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that the number of hadiths (although many are repeated) concerning ad
Dajjal far outnumber the number of hadiths dealing with alMahdi or
http://almahdi.atspace.com/articles.html
about Isa's coming. Thus, adDajjal represents a very important character
in Islam in the End Times.
Introduction
Muslims believe that before the Last Hour, there will arise a character
known as adDajjal (Arabic for the deceiver, the liar), also known as the Beware the Dajjal!
Antichrist (alMasih adDajjal). Just as the title "Christ" does not have the
same meaning in Christianity and Islam, the descriptions of adDajjal and According to the hadiths, Muhammad repeatedly warned his followers
the descriptions of Antichrist in the Bible are also very different. As such, about the coming of adDajjal, and to watch out for the trial of adDajjal.
to avoid confusion, we refer to this character in Islam as adDajjal, the Muhammad taught that all prophets since Noah have warned their
Dajjal, the Antichrist in Islam, etc. This character is to be distinguished followers about adDajjal, but he gave the most details:
from the Antichrist described in the Bible.
Narrated Ibn Umar:
Given that adDajjal is a very important apocalyptic figure in the End Once Allah's Apostle stood amongst the people, glorified and praised
Times in Islam, do we have any other corresponding figure(s) in the Allah as He deserved and then mentioned the Dajjal saying, "l [sic] warn
Bible? Yes! In other articles on this website, we see that you against him (i.e. the Dajjal) and there was no prophet but warned
his nation against him. No doubt, Noah warned his nation against him
· alMahdi corresponds to the Antichrist in the Bible, and but I tell you about him something of which no prophet told his nation
· Isa corresponds to the Second Beast (False Prophet) in the Bible. before me. You should know that he is oneeyed, and Allah is not one
eyed. (Sahih Bukhari 4.553. Also, Sahih Bukhari 4.553, Sahih Muslim
So, who does adDajjal correspond to in the Bible? 41.7000, Sunan Abu Dawud 37.4318, etc).
This article will first examine the hadiths and teachings of Muslims The number of hadiths concerning adDajjal is so numerous, that it is
concerning adDajjal. Then we will look into the Bible for the undeniable that Muhammad had taught it to his followers. Many devout
corresponding figure(s). After which we will give a summary. If you like, Muslims will be on the lookout for the appearance of this bizzare
you can scroll to the bottom of this article to check out the summary table character.
and then come back and read the detailed comparison. You can also check
out this comparison in table form. As for why adDajjal is called alMasih (the Messiah), Muslim scholars
have given many varied reasons. Thomas Hughes in his Dictionary of
Islam tells us:
Descriptions of AdDajjal The compiler of the Qanus says there have been at least fifty reasons
assigned for his being called alMasih. Some say it is because he will have
In this section, we consider what the hadiths and Muslim teachers have to his eyes touched (masah) and be rendered blind; others, that the word is
say about the character of adDajjal. originally masikh, a "monster" (see Hujaju 'lKalimah, p. 401). Sale, in the
preface to his translation of the Qur'an, says Muslim writers state that the
1 2
Jews will give him the name of alMasih, because they will mistake him Narrated Abdullah:
for the true Messiah, who has come to restore the kingdom of Israel to The Prophet mentioned the Massiah AdDajjal in front of the people
them. (Thomas Hughes, Dictionary of Islam, p. 318). saying, Allah is not one eyed while Messsiah[sic], AdDajjal is blind in
the right eye and his eye looks like a bulging out grape. (Sahih Bukhari
AdDajjal is such a fearful character that Muhammad often prayed for 3.425, also Sahih Muslim 41.7005, etc)
forgiveness of sins, and also to seek refuge from the trials of adDajjal:
Hudhalfa reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said:
'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) used to Dajjal is blind of left eye with thick hair and there would be a garden and
make these supplications:" O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from the trial of fire with him and his fire would be a garden and his garden would be fire.
