Signs of Jesus' Second Coming

o doubt, Prophet Jesus will come to Earth. Close to his advent, some signs and fitna will appear.” (Al- Uqayli, An-Najmu’s-saqib fi Bayan Anna’l Mahdi min Awladi Ali b. Abu Talib Ale’t-Tamam ve’l Qamal, p. 151)

As the hadith above reveals, our Prophet tells us that some signs will appear before Prophet Jesus’ second coming. In the light of this information, we will dwell on the signs of this event. As we stated earlier, signs of the Last Day, which herald the Mahdi’s appearance and reveal the approach of the Dajjal’s fitna, also herald the return of Jesus. The Qur’an, the Hadith literature, and the Qur’anic commentaries of Islamic scholars are the main resources on these subjects. These aside, those Biblical explanations that agree with the Islamic sources about Jesus’ second coming also provide us with important information.

Despite all of this information, however, some people may raise doubts about whether these signs refer to our day. To deal with this concern, the signs that we will refer in the following pages are so obvious and clear that they leave no room for any doubt. More importantly, in our day all of these signs have appeared – and continue to appear – one after the other. Throughout the history of Islam, some of these signs might have happened to some extent in one particular part of the world or another. Such a situation, however, does not indicate the nearness of the appearance of Jesus and Mahdi. For a certain period to be called the End Times, all of the signs that we will examine in detail must occur in the same period. Some hadiths on the subject are as follows:

Signs following one another like bits of a necklace, falling one after the other when its string is cut. (Tirmidhi) When the community engages in these, signs follow one another. These signs chase one another, just as fish break out of their net and escape, chasing one another. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 478)

These hadiths clearly state that the signs of the Last Days will appear consecutively within the same period of time. Some of the events discussed in the following pages may well be regarded as ordinary events, and some people may claim that the conditions prevailing in our day naturally entail the occurrence of these signs. Indeed, some of these signs may happen naturally. However, the fact that all these events are described 1400 years ago thoroughly in a way depicting exactly today’s social order, and that they take place in the same period, one following the other, is an extremely important matter. This is clear evidence that our Prophet drew attention to this period while describing the End Time events.

Examining the Biblical statements and Islamic literature in the light of the information provided above reveals an astounding fact: The signs referring to the End Times have begun to appear, one after another, in the present time, exactly as they are described in these resources. News about the Last Day portrays an exact picture of our day. No doubt, this is a miraculous occurrence upon which we must reflect.

The Signs from the Islamic Resources

1. The Splitting of the Moon

Let’s look at “Surat al-Qamar.” In English, qamar means moon. In several instances, this surah relates that the people of Noah, `Ad, Thamud, Lut, and Pharaoh were destroyed because they ignored the Prophets sent to them. At the same time, its first verse contains a very important message about the Last Day.

The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has split. (Surat al- Qamar, 54:1)

The original Arabic word translated into English as “split” is shaqqa, which has various meanings. In some Qur’anic commentaries, the meaning “split” is preferred. However, shaqqa also can mean “plowing” or “digging” the ground.

The first meaning is used in the following verse:

We pour down plentiful water, then split the ground into furrows. Then We make grain grow in it, and grapes and herbs and olives and dates. (Surah `Abasa, 80:25-29)

Clearly, the meaning of shaqqa here is not to “split,” but to “plow” the ground in order to grow various plants.

Here we see one of the great wonders of the Qur’an. The experiments carried out on the Moon’s surface on July 20, 1969, may be hinting at the fulfillment of this verse. On that date, American astronauts set foot on the Moon and, digging up some lunar soil, they carried out scientific experiments and collected stone and soil samples. It is surely very interesting that these developments are in complete agreement with this verse.

Exploring the Moon is identified with the slogan: “One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” This historic moment in space research was documented by cameras, and everyone from that time to this has witnessed it. As Surat al-Qamar 54:1 states, this great event may be a sign of the Last Day, which would mean that we are living during the End Times. (God surely knows best.)

Another very important sign is that the numeration (abjad) of a certain part of Surat al-Qamar 54:1 by alphabetical Arabic letters is 1969, the year when American astronauts set foot on the moon. (For detailed information on this numeration technique, refer to the section “The Time of Prophet Jesus’ Second Coming.”)

… The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has split. (Surat ar- Rahman, 54:1)

Hijri (Islamic): 1390, Gregorian (Christian): 1969 We also need to mention that “the splitting of the moon” is one of the miracles that God granted to our Prophet. One hadith relates this miracle, as follows:

… This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Abdullah b. Mas`ud [who said]: We were along with God’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) at Mina, when the moon was split in two. One of its parts was behind the mountain, and the other one was on this side of the mountain. (Sahih Muslim)

This is the miracle heralded in the verse. However, as the Qur’an is applicable to all times, we can assume that this verse also draws our attention to the exploration of the Moon. (God knows best.)

2. The Iran-Iraq War

The following hadith reveals an important war that will take place in the End Times:

"The splitting of the moon," one meaning of which the Qur'an relates as a sign of the approach of Doomsday, came true on July 20, 1969, when American astronauts set foot on the moon and dug the lunar soil. (God knows best.)

There will be tumult in Shawwal [the tenth Islamic month], talks of war in Dhu al-Qa’dah [the eleventh Islamic month], and the outbreak of war in Dhu al-Hijja [the twelfh month]. (Muhammad ibn ’Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al- Isha’ah li-Ashrat as-Sa’ah, p. 166)

These three months coincide with the months during which the Iran-Iraq war developed.

Tumult in Shawwal …

The first uprising against the Shah took place on 5 Shawwal 1398 (8 September 1976), as indicated by the hadith.

Talks of war in Dhu al-Qa`dah, and the outbreak of war in Dhu al-Hijjah …

A full-blown war broke out between Iran and Iraq in Dhu al- Hijjah 1400 (October 1980).

Another hadith describes the details of this war as follows: A nation/tribe will come from the Farsi direction, saying: “You Arabs! You have been too zealous! If you don’t give them their due rights, nobody will have an alliance with you… It must be given to them one day and to you the following day, and mutual promises must be kept…” They will be going up Mutekh; Muslims will be coming down to the plain… Mushrikun [idolaters] will be standing over there on the bank of a black river [Rakabeh] on the other side. There will be a war between them. God will deprive both armies of a victory… (Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Sa`ah, p. 179)

Above you see some of the news about Iran-Iraq war. - Those coming from the Farsi direction: those coming from the Iranian side

• Farsi: Iran, Iranian - Coming down to the plain: Coming down to the Iranian plain - Mutekh: Name of a mountain in the region - Rakabeh: A region where the oil wells are concentrated

“You Arabs! You have been too zealous! If you don’t give them their due rights, nobody will have an alliance with you…”

This hadith may draw attention to the outbreak of a racial dispute that will cause both sides to come down to the (Iranian) plain and wage war.

God will deprive both armies of a victory…

Further, as noted by the hadith, the Iran-Iraq war lasted for 8 years and, despite the many thousands of casualties, neither side could claim victory or a decisive superiority.

3. A Great Battle between the Tigris and the Euphrates

There will be a city called Zawra [Baghdad] between the Tigris and the Euphrates. There will be a great battle there. Women will be taken pris- oner, and men will have their throats cut like sheep. (Muntakhab Kanz al-`Ummal, vol. 5, p. 38)

Quite likely, this hadith calls attention to the Iran-Iraq war. As mentioned above, there were many great clashes between these two Muslim countries. Heavy bombardments reduced villages, towns, and cities to rubble. Women, elderly people, and children lost their lives. The mass graves uncovered after the war revealed that the casualties were far higher than anticipated.

4. The Occupation of Afghanistan

Pity poor Taliqan [a region in Afghanistan]. At that place are trea- sures of God, but these are not of gold and silver. (Al-Muttaqi al- Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al- Mahdi Akhir az-l-Zaman, p.59)

The Bloodiest Clashes of the 7 Years…

IRAN-IRAQ: CHEST TO CHEST Turkiye, January 22, 1987 The Result of the Iran-Iraq War: APPROXIMATELY 2 MILLION DEAD Turkiye, August 3, 1988 Iraqi planes bomb Iran WAR IRAN INVADED IRAQ ONE STEP FORWARD, The war between Iran and Iraq, two Muslim countries, lasted for several years. Apart from great casualties, both countries suffered great devastation. Pictures from the Iran-Iraq war.

There is an indication that Afghanistan will be occupied during the Last Days. The Russian invasion of Afghanistan took place in 1979 (1400, according to the Islamic calendar).

… at that place are treasures of God, but these are not of gold and silver …

The Soviet army invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and stayed there until 1988. This photograph shows the Soviet army's withdrawal. Also shown are the Afghans who fought the Soviets.

In addition, this hadith draws attention to Afghanistan’s material riches. Today, large oil deposits, iron basins, and coal mines that have not been commercially exploited yet have been detected there. (Yeni Safak, December 2, 2001)

5. Stopping the Flow of the Euphrates

Stopping and interrupting the flow of the Euphrates is one of the signs of the Mahdi’s emergence, and therefore Jesus’ second coming.

A Der Spiegel story about the Soviet invasion states that the Soviet Union is willing to pursue economic interests in the region, even if it ends the invasion. At that time, Afghanistan's natural gas reserves were estimated to be 150 billion cubic metres – a great incentive, as do its rich coal, lead, zinc, silver, gold mines, and the world's richest lapis mines.

The Reason of the Long- Years’ Wars in Afghanistan:

MINERAL WEALTH The Golden Gate to the Middle Asia BBC News, May 13, 2002 Afghanistan's rich natural gas reserves are considered for various projects. BBC News covered this story, drawing attention to the agreements on constructing a two billion dollar natural gas pipeline.

Soon the river Euphrates will disclose the treasure [the mountain] of gold. So, whoever will be present at that time should not take anything of it. (Sahih Bukhari)

Other hadiths reveal important information on this subject:

God’s Messenger said: “The Hour will not come to pass before the river Euphrates dries up to unveil the mountain of gold, for which people will fight. Ninety-nine out of one hundred will die [in the fighting], and every man among them will say: ‘Perhaps I may be the only one to remain alive.’ “ (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim) The Prophet said: “Tthe Euphrates reveals the treasures within itself. Whoever sees it should not take anything from it.” (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al- Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 28) It [the Euphrates] will uncover a mountain of gold [under it]. (Sunan Abu Dawud)

Interrupting this river’s flow and disclosing its treasure of gold, both of which are important portents of Prophet (Hurriyet, November 4, 1973)

Keban Dam started to collect water For the first and last time in history, Euphrates will not flow for 3 days The construction of the Keban dam stopped the flow of the Euphrates.

Jesus’ second coming, are mentioned in many respected books of hadith.

Let’s examine some important statements revealed in the hadiths one by one:

God’s Messenger said: “The Hour will not come to pass before the river Euphrates dries up and unveils the mountain of gold.” (Sahih Muslim)

… the river Euphrates dries up …

As-Suyuti mentions this hadith as “the stopping of water.” The Keban dam, built in 1975, has accomplished this.

… unveils the mountain of gold…

The surrounding land has become as valuable as gold for various reasons, for the Keban dam has enabled electricity production and higher soil fertility through irrigation and transport facilities.

The Keban and other dams lining the Euphrates resemble a concrete mountain, and wealth as valuable as gold comes out of it. Therefore, these dams take on the properties of “the golden mountain.” (God knows best.)

6. Lunar and Solar Eclipses in Ramadan

There are two signs for the Mahdi… The first one is the lunar eclipse in the first night of Ramadan, and the second is the solar eclipse in the middle of this month. (Ibn Hajar al- Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 47)

A lunar eclipse will occur in the first night of the Ramadan. In the middle of the Ramadan, a solar eclipse will occur. (Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li-Ashrat as-Saah, p. 199) During his [Mahdi's] reign, on the fourteenth of the Ramadan, a solar eclipse will occur. On the first of that month, the Moon will darken... (Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, p. 380; Letters of Rabbani, vol. 2, p. 1163) There will be two solar eclipses in Ramadan before the Mahdi's advent. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 440)... The solar eclipse in the middle of the Ramadan, and the lunar eclipse at the end... (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 37)

There will be two lunar eclipses in Ramadan… (Ibn Hajar Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntazar, p. 53) There will be two lunar eclipses in Ramadan before the Mahdi emerges. (Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li-Ashrat as-Saah, p. 200)

The most striking points here are that the solar eclipse will take place in the middle of the month and two solar and two lunar eclipses will take place within one month (Ramadan).

According to the first three hadiths above, the lunar eclipse will occur on the first night of the Ramadan. The fourth hadith says that it will occur on the last day of this month. Accordingly, the common results of all these hadiths are the following:

1- There will be solar and lunar eclipses during Ramadan. 2- These will be spaced about 14-15 days apart. 3- The eclipses will be repeated twice. In line with these calculations, there was a lunar eclipse in 1981 (Hijri 1401) on Ramadan 15 and a solar eclipse on Ramadan 29. There was a “second” lunar eclipse in 1982 (Hijri 1402) on Ramadan 14 and a solar eclipse on Ramadan 28.

It is also particularly significant that in that particular instance, there was a full lunar eclipse in the middle of Ramadan, a most striking prophecy.

The occurrence of these incidents during the same period coinciding with the signs of the Mahdi’s emergence, and their miraculous recurrence at the onset of the fifteenth Islamic century for two consecutive years (1401-02), indicates that they might be the signs foretold by the hadiths. (July 1999).

Moreover, an astoundingly similar series of eclipses occurred in the years 2002 and 2003.

ACTUAL ECLIPSE DATE

(Left) The solar eclipse on July 31, 1981.

The photograph of the 1981 lunar eclipse published in the Sky Telescope The dates of the solar and lunar eclipses in 1981 and 1982.

Lunar Eclipse

November 20, 2002 Hijri 1423 (in the middle of Ramadan)

15 days later Solar Eclipse

December 4, 2002 Hijri 1423 (at the end of Ramadan)

Lunar Eclipse

November 9, 2003 Hijri 1424 (in the middle of Ramadan)

15 days later Solar Eclipse

November 23, 2003 Hijri 1424 (at the end of Ramadan) (Lunar eclipse on November 20, 2002)

7. The Rise of a Comet

A star with a luminous tail will rise from the east before the Mahdi emerges. (Muhammad ibn Abd al- Rasul Barzanji, Al- Before he arrives, a comet will appear in the east, giving out an illumination. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntazar, p. 53) Ishaah li Ashrat as-Saah, p. 200)

The rise of that star will occur after the eclipse of the Sun and the Moon. (Al- Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az- Zaman, p. 32)... A comet appears when kings go on the pilgrimage to Mecca for travel, the wealthy for commerce, the poor for rest, and the hafiz [reciters] to show off. (Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Saah, p.123)

As referred to by the hadiths; - In 1986 (Hijri 1406), Halley’s Comet passed by Earth. - The comet is a bright, shining star that travels from east to west. - This happened after the lunar and solar eclipses of 1981 and 1982 (Hijri 1401-02).

The concurrence of this star’s rise with other signs of the Mahdi’s emergence indicates that Halley’s Comet is the star pointed to in the hadith.

Rabbani provides the following information about this comet:

A tailed star will be born in the east and spread its light. Its daily direction will be from east to west. (Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 2, p. 1170)

Throughout history, comets have heralded times of very important developments for Muslims, some of which became milestones in Islamic history. The Companions of the Prophet also narrated some of these occurrences, as follows:

When this comet first appeared, the people of Prophet Noah perished, Prophet Abraham was cast into fire, Pharaoh and his people who fought against Prophet Moses perished, and John [Yahya] passed away. When you see that comet, take refuge in God from the evil of fitna. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 32)

Other important occurrences said to have happened with the appearance of this comet are as follows: Prophet Jesus was born, Our Prophet started to receive the first revelation, the Ottoman Empire emerged, and Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople (Istanbul). (Chronicle, March 20,)

Lunar eclipse in Ramadan Vatan, November 8, 2003 Solar Eclipse on December 4, 2003 In 1986, newspapers revealed the first photographs of Halley's Comet and its icy nucleus taken by the Soviet Vega 1 spaceship from a distance of 5,500 miles away.

Some interesting figures about Halley’s Comet

It is interesting that some figures pertaining to the comet are multiples of 19.

For example, Halley’s Comet appears every 76 years 76 = 19 x 4 This comet was last seen in 1406 (according to the Islamic calendar) 1406 = 19 x 74 The number 74 is also the surah number of the Surat al- Muddaththir, which refers to the miracle of 19 in the Qur’an. Surat al-Muddaththir 74:30 reveals that 19 is a means of mercy for believers and of fitna for unbelievers.

A last great miracle and sign of Halley’s Comet is the appearance of this comet in 1986 (Hijri 1406) is its nineteenth appearance since 607, when Prophet Mohammed was honored with prophecy.

This striking relation of Halley’s Comet with the number 19 may indicate a fitna upon unbelievers and a mercy on believers.

In Surat al-Muddaththir 74:1-2, God commands our Prophet: “You who are enveloped in your cloak! Arise and warn.” The meaning is clear. Yet, they may also have a second hidden meaning that refers to the End Times. The word, “(the one) enveloped in cloak” may well refer to the Mahdi, who is from our Prophet’s lineage and whose appearance will be signaled by the rise of Halley’s Comet in 1406 of the Islamic era.

8. Storming the Ka`bah and the Subsequent Bloodshed

The year in which he will emerge, people will perform hajj together and gather without an imam. The Hajjis will be looted, and there will be a battle at Mina in which many will be slain and blood will flow until it runs over the Jamra al-’Aqaba. [Jamra: a stone pillar representing Satan that is stoned during the pilgrimage.] (Narrated by Amr ibn Shuayb, al-Hakim and Nu`aym ibn Hammad)

People make pilgrimage without an imam leading them. Big wars break out when they come down to Mina, and they are entwined just the way dogs entwine, and tribes attack each other. This strife is so widespread that legs are buried in lakes of blood. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 35)

The phrase “the year in which he will emerge” draws attention to a massacre that will occur on the date of the Mahdi’s emergence. In 1979, a massacre very like this one occurred during the Ka`bah raid, which took place during the pilgrimage month at the very beginning of the period during which the signs of Mahdi’s advent appeared – the first day of the Islamic year 1400 (21 November 1979).

The hadiths also mention bloodshed. The killing of 30 people during the clashes between Saudi soldiers and militants during the raid confirms the rest of this hadith.

Seven years later, an even bloodier incident happened during the pilgrimage. In this incident, 402 demonstrating pilgrims were killed. Both the Saudi soldiers and the Iranian pilgrims committed great sins, for they killed one another. These bloody incidents have great parallels to the environment described in the hadiths.

The Prophet said:

“There will be a voice in Ramadan, a noise in Shawwal, and war between the tribes in the month of Dhu al-Qadah. Pilgrims will be despoiled. There will be a war in Mina in which many will die, to such an extent that so much blood will flow as to leave the stones there in a lake of blood." (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 31) There will be a voice in Ramadan, and a voice in Shawwal. In Dhu al-Qadah, the tribes will fight one another. In Dhu al- Hijja, pilgrims will be despoiled. In Muharram, there will be a shout from the sky: "Take heed. Such a person is of the auspi- (Turkiye, November 21, 1979) cious ones of the people of God. Listen to and obey him." (Ramuz al-Ahadith, vol. 2, p. 518, no.5) There will be rebellion in Shawwal, talk of war in Dhu al- Qadah, and an act of war in Dhu al-Hijja. Pilgrims will be despoiled, and their blood will flow [over the Kabah]. (Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Saah, p. 166)

In the month of Dhu al-Qadah, the tribes will wage war, pilgrims will be kidnapped, and there will be bloody wars. (Al- Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 34) There come the cries of war in [the month of] Shawwal with the outbreak of war, massacre, and carnage in [the month of] Dhu al-Hijja. The pilgrims are plundered in this month, the streets cannot be crossed because of the blood shed, and religious prohibitions are violated. Big sins are committed near the Magnificent House [the Kabah]. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al- Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 37)

MECCA IS OCCUPIED Time, December 3, 1979 Clash in Mecca: 402 Dead Turkiye, August 2, 1987 The Ka`bah attack in 1979 turned into a massacre. It is striking that this massacre took place at the beginning of the fifteenth Islamic century, when the End Times' signs appeared one after another. Seven years after this mass murder, an even bloodier event took place during the Hajj. These bloody events have evident parallels with the environment described in the hadiths.

