What Events Remain Before Imam Mahdi and Their Dates

Another method of knowing when the Mahdi will arrive which we should use with these estimated years is the prophesied events of the hour, our book “The Syrian Uprising and Signs Of The Hour” covers this in more detail but we can see there are only a handful of events left before the Mahdi (ra) arrives. So as more of the signs of the hour reveal themselves like the war in Syria today this will also be a method to find out which of the years calculated was the most accurate.

If we recall the words of the Prophet (pbuh): “Prophet Hood will remain amongst you for as long as Allah wills it to be. Then Allah will raise it when He wills to raise it (meaning the Prophet will die). Then there will be the Khalifah upon the Prophetic methodology (the four rightly guided Khalif’s). And it will last for as long as Allah wills it to last. Then Allah will raise it when He wills to raise it. Then there will be biting kingship, and it will remain for as long as Allah wills it to remain. Then Allah will raise it when He wills to raise it. Then there will be tyrannical (forceful) kingship and it will remain for as long as Allah wills it to remain. Then He will raise it when He wills to raise it. Then there will be a Khalifah upon the Prophetic methodology.” Then he (the Prophet) was silent. (Musnad Imam Ahmad, v/273)

And His words: After me will come caliphs, and after the caliphs will come princes, and after princes there will be kings and after the kings, there will be tyrants. And after the tyrants a man from My House will fill the earth with justice and after him is al-Qahtani, By the One who sent me with the Truth! Not a word less. (Related by Tabarani, Ibn Mandah, Ibn Asakir and Na‘im bin Hammad)

The tyrannical Dictators have been removed in the Muslim world and only a little remains of that era in Islamic History, so the only phase left after that is a return to khalifah in the Muslim Ummah, this shows the timelines in relation to current world affairs are on the same timeframe.

We have spent 600 years under the rule of the “Princes” (Umayyad Caliphs of Damascus and the Abbasid Caliphs of Baghdad – 7th to 13th century) and 400 years under the rule of the Kings (Ottoman Sultans of Istanbul – after they consolidated power) and we are now in our final years of rule under the Tyrants and Oppressive rulers, Asad in Syria being one of the last that will be removed.

Some people consider that the Mahdi (ra) may not arrive for another few hundred years, it is almost impossible to perceive the era of tyrannical rule could last nearly as long as any of the Khalifa Dynasties had been on earth.

The Ahadith which mention the Fitnah’s (trials and tribulations) towards the end state that once the signs of the hour begin to appear they will not stop (one event after another), this gives us a proportion of time in relation to past Islamic Dynasties. So if the Ottomans lasted 400 years the end time would considerably be shorter than that and after almost 100 years the era of tyrants is ending as expected so what comes after it will not take as long to play out.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “… let them expect portents taking place one after the other like the beads of a necklace whose string has snapped.” (Tirmidhi)

It is well known in Islamic traditions, regarding the lives of the Prophets, that no nation lasted long after their prophets death, in fact all previous revelations became corrupted and manipulated or lost after them. The longest lasting Islamic Ummah (that we know of in our traditions) is the Jewish Ummah at 2000 years, much of which was under oppressive rulers and It is reported that Allah strengthened the Jewish nation repeatedly by sending Prophet after Prophet (40 in total) finally ending with Isa (a.s).

They survived oppressive rule only because of Allah’s repeated help, because of Mans nature to lose motivation after the message has been sent the Prophet (saws) informed us of Allah’s promise: “Allah will raise for this community at the end of every hundred years the one who will renovate (revive) its religion for it.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Sahih, Book 39, Hadith 1)

He further said about these revivers, “The Scholars of my community are like the Prophets of the children of Israel” (Abdul Qadir al jilani)

The Prophets and the Awliya like the Mahdi (ra) rectify Major Moral Corruption in civilisation, which is why Rasul Allah (saws) said the Prophets carried the greatest burden in humanity followed by those most like them. This is the reason why Allah will send the Mahdi (ra) to stop the increase in oppression and corruption occurring on a global scale.