HellFire; and from the torment of HellFire; and from the trial of the (Sahih Muslim 41.70101)
grave and torment of the grave; and from the evil of the trial of the
affluence and from the evil of the trial of poverty and I seek refuge in Narrated Abdullah:
Thee from the evil of the turmoil of the Dajjal. O Allah, wash away my The Prophet mentioned the Massiah AdDajjal in front of the people
sins with snow and hail water, purify my heart from the sins as is purified saying, Allah is not one eyed while Messsiah[sic], AdDajjal is blind in
the white garment from the dirt, and keep away at a distance the sins from the right eye and his eye looks like a bulging out grape. (Sahih Bukhari
me as yawns the distance between the East and the West; O Allah, I seek 3.425, etc)
refuge in Thee from sloth, from senility, from sin, and from debt." (Sahih
Muslim 35.6534) Not only is his eye blind in one eye, but his eye (did not say which one) is
also bulging like a grape. Obviously, he will be quite ugly in his looks.
This physical defect is repeatedly emphasized in the hadiths.
AdDajjal's Physical Looks The physical defect in adDajjal actually has to do with another important
area that Muslims believe in. Muslim theologians teach that Allah is
The first thing about adDajjal, and probably the most prominent perfect, and all his prophets are without physical or moral defects.
characteristic mentioned in the hadiths, is that he is blind in one eye.
According to Muslim theologians, there are six essentials of Prophethood:
Narrated Ibn Umar: truthfulness, trustworthiness, communication of God's commands,
Once Allah's Apostle stood amongst the people, glorified and praised intelligence, infallibility, and lack of any mental and physical defect.
Allah as He deserved and then mentioned the Dajjal saying, "l [sic] warn History records that Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and
you against him (i.e. the Dajjal) and there was no prophet but warned his blessings, had these six essential attributes in a most perfect fashion.
nation against him. No doubt, Noah warned his nation against him but I (Fethullah Gulen, "Essentials of the Islamic Faith Prophethood and
tell you about him something of which no prophet told his nation before Muhammad's Prophethood", 2001).
me. You should know that he is oneeyed, and Allah is not oneeyed. (
Sahih Bukhari 4.553. Also, Sahih Bukhari 4.554, Sahih Muslim 41.7000, It is worthy to be mentioned here that all the Prophets were unblemished
etc) and free from any kind of physical and moral defects. (Islamic Voice,
"The Stone Started Running away with the Clothes", Nov 1999)
The hadiths, however, are contradictory as to which eye will be blind:
3 4
In conclusion, all the Prophets were perfect both mentally and physically, AdDajjal The Infidel Par Excellence
with nothing to suggest any defect. (The Way of Truth, "THE PROPHETS
WERE FREE FROM ALL BODILY AND MENTAL DEFECTS") AdDajjal, of course, is not a Muslim. He will be against the Muslims, and
will also be a leader of the infidels (kafirs). Muhammad taught that the
Due to this belief that Allah does not use anyone with moral or physical Dajjal will have on his forehead the letters or word "kfr", i.e., kafir, which
defects as a prophet, Muslims reject all the records of the sins of prophets every Muslim will be able to recognize.
