Signs and Features of Imam Mahdi

By Shaykh Aboobakr Mulla

There have been many who have claimed to be the Mahdi over the course of history, and many of the enemies of Islaam, as well as those who call themselves Muslims will continue to make such claims, even though the appearance of Imaam Mahdi, his features, his lineage, have all been stipulated in the Ahaadeeth. But with reason to mislead the Ummah and for personal gains and ambitions, such individuals, claiming to be spiritual reformists sent by Allah have turned their backs on the Ahaadeeth. And in order to prove their claims, they have gone to such extents where they have interpreted the Ahaadeeth to suit their own whims and fancies and have discarded the commentaries and explanations given by the pious predecessors.

False claims of being the Mahdi can cause the Muslim community to be confused and the ignorant masses can even fall a prey to such misleading claims. Such people need to resort to the Ahaadeeth wherein the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam has mentioned features and characteristics that are unique to the original Imaam Mahdi. True Muslims will recognise him through these signs and will not be deceived.

In this article we intend to put before you the Ahaadeeth in which Imaam Mahdi’s appearance, characteristics, etc. have been discussed.

Mahdi literally means ‘Guided one’. Therefore, with reference to the original meaning, any guided person can be regarded as ‘mahdi’, but obviously the Mahdi which has been mentioned in the Ahaadeeth is of a specific person, who will appear close to Qiyaamah and before the advent of ‘Eesaa alayhis salaam.

With regards to the appearance of Imaam Mahdi, the Ahaadeeth are numerous, reaching the stage of ‘tawaatur’ (a Hadeeth is entitled tawaatur when it’s narrators are found in a very large number in every era). Such Ahaadeeth have been classified clear and evident in their meaning, which leaves no room for any doubts or uncertainties. Matters relating to his name, his features, place of birth, place of migration, place of demise, the place of the first pledge, etc. have been explained conclusively.

In conclusion, the signs and features of Imaam Mahdi have been mentioned in the Ahaadeeth in a very detailed manner. This is why most books of Ahaadeeth have stipulated a separate chapter to include the Ahaadeeth relating to Imaam Mahdi. Shaykh Jalaaluddeen Suyooti rahmatullahi alayh has dedicated an entire compilation to the Ahaadeeth concerning Imaam Mahdi.

The following are some of the Ahaadeeth pertaining to Imaam Mahdi’s features and lineage.

1 Aboo Sa‘eed Khudri radhiyallahu anhu narrates that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, “The Mahdi will be of my family and will have a broad forehead and a prominent nose. He will fill the earth with equity and justice as it was previously filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years.” (Aboo Daawood)

2 ‘Abdullah Ibne ‘Abbaas radhiyallahu anhu reported that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, “There have been four great kings on the earth: two were Believers and two Disbelievers. The Believers were Zul-Qarnayn and Sulaymaan (alayhis salaam, the Prophet of Allah), and the (two) Disbelievers were Namrood and Bukhtnassar. There will be a fifth king, from the people of my house (my family).” (Ibne Jawzi)

3 Aboo Mas‘ood radhiyallahu anhu said that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, “If there were only a single day of this world left, Allah would lengthen it until He sent a man from my family, whose name will be the same as mine and whose father’s name will be the same as my father’s.” (Aboo Daawood, Tirmizi)

4 Umme Salamah radhiyallahu anhaa said that she heard the Prophet of Allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam say, “The Mahdi will be from my family, the descendants of Faatimah.” (Aboo Daawood, Haakim)

The Appearance of Imaam Mahdi and the pledge

Imaam Mahdi will be recognised by some pious persons while he will be engaged in tawaaf (circumambulation) of the Ka‘bah between the Hajare-Aswad and Maqaame-Ibraaheem. He will be pressed by those pious men to accept the bay‘ah (pledge) as their ruler. During the course of this pledge, a voice will come from the sky which will be heard by all those present saying, “This is the Caliph of Allah, Imaam Mahdi.”