Examining the expressions in the hadiths indicates important events regarding the same period:

Big sins are committed near the Magnificent House [the Ka`bah].

This hadith draws attention to the incidents that will occur near the Kabah. The incidents during 1407 actually took place near the Kabah, and not inside it, unlike the event of 1400. Both incidents happened just as the hadiths indicated that they would.

It is not a mere coincidence that two such major events as bloodshed in the Ka`bah and the killing of pilgrims, as reported in the hadiths, should take place one after the other in the period when all portents regarding the Mahdi are coming true.

… [There will be] outbreak of war, massacre and carnage in [the month of] Dhu al-Hijja.

The fact that this war and conflict is discussed together with the killing of pilgrims shows that these events will take place in the same period of time. During that same period, the Iran-Iraq war broke out and the world saw the worst fighting and chaos in the Middle East.

A big flame will occur in the east for 3 or 7 days in a row, followed by darkness in the sky and a brand new red- ness unlike the usual color of red spreading over the sky. A proclamation will be heard in a language Earth can understand. (Muhammad ibn Abd al- Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li-Ashrat as-Sa`ah, p. 166)

9. Sighting a Flare in the East

In its section on the signs of the Mahdi’s emergence, the book Iqd al-Durar states:

“The emergence of a big flare, which is seen in the east, in the sky for three nights. Sighting of an extraordinary redness, not as red as the usual color of the dawn, and its spread over the horizon.” (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al- Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 32) "This is a hadith narrated by Abu Jafar b. Muhammad b. Ali. When you see a flame rise in the east for three or seven days, then wait for the emergence of Al-i Muhammad; God will proclaim from the sky uttering the name of the Mahdi and everybody, whether in the east or the west, will hear that voice.” (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 32) “I swear that a flame will engulf you. That flame is presently in an extinguished state at the valley called Berehut. That flame swallows up people with terrible pain inside it, burns down and destroys people and property, and spreads all over the world by flying like a cloud with the assistance of winds. Its heat at night is much higher than its daytime temperature. By going as deep as the center of Earth from above the heads of people, that flame becomes a terrible noise, just like the lightning between the ground and the sky,” he narrated. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 461)

Here we give a brief explanation of this flame, as follows: Some people wait for this flame as a sign that comes suddenly and for no particular reason, that never goes out, and that everyone in the world can see. Since the trial continues during the occurrence of these signs, just because people will see them does not mean that they will understand them. Thus, people will make their decisions by using their intellect, mind, conscience, and will. If the End Time signs had been narrated in full detail (e.g., how, when, and where they will occur), everybody would have to accept them. Thus, no differences of degree would be left among the people. For this reason, these hadiths have been communicated in a semi-implicit manner.

In July 1991, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and its firing the Kuwaiti oil wells caused great fires in Kuwait and the Persian Gulf.

The sign concerning the flame must be evaluated in this manner. A flame is the result of an accident and neglect, or of a deliberate action. The hadith does not say that it must occur as a very strange and extraordinary sign. What really counts is its occurence in compliance with the properties of the flame described in the hadiths and the time of its occurrence. To do this, first we must consider its properties.

In July 1991, after Iraq invaded Kuwait, a huge fire spread throughout Kuwait and the Persian Gulf as the Iraqis fired Kuwait’s oil wells. This is how this fire was covered in the media:

• The burning oil in Kuwait led to the deaths of people and animals. According to experts, half a million tons of oil went up into the atmosphere as smoke. Every day, more than 10,000 tons of soot, sulfur, carbon-dioxide and large quantities of hydrocarbons with their carcinogenic properties hang suspended over the Gulf. It is not just the Gulf but, on its behalf, the world is burning. - Two wells that were set alight produced as much oil as Turkey does in one day, and the smoke from them were even seen from Saudi Arabia, 55 kilometers away. - Hundreds of oil wells set alight in Kuwait are still burning fiercely. Experts say it will be “exceedingly difficult to put those fires out,” and it is said that the fires may affect a wide area from Turkey to India for the next 10 years. The fire and smoke coming from the wells constantly polluted the atmosphere. Daytime resembled night in Kuwait. The brown smoke that rose together with the flames reminded one of the sky as the autumn turns into winter… It has been stated that it would take at least a century for Kuwait to be completely habitable again. The smoke that rises with the flames is visible from miles away, totally blocking out the sky and making the country unfit to live in. The wealthy are abandoning Kuwait. According to a statement by Abdullah Dabbagh, director of the research institute in Dhahran, in the New York Times, 106 species of fish, 180 species of mollusk, and 450 animal species living in the region struggled to survive because of the pollution in the Persian Gulf. It has been stated that smoke rising from 600 oil wells has spread to neighboring countries, and that smoke containing such carcinogenic substances as sulfur has turned into acid rain and reduced agricultural productivity.

I swear that a fire will enfold you. That fire is currently lying extinguished in the valley known as Berehut [which is the name of a valley or a well].. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 461).

The first part of the hadith says that the flame “is presently in an extinguished state.” Given that the flame is the result of burning an inflammable substance, what waits in an extinguished state is not the flame itself but rather the material to be burned by the flame. In this context, this may mean underground oil. Berehut is the name of a well. This can be considered as an oil well. When the time comes, oil extracted from these wells will become a fire ready to be burned.

“That flame swallows up people with terrible pain inside it.”

That flame is not merely a burning flare, but also one that deprives people of their lives and possessions, making them miserable and sorrowful, and contaminating the surrounding environment.

“That flame… burns down and destroys people and property.”

That flame causes the death of certain people. In addition, it burns down property, causing material damage and, by polluting the surrounding environment, destroys what people need in order to live.

“… spreads all over the world by flying like a cloud with the assistance of winds.” This particular element of the flame is the smoke that it produces. Thus, this metaphor indicates that the smoke will reach as high as the clouds and spread in all directions due to the wind.

“Its heat at night is much higher than its daytime temperature.”

In other words, the flame will burn around the clock.

“By going as deep as the center of Earth from above the heads of people, that flame makes a terrible noise, just like the thunder between the ground and the sky.” Attention is drawn to the facts that the flame will climb very high into the air and cause a very strong noise and explosions resembling a thunder.

“… a brand new redness unlike the usual color of red spreading over the sky…” This part of the hadith points out that the incident will occur at night, for the flames of a large explosion occurring at night leads to a very strong illumination. The red illumination caused by such red flames is very different from the red “dawn” redness with which people are familiar. Such an illumination at night, which is very similar to daylight, is an extraordinary phenomenon. (solar explosions in the year 2000.)

10. A Sign out of the Sun

He [the Mahdi] will not come unless a sign emerges out of the Sun. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- The Mahdi will not emerge unless the Sun rises as a sign. (Al-Muttaqi al- Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 33) Muntazar, p. 47)

Another sign of Doomsday is extraordinary solar explosions. During the twentieth century, a great solar explosion took place and had a great impact upon the world. The sign referred to in the hadith may well be this great explosion.

11. A Solar Eclipse

As well as the solar explosion men- The Mahdi will not emerge tioned above, the sign unless the Sun rises as a that will appear on the sign. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Sun may well be the Al-Burhan fi `Alamat algreat solar eclipse that Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, happened on August p. 33)

11, 1999, the last total solar eclipse of the twentieth century. It was the first time that so many people had been able to watch and study an eclipse for so long. (Life, October 2000)

It is of course no coincidence that so many signs have occurred one after the other in such a short space of time. These signs are each glad tidings from God to His faithful servants.

12. A Change of Systems

A man called the Mahdi will come at a time when time is in- terrupted… (Al-Muttaqi al- Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 14)

Upon Saddam's command, soldiers fired Kuwait's oil wells.

A photograph showing the Sun's last phase after BBC News (August 17, 1999)

CNN.com (August, 11, 1999)

In this hadith, our Prophet foretold that the Mahdi would come when “time is interrupted.” Many scholars interpret this expression as a “differentiation of time” when a “change of systems” takes place. What is meant by this “change of systems” may be the collapse of communism, the governing ideology of many nations, toward the end of the twentieth century. (Mao, the killer of approximately 60 million people.)

One of the major reasons for the bloody wars and massacres that characterized the twentieth century was the rule of communist ideology, which was a product of materialist philosophy. This ideology was influential on a global scale, and many countries were either ruled by the communist regimes for decades or were the target of communist rings. Communism was the reason for the cold war, which continued until the 1990s, as well as the most ruthless assassinations. (Stalin, the murderer of 40 million people.)

Apart from attempting to spread their ideology by fighting other countries, communist regimes oppressed their subjects and killed large numbers of people through executions, mass massacres, harsh conditions in prison camps, and food and other scarcities.

According to historians’ estimates, communist regimes caused the deaths of 120 million people during the twentieth century. Most of them were civilians, not soldiers. Tens of millions of people died because of the rigid and savage characteristics of communist regimes. Apart from this, millions of people who were subjected to atrocities fled their native lands. As a result, they lost all of their possessions and lands, and lived in constant fear of being arrested for various political or ideological “crimes” or of being subject to further atrocities.

However, these supposedly powerful and invincible regimes began collapsing one after the other in the late 1980s. The pulling down of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was the most distinctive symbol of this collapse. Two years later, the Soviet Union, the largest and most powerful communist state, collapsed, and the Eastern Bloc soon followed suit. Other communist regimes collapsed one after the other. This sudden end of the bi-polar world order that had existed since the end of the Second World War was totally unexpected. Now, a new world order is in the process of coming into being. The “change of system” mentioned in the hadith thus is materializing in our own time.

Lenin, the communist leader who committed the most cruel massacres.

Today, the last ideological and political remnants of communism are disappearing and the world is being cleansed of this bloody ideology. With the spread of Islamic ethics, the atrocities, pain, ignorance, and poverty finally will be eradicated, and humanity will attain beauty, wealth, prosperity, and peace. As a manifestation of His forgiveness and grace, God will offer humanity an end to darkness, war, massacre, and sorrow.

13. A Tribulation of Dust and Smoke

Before the Hour comes, there will be a dusty and smoky tribulation like patches of dark night… (Sunan Abu Dawud)

The world's bipolar system, which began in 1945, ended with the Soviet Union's collapse. This was also considered the beginning of a new world order.

This hadith foretells a dusty, smoky, and dark wave of tribulation just before the Mahdi’s advent. The word “tribulation” (fitna) implies anything that turns peoples’ reason and hearts away from the true path, or war, incitement, chaos, disorder, and conflict.

25 The tribulation mentioned in this hadith will leave behind smoke and dust.

Furthermore, as this tribulation is described as resembling “patches of dark night,” its origins are unclear and it is unexpected. Thus, this hadith could refer to one of the world’s worst terrorist attacks: 9/11, when New York City and Washington, DC, were attacked. As the whole world saw, a big, thick cloud of dust and smoke swallowed up the immediate surroundings.

A large cloud of smoke formed after the airplanes exploded after smashing into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The resulting smoke reached so high and spread so far that it could be seen throughout the city and even from neighboring cities. The ensuing collapse of the Twin Towers caused yet another huge cloud of smoke and dust, which completely enveloped people in the area.

This incident is very important for several reasons: It is one of the most serious acts of terror in world history, and it occurred along with other signs and bears characteristics similar to ones described in the hadith. Therefore, this act may well be the “tribulation like patches of dark night” foretold by the hadith as the sign of the Mahdi’s emergence. (Takvim, September 12, 2001)

14. The Emergence of Widespread Slaughter

The Mahdi will only appear at a time when people are experiencing great fear and are afflicted by disturbances, civil war, and other disas- ters. (Narrated by Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali)

Most painful situations and grievous sights will be seen. Strife will go on and on… It will kill mothers, fathers, daughters, men, and everyone… Among these will be strife, violence, destruction, and looting. People will ask when it will end, but it will still go on. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al- Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 36)

Most hadiths about the Mahdi’s advent focus on the prophecy that turmoil, insecurity, and disorder will rule the world before his coming. Massacre, war, and conflict are some of the major features of such a period. In addition, the hadith draws attention to the fact that massacres will occur all over the world.

During the two world wars of the twentieth century, an estimated 65 million people were killed. The number of civilians slaughtered for political reasons during the same century is estimated to be well over 180 million. This is an extraordinarily high figure when compared with those of previous centuries.

In fact, wars used to be fought at various fronts by soldiers until the twentieth century. However, the advancement of weapons technology and “improved” military strategies in the twentieth century introduced the concept of all-out war, one in which no distinctions were made between soldiers and civilians. Such concepts as bombing cities; chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons; genocide; and concentration camps emerged in the twentieth century.

Such atrocities still continue, for bloody wars and battles are in full swing all over the world. Their common feature, as indicated in the hadith above, is massacre. The use of weapons of mass destruction on the one hand, and the ideological domination of views that encourage conflict and bloodshed on the other hand, have caused modern massacres to be very comprehensive in scope.

A photograph taken in a Nazi death camp (Nordhausen, Germany) in 1945 as evidence of the Second World War's savagery.

A look at recent history reveals many large-scale massacres. For instance, the Bosnian war went down in history as one that targeted the civilian population and thus resulted in the murder of thousands of civilians regardless of gender and age. The mass graves uncovered laterofferred striking evidence about just how large such massacres were. (A mass grave in rural Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992.)

This 1945 photograph of Nuremberg, Germany, reveals the dimensions of the war's massacre and destruction.

Another “ethnic cleansing” campaign has been carried out against the Palestinian people since the 1940s. This is no more than a long-term policy of massacre. The exemplary massacres of Sabra and Shatilla, overseen by Ariel Sharon in 1982, as part of this policy fully expose the exact dimensions of the drama.

There are also frequent violent conflicts between Africans, in which thousands of people die. For example, in the spring of 1997, a large-scale ethnic war broke out between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes, which finally involved five countries: Zaire, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and Tanzania. Nearly one million people lost their lives in this war, and tens of thousands of people had to fight poverty, misery, and contagious diseases in the jungles. Many of them died. Even children and babies were savagely murdered just because they were from the “wrong” tribe.

15. The Killing of the Rulers of Damascus and Egypt

The Sabra and Shatilla massacres made during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon. This event went down in history as an extremely cruel and great massacre. More than 3,000 people, most of them women and children, were murdered by the Lebanese Christian Falangist groups who were guided and supported by the Israeli soldiers.

Before he comes, the inhabitants of Egypt and Sham will kill their rulers and their commanders… (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al- Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 49)

In Rwanda, the clashes between Hutus and Tutsis that began in the 1960s turned into a bout of ethnic cleansing that killed an estimated 800,000 people and made many more refugees. (Below) A Hutu stoned to death by Tutsis. (Right) Tutsi soldiers murdered Hutus without discriminiation.

This hadith draws attention to the fact that the rulers of Damascus and Egypt will be killed before the Mahdi comes.

In 1981, Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat (1970-81) was assassinated during a military review. Other Egyptian leaders who have been killed include the prime ministers Boutros Ghali (1910) and Mahmoud Nukrashy Pasha (1948).

The word “Sham” is not only used for Damascus, for it also means “left” and has long been used to refer to those countries to the left of the Hijaz (where the cities of Makka and Madina stand).

26 Many leaders have been killed in the region, among them former Syrian prime ministers Salah al-Din Bitar (1920), Droubi Pasha (1921), and Muhsin al-Barazi (1949); King Abdullah of Jordan (1951); and the Lebanese Phalange leader Bashir Gemayel (1982).

16. The Killing of Abdullah, the Former King of Jordan

Another portent of the Mahdi’s coming is the killing of a senior member of the Hashemites. (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 12)

Jordan, known as the Hashemite kingdom, was detached from the Ottoman Empire and came under British control for a period of time. Great Britain recognized Jordanian independence in 1946, as part of the Treaty of London. The monarchy was given to Abdullah, head of the principality of Jordan. King Abdullah was later killed by the British in 1951. Thus the incident indicated in the hadith came to pass. (Jordan’s King Abdullah was assasinated in 1951 while praying)

17. The Enslavement of the Egyptians

The people of Sham will take prisoner the tribes of Egypt… (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al- Qawl al-Mukhtasar f’ `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 49)

NewYork Times, September 15, 1982 Bashir Gemayel in al-Aqsa Mosque.

As stated earlier, Sham is the region located on the left part of Hijaz (where Mecca and Medina are located). Today, Israel is one of the countries located in this region. Consequently, this hadith may well hint at Israel’s war with Egypt and its occupation of Egyptian lands.

On October 26, 1956, Israel, with British and French support, attacked Egypt and began to occupy the Sinai Peninsula. The fighting ended shortly afterwards, following intervention by the United States and the United Nations, and a UN peacekeeping force was stationed on the Israeli border.

During the 1967 Six-Day War, the Israel air force attacked some Egyptian air bases and inflicted severe damage upon the Egyptian air force. Due to this defeat, the Egyptian air force performed poorly during the battles that took place after June 5. The Egyptian forces in Sinai withdrew. On June 5, Israel attacked and occupied the Golan Heights and, by the end of the war, Israel had captured the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.

Following a later agreement, Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula. However, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and Jerusalem remain under Israel occupation.

During these wars, many Egyptians were taken as prisoners of war and many others were killed.

18. The Destruction of Great Cities

Great cities will be ruined, and it will be as if they had not ex- isted the day before. (Al- Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az- Zaman, p. 38)

(Below) In June 5, 1967, Israeli tanks were seen near Rafiah, in the Sinai Peninsula. (Below) Israeli battalions started to shoot Golan Heights in June 10, 1967.

Approximately 100,000 people died in Hiroshima in the immediate aftermath of the atomic bombing and subsequent months. Three days after this event, another atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki killed another 40,000 people. While bombs killed people, they also wiped out a great area of settlement. Those who survived suffered, as would their offspring, from genetic and physiological damage due to radiation.

When developed places are ruined, then Doomsday is no further away than the distance between your two fingers. (Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Sa`ah, p. 143) There will be ruins all around the world. Ultimately, Egypt will also be ruined. But until Basra is destroyed, Egypt will remain secure. The ruin of Basra will be because of Iraq’s destruction. Meanwhile, the downfall of Egypt will come with the drying up of the Nile… (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 530)

The ruin of great cities spoken of in this hadith brings to mind the destruction that now arises from war and natural disasters. In addition to these, recently developed nuclear weapons, aircraft, bombs, missiles, and other weapons have caused untold destruction. These weapons have brought about a level of destruction heretofore unknown. Indeed, the great cities targeted are most affected by this destruction.

The incomparable destruction of the Second World War is an example of this. The atom bomb completely destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As a result of heavy bombing, European capitals and other important cities were devastated. The Encyclopedia Britannica states that:

The resulting devastation had turned much of Europe into a Moonscape: cities laid waste or consumed by firestorms, the countryside charred and blackened, roads pitted with shell holes or bomb craters, railways out of action, bridges destroyed or truncated, harbors filled with sunken, listing ships. “Berlin,” said General Lucius D. Clay, the deputy military governor in the U.S. zone of postwar Germany, “was like a city of the dead.” In short, this unprecedented level of destruction conforms entirely to that described in the hadith of the Prophet.

19. The Rebuilding of Ruined Places

The rebuilding of the ruined places in the world, and the ruination of constructed places, are signs and portents of Doomsday. (Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al- Isha‘ah li Ashrat as-Sa‘ah, p. 138)

The reconstruction of these ruins is a further sign of the End Times. As we stated in the previous section, during the twentieth century, many cities were reduced to rubble and thus had to be rebuilt, among them Berlin, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), and Dresden.