in the Bible, claiming the records to be corrupted. For example, the Bible
recorded that Abraham told lies about Sarah, Isaac told a lie about Narrated Mujahid:
Rebekah, Moses got angry when the Israelites asked for water, David That when the people mentioned before Ibn 'Abbas that the Dajjal would
committed adultery and murder, Job argued with God, etc. Muslims also have the word Kafir, (i.e. unbeliever) or the letters Kafir (the root of
reject the record of Job's contracting physical sores that Satan inflicted on the Arabic verb 'disbelieve') written on his forehead, I heard Ibn
him because of the belief that prophets have no physical defect. 'Abbas saying, "I did not hear this, but the Prophet said, 'If you want to see
Abraham, then look at your companion (i.e. the Prophet) but Moses was a
On the other hand, Jews and Christians accept that even prophets are curlyhaired, brown man (who used to ride) a red camel, the reins of
human and can sin, but God is so powerful that He is able to transcend which was made of fires of datepalms. As if I were now looking down a
above their sins and still be able to bring His message across. In this valley." (Sahih Bukhari 4.574)
regard, the ultimate example is that of Christ whom Christians believed to
be God who came as a humble being, even though Jesus never sinned. Ibn Shihab said: 'Umar b. Thabit alAnsari informed me that some of the
Companions of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) informed him
Again, this difference in beliefs contributes to the way each side sees the that the day when Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) warned
same issue. The defect in adDajjal is thus a clear indication that he is not people against the Dajjal, he also said: There would be written between
a prophet in Islam. (A side note: Mullah Omar, spiritual head of Taliban, his two eyes (the word) Kafir (infidel) and everyone who would resent
is blind in one eye). his deeds would be able to read or every Muslim would be about to read,
and he also said: Bear this thing in mind that none amongst you would be
The hadith also say that adDajjal will be a bulky man with red able to see Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, until he dies. (Sahih Muslim
complexion and thick hair: 41.7000)
'Abdullah reported on the authority of his father 'Umar b. Khattab that he In other words, according to the hadiths, he will have the letters "kfr"
heard from the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) say: I was (kafir meaning infidel)
sleeping when I saw myself making circuit around the Ka'bah, and I saw
there a man of fair complexion with straight hair between two men. Water ﻙ ﻑ ﺭ (separately) or
was flowing from his head or water was falling from his head. I said: Who
is he? They answered: He is the son of Mary. Then I moved forward and ﺭﻑﺍﻙ (joined together).
cast a glance and there was a bulky man of red complexion with thick
locks of hair on his head, blind of one eye as it his eye was a swollen
grape. I asked: Who is he? They said: He is Dajjal. He had close AdDajjal's Miracles
resemblance with Ibn Qatan amongst men. (Sahih Muslim 1.327)
The hadiths tell of some of the miracles that adDajjal will be able to
perform:
5 6
· Raising dead people back to life: and they would affirm their faith in him and respond to him. (Sahih
Muslim 41.7015)
Narrated Abu Said AlKhudri:
Allah's Apostle told us a long narrative about AdDajjal, and · Commands rain or drought:
among the many things he mentioned, was his saying, "AdDajjal
will come and it will be forbidden for him to pass through the · He would then give command to the sky and there would be
entrances of Medina. He will land in some of the salty barren areas rainfall upon the earth and it would grow crops. Then in the
(outside) Medina; on that day the best man or one of the best men evening, their posturing animals would come to them with their
will come up to him and say, 'I testify that you are the same Dajjal humps very high and their udders full of milk and their flanks
whose description was given to us by Allah's Apostle.' AdDajjal stretched. He would then come to another people and invite them.
will say to the people, 'If I kill this man and bring him back to life But they would reject him and he would go away from them and
again, will you doubt my claim?' They will say, 'No.' Then Ad there would be drought for them and nothing would be lef t [sic]
Dajjal will kill that man and bring him back to life. That man will with them in the form of wealth. (Sahih Muslim 41.7015)
say, 'Now I know your reality better than before.' AdDajjal will
say, 'I want to kill him but I cannot.' " (Sahih Bukhari 3.106) Muhammad often prayed to be protected from the Dajjal (eg. Sahih
Muslim 4.1216, Sahih Muslim 4.1224, etc.), and taught that Muslims who
· Reversed visions of paradise and hell, water and fire: memorize the first ten verses of Surah alKahf in the Qur'an will be
protected from him (Sahih Muslim 4.1766).
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Shall I not tell you about the Dajjal a story
of which no prophet told his nation? The Dajjall is oneeyed and
will bring with him what will resemble Hell and Paradise, and AdDajjal's Message
what he will call Paradise will be actually Hell; so I warn you
(against him) as Noah warned his nation against him." (Sahih AdDajjal will be trying to turn people away from Islam, and some people
Bukhari 4.554) will accept his message.
Hudhaifa reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as He would come to the people and invite them (to a wrong religion) and
saying: the Dajjal would have with him water and fire and his fire they would affirm their faith in him and respond to him. (Sahih Muslim
would bays the effect of cold water and his water would have the 41.7015)
effect of fire, so don't put yourself to ruin. Abu Mas'ud reported: I He would appear on the way between Syria and Iraq and would spread
also heard it from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). mischief right and left. (Sahih Muslim 41.7015)
(Muslim 41.7011) (Sahih Muslim 41.7011)
· Whirlwind travel around the world. AdDajjal The Divine?