Occurrence of specific events after the appearance of Imaam Mahdi

After the appearance of Imaam Mahdi, significant signs of Qiyaamah will begin to appear. With the spread of the news of Imaam Mahdi’s pledge, the Muslim army of Madeenah will come to Makkah and devotees from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and many other Arab armies will join him. A man from Khuraasaan will march as the head of a large army to help Imaam Mahdi and the vanguard of this army will be under the command of a man named Mansoor. The army will destroy a large number of infidels on its way. A man from the clan of Aboo Sufyaan will also send an army to fight with Imaam Mahdi. While this army will be camping in the desert between Makkah and Madeenah, at the foot of a hill, the earth will rend apart and the army will sink in the chasm. Only two of them will survive ö one of whom will inform Imaam Mahdi about the fate of the army, and the other will inform the man from the clan of Aboo Sufyaan. The Christians will collect armies from all corners to resist the Muslims. The Muslims will also make preparations. The Muslim army shall have eighty banners and under each banner there will be twelve thousand soldiers. Imaam Mahdi will march from Makkah to Madeenah, and after visiting the tomb of the noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, he will proceed towards Damascus in Syria. The Christian army will also advance to confront him. The army of Imaam Mahdi will split into three groups ö one will desert, the second will be killed in the battle and only the third will be victorious. The Imaam will establish his rule over the country. Then he will advance towards constantinople. On reaching the river Rome, he will depute seventy thousand soldiers from the clan of Aboo Is’haaq to attack the city. On reaching the parapets of the city, the soldiers will cry aloud “Allahu Akbar” and by its blessing the walls of the city will fall down and they will enter the city killing the infidels and eventually they will conquer the whole city. They will rule with justice and fairness and will restore order. All this will be done within six or seven years after the pledge taken by Imaam Mahdi. (Derived from Ibne Maajah, Aboo Daawood, Tirmizi and Muslim)

Imaam Mahdi and the advent of ‘Eesaa alayhis salaam

It is mentioned in various Ahaadeeth that Imaam Mahdi will be in the Jaami‘ Masjid of Damascus, about to begin Fajr, when suddenly ‘Eesaa alayhis salaam will descend close to the eastern minaret of the Masjid. Imaam Mahdi will move himself from the musallaa (the designated position in the Masjid for the leader of the prayers) and will ask ‘Eesaa alayhis salaam to lead the prayer. ‘Eesaa alayhis salaam will refuse the offer and will insist Imaam Mahdi to lead the prayer. Imaam Mahdi will then lead the Salaah and ‘Eesaa alayhis salaam will stand behind as part of the congregation.

Matters relating to the birth of Imaam Mahdi and his demise

It is narrated by ‘Ali radhiyallahu anhu that Imaam Mahdi will be born in Madeenah Munawwarah, and his place of migration will be Baytul-Maqdis (in Palestine). According to many, Palestine shall be his place of demise and burial too. His janaazah Salaah will be led by ‘Eesaa alayhis salaam.

A point to ponder over

Before accepting the false claims of the fake Mahdis, the Muslims should compare them with the above-mentioned facts. Merely claiming to be the Mahdi without meeting the standards is open deception. Contrary to the behaviour of false claimants, i.e. compelling people to accept them as Mahdis, Imaam Mahdi will deny being the awaited Mahdi when the true Muslims will recognise him and push him to give allegiance on his hands. Similarly, a heavenly voice will confirm him as the original Mahdi, which has not been so in the case of fake Mahdis.

How is it that one who has qualities quite the opposite of Imaam Mahdis can expect to be hailed as the Mahdi?

The great Shaykh Ibne Hajar ‘Asqalaani rahmatullahi alayh has also authored a booklet in which he has mentioned around two hundred different signs regarding the awaited Mahdi.

It is very immature and ignorant that after explaining the true requisites and requirements for the appearance of the awaited Mahdi, one still remains doubtful and misled.

MAJOR SIGNS LEADING TO THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

1. Muslims reach the peak of their military power.

2. AL-MAHDI will appear just before the time of the Dajjaal. He will call to the true Islam, and will be a military leader.

3. THE DAJJAAL will come claiming to be God holding Heaven and Hell. His purpose is to deceive, and unbelievers will follow him.

4. EESA (Alayhis salaam), will descend at the time of Fajr Salaat on a Masjid in Damascus, Syria. He will call people back to Islam, but he will also be a military leader. The people of the book will revert to Islam, and wealth will be super-abundant. He will break the cross, kill the swine, and slay the Dajjaal.he will stay on Earth for a long time thereafter, and then die.

5. THE DAABBAH (an animal) will come and call people back to Islam. The description of the animal is unknown.

6. JAJOOJ AND MAJOOJ (two hidden tribes of people) will break free of the dam that holds them back, and ravage the earth. They will drink all the water, and kill people until Allah sends against them a worm which will wipe them out. This is roughly before / during the time of Eesa (Alayhis salaam), although it is not entirely clear.

7. SMOKE will appear all over the earth which will cause believers to catch something similar to a slight cold, whereas the unbelievers will be hit harder by it. Finally, a cold wind will come and kill all believers, leaving only unbelievers on the earth who will then witness the LAST HOUR. The angel Israfil will blow a trumpet, and the resurrection of all human beings will begin. At this point, the Day of Resurrection commences in which the skies and earth are destroyed by Allah, the Mighty.

HOW TO PROTECT ONESELF FROM THE DAJJAAL

The Dajjaal will come at a time when the Muslims emerge victorious from the al-Malhamah. His purpose will be to destroy the Islamic military power which will have defeated, the Christians. However, the Muslims will not put down their arms but will prepare themselves to fight the Dajjaal. It is the duty of every Muslim to fight the Dajjaal if he lives to witness him, by joining the Muslim forces under the banner of Jihaad the sake of preserving the Deen.

Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) warned us, ‘Whoever hears about the coming of the Dajjaal should stay away from him because by Allah, a man could come to him believing he is a strong believer but then he follow him because of the doubts he will spread.’ (Abu Dawud). He (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) has shown us how to protect ourselves from the Dajjaal.

SEEK REFUGE WITH Allah

Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) commanded the Muslims to seek refuge with Allah from the Dajjaal in every Salaat. He, himself, used to say a supplication at the end of each prayer after the last tashahhud which means, ‘O Allah! I seek refuge with you from the punishment of Hell and from the punishment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the tribulations of the Dajjaal.’ (Muslim)

THE CAVE (Surah al-Kahf)

Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) told us as reported in the Sahih of Muslim, that whoever lives to witness the Dajjaal, let him memorise and recite the last ten verses of Surah al-Kahf (Chapter 18) and he will be protected from the Dajjaal.

TAKING REFUGE IN MAKKAH AND MADINAH

Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, ‘There will be no town the Dajjaal will not visit, except Makkah and Madinah, for all of their gates will be guarded by angels that will be surrounding the.’ (Bukhari and Muslim). So, it is there that Muslims will be safe from the Dajjaal.

About Surah Kahf. Abu' d-Darda' reported Allah’s Messenger peace be upon him, as saying, "If anyone learns by heart the ten ayats at the beginning of Surat al-Kahf, he will be protected from Dajjal (Antichrist)." I believe that you should read it everyday, and also if you live during the time of Dajjal's fitnah and come into his presence, you should read it. As he will not be able to harm you, Insha Allah. May Allah keep us far away from Dajjal, . I also read somewhere that the last ten ayats will help too. Learn both...

And here is an article about Yajooj and Majooj:

Who are the Ya'jooj and Majooj?

Zul Qarnain (A.S.) who was a pious and just Ruler travelled to many lands and conquered them, establishing justice and the Law of Allah therein. Allah Ta'ala provided him with all forms and material strength through which he was able to carry out his conquests and missions.

He once carried out a mission in three directions, the far west, the far east, and then in a northerly direction. It was here that he came across a tribe of people who complained to him about the tribes of Ya'jooj and Majooj which inhabited the land behind two huge mountains and often emerged from behind these mountains to perpetrate acts of anarchy and plunder among them. They requested Zul Qarnain (A.S.) to erect a barrier between themselves and the tribes of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj so that they could be saved from their atrocities. With the material strength at his disposal, Zul Qarnain (A.S.) enlisted their physical labor and set about erecting a high wall between the two mountains. The height of the wall or its exact length is unknown. What is known is that the height of this wall reaches that of the summit of both mountains. It is made with blocks or sheets of iron, which is further strengthened by molten lead. In this manner Ya'jooj and Majooj are unable to scale the wall, or cross it, except when it is the will of Allah.

"And when the promise of my Rabb approaces, He will level it to dust" (Quran 18:98)

They are situated in a land of ice which is hidden from our gazes and the exact location of which is unknown. Though many interpretations do exist in this respect, none of these can be said to absolute.

Ya'jooj and Majooj are human beings and according to a narration they are from the progeny of Yafith ibn Nooh (A.S.).

Some Ahadith...

In a lengthy hadith by Hadhrat Nawwas ibn Sam'aan (R.A.) Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is reported to have said:

"...Allah will send revelation upon Eesa (A.S.) that 'Such a creation of mine is now going to emerge that no power will be able to stop them. Therefore take my servants and ascend the Mount of Toor.' Then Ya'jooj and Majooj will emerge and surge forth in all their fury. When those from among them who constitute the former part of their army pass the lake of Tiberias (which is in northern Palestine), they will drink up all the water of that lake and by the time those that constitute the latter part of that same army pass the lake, they will say, "There used to be water here (long ago). When they reach the Mount of Khamr in Jerusalem, they will arrogantly proclaim: 'We have conquered the people of the earth, now we will annihilate those in the sky.' So saying they will fire their arrows towards the sky. When the arrows return to the ground they will be blood stained.

In the meantime, Eesa (A.S.) will be on the Mount of Toor with his followers. At that time the head of and ox will be as valuable as is a hundred dinars to you in this day. [This indicates the scarcity of provisions]. Faced with these hardships, Eesa (A.S.) and his followers will make dua unto Allah (to remove this calamity). As a result, Allah will cause sores to appear on the necks of each and every individual of these people which will cause their death suddenly. When Eesa (A.S.) and his followers descend from the Mount of Toor there will not be a single space on the land where the dead rotting bodies of these people is not littered, giving off a horrendous odour. Eesa (A.S.) and his followers will once more supplicate unto Allah as a result of which Allah will send down huge birds whose necks will be as thick as that of the necks of camels, and they will dump these bodies in a place where Allah wills. (According to a narration by Tirmidhi, they will be dumped at a place called Nahbal).

Allah Ta'ala will then send down a heavy rain, the waters of which will flow in every part of the earth cleansing it thoroughly. It will rain for a period of forty days.

The Muslims will then burn the bows and arrows of the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj for a period of seven years.

Allah will order the earth to yield forth its crops in abundance and there will be such blessing and prosperity that one pomegranate will be sufficient for a whole group while the peel thereof will suffice to cast a shadow over them. The milk of one camel will be sufficient for many groups while one milk giving cow will be sufficient for a whole tribe. One milk giving goat will be sufficent for a whole family..."

(Muslim)

Hadhrat Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said:

"On the day of Qiyamah Allah will say to Adam (A.S.) to pick out the Jahannamis from his entire progeny. Adam (A.S.) will ask: 'O Rabb, who are they?'

Allah will say: 'Nine hundred and ninety nine of a thousand are Jahannami while the one is a Jannati.'

On hearing this the Sahaba were overtaken by fear and they asked "O Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), who will that one Janniti be?'

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: 'Do not grieve, the nine hundred and ninety nine will be Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj while you will be the Jannati."' (i.e. your numbers in relation to them will be one in a thousand).

(Bukhari and Muslim)

Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Umar (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said:

"Allah Ta'ala divided mankind into ten parts. Nine tenths constitute Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj while the remaining tenths constitutues the rest of mankind."

Hadhrat Zainab bint Jahsh (R.A.) says: "...once Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) awoke from such a sleep that his face was red and these words were on his tongue: 'There is none worthy of worship except Allah. Destruction is upon the Arabs on account of the evil which has come close to them. Today a hole as big as this has opened up in the wall of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj.' ..and Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) indicated the size of the hole forming a ring with his index finger and thumb."

(Bukhari and Muslim)

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (R.A.) narrates that every day Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj break (dig) through the wall erected by Zul Qarnain (A.S.) until they reach the end of it to that extent that they can actually see the light on the other side. They then return (home) saying that 'We will break through tomorrow.' But Allah Ta'ala causes the wall to revert to its original thickness and the next day they start digging through the wall all over again, and this process continues each day until as long as Allah wills them to remain imprisoned. When Allah wishes them to be released, then at the end of the day they will say, "If Allah wills, tomorrow we will break through." The following day they will find the wall as they had left it the previous day (i.e. it will not have returned to its orginal state) and after breaking the remaining part of it they will emerge."

(Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)

Commenting on the above hadith, Allamah Ibn Arabi says, Three miracles are evident in this Hadith:

1.) It never occurs to these tribes that they must continue work during the night. After all, they are in such large numbers that they can easily delegate the work among themselves and work in shifts. But Allah does not allow this thought to occur to them.

2.) It never occurs to them that they can merely cross the mountains or scale the wall, which they can do through the aid of equipment and implements wich they possess in large numbers. According to a narration by Wahab ibn Munabbah it is known that these tribes are agriculturists and artisians possessing various types of equipment.

3.) The thought of saying "If Allah wills" never enters their minds and it will only occur to them to say it when Allah wills that they be released.