What is your opinion regarding the hadiths found in the book *What Will Occur Before the Hour* and the book *Al-Ith'ah*, given the proximity of the signs of the emergence of Imam al-Mahdi?
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The questioner : One of the distinguished scholars asks: What is your opinion regarding the hadiths found in the book "Al-Ish'ah: What Has Occurred and Will Occur Before the Hour" and the book "Al-Ith'ah", concerning the signs indicating the proximity of the emergence of Imam al-Mahdi and the signs of his emergence? As mentioned, these are the drying up of Lake Tiberias, the receding of the Euphrates River and the drying up of its waters to reveal a mountain of gold, the failure of the date palms of Beisan to bear fruit, the eclipse of the sun at the beginning of Ramadan, and the eclipse of the moon on the fifteenth night of the month. Is the current cutting off of the Euphrates waters from Syria and Iraq an indication of that? Please inform us, may Allah reward you... regarding this topic?
The Shaykh : As for the cutting off mentioned, it has no relation to the signs of the Hour; it is a political conflict that may be resolved, if Allah wills. As for the eclipse of the sun and moon, there is no authentic hadith regarding them. As for the other signs mentioned in the question, they are established. Finally, there is no specified time for the emergence of al-Mahdi and the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon them both), and I do not believe that this time is [known], for there is doubt in that, and there are no signs that would enable us to determine the time of al-Mahdi's emergence or 'Isa's descent (peace be upon him). There is no way to claim any of this except by way of speculation and fabrication, and this is not permissible in the religion of Allah.
And I say, on this occasion, that many of those who claim to belong to knowledge and to the call to Islam may deny the hadiths of the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon him) and the emergence of al-Mahdi (peace be upon him). Because, unfortunately, they have been a cause, due to the Ummah's misunderstanding of these hadiths, for the Muslims' negligence and inaction in fulfilling the duty of establishing Islam as a governing system in the land of Islam.
The reality is that these hadiths do not mean this deviant meaning. It is regrettable that some callers to Allah, instead of fulfilling the duty of spreading this belief, which is established in the books of the Sunnah with mass transmission, and instead of explaining to the Ummah the noble purpose of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in giving this Ummah glad tidings of the emergence of al-Mahdi and the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon him), what did they do? They denied these authentic hadiths and created confusion among the Muslims, who do not have the awareness and education that would enable them to distinguish correct statements from weak ones.
It is obligatory for every Muslim to study hadith according to the methodology of the scholars of hadith, not according to the methodology of scholars of opinion and pure rational philosophy. For philosophy has no limits, and everyone sees what suits his desire and his culture. The only path to knowing what is authentic from the Messenger and what is not is the path of the scholars of hadith, from when they were on earth until the Hour occurs, which is returning to the chains of narration of the hadiths and to the biographies of their narrators.
It has become clear to every scholar of hadith that these hadiths—the hadiths of the descent of 'Isa and the emergence of al-Mahdi—are authentic hadiths that it is not permissible to deny. Denying them exposes the denier, without doubt, to two harms, the milder of which is bitter: either disbelief, because he denies what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) by mass transmission, or open sinfulness, if he has not fulfilled the duty of research and verification, being a scholar capable of doing so.
This is the first duty: to establish these hadiths because they are authentic, without doubt or ambiguity. The second duty is that we explain to the Ummah that these hadiths do not mean that the Ummah should be negligent and wait for the emergence of al-Mahdi and the descent of 'Isa. Rather, the entire Ummah must work for the honor of Islam and the implementation of Islam. At that time, they will feel that the Ummah needs unity of word above all else, and then a man who will lead them to honor and enduring glory.
This man may be al-Mahdi (peace be upon him), or he may be a reformer before his emergence. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) gave this Ummah glad tidings with his saying:Sunan Abi Dawud 4291Sahih (Al-Albani) So, the reformers, praise be to Allah, exist and continue at the head of every hundred years. Al-Mahdi may be at the head of the next hundred years, or after two hundred years, or... for this is a hidden matter that no one knows except Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). But the Muslims must fulfill their duty. Then, perhaps our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) will send them a reformer who will unite their word and establish their state, and that is not difficult for Allah. Please.
The Shaykh : As for the cutting off mentioned, it has no relation to the signs of the Hour; it is a political conflict that may be resolved, if Allah wills. As for the eclipse of the sun and moon, there is no authentic hadith regarding them. As for the other signs mentioned in the question, they are established. Finally, there is no specified time for the emergence of al-Mahdi and the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon them both), and I do not believe that this time is [known], for there is doubt in that, and there are no signs that would enable us to determine the time of al-Mahdi's emergence or 'Isa's descent (peace be upon him). There is no way to claim any of this except by way of speculation and fabrication, and this is not permissible in the religion of Allah.
And I say, on this occasion, that many of those who claim to belong to knowledge and to the call to Islam may deny the hadiths of the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon him) and the emergence of al-Mahdi (peace be upon him). Because, unfortunately, they have been a cause, due to the Ummah's misunderstanding of these hadiths, for the Muslims' negligence and inaction in fulfilling the duty of establishing Islam as a governing system in the land of Islam.
The reality is that these hadiths do not mean this deviant meaning. It is regrettable that some callers to Allah, instead of fulfilling the duty of spreading this belief, which is established in the books of the Sunnah with mass transmission, and instead of explaining to the Ummah the noble purpose of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in giving this Ummah glad tidings of the emergence of al-Mahdi and the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon him), what did they do? They denied these authentic hadiths and created confusion among the Muslims, who do not have the awareness and education that would enable them to distinguish correct statements from weak ones.
It is obligatory for every Muslim to study hadith according to the methodology of the scholars of hadith, not according to the methodology of scholars of opinion and pure rational philosophy. For philosophy has no limits, and everyone sees what suits his desire and his culture. The only path to knowing what is authentic from the Messenger and what is not is the path of the scholars of hadith, from when they were on earth until the Hour occurs, which is returning to the chains of narration of the hadiths and to the biographies of their narrators.
It has become clear to every scholar of hadith that these hadiths—the hadiths of the descent of 'Isa and the emergence of al-Mahdi—are authentic hadiths that it is not permissible to deny. Denying them exposes the denier, without doubt, to two harms, the milder of which is bitter: either disbelief, because he denies what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) by mass transmission, or open sinfulness, if he has not fulfilled the duty of research and verification, being a scholar capable of doing so.
This is the first duty: to establish these hadiths because they are authentic, without doubt or ambiguity. The second duty is that we explain to the Ummah that these hadiths do not mean that the Ummah should be negligent and wait for the emergence of al-Mahdi and the descent of 'Isa. Rather, the entire Ummah must work for the honor of Islam and the implementation of Islam. At that time, they will feel that the Ummah needs unity of word above all else, and then a man who will lead them to honor and enduring glory.
This man may be al-Mahdi (peace be upon him), or he may be a reformer before his emergence. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) gave this Ummah glad tidings with his saying: