers. Most of the males, continually fighting, got weak at an early age and killed. As a matter of, there existed ample food for all of them.

Otto Koenig did a similar experiment too. He gathered some great white herons in a special place in the institute in Wilhenminenberg and fed them with ample food. The social lives of great white herons became upset, copulation rates reached an excessive number but the number of babies decreased. Fights continued fights and what remained from great white herons, which had snow-white skins, were miserable animals with dirty, bloody skins, and animals which trampled even their own eggs and babies. The babies who managed to survive could not grow up and even though their bodies grew up and the feeder was full of food, they went on following their mothers. They could not be mothers or fathers.

Similar incidents are beheld in natural life invariably. For example, seals come together in the reproduction season on an island as piled stacks and they lose their normal behaviors. There is an island in the Arctic Ocean around the offshore waters of England, named Farne Island. About 4000 seals gather on this island in the reproduction season. The cliffs of the island become like a meat market. Most of the babies that have just been born are trampled over by those animals or die of starvation. It is interesting that seals only gather on this island for reproduction and do not go to the other islands.

It looks as if they measure their population density on this island. Therefore, population explosion of seals is prevented. It looks as if a program embedded in seals DNAs commands them to take precautions against a possible famine which could occur in the long run.

Another example: There is an island called Royale Island in the Superior Lake in Canada. There exists a deer species called Moose; their population is 600, and they weigh approximately 800 kg. Twenty-four years ago, when the lake froze a pack of wolves, consisting of 19 or 21 wolves, from Ontario, crossed the river and proceeded to the island. Dave Mech and Philip C. Shelton observed the relationship between the wolves and deer within the scope of a study lasting 10 years. The number of the deer in the herd, which destroyed the island forests like a disaster, decreased rapidly after the wolvess came and stopped at about 600. As it is known wolves are intelligent animals with a strong social organization. They are ruled by certain methods. They walk around the island in two packs. The larger pack consists of 15 to 17 individuals. Their sexual lives are watched closely. Copulation exists. However, not even one baby animal has joined the group for the last 10 years. The number of the animals did not exceed 21 or 22. The living space of each wolf is one mile square. The number of deer stabilized at 600. The number of the babies of the herd is 225. Wolfs hunt only the old, ill and crippled deer and babies. They hunt only one animal for every 2 or three days and try not to disturb the balance.

As it is known, lions have a social life living in groups. Their feelings of motherhood, baby guard and care exemplary and perfect. However, when nutrition opportunities start to decrease, the right of nutrition belongs to the ones that are strong enough to survive. A baby lion can be thrown away through a paw hit of its own mother. Not heeding their babies which follow the group in a skinny state and which beg until death but do not get a share of food, female lions survive in order to secure the reproduction function.

There is another way to limit the reproduction in creatures: Smell!...

When the population density of rats reaches at a certain level, a smell starts to spread from the excretion of male rats and this smell sterilizes the female. If an unfamiliar male rat enters into the cage of a pregnant female, because of different smell, the development of fetus stops and this results in the abortion of the baby.

A similar mechanism functions among the flour insects. When the number of larvae increases to two in one gram of flour, reproduction stops. If a tetrad is put into water in which other tetrads live, the small tetrads quit eating and die in a short time. A big tetrad is enough to cause six small tetrads to die on account of starvation in 120 liters water. Moreover, when the water in which a big tetrad lives is poured into the aquarium of small ones, the result will be the same. It has been understood that a chemical substance adjusts the number of frogs in the water. The same things were observed for fish.


The adjustment in elephants is completely different. Having very strong social lives and being very intelligent, elephants immigrate to suitable environments when a problem appears. There was not even one elephant in Serengeti Park in the East Africa 30 years ago. Grzimek, a scientist, counted 60 elephants in 1958; their number increased to 800 in 1964 and to 2000 in 1967.

Ten thousand elephants gathered in the national park near Kurkizon waterfall in Uganda. When elephant groups were unable to take shelter in the national parks, they made everything upside down. However, a short time later, it was observed that they started to adjust their population growth. Population increase did not degenerate elephants life. Contrarily, as normal and healthy females continued their lives, the females lengthened the intervals between births, and the duration between birth and copulation which was normally 2-3 months was observed to increase up to 6-10 months.

While the population planning is controlled with firm methods in most of the animals, an uncontrolled reproduction is seen in lemmings and grasshoppers. However, it was observed that even rabbits which invaded Australia like a disaster in the past formed an adaptation mechanism eventually. Thomas Austin left 24 rabbits in the island in 1959. (Then, it is known that, sailors used to take living creatures with them for long voyages.) The number of the rabbits increased up to 22 million in six years and destroyed catastrophically the natural flora of the continent. Hunting, poisoning, injecting illnesses via viruses did not suffice for the struggle against that disaster. However, in the course of time, it was observed that rabbits adjusted their population density. Males did not copulate with females during dry seasons, even if they did, pregnant animals aborted their babies. However, in rainy years reproduction rate increases.

Let us return to lemmings and grasshoppers. Millions of lemmings, a species of rats and gnawing animals living in Scandinavia, covered everywhere and pullulated as if they emerged from the earth in the spring of 1967. Then, as if they became mad all together, they passed, in colonies several kilometers long, the tundra of Alaska, mountains, rivers, and lakes and moved forward to one direction. After 200 miles of a journey, they arrived at the cliffs of Barrow foreland and dropped themselves down to icy water of the Arctic Ocean from those cliffs without any hesitation and died.

A similar incident was observed in Africa on the antelopes which have become extinct now. It is known that when their population increase very much, groups of animals including about 50.000 participants immigrate crazily to the deserts and die there. It is not different for grasshoppers. They live in their environment until reaching a certain population density. Once the population density reaches a certain level, a sudden alteration occurs: they get tall, their colors differ, they soon form groups and finally billions of them move away to deserts and seas in groups by ruining all plants they come upon and die.

It is witnessed that some grasshopper groups reach to the middle of Atlantic, 3200 miles away from Africa. There is also evidence about that they adjust not only the birth rate but also the genders.

Male and female organisms have the same chances to come into existence from biological aspect. When something disturbs the balance between the males and females, the balance is maintained again by a regulation mechanism, which the scientist have not comprehended yet. If the number of males is more, the number of birth of females rises and it continues until both sides have equal populations; similarly, if the number of females is more, then the number of birth of males rises.

Those regulation mechanisms are seen among human beings too. It is particularly seen after wars obviously. Most of the newborn babies are male in a country which has lost most of its male population on account of war.

What concerns us is the Power that controls those physiologic mechanisms and the Knowledge and Power that decides it to operate rather than those mechanisms themselves. Neither humans nor animals could determine and affect the gender of a baby. In spite of that, the gender distribution functions as if it is a law; living beings continue their lives in groups and divisions.

Who other than the One possessing boundless power, governing the sun, earth, seas, and mountains in short the cosmos and assigns them to the assistance of life, and infinite wisdom could interfere in this administration which is wondrous to the utmost degree. If one, who cannot administer all those species and nations which are one within the other, interferes with one of them, he will cause a lot disorder. A butterfly manifests its Creator; so, is the perfect harmony and plan among the creatures not a luminous wonder manifesting our Lord?

The fact that the belief of Mahdi and Dajjal (Anti-Christ) are present in almost all religions in some form does not necessarily show that it is wrong, nor does it show that it was influenced by them. On the contrary it may be evidence that it is an important question that interests the whole humanity. To confirm the true aspects and correct the wrong aspects of the heavenly religions is one of the reasons why Islam came, isnt it?