A similar example is the Kobe, a Japanese city devastated by a powerful earthquake in January 1995. For 30 years, the Japanese government and universities have invested 1 billion dollars in developing early warning systems for earthquakes. However, no model can distinguish all types of tremors. The region of Kobe and Osaka is one of Japan’s most prominent industrial and commercial centers. Thus, the total economic impact of the Kobe earthquake was immense, amounting to billions of dollars.

29 Yet, despite this loss, Japan reconstructed Kobe. (Dresten was rebuilt by 1996.)

20. The Fourth Peace and Arab-Israel Peace Agreement

Abu Na`im narrated from Abu Umama’: “Our Prophet said: There will be four [periods of] peace with you and people [in one copy, this is said to be the Greeks]. The fourth peace, which lasts for seven years, will be through a person from the people of Heraclius. They said: “O Prophet, who will be the imam [leader] of the people on that day?” He said: “The Mahdi, a man aged forty from my lineage.” (Osman Catakli, Kiyamet Alametleri [Signs of the Doomsday], 299/8)

In 1995, an earthquake reduced Kobe to rubble. As the photographs on the right show, the city was soon reconstructed.

(Below) War devastated Dresden in 1946. (Right) Then (Small picture above) Tokyo was ruined by an 8.3 magnitude earthquake in 1923 and flames as an aftermath of intense shock waves. As the photographs reveal, Tokyo was soon rebuilt.

(Above) The 1906 earthquake in San Francisco killed 3,000 people and burned a great part of the city. (Below) A view from of San Francisco today.

This hadith mentions one of the signs of the Mahdi who will ally with Prophet Jesus during his tenure on Earth. According to this sign, a fourth peace agreement will be signed between the Muslims and the non-Muslims, and this agreement will last for seven years. At the end of this period, the Mahdi will appear. According to the general conviction, this “fourth peace-agreement” is the Camp David agreement signed by the U.S., Israel, and Egypt in 1979. (God knows best.)

21. The Loss of an Army

There are five portents of the Mahdi: a cry from Sufyani, Yemani, and Sama, the sinking of an army in Bayda, and the killing of the innocent. (Narrated by Nu`aym ibn Hammad)

(Below) Anwar Sadat of Egypt, Jimmy Carter of the United States, and Menahem Begin of Israel signing the Israeli-Egyptian peace agremeent on March 26, 1979.

… An army will be sent to him. This army will be leveled while it is somewhere in the desert. (Sahih Muslim) An army comes to fight. Once they enter the desert, the one in the front and the back disappear, and the ones in the middle cannot save themselves. (Tirmidhi, Sunan Ibn Majah, Sunan Abu Dawud)

The almost sudden disappearance of a large part of the Iraqi army was one of the most striking features of the 2003 American-led war against Iraq. Many newspapers and television channels reported that a 60,000-man army from the Republican Guard, along with some 15,000 Iraqi militiamen from the Fedayeen, got lost. This account indicates that “the loss of an army,” a portent of the Mahdi’s coming, and hence of Prophet Jesus’ second coming, may already have taken place. (God knows best.)

In fact, the discovery of some war planes buried under the desert sands reinforces the possibility that the “leveling of an army” refers to the Iraqi army. (Yeni Safak, April 11, 2003)

22. No Money Will Be Left to the Iraqis

The Iraqis will be left with no weighing equipment, and no money will be left to them with which to buy and sell. (Muntakhab Kanz al-`Ummaal, vol. 5, p. 45)

Another portent of the End Times, and thus of the second coming of Prophet Jesus, is that the Iraqi currency will have no value.

This hadith may indicate two situations. One of them is Iraq’s economic collapse after the Iran-Iraq and the Gulf wars. The Iraqi economy, faced with such crises, could not recover in the post-war period due to the embargos imposed by America and the UN. The Iraqi people grew even poorer, and poverty became a major problem.

Or, it might refer to abolishing the Iraqi currency (dinar) in the postwar era. With the last war, the rapid loss of the Iraqi currency’s value and the possibility of its being withdrawn from circulation appeared in the newspapers during 2003. (Tercuman, April 15, 2003)

23. Flames Destroy Homes in Baghdad

Baghdad is destroyed by fire in the End Times… (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, vol. 3, p. 177)

During the Second Gulf War in 2003, from the very first day Baghdad was the target of a very intensive bombing campaign. Under heavy bombardment, Baghdad burned in flames, just as the hadith said it would. Images of Baghdad, which appeared on TV and in newspapers, conveyed this reality to the world. Thus, this is a clear indication that we are living in the End Times.

24. The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks

There will be a peace agree- ment in Bayt al-Maqdis. (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, vol. 3, p. 184)

Bayt al-Maqdis is the name of Masjid al-Aqsa. This hadith may well indicate that an agreement will be reached in Jerusalem. For the last 50 years, Palestine has been consumed by fighting and tension. An important step toward bringing peace and security to this region was taken during the 1993 peace negotiations in Oslo. No matter how unjust some of the decisions were, and although some could not be fully implemented, the fact that the two sides did reach agreement on specific issues was an important development. In 2003, peace negotiations between the two sides continue, particularly with the American “Road Map” initiative.

25. An Embargo against Iraq and Damascus

“It may happen that the people of Iraq may not send their qafiz and dirhams [their measures of food-stuff and their money].” We said:” Who would be responsible for it?” He said: “The non- Arabs would prevent them.” He again: “There is the possibility that the people of Syria may not send their dinar and mudd.” We said: “Who would be responsible for it?” He said: “This prevention would be made by the Romans.” (Sahih Muslim)

Abu Hurayra relates: “The Prophet said: ‘The time will come neither a dirhams nor a qafiz will be given to Iraq. Its mudd and dinar will also not be given to Sham. Its irdab and dinar will also not be given to Egypt. You will return to the point from which you started.’” (Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud)

The embargos imposed upon Iraq and Damascus are signs of the End Times. For more than a decade, Iraq has endured embargos. Meanwhile, there exists the possibility of placing an embargo upon Syria.

26. The Restructuring of Iraq

Doomsday will not come until Iraq is attacked. Innocent people in Iraq will seek shelter in Sham. Sham will be rebuilt, and Iraq will be rebuilt. (Muntakhab Kanz al`Ummal, vol. 5, p. 254)

The hadith draws attention to the reconstruction of Iraq. Many Iraqi cities were reduced to rubble during the Iran-Iraq war, and then again during the two Gulf wars of 1991 and 2003. After this latest war, Iraq’s rebuilding became compulsory because so much of it had been ruined. Looting also contributed to this situation. This appeared in newspapers, as follows: (Ortadogu, March 19, 2003)

27. Iraqis Flee to Damascus and the North

Immediately before the outbreak of the latest Gulf war, tens of thousands of The innocent and Iraqis sought to migrate to clean people of Iraq other countries, especially will flee to Sham.

Syria. This bears a great (Risalat al-Khuruj similarity to the event de- al-Mahdi, p. 210) scribed in the hadith. News and pictures about this attempted migration appeared in the media.

28. Fitna in Damascus

The tribulation in Sham will calm down on the one hand and flare up again on another. This corruption will not end until an angel from the sky calls: “The Mahdi is your leader. The Mahdi is your caliph.” (Risalat al-Khuruj al- Mahdi, p. 63)

The hadith indicates that there will be terrible chaos in Sham before the Mahdi appears. This refers to the chaos developing in Syria.

As we mentioned earlier, however, “Sham” means “the left” and refers to those countries to the left of the Hijaz.

During the early years of the twentieth century, civil wars, rebellions, conflict and great wars were already raging in this region. These conflicts triggered one another and had a great impact upon all of the people living there. The statement “This tribulation … will calm down on the one hand and flare up again on another” is noteworthy in this regard: Over the last fifty years, several major events occurred in this region, among them the Suez War, the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the Lebanese civil war, and the ongoing tension in Palestine. (Cumhuriyet, April 5, 2003)

29. Chaos in Damascus, Iraq, and Arabia

Our Prophet said: “There will be such troubles and calamities that nobody will be able to find a place of shelter. These woes will move around Sham, fall upon Iraq, and tie the hands and feet of the Arabian Peninsula. The community of Islam will fight against troubles in the steppes.

Nobody will feel any sympathy for them or even say: “Alas!” As they try to remedy their woes on the one hand, they will emerge again on the other.” (Muntakhab Kanz al-`Ummal, vol. 5, pp. 38-39)

The expression, “The woes will move around Sham, fall upon Iraq” may well indicate the Second Gulf war in 2003. Before and during this war, there was always the possibility of extending the war to Syria, although the war remained limited to Iraq. (Muslim Observer, May 10-16, 2003)

30. The Division of Iraq into Three Parts

According to our Prophet, the people of Iraq will be divided into three groups. One part will join the looters. One group will flee, leaving their families behind. And one group will fight and kill. Prepare yourselves for Doomsday when you see this. (Fera Idu Fevaidi’l Fiqr Fi’l Imam al- Mahdi al-Muntadhar)

Another sign of the End Times is the division of the Iraqi people into three. As the hadith relates, some Iraqis will join the “looters.” Indeed, at the end of the war, some Iraqis took advantage of the loss of authority and engaged in looting. In fact, some of these people stole and looted, acts that can be defined as “pillaging.” The hadith informs us that some people would try so hard to escape that they would not even think about the families they would leave behind.

The hadith also tells that some people would fight and be killed. During this latest Gulf war, some Iraqis fought and died.

“The division of Iraq into three,” as is related in the hadith’s first part, also came true after the first Gulf War in 1991, when the country was divided into the following regions: between the 32th and 36th parallels, south of the 32th parallel, and north of the 36th parallel. (Milliyet, April 10, 2003)

31. War in the Streets

“Between the Tigris and the Euphrates, a city will be built where the children of Abbas will reign. It is called Zawra [Baghdad]…” “O Rasul al-Akram, the leader of believers, why is it called Zawra?” “It is called Zawra because the war surrounds it, expanding to the borders.” (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 426, no. 776)

You do not see for I am seeing the places of turmoil between your houses as the places of rainfall. (Sahih Muslim; Doomsday: Portents&Prophecis; p. 84)

Guerilla warfare became widespread in the twentieth century. The ensuing conflicts often take place in streets and between houses. The most recent example occurred in Baghdad in 2003. Indeed, the first hadith above relates that a war will expand to all the corners of Baghdad. The events of the latest Gulf war and the related news reported by the media confirm the news foretold in the hadiths. (God knows best.) (Ortadogu, August 14, 2003)

32. A War between Muslims and Jews

The Last Hour would not come unless the Muslims fight against the Jews… (Sahih Muslim)

By the beginning of the twentieth century, conflicts between Arab Muslims and Jews were characterized by terrorism and violence. Toward the end of the First World War, the Ottoman Empire disintegrated and Palestine, until then an Ottoman Arab territory, was placed under the administration of Great Britain. Failing to bring peace to a land ravaged by violence, Great Britain finally turned the problem over to the UN in 1947. The UN proposed that Palestine be partitioned into two independent states so that the Jews could have a homeland. This was the first Jewish state in 19 centuries. (Israel’s Haganah moved toward Jerusalem in 1948.)

Arabs in Palestine and the surrounding countries sought to change this situation, and in 1948 a bloody war broke out between them and Israel. Israel, which proclaimed its independence that same year, then violated the UN plan by occupying a large portion of Palestine. All that was left for the Palestinians was the west part of the Jordan River (the West Bank) and some land surrounding Gaza city (the Gaza Strip).

During June 1967, Israel carried out a massive invasion. Egypt, Syria, and Jordan had been making preparations to attack Israel for months when, in a sudden counter-attack, Israel launched the war on the morning of June 5. Israel jets flew over the Mediterranean Sea for a while and then suddenly turned toward Egypt. Egypt, which had prepared for an Israeli air attack from the east instead of from the north, was caught off guard and saw the majority of its air force destroyed before the pilots could get their planes in the air. Within 5 days, the Israeli army defeated the Arab armies one after another. Within 6 days, Israel roughly tripled its size. The invaded, and now occupied lands included the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights (part of Syria), and Egypt’s giant Sinai Peninsula.

Israel also occupied East Jerusalem. After the 1948 war, Jerusalem had been divided into East and West Jerusalem. West Jerusalem, the modern part of the city, and it was held by Israel; (Israeli soldiers in Hebron on the third day of the 1967 Six Day War.)

East Jerusalem, the Old City and location of many religious shrines, was held by Jordan. After the 1967 War, Israel controlled both parts of Jerusalem, and the Wailing Wall, which has become Israel’s national symbol, came under Jewish control for the first time in 19 centuries.

Nasser, who strengthened his army with Soviet weapons, denied the ceasefire that ended the Six Days War in in March 1969, in order to regain the land to Egypt, which were lost in April 1968. He also initiated a months-long mild “war of attrition.” Attacks on Israeli targets were finally ended by heavy Israeli artillery bombardment of and air attacks on the cities along the Suez Canal. This development caused Egypt to sign another ceasefire agreement with Israel.

During the Yom Kippur feast of 6 October 1973, Egyptian and Syrian armies launched a sudden attack against Israel. Crossing the Suez Canal, the Egyptian army entered the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula and started to cross the Bar-Lev Line, a supposed “impassable” border established after the 1967 War. Meanwhile, Syria moved forward on the Golan Heights. The Israeli army was taken completely by surprise. Soldiers attending Yom Kippur services in synagogues were sent headlong to the various fronts. Israeli radio, meanwhile, broke its traditional Yom Kippur silence and sounded the alarm.

At the expense of considerable loss of life, the Israel Defense Forces (Zahal) stopped the Arab forces on 9 October with their conventional forces. Soon, the Syrian army’s progress on Golan Heights was also ended. Meanwhile Egypt, by now having a stronger army and reinforced by its strategic position, engaged in a long and bloody tank battle. According to the general opinon, Washington’s rapid arms support to Israel that began on the second day of the war enabled Israel to win.

SADDAM’S JUNTA IS LOST Many of Saddam’s Planes Found Buried in the Sand Turkiye, August 13, 2003 Iraq at an Impasse over “Dinar”

Iraqi Dinar Will be Withdrawn from Circulation Iraq is Stuck in Debts Iraq’s Swamp of Debts Haberturk, April 15, 2003 BAGHDAD IS BURNING WHOEVER GETS SICK DIES! It is very difficult to find medicine in Baghdad, prices can not be supervised, Medicine for fatal diseases can’t be imported.

EMBARGO THREAT ON SYRIA USA WILL RECONSTRUCT IRAQ THE RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ Emigration Started Vatan, March 18, 2003 IRAQI PEOPLE ON ROADS The gravest accusation from USA to Damascus:

Syria is a Terrorist State Clashes in Syria Continue The city of Hama is in Flames Hurriyet, February, 1982 Gulf Today, October 3, 2003 Muslim News, April 25, 2003 Israel Wants More Blood Radikal, October 4, 2000 Violence Does Not Abate Aksam, January 22, 2002 Violence of Israel Continues War at Doorstep Newsweek, April, 1997 Aksam, March 30, 2001 USA increases the dosage of its accusations against Syria: BARREL TURNED TO SYRIA Crescent, May 1-15, 2003 Star, April 29, 2003 Destination Syria Haberturk, April 10, 2003 Sharon Demanded Pressure on Syria Threat of Sanctions on Syria from USA PEOPLE FLEE IN MASSES THEY LOOT WHATEVER THEY FIND SADDAM’S PALACE GUARDS ABANDONED THE PALACE The Republican Guards Fled the Palace: Some of them jumped into the River Tigris Iraq is divided into 3 Milliyet, May 4, 2003 DEATH FIELDS Coalition Forces turned the war into a massacre. Lands between Basra and Baghdad abound in corpses Iraq will be divided into 3 Yeni Safak, November 4, 2003 The Real War Will Be on the Streets of Baghdad City War is Nigh The Wailing Wall came under the Jewish control after the 1967 War, when East Jerusalem was invaded by Israel.

On 26 October, Israel began to drive the Arabs out of the territories that they had recently recaptured. Meanwhile, the threat of Israel being driven into sea was over. Yet this was not a victory for Israel, for in just a few days the two Arab armies had inflicted a severe toll on the nation: 2,700 dead in a small country with a population of little more than 3 million.

Following this psychological shock, the Israeli government took a step back. Israel agreed to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, and in 1979 Egypt and Israel signed the Camp David Peace Agreement. Yet, this agreement and all subsequent ones have failed to bring peace to the region. The conflict between the Arabs and the Israelis continues, albeit with short intervals of peace.

33. The Killing of Innocent Children

When an innocent child of the community of Muhammad is killed, an angel from the sky will cry: “God is with him [the Mahdi] and with those who are with him.” (Muhammad bin Ali Sabban, Ishaf ar-Raghibin, p. 154)

One sign of the End Times is the murder of innocent children. We have seen this on a massive scale in recent years. Young African children are being forced to participate in the civil wars wracking that continent, and their merciless murders can be considered as one of these examples. Another region where children are being targeted is Palestine. Between 2002-03, more than 500 children were shot and killed by Israeli soldiers. During the latest Gulf War, Iraqi maternity hospitals were bombed and damaged, causing the deaths of many children. (Radikal, September 27, 2002)

34. Pervasive Corruption

Islamic literature defines fitna as “hard times,” such as civil strife, war, or riots, during which evil forces attempt to weaken and even eradicate people’s faith.

Maternity Hospital Bombed BABY KILLERS A breath of Poison...

One hadith, which reveals that the believers’ faith will weaken in the End Times, also provides information about the developments that will lead to this:

The Mahdi, one of my children, comes into being, by the blessing of God, upon the approach of the Day of Judgment; the weakening of the believers’ hearts because of death, hunger, fitna and the disappearance of the Sunnah; and the emergence of innovations and the loss of means by which to enjoin the right and forbid the wrong. His justice and prosperity will ease the believers’ hearts, and friendship and love will settle between the non-Arab and the Arab nations. (Al-Muttaqi al- Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 66)

Briefly, the following events will take place before the End Times and the Mahdi’s appearance:

1- Death: As a consequence of anarchy and mass murder, people will not be safe and will be greatly concerned about dying.

2- Hunger: The struggle to make a living will increase, because the cost of living will rise. Natural disasters and catastrophes will lead to starvation and hunger.

3- Fitna: Such troubles will spread and encourage unlawful and immoral acts among all people, both in public and in private.

4- Innovation (bid`at): Adoption of some rituals or innovations on the grounds that they are essential components of Islam, although they violate the teachings of the Qur’an.

5- Disappearance of an environment that allows the communication of God’s message: Believers will be hindered from enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, and a spiritual decline will occur as a result.

Such fitna will lead to a stronger faith, an increase in patience and rewards in the Hereafter for the believers’ having a solid faith, while weakening further the faith of those with weak faith. The latter group might even lose their faith completely.

The Mahdi will appear when such fitna is prevalent. Other hadiths and Islamic scholars state that the Mahdi will appear when a particular type of fitna has become worldwide.

The Mahdi will come when fitnas appear. (Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 2, p. 258) Disorder, corruption [fitna], and fear will emerge in the West… Corruption will proliferate. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p.

35. One Type of Fitna Will Spread Everywhere

One kind of corruption [fitna] will surface, from which no party will be able to protect itself, and spread immediately in all directions. This situation will persist until someone comes and says: “O people, from now on your leader is the Mahdi.” (Ibn Hajar Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 23)

The hadiths speak of a corruption that will touch everybody and spread quickly. In other words, this corruption will be known to everybody, oppose religion and God, and target the people’s faith. Today, materialist philosophy is the largest and most comprehensive trend designed to deny God’s Existence and creation. Its underlying philosophy, the “theory of evolution,” provides it with a self-proclaimed “scientific” basis. Even though it is not based on any scientific and logical evidence, certain materialist circles continue to work for its acceptance via constant propaganda, deceit, and even fraud.