We said: Allah's Messenger, how quickly would he walk upon the Muslims claim that adDajjal will claim to be a prophet, then claim to be
earth? Thereupon he said: Like cloud driven by the wind. He divine (i.e. God). For example:
would come to the people and invite them (to a wrong religion)
7 8
After that time no good will be left in the world, depravity will be a way Anas b. Malik reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)
of life, drought and famine will return until satan, the stoned and cursed, said: The Dajjal would be followed by seventy thousand Jews of Isfahan
appears in the disguise of a man and claims to be their lord. The wearing Persian shawls. (Sahih Muslim 41.7034)
unbelievers will accept him as their lord and on account of this their lives
will be comfortable until the Trumpet, heralding the approach of the Day Isfahan is an important Persian city in antiquity since the Medes. It is
of Judgement, is blown. (Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand currently the third largest city in Iran. The hadiths say that the main
Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh followers of adDajjal will be 70,000 Jews of Isfahan wearing Persian
the ANTICHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish). shawls, together with an unknown number of women. This seem to
indicate that these are Persian Jews. However, today, there are only 25,000
However, there is no explicit hadith that actually says that adDajjal will Jews left in Iran (see this BBC news article), so that will mean Jews from
claim to be God. Muslims base this claim on hadiths like this: outside Iran need to go to Iran to make up that number.
Narrated Ibn Umar:
You should know that he is oneeyed, and Allah is not oneeyed. (Sahih
Bukhari 4.553) AdDajjal and the Cities of Mecca and Medina
This allusion is the contrast in that Allah is not oneeyed (actually, Muhammad told his followers that adDajjal will not be able to enter two
Muslims do not know how many eyes Allah has), and that adDajjal has cities, Mecca and Medina:
one eye. However, it is also possible that this hadith is denying adDajjal's
prophethood, since prophets are not supposed to have any physical defect. He would come but would not be allowed to ether the mountain passes to
Nevertheless, the Muslim understanding is that adDajjal will claim to be Medina. (Sahih Muslim 41.7017)
God.
I am going to tell you about myself and I am Dajjal and would be soon
permitted to get out and so I shall get out and travel in the land, and will
not spare any town where I would not stay for forty nights except Mecca
Location of AdDajjal's Appearance and Medina as these two (places) are prohibited (areas) for me and I
would not make an attempt to enter any one of these two. An angel with a
The hadiths tell us that he will appear between Syria and Iraq: sword in his hand would confront me and would bar my way and there
would be angels to guard every passage leading to it; (Sahih Muslim
He would appear on the way between Syria and Iraq and would spread 41.7028)
mischief right and left. (Sahih Muslim 41.7015)
Some say that Damascus (Sham) is also one of the cities that adDajjal
cannot enter. Muslims are told to flee to these cities if they are under siege
AdDajjal's Followers from the Dajjal.
The hadiths portray adDajjal to be a leader of the Jews:
Length of AdDajjal's Trial
9 10
The hadiths say that adDajjal will be around for about forty "days": · Blind in one eye (not sure right or left), red complexion, thick hair,
etc.
We said: Allah's Messenger, how long would he stay on the earth? He · Will have the letters of "kfr" or word "kafir" on his forehead.
said.. For forty days, one day like a year and one day like a month and one · Appears between Syria and Iraq.
day like a week and the rest of the days would be like your days. (Sahih · Performs great miracles.
Muslim 41.7015) · Turns people away from Islam.
· Will claim to be a prophet, will claim to be divine (?).
The forty days are unusual days, with one of the days like a year, another · Leader of 70,000 Jews from Isfahan and unnamed number of
day like a month, another day like a week and the rest (i.e., 37 days) as women.
usual days. That works out to be (or perceived to be) about 14 months. · Terrorize people for "40 days".
· Cannot enter Mecca, Medina and possibly Damascus.
· Will be killed by Allah through Isa.