Mawdudi sees the view claiming that the belief of Mahdi is present in only the communities of other religions as a void belief and says the following:
I think our Prophet (PBUH) and the prophets before him may have said to their followers that before the end of the world Islam will emerge as the religion of the world, human beings will have to take shelter in the –ism of Allah after trying many –isms that are their own inventions or beliefs of human beings who suffers from grief and hopelessness and that it will be possible to be carried out by a leader who will act in accordance with the criteria presented by the Prophet (PBUH), and who will work hard to spread the Islam with its original identity. Which aspect of such good news is wrong?

When Mawdudi explains that the belief of Mahdi is present in non-Muslim communities, he says they took it from the accounts of other prophets but they interpreted by adding superstitions.(1)

Cant have Israiliyyat (Judaica:knowledge based ob Jewish sources) penetrated into Islamic sources?
It is possible. However, investigative Islamic scholars who acted very sensitively had worked hard to clean out the Israiliyyat that penetrated. While the hadith that Dajjal was tied in an island and the hadith of Ibn Sayyad were criticized in some ways, the narrations relating to Israiliyyat were cleaned out one by one. For instance, Ibn Hacar Asqalani points out that some hadith can be taken from the People of the Book (Jews and Christians). According to him the narration meaning Twelve thousand males and seven thousand females will escape from Dajjal and the narration Dajjal is not a man, he is a devil fastened with a chain of sixty rings can be taken from the People of the Book.(2)

------------------------
(1) Abul-Ala al-Mawdudi, İslâmda İhyâ Hareketleri, trans. Halil Zefir. (Ankara: Hilal Yayınları: 1967)
(2) Ibn Hacar al-Asqalani, Fathu'l-Barî (Riyad: Muhibbuddin al-Hatip v.d. nşr.:1389), 16:205.

Our Prophet (PBUH) observed the things through the vision of prophethood that would happen in the future with the permission of Allah; he saw that the guides like Zaynul-Abidin, Jafar Sadik, Shah Gaylani, Shah-Nakshband would be of his descent that each one of them would function as the source and guard of his sunnah that they would hold it tightly; so he wanted his ummah to gather around them. The same thing is valid for the frightening time during the end of the world for Mahdi who is a glimmer of hope for the ummah. If preferring the relatives were in question here, it would be the same thing as we pray for the Family of Ibrahim in the prayer when we sit (tashahhud). Why the Family of Ibrahim but not somebody else?
With his vision which penetrated the ghaib (unseen, unknown), the Most Noble Prophet (PBUH) saw that his Family would become like a light-giving tree within the world of Islam. The overwhelming majority of those who would perform the duty of guides instructing every level of the World of Islam in human attainment and perfection would emerge from his Family. He divined that his Community's prayer for his Family in the final section of the prescribed prayers: O God, grant blessings to our master Muhammad and to the Family of our master Muhammad, as You granted blessings to Ibrahim and to the Family of Ibrahim; indeed, You are Worthy of Praise, Most Exalted would be accepted. That is to say, like the vast majority of the luminous guides among the people of Ibrahim were prophets of the family and line of Ibrahim, he saw in his Community also, the spiritual poles of the Family of Muhammad performing the great duties of Islam, and in most of the paths and Sufi orders, like the prophets of Israel.."(1)

It shows that here closeness to Allah is in question as it is with the Family of Ibrahim, not closeness of relation. Therefore the Messenger of Allah recommended Hazrat Mahdi to his ummah.

Being a mahdi, like being a prophet, is not a position to be achieved by hard work or effort. It is Allahs gift, so Allah gives it to whomever He wants, of course to the person who most deserves it. It cannot be seen as a privilege that most of the prophets are descendants of Hazrat Ibrahim; similarly that Mahdi is of the descent of our Prophet is not a privilege. There is no logic or point in misinterpreting or envying it.

---------------------
(1) Lemalar (The Flash Collection), Dördüncü Lem'a (the fourth flashes)

It has been observed since around one thousand and four hundred years that many leaders, charlatans, revolutionaries, insane persons and their followers who hoped help from Mahdi and Mahdihood for the sake of political, religious, national, commercial and other numerous benefits.(1)

It is true but striving to adduce proof in order to refute the belief of Mahdihood because Mahdihood is exploited is wrong. Is there any issue which has not been exploited yet or is not possible to be exploited?

Did some people not attempt to exploit even the prophethood, although it is based on firm proofs? People, such as Musaylama the Liar and Aswad al-Ansî had declared their prophethood even in the era of bliss; some individuals such as Nimrod and Pharaoh had enunciated themselves to be God; so the exploitation of Mahdihood is unavoidable. however, at this point, it is necessary to be able to put everything where they should be, to explain Mahdi to people in the way the religion described it and to be able to reflect the truth. As a matter of fact, this is incumbent upon the scholars. Then, exploitations would not possess any importance.

Thus, wrong acts like not to to put everything where they should be or not to understand the Hadiths in the way that they should be understood, to deny the hadiths by just giving importance to their explicit meanings to wait for Dajjal, Mahdi and Jesus (UWP) in a manner contrary to divine events, natural laws and the secret of testing and trial become inevitable.
These lines demonstrate this truth very well:

On account of not understanding the actual meanings of the sound Hadiths (sahih Hadiths) concerning the descension of Jesus (UWP) and his killing Dajjal at the end of time, some explicit scholars began to suspect by regarding their explicit meanings. They harm ordinary Muslims by denying the authenticity of those Hadiths or giving some superstition meanings to them and waiting for a situation which is virtually impossible. As for irreligious people, by evidencing those Hadiths which are illogical extrinsically, they despise and attack the truths of Islam.(2)

Therefore, the true interpretations of those obscure Hadiths should be revealed.

An Accurate Belief of Mahdi

The inaccurate ones of everything are harmful or dangerous; so, an incorrect belief of Mahdi would cause many difficulties or harms. Trying to learn its truth should not be avoided. The truth is the one which is free from excessivenesses. The incident which occurred during the conquest of Istanbul is a good example relating to the issue: Sultan Fatih (The conqueror) gathered the government men and famous scholars in Edirne, in the first year of his ascendance to the throne. He held a consultation with them on the issue of the conquest of Istanbul he had been dreaming since his childhood. However the participants of the meeting did not consider it right to launch the conquest campaign. They showed the reason that the conquest of Istanbul would only be realized by Mahdi. Akshamsaddin, one of the Islamic scholars and the teacher of Sultan Fatih, interfered with the situation and gave the following explanation: Sultan Fatih Khan will conquer Istanbul first. Then, Europeans will take it over again. After that Mahdi will save and conquer Istanbul. Later, they debated and compared the ideas and started to prepare for the campaign by finding the idea of Aksemseddin justified. (3)

As it is seen in this example, knowing the truth of something and advocating it is different from advocating a wrong topic. The truth should not be forsaken because of the considerations of doing something wrong. Definite benefits should not be sacrificed for imaginary harms. (4)

Some Pious Peoples Thinking of Themselves as Mahdi

Apart from exploiters, we observe some pious people that attempted to claim themselves to be Mahdi, and some of them accepted this label with silence. What could its reason be?

This question is answered in Mektubat (The Letters) as follows:
I have also seen many people who thought themselves to be a sort of Mahdi, and they said that they were going to be Mahdi. These people are not liars and deceivers, they are deceived. They suppose what they see to be reality. As the Divine Names have manifestations from the sphere of the Sublime Throne down to an atom, and the places of manifestation differ in that relation, so the degrees of sainthood, which consist of manifesting the Names, differ in the same way.

The most important reason for the confusion is this: In some of the stations of the saints, the characteristics of Mahdis function are found, or there is a special relation with the Supreme Spiritual Pole, or with Khidr; there are certain stations which are connected with certain famous persons. In fact, the stations are called the station of Khidr, the station of Uways, or the station of Mahdi.