Today, as this theory has penetrated almost every household, it is safe to say that almost all people have heard of it. This theory is first presented as fact during childhod by means of countless lies and deceit promulgated by society and school textbooks. As they grow older, young people continue to be misled by such funny fallacies that they, and humanity as a whole, came into being merely as a result of coincidence and that they descended from apes. Youths of all ages are brainwashed at all stages of their education by evolutionist lies. (For further information on this important topic and our scientific answers to such propaganda, please refer to A Definitive Reply to Evolutionist Propaganda, [Global Publishing: 2003].)

There is a noteworthy point here. As our Prophet noted in one of his hadiths, corruption’s global pervasiveness and rapid spread can materialize only when current technological means (e.g., the press, publications, broadcasting, the Internet, and satellite communication) are available. As the relevant technology did not exist in the past, corruption could not spread throughout the world so quickly. As a result, no other worldwide trend that had declared war on God’s Existence, creation, and the morality of religion was seen. All of these are among the important signs that the Mahdi’s advent and the second coming of Prophet Jesus coincide with the present time.

At this point, we need to remember that the hadiths heralding this fitna say that it will end when the Mahdi appears.

36. Religious Prohibitions Gain Acceptance

A fitna appears, and other fitnas follow … then comes a fitna that considers all of the unlawful acts to be lawful. (Al-Muttaqi al- Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al- Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 26)

Transmitted by Hudhayfa: “Our Prophet said: ‘O Hudhayfa, on that day they [the Muslims] will be on the verge of reverting back to their former religion; they will assume that wine is lawful and will fail to perform their regular prayers.’” (al-Uqayli)

Such unlawful acts as prostitution, alcohol, and bribery are widespread in the world today. The western media praises and encourages those who commit these unlawful acts, while criticizing those who do not. Statistics reveal that the number of people engaged in such activities is steadily increasing. This lifestyle that sees no boundaries, disregards what is lawful and unlawful, and considers every form of immorality as normal is quite compatible with the setting depicted in the hadith. This gloomy setting, which indicates the Mahdi’s advent, also indicates that the coming of Prophet Jesus is drawing nigh. Other related hadiths and the explanations of Muslim scholars are as follows:

The Mahdi will not emerge until unbelief invades everywhere and is openly committed in public. What rules in such times is the invasion by unbelief… That is its power. (Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 2, 259) The Mahdi will emerge following the occurrence of such vile fitna, whereby all of the prohibitions are regarded as lawful. (Ibn Hajar al- Haythami, Al-Qawl al- Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 23)

37. Openly Denying God

The Hour will not be established until it is not said on the Earth: God. (Sahih Muslim; Tirmidhi)

Atheism, although around for a long time, started to spread on a heretofore unknown scale by the end of the nineteenth century. The number of people deluded by the spread of materialism and Darwinism, atheism’s philosophical and so-called “scientific” bases, increased markedly in the twentieth century, when they were able to propogate their perverse views without any significant difficulty. However, atheism will be defeated by God’s Will, thanks to the ideological struggle of sincere believers. (For further information about the collapse of atheism, please see The Rise of Islam [Kuala Lumpur: A.S. Noordeen Publishing, 2003].)

38. Replacing God with Other “Deities”

The system of night and day will not end until the people have taken to worship of Lat and ‘Uzza… (Sahih Muslim)

Many tribes of my people will adhere to associators and revert back to disbelief before the Hour … (Muhammad ibn Abd al- Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Sa`ah, p. 287) The Last Hour will not come before the tribes of my people attach themselves to the polytheists, and tribes of my people worship idols. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)

Ascribing associates to God, or deeming someone or something (idols) worthy of worship besides God, is a great sin. Some people think that idolatry involves worshipping statues carved out of stone and wood, as people did in the past. But this is a great mistake, for idolatry also means those who ascribe associates to God. Having faith in God alone, as described in the Qur’an, means dedicating oneself to God alone. In other words, one believes in attaining God’s good pleasure and mercy alone. In the End Times, the number of true believers who do not ascribe associates to God will diminish, and the number of people who embrace superstitious beliefs will increase.

39. A Sign of Materialism’s Spread

The Mahdi will appear when the letters of the Basmillah lose their importance. (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 29)

What is meant by “the letters of the Basmillah” may be the people’s stance toward Islamic morality and the condition of their faith. Indeed, in a period when the people’s faith weakens, the Mahdi will appear and ideologically eliminate those movements. Considered from this viewpoint, this hadith may indicate materialism’s and Darwinism’s amazing strength on the people.

One, and perhaps the most important, duty of the Mahdi, is to prepare the ground for Prophet Jesus by eliminating these philosophical and intellectual movements.

40. Days of Anarchy and Chaos

The Hour will come when violence, bloodshed, and anar- chy become common. (Muntakhab Kanz al- `Ummal)

Anarchy and conflict were among the most obvious features of the twentieth century. In countless wars, rebellions, and conflicts, a great number of people died, and security and peace became one of the survivors’ greatest longings. The seemingly unending civil wars in some African countries, rebellions in many countries (especially in Central and South America), wars and clashes throughout Asia, and conflict in the Middle East are only the most obvious examples of this chaos.

This aside, during the last decade, anarchy and terror seem to have gone global. (A photograph from Columbia’s civil war, Time magazine, March 6, 2000.)

Many countries suffered – and continue to suffer – from terrorist attacks that targeted civilians and innocent people. This development, along with the ensuing anarchy and chaos, has caused many people to drift into depression. (Magazine, July, 1992)

41. The Absence of Peace

All hearts being in mischief, some peo- ple hold talks with others and make peace and agreement demonstrations. But until a period appears in which people’s hearts oppose peace and agreement, Doomsday will not come. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p.

382, no. 701)

The news given in this hadith still holds true for today, especially the failure to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict over Palestine. (God knows best.) Besides, people working for peace all over the world are doing their best to ensure long-lasting peace and to end war, conflict, and murder. Yet, all of these efforts so far have not succeeded. (Cumhuriyet, January 2, 2002)

42. Revolutions

… Fitna, conflict, and revolution become legion, and people kill one an- other. People commit suicide, and evil is pervasive all over the world. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 482, no. 901)

The growing number of civil wars and revolutions are among the important signs of the Hereafter given by our Prophet. In the second half of the twentieth century, such Central and South American countries as El Salvador and Nicaragua, being the foremost, were ravaged by revolutions, coups, and counter-coups. At the beginning of the 1980s, with the strenghtening of guerilla movements organized in the countryside, conflicts of interest between executive cadres and military leaders turned into a massive conflict and chaos impacted some 22 million people. In Nicaragua, Somoza was overthrown, and massive uprisings took place in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala that led to many thousands of people being killed. (Vatan, July 17, 2003)

43. People Flee from One Another in Confusion

“O, Messenger of God, what is the fitna of Akhlas?” He said: “Fleeing – that is, the fleeing of people from one another due to mistrust and the looting of people’s possessions.” (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 386, no. 714)

The hadith states that people will flee from one another due to mistrust and fear. This might be a reference to those who are forced to flee their homelands. Indeed, the number of refugees and exiles had increased greatly by the beginning of the twentieth century.

Especially during the last 20-30 years, this increase has reached significant figures. By 2001, the number of refugees reached 23 million while the number of people who had abandoned their homes was about 30 million. (Emigration wave of 600 thousand people)

44. The Global Pervasiveness of Chaos and Conflict

At a time when the world will be in harj [utter confusion and disorder], fitna will appear, people will be attacked, the old will not have mercy on the young, and the young will not show respect to the old, God will send someone to eradicate hostility and conquer the castles of perversion, uphold faith in the End Times just as I upheld it formerly, someone who will fill this Earth with justice where violence prevailed before. (Al- Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 12)

The Prophet said: “Fitna will spread after me. Terror and war will rage. Then, there will be greater fitnas. When people will say that the fitna has ended, new rebellions will appear. Until someone from my lineage [the Mahdi] emerges, there will be no home in Arabia into which fitna will not enter and a Muslim to whom fitna will not reach. (Fera Idu Fevaidi’l Fiqr Fi’l Imam al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, p. 147)

As these hadiths reveal, such chaos will spread around the world. Indeed, many countries have been ruined, either wholly or in part, by chaos, war, murder, and terrorism. Every day, hundreds of people are exiled or murdered for no reason. (For further informationsee Signs of the Last Day [Global Publishing: 2003].)

45. The Occurrence of Great and Astonishing Events

So many appalling incidents will occur in his time. (Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 2, p. 258)

Great phenomena will happen in his time. (Ibn Hajar Haythami, Al- Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 27) “… earthquakes, sorrows, and great events are near. That day, Doomsday, is closer than this hand is to your head,” he [The Prophet said. (Sunan Abu Dawud) The signs of his emergence resemble those preparatory signs that earlier gave an indication of our Rasulullah. (Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol, 2, p. 258)

Great and extraordinary events preceded Prophet Mohammed’s birth. For example, a new star rose on that night, 14 towers of the Iranian Emperor’s Palace collapsed, the Magians’ (fire worshippers’) fire that had burned for 1,000 years in Iran went out, the Semavi Valley was flooded, and the Save Lake dried up.

As indicated in the hadiths above, the Mahdi’s emergence will resemble that of our Prophet. Great and miraculous phenomena will also take place when he emerges.

Some of the remarkable phenomena that took place during the last century are as follows:

• The Ka`bah was raided, and many Muslims were killed - The 2,500-year Iranian monarchy collapsed and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi died

• A gas leak in a Bombay factory killed 20,000 people - War broke out between two Muslim nations: Iran and Iraq - The Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan - On September 19, 1985, Mexico City was devastated by an earthquake

• The Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted, wiping the town of Armero off the map and killing 25,000 people

• Floods in Bangladesh killed 25,000 people - Rome, the heart of the Catholic Church, was flooded - The worst forest fire in history broke out in China - Indian Prime Minister Gandhi, President Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt, and Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme were assassinated

• Pope John Paul II was shot - The AIDS virus, identified in 1980, has so far killed tens of thousands of people and is known as the “Plague of the Age”

• The Challenger space shuttle exploded after take-off in 1986 - The worst nuclear accident in history occurred when the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor, located in the Soviet Union, exploded on April 26 1986 and affected many European countries by the released radiation - A hole was discovered in the ozone layer - The Soviet Union collapsed, thanks to Gorbachev, and the newly independent states of Central Asia emerged

• The Gulf War broke out, Iraq annexed and then fled Kuwait, and was finally occupied by America and Britain in 2003.

• An earthquake in Armenia reduced cities to rubble, causing 500,000 people to leave their homes and more than 40,000 people to lose their lives.

• The Chinese government sent its tanks into Tienanmen Square during 1989 to crush a student movement demanding greater freedom; 2,000 students died

• The Berlin Wall, which for 28 years had symbolized the cold war, was torn down

• More than 1,400 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at a tunnel in the Ka`bah in 1990

• Approximately 139,000 people died from flooding in Bangladesh in 1991, and ten million were left homeless

• Hundreds of thousands of Muslims were killed in the atrocities in Bosnia and Kosovo, and hundreds of thousands more were exiled

• The Ebola virus led to the deaths of tens of thousands - The hurricanes, tornadoes, whirlwinds, and floods caused by El

Niño led to the deaths of thousands of people, to millions fleeing their homes, and to billions of dollars worth of damage

• The London Stock Exchange collapsed on October 19, 1987, and the ensuing panic resulted in a value loss of 50 billion Pounds.

Milliyet, August 29, 2002 Bribery is spreading speedily throughout world Prostitution is Spreading Akit, August 11, 2001 World demanded Peace Yeni Safak, September 1, 2002 Israeli bomb to Peace Yeni Mesaj, September 11, 2001 Israel does not care about the Road Map Yeni Safak, August 2, 2003 Israel violated the Armistice Cumhuriyet, February 6, 2003 Do Not Send us Back to Liberia Milliyet, August 12, 2003 Muslim News, February 28, 2003 Yeni Safak, December 29, 1999 The Century of Massacres Zaman, September 2, 2000 The World Longs for Peace The Tienanmen events resulted in the death of 2,000 Chinese students.

• 168 people were killed in a bomb attack on a federal building in Oklahoma City April 19, 1995.

-In 1997, the Hale-Bopp Comet passed so close to Earth that it could be seen with the naked eye

• 1,500 people died in an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale in Iran on May 10, 1997

• 5,000 people died in an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale in Afghanistan on February 1998

• 1,171 people were killed in an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale in Columbia on January 25, 1999

• More than 2,100 people died in an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale in Taiwan on September 21, 1999

• The biggest-ever terrorist attack on America took place on September 11, 2001. Two passenger airplanes crushed into the World Trade Center in New York within 18 minutes of each other. Another plane crushed into the Pentagon. Over 5,000 people died.

• An earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck India, killing thousands of people

• Many European countries have experienced heat waves that have killed many people

• Mars was closer to Earth in August 2003 than at any other time in the past 60,000 years

In November 2003, 12 people lost their lives in a flood in Makkah, which is one of the driest regions in the world. (Time, October 4, 1999)

46. The Situation of Some Muslims

He said: “I swear by God, Who holds my soul in His hands, that when that time of fitna comes, you will turn into snakes rising to twist each others’ necks.” (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 386, no. 672)

The space shuttle Challenger exploded soon after it was launched in 1986.

Flood in Mecca, The Driest City of the Earth The shooting of Pope John Paul II was among the great events of the twentieth century (bottom right). Indira Gandhi, the Indian Prime Minister, was also assassinated (below left). The initial AIDS cases appeared at the beginning of the 1980s. This disease, also called “the Plague of the Century,” has killed approximately 18.8 million people. The collapse of the London Stock Exchange caused the loss of 50 billion pounds in 1987 (middle).

Hurriyet, November 13, 2003 (Right) The 1985 eruption of Columbia’s Nevado del Ruiz volcano killed 20,000 people. (Below) The Ebola virus has killed tens of thousands of people. (Bottom right) Hurricane Andrew destroyed tens of thousands of buildings in Florida in only a few hours.

(Left) In the 1991 flood in Bangladesh, 139,000 people and approximately half a million animals lost their lives. (Below) A 1985 Mexican earthquake. (Below) In 1997, 1.8 millions hectars of agricultural land remained underwater due to the flood of the North Dakota Grand Forks River. The disaster, which caused a loss of more than 1 billion dollars, appeared under the headline of “Great Mud: The City Disappeared” in various newspapers.

In this hadith, our Prophet calls attention to the disagreement among some Muslims. It indicates that in the End Times, some Muslims having status, rank, and power will show hostility to each other instead of joining forces. In other hadiths, our Prophet also draws attention to such threats as jealousy, envy, and hostility – all of which will be prevalent among Muslims.

…. Fitna will appear from right there, from the place where Satan’s two horns will rise. Yet you still strike one another’s neck. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 369, no. 675)… if you start competing with one another, feeling jealous of one another, turning your backs or separating and becoming enemies of one another. (Sahih Muslim) A time will come when my people will envy one another, just as goats do. (al-Hatim)

47. The Current Situation of the Islamic World

I swear to God, Who endowed me with justice, that after me there will be a period of gap among my people. At that time, everyone will ask for possessions without considering whether they are halal [lawful], blood will shed, and poems will be held as dear as the Qur’an. (ad-Daylami)

In the past, the Islamic world built one of the greatest and most glorious civilizations in history. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War had great impact on the Islamic world, for it damaged Muslim unity. Right now, unresolved problems and disagreements are pervasive in many parts of the Islamic world. This aside, nearly all Muslim countries are far behind when it comes to any type of progress associated with science, technology, and economic development. The “period of gap” may refer to this deplorable situation.

We need to remember that, as in the past, it is very easy for the Islamic world to establish a glorious civilization that once again will set an example for the entire world with its moral excellence, peace, security, and abundance. But this will not happen until Muslims once again strive to live according to the morality of the Qur’an and to establish the Union of Islam that this morality envisages.

48. Wars between Muslims

Doomsday will not come until the two great Islamic armies get into war with one another… (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 454, no. 831)

Muslims who fail to get along well with one another in those days cannot avoid being the target of the Dajjal. (al-Hakim, Mustadrak, vol. 4, pp. 529-30) Abu Hurayra reported that God’s Messenger narrated: “The Last Hour will not come until the two parties [of Muslim] confront each other and there is a large-scale massacre amongst them and the chain of both of them is the same.” (Sahih Muslim)

In these hadiths, our Prophet called attention to some events that would take in our day. Indeed, as these hadiths reveal, at the beginning of the year 1400 of the Islamic era, Iraq and Iran were fighting each other, and Iraq would later invade Kuwait.

49. Muslims Are Subjected to Severe Troubles

At the end of time, their rulers will cause My people severe trouble in such a way that there will be no comfort for Muslims anywhere. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al- Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 12)

Woe to this community because of those tyrannical rulers. These cruel ones frighten even the silent and submissive, apart from those who obey them. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 13) The cruelty of leaders … is one of the portents of Doomsday. (Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Saah, p. 143)… There will be no home into which strife does not enter, and no Muslim who is untouched by it. This will continue until a rajul [a man of gnosis and illumination] from my lineage appears. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 25) [One portent of Doomsday is] sinners raising their voices in the mosques and having victory and dominion over devout believers in place of the religion’s commandments. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 450)

I swear that [great] misfortunes will befall the people, and one will not find any refuge from cruelty and tyranny. At such a troublesome time, God will send someone from my lineage. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 437)

This hadith points out that before the Mahdi comes, those who lack religious morals and have a cruel and merciless character will come to power in some Muslim countries. This is one of the signs indicating that the coming of the Mahdi and Prophet Jesus is drawing nigh.

In another hadith, our Prophet tells us that due to all of this oppression at the End Times, sincere Muslims may be forced to hide their belief and worship in secret:

Just as the hypocrites lead their lives in secret among you today, a time will come when believers will try hard to lead their religious lives among others. (Ibn Sunni)

As we all know, some contemporary Muslim rulers oppress Muslims and crush their people and prevent Muslims from living by their religion and performing their acts of worship. Meanwhile, economic conditions have made life harder. In other countries, people are subjected to trouble because their rulers are unqualified to rule.

Some examples of these incidents are as follows: In Iraq, which lost about one million people during its war against Iran, the Ba`thist dictator Saddam Hussein subjected all Iraqis to unbearable tortures and atrocities.

Instability and turmoil have ruled in Afghanistan ever since the Soviet occupation in 1979. Some Afghanistan authorities (viz., the Taliban), which never represented real Islam, established a very oppressive, ruthless, and intolerant system. (Der Spiegel, January 16, 2003)

Syrian Muslims suffered a myriad of atrocities during Hafez Assad’s 30-year rule. Some cities were entirely destroyed during the massacres, which also led to raping women and a wide-ranging torturing of men.

Djibouti, a tiny African country, has been ruled by a harsh regime that, during 1977-91, killed about 2,000 Muslims, arrested 7,000 people, and tortured many more without any justification.

Iran-Iraq War Intensified Cruel Saddam Sabah, September 25, 2000 (Next) Many stories regarding Saddam’s cruelty have appeared in the media. Der Spiegel (June 16, 2003) called Saddam and his family the “The Murder-Clan.” (Above right) Newsweek magazine covered Saddam’s crimes in its February 17, 2003, issue.

Saddam Tested Radiation Bomb Aksiyon Magazine, April 14, 2003 Newsweek, February 17, 2003 Radikal, April 12, 2003 Loot… Chaos… Misery In Somalia, an oppressive regime led by Major General Mohammad Siad Barre, which targeted Muslims directly, became a Newsweek (January 1990) story under the heading of “War in a Forgotten Desert.”

In Somalia, an oppressive regime led by Major General Mohammed Siad Barre, which targeted Muslims directly, was in power from 1969-91.