Only the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was charged with a mission for all of creation and if we consider the prophets words, “Allah will send a man from my family to fill the earth with justice and equity just as it is filled with injustice and tyranny”, Globalisation and the oppression that it has spread has only surfaced in the last hundred years, so the timing of the Mahdi (ra) in relation to the appearance of oppression on a global scale and the need for the muslim Ummah to be revived coincide.

We know his time is near from the Hadith about “A man who will revive the Ummah” and the fact Islam can only be revived by being saved from oppression, and not through the revival of religious sciences so the revival in our time can’t be for any scholar.

Therefor we know for certain Allah won’t leave us alone and while previous revivers of the religion dealt with threats from inside Islam, Imam Mahdi (ra) will deal with threats from outside Islam.

The oppression we are facing today has never occurred before in our history, the closest thing was the Mongol devastation but Allah decreed that they should become Muslims at the hands of many of the scholars who gave them Dawah and convinced them of the truth, there is no convincing America or a capitalist world of anything, as there own Bible states Allah will make them attack each other in the future.

The year 1400 is the beginning of this Islamic century, two  Ahadith collected by Imam Tabarani and Imam al Barzanji mention that the Mahdi will be 40 years old when he emerges, “he will be from my progeny and he will be 40 years of age”, “He will appear at the age of 40”. These Ahadith can be taken as secondary proof to what we are seeing, if He (a.s) was born around the year 1400H, then 1444Hijri (2023) is also around the time of his emergence, the Ahadith don’t mean He had to have been born in the year 1400H exactly, maybe a decade later but everything is pointing towards the same thing.

Our Prophet (saws) said oppression will increase and the sign of the hour is that every year to come will be worse than the one before it until the hour is established.

Al-Zubayr ibn Adi narrated, We went to Anas ibn Malik and complained about the wrong we were suffering at the hands of al-Hajjaj. Anas ibn Malik said, “Be patient, for no time will come but that the time following it will be worse, until you meet your Lord. I heard the Prophet say that.” (Bukhari.)

The Khalifa of Islam fell just after WW1 in 1919, we have been leaderless for nearly one hundred years, using this as a starting point here are the Ahadith in chronological order that will take us to Imam Mahdi (ra), from them we will also show Islam has 1500 years on earth, we have covered them in greater detail in our book “The Syrian Uprising and Signs Of The Hour” but here we are just summing up.

The following Hadith begins with WW1 and spans the twentieth century:

Allah’s Messenger (saws) said, “The Hour will not be established (1) till two big groups fight each other whereupon there will be a great number of casualties on both sides and they will be following one and the same religious doctrine (in another translation – “each having the same claim”), (2) till about thirty Dajjaal’s (liars) appear, and each one of them will claim that he is Allah’s Messenger (saws), (3) till religious knowledge is taken away (by the death of Religious scholars) (4) earthquakes will increase in number (5) time will pass quickly, (6) afflictions will appear, (7) Al-Harj, (i.e. killing) will increase, (8) till wealth will be in abundance —- so abundant that a wealthy person will worry lest nobody should accept his Zakat, and whenever he will present it to someone, that person (to whom it will be offered) will say, ‘I am not in need of it, (9) till the people compete with one another in constructing high buildings, (10) till a man when passing by a grave of someone will say, ‘Would that I were in his place (11) and till the sun rises from the West. So when the sun will rise and the people will see it (rising from the West) they will all believe but that will be the time when: (As Allah said,) ‘No good will it do to a soul to believe then, if it believed not before, nor earned good (by deeds of righteousness) through its Faith.’ (6.158) And the Hour will be established while two men spreading a garment in front of them but they will not be able to sell it, nor fold it up; and the Hour will be established when a man has milked his she-camel and has taken away the milk but he will not be able to drink it; and the Hour will be established before a man repairing a tank (for his livestock) is able to water (his animals) in it; and the Hour will be established when a person has raised a morsel (of food) to his mouth but will not be able to eat it.” (Sahih Bukhari, Book 92, Hadith 68)

It starts with (1) “till two big groups fight each other” this is WW1, then (2)“till about thirty Dajjaals (liars) appear, and each one of them will claim that he is Allah’s Messenger” in other words preaching a new religion or way of life, after WW1 ideologies like communism, socialism and capitalism were forced onto the world with leaders like Hitler and Stalin.