As a consequence of this, those who attain to these stations, or to minor samples or shadows of them, suppose themselves to be the famous persons related with the station. They suppose themselves to be Khidr, or Mahdi, or the Supreme Spiritual Pole. If such a person has no ego which seeks rank or position, then he is not condemned to that state. His excessive high-flown claims are considered to be ecstatic utterances; he is probably not responsible for them. But if his ego is secretly set on acquiring rank and position, and if he defeated by his ego, and leaves off thanks and becomes proud, from there he will gradually fall into conceit, or else fall to the depths of madness, or deviate from the path of truth. For he reckons the great saints to be like himself and his good opinion of them is destroyed. Because however arrogant a soul is, it still perceives its own faults. Comparing those great saints with himself, he imagines them to be at fault. His respect towards the prophets even lessens.

It is necessary for those afflicted with this state to hold fast to the balance of the Sharia, and take for themselves the rules of the scholars of the principles of religion, and to take as their guides the instructions of the authoritative scholars from among the saints like Imam Ghazali and Imam-i Rabbani. They should constantly accuse their own souls, and attribute nothing to their souls other than fault, impotence, and want. The ecstatic utterances in this way arise from love of self, because the eye of love sees no faults. Since such a person loves his self, he supposes that faulty, unworthy fragment of glass to be a brilliant or a diamond. (5)

Will Mahdi Claim Himself to Be So?

No, Mahdi will not come forward by claiming obviously that I am Mahdi. I have been sent by Allah. Obey me. He will be recognized by means of his achievements and services.

Saying I do not accept that Mahdi will declare his Mahdihood Mawdûdi, one of the Islamic scholars, adds nobody possesses the right of claiming except the prophets; therefore, Mahdi will not emerge by asserting that I am Mahdi, also Mahdihood encompasses services but not assertion. People will recognize Mahdi, who will establish the Caliphate in the bounds of prophethood standards, by means of his achievements and services. After that, he speaks out his comments as follows:

In my opinion, Mahdi will have to resist by means of a tough struggle against difficult obstacles on his way, like other revolutionist leaders. He will establish a new school of understanding based only on Islam and he will change the mentality of the community and will embark upon a strong scientific and political movement. Jahiliyya, (people of ignorance) will gather all their strength and power in order to smash him up, but eventually, Jahiliyya will be defeated and a strong government of Islam will be established.(6)
------------------------
(1) Prof. Dr. Avni Ilhan, Mehdilik (Mahdihood). (Istanbul: Beyan Publishing, 1993), p. 181-182.
(2) B. Said Nursî, Kastamonu Addendum (Germany: 1994), p. 53.
(3) Hüseyin Enisî, Menakıb-ı Akşemseddin, v. 9a-10b. Süleymaniye Library (Hacı Mahmud Efendi Stage, narrated from no. 4666, Müneccimbaşı History, Ismail Erünsal Translation, I: 258.page footnote.)
(4) Nursî, Mektubat (the Letters), p. 459.
(5) Nursî, Mektubat (the Letters), p. 431, 432.
(6) Mawdudi, Islâmda Ihya Hareketleri, (Recovery Attempts in Islam) p. 47-48.

The task of Mahdi is very difficult. As a matter of fact he was assigned this task because it is difficult. It is inevitable that the spring will come despite the hardships and troubles of the winter; likewise after the period of intense Sufyanism, a period of bliss will come. Allah promised it, it will take place.

When we look at the issue from the point of view of divine might, we will see that it is not difficult at all. Didn't so many events regarded to be impossible take place in history? Allah, who controls everything, who rewards each good deed many times, who regards a very small but sincere deed as big as mountains, will definitely pave the way for Hazrat Mahdi and will make his task easy. He will definitely make these sincere people surprisingly successful despite the difficult conditions.

What can be difficult for His might? Doesn't He sometimes make us live four seasons on the same day? When the time is due He changes the course of the events in such a way that everybody is shocked. Yes, "Allah fills and empties between the earth and the sky in a minute; likewise He calms down the storms of the seas in a second; He can create a sample of the summer in the spring in an hour as well as a storm of the winter in the summer; He might just as well scatter the darkness over the world of Islam. And he has promised to do it; He will definitely keep His promise."

So, it is very easy from the point of view of divine might. When it is considered in terms of divine wisdom, "Again, it is so reasonable and probable that the contemplating people decide, "Even if there is not a narration from the Prophet (PBUH) it should be like that".

The salawat (prayers for Muhammad (PBUH) and his descendants) recited by the Muslim community five times a day for Muhammad (PBUH) and his descendants were accepted; the sign for this is that his descendants lead the holy chains and spread all over the world. Those luminous personalities lead the big communities of each century. For instance, one of them, Sayyid Ahmad As-Sunusi, leads millions of followers and Sayyid Idris leads more than one hundred thousand Muslims. Another descendant called Sayyid Yahya is the commander of hundreds of thousands of Muslims. Among the members of the tribe of Sayyids (descendants of the Prophet (PBUH)) apart of from the apparent commanders, there are spiritual commanders like Sayyid Abdulkadir Al-Gaylani, Sayyid Abul-Hasan Ash-Shazali and Sayyid Ahmad Al-Badawi.

This holy line of descendants is so many in numbers that the commanders of this army constitute a large army. If they took a material form, and became a party through solidarity and made Islam a connection of alliance and awakening in the form of a holy nationality, no army would resist it. This powerful army with so many soldiers is the descendants of Muhammad (PBUH) and the best army of Hazrat Mahdi.

Today in the history of the world there is no such group of descendants as strong and as important as sayyids (the descendants of the Prophet (PBUH)), who are connected to each other with a pedigree, documents and tradition and who are distinguished with a high honor, exalted merits and noble ancestry. They have been the leaders of the groups of the people of reality and the famous chiefs of the mature people since old times. Now they constitute a holy group of descendants numbering more than millions. They are awakened and outstanding with their believing hearts full of prophet love and honored affiliation to the prophet.

Within a group like that, great happenings that will excite and arouse the holy strength have taken place:

"It is certain that a high zeal in that great strength will speak out and Mahdi will take the leadership and direct this strength into the right path and reality; we are waiting for it to happen and we are right to wait for it to happen like that as we wait for the spring to come after the winter from the way and mercy of Allah."(1)

-------------------------------------
(1) Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, Mektubat (The Letters), p. 425, 426.

The Mahdi Concept in Religions

A Messiah-redemptive person conviction exists almost in all of the religions. People wait for a Messiah, for a redemptive person, who will put restore order almost at every period when oppression and cruelty spread, corruption and terrorism occur and the social order is shaken.

Zoroastrians believed that Bihafrid would come and save them from oppression and cruelty and would take their revenge. In the existing copy of Zardushts book Avesta, it is told to people, who will smash the idols, about a mercy to all the worlds (Soeshyant) and about Astvat Ereta, which means he who raises people. 1

The previous Hindus believed that Brahma would come by being reincarnated as Vishnu and so Hinduism would be victorious over Buddhism. Mongols, who terrorized Islamic world, waited for Jenghis because of the invasions of the Chinese.

In Buddhism, Maitriya (mercy to all the worlds) will come and perfect the religion which is not perfect.

Throughout the history, Jews, who were almost destined to slavery, worry and depression, waited for Messiah after Babylon captivity and especially after the Romans invaded Jerusalem and destroyed the tomb of Solomon (UWP). According to Christians, Jesus-Messiah, whose duty has not been completed yet, will descend down to the earth one day and will pacify the world that is corrupted.

Mahdis (the Redemptive People) in History

It is no surprise that false Mahdis emerge in a world, in which even false prophets declare their prophethood. Unfortunately, some evil-minded people did not refrain from exploiting Mahdi concept. There were also some people who were taken with that feeling candidly. Some of those people abused the concept of Mahdi for glory; some of them exploited it for authority. Some of them abused it for their own interests; some of them proclaimed themselves as Mahdi to induce the national emotions, or accepted this title; or the groups around them assumed them as Mahdi. Some quackish people abused it actually, but some people were regarded as Mahdi by the people around although they did not claim it and even denied it. The genuine Mahdi will not come forward by claiming himself as Mahdi. The couplet: The services performed are the evidence of a person but not his talks./The intellect of a person could be observed in his achievements. He will be known with his services and achievements as the above verse explains how a good person should be. People wanting to see him or striving to find him will notice him.

We shall discuss briefly the people, who proclaimed themselves as Mahdi, before talking about the actual Mahdi who is announced to come at the end of time.

In Hijri 128 (in 746 in the Gregorian calendar), Haris bin Shurayj declared himself as Mahdi, and as a matter of fact, he did not hesitate to concoct a Hadith: A saver, whose name is Haris, will come 2.

The scholar and devotee Abdullah bin Tumart (died in 1130) who caused the foundation of the Muwahhids State is known as proclaiming himself as Mahdi in Maghrib (west); additionally, Sayyid Muhammad and Mirza Gulam Ahmad Qadiyanî in India, Muhammad Ahmad (died in 1885) in Sudan, Muhammad bin Abdullah Hasan (died in 1920) in Somalia and Elijah Muhammad in the United States declared themselves as Mahdi. Ahmad Qadiyanî passivated his community by supporting the English policy. As for Muhammad Ahmed, who was a good soldier and politician, induced Sudanese people against occupant English army, the Mahdi of Somalia induced his people against English army and Muhammad bin Abdullah induced his people against Italian army in order to struggle for liberty.

In the 19th century, the current that made the colonialists complain about made people gather around the Mahdi belief in some African countries such as Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Senegal and Cameroon in order to gain independence.
Ibni Haldun informed that there had been numerous people who declared themselves as Mahdi, who was expected to emerge, and were killed. 3
Sayyid Muhammad as-Sinûsîya (died in 1902), from the blessed family of the Prophet (PBUH), was regarded and accepted as Mahdi too.
-----------------------------------
1. Yasht, 13, XXVIII, 129.
2. Sad Muhammad Hasan, al-Mahdiyyatu fi'l-İslâm, (Cairo: 1973), p. 183, 184.
3. Ibni Haldun, ibid., II: 180-181.
Şaban Döğen

Mankind has undergone a lot of dissensions, have seen Pharaohs, Nimrods, and Shaddads. However, none of them is as awesome as the dissension of the end of time.

The dissension of the end of time is far more awesome than all of them.

The dissensions brought about by Dajjal and Sufyan (the antichrist of Islam) are the most awesome ones. Both of them induce people towards irreligiousness and destroy their Hereafter. Atheism strengthens in their time. Some people do not hesitate to declare their irreligiousness.

In a hadith that the following is stated: Mahdi does not appear until Allah is denied openly and publicly.1 Imam Rabbani says Mahdi will not appear until irreligiousness spreads all over the world and its authority is applied openly. He says Mahdi will come when the corruptions arise. 2

At that period, everything out of bounds of Islam will be in demand. harams (forbidden things) are regarded as halal (lawful). 3 Such a grievous corruption occurs that nobody can protect himself and it spreads over everywhere in an instant. 4

A great number of calamities and disasters appear as a natural result of this destruction. People start to look forward to a spiritual saver and then Mahdi appears.

Now, let us consider this perilous atmosphere which necessitates Mahdis appearance with the light of Hadiths.

Fights and clashes become widespread at full speed at the end of time. According to a narrative in Mustadrak, written by Hakim; Hazrat Ali talked about Mahdi as an answer to a question asked him and pointed out that people would be killed in his era. Additionally, he said, individuals would be killed because of saying Allah; Mahdi will appear in such a time. 5

According to what we learn from the hadiths the end of time is an age that people lose their humane feelings in one aspect and deteriorate extremely and most of the signs of the Doomsday arise.

Men resemble women at that period. The notables become subjected to their lust.; shedding blood is considered unimportant; religion is sold in return for worldly things. Relatives, kin, fathers, mothers are not given importance. People abstain from helping and nurturing the poor. Being benign becomes a cause of disgrace and cruelty becomes a cause of pride. Heads of the states become sinners; ministers become liars; administrators become faithless; helpful people are regarded as cruel; people reciting and memorizing the Quran are regarded as sinful and tyrannies are applied in public. Divorce rates increase, transgression and debauchery start, testimonies of false witnesses are accepted, lesbianism occurs, war booty is plundered. The Most Noble Messenger (PBUH,) says they are the signs of the Doomsday and adds wait for the Doomsday when they occur. 6

In a narrative, the terrible aspect of the end of time concerning the souls is pointed out: no one who is affected by this dissension will be able to restrain themselves. Therefore for one thousand four hundred years, by the command of the Prophet (PBUH), all the community of the Prophet (PBUH) has sought refuge in Allah from that dissension.

Dajjal arises in an atmosphere like this and starts his activities against Mahdi. Just at that moment, Hazrat Eesa (Jesus) descends from Heaven, meets with Mahdi and they perform their activities.


The Prophet (PBUH) states in another Hadith that a confused wretchedness will occur on the side of Maghrib (west), a fear will arise, a scarcity will cover, dissensions will rise, people will quarrel with each other and in an instant a man from the descendants of Hazrat Fatima will emerge and sustain the right way; his emergence will be the first sign of the Doomsday.
According to a Hadith narrated by Hazrat Ali,: Four dissensions will occur; three of them will be on account of wealth, poverty and treasure (gold will be the cause), when the fourth breaks out, Allahs Messenger (PBUH) explains how the reaction would be against it as follows: A man from my descendants will emerge and Allah puts things in order by means of him. 7

----------------------------
1. Kitabu'l-Burhan (The Book of the Evidence), p. 27.
2. Imam Rabbani, Maktubat (The Letters), 2:258.
3. al-Kawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 39.
4. ibid, p. 24.
5. Siddiq Khan, al-Izaa, p. 130.
6. Nuru'l-Absar (The Light of the Eyes), p. 189.
7. Tazkira, p. 188.
Şaban Döğen

The world is a place of testing. Just as giving the answers to the questions is contrary to the examination concept, so, in this world of testing, it should not be expected that everything should be so self-evident as to compel people to believe. The door is opened for the mind, but the will is not withdrawn from man. Man will see the truths by means of evidence and will recognize Dajjal and Mahdi. We know that even the miracles of the prophet (PBUH) are aimed to convince people, not to compel them. So, if it were possible to write There is no god but Allah with stars, everyone would believe. The Almighty God concealed certain things in others because of the testing as He concealed the occurrence time of the Doomsday in the life span of the world, persons time of death in his life, the Night of Power in Ramadan, the acceptance moment of prayers on Fridays.

There are numerous mysteries and wisdoms in keeping them concealed. For instance, since the time of death of a person is concealed, he continually bears in mind both his death and his continued life, and he works both for this world and the hereafter. The Day of Judgment is like that too. He is also aware that the end of the world may occur in any age so he works for the eternal life and strives to build the world as though he is never going to die.

There are many reasons of the obscurity of the occurrence of calamities. If the occurrence of calamities were specified, a man who expected one would suffer a calamity perhaps ten times greater than the actual calamity. However when it remains secret, man can spend a happy life. It is because of those reasons that to give news about the ghaib (unseen, unknown) is prohibited in Islam.

Those who, with the permission of the Lord, give news about the ghaib other than concerning responsibility and the truths of belief have done so only allusively and indirectly. In fact, the good tidings about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the Torah, Gospel, and Psalms, are veiled and obscure; so, some of the adherents of those scriptures interpreted those passages differently and did not believe them. However, since it is the necessity of the wisdom of mans accountability and responsibility to express the tenets of belief explicitly and repeatedly, the Quran of Miraculous Exposition and its Glorious Interpreter (PBUH) tell about the matters of the hereafter in detail, and of the future worldly events only in summary.(1)

One of the reasons why some individuals like Dajjal and Mahdi are kept secret is to let people take their place in the struggle between truth and falsehood in every century. As it is known, the struggle between the truth and the falsehood had started with Adam (UWP) and will continue until the Doomsday. There were Namruds, Pharaohs, Abu Jahls in the previous ages and each of them was a Dajjal. Every century has a specific Dajjal but the Dajjal of the end of time is the biggest one.

