Following are some of the attributes of the Mahdi according to their own Islamic sources:
1. He will appear suddenly near the end of time in Mecca .
2. He will be descended from Mohammed.
3. He will stutter.
4. He will shine like an Israelite.
5. He will unite and reform the Muslims.
6. He will have a mole on his left or right cheek.
7. His eyebrows will mix.
8. He will rule Islam from Jerusalem for 7 years. Note that according to Scripture, Antichrist rules the world from Jerusalem for seven years.
9. He will have hundreds of close companions including Elijah, Elisha, the Seven Sleepers, and al-Khidr.
10. His coming will be announced by earthquakes, sea storms, and a fire over the sky of Basra .
11. He will be a fanatical Muslim.
12. Mahdi the archaeologist: He is called the guided one because he will be guided to the place of the Ark. He will find the Ark of the Covenant. A group of Jews and Christians will come to debate him. Just as they declare victory, he will produce a copy of the real Bible from the Ark. The Jews and Christians will then admit that islam was right all long and convert. Some will refuse and be subsequently beheaded. Note that beheading is Antichrist's preferred method of execution according to Revelation.
13. A mountain of gold will be discovered under the Euphrates .
14. The people of Iraq will help him.
15. The world will love him. Note that the world will marvel after Antichrist.
16. He will have a gap between his tooth.
17. He will receive guidance and knowledge from Allah.
18. He will be helped by Jesus. Note that Antichrist will be helped by the Beast. Despite the fact that Jesus is a messenger of Allah and Mahdi is only a caliph of Allah, Jesus will pray behind Mahdi.
19. He will be charismatic, young, and very handsome. Half the women of Rome will convert to Islam in the hope of joining his harem. But Antichrist lacks the desire of women.
20. He will fill the world with peace and justice.
21. A great army will march against him in Syria . However, the earth will open up and swallow this army. Scripture calls Antichrist the Assyrian.
22. He will receive aid from the East. Mohammed reportedly said, "Many armies will come after me. You must join the one from Khorasan. That is the army of the caliph."
23. Mahdi must battle Gog, Magog, and Dajjal; the Islamic Antichrist.
24. He will be beardless.
25. He will be rich and will give wealth to the people of the world freely. He will cause crops to grow. Antichrist and Beast will have great power on earth.
26. His personality will be similar to Mohammed's.
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1. He will appear suddenly near the end of time in Mecca .
2. He will be descended from Mohammed.
3. He will stutter.
4. He will shine like an Israelite.
5. He will unite and reform the Muslims.
6. He will have a mole on his left or right cheek.
7. His eyebrows will mix.
8. He will rule Islam from Jerusalem for 7 years. Note that according to Scripture, Antichrist rules the world from Jerusalem for seven years.
9. He will have hundreds of close companions including Elijah, Elisha, the Seven Sleepers, and al-Khidr.
10. His coming will be announced by earthquakes, sea storms, and a fire over the sky of Basra .
11. He will be a fanatical Muslim.
12. Mahdi the archaeologist: He is called the guided one because he will be guided to the place of the Ark. He will find the Ark of the Covenant. A group of Jews and Christians will come to debate him. Just as they declare victory, he will produce a copy of the real Bible from the Ark. The Jews and Christians will then admit that islam was right all long and convert. Some will refuse and be subsequently beheaded. Note that beheading is Antichrist's preferred method of execution according to Revelation.
13. A mountain of gold will be discovered under the Euphrates .
14. The people of Iraq will help him.
15. The world will love him. Note that the world will marvel after Antichrist.
16. He will have a gap between his tooth.
17. He will receive guidance and knowledge from Allah.
18. He will be helped by Jesus. Note that Antichrist will be helped by the Beast. Despite the fact that Jesus is a messenger of Allah and Mahdi is only a caliph of Allah, Jesus will pray behind Mahdi.
19. He will be charismatic, young, and very handsome. Half the women of Rome will convert to Islam in the hope of joining his harem. But Antichrist lacks the desire of women.
20. He will fill the world with peace and justice.
21. A great army will march against him in Syria . However, the earth will open up and swallow this army. Scripture calls Antichrist the Assyrian.
22. He will receive aid from the East. Mohammed reportedly said, "Many armies will come after me. You must join the one from Khorasan. That is the army of the caliph."
23. Mahdi must battle Gog, Magog, and Dajjal; the Islamic Antichrist.
24. He will be beardless.
25. He will be rich and will give wealth to the people of the world freely. He will cause crops to grow. Antichrist and Beast will have great power on earth.
26. His personality will be similar to Mohammed's.
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- The Mahdi is Islam’s primary messiah figure.
- He will be a descendant of Muhammad and will bear Muhammad’s name (Muhammad bin Abdullah).
- He will be a very devout Muslim. He will look like a Bani Israel.
- He will be an unparalleled spiritual, political and military world leader.
- He will emerge after a period of great turmoil and suffering upon the earth.
- He will establish justice and righteousness throughout the world and eradicate tyranny and oppression.
- He will be the Caliph and Imam (vice-regent and leader) of Muslims worldwide. He will unite Islam
- He will lead a world revolution and establish a new world order.
- He will lead military action against all those who oppose him.
- He will invade many countries. He will lead the Muslims and wage jihad against them rest of the world.
- He will make a seven year peace treaty with a Jew of priestly lineage.
- He will conquer Israel for Islam and lead the “faithful Muslims” in a final slaughter/battle against Jews. He will conquer the Jews and slaughter them.
- He will establish the new Islamic world headquarters from Jerusalem.
- He will rule for seven years (possibly as much as eight or nine).
- He will cause Islam to be the only religion practiced on the earth and rule with Islamic Law.
- He will appear riding a white horse (possibly symbolic).
- He will discover some previously undiscovered biblical manuscripts that he will use to argue with the Jews and cause some Jews to convert to Islam.
- He will also re-discover the Ark of the Covenant from the Sea of Galilee, which he will bring to Jerusalem. He will discover a new Torah, Gospel, and the Ark , and will use them to argue and persuade Jews and Christian, and cause many people to follow him into Islam.
- He will have supernatural power from Allah over the wind and the rain and crops.
- He will posses and distribute enormous amounts of wealth to Muslims.
- He will be loved by all the people of the earth.
The Hadith, Bukhari, Vol 2, No. 167
The sun eclipsed and the prophet jumped up terrified that it might be the Hour (of Judgement).
I think this is interesting because the sixth seal includes the sun becoming black as sackcloth. It is when the men of earth recognize God's wrath coming. It seems Muhammad had the same idea and it scared him. This is the day of the Lord.
The Conquering Of Israel in Islamic tradition pictures the Mahdi as joining with the army of Muslim warriors carrying black flags. The Mahdi will then lead this army to Israel and re-conquer it for Islam. The Jews will be slaughtered until very few remain and Jerusalem will become the location of the Mahdi’s rule over the Earth.
