What is the validity of the claim that the expected Mahdi is near to appearing in the Levant?

Question:
He says: These days, talk is circulating in the Levant about the expected Mahdi, and that the time of his appearance has drawn near. What is the validity of this?

Answer:
This is speculation about the unseen, and it is not permissible for a person to determine specific times for the appearance of the Mahdi, the appearance of the Dajjal, or the occurrence of the signs and portents of the Hour. Everything has a time that Allah has decreed to occur at its appointed time. It is not permissible for a person to rush ahead, guess, and say, "The Mahdi will appear on such-and-such a date," or "The Dajjal will appear on such-and-such a date," or "The Hour will stand at such-and-such a time." This is speaking about Allah without knowledge, and it is speculation about the unseen. We believe in these matters; we believe that the appearance of the Mahdi is inevitable, the emergence of the Messiah, the Dajjal, is inevitable, the descent of 'Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) is inevitable, the emergence of the Dabbah is inevitable, the rising of the sun from the west is inevitable, and these are the matters about which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us. As for their times, we do not determine them; their knowledge belongs to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and it is not permissible to delve into such matters without knowledge.