The Prophet (PBUH) impelled each century to cautiousness by saying The Doomsday will not occur until about thirty Dajjals appear.(2)

This truth has motivated each century to be cautious; violent incidences, which agitated the world, were associated with Dajjal and searches for remedy caused people to look for Mahdi.

Dajjal was expected even in the era of bliss. Some companions of the prophet (PBUH) had the idea that Ibn-i Sayyad, who was a Jewish in origin, was Dajjal. From that group Abdullah bin Umar and Jabir bin Abdullah had that opinion. Ibn-i Sayyad who was blind in one eye and claimed to be a prophet before he reached puberty, took orders from Satan. One day, when the question whether he wanted to be Dajjal was asked, he said, If such a duty were offered to me, I would not reject it.(3) One day, when he was playing with children, the Prophet (PBUH) and Umar (May God be pleased with him) came near him and the prophet asked him Do you testify that I am the messenger of Allah? He did not only deny him (PBUH) but also wanted him (PBUH) to believe his prophethood. Getting angry with his response, Hazrat Umar (May God be pleased with him) asked Allahs prophet (PBUH) for permission to kill him. However, the Prophet (PBUH) replied: If he is the expected Dajjal, you cannot kill him (because Jesus (UWP) will kill him.); if not, you would not get a reward by killing him.(4)

Some people, who were regarded as Dajjal, were seen both in the Christian world and the Islamic world.

Hazrat Ali considered the heretic Abdullah bin al-Qurra to be Dajjal. Aswad al-Ansi (died in 632) and Musaylima the Liar (died in 633) who proclaimed themselves being prophets were Dajjals. The founder of Babiyya division Mirza Ali Muhammad (died in 1850), and the founder of Qadiyani division Mirza Gulam Ahmad Qadiyani (died in 1908) were regarded as Dajjals of their centuries, too.
While Peter the Great, who used to cut long beards and clothes with his scissors holding in his hand, was considered as Dajjal by Christians, Friedrich Nietzsche said let us get rid of worshipping in his letter which he declared to the world with the signature The religions enemy Dajjal Marx, Lenin and Stalin were also Dajjals.

The reason why the time Mahdi and Sufyan would arrive was not stated clearly was to remind people to be ready since they could emerge in any century.People expected the persons who will come at the end of time like Mahdi and Sufyan a long time ago, and even in the time of the generation just after the Prophet and they hoped to live long enough to see them. Some of the saints said that they had passed. Like the end of the world, Divine wisdom requires that the times of those persons are not specified either. Every age is in need of the meaning of the Mahdi, who will strengthen their morale and save them from despair. Each century has to have a share of this meaning. Lest people should heedlessly conform to evil things and the reins of the soul should be left free in indifference, in every century, people must avoid and fear the fearsome persons who come to lead strife. If they had been specified, the benefits of general guidance would have been lost."(5)


----------------------------
(1) Nursi, Sözler (The Words), p. 309.
(2) Bukhari, Fitan: 25; Manaqib: 25; Muslim, Fitan, 84; Abu Dawud, Fitan: 1.
(3) Muslim, Fitan: 90-91; Tirmizi, Fitan: 63; Musnad, 3:43, 79.
(4) Bukhari, Adab: 97; Fitan: 85-88; Abu Dawud, Malahim: 16; Tirmizi, Fitan: 63.
(5) Nursi, sözler (The Words), p. 309-310.

It is not appropriate to consider Dajjal (Anti-Christ) and Mahdi as extraordinary, superhuman beings. Such a mentality contradicts Islamic mentality and the laws and creation principles of Allah. Since not all of the deeds of the prophets are extraordinary, how can we expect Mahdi to be like that?

It is certain that Mahdi will perform some miraculous deeds when the time is due and where it is necessary. But not all of his actions are extraordinary. As Mawdudi says, "No matter when Mahdi comes, he will know about the information, culture, situation and essentials of that time very well and will take measures in accordance with that time, will make use of the scientific inventions and devices of that time and will use them in the best way. " (1)

How shall we interpret the extraordinary actions of Dajjal and Mahdi told in the accounts? Will they do them alone?

No. They will do them with their spiritual personalities.

Dajjal will make destructions resting upon a spiritual personality, a committee or a society; Likewise Mahdi will repair these destructions with the support of a group that is based on sincerity, loyalty and solidarity, sayyids and gradually the other Muslims. Allah will make them successful as a reward for their sincerity, loyalty and solidarity. The examples of this are not rare in history. So many groups of very few people beat so many groups of many people. Was the number of the soldiers of Talut big? How did the people of Badr scatter the polytheists who were three times more than themselves? Weren't the enemy soldiers who were four times as many as the soldiers of Alparslan scattered by Alparslan's soldiers?

The extraordinary things that are attributed to Mahdi and that are stated to be achieved by him can only be realized by a spiritual personality. If we regard the question in terms of people we can only say what a dear scholar said: "Where will you place the mentality of Mahdi that will succeed even the things that the Prophet (PBUH) could not succeed?"(2) .
--------------------------
(1) Mawdudi, Abu'l-A'la, Meseleler ve Çözümleri, trans. Yusuf Kara (Istanbul: 1990), p. 51.
(2) Prof. Dr. Avni Ilhan. "Mehdî ve Mehdîlik," Islâm, July, 1996, p. 31.

ANSWER 1

Here are the properties of Mahdi;

a. He is from Ahl-i Bayt

We learn from the hadiths that Mahdi is from Ahl-i Bayt. It is stated in several hadiths clearly.

Once Hazrat Ali asked the Messenger of Allah (pbuh): O Messenger of Allah! Is Mahdi from us or from outside? our Prophet (pbuh) said: He is from us. Allah will end this religion with us and will open it with us again. They will be freed from shirk (polytheism) with us. Allah will put affection between their hearts thanks to us after an apparent enmity. 1

In a hadith some of which we mentioned before, the issue is mentioned. If only one day of this world remained, Allah would lengthen that day, till He raised up in it a man who belongs to me or to my family whose father's name is similar to mine 2

At first glance, it is understood from the hadith that the name of Hazrat Mahdi and his fathers name will resemble the name of our Prophet. However, the resemblance does not mean that it will be exactly the same. That is, the name of the Mahdi does not necessarily have to be Muhammad and his fathers name does not have to be Abdullah.  If it were like that, instead of the verb yuwatiu, yutabiqu could be used.  Then, it would have been stated clearly, which would have been contrary to testing.  Testing necessitates that events related to the future be somewhat veiled, implied. Thus, not everybody will believe and the secret of testing will not be revealed.  