Rasulullah [Muhammad] said: "Armies carrying black flags will come from Khurasan. No power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela (Baitul Maqdas in Jerusalem) where they will erect their flags." 21
It is important to note here the reference above to “Baitul Maqdas”. In Arabic this means “the holy house”. This is referring to the Dome of the Rock Mosque and is located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
In a particularly venomous manner, Egyptian authors, Muhammad ibn Izzat and Muhammd ‘Arif comment on the above tradition:
The Mahdi will be victorious and eradicate those pigs and dogs and the idols of this time so that there will once more be a caliphate based on prophethood as the hadith states… Jerusalem will be the location of the rightly guided caliphate and the center of Islamic rule, which will be headed by Imam al-Mahdi… That will abolish the leadership of the Jews… and put an end to the domination of the Satans who spit evil into people and cause corruption in the earth, making them slaves of false idols and ruling the world by laws other than the Shari’a [Islamic Law] of the Lord of the worlds. (Emphasis mine) 22
There is a very famous tradition that is often quoted throughout the Islamic world that speaks of the Mahdi’s military campaign against Israel. The tradition is both sickening and very sobering:
The Prophet said… The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him… (Emphasis mine) 23
Rasulullah [Muhammad] said: "Armies carrying black flags will come from Khurasan. No power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela (Baitul Maqdas in Jerusalem) where they will erect their flags." 21
It is important to note here the reference above to “Baitul Maqdas”. In Arabic this means “the holy house”. This is referring to the Dome of the Rock Mosque and is located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
In a particularly venomous manner, Egyptian authors, Muhammad ibn Izzat and Muhammd ‘Arif comment on the above tradition:
The Mahdi will be victorious and eradicate those pigs and dogs and the idols of this time so that there will once more be a caliphate based on prophethood as the hadith states… Jerusalem will be the location of the rightly guided caliphate and the center of Islamic rule, which will be headed by Imam al-Mahdi… That will abolish the leadership of the Jews… and put an end to the domination of the Satans who spit evil into people and cause corruption in the earth, making them slaves of false idols and ruling the world by laws other than the Shari’a [Islamic Law] of the Lord of the worlds. (Emphasis mine) 22
There is a very famous tradition that is often quoted throughout the Islamic world that speaks of the Mahdi’s military campaign against Israel. The tradition is both sickening and very sobering:
The Prophet said… The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him… (Emphasis mine) 23
The Miraculous Provider Who Will Be Loved By All
It is said that the Mahdi will have control over the wind and the rain and the crops. Under the Mahdi’s rule, the world will live in prosperity. Islamic tradition relates that Muhammad once said:
In the last days of my Ummah [universal Islamic community], the Mahdi will appear. Allah will give him power over the wind and the rain and the earth will bring forth its foliage. He will give away wealth profusely, flocks will be in abundance, and the Ummah will be large and honored… 24
In those years my community will enjoy a time of happiness such as they have never experienced before. Heaven will send rain upon them in torrents, the earth will not withhold any of its plants, and wealth will be available to all. A man will stand and say, “Give to me Mahdi!” and he will say, “Take.” 25
As a result of the numerous benefits that the Mahdi brings, it is said that all the inhabitants of the Earth will be possessed with a deep love of him:
Allah will sow love of him in the hearts of all people. 26
Al Mahdi appears, everyone only talks about Him, drinks the love of Him, and never talks about anything other than Him. 27
It is said that the Mahdi will have control over the wind and the rain and the crops. Under the Mahdi’s rule, the world will live in prosperity. Islamic tradition relates that Muhammad once said:
In the last days of my Ummah [universal Islamic community], the Mahdi will appear. Allah will give him power over the wind and the rain and the earth will bring forth its foliage. He will give away wealth profusely, flocks will be in abundance, and the Ummah will be large and honored… 24
In those years my community will enjoy a time of happiness such as they have never experienced before. Heaven will send rain upon them in torrents, the earth will not withhold any of its plants, and wealth will be available to all. A man will stand and say, “Give to me Mahdi!” and he will say, “Take.” 25
As a result of the numerous benefits that the Mahdi brings, it is said that all the inhabitants of the Earth will be possessed with a deep love of him:
Allah will sow love of him in the hearts of all people. 26
Al Mahdi appears, everyone only talks about Him, drinks the love of Him, and never talks about anything other than Him. 27
The Timing of The Mahdi’s Reign
While there is more than one tradition regarding the nature and timing of the Mahdi’s ascendancy to power, there is one particular hadith that places this event at the time of a final peace agreement between the Arabs and the Romans (“Romans” should be interpreted as referring to Christians, or more generally, the West). Although this peace agreement is made with the “Romans”, it is said to be mediated specifically through a Jew from the priestly lineage of Aaron. The peace agreement will be made for a period of seven years.