Tunisia, ruled by the dictator Habib Bourgiba for 31 years, suffered great oppression during the rule of this self-proclaimed “President for Life.” (Hurriyet, May 4, 1982)

It is also worthwhile to say that this situation is prevalent in some Muslim countries due to a lack of knowledge about Islamic morality. One of the common features of such regimes is their repressive and cruel power-based ideologies. This is surely incompatible with religion’s morality. Therefore, believers need to carry out intellectual struggles against these ideologies, for an ideology that is defeated on intellectual grounds can hardly survive. Muslims must expose these ideologies’ errors and deviances and call their adherents to the right path by telling them about religion’s true morality. Through this method, which complies with the Qur’anic morality, all of these cruelties will end, by God’s permission, and the Muslim world will attain a celebratory future.

50. The Killing of the Innocent

The Mahdi will not emerge until innocent people are massacred, and he will appear when those on Earth and up in the sky can no longer put up with such massacres… (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al- Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al- Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 37)

The Mahdi will not appear until seven out of nine [people] are killed. The killing of the innocent will be among them. (Al- Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az- Zaman, p. 35) The Mahdi will not emerge until innocent people are killed. When those who are without sin are killed, the people of Earth and sky [will] detest the killers. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al- Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 35)

While the hadiths about the Mahdi’s emergence mention such massacres as commonplace, they also emphasize that such massacres will target innocent people. As we discussed earlier, almost all of the wars today target civilians. So, civilians and such innocent people as children, the elderly, and women are slaughtered. Targeting these defenseless people in particular has resulted in more comprehensive massacres, while the number of people dying as a result continues to climb.

In addition to such massacres, acts of terror, particularly in recent years, have resulted in the mass annihilation of people. Since terror seeks to spread fear and horror, the very group that such attacks often target are innocent civilians.

Many people continue to lose their lives in different countries as a result of terrorists targeting shopping malls, restaurants, and schools frequented by defenseless women, youths, and children.

51. People Killed for No Reason

Abu Hurayra relates: “Our Prophet said that: ‘People will see such days that the killer will not know why he kills, nor the innocent why they are slain.’ He was asked: ‘How will this be?’ He replied: ‘It is haraj [killing]. Both killer and killed are in the flames.’” (Sahih Muslim)

Hafez Assad Organizes the terror in Syria Forces of Assad Tyrannize the People Many countries around the world struggle against terror perpetrated by their own citizens or terrorist groups. In some cases, mass graves are uncovered, as is in the case of Bosnia, where women, children, and the elderly were tortured. Terror and chaotic environments target innocent people all over the world and are among the signs of Doomsday, upon which everyone needs to contemplate.

The increase in murders is one of the signs of the (Vatan, July 17, 2003)

End Times. In newspapers, the stories of those who commit murder because of a minor dispute often appear. Similarly, an unwanted reaction of the other party, the displeasure incurred by the music one plays, or even a small amount of money may well be the reason for such murders. (Star, March 19, 2002)

52. Corruption that Causes Conflict Everywhere

Fitnas will follow one another in the near future. Then, there will be other fitnas and the ones fol- lowing them. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 374, no. 684)

… Then there will be misfortunes, fitna, and many evil things that you will not like. Such misfortunes will occur that the latter, often much greater, will make the preceding one appear insignificant. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, pp. 394-95, no. 733)

The hadiths above mention a steadily expanding fitna that continues for extended periods of time. The term fitna also means “war, disorder, quarrel, dispute,” as mentioned earlier. As we know, these events often spread far beyond the points where they begin, as expressed by the narrated hadith. This was especially true of the twentieth century, which is remembered as “the century of wars.” As for the twenty-first century, it again started off with war and terror, both of which remain common features all over the world.

About 180 million people lost their lives during the wars of the twentieth century. This is certainly a record in the annals of human history. According to historians, 165 wars and confrontations took place, each causing the death of a minimum 6,000 people.

When we analyze the places where wars of all kinds have taken place in just the last 25 years, we can see that such instances of corruption end in one place but then reemerge in another. For example, consider the following partial list of areas so affected: Bosnia- Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Palestine, Israel, North Korea, Cambodia, Eastern Turkestan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen, Uganda, Algeria, Rwanda, Mozambique, Angola, Congo, Liberia, Burundi, Sudan, Lebanon, Argentina, Northern Ireland, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.

World history is full of war, but the wars, terrorist acts, and massacres that took place in the twentieth century and in the beginning of twenty-first century differ from all previous ones in many respects. As mentioned earlier, their death tolls were much higher than the total of all previous wars. In addition, wars used to remain regional and contained, as opposed to spreading from one place to another, and sometimes even becoming global in nature. However, by the beginning of the twentieth century, we saw the first truly global war. Virtually no country or region escaped war, confrontation, or an act of terror during the twentieth century. (Milli Gazete, December 22, 2000)

Another distinguishing feature is the power of the weaponry used: tanks, heavy cannons, and aircraft are all death machines that appeared in the twentieth century. On the other hand, far more terrible massacres were carried out through the use of nuclear and chemical weapons, especially with the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Immense damage was inflicted not only upon those generations caught up in these wars, but also the one or more new generations that followed.

Presently, biological warfare is seen as one of the most serious dangers. The anthrax bacteria mailed during October 2001, immediately after 9/11 in America, is one example of this. This mailing infected ten people with anthrax; two of them died.

As a result, it is highly probable that the specific incidence of corruption (fitna) referred to in the hadith as spreading to many places relates to the war, confrontation, disorder, and acts of terror, all of which multiplied in the twentieth century and continue even in this new century. All of this may just be yet another sign of the approaching Golden Age that will be established by the Mahdi and Prophet Jesus, and that we are living at the end of time. (Zaman, October 10, 2001)

53. Loss of Hope in the Mahdi

God Almighty will send the Mahdi after despair has reached the point that people will say: “There is no Mahdi.” (Narrated by Nu`aym ibn Hammad)

This hadith informs us that one sign of the End Times is the people’s despair of the Mahdi’s coming. The prevalence of this despair is also a sign of Prophet Jesus’ second coming.

People who struggle with war, starvation, injustice, epidemics, and all forms of depravity lose their hope that such disasters will ever end. Many Muslims, on the other hand, start to despair that Islamic morality will never prevail and believe that evil will spread even further.

Indeed in our day, we frequently see examples of this spirit. Despite the existence of countless hadiths about the Mahdi’s coming, Prophet Jesus’ return, and the Golden Age characterized by great blessings, many people believe that such a period will never come. This assumption is also a sign of the End Times. In a time of despair, people will enjoy the benefits of the prevailing Qur’anic morality, thanks to God’s mercy. By God’s Will, Prophet Jesus will return and religion’s genuine morality will prevail all over the world.

Just as the world was filled with violence and injustice, after Prophet Jesus’ return, by our Lord’s Will, it will abound with justice, peace, security, and blessings.

54. Poverty and Hunger

The poor will grow in number. (Amal al-Din al-Qazwini, Mufid al-`Uulum wa Mubid al-Humum)

Gains will be shared out only among the rich, with no benefit to the poor. (Tirmidhi) Three years before the appearance of the Dajjal, there will be exceedingly stressful days and hunger will rule … (Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Sa`ah, p. 220)

Many hadiths of our Prophet mention the poverty and hunger that people will suffer before the Mahdi comes. Of course, poverty and hunger have existed throughout history, but the poverty of the End Times will increase enormously all over the world. This situation will herald Prophet Jesus’ second coming.

Today, many people live without sufficient amounts food and water, as well as in unhealthy conditions all over the world. While most of these people are located in Africa, Asia, and South America, they are also quite numerous in such rich counties as America and those of western Europe. As only a small portion of people live in great prosperity, nearly 2 billion live below the poverty line. This article, written at the start of the year 2000, explains the global situation, as follows:

As we enter the new millennium, we bring with us a world in which 35,000 children die each day from causes related to poverty. That is one child dying every 2.5 seconds. We face a world in which the total number of people below the poverty line is growing each year, and now stands at around 1.5 billion. This is greater than the population of China, four times the entire population of the European Union. (Ozgur Gundem, October 17, 2002)

The combined wealth of the world’s richest three families… is more than the annual income of 600 million people in the least developed countries. Moreover, in more than 80 of the world’s poorest countries per capita income is lower today than it was 10 years ago. In the world today, poverty has reached alarming proportions. A recent report by UNICEF stated that one in four people live in “unimaginable suffering and want.”

33 Moreover 3 billion people struggle to survive on less than $2 a day.

34 Approximately 1.3 billion people lack safe water, and 2.6 billion people are without access to adequate sanitation.

According to a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), for the year 2000, 826 million people did not have enough to eat. In other words, one in six people are hungry.

Over the last 10 years, the injustice of income distribution has increased more than one can imagine. Reports by the United Nations show that in 1960, the income of the 20% of the world’s population living in the richest countries was 30 times greater than that of the 20% in the poorest countries. In 1995, it was 82 times greater.

37 As an example of the collapse of social justice, the combined wealth of the world’s 225 richest individuals is equal to the annual income of the poorest 47%. (Time, August 1, 1994)

Such current statistical data point to what the Prophet said about the increase of poverty. The hadiths reveal that poverty and hunger will be among the signs of the End Times’ first period. Obviously, this period describes conditions in our day. If we look at past centuries, we see that the difficulties and anxiety brought about by drought, war, and other calamities were temporary and limited to a particular region. However, today, poverty and the difficulty of earning a living are permanent and endemic.

Certainly our Lord, Who has endless compassion and mercy, does not wrong people. Indeed, this unjust state of affairs shows clearly that the world is stratified on the basis of selfishness and greed rather than on religion, moral values, and conscience.

Indeed, with the verse, “Corruption has appeared in both land and sea because of what people’s own hands have brought about, so that they may taste something of what they have done, so that hopefully they will turn back” (Surat ar-Rum, 30:41), God informs us that the reason for this corruption is humanity’s turning away from His religion.

With the dawning of the Golden Age, all of these problems will disappear. Hunger and poverty will give way to wealth and plenty. In that age, nobody will be poor or needy, for religion will be lived in the manner God describes in the Qur’an and people will share their goods with those in need, as revealed in the verse, “And beggars and the destitute received a due share of their wealth” (Surat adh-Dhariyat, 51:19). In any case, it is impossible for some people to be wealthy and others to be poor in a society that lives by Islamic values. If a person believes, then that person will be afraid of falling into the position of “nor did he urge the feeding of the poor. Therefore, here today he has no friend” (Surat al-Haqqa, 69:34- 35). This is a means by which great social justice, well-being, and plenty can come about in society.

55. Drought

During the three years just before the Dajjal comes, there will be one year when the sky will withhold one third of its rain and the Earth one-third of its fruits. In the second year the sky will withhold two-thirds of its rain, and the Earth two-thirds of its fruits. In the third year all of its fruits, and all the animals will die. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal)

As the hadith reveals, a global drought will occur before the Dajjal’s appearance. Indeed, the threat of drought, a consequence of global warming today, influences many parts of our world. A UN report issued in 2001 states the seriousness of the situation:

“The Century of Hunger Knocks at the Door”

In the 21st century, climate changes resulting from global warming will bring hunger. The detrimental dimensions of global warming, which may be the greatest yet unrecognized threat to humanity, will escalate in the 21st century. According to the recent UN report, scientists predict global warming will make the 21st century also an “age of hunger” and warn that these changes will make the diminishment of crops in Asia unavoidable … Again according to the report, global warming will result in diminished amounts of rain and crops, [and the growth of] desertification and flash floods. The scientists also warned that small islands and countries will suffer seriously from the consequences of global warming. Some of the newspaper headlines about drought in recent years are as follows:

Every year, 100 million hectares of fertile areas become extinct.

More than 1 billion people in 110 countries are vulnerable to desertification. Before it is too late, an efficient program has to be launched to cope with the problem. (02.09.2003 www.ntvmsnbc.com)

The Theme of the World Environment Day of this Year Is “Water”

The UN has called attention to the problem of water on the Day of Environment, stressing the importance of the issue with the headline: “Water: Two billion people are dying for it.” (05.06.2003 www.ntvmsnbc.com)

The American West Is Vulnerable to Drought

Due to global warming, some sectors of the population in the American West are becoming increasingly vulnerable to drought. (22.11.2002 www.ntvmsnbc.com)

Safe Water Problem May Last until 2025

Authorities warned that humanity may suffer from a safe water problem until the year 2025. (17.10.2002 www.ntvmsnbc.com)

Drought Alarm around the World

Until the year 2025, a lack of safe water will threaten one-third of the world’s population. (15.08.2001 www.ntvmsnbc.com)

56. A Weakening Economy in Specific Years

People will prosper until the ninety-fifth year, that is, their business will prosper. In the ninety-seventh and the ninetyninth year, their possessions will go to waste… (Ibn Hajar al- Haythami, Al-Qawl al- Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 54)

This hadith contains detailed information about the economic situation during the Golden Age.

It is highly probable that “ninety-fifth year” refers to the year 1995, a period when people had a relatively better life and its conditions had not become so difficult. Indeed, as described in the hadith, during that year people had enough income to earn a living and had some possessions. However, during 1997-99 the economy deteriorated, poverty spread, and possessions lost their value. Such an event can happen very quickly, as exemplified by Argentina’s recent economic crisis. (Cumhuriyet, December 21, 2001 Cumhuriyet, August 1, 2001)

57. The Cutting of Trade and Roads

When trade and roads are cut and strife multiplies… (Al-Muttaqi al- Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al- Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p.52) Before the Mahdi appears, trade and roads between nations will be cut and strife among people will grow. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al- Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al- Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 39)

Despite the commercial and economic cooperation between countries in our day, security concerns hinder many commercial activities. We can see this in the difficulties faced by those who want to transport the Caspian region’s underground riches to other regions. Disputes and tensions elsewhere hinder similar economic cooperation opportunities and thereby limit commercial activities. (Sabah, August 14, 2001)

58. Decreased Earnings

Everyone complaining about decreased earnings… the rich respected for their money… (Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Saah, p. 146) Stagnation in the markets, a reduction in earnings… (Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Saah, p. 148) Aman will proceed with his money to the various parts of the Earth [for a business trip] and will comment after his return: “I didn’t earn any profit.” (Hakim)

Economic distress is one of the most important problems of many countries today. People fail to earn their living and, in some cases, cannot find any buyer for their goods. In some countries where governments have to fight against poverty and unequal distributions of income, this situation shakes the social order and becomes a major source of chaos. Argentina is one of the most recent examples of such economic collapse. (Sabah, December 27, 2002)

59. The Division of National Wealth among the Rich

The Prophet said: “If my ummah bears fif- teen traits, tribulation will befall it.”

Someone asked, “What are they, O Messenger of God?” He said: “… when the booty [i.e., national wealth] is taken in ruin and property given in trust as spoil…” (Tirmidhi)

This portent of Doomsday is seen all over the world today. As the world’s wealthiest people control a large part of the world’s wealth, billions of people are condemned to live in poverty and hunger. This is most clear in Africa, where millions of people live in poverty and hunger.

In its 2003 reports, the International Work Organization declared that 2 billion people survive on $1 a day and that approximately 1 billion people struggle to survive on $2 a day. In a press release, the organization declared that the gap between the poorest 20% of the world’s population and the richest 20% of the world’s population doubled during the last 40 years.

Basing itself on Forbes magazine, the Turkish daily Radikal reported that “the top 400 richest Americans” had a combined wealth of (Yeni Safak, August, 2000)

$1.2 trillion, which is six times the total of Turkey’s national revenue. The wealth of Bill Gates, who for a long time was the wealthiest man in America, is estimated to surpass the total national revenue of Peru, a country with 25 million people. Meanwhile, it is one-third of Turkey’s national revenue, which is around $200 billion. The same report mentioned that the personal income of Warren Buffet, more than $28 billion, is more than the national revenue of Kuwait, an oil-rich country with a population of more than 2 million. Ted Turner, who ranks twenty-first on the list, is worth $9.1 billion, an amount that equals the national revenue of Panama, which has a population of 2.7 million people. This picture reveals that on the national and international levels, the poor become even poorer and more numerous, whereas the wealthy have become even richer. The total amount of wealth held by the 400 people on the list increased by 20% in one year.

On 2 February 2003, the Turkish daily newspaper Aksam illustrated the inequality of income around the world in the following terms:

The most important problem of the world: According to the World Development Report of 2003, the inequality of income among countries is growing even deeper. The report indicates that the most important problem of development on the world agenda is to find jobs for the three million people whose daily income is less than 2 dollars a day, in order to make them individuals who can contribute to production and to provide them better a quality of life. One of the foremost factors threatening world peace today is global poverty. The Situation of the World: The average income of the 20 wealthiest countries is 37 times greater than the average income of the 20 poorest countries of the world. The developed countries, where 20 percent of the wealthiest people live, hold 86 percent of the world’s national revenue, 82 percent of the world’s export markets, 68 percent of all foreign investments, and 74 percent of all telephone lines. Meanwhile, the share of the 20 percent of the poorest in these areas does not exceed 1.5 percent. Figures related to the gap between the 20% of the wealthiest and the 30% of the poorest are striking:

Year Ratio of Gap 1960 1:20 1990 1:60 1997 1:74 2000 1:79 The number of people living in extreme poverty, who survive on less than $1 a day, is over 200 million. Today, the total wealth of the 3 richest people of the world is more than the total gross national product of the poorest countries, where 600 million people live… Eighty percent of the total natural resources of the world is consumed by 16 percent of the world population. Meanwhile, 5 percent of the entire world population is deprived of safe water resources. The number of people dying of diarrhea alone is over 50 million. As the great part of the population in underdeveloped countries lives in rural areas, these people become even poorer as the natural resources on these lands diminish. Indeed, the women and children living in poor countries spend 4-5 hours looking for wood to burn. These same people spend 4-6 hours looking for safe water and then carrying it home. This situation is a sign of the End Times, as related in our Prophet’s hadiths. By our Lord’s Will, this situation heralds the closeness of the coming of the Mahdi, Prophet Jesus, and the Golden Age, a time when people will not suffer from such misery. In the Golden Age, the world’s situation will be just the reverse, for people will fully abide by the Qur’an’s morality.

As God orders in the Qur’an:

I Killed Him for 50 Million TL ($ 35)

Became a Serial Killer out of Curiosity Sabah, July 18, 2003 Murder like a Thriller Movie In Spring 1997, a large-scale ethnic war broke out between two major tribes, the Young boy killed his parents and sister with Samurai sword Hutus and the Tutsis, which engulfed Zaire, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and Tanzania. Nearly one million people lost their lives in this war. Even children and babies were savagely murdered just because they were from the rival tribes.

Killed His Grandson with salty Baby Food Hopes For the New Century Century Started with War, Ended With War Cumhuriyet, January 3, 2000 191 Million People Died in Wars World Choked in Flames and Tears Dirty Wa In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, not only the victims but ‘The Atomic Bomb’ of the Poor Milliyet, September 19, 2001 Biological Weapon Fear in USA Anthrax Spreads r Methods Evrensel, October 2, 2001 Children in North Korea Die of Hunger Hunger reached serious dimensions all over the world, particularly in Africa. The story of people who died of starvation and violence along the Zaire- Rwanda border was the cover story of Time magazine on August 1, 1994.

Time, December 14, 1992 India Dries Like a Leaf Fear for Drought Radikal, July 25, 2002 Dams Are Dry!

Sabah, December 8, 2000 We Go through Droughtiness Radikal, May 3, 2001 The World Is Scorched Vakit, August 7, 2003 GERMANY Radikal, July 25, 2002 Is the World about to go Bankrupt?

Earthquake in the Wall Street Argentina exploded at last Japan Collapses Milli Gazete, January 6, 2003 Is Caspian Sea a Sea or a Lake?

Ortadogu, August 10, 2001 Azarbaijan Initiated Military Exercises Debts Made Him Crazy California Has gone Bankrupt Star, August 18, 2003 Giant Company Has Gone Bankrupt Gozcu, July 23, 2002 The unbridgable gap between the poor and the well-off is a sign of the End Times. Prophet Jesus’ sojourn will solve all of these problems.

The Gap Between the Rich and Poor Increases The world’s wealthiest people control a great portion of the world’s riches while billions of others live in poverty and starvation.

… so that it [booty] does not become something that merely revolves between the rich among you. Whatever the Messenger gives you you should accept, and whatever he forbids you you should forgo. Have fear of God – God is severe in retribution. (Surat al-Hashr, 59:7)

60. An Increase in the Number of Earthquakes

No other natural event affects people as strongly as earthquakes, for they can happen anywhere and at any moment. Throughout history, they have caused many deaths and great material loss. For this reason, they are greatly feared. Even modern technology has been able to prevent earthquake-related damage only to a certain extent.

The 1995 earthquake in Kobe serves as an example to those who mistakenly think that technology will one day harness nature. This earthquake caused massive and unexpected damage to Japan’s largest industrial and transportation center. Although it only lasted 20 seconds, as Time reported, it caused about $100 billion worth of damage.

The Hour [Last Day] will not be established until… earthquakes will be very frequent. (Sahih Bukhari) There are two great events before the Day of Judgment… and then years of earthquakes. (Ramuz al-Ahadith, p.187, no.2) The days when you can find no homes to shelter you, or animals to carry you, have come close. Earthquakes will demolish your houses. (Muhammad ibn Abd al- Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Sa`ah, p. 146) There will be disagreements and frequent earthquakes. (Muhammad ibn ’Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha’ah li-Ashrat al-Sa’ah, p. 166)

In the last few years, major earthquakes have occurred repeatedly and are among the foremost fears of people. According to the data collected by the American National Earthquake Information Center for 1999, we find that 20,832 earthquakes took place and killed an estimated 22,711 people.

When past figures are examined, we see that the number of earthquakes was quite low. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports, the number of earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater on the Richter scale that took place during the 400 years between 1556-1975 was only 110; between 1980-2003, the number of earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.5 or greater on the Richter scale was 1,685.

Rich and Poor The Gap Between Poor and Rich in China Has Increased Sayim Ozel, 221 Yeni Mesaj, March 17, 2002 800 Million Dollars to Weapons Damga, September 1, 2002 A 1995 earthquake reduced Kobe to rubble.

45 These figures reveal that the number of earthquakes had increased by the beginning of the year Hijri 1400.

The Qur’an contains certain verses that point out the relation between earthquakes and the End Times. Surat al-Zilzal, the Chapter of the Great Shaking (earthquake), is composed of eight verses that describe the ground’s violent shaking. It further states that this seismic activity will be followed by the Day of Judgment, the Resurrection, and everyone being called to account for their deeds by God, Who then will reward or punish them according to His absolute justice:

When Earth is convulsed with its quaking, and then disgorges its charges, and man asks: “What is wrong with it?” On that Day, it will impart all of its news, because your Lord has inspired it. On that Day, people will emerge segregated to see the results of their actions. Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it. Whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it. (Surat al-Zilzal, 99:1-8)

61. Earth’s Collapse

The first sign of the Hour is Earth’s collapse.

The destruction caused by the Kobe and Mexico earthquakes.

(Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 518) When the latter generations of these people insult the former ones, expect red winds, Earth’s collapse, or the raining of stones from the heavens. (Tirmidhi) At the End Times, when entertainment and dancers pervade and drinking is considered permissible, Earth will collapse, stones will pour [from the sky], and people will strip off their humane qualities. (Ahmad Diya’al-Din al-Kamushkhanawi, Ramuz al-Ahadith, vol. 2, p. 302, no. 8)

62. Conversion of Homes into Graves

He asked: “What becomes of you when death meets people and homes become graves?” (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al- Qurtubi, p. 392, no. 726)

(Above) A house ruined by “El Niño.” (Right) One of the houses that collapsed in the Malibu Earthquake (California). (Bottom) A highway that collapsed in the Wufeng earthquake (Taiwan) on October 10, 1999.

63. Winds and Tornadoes

Doomsday will not happen until 10 portents are seen. The tenth is a tornado that will hurl people into the sea… (Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as- Saah, p. 288) The tenth is a wind that will hurl peo- ple into the sea... (Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Saah, p. 288)

Natural disasters also destroy major cities. Statistics reveal that our time has seen an increase in both the number and the seriousness of natural disasters. In the last 10 years, disasters caused by climactic changes have become a novel phenomenon. A dangerous and unwanted byproduct of the Industrial Age is global warming. Industry is gradually disturbing the balance in the world’s atmosphere, giving rise to climactic changes. According to the American National Climatic Data Center, many disasters occurred in 1998. For example, several observers called Hurricane Mitch one of Central America’s worst natural disasters.

47 This hurricane hit Honduras and Nicaragua on 26th October 1998, and killed more than 10,000 people.

The following are the most important disasters arising from climactic changes that have occurred in recent years:

On October 1987, the largest storm since 1703 hit southeast England. Around 15 million trees were felled, a great part of the forests disappeared, 16 people died, buildings were damaged, and ships were driven on to shore.

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew caused around $0.5 billion worth of damage in the Gulf of Mexico alone. Damage in the Bahamas was estimated at $0.25 billion, and around 2 million people living along the eastern coast of America evacuated their homes.

Approximately 500 to 1,000 people were killed by the storms that hit western Bangladesh on 13 May 1996. A further 30,000 people were injured and 100,000 people lost their homes.

On 27 March 1997, 27 people died in a tornado that hit Texas.

On 20 May 1998, 12 people died in a tornado that hit Georgia, USA.

The floods that affected middle and eastern Europe on August 2002 caused 114 casualties. During the severest hurricane of the last 40 years in South Korea on September 21, 2003, around 200 people died only in 2 days.

In the last few years, hurricanes, storms, typhoons, and other such disasters have devastated quite a few areas. In addition, floods have caused mudslides that then engulfed entire villages or parts of cities. Earthquakes, volcanoes, and tidal waves also have caused great devastation. All of this destruction is an important sign. (Newsweek, October 5, 1998)

64. Violent Rain

The Hour will not come until there has been rain which destroy all dwellings. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal) An increase in rain and a reduction in grass… occur because Doomsday is near. (Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Sa`ah, p. 137) The Hour does not come until all mud-brick buildings, except for the stone ones, collapse. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal, Musnad vol. 13, p. 291, no.

Heavy rains and the subsequent floods are among the great natural disasters that cause many casualties. Especially in recent years, such events have caused serious material damage and killed many people throughout the world. The floods that affected Europe in recent years are an example. Heavy downpours hit almost all of Europe, causing floods and submerging portions of many large cities.

The seasonal monsoon rains that strike India, Nepal, and Bangladesh in 2002 left behind 900 dead. In China, on the other hand, mudslides caused by heavy summer rains killed 1,000 people in August 2002. (The Greatest Flood Disaster of the Last 6 Decades)

65. An Increased Amount of Lightning

Thunderbolts will increase so much as the Hour approaches that when a man comes to a people, he will ask, “Who amongst you was struck by a thunderbolt this morning?” and they will say, “So and so and so and so was struck.”

(Ibn Ahmad Hanbal) Earthquakes will destroy your homes, lightning will burn your herds, turning them into coals. (Nu`aym ibn Hammad)

The hadiths relate that the increased amount of lightning is a sign of Doomsday. As weather statistics indicate, the loss of possessions and the increased number of deaths due to lightning have become far more frequent in recent years. For example, in 1998 11 soccer players were killed in Congo when lightning struck their field. Similarly in 2001, lightning hit a football field in Mexico and killed 6 people. Aside from these incidents, lightning kills many people and animals each year.

66. Abandoning the True Religion and the Qur’an’s Moral Values

A time will come when the Qur’an will remain only with its picture, and Islam will remain only in name.

Despite being the people who are most distant to Islam, they will be given Islamic names, and though prosperous in appearance, their mosques will be in ruins in the sense of guidance. (al-Hakim, ad- Daylami) A time will come when the Qur’an will remain in one valley and the people in another. (al-Hakim, Tirmidhi)

A time will come when people’s faces are the faces of human beings, but their hearts are the hearts of evil. They are shedders of blood and do not avoid offensive acts. If you adhere to them, they protect you. If you trust them, they act treacherously. Their children are immoral, and their teenagers are unabashed. Their elderly, on the other hand, do not enjoin the good or forbid the evil. (al-Hatib) A time comes when people will adopt the views of those who try to impose things unrelated to the religion as if they were of the religion, and thus unconsciously associate partners with God, when people will study to earn a living and make their religion a tool for mundane interests. (Son Zamanla ‹lgili Hadisler [Hadiths Related to The End Times], p. 68)

The hadiths dealing with the signs of the Last Day provide us with a detailed description of the period in which these signs will appear. For example, according to the above hadiths, the first stage of the End Times is a period during which religious morality seems to be applied, but in reality is one that almost completely rejects the Qur’an’s moral values; a period during which the Qur’an’s clear statements are overlooked, non- Islamic judgments are given in God’s name, religion falls into discord, worship is performed for show, religion is used for personal profit and gain, faith depends on imitation, and so-called Muslims are in the majority while real scholars and sincere Muslims are in the minority.

God states that on the Last Day, the Prophet will say: “My Lord, my people treat this Qur’an as something to be ignored …” (Surat al-Furqan, 25:30). The hadiths also reveal that, during the End Times, the Qur’an’s guidance will be disregarded and people will stray from it.

67. Not Pondering over the Qur’an in a Sincere Manner

The Prophet said that although the Qur’an will be read, its knowledge and wisdom will be ignored. This is another sign of the End Times.

It would happen near the time when the knowledge is taken away. I asked: “God’s Messenger, how would the knowledge become extinct while we recite the Qur’an and we would teach it to our sons and then our descen- dants would teach it to their sons till the Day of Resurrection?” He replied: “… Do these Jews and the Christians not recite the Torah and the Bible without acting upon [the dictates] that are mentioned in them?”

(Sunan Ibn Majah) There Ummah will experience a time when people will recite the Qur’an, but it will not go further than their throats [into their hearts]. (Sahih Bukhari)

68. Muslims’ Yearning for non-Muslims

The Prophet said: “Surely you will follow the ways of those nations that were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit [i.e., inch by inch], so much so that even if they entered a lizard’s hole, you would follow them.” (Sahih Bukhari) The Hour will not come until my people adopt every inch of the centuries-old traditions one by one. They asked: “O Messenger, as is in the case of Persians and Greeks?” The Prophet replied: “Including those people who are like them.”

(Sahih Bukhari) “I swear … that you also will follow in the footsteps of the nations that preceded you [e.g., Jews and Christians]. (Tirmidhi)

The hadiths of our Prophet state that Muslim communities will yearn for and imitate non- Muslim ones. This hadith might be pointing out the prevalence of those ideologies and movements that are incompatible with Islamic morality and yet are widespread within the Muslim community. Following the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, the spread of radical nationalist movements, especially in the Arab countries, is an example of this situation. Radical nationalism is a movement against Islamic morality, for it considers other nations as foes and demands a form of loyalty and love – which are actually legitimate feelings – to one’s nation, even to the extent of harming other nations. It is an aggressive ideology. According to the Qur’an’s morality, one’s love and respect for another is not based on race, lineage, or material wealth, but rather on his or her faith in and reverence for God. Believers are brothers and sisters, no matter from which race or nation they may be, and so have to remain in solidarity with each other.

Western ideologies that sneaked into the Islamic world are not limited to radical nationalism. At the beginning of the twentieth century, other Western movements that were incompatible with Islamic morality were introduced into the Islamic world by some Muslims who blindly embraced them and were thus deluded. This is one of the major reasons for the Islamic world’s instability and chaos, which has been going for more than 50 years. By God’s Will, when Prophet Jesus returns, this situation will change and all Muslims will adhere only to the Qur’an, and thus enjoy the true peace, stability, and security brought about by religion’s true morality.

69. Fitna Alienates People from the Qur’an

Surat al-An`am, 6:26 speaks of those who keep others away from the Qur’an. The hadiths also indicate that corrupt manners of thought will be prevalent before Doomsday comes, and that systems that are far removed from truth and justice will come into being. These developments will cause great discord and draw people away from the ways of God.

Be prompt in doing good deeds [before you are overtaken] by turmoil [fitna] which would be like a part of dark night. (Sahih Muslim) Before the Last Hour, there will be commotions [fitna] like pieces of a dark night in which a man will be a believer in the morning and an infidel in the evening, or a believer in the evening and infidel in the morning. (Sunan Abu Dawud)

70. Propagandists Distancing People from Islam’s Morality

… At that period, there will be some summon- ers [propagandists] who will call people to the gates of Hell. Whoever answers the call of these summoners, they will cast him into Hell. “O Messenger, can you tell us the characteristics of this group of summoners?” The Prophet an- swered: “I will answer, they are a group of people from our nation who speak our language.” (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 382, no. 698)

There exists a great blind and deaf fitna [that is, the kind of fitna that makes one blind from seeing the truth and deaf from hearing the just], grand evil. Within this fitna, there exist some summoners [propagandists] who call people toward the gates of Hell. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 380, no. 696) In the near future, there will be horrible fitnas that will render one blind, deaf, and mute from seeing the truth; rendering them deaf from hearing the just words … In the turmoil of fitnas, the interference of language into the fitna and its propaganda will, like a sword blow, ensure its spread. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 390, no. 720)

As the hadiths reveal, our Prophet informed us that some people will make propaganda in favor of immorality and irreligion. The present-day moral and social structures of some countries reveal the truth of this news. In fact, such propaganda spread by advanced communication tools can distance people from religion’s morality.

In addition, the deafening and muting effects brings to mind the oppression exerted upon contemporary Muslims in many countries, whose regimes put pressure on the freedom of thought and hinder people from expressing their thoughts and beliefs. As we know, Muslims in some Arab and African countries cannot express their thoughts freely and are oppressed because of their faith. (Evrensel, December 21, 2001)

71. Hypocritical and Fraudulent Clergy

God’s Messenger, revealed that in the End Times, some people acknowledged as scholars will actually be two-faced impostors:

Wolves will give readings in the End Times. Let those who live to see those times seek shelter from their evil in God. They will be very corrupt people. Hypocrisy will prevail, and nobody will be ashamed of it and its manifestations.

(Tirmidhi) God’s Messenger said: “A man will wake up as a believer, and be an unbeliever by nightfall. People will sell their religion for a small amount of wordly goods.” (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal)

He said: “In mosques, the voices of those who rebel aganist God rise, and those who commit those deeds prohibited by religion hold control over sincere believers.” (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al- Qurtubi, p. 450, no. 828) Ultimately some ignorant people remain. When they are asked about religious issues, they give a fatwa ]juridical decision], although they are illiterate. This way, they pervert and also make others stray from the right path. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al- Qurtubi, p. 463, no. 850) What a pity for my community, because of the scholars who have gone astray! These are the people who make religion a matter of commerce. They approach the chiefs of their time to earn their living. (al-Hatim) A time will come when everyone will read the Qur’an, perform their acts of worship, and, meanwhile, engage in bid`a [innovation in worship that must be avoided]. Yet little do they know that they become idolaters in a way of which they are unaware. They earn money in return for their reading and knowledge, and consume the time of this life in return for the religion. These will become the followers of the blind Dajjal. (ad- Daylami)

Those people who show no respect for the laws of Islam and who do not hesitate to use religion as a means for their own profit are described in the following terms:

In the End Times of the community of the faithful, people, those who adorn the mosques but leave their own hearts in ruins, who fail to look after their reli- gion as much as they do their clothes, who forsake their religious obligations for the sake of their activities in this world, will increase in number. (al-Hakim)

72. Degeneration among Politicians

In the End Times there will be cruel rulers, wicked ministers, treacherous judges, and lying hodjas. If anyone goes to them, let him not be allied to them, help them, or show them the way. (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 182) Some chiefs and rulers of states will … take [unjustly] what is not given to you [as the poor ones entitled to take] from the state treasure. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 380, no. 697)

Soon there will appear some chiefs who will confiscate your food and soothe you with lies. They will work, yet what they do will be evil. Their worst attribute is that they will not be pleased with you until you consider their evil as good and confirm their lies. (al-Tabarani) One by one, the principles of Islam will be violated and some statesmen will misguide people… (al-Hakim, Mustadrak)

One important feature of this time is the emergence of ruthless, cruel leaders who lead their peoples to disaster. The twentieth century was full of such people. These individuals, who adopted ideologies far removed from the moral values of religion, became notorious for the cruelties they inflicted and for the sufferings they caused due to war and other conflicts.

Chairman Mao had thousands of citizens killed solely for opposing him, and was responsible for the deaths of millions during his regime. Under the influence of fascist ideology, Mussolini led his people to a terrible disaster by dragging his country into World War II. Mobutu has gone down in history as one of Africa’s most ruthless dictators.

73. Abandoning “Enjoining the Right and Forbidding the Wrong” as an Act of Worship

The Hour will approach … when good is abandoned and nobody enjoins it, and evil is committed and no one for- bids it. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al- Qurtubi, p. 480) The Hour draws near, and the good deeds diminish. (Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Saah, p. 264)

With the verse “Let there be a community among you who call to the good, and enjoin the right, and forbid the wrong. They are the ones who have success” (Surah Al `Imran, 3:104), God makes it compulsory (fardh) for people to enjoin good and forbid evil. People’s failure to do so is a sign of the Hour as well as of Prophet Jesus’ second coming, an event that heralds the great events due to occur before the Hour.

74. Good Is Confused with Evil

“What will become of you when you do not enjoin the right and forbid the wrong?” he asked. [Those around him asked in amazement:] “Will that truly happen?” “Yes, and even worse!” he replied, and went on to ask: “What will become of you when you enjoin the wrong and forbid the good?” Those around him were astonished: “O Prophet! Will that also happen?” “Yes, and even worse!” he replied, and continued: “What will become of you when you regard good as evil and evil as good?” The people around him asked: “O Prophet! Will that also come to pass?” “Yes, it will,” he replied. (Ibn Abi Ya’la, Musnad; al-Tabarani, al-Awsat)

The hadith states that good is totally confused with evil in societies that are far removed from religious values. People are regarded as naïve for doing what is right and exhibiting proper moral values, and those who trample on others’ rights in their own interests are regarded as clever and competent. This situation, which is completely opposed to the Qur’an’s moral values, has become a fixed concept in many present-day societies.

75. Close People Will Encourage One Another to Evil

The destruction of a person will be in the hands of his parent; if not, of his wife; and again if not, in his relative. They will blame him for his failure to earn his living, cause him to drift into deeds of which he is incapable, and ultimately make him get involved in dark and dangerous deeds, at the cost of his destruction. (Abu Naim)

76. The Number of True Believers Being Very Few

The Prophet says that in the End Times, very few people will be true believers:

In Palestine, 1240 houses are destroyed in a Week Milli Gazete, October 18, 2003 There Will Remain No Houses in Palestine Every where Became Flat Radikal, January 28, 2001 Natural hazards always leave behind collapsed houses and many dead people and animals. Another aspect of the sign related in the hadith may be the destroyed houses in Palestine. As is well-known, Israel frequently destroys houses and many people lose their lives during these operations. As the hadith says, the houses of these people become their graves.

They Exploded the Houses The Panic of Isabel Turkiye, September 20, 2003 Radikal, September 15, 2003 “The Typhoon of the Age” in Asia Newsweek, November 16, 1998 And now comes the Flood Misery 200 people Dead, 200 People are Lost Vatan, May 20, 2003 Posta, September 20, 2003 KÖNIGSTEIN, July 2003 KÖNIGSTEIN, August 2002 DRESDEN, July 2003 DRESDEN, August 2002 The Dirty Face of Europe: Child Prostitution People’s encouraging one another to evil is a sign of the Hereafter. In our day, such immorality pervades family life.