 Bayazid-i Bistami, a great wali (saint), says that Hazrat Mahdis fathers bloodline goes back to Hazrat Hasan and his mothers bloodline goes back to Hazrat Husayn. 3  The determination of Aliyyu'l-Qari is the same.  Aliyyu'l-Qari says the strongest probability that is understood from the narration is that Hazrat Mahdis fathers bloodline goes back to Hazrat Hasan and his mothers bloodline goes back to Hazrat Husayn. 4

b. His description

Hazrat Ali looks at his son Hasan one day and says, "My son is sayyid as the Messenger of Allah named him. From his descendants, someone having the name of our Prophet will emerge. His high ethics will resemble him but his appearance will not. " 5

We see detailed narrations in the hadiths regarding the description of Mahdi. He has a wide forehead, thin nose 6; his face shines like a star 7; he has big eyes and rare, bright teeth. There is a sign on his right cheek that enlightens his face like a star; he has a dark skin; he is of medium height and has curved eyebrows. 8 His eyes are lined. 9 There is a seal, sign of the Messenger of Allah, on his shoulder. He is very impressive like the men of Bani Israel. 10

Hazrat Ali attracts attention to his period of youth and says that he is a handsome young man. He has a nice face. He has shoulder-length hair; the light of his face goes up to his head and the black of his hair.11 There is a narration that he will not have a beard: Doubtlessly, a happy person is the one who keeps away from mischief (The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) repeated that sentence three times.) However, he faces mischief and shows patience. Glad-tidings for him and shame on those who make him suffer." 12

The word fawahan that appears in the hadith, that is repeated three times and is explained as glad-tidings has some different meanings, which are explained in Mirqatu'l-Mafatih of Aliyyul Qari 13 and Rumuz and Lawami 14. In Rumuz, it is seen that the word "fawahan" is defined as al-wahyu, that is, shaven. The same meaning is given in Tadhkira al-Qurtubi.

The head of Mahdi is also mentioned in the hadiths; it is stated that he will not take off his turban, which is sunnah. 15

Another narration is as follows: "When Hazrat Mahdi emerges, he will have a turban on his head, and a crier will shout, This is Mahdi, the caliph of Allah. Obey him"." 16

We find out from another narration that he will start his duty when he is about forty. 17

c. His virtue

The spiritual rank of Hazrat Mahdi is so great that he comes just after the four caliphs and the Companions of the Prophet. There is unanimous agreement about it. 18

Imam Rabbani says the following in his Maktubat, "The rank of Mahdi seems to be before the rank of the Companions." 19

In Mahdi, the secret of the inheritance of prophethood, which is also called, walaya kubra (greater sainthood) has developed. That secret passes directly from the apparent to reality without traveling the intermediate path, looks to the unfolding of Divine immediacy. Although this way of sainthood is very short, it is extremely elevated. Its wonders are few, but its virtues many. 20

Imam Rabbani says Hazrat Mahdi will be given a lot of prosperity and abundance without any intermediary, hindrance and means because of that rank. 21

The following is stated in the Mustadrak of Hakim in a narration from Hazrat Ali about the virtues of Hazrat Mahdi and his soldiers: Salaf (predecessors) cannot be superior to them and khalaf (successors) cannot reach them. 22

Hazrat Mahdi is at the highest point of sainthood. 23 He is the best one on the earth. 24

When Hazrat Husayn was asked how Hazrat Mahdi would be recognized, he said: He will be recognized through his tranquility and dignity, his knowledge about halal and haram,  and the fact that people need him but he does not need anyone. 25.

Hazrat Mahdi is a sufferer on whom the secret of the following hadith of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is manifest "My Ahl-u Bayt will suffer murders, troubles and banishment after me." 26

Therefore, the real virtue of Hazrat Mahdi is his patience against those troubles and banishments like Hazrat Ayyub (Job). The following is stated in a narration:

The virtue of Mahdi is due to his maximum patience he shows against all grieves and severe mischief. The siege of Dajjal on him will never lift. The virtue of Mahdi is not due to his rewards and his high rank in the presence of Allah.27

Hazrat  Mahdi is given the good news, while he is still alive, that He will go to Paradise due to his important service like some of the people from Ahl-i Bayt. Anas bin Malik says: I heard from the Messenger of Allah: We, the children of Abdulmuttalib are the dignitaries of the people of Paradise. Me, Hamza, Ali, Jafar, Hasan, Husayn and Mahdi. 28

Muhyiddin Arabi attracts attention to his nine important characteristics: He has foresight, understands the Book well and knows its meaning, foresees well the actions and attitudes of the people he will appoint; he does not deviate from justice when he is furious; he knows the classes of the beings and the intricate aspects of things; he understands the needs of people well and especially he is well aware of the secret sciences of his period. 29

Hazrat Mahdi is very pious. "He is a person who fears Allah a lot. He fears Allah like a bird of eagle family (nasir) shivering its wings." 30

We find our from the narrations that Hazrat Mahdi will act very fast 31 and that he will be firm while fulfilling his duty.  He will be so determined and resolute that even if mountains blocks his way he will crush the mountain and find a way through it. 32

The students of Hazrat  Mahdi are so virtuous that they come first in rank after the Companions of the Prophet.

d. His Knowledge

Hazrat  Mahdi will be outstanding with his knowledge. According to what is stated in a hadith, he is a person to whom wisdom, that is, knowledge has been granted as a divine gift; he is an influential person. 33

Bayazid-i Bistami, a great wali (saint), says that God Almighty will grant him extensive knowledge and deeds when he is only a child. 34

According to what is stated in Kitabu'n-Nihaya, knowledge and dignity will be the adornment of Mahdi. 35

He does not need to learn so much information because he will be sent with a very important mission in the most terrible period of the end of time. Therefore, he will receive the knowledge in an extraordinary way. We learn about it from the following hadiths Allah will improve him overnight. 36, "God Almighty guides Mahdi perfectly in one night. " 37

Explaining those two hadiths, scholars state that Allah will accept his repentance and fill him with prosperity, merits and wisdom and grant him success. Explaining that hadith, Al-Hafni, in his hashiya (annotation) of Jami Saghir, states that God Almighty will give him sovereignty over people and grant him scholarly virtues in one night. 38

Abdulkarim Ibnu'l-Arabi says Hazrat Mahdi will be given the highest spiritual rank and the ability to make ijtihad without his effort; he will receive them not as a result of hard work but as the grant of Allah. 39

Muhyiddin Arabi says the following while mentioning those characteristics of Mahdi: "He will never make a mistake because there is an angel that corrects him in a place that he does not see." Futuhat Makkiya, Chapter 366. Arabi considers that angel as the angel of inspiration and he states the relationship between Mahdi and the angel as follows:
"As the hadith of Mahdi indicates, he will rule with the principles that the angel of inspiration gives him. The angel inspires him the Sharia of Muhammad; and Mahdi fulfills his duty.  In the hadith of Mahdi, the following is stated: 'He will be subject to my mission and he will not make any mistakes about it."40

Mahdi guides people as a blessing of Allah. He fulfills his duty by the help of Allah. 41

It is stated in the sources that Mahdi will know the secrets of the letters, that is, the science of cipher and abjad. 42  Taşköprülüzâde Ahmed Efendi, who is one of the authors of İlimler Ansiklopedisi (the Encyclopedia of Science) says, in his book Mawzuatu'l-Ilim that Mahdi will know the science of cipher. 43

e. Period of His Activities

In a hadith in Abu Dawud, it is stated that Hazrat Mahdi will rule seven years 44 and in a hadith in Ibn Majah that he will rule seven years if he lives short, otherwise nine years.

A hadith in Musnad reported by Abu Saidi'l-Khudri is similar: Mahdi is from my community (umma). He will live seven, eight or nine years whether his life is long or short. 46

According to some narrations, Hazrat Mahdi will rule forty years. 47 Ibrahim Haqqi of Erzurum says in his Marifatnama that Hazrat Mahdi will rule forty years with justice. 48

Hazrat  Mahdi will fulfill his duty with a congregation that is based on sincerity, perseverance and loyalty, and with their collective personality. In a narration in Abu Dawud, it is stated that the last group of that congregation that will struggle for the right path will fight Masih Dajjal. 49

Explaining the hadith, A group from my umma will continue jihad in the way of Allah till Doomsday 50 Badiuzzaman calculated it with abjad and found out the activity period of the collective personality of Hazrat Mahdi. Accordingly, the abjad value of the expression Zahirina ala'l-haqq=sovereign with truth in the hadith is 1506. That congregation will rule openly and dominantly until 1506 Hegira. Then, the following activities will be carried out secretly and in defeat until 1542. Hatta ya'tiyallahu biamrihi=until the Doomsday 1545 indicates the doom that will hit the unbeliever. 51

In addition, Badiuzzaman, in his sermon in the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus in 1911, addressing more than one hundred scholars, said, The future will belong to Islam only and the ruler will be the truths of the Quran and belief, 52 and once he said, The future, the earth and the skies of Asia together will surrender to the white hand of Islam. Giving glad-tidings; thus he attracted attention to those periods of Islamic sovereignty and stated their dates.

--------------------------------------
1 ash-Shablanji Nuru'l-Absar, p. 189.
2 Abu Dawud, Mahdi: 4; Tirmidhi, Fitan: 43.
3 Nursi, B. Said, Tılsımlar Mecmuası, İstanbul: Tenvir Neşriyat, 1988, p. 205, 206.
4 Hatiboğlu, Haydar, Sunan Ibn Majah Trns and Expl (İstanbul: Kahraman Yayınları, 1983), 10:351.
5 Abu Dawud, Mahdi: 1.
6 Abu Dawud, Mahdi: 1.
7 Is'afu'r-Raghibin, p. 46; al-Hawi, 2:66, 67. Kitabu'l-Burhan, p. 22.
8 Nuaym bin Hammad, Kitabu'l-Fitan, Waraq: 52a.
9 Is'afu'r-Raghibin, p. 146; Nuru'l-absar, p. 187.
10 al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 41; Kitabu'l-Burhan, p. 23, 30.
11 Iqdu'd-Durar, Waraq: 11a.
12 Abu Dawud, Fitna: 2.
13 Aliyyu'l-Qari, Mirqatu'l-Mafatih, 5:151
14 Lawami', 1:652
15 al-Burhan, Waraq: 81a; al-Hawi, 2:61, 62; İs'afu'r-Raghibin, p. 148, 149.
16 al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 25.
17 ibid., p. 43.
18 Lawami, II:85; al-Haytami, al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 71; Nursi, Mektûbât, (Letters) p. 271.
19 İmam Rabban, Maktubat, I:45;
20 Nursi, Mektûbât, (Letters)  p. 54.
21 İmam Rabbanî, Maktubat, 2:763, 764.
22 Mustadrak, Muqaddima: Chaper 52, p. 319.
23 İmam-ı Rabbanî, Maktubat, p. 357 (from 251st letter).
24 al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 27.
25 Iqdu'd-Durar, Waraq: 12b.
26 Kanzu'l-Ummal, 14:267.
27 repeorted from Is'afu'r-Raghibin, Tılsımlar, p. 212.
28 Ibn Majah, Kitabu'l-Fitan: 34 (H. 4087.)
29 Sharani, Kıyamet Alâmetleri, p. 189.
30 Kitabu'l-Burhan, p. 53.
31 al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, p. 12.
32 ibid., p. 39.
33 Ramuzu'l-Ahadith, p. 518.
34 Tılsımlar Magazine, p. 205, 206.
35 Ibn Kathir, Kitabu'n-Nihaya, 1:29-30.
36 Ibn Majah, Kitabu'l-Fitan: 34 (H. 4085).
37 Musnad, 1:84.
38 Sunan Ibn Majah Trns and Expl, 10:351.
39 Nursi, Tılsımlar Magazine, p. 207.
40 ibid., p. 211.
41 Hajjaj, Abdullah, Alamatu'l-Qiyamati'l-Kbra, Cairo: 1986, p. 73.
42 Tılsımlar, p. 206.
43 Taşköprülüzâde Ahmed Efendi, Mawzuatu'l-Ulûm, II:246.
44 Abu Dawud, Kitabu'l-Mahdi, 4:170; Musnad, 3:117.
45 Ibn Majah, Kitabu'l-Fitan: 33, 34 (H. 4083.)
46 Musnad, 3:36.
47 Kitabu'l-Burhan, s. 83; al-Qawlu'l-Mukhtasar, s. 50.
48 İbrahim Haqqi of Erzurum, Marifatnama, 1:27.
49 Abu Dawud, Jihad: 1.
50 Bukhar, I'tisam: 10; Muslim, Eeman: 247; Ibn Majah, Muqaddima: 1; Tirmidhi, Fitan: 51.
51 Nursi, Kastamonu Lahikası, p. 23.
52 Nursi, Hutbe-i Şamiye (İstanbul: Yeni Asya Neşriyat, 1993), p. 28.

ANSWER 2

Will you please click on the links given below;

Is Mahdi mentioned in the narrations?

What Will Mahdi Do?

The Fact that Hadiths Concerning the End of Time Do not Express a Certainty Prompted People to Seek For a Mahdi and Dajjal in Each Century. What is its Wisdom (Reason)?

Will Everybody Recognize Dajjal, Mahdi and Jesus (Eesa) (UWP)?

Please tell me about the hadith(s) regarding Black Flag in the east?

Two hadith narrations regarding the issue are as follows:

“There are angels guarding the entrances (or roads) of Madinah; neither plague nor Dajjal will be able to enter it.” (Bukhari, Fadailul-Madinah 9; Muslim, Hacc 485, 486)

“There will be no town which Dajjal (Antichrist) will not enter except Makkah and Madinah, and there will be no entrance to Makkah and Madinah but the angels will be standing in rows guarding it against him. Then, Madinah will shake with its inhabitants thrice (i.e. three earthquakes will take place) and Allah will expel all the non-believers and the hypocrites from it.” (Bukhari, Fadailul-Madinah 9; Muslim, Fitan 123)

- We can understand the issue of Dajjal not entering Makkah and Madinah from the following statement:  

“One part of the answer given by Old Said to the question asked by a spiritual assembly discussing about the future of the Islamic world in a true dream mentioned in Sünuhat Booklet printed twenty years ago has become manifest now. The assembly asked at that time:

"What is the wisdom behind the defeat of the Islamic state in this war, in which Germany was defeated?" 

Old Said gave the following answer: If we had been victorious, we would have sacrificed many holy things for the sake of civilization. - As a matter of fact, they were sacrificed seven years later. -  The regime established in Anatolia would have spread and been established in the Islamic World too, especially in the holy places like Makkah and Madinah, easily and by force. Qadar decreed our defeat for the protection of those places with divine help.” (Nursi, Kastamonu Lahikası, 19)

- Plague’s not entering may be an expression related to the period of Dajjal. That is, neither Dajjal nor plague will enter Madinah in the period of Dajjal mischief.

- Besides, the coronavirus disease existing today is different from plague.

It should not be forgotten that no interpretation contrary to the expressions of the verses of the Quran and sound hadiths can and should be made.

The important personalities that are stated in the accounts about the time near the end of the world are: Dajjal, Mahdi and Hazrat Jesus (Christ)... The first one is the person to destroy all of the things relating religion, belief, ethics, virtue and humanity, to inflict despotism, oppression and terror; the others are the people to struggle against him in a horrible period when Dajjal starts to inflict his actions, Mahdi and Hazrat Jesus are longed for. These spiritual saviors inflict great impacts on disbelief and become the greatest support and source strength, morale and hope for believers.

The Prophet (PBUH) mentioned both the big Dajjal and the Islam Dajjal Sufyan. Their characteristics and attributes are different. Since there were no limitations in the accounts some narrators and scholars were confused and mistook one for the other. Therefore, they are regarded as mutashabih (ambiguous) hadiths.

Dajjal

In the accounts, the emergence of Dajjal was shown as one of the most frightening happenings of the universe. Therefore, our Prophet (PBUH) informed his followers about him in particular, avoided his sedition and asked his followers to avoid it. He said,

"There is no greater incident (in another narration mischief) than Dajjal from the creation of Adam to the Last Hour."(1)

Thus, he attracted people's attention to its big destruction and terror. In another hadith, he states that Dajjal is more effective than the devil (2). The fact that not only our Prophet (PBUH) but also all of the other prophets without any exception warned their followers and wanted them to avoid him (3) indicates that the mischief of Pharaohs and Nimrods will be small compared to that of Dajjal's.

The evil of Dajjal is so great that according to what our Prophet (PBUH) informs us, when he emerges, people will have to go to the mountains out of fear and in order to be saved from his evil. (4)

Our Prophet (PBUH) found it necessary to mention Dajjal during the Farewell Sermon in Farewell Hajj, in which he summarized the essentials of Islam, as he always did and warned his followers like the other prophets because of the greatness of Dajjal's evil and mischief.(5)

Dajjal is an Arabic word derived from the root dajl. Dictionaries define Dajjal as "liar, fraud, a seditious and damned person who confuse the minds, hearts, good and bad, the right and the wrong, who hides the real face of something by gilding it, who wanders everywhere."

In a hadith, attention is attracted to his "lying and misguiding" (6) characteristics.

Dajjal is a deceiving and denying person who does frightening tricky things. The most terrible aspect of his mischief is the fact that he tries to take away people's beliefs and to destroy people's lives in this world and in the hereafter by setting up a system based on atheism. He carries out his sultanate based on atheism, immorality and lies not by himself but together with his committee that love him and with his system that he represents blasphemously and hypocritically.

Dajjal is also called al-Masih ad-Dajjal with the addition of the word “masih”. The reason why he is called masih is that one of his eyes is wiped. Masih has various definitions in the dictionaries. Some of the meanings that can be attributes for Dajjal are as follows: without eyebrows and an eye on one side of his face, congenitally imperfect, evil, ill-omened, liar, serial killer.

In a hadith, he is mentioned as "Masih al-Dalalah" "The Messiah of Misguidance". (7)

Sufyan

In a hadith, the following is stated:

"During the time near the end of the world a man will emerge and he will be called Sufyan"(8).

His nature is explained as follows: "He is a frightening hypocritical person who will emerge during the time near the end of the world, who will make Muslims undergo hard times and who will try to destroy the principles of Islam."(9)

His wonders are mentioned a lot. Attention is attracted to his commandership.(10)

While the great Dajjal focuses on atheism and fights Christianity, the Islamic Dajjal, Sufyan, will fight Islam, which is the only true religion before Allah, openly. Therefore, he is regarded as more frightening. Quitting an abrogated and falsified religion will not offend Allah as much as betraying the true, eternal and valid religion.(11)

There are widespread accounts about Dajjal

Most of the scholars say there are widespread accounts about Dajjal and it is impossible to deny it.(12) The great scholar Shawkani even wrote a book called "Explaining that the Accounts about Mahdi, Dajjal and Messiah Have Become Widespread". In this book, Shawkani states that like the hadiths about the descent of Mahdi and Hazrat Jesus, the hadiths narrated about Dajjal have become widespread.(13)

Ibn Manda says it is wajib (compulsory) to believe in the emergence of Dajjal.(14) To deny his emergence is aberration at the very least.

Are there any hadiths about Sufyan?

Definitely yes. There are a lot of them. To say that there is not arises from either ignorance or an evil purpose. When Badiuzzaman answered the claim of the prosecutor that "There are no hadiths about Sufyan" in the court, he attracted attention to this fact:

"The prosecutor who says that 'There are no hadiths about Sufyan; if there are they are fabricated' although he has not read the books of hadiths nor has read the chapters of the Quran, and although Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, who memorized a million hadiths, and Imam Bukhari, who memorized five hundred thousand, did not have the courage to deny them, has broken the bonds thousands of times and committed a great error. It is a hadith but even if we assume that it is not a hadith, it is something that has been accepted by the Umma; and a number of aspects and samples of them which are completely true have appeared and been seen."(15)

There are a lot of Dajjals. There are Dajjals of each century. We learn from a hadith that the number of Dajjals will reach thirty.(16)

The Dajjals of the end of the world have a different place among them because they are more frightening. There are two of them. One of them is the great Dajjal, which emerges worldwide; the other is the Islamic Dajjal. Hazrat Ali (17) and some researchers call the latter Sufyan (18) and Hazrat Ali always talked about him. (19) Sufyan will emerge from among Muslims and deceive people.

There are a lot of sound hadiths about Dajjal in a lot of hadith books including Bukhari and Muslim. As a matter of fact, there are no discussions about Dajjal and his emergence except for his attributes and actions.

The emergence of Dajjal is definite; and likewise the arrival of Mahdi is inevitable. There is no poison without an antidote. As we cannot think of Nimrod without Hazrat Ibrahim, Pharaoh without Hazrat Moses; we cannot think Dajjal without Mahdi. If Dajjal exists, so does Mahdi.

Is it rational that Dajjal will act freely, make any destruction, material or spiritual, he wants, try to establish the wrong but there will be nobody to stand against him, to fight him, to stop his destruction and establish the truth? It is impossible to correlate it with the mind, science or religion; it is against the sunnah of Allah.

As Badiuzzaman says, "Out of His perfect mercy, every time the Muslim community has been corrupted, Almighty God has sent a reformer, or a regenerator, or a vicegerent of high standing, or a supreme spiritual pole, or a perfect guide, or blessed persons resembling a Mahdi, as a mark of His protecting the Shari‘a of Islam until eternity; they have removed the corruption, reformed the nation, and preserved Muhammad’s (UWBP) religion. Since His custom has always been thus, certainly at the time of greatest corruption at the end of time He will send a luminous person as both the greatest interpreter of the Law, and the supreme renewer, and ruler, and Mahdi, and guide, and spiritual pole, and that person will be from the Prophet’s (UWBP) Family."(20)

----------------------------
(1) Muslim, Fitan: 126.
(2) Ramuzul-Ahadith, p. 518.
(3) Bukhari, Fitan: 26; Muslim, Fitan: 101.
(4) Muslim, Fitan: 125; Tirmidhi, Kitabul-Manaqib: 70.
(5) Bukhari, Kitabul-Maghazi: 64.
(6) Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, I-VI (Cairo: 1313), 5:372.
(7) al-Haytami, Majmauz-Zawaid-I-VIII (Beirut: 1403/1982), 7:348.
(8) Hakim an-Nisaburi, Abu Abdullah Muhammad, Mustadrak, I-IV (Beirut: Darul-Marifa, nd.), 4:520; Kanzul-Ummal, 14:272.
(9) Alaaddin al-Muttaqì bin Husamaddin bin Ismail al-Hindi, Kanzul-Ummal (Beirut: 1989), 11:125; Bursalı İsmail Hakkı, Ruhu'l-Beyan fî Tefsîri'l-Kur'ân, I-X (Istanbul: 1330), 8:197.
(10) Muslim, Fitan: 125.
(11) Nursi, Sözler (The Words), p. 158.
(12) al-Munavi, Faydul-Qadir (Beirut: 972), 3:537; Said Hawwa. al-Assas fis-Sunna-İslâm Akàidi. trans. M. Ahmed Varol, Orhan Aktepe et al. (Istanbul: Aksa Yayın-Pazarlama, 1992), 9:335.
(13) Siddiq Hasan Khan, al-Izaa, p. 114; Said Hawwa, al-Assas fis-Sunna, 9:335-336.
(14) Sarıtoprak, ibid., p. 67.
(15) Şuâlar, p. 360.
(16) Bukhari, Fitan: 25; Manaqib: 25; Muslim, Fitan, 84; Abu Dawud, Fitan: 1.
(17) Gazali, ibid., 1:59
(18) Barzanji, al-Ishaa fi Ashratis-Sa’ah, pp. 95-99; Mukhtasaru Tadhkiratil-Qurtubi, pp. 133-134; Şuâlar (The Rays), p. 501, 504.
(19) Şuâlar (The Rays), p. 501.
(20) Mektûbât (The Letters), p. 425