AdDajjal's Death
The hadiths say that adDajjal will be killed by Allah through Isa: Why AdDajjal is not the Same as the Biblical Antichrist
When the enemy of Allah would see him, it would (disappear) just as the Muslims sometimes think that adDajjal, who is the Antichrist in Islam, is
salt dissolves itself in water and if he (Jesus) were not to confront them at the same as the Antichrist of the Bible. However, just as Christ does not
all, even then it would dissolve completely, but Allah would kill them by have the same meaning in Islam and Christianity, the meaning of antichrist
his hand and he would show them their blood on his lance (the lance of is also not the same in the two religions. We now explain why adDajjal
Jesus Christ). (Sahih Muslim 41.6924) does not correspond to the Antichrist of the Bible.
This killing is supposed to take place at the gate of Ludd: The first major difference between the Antichrist in the Bible and ad
Dajjal is that we notice that the Biblical Antichrist is a world leader,
He [Jesus] would then search for him (Dajjal) until he would catch hold of politically, militarily and religiously. However, adDajjal is a leader whose
him at the gate of Ludd and would kill him. (Sahih Muslim 41.7015) followers are mainly the 70,000 Jews and women. Secondly, we notice
that adDajjal seeks to turn people away from Allah of Islam, while the
Ludd is supposed to be near Tel Aviv airport in northern Israel. Antichrist turns people from the God of the Bible. Of course, while we
know that Allah and God of the Bible are both supposed to be the Creator,
their descriptions in the respective religions are very different. Thirdly, we
read that adDajjal can perform many miracles, while the Bible does not
Summary of AdDajjal's Characteristics ascribe miracles to the Biblical Antichrist. Finally, while it is similar that
adDajjal will be killed by Isa, and Antichrist will be killed by the Jesus in
Now that we have seen in detail adDajjal's characteristics, we now give a the Bible, but since we know that the coming Isa is very different from the
quick summary. Jesus in the Bible, that leaves us with the conclusion that adDajjal is not
the Antichrist in the Bible.
· Epitome of those who oppose Islam and Isa.
11 12
And if it isn't the Biblical Antichrist, then who? We are also told in the Biblical passage that the Two Witnesses will be
prophesying for 1,260 days (about 42 months, or 3.5 years). Due to the
The Two Witnesses in the Bible symbolic language used, "These are the two olive trees and the two
lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth," it is hard to say
We have seen that adDajjal does not correspond to the Antichrist of the exactly who or what these Two Witnesses are.
Bible, and in fact,
Some Bible teachers teach that these Two Witnesses represent Judaism
· the Biblical Antichrist corresponds to alMahdi and and Christianity as they give testimony to the world about God. However,
· the Biblical False Prophet corresponds to Isa, it becomes somewhat difficult to understand the part about the miracles
these Two Witnesses will perform.
so we also expect that there be an antiparallel correspondence as well.
Indeed, we see this correspondence between adDajjal and the Two Others teach that it will be one of the prominent prophets of antiquity:
Witnesses (or Two Faithful Witnesses) of the Bible. Moses, Enoch, Elijah, John the Baptist. Some contend that it will be one
Old Testament prophet (a Jew) and one New Testament prophet (a
The Two Witnesses are described in Revelations 11. The first part reads: Christian).
I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the Nevertheless, the description of this entire passage seem to indicate two
temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude very real persons. These two Witnesses have the ability to perform some
the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the very miraculous acts:
Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. And I will give
power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed · "fire from their mouths"
in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that · those wanting to harm them will themselves die
stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes · power to shut up rain
from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who · turn waters into blood
wants to harm them must die. These men have power to shut up the sky so · plagues
that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have
power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind These kind of miracles is of course not going to bring any kind of love
of plague as often as they want. (Revelations 11:16) from those who are afflicted (i.e., those who reject the Witnesses'
message). Indeed, we then read of their deaths and the world's reaction to
In terms of appearance, we see that the Witnesses will be dressed in their deaths:
sackcloth. In the Bible, this has always signified mourning and/or
repentance (Hebrew, "kippur" from "kfr", for example in the Jewish Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up
holiday of "Yom Kippur". Note: in Hebrew, "p" and "f" are the same from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their
character), and calling people to mourn for their sins and repent. Thus, the bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called
Witnesses will be here to preach a message of repentance to the God of the Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a
Bible. Note also that the Two Witnesses will also be prophesying, thus half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on
they are designated as prophets in the Bible. their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat
over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these
13 14
two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. (Revelations We now give the major characteristics of adDajjal and the Two Witnesses
11:710) in a table form for comparison.