The success of these new ideologies was ensured after WW2 wiped out vast populations of the world and the old way of life with it, and in reality both these wars lead to the event our prophet (pbuh) said would come next and that is (3) “religious knowledge is taken away (by the death of Religious scholars)”.

From here the next events that our prophet (pbuh) mentions are what led us from WW2 to our present time, “(4) earthquakes will increase in number” the geological record shows over this time they have steadily increased. “(5) time will pass quickly”… modern transport, telecommunications and entertainment were developed from 1945 onwards which increased the pace of our lives. Then (6) “afflictions will appear”, as immorality spread so too did the disorders, suffering and hardships of man…drugs, immorality, music, heedlessness all increased, the delusions of the 60’s, and 70’s caused people to became lost.

This loss of Morality resulted in the following event (7) “Al-Harj, (i.e. killing) will increase,” This would be about a decade after WW2 up to about the Iran-Iraq war (ending in 1988),  during this period many civil wars and minor local wars occurred around the world. Almost every region on earth experienced war, Vietnam, Indonesia, Iran, India, China, Greece, Korea, Arabia, Cuba, Algeria, Morocco, Brazil, etc…

The spread of capitalism around the world caused the next event to occur, “(8) till wealth will be in abundance —- so abundant that a wealthy person will worry lest nobody should accept his Zakat (charity), and whenever he will present it to someone, that person (to whom it will be offered) will say, ‘I am not in need of it,”.

Advancement in technology and the spread of wealth lead to the next event, (9) “till the people compete with one another in constructing high buildings” the world began competing with America in constructing tall buildings in 1998 when the Petronas towers were built in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which gives us a concrete year we can anchor this Hadith with.

All the events mentioned in the hadith prior to this one occurred in our past, the competition in construction then leads us to our current era, (10) “till a man when passing by a grave of someone will say, ‘Would that I were in his place” The chronology of this event is clarified by other narration’s (discussed in our book), and it is referring to the past decade or so.

This period in time was called the “Era of Evil” by the prophet (saws), before it’s time the increase in wealth during the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s satisfied people, but now world events have since caused people to wish for death. The prophet (saws) called it the “Duhaima”, the Dark and Blind fitnah (strife, affliction)  that will last an era, the evil of which would grow in wave’s and continue to increase right up to the time of the Dajjaal (Allah’s curse be upon him) and we are facing it now, we also know the Duhaima as September the 11th the event that kicked off all the oppression and wars we are seeing in the Islamic world today.

The remaining events are all in the future and are the Hour’s Major signs. “(11) and till the sun rises from the West”, this will occur after the Dajjaal (Allah’s curse be upon him) emerges along with all the events mentioned in the rest of the Hadith.

The following Hadith occurred after WW2 and refers to all the wars that occurred around the Islamic world:

Our Prophet (saws) said: “There will be such troubles and calamities that nobody will be able to find a place of shelter. These woes will move around Ash Sham (Greater Syria), fall upon Iraq (or settle upon Iraq) and tie the hands and feet of the Arabian Peninsula. A group of Muslims 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 from one side, the woes will emerge again on the other side.” (Muntakhab Kanz Al-Ummal, vol. 5, pp. 38-39)

This hadith can only be talking about events after the fall of the Last Khalifah because Sham and Iraq where under Islamic rule for the entirety of Islam’s History prior to 1900. Here is a short list of conflicts involving Sham (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine) and Iraq, the conflicts that ended up binding the Arabian Peninsula over the past one hundred years in the absence of a Khalifa had to do with mainly one thing which all Muslims have come together on, Israel’s annexation of Palestine.

1948: Arab – Israeli War (Israel Declares independence)

1958: Suez War (War over the Suez Canal, Israel, France and Britain invade Egypt)

1958: Lebanese Civil War (A war between Lebanese Christians and Muslims)

1967: Six Day War Between Egypt and Israel (which is part of Sham).

1968 -1970: The war of Attrition (Between Egypt and Israel)

1970: Jordanian Civil War (Jordan expels the PLO to stop Israel from invading its territory)

1973: Ramadan War (or Yom Kippur) between Egypt, Syria and Israel

1975 – 1990: Lebanese Civil War (Lebanese Muslims, Syria and the PLO against Lebanese Christians and Israel)

1980 – 1988: The Persian Gulf War (Iraq and Iran)

1982 – 1984: Israeli Invasion of Lebanon

1984 – 2000: Lebanese Israeli Border War

1987 – 1993: The First Intifada (Palestinian uprising against Israel)

The Lebanese Civil war was the last conflict in Sham before the calamities first started to move towards Iraq with the beginning of the Iran, Iraq war in 1980 to 1988 and finally flaring up again with the Gulf war in 1990. Most of these wars where between Muslims and Israeli or Christian forces and served to bind the hands and feet of the Arabian Peninsula especially over the issue of Palestine, tie the hands and feet means they couldn’t get away from the issue and had to respond to it.

The Steppes is a term used for Central Asia, which includes Kazakhstan, that borders the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and finally Afghanistan, some people include parts of Pakistan, Iran and India as well. “A group of Muslims 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 from one side, the woes will emerge again on the other side.” This then refers to the wars in Afghanistan and the Taliban who tried to establish an Islamic state during this time, combating the warlords and drug trade that was forced onto their people, prior to them it was said 70% of all opium came from Afghanistan.

“the woes will emerge again on the other side” refers to the second invasion of Afghanistan by America which completely removed them from power and reinstated the drug trade, today it is back up to 50% of the global opium trade.

All these events lead us to a key figure at the centre of everything muslims have suffered recently, Abdullah ibn Amr related that he heard the Messenger of Allah say, “When you see that my nation dreads saying to the oppressor, ‘Indeed you are an oppressor,’ then they have taken their leave (i.e. their existence and non-existence amounts to the same thing)” (Ahmad) This hadith refers to Saddam Hussain and marked the lowest point in Islamic History according to the prophet (saws).

Which takes us the sanctions placed on Iraq after the first Gulf war, about this Abu Hurairah related that the Messenger of Allah said, “Iraq will be prevented from its dirham (a currency) and its Qifaz (a measurement of oil, literally sanctions over oil); (after it) Sham will be prevented from its Mudd (a measurement of food) and its Dinar (a currency, so sanctions over food and currency) and Egypt will be prevented from its Irdab (a measurement of food) and its Dinar (currency, which means sanctions over food and currency). You will recoil to that position from where you started and you will recoil to that position from where you started, the bones and the flesh of Abu Huraira would bear testimony to it”. (Muslim, Book 41 Hadith 6923)

Like the Hadith stated Iraq suffered sanctions over its Oil, next Syria will also suffer sanctions after this war, and Egypt as well when war spreads there as Europe invades, something also mentioned in the Bible.

The prophet (saws) said in a number of Ahadith the major fitnah’s the Muslim Ummah will face, will all begin because of Iraq and Saddam Hussein.

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said, “While we were seated with the Messenger of Allah, he mentioned the tribulations, and he mentioned much about them until he discussed the trial of the saddlebags

[used for riding horses].” Someone said, “O Messenger of Allah, what is the trial of the saddlebags?” He said, “It is the usurping of wealth and the fleeing. Then there is the trial of As-Saraa (secrecy) — it’s Dakhal (cheating and corruption) or smoke. Underneath my feet is a man from the people of my household who claims that he is my son (or direct descendent) but he is not from me; indeed my Awliya are only those who are the Muttaqoon (those who fear Allah). Then people will gather and agree upon a man, (but it will be an agreement that is) like a hip on a rib. [A temporary arrangement because the hip doesn’t belong on a rib unless the person is bending in an extreme position, so it will be short lived] Then there will be the Duhaimaa (black, dark, catastrophic) trial. It will afflict every single person from this Nation. When it will be said that it is over, it will return; during it, a man will be a believer in the morning and a disbeliever in the night. (This will continue) until people will go to two Fustaats (Fustaat here means a group or a city) — the Fustaat of Eemaan (faith), in which there is no hypocrisy, and the Fustaat of hypocrisy, in which there is no Eemaan (faith). And when that will come to you, wait for the Dajjaal on that day or on the morrow.” (Abu Dawood, and Ahmad)

The Fitnah of the saddlebag is the Iraq invasion of Kuwait, Saddam invaded it for a few months and plundered all it’s wealth only to flee from America a short time later, his invasion started the first Gulf war, and it is the reason why it is called the fitnah of the saddlebag, the prophet (saws) was saying this fitnah will be like raiders riding into a town and raiding it of all the wealth they can carry in their saddle bags, then they flee, which is what occurred Saddam plundered Kuwait of t’s wealth he then fled from America, just like the prophet (saws) said.

“Then, will come Fitnatul Sarra’: its smoke is under the feet of a man (descendant) from my household” this man is Saddam Husain who as his last name states is a descendant of the prophet (saws), As Sarra means the fitna of secrets and as the scholars defined the meaning of the word, this is referring to the fitna of spying and espionage that spread around the world shortly after America became arrogant enough because of it’s new found dominance over the Arab and Islamic world.

“Then people will gather and agree upon a man” This was Ossama bin laden who before September the 11th was seen as a hero who stood up to America and it’s sanctions.

“Then there will be the Duhaimaa” this is September the 11th which started everything we are seeing in the world today. “It will afflict every single person from this Nation”  September the 11th did this very thing, “When it will be said that it is over, it will return;” for a decade after it occurred people called for the end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and wondered when it would end, now they wonder when it’s ramifications around the world will similarly end, “during it, a man will be a believer in the morning and a disbeliever in the night” this is the time about which the prophet (saws) said a person will sell his religion for a small sum of money, September the 11th has pressured muslims around the world economically causing people to renounce their religion for the sake of money and to earn a living.

The Prophet (saws) in a Hadith said about September the 11th “It will last for twelve years, then it will end when it ends, and the Euphrates will have uncovered a mountain of gold. They will fight over it until seven out of every nine are killed.”(Nuaim ibn Hammad’s Kitab Al-Fitan)

The Americans pulled out of Afghanistan about 12 years later, but the prophet in another hadith mentioned that it’s repercussions around the world won’t clear up completely for 18 years, or 2019 AD. Abu Huraira said that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ” The fourth Fitna (ad Duhaima) is 18 years, then it clears. Once it clears, the Euphrates will recede revealing a mountain of gold that the Umma (Muslim nation) will fight for it. Seven out of every nine (people fighting for it) will be killed.” (Nuaim ibn Hammad’s Kitab Al-Fitan)

This is amazing because we know the Mahdi (ra) will come out after the Euphrates river dries up so the years agree with each other, the Euphrates river drying up is also a major prophecy mentioned in the bible.

Between now and then the war in Syria has already begun and the prophet (saws) said about it, “At the end of time there will be a trial (september the 11) in which people will be sorted in a similar way to that in which gold is sorted from metal (this is the people going into two fustaat, groups). Therefore do not rebuke the people of Syria rather, rebuke the evil people among them (the Asad Regime), because amongst them are the Abdals (Awliya). Allah will send a flood from Heaven (the Arab spring) that will disperse their groups (because of the civil war) in a way that if foxes were to attack them (ISIS and al Qaeda) they would be victorious. Then Allah will send a man (a leader from among them) from the perfumed musked children of the Messenger, praise and peace be upon him, amongst approximately 12-15,000 under three banners (battalions) and their password is ‘Die, die!’ And they will be fought by the people of 7 banners under each is a man seeking the kingdom (each group has it’s own leader, they are Bashar al Asad (1), Hizb Allah (2), al Qaeda are two distinct groups (ISIS and al Qaeda) with two different leaders (3,4), and 2 groups from the people of Syria have joined al Qaeda (5,6), making that 6 Banners so far, Iran could be the 7th). They will be killed, defeated, then the Hashimite (the leader of the black flags that will come from Afghanistan) will appear, so Allah will restore unity and favors to the people and this will be the case until the Dajjaal (Allah’s curse be upon him) comes.”

This hadith gives us a timeframe for the war in Syria because when it ends that is when the black flags will appear and as Ahadith state they won’t march across Arabia until the Euphrates river dries up first, both events are also mentioned in the bible, in the book of revelations, Allah will send an Angel to dry up the river Euphrates so the Kings of the east (the Mahdi’s Army) can March across it.

So we can expect the war in Syria to end by about 2019 AD, shortly after that the Euphrates river will dry up which will allow the people of Afghanistan, who are the Mahdi’s army, to conquer Arabia in order to save it.

The Prophet (saws) said “If you see the black flags coming from Khurasan (Afghanistan), join that army, even if you have to crawl over ice, for this is the army of the Khaliph, the Mahdi and no one can stop that army until it reaches Jerusalem.” (Mustadrak al Hakim).

Ali bin Abi Taleb (r.a.) said: “If the Sufyani’s Cavalry (a warlord in Syria during this time) marsh’s to Kufa (Iraq), the people of Khorasan (Afghanistan and the surrounding area) will be requested to come to aid. The people of Khorasan will come out seeking the Mahdi. So, the Hashimi (He is their General who is mentioned in the hadith about Syria, he is also called al Mansur in other narrations) with an army carrying black banners, at its front end is Shuayb bin Salih (their leader, he is called Al Harith in other Ahadith), will meet the followers of the Sufyani at Istakhar Gate and a great battle will occur between them. The black banners will be victorious. Sufyani’s Cavalry will run away. At that time, people will wish for the Mahdi (to appear) and ask for him.” (Nuaim bin Hammad’s Kitab Al-Fitan)

Al Zuhari said ” The black flags will come from the East, led by mighty men, with long hair and beards, their last names are taken from the names of their home towns and their first names are from a Kunya (nick name, usually starts with ‘Abu’, which means ‘father of”).” (Nuaim bin Hammad’s Kitab Al-Fitan)

Muhammad bin Al-Hanafia, said: ” A black banner (army battalion) of Bani Al-Abbas (the Prophet Mohammad’s uncle, descendants of Al-Abbas) will come out (this prophecy refers to the rule of the Abbasid Khalifah). Then, another black banner (army battalions towards the end of time) will come from Khorasan. Their turbans are black and their clothes are white. At their front end will be a man named Shuayb bin Salih, from (the tribe of) Tamim (this is Al Harith’s other name). They will defeat the supporters of the Sufyani (and proceed further) until he (Shuayb bin Salih) arrives to Jerusalem (were) he will (conquer it and) lay the foundation for the Mahdi’s (future) dominion. He will be supplied with three hundred (men) from AshSham (Syria). From the time, he comes out (from Khorasan) until he hands over the matter to the Mahdi, there will be seventy two months (six years)” (Nuaim Ibn Hammad’s Kitab Al-Fitan).

The black flags will march across Arabia and finally conquer Jerusalem and Israel, six years after they appear they will hand power over to the Mahdi (ra). If we take an educated guess and say within five years after 2019 AD the Euphrates river will dry up after which the Arabs will fight over the wealth it uncovers, that is 2024 AD, add to this the six years for the rule of the black flags in Arabia and we can expect Imam Mahdi (ra) around 2030 AD possibly sooner, this is inline with the narrations about the 1500 years only small variations exist between them.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said “The Mahdi will have wheat-ich complexion, long straight nose, eye brows round like a bow, big black eyes, very white front teeth with a spacing between them, a small black spot on the right cheek, face glowing like a shining star, a mark on his shoulder like that of the Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him), complexion like the Arabs and body like the bani Israil (Jews). He will be slow in speech (with a slight stutter) and when he stutters, he will strike his left thigh with his right hand. He will appear at the age of 40. While praying to Allah, he will expand his hands for prayer like birds expanding their wings. He will be wearing Qutwani Cloaks. He will resemble in character the Prophet Muhammad (blessing in peace be upon him), but in appearance, he will be different. (Muhammad Al-Barzanji in Isha’ah li Ashrat al-Sa’a).

There are other other events that will occur but these Ahadith represent the straightest line possible between us and the Mahdi (ra), and we can see that we now have two methods of identifying the age of the Islamic Ummah.

We can extrapolate from the time we see the Mahdi (ra) until we see Isa (as) the number of years because the prophet (saws) also told us when we will see the Dajjal (Allah’s curse be upon him) and how long He will stay on earth, once Jesus returns to Kill him it will only be 47 years until the end of Islam.

Both methods are on the exact timeframe and show the same thing, Islam will have 1500 years on earth.