Rasulullah [Muhammad] said: “There will be four peace agreements between you and the Romans [Christians]. The fourth agreement will be mediated through a person who will be from the progeny of Hadrat Haroon [Honorable Aaron – Moses’ brother] and will be upheld for seven years. (Emphasis mine) 28
It appears that the period of this seven year peace agreement will likewise be the period of the Mahdi’s reign. While there are a few traditions that specify that the Mahdi will reign on the earth for as much as eight or possibly even nine years, most traditions state that the time of his reign will be seven years.
The Prophet said… He will divide the property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet and establish Islam on Earth. He will remain seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him. (Emphasis mine) 29
The Prophet said: The Mahdi… will fill the earth with equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years. (Emphasis mine) 30
While there is more than one tradition regarding the nature and timing of the Mahdi’s ascendancy to power, there is one particular hadith that places this event at the time of a final peace agreement between the Arabs and the Romans (“Romans” should be interpreted as referring to Christians, or more generally, the West). Although this peace agreement is made with the “Romans”, it is said to be mediated specifically through a Jew from the priestly lineage of Aaron. The peace agreement will be made for a period of seven years.
Rasulullah [Muhammad] said: “There will be four peace agreements between you and the Romans [Christians]. The fourth agreement will be mediated through a person who will be from the progeny of Hadrat Haroon [Honorable Aaron – Moses’ brother] and will be upheld for seven years. (Emphasis mine) 28
It appears that the period of this seven year peace agreement will likewise be the period of the Mahdi’s reign. While there are a few traditions that specify that the Mahdi will reign on the earth for as much as eight or possibly even nine years, most traditions state that the time of his reign will be seven years.
The Prophet said… He will divide the property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet and establish Islam on Earth. He will remain seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him. (Emphasis mine) 29
The Prophet said: The Mahdi… will fill the earth with equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years. (Emphasis mine) 30
Al-Mahdi, The Rider On A White Horse . The Mahdi is believed to ride on a white horse.
Whether or not this is symbolic or literal is hard to say. Quite interestingly, this tradition is based on the Muslim interpretation of Christian Scriptures. Despite the fact that Muslims view the Bible as having been changed and corrupted by Jews and Christians, they still claim to believe that some portions of the “original” inspired books are still to be found within the “corrupted” Bible. As such there exists a tradition within Islamic scholarship that seeks to extract those portions of the Bible that Muslims feel may be untainted by the corrupting influence of Jews and Christians. These Judeo-Christian traditions are called by Muslims, isra’iliyyat. One such transmitter of biblical traditions is Muslim scholar Ka’b al-Ahbar. He is viewed among Muslims as a trustworthy transmitter of Hadith as well as isra’iliyyat. 31 Ka’b al-Ahbar is supported in his view that this description of the rider on the white horse as found in the Book of Revelation is indeed the Mahdi by two well known Egyptian authors, Muhammad Ibn ‘Izzat and Muhammad ‘Arif in their book Al Mahdi and the End of Time. ‘Izzat and Arif quote Ka’b al Ahbar as saying:
I find the Mahdi recorded in the books of the Prophets… For instance, the Book of Revelation says: “And I saw and behold a white horse. He that sat on him…went forth conquering and to conquer.” 32
‘Izzat and ‘Arif then goes on to say:
It is clear that this man is the Mahdi who will ride the white horse and judge by the Qur’an (with justice) and with whom will be men with marks of prostration on their foreheads [Marks on their foreheads from bowing in prayer with their head to the ground five times daily]. 33
It is said by some that it was for this reason that Saddam Hussein had numerous murals painted all over Baghdad portraying himself as a Muslim Knight on a white horse with sword drawn doing valiant battle against the infidels. 34
Whether or not this is symbolic or literal is hard to say. Quite interestingly, this tradition is based on the Muslim interpretation of Christian Scriptures. Despite the fact that Muslims view the Bible as having been changed and corrupted by Jews and Christians, they still claim to believe that some portions of the “original” inspired books are still to be found within the “corrupted” Bible. As such there exists a tradition within Islamic scholarship that seeks to extract those portions of the Bible that Muslims feel may be untainted by the corrupting influence of Jews and Christians. These Judeo-Christian traditions are called by Muslims, isra’iliyyat. One such transmitter of biblical traditions is Muslim scholar Ka’b al-Ahbar. He is viewed among Muslims as a trustworthy transmitter of Hadith as well as isra’iliyyat. 31 Ka’b al-Ahbar is supported in his view that this description of the rider on the white horse as found in the Book of Revelation is indeed the Mahdi by two well known Egyptian authors, Muhammad Ibn ‘Izzat and Muhammad ‘Arif in their book Al Mahdi and the End of Time. ‘Izzat and Arif quote Ka’b al Ahbar as saying:
I find the Mahdi recorded in the books of the Prophets… For instance, the Book of Revelation says: “And I saw and behold a white horse. He that sat on him…went forth conquering and to conquer.” 32
‘Izzat and ‘Arif then goes on to say:
It is clear that this man is the Mahdi who will ride the white horse and judge by the Qur’an (with justice) and with whom will be men with marks of prostration on their foreheads [Marks on their foreheads from bowing in prayer with their head to the ground five times daily]. 33
It is said by some that it was for this reason that Saddam Hussein had numerous murals painted all over Baghdad portraying himself as a Muslim Knight on a white horse with sword drawn doing valiant battle against the infidels. 34
Al-Mahdi the Miraculous Archaeologist
In one final very interesting series of traditions regarding the Mahdi we find that he is said to produce some previously undiscovered Bible scrolls and even the Ark of the Covenant:
Ka’b al-Ahbar says, “He will be called ‘Mahdi” because he will guide (yahdi) to something hidden and will bring out the Torah and Gospel from a town called Antioch.” 35
As-Suyuti mentioned in al-Hawi that the messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “he is called the Mahdi because he will guide the people to a mountain in Syria from which he will bring out the volumes of the Torah to refute the Jews. At the hands of the Mahdi the Ark of the Covenant will be brought forth from the Lake of Tiberias and taken and placed in Jerusalem.” 36
Ad-Dani said that he is called the Mahdi because he will be guided to a mountain in Syria from which he will bring forth the volumes of the Torah with which to argue against the Jews and at his hands a group of them will become Muslim. 37
Apparently, the purpose of finding these “lost” portions of the Old and New Testaments as well as the Ark of the Covenant is to help the Mahdi win converts from both Christianity and Judaism prior to “eradicating” the remainder who do not convert to Islam.
In one final very interesting series of traditions regarding the Mahdi we find that he is said to produce some previously undiscovered Bible scrolls and even the Ark of the Covenant:
Ka’b al-Ahbar says, “He will be called ‘Mahdi” because he will guide (yahdi) to something hidden and will bring out the Torah and Gospel from a town called Antioch.” 35
As-Suyuti mentioned in al-Hawi that the messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “he is called the Mahdi because he will guide the people to a mountain in Syria from which he will bring out the volumes of the Torah to refute the Jews. At the hands of the Mahdi the Ark of the Covenant will be brought forth from the Lake of Tiberias and taken and placed in Jerusalem.” 36
Ad-Dani said that he is called the Mahdi because he will be guided to a mountain in Syria from which he will bring forth the volumes of the Torah with which to argue against the Jews and at his hands a group of them will become Muslim. 37
Apparently, the purpose of finding these “lost” portions of the Old and New Testaments as well as the Ark of the Covenant is to help the Mahdi win converts from both Christianity and Judaism prior to “eradicating” the remainder who do not convert to Islam.
The Muslim transmitter of Hadith, Ka’b al Ahbar is quoted as saying:
I find the Mahdi recorded in the books of the Prophets… For instance, the Book of Revelation says: “And I saw and behold a white horse. He that sat on him…went forth conquering and to conquer.” 16
I find the Mahdi recorded in the books of the Prophets… For instance, the Book of Revelation says: “And I saw and behold a white horse. He that sat on him…went forth conquering and to conquer.” 16