There will come a time for my peo- ple when … the mosques will be full of people, but they will be empty of right guidance. (al-Hakim)

77. Use of Mosques for Different Purposes

The hadith quoted below reveals that one sign of the End Times is that mosques will be used only as social gathering places:

The Hour will not come until mosques cease to be places where people pray, but become places where people stop by. (Son Zamanla ‹lgili Hadisler [Hadiths Related to the End Times], p. 87) The Last Hour will not come until people vie with one another about mosques. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Ibn Hibban, and Ibn Majah)

78. Appearance of People Who Recite the Qur’an for Personal Benefit

In the End Times, some people will recite the Qur’an for profit rather than for gaining God’s approval:

Let him who reads the Qur’an ask [his reward] from God, because in the End Times many people will read it and seek their reward from other people. (Tirmidhi)

When our scholars study in order to take your gold and silver, and when you take the Qur’an for trade, then Doomsday is at hand. (Muhammad ibn ’Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Saah, p. 141)

Another sign is that the Qur’an will be recited in ways far removed from its real purpose:

When the Qur’an is recited as if singing a song, and when a person is esteemed for reading in that way, even though he is not knowledgeable … (Al-Tabarani)

79. Faith in Horoscopes and Refutation of Fate

Some Muslims will have a wrong understanding of fate, while some will believe that the stars can grant knowledge of the future. This is another indication of the End Times:

The Hour will come when people will believe in the stars and reject Qadar [the Divine Decree of destiny]. (Al-Haythami, Kitab al-Fitan)

80. Making Hajj (the Pilgrimage to Makkah) for Purposes Other Than God’s Good Pleasure

Making Hajj for commerce, travel, ostentation, or for a change is another portent of the End Times:

A time will come when the wealthy perform Hajj for travel, the average man for commerce, their scholars for ostentation and hypocrisy, and the poor for begging for alms. (Ahmad Diya’al-Din al- Kamushkhanawi, Ramuz al- Ahadith, p. 503, no. 8)

81. People Inclining to the Desires of their Lower Selves

A time will come when people’s concerns will be making a living, their honor will be their possessions, and their qiblah [the direction Muslims face during formal worship] will be their women. Their religion will be gold and silver. These are the people’s evils, and they will have nothing in God’s sight. (al-Sulami)

82. Social Deterioration

… When people suffer strife and social upheaval… (Ahmad Diya’al-Din al- Kamushkhanawi, Ramuz al- Ahadith, vol.7, p. 7)

A serious problem today is the disintegration of many societies’ social fabric. This collapse is discernable in such phenomena as broken families, increased divorce and illegitimate birth rates, which naturally injure and even destroy the institution of the family. Stress, anxiety, unhappiness, worry, and chaos turn the lives of many people into nightmares. People living in a spiritual void, looking for a way out of their depression, fall into a bleak mire of alcohol or drugs. Some who think that there is no solution even consider suicide as a way out. (Sok, June 6, 2002)

One striking mark of social decline is the huge increase in crime, which has now reached substantial proportions. The report “Universal Crime and Justice” prepared by the United Nations’ International Crime Prevention Center, contains a general appraisal of crime throughout the world:

Basically, as in the 1980s, the crime rate continued to rise in the 1990s. Everywhere in the world, in a five-year period, two-thirds of the people living in large cities have been the target at least once of a criminal action. All over the world, the odds of being the target of a serious crime (robbery, sexual crimes, assault) are one in five. Regardless of the area, crimes against property, and crimes of violence committed by youth, have both had economic ramifications. The number of types of illicit drugs has increased and their nature has diversified in recent years.

Actually, this is not surprising, for the causes of such a societal phenomenon are clearly related in the Qur’an’s accounts of past societies. Social deterioration and its related problems are the inevitable results of human beings’ forgetting God, why they were created, and their abandoning of religion and its spiritual values. (Aksam, July 15, 2003)

Such social deterioration was predicted by the Prophet, who described the End Times as “When people suffer strife and social upheaval.” (Ahmad Diya’al-Din al- Kamushkhanawi, Ramuz al-Ahadith, vol. 7, p. 7)

83. Adherence to Traitors, and Considering the Righteous as Treacherous

Soon years containing treacheries and tricks will come. A liar will be declared true in them and a true man will be declared a liar; a treacherous will be designated as trustworthy and a trustworthy as a treacherous. (Ibn Majah)

The time will be years of confusion. People will believe a liar and not believe one who tells the truth. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal) The Day of Judgment will not come until the very lowest people are the happiest. (Tirmidhi) The acceptance of lies and rejection of the truth are among the portents of Doomsday. (al-Tabarani) The liar will be received well, and the one who tells the truth will be rejected. People will trust traitors, and the ones who are trustworthy will be treated as traitors… Then lies will spread… (Fera Idu Fevaidi’l Fiqr Fi’l Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, pp. 146-47) Tricky years lie before the Hour. At those times, trustworthy people are accused and traitors are believed. The trustworthy one is silenced, and the liar is seen as reliable. (Ibn Asakir) It is a sign of the Hour when one who is not fit possesses a lot and is brought to a good status, while one who is capable is ousted. (Nu`aym ibn Hammad, Kitab al-Fitan)

Therefore, the increase in the amount of evil people, as well as the facts that trustworthy people are considered liars and that some presumed liars are actually trustworthy are all characteristics of the End Times. (Jan Both, 1850, An)

84. The Decreasing Number of Reliable People

One hadith reveals that before the advent of Prophet Jesus, there will be few trustworthy people and only little money earned according to the rules and laws of our religion:

In the End Times, people will be carrying out their trade, but there will hardly be a trustworthy person. (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim) Good people will all go, leaving behind them bad people, like useless barley and grapes. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal, Sahih Bukhari)

85. The Decreasing Number of Trustworthy People

The hadiths report that close to Doomsday, the number of trustworthy people will diminish and that people will seize and use that which has been entrusted to them. Moreover, we are told that people will fall behind in their obligation to give alms:

When the spoils are restricted to a few people, when goods entrusted to one are regarded as booty, when giving alms is regarded as a heavy burden… (Muhammad ibn Abd ar- Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as- Saah, p. 114) Goods entrusted to one being regarded as booty, and the giving of alms being regarded as a loan [which is hard to repay]... (Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al- Ishaah li Ashrat as-Saah, p.139)

When you see people breaking their words and promises, disregarding their trusts… (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al- Qurtubi, p. 378, no. 690)

86. Abandoning Almsgiving

When they regard giving alms as a punishment [a burden instead of a religious observance]. (Tirmidhi) When that time comes, alms will be taken by force as a punishment and extortion as loot. (Fera Idu Fevaidi’l Fiqr Fi’l Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, pp.

146-47)

Protecting and watching over the poor and needy is a requirement of the religion’s moral values. God has commanded believers to give alms to those in need, to meet their needs, and to protect and watch over them. As a result of this moral necessity, poverty disappears in societies that live by religion’s moral values, due to the existence of social solidarity. In the End Times, on the other hand, people will turn away from the religion’s moral values, causing the almost total disappearance of almsgiving.

87. Abandoning Salah (Prayers)

Hudaifa bin Yaman narrated that God’s Messenger said: Islam would ex- tinquish just as the embroidery of a fabric become worn-out so much so that none would know… what prayer is. (Sunan Ibn Majah)

The Prophet said: “One sign of Doomsday is the abandonment of salah… At that time, O Salman! The most wicked of all sins and irreligiousness will occur. People will abandon salah and adhere to their lust. If you are alive during that period, perform your prayers at their respective times.” (Fera Idu Fevaidi’l Fiqr Fi’l Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, pp. 146-47) People will encounter such a time that salah [prayers] will be abandoned, buildings will be higher, oaths and curses will be everywhere, bribery and adultery will spread, and the Hereafter will be exchanged for this life. (Muhammad ibn Abd al- Rasul Barzanji, Al- Ishaah li Ashrat as-Sa`ah, p. 157)

88. The Spread of False Testimony and Slander

The spread of false testimony and slander are further important portents of Doomsday. Such activities occur because people distance themselves from religion’s morality, which entails being honest under all conditions and being just even at the expense of one’s self-interest. People who are distant from religion’s morality and unaware that they will give an account of their deeds on the Day of Judgment can readily tell lies or give false testimony if doing so will benefit them. The growing number of such people is a sign of Prophet Jesus’ second coming:

Verily, in the presence of the Last Hour there will be … false testimony and concealing evidence. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal and al-Hakim) There will be false accusations of un- chastity and slander. (Tirmidhi)

89. Giving Positions of Responsibility to Incompetent People

The hadith quoted below stresses another sign:

God’s Apostle said, “When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour.” It was asked. “How will honesty be lost, O God’s Apostle?” He said, “When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the Hour.” (Sahih Bukhari)

90. Considering One’s Superiority To Be in Wealth Rather than in Awareness of God

People will be judged by their wealth, and respect will be shown to people according to their wealth. These qualities are signs of Doomsday, for:

It becomes obvious that the Hour is drawing near … When people esteem the well-off, and people who are superior to him stand up and salute him. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, pp. 480-81)

Before the Hour comes, there will be special greeting for the people of distinction. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal)

91. The Decay of Human Relations

The hadiths also mention the destruction of social relations between people:

Verily among the signs of the Last Hour is the greeting [Salaam] is limited to those known only… (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal)

The Hour will not come until hearts become strangers, words become apart, and brothers ad- here to other religions. (ad-Daylami)

The Hour will not come until special people, rather than ordinary people, are saluted. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 470) Breaking ties with kin is among the signs of the Last Hour. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal)

92. People Value Their Pets More Than Other People

When Doomsday approaches, people will have puppies. They will hold these puppies much dearer than their own children. (al-Tabarani, al-Hakim)

Having love and compassion for animals, as well as admiring the beauties God has granted them, are surely favorable characteristics. However, the event related here is the replacement of love for people with love for animals. This is surely a warped viewpoint.

93. The Decay of Family Relations

Another characteristic will be the disintegration of relationships among families, between friends and neighbors, and the loss of community and spiritual values:

Before the Hour comes; … family ties will be cut… (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal, Musnad) There would [first] be turmoil for a person in regard to his family, his property, his own self, his children, his neighbors. (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim)

The portents of Doomsday [consist of] saying ugly things to one another, mockery, hostility, the severing of relations with relatives, regarding a trustworthy person as a traitor, and trusting a traitor. (Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Sa`ah, pp. 136-37)

94. Diminished Love and Respect among People

Young people will be rebellious, and love and respect between young people and adults will deteriorate:

When the old have no compassion for the young, when the young show no respect to the old … when children grow angry … judg- ment is at hand. (Narrated by Umar, Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 480) Respect for the old and compassion for the young will disappear. (Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as- Sa`ah, p. 140)

95. Weakening of the Family Structure

The hadiths also state that divorce and the number of illegitimate children will increase:

Divorce will be a daily occurrence. (Allamah Safarini, Ahwal Yawm al-Qiyamah) There will be an abundance of illegitimate children. (Muntakhab Kanz al-`Ummaal) (Akit, February 16, 2001)

96. Increase in Worldly Ambition

Influenced by materialism and their worldview, people will be excessively attached to this world and forget about the Afterlife:

Stinginess will dominate…(Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) … Niggardliness will be cast into people’s hearts… (Sahih Bukhari and Abu Dawud)

97. Prevalence of Hypocrisy and Ostentation

… on that day, people will not abstain from hypocrisy, and it will not embarrass people (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 458, no. 835)

Hypocrisy will prevail; hypocrisy and ostentation will not be a matter of shame. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 470)

98. Spread of Cursing and Abuse

The End Times is a period of widespread cursing and abuse among people. This situation is expressed as follows:

In the Last Days, there will be such people, who, when they meet, curse and abuse each other instead of greeting [with salaam]. (Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti, Durre-Mansoor)

The community of the faithful will be on a favorable path until they encounter three things: Until goodness disappears, until immoral children grow in number, and until essekkarun appears amongst them… They asked what is essekkarun? They answered, a generation that will emerge in the End Times, among whom greetings will be regarded as vile oaths. (Muhammad ibn Abd ar- Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as- Sa`ah, pp. 141-42)

99. Spread of Forgery and Bribery

In the End Times, forgery and bribery in business life will become common and will continue to spread, for:

Verily a time will reach the people, when the believer would not be con- cerned over what he earned from money, whether it is from halal [lawful] or haram [unlawful]. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal)

When Doomsday approaches… people will cheat in measures and weights. (Ramuz al Hadith, vol. 33, p.7) When people cheat in measures and weights. (Muhammad ibn Abd ar- Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Sa`ah, p. 139) Taking bribery… is among the signs of Doomsday. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 454)

100. Increase of Gossip and Derision

Another characteristic will be the increased level of gossip and mockery of other people:

As Judgment draws near… the most respected people of the age will be flatterers and sycophants. (at-Tabarani ) There will be an abundance of critics, tale-carriers, backbiters, and taunters in society.(Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Muntakhab Kanz al-`Ummaal)

The Last Hour will not arrive until people come forth who make a living with their tongues, just as cows eat with their tongues. (Tirmidhi) A time will come when a man will remain among his people but live in fear of being derided. (ad-Daylami)

However, God informs us that gossip and derision are evil, and commands believers to avoid them. One verse reads:

O you who believe! People should not ridicule others who may be better than themselves, nor should any women ridicule other women who may be better than themselves. And do not find fault with one another or insult each other with derogatory nicknames. How evil it is to have a name for evil conduct after coming to faith! Those people who do not turn from it are wrongdoers. O you who believe! Avoid most suspicion. Indeed some suspicion is a crime. And do not spy and do not backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat his brother’s dead flesh? No, you would hate it. And be aware of God. (Surat al-Hujurat, 49:11-12)

101. Some Young People Turn Away from Religion’s Morality

Ali relates: “The Prophet once asked: ‘What will become of you when your young people turn to wrongdoing, and your women turn to excess?’” (Agreed upon)

Young people’s proneness to distance themselves from religion’s morality is also a sign of the End Times. Young people who are vulnerable to diversion and misguidance can readily come under the influence of movements that are incompatible with the Qur’an’s morality or incline toward irreligious lifestyles. A lack of proper education concerning religion’s true morality accounts for this. This situation is especially apparent in some Western countries and those ruled by communist regimes for an extended period of time. (Newsweek, August 23, 1999)

102. The Collapse of Moral Values

In our day, a great danger threatens the world’s social fabric. Just as a virus kills the human body, this danger – the degradation of those moral values that help maintain a healthy society – brings about a subtle social collapse.

From the hadiths of our Prophet, we understand that social degeneration will prevail in the End Times. One hadith tells us that people will engage openly in prostitution:

The Hour will not come … until there will be prevalence of open illegal sexual intercourse. (Sahih Bukhari)

Homosexuality, prostitution, premarital and extramarital sex, sexual misdemeanors, pornography, sexual harassment, and the increase of sex-related illnesses are important indications of the collapse of moral values.

These remain continual matters of public concern. Some people are not aware of this growing danger and so mistakenly consider it as normal. But, statistics show that with every passing day, this danger is spreading unperceived.

The proportion of sex-related illnesses is an important indication of the problems facing humanity. According to World Health Organization (WHO), sex-related diseases form one of the largest segments of illnesses. These reports show that of an estimated 333 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases occur in the world every year.

54 In addition, AIDS continues to be the most serious problem. WHO statistics indicate that AIDS has killed 18.8 million people 55 The WHO resince the beginning of the epidemic in the early 1980s. port for 2000 sums up the situation succinctly: “AIDS is unique in its devastating impact on the social, economic and demographic underpinnings of development.”

Among the most frightening developments is the spread of homosexuality. In some countries, homosexuals can legally marry, enjoy its social benefits, and form associations and organizations. Around the world, their activities show their opposition to religious faith and their antagonism to religious values. This is a characteristic of our age, for such things have never happened before since the time of the Prophet.

The audacity of today’s homosexuals makes one think of what happened to Lot’s people, who were noted for their homosexuality. As the Qur’an says, when they flamboyantly rejected Lot’s invitation to the right path, God destroyed the city and its people by a great disaster. As a reminder, the remains of this perverse society still lie beneath the water of Lut’s Lake (the Dead Sea).

It is clear that the hadiths describing the moral degeneration of the End Times are coming true today. This once again reminds us that, by God’s Will, Prophet Jesus’ return to this world is very close.

103. Spread of Adultery

The Prophet says that the spread of extramarital sexual relationships is a sign of Prophet Jesus’ second coming:

The Hour will come when adultery becomes widespread. (Sahih Bukhari)

The weakening of moral values and a sense of shame is described in these words:

The Last Hour will not be established until they [wicked people] commit adultery on the roads [public ways]. (Ibn Hibban and al-Bazzar) Children of adultery will grow in number. Many people will commit adultery with women in the middle of the street. (Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Saah, p. 140) A time will come when adultery with women will be committed in the middle of the road. Nobody will object to this. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li -Ashrat as-Saah, p. 142)

It is interesting to note that, recently, scenes of prostitution captured by hidden cameras have been broadcast on television. Prostitutes have sexual intercourse with their customers in the middle of the street. This is another sign of the Last Day as revealed in a hadith, one which millions of people have witnessed. (Evrensel, September 6, 2001)

104. Acceptance of Homosexuality

These hadiths show that tolerating homosexuality as a normal way of life is an important sign of the period before the Last Day.

Men will imitate women; and women will imitate men. (Jalal ad-Din as- Suyuti, Durre-Mansoor) The Hour will draw nigh when men are content with men and women are content with women. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi) (Sabah, June 30, 2003)

105. Epidemics

Epidemics such as plague, that is, the disease that hits sheep; it will seize you… (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 417, no. 761)

“O Awf ibn Malik! Shall I recite you six signs preceding Doomsday?” I [Awf ibn Malik] said: “What are they, o Resullulah?” He [The Prophet] said: “Two fatal diseases, such as cholera and anthrax, will spread among you.” (Sahih Bukhari)

Two fatal diseases will spread among you, such as the Ikasu’l-Ganem [a fatal and epidemic animal disease]. (Jami` al-Ushul, vol. 10, p. 412)

Throughout history, epidemics have always raged among people. However, compared to the ones in the past, today’s epidemics spread much faster. Moreover, those that used to affect only a certain part of the world now can spread to many countries simultaneously.

This aside, in our day, new and unknown epidemics appear. Within the last 20-30 years, we have had to deal with AIDS, SARS, Ebola, and Mad Cow, which have become great threats.

In 2002-03, the following news items appeared regarding dangerous diseases:

The Death Toll of Malaria in Ethiopia: 4,200

Local authorities stated that the epidemic became the leading cause of death between May and August, killing 4,200. (27.06.2003 www.ntvmsnbc.com)

AIDS Death Toll May Reach 70 Million

Researches warned that AIDS will kill 70 million people in the year 2020. (27.06.2003 www.ntvmsnbc.com)

The Chronological Progress of SARS

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) persists in being fearsome, despite the news that it is under control in some countries and has slowed down in others. (29.04.2003 www.ntvmsnbc.com)

Increase in the Number of Sudden Deaths Epidemics in Iran (In Berlin, Every year 100 People Die of AIDS)

106. Reports of Sudden Death Will Multiply

Count six things before the Last Hour comes: My death, then the conquest of Jerusalem, then a mortal disease which will affect you like qu’as [deadly pain in the chest] in sheep. (Sunan Ibn Majah, as- Sa`ah, p. 123) Six things will happen to this ummah: … the fourth is that sudden death will be widespread. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal, Musnad)

The Suleymaniye Mosque and Tomb from the Seraske Tower, Franz von Alt Dolmabahce Palace at Bosporus (1923), Ernst Karl Eugen koerner In Holland, one kid dies a week out of brutality 298 percent increase in Drug Crimes Youth Goes to Extremes Murder that Comes with Lyrics Italian scene, Amsterdam, Rijks Museum Our Homework: War Against Corruption Sabah, May 5, 2001 Yeni Safak, June 25, 2003 Environment Corruption in White House Corruption Does Not End in America Claude Lorrain, The Rape of Europe, 1667 The Police Massacred the Family Posta, April 29, 2003 Shot his Father at 11 years Vatan, June 23, 2003 Killed His 4 Children and Blew up the Building When He Got Angry With His Neighbor The Western People Run to their Loneliness Marriage is about to go Bankrupt in Europe Zaman, March 30, 2002 The West Yearns For Family and Religion Akit, September 21, 1997 Great increase in Divorce rates Bribery accusation to British Monopoly Japan MP Arrested of Bribery Evrensel, June 13, 2003 Ortadogu, June 20, 2002 Bribery increases speedily throughout the world Youth Must Have Gone Nuts Herald Tribune, 13 October, 1999 Wealthy but Unhappy The Reason of Prostitution is Globalization Cumhuriyet, November 11, 2001 Child Prostitutes of the Welfare Society In Germany, Prostitution is an Occupation Recent Madness in New York: Sex Roulette Sabah, January 13, 2002 Prostitution Trap Aksam, September 18, 1999 Moral Corruption Surpasses Vatan, September 1, 2002 Gunes, January 15, 2002 Per Kristian Foss, Financial Minister of Norway, married a Man Homosexuals are on the Streets for Rights Washington Times, July 29, 2003 Thirty percent of the cattle are infected by a fatal virus in Iran. The public has been warned about an epidemic known as "Crimean and Congolese Fever." According to IRNA, Muhammed Mehdi Guya, chairman of the Disease Management Center of the Ministry of Health, said that in one year, 20 out of 140 people who are infected by the disease have died. (25.05.2002, www.hurriyetim.com.tr)

Sok, October 22, 2002 100 Million People Have AIDS Echo of Islam, No. 197, March & April 2001 SARS is worse than War Haberturk, April 19, 2003 167 people died of SARS Gunes, April 29, 2003 Tercuman, April 12, 2003 Never such a misfortune was seen before!

Every 5 seconds a person gets AIDS!

In our day, there is an increase in the number of diseases that cause sudden death, such as heart attacks brought on by various forms of malnutrition and improper lifestyles.

107. An Increase in Murders

The Hour [Last Day] will not be es- tablished until murders increase.

(Sahih Bukhari) Doomsday will not come until your leaders kill and the wicked inherit your world. (Muhammad ibn Abd ar- Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Sa`ah, p. 141)

… The appearance of strife, terrifying situations, and murders. (Al- Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 39) The Prophet said: "When the time would draw close to the Last Hour, the Harj will increase." They said: "What is al-Harj?" Thereupon he said: "It is bloodshed and slaughter."(Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim and Sunan Abu Dawud) "… the shedding of blood … is one of the portents of Doomsday." (Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as- Saah, p. 142) He [the Prophet] said: “Before the Hour comes, there will be a lot of harj.” I asked: “O God’s Messenger, what is harj?” He replied: “It is murder, that is, murders…” What we mean by murder is not killing idolaters, but killing one another, to such an extent that it is killing one’s neighbor, nephew, or close relative.” (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 385, no. 711)

An increase in murders is an obvious sign of the End Times. We can readily say that the events related in these hadiths have occurred, for in our day people hire murderers and others join organized crime rings. (school with bombs and weapons and killed 13 innocent people.)

108. Increase in Suicides

People kill themselves, and mischief prevails all over the world. (Ibn Kathir, An- Nihaya, vol.1, p. 131)

109. Civil Wars and Conflicts

In the near future, there will be people who will cause fitna and conflict. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al- Qurtubi, p. 376, no. 685) Doomsday will not come until a person kills his brother. (Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Sa’ah, p. 141) Doomsday will not come until hearts hate one another, ideas are divided, and brothers fall into conflict over religion. (Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Ishaah li Ashrat as-Sa`ah, pp. 142-43)

In Zaire, the civil war between the Hutus and the Tutsis is an example of the conflicts that raged in the twentieth century. Colonel Joseph Mobutu, who came to power in 1964, opened all of the country’s natural resources and diamond mines to West. Making no effort to encourage social development, he amassed a huge fortune for himself and indulged in extravagance. The conflicts that befell the Zairian people turned out to be a great genocide, during which almost half a million people died.

Wars that raged among different tribes, that is, “fanatical rage,” caused brutal events in many other countries as well. In the Qur’an, God calls attention to “fanatical rage,” a feeling of rage and hatred unique to those people who are ignorant of the religion’s morality, as follows:

Those who disbelieve filled their hearts with fanatical rage – the fanatical rage of the Time of Ignorance – and God sent down serenity to His Messenger and to the believers, and bound them to the expression of heedfulness, which they had most right to and were most entitled to. God has knowledge of all things. (Surat al-Fath, 48:26)

This enmity and hatred, which God has forbidden, will be seen in the End Times. The return of Prophet Jesus, however, will be a blessed period during which all of this hostility, war, and conflict will end and be replaced by peace and security.

110. An Increase in Literacy

It is of the conditions of the Hour that the learning will be raised up and illiteracy will be prevalent… (Mishkat-ul-Masabih, vol.4, no 58)

A significant difference that distinguishes the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries from previous ages is the advance in literacy. In earlier times, this ability was restrictedto a particular group of privileged people, whereas, toward the end of the twentieth century, UN- ESCO and other government and private organizations organized worldwide campaigns to promote literacy. This mobilization of educational resources, with its attendant technological innovations and humanitarian services, has born great fruit, for according to one UN- ESCO report, the average literacy rate in 2003 was 84%.

This figure is certainly the highest in human history.

111. Time Grows Short

The Hour will not arrive until… time gets shorter and vehicles make dis- tances short. (Sahih Bukhari) The Hour will not come until a person who travels on his mount feels no fear other than losing his way between Iraq and Makkah. (Muntakhab Kanz al- `Ummal, vol. 2, pp. 370-71)

The Last Day will not be established until… time will pass quickly. (Sahih Bukhari) Great distances will be traversed in short spans of time. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal, Musnad)

In our time, supersonic aircraft, trains, and other advanced vehicles can carry us to a certain place in hours instead of months. Moreover, they can do so more easily, comfortably, and safely. In this sense, this sign has come true.

The Qur’an mentions vehicles that are the product of modern advanced technology:

And horses, mules, and donkeys both to ride and for adornment. And He creates other things you do not know. (Surat an-Nahl, 16:8)

Other hadiths mention the contraction of time, as follows:

Time gets closer, and the day and the night approach one another. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 374, no. 681) The Hour will not take place before time shrinks. One year will be like a month, one month will be like a week, a week will be like a day, and a day will be like an hour; and an hour will be like a burning flame.(Ibn Ahmad Hanbal, Musnad) Abu Hurayra quoted that the Prophet of God as saying: The Last Hour will not happen until time draws close, a year will be like a month, a month will be like a week, a week will be like a day, a day will be like an hour, and an hour will be like burning and combustion of palm leaves. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal and Ibn Hibban)

These hadiths also indicate that people will save lots of time. International communication that used to take weeks now takes a couple of seconds, thanks to the Internet and other modern communications technology. Goods that took months to reach their destinations can now be transported far more quickly. Today, millions of books can be published in the time it took to write just one book a few centuries ago. Daily things we now take for granted, such as hygiene, methods of food preparation, and child-care, no longer require as much time, thanks to modern technological inventions.

We could easily provide many more examples. However, what is important here is that we realize that the signs revealed by the Prophet are now coming true.

112. An Increase in Urbanization

“O Anas! People will build cities. Some of those cities will be called ‘Basra and Kusaire’.” (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi)

Especially with the Industrial Revolution, the influences of which began to be felt after the 1850s, rural people started settling in cities. Since then, the world’s urban population has increased steadily. Research reveals that by 2020, Turkey will be 80 percent urbanized.

This previously unseen development is an obvious sign of the End Times.

113. The Construction of Tall Buildings

There will be no [Day of] Judgment until very tall buildings are con- structed. (Narrated by Abu Hurayra) When the shepherds would vie with one another in constructing buildings, it is one the signs of the Last Hour. (Sahih Muslim)

Multistoried buildings began to be constructed only toward the end of the nineteenth century. Technological developments, the growing use of steel and elevators accelerated the construction of skyscrapers, which became an important part of architecture during the last 100 years. Today, they are symbols of prestige for some people. Some of the tallest buildings are as follows:

CNN Tower (Canada) - 555 m. Oriental Pearl TV Tower (China) – 467 m. Petronas Tower 1 & 2 (Malaysia) – 449 m. Sears Tower (Chicago) – 443 m. This hadith has been fulfilled, for people now compete in building tall buildings, and nations compete in building the tallest skyscrapers. It is surely a miracle that our Prophet informed us that this would be an important sign that we are living in the End Times, the period before Doomsday.

114. The Close Approach of the Markets

… The Day of Judgment will not come until the markets draw close by. (Mecmauz-zevaid, vol.

7, p. 327)

Current opportunities for shopping are now incomparably more advanced than they were in the past. Even villages and small towns have supermarkets and shopping centers in which people can shop at will. In addition, improved methods of transportation allow them to shop in previously inaccessible places.

The Internet has opened up even more opportunities for shopping. While sitting at home, people can buy whatever they want from anyplace in the world. Looked at in these terms, it is as if the markets were actually in peoples’ homes.

115. Speaking by Means of the Whip

The Last Hour will not come before the end of a man’s whip speaks to him. (Tirmidhi)

In ancient times, the whip was widely used while riding saddle beasts, especially camels and horses. In this hadith, the Prophet is making a comparison. Thus, “what speaking object can we compare to the shape of a whip?” The most likely answer would be a cell phone or similar communication devices. Such wireless communication devices as cell phones and satellite phones are very recent developments, and are more indications that the Judgment Day is drawing near.

116. The Speaking of One’s Own Voice

There will be no Judgment… until a person’s own voice speaks to him. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al- Qurtubi, p. 471)

The message here is quite clear: a person’s hearing his own voice is a characteristic of the End Times. For this to become a reality, one’s voice first has to be recorded. Such recording and reproduction technology was developed during the twentieth century. This turning point in the advancement of science enabled the birth of the communications and media industries. Voice recording has now reached its apogee via the latest developments in computer and laser technology.

In short, such electronic devices as microphones and speakers have made it possible to record and listen to a person’s voice, and thus have fulfilled the above hadith.

117. A Hand from the Firmament

The sign of that day: A hand will be extended from the sky, and people will look and see it. (Ibn Hajar Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Aalamat al- Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 53)

The sign of that day is a hand extended in the sky and people stopping to look at it. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 69)

In these hadiths, the Arabic word for “hand” is yad. This word also has other meanings, such as “power, force, strength, and means.” These hadiths probably use yad in these senses.

The idea of a “power, force, strength, or means” extending from the sky and looked upon by people might not have made much sense in the past. However, in our own time, it sheds considerable light on the television, camera, and computer, which have become indispensable parts of modern life. In other words, the “hand” is used in the sense of “force,” thereby clearly pointing to television broadcasting in the form of pictures coming down from the sky in waves.

Some other relevant hadiths are very interesting:

A voice will call him by name … and even people in the east and west will hear it. (Ibn Hajar Haythami, Al Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, pp. 54-55) This voice will spread over the entire world, and every tribe will hear it in their own language. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 51) A voice from the sky that everyone will hear in his own language. (Al- Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 37)

Evidently, this refers to radio, television, and other such methods of modern communication. This miracle, unimaginable 1,400 years ago, only became a reality a little over 100 years ago.

When Said Nursi interpreted these hadiths, he explained that they miraculously foretold the advent of radio, television, and other such communication devices.

118. Increased Productivity

People will reap 700 measures of wheat for every one they sow… People will throw down a few handfuls of seeds and reap 700 handfuls… Although much rain will fall, none will be wasted. (Ibn Hajar Haythami, Al-Qawl al- Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntazar, p. 43)

The Prophet provided many other details of the technological advances that will accompany the End Times, such as the move toward modern agricultural techniques, the development of new production methods, seed improvement research, and increasing production as a result of the better use of rainwater by building new dams and artificial lakes.

Today, technology is advancing rapidly, and the quality and quantity of products are constantly increasing. This rapid development, particularly in genetics, is creating a revolution in agricultural and other types of technology.

119. The Greening of the Deserts

The Day of Judgment will not come until there are rivers and gardens in Arabia. (Ibn Ahmad Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 17, p. 22, no. 8819) The Day of Judgment will not come until there are rivers and streams in Arabia. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah al- Qurtubi, p. 471)

Another technological development pointing to the abundance available during the End Times is the greening of the deserts. If we consider that 43 percent of the Earth’s land surface is comprised of deserts, then we can easier understand the importance of agricultural technology. Production now can be carried out even on the driest soil, as water is brought to infertile deserts. If this advanced technology is implemented in all deserts, then many countries on the brink of starvation will acquire productive lands. This, of course, requires considerable technology.

To green the deserts, sufficient amounts of water and land must be obtained. One relevant technology now being developed is computer-controlled irrigation. This enables water to be sent directly to the plant’s roots so that not a single drop is wasted. Given that purified water is a crucial element of desert agriculture, flood and sea water forms the basis of agricultural technology. In this way, vast water resources will be obtained, a development that also will be a major support of countries’ economies. Our Prophet also indicated the very productive use of water:

Both the Ummah’s good and wicked members will be blessed with a blessing, the like of which they have never seen before. Despite the abundance of rain, not a drop will go to waste. The land will grow fruitful and fertile, without demanding a single seed… (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 23)

120. Increased Life Expectancy

At that time… life spans will grow longer. (Ibn Hajar Haythami, Al-Qawl al- Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al- Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 43)

Violence is a sign of the End Times. Violence spreading among young people and moral degeneration are consequences of leading a life that is far from the religion's morality. Time [May 3, 1999] covered the story of a massacre in the U.S. committed by 2 high-school pupils, who attacked their Time, May 3, 1999 Death Machine Hurriyet, May 28, 2003 In the USA, Suicides are More than Murders Cumhuriyet, January 27, 2002 According to the World Health Organization [WHO] reports, suicide cases are on the rise all over the world. A person commits suicide every 40 seconds. But with the verse "... and do not kill yourselves…" (Surat an- Nisa', 4:29), God clearly forbids suicide. According to Islam, it is forbidden to kill oneself, no matter what the reason may be.

Every 40 seconds a person Suicides Yeni Asya, September 12, 2003 In China, 2 Million Women Commit Suicide in a Year Suicide Bridge Primary School and High School Education Between the years 1990-96 Percentage of Change Post-High School Education North America World Africa Asia Europe Central and South America These pictures show the greening of the deserts in the United Arab Emirates and the resulting crops.

Fourteen centuries have passed since the Prophet said these words. Records clearly show that the average life expectancy is now the highest in history. There was already a great difference between the beginning and the end of the twentieth century. For example, a person born in 1995 can expect to live more than 35 years longer than a person born in 1900.

61 Another striking example is that in the past, people rarely lived for a 100 years; today, many people reach that age.

According to the United Nations Department of National Population, over the past few years the world’s population has continued on its remarkable transition from high birth and death rates to one of low birth and death rates. As a result, we have seen an increased number and proportion of older people. Such a rapid, large, and pervasive increase is unique to our own time.

One cause for this increase in life expectancy has been the development of health services due to the advance of medical technology. In addition, developments in genetics and the rapidly advancing Human Genome Project are on the verge of ushering in a totally new era in the field of health. No one living in the past could have imagined such profound advances. Based on all of these developments, we can say that people living in our time have reached the long and healthy life described in the above hadith. And, this standard apparently will rise even higher in the near future. (The Life of Human Beings Will Extend a 100 years)

121. The Appearance of False Messiahs

Those who are unwilling to prepare the coming of this worthy Messenger may be hoping to encourage believers towards slackness by seeking to portray such preparations as unnecessary. One of their ruses will involve the appearance of false messiahs. From time to time, those who were not of sound mind or who had various personal agendas have claimed to be Prophet Jesus. Some groups have sought to use such people’s ignorance for their own ends, such as by saying, in effect, “Declarations that Prophet Jesus will come have led to the emergence of false messiahs.” Such statements are designed to slow down or even end these necessary preparations. However, God will allow nobody to delay this sacred time, which He has promised. In fact, the appearance of false messiahs is a portent, the glad tidings, of the coming of Prophet Jesus.

The appearance of 60 liars, each of whom claims that God, the One God, has sent them as a prophet. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi ’Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 36)

The Hour will not be established until about thirty Dajjals [liars] appear, and each one of them will claim that he is God’s Apostle… (Sahih Bukhari)

The above hadiths remind us of developments in our own day. By taking advantage of the hopes of Muslims and Christians, various deceivers have claimed prophethood and, at times, have caused great suffering.

Experts have noted that the number of so-called messiahs began to proliferate in the 1970s and continue to rise. According to these experts, there are two basic reasons for this increase: the collapse of communism and the possibilities afforded by Internet technology.

The following excerpts will give us a better understanding of this phenomenon:

The tension that lasted for 51 days between the federal agents and the members of the sect ended in a tragedy. The fiery demise of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, that claimed the lives of David Koresh and at least 74 of his followers…. Last week at two sites in Switzerland and one in Canada, where 53 of Jouret’s followers and their children died. Police in two countries are trying to find out whether the deaths were mass suicide, mass murder, or some bizarre combination of the two. Grim evidence of the worst cult slaughter… Up to 1,000 followers feared dead as more graves found in Uganda … It was an event that sent shock waves worldwide – the worst mass suicide in modern history. More than 900 people, members of a cult, were found clustered together in a South American forest. The dead were followers of Jim Jones, the leader of the Peoples’ Temple in San Francisco. The Qur’an also points to the advent of false prophets, as follows:

Who could do greater wrong than someone who invents lies against God or denies His Signs, or who says: “It has been revealed to me,” when nothing has been revealed to him, or someone who says: “I will send down the same as God has sent down?” If you could only see the wrongdoers in the throes of death when the angels are stretching out their hands, saying: “Disgorge your own selves! Today you will be repaid with the punishment of humiliation for saying something other than the truth about God, and [for] being arrogant about His Signs.” (Surat al-An`am, 6:93)

These people, who may have committed the sin described in the verse, will surely receive their recompense for their lies.

The days when the lies of all false prophets will be eradicated are close, for our Prophet announced that, after the liars have gone, Prophet Jesus would return.

True believers will recognize Prophet Jesus from the portents. Each of his deeds will be wise and inimitable, and these portents will set him apart from other people and make him immediately recognizable. No proof will be needed. The efforts of all false messiahs to prove themselves is the clearest indication of their falsity.

Prophet Jesus’ actions will prove his identity. He will defeat all atheistic movements and other systems that attempt to spread the denial of God and immorality, use God’s revelation to defeat with great ease the snares of the deniers, spread the religion’s moral values among people, and negate the efforts of the ungodly. His miracles will prove that God’s religion is the true way and that believers will inevitably prevail. In the Qur’an, our Lord gives these glad tidings to believers:

They desire to extinguish God’s Light with their mouths, but God will perfect His Light, though the disbelievers hate it. It is He Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth to exalt it over every other religion, though the associators hate it. (Surat as-Saff, 61:8-9)

Our Life will Become Longer Can Human Beings Live until 500 years old?

WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE FOR 200 YEARS?

Vatan, July 23, 2003 The Way to Youth Opens Radikal, May 13, 2000 Time, May 3, 1993 Fake Prophet Hadiths reveal that before Prophet Jesus' sojourn, false prophets will appear. During the last 30-40 years, many such people appeared: David Koresh (above) was killed along 80 of his followers in 1993. (The two photographs above) At the end of the 1970s, Jim Jones, founder of The People's Temple, a sect remembered as leading the greatest number of people to mass suicide, is one of these examples. (Below left) Jim Jones, who poisoned himself and his 900 followers, including children, is one of Takvim, April 6, 2002 the foremost examples.