At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city Preach and torment
Muslims for "40 days". Preach and torment
collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the
Due to unusual length of Antichrist's followers
survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. (Revelations Ministry
certain days, it is for 1260 days (about 42
11)
actually (or perceivably) months, 3.5 years)
about 14 months long.
The event will be so terrifying that some of the survivors began to give
glory to God (i.e., repent). Performs great miracles,
Perform great miracles,
Miracles esp. sends and withholds
esp. withhold rain.
Comparison Table of AdDajjal and The Two Witnesses rain.
Death Killed by Isa Killed by Antichrist
15 16
Killed in Ludd (near Tel Bodies lie in Jerusalem however, adDajjal is different from the Antichrist described in the Bible.
Death Instead, we find that adDajjal corresponds in description to the Two
Aviv, Israel) (inside Israel)
Witnesses. This brings us to these antiparallels (check out the articles if
Reactions to No doubt there will be you have not read them):
Rejoicing by the world
Death rejoicing by Muslims
Bodies lay unburied for · alMahdi corresponds to Antichrist in the Bible
Not buried. Simply
Burial 3.5 days, then · Isa corresponds to the False Prophet in the Bible
disappear.
resurrected to heaven. · adDajjal corresponds to the Two Witnesses in the Bible
All the comparisons in the three characters are also presented in a table
Notice that the correspondence is not as good a fit as the correspondence form in a twopart article:
between alMahdi and Antichrist, and between Isa and False Prophet. In
particular, there is one adDajjal in Islam (although the hadiths say there · Comparison of End Times Figures in Islam and Christianity
will be thirty lesser dajjals), but there are Two Witnesses. However, the
Islamic hadiths might actually be dealing only with the Jewish Witness When these events happen, Muslims will be seeing alMahdi and Isa
(and did not mention the Christian Witness). setting the Islamic Caliphate over the world, and adDajjal leading people
away from Islam, and then his death at the hands of these Muslim leaders.
However, the general pattern is still very similar. In some characteristics, The Christians on the other hand, will be seeing the Antichrist and the
there is some leeway for both, so it isn't necessarily a mismatch. For False Prophet setting their global rule over the earth, and the Two
example, adDajjal is supposed to be killed in Ludd near Tel Aviv in Israel Witnesses leading people back to the God of the Bible, and then dying at
(Northern Israel), while the bodies of the Two Witnesses will lie in the hands of the Antichrist. These correspondence clearly points to
Jerusalem. So, there is some room for these two to actualy be both something a lot more than what we mere mortals think. What is the
fulfilled (eg. adDajjal gets killed and then bodies moved to Jerusalem for significance of all these correspondence and how will these affect you and
all to see). The main antiparallels are their miracles, their ministry, their me?
death and the world's reaction to their death.
We now invite you to ponder the allimportant question in the next article,
This can be attributed to the fact that at most one religion is true (it can't What Do All These Mean?
be both true). Hence, only one set of prophecies will be fulfilled, while the
other will be very close, but not perfect. We shall have to wait and see as May you be under the blessings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
the future unfolds before our eyes.
References
Conclusions
· Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006.
We have examined in detail the hadiths and Muslim teachings about the · Mohammad Ali Ibn Moulana Zubair Ali, "Signs of Qiyama".
Islamic apocalyptic character known as adDajjal. Muslims understand
this character to be the Antichrist. When compared against the Bible,
17 18
· Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, Or consider the statement by the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq, a
"AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTI collection of eight mujahideen (jihad fighters) groups fighting the United
CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish. States:
· Qur'an Browser featuring more then 10 translations.
· Online Hadith Compilation at USC MSA. Sep 26, 2006. Both you and the Romans, await the defeat as you see what
· Bible Gateway. happens everyday in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere as we
are awaiting victory, martyrdom, triumph, enabling the Caliphate
Islam's Much Awaited World Leader — Al (Islamic state) that judges by the law of Allah. Then we will break the
cross, shed the wine and we wont accept Jiziya (Islam or Death), Allah
Mahdi (and who he corresponds to in the Bible) will give Muslims the victory in their war against the Romans and
their final capital Rome like his Prophet Mohammed, peace upon him,
Introduction has promised in the authentic Hadith and just as we were the victorious
when we conquered Istanbul in the past. (MSC Iraq Issues Statement In
Muslims today are eagerly awaiting the appearance of a Muslim leader Rebuttal To Pope's Remarks On Islam)
known as alMahdi. The entire landscape of the Muslim world and the rest
of the world will dramatically change as a result of his appearance. We Many similar reports about can be cited. Who is this Mahdi mentioned in
will examine this character in detail based on Islamic sources, and President Ahmadinejad's speech? And what is the Islamic Caliphate
compare him with a character in the Bible that is very similar. mentioned by the Mujahideen Shura Council? Why is there such
anticipation among the 1.3 billion Muslims for the coming of alMahdi?
Muslims' Eager Expectation For AlMahdi What will he do when he appears on the scene? What effects will his
appearance bring to the whole world? How will the world react to this
There is no doubt that Muslims are eagerly awaiting the appearance of a person? Did the Bible also prophesy about alMahdi? If so, which
Muslim leader (known as Caliph in Arabic), who is to be a faithful character in the Bible prophecies fits?
representative of Allah. Consider this report on Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech to the United Nations General Assembly These are all questions that this article tries to answer as we search the
in September 2006: hadiths (Muslim record of Muhammad's words or deeds) and the teachings
of Muslim scholars. Apart from the Qur'an, the hadiths form the next most
WASHINGTON While most of the reporting and analysis of Iranian important source of Islamic Law. We also compare these expectations
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at the U.N. focused on what he with what is contained in the Bible to gain a more complete understanding
had to say about the West and specifically the U.S., his chilling closing of the End Times. While most nonMuslims are probably clueless about
remarks were lost on most listeners and apparently all reporters... alMahdi, many Muslims are eagerly expecting his coming. Some
Muslims are even said to be trying to create the enviroment conducive for
The last two paragraphs of his remarks revealed his steadfast and this coming, and are actively working towards his Caliphate.
driving conviction, as previously reported in WND, that a messianic
figure, known as the "Mahdi" to Muslims, is poised to reveal himself The importance of alMahdi to Muslims and nonMuslims alike is
after an apocalyptic holocaust on Earth that leaves most of the that his appearance will have dramatic effects on the Muslims and the
world's population dead. (Iran leader's U.N. finale reveals apocalyptic nonMuslims. As and when he appears, the entire dynamics of this
view, World Net Daily, Sept 21, 2006) world will change as a result. We encourage you to carefully read this
19 20
article to understand the impact it will have on the Muslim psyche reflecting its importance in the Islamic faith. As such, many Muslims will
and how it will steer world events. be familiar with the teachings on Qiyamah, about the coming of alMahdi,
about the coming of Isa (Islamic name for Jesus) and the coming of ad
Dajjal.
The Importance of Qiyamah in Islam Muslim scholars tell us that the signs of the Qiyamah can be divided into
two types: Major (Greater) and Minor (Lesser) Signs. The Minor Signs
Islamic teaching is that all created things at an appointed time will be can be categorized into Immediate or Later, where Immediate Signs refers
annihilated, and then resurrected for judgment before Allah. The exact to those supposedly fulfilled in the earlier era of Islam, while the Later
date and time of this event, known as Yawm alQiyamah (literally Day of Signs are supposed to happen as Qiyamah draws near. We will not deal
Resurrection), is known to Allah alone (Qur'an Surah 7:187, 31:34, 33:63 with the Minor Signs in this article, but concentrate on the first of the
), but the Qur'an says it will come suddenly (Surah 7:187; 12:107; 21:40; Major Signs — the coming of AlMahdi.
22:55; 29:53; 39:55; 43:66; 47:18). Belief in the Last Days, in particular
the Day of Judgment, is listed as the fifth Article of Faith in Islam, and
therefore an essential element of the Islamic faith. All Muslims are
expected to believe in it. Islam considers that all the prophets since the Descriptions of AlMahdi in Islam
time of Noah have taught about the Qiyamah to their followers, but that
Muhammad told his followers in much greater details about it. In In this section, we will consider the various hadith reports (plural. ahadith)
particular, Muhammad said that the prophets have warned their followers and Muslim teachings concerning alMahdi to get a good idea of this End
about adDajjal (Muslim version of the Antichrist, not to be confused with Times personality in Islam. The hadiths are the records of words or deeds
the Antichrist in the Bible). For example, we read in the hadiths: of Muhammad, and is second in importance as the source of inspiration
after the Qur'an. As such, the hadiths play a very important part in the
Narrated AbuUbaydah ibn alJarrah: doctrine and practice of Islam. However, not all the hadiths are equal, in
that some of the them, especially the Sahih (authentic or sound) hadiths,
I heard the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) say: There has been no Prophet are considered to be most authentic and beyond dispute. The Sahih
after Noah who has not warned his people about the antichrist (Dajjal), Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are considered the most authentic.
and I warn you of him. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him)
described him to us, saying: Perhaps some who have seen me and heard AlMahdi is considered a Major Sign of the Qiyamah. This title means
my words will live till his time. The people asked: Apostle of Allah! what "the Guided One," i.e., he will be guided by Allah. It can also mean "the
will be the condition of our hearts on that day? Like what we are today? Gifted One," obviously in reference to the various gifts he will possess.
He replied: Or better. (Sunan Abu Dawud 40.4738) There are many hadiths recording Muhammad's teachings about alMahdi.
Many Muslims have also written about alMahdi and the accompanying
Even though Muhammad speculated that some Muslim believers might signs of his coming. On the internet, one can find many articles related to
live till the last days when adDajjal appears, this was not to be the case. his coming.
The hadiths recorded that Muhammad sometimes preached sermons on the
Qiyamah for many hours. It is also said that the Companions of In essense, the hadiths speak of alMahdi as a character that is expected to
Muhammad also taught the hadiths to their children and instructed them to appear in the Last Days, unite the Muslims and with the help of Isa
also teach their children. Thus, teachings about Qiyamah is something that (Muslim version of Jesus), conduct jihad (lit. struggle, more commonly,
is taught and passed down by Muslims from generation to generation,
21 22
referring to warfare in Allah's cause) against the rest of the world. He is Conditions at the Emergence of AlMahdi
expected to be victorious and to usher in a new era of Islamic Caliphate.
The Caliphate is the jurisdiction of the Caliph. Muslims expect this According to the hadiths, just prior to the emergence of AlMahdi,
Islamic Caliphate to eventually cover the entire world as the entire world "Christian rule will be dominant". (Note that Muslims often equate
comes under Islam. He will rule for seven years, bringing in an era of Western with Christian). A descendent of Abu Sufyan (a Meccan who
"justice and equity". This is an age that many Muslims look fondly converted to Islam under threat of beheading) is supposed to emerge in
towards: Syria (Sham) and kill many of Muhammad's descendents and rule over
Syria and Egypt. There is then supposed to be a battle between the ruler
The final times represents an age that contains all of these "better" and the Christians, after which, one group of the Christians will enter into
concepts. They will be a holy age, when shortages are replaced by plenty a treaty with the Muslims while the other group will attack and conquer
and abundance, injustice by justice, immorality by morality, conflict by Constantinople (Istanbul). The Muslims and their Christian allies will then
peace and security, and the Islamic morality that all believers have attack the other Christians and win over them. Then the Muslims and the
yearned for down the centuries comes to prevail... the world will Christians will argue over if the battle had been won with the Cross or
experience that period of great peace, security, happiness, and wellbeing Islam, until a fullscale battle ensued, resulting in the killing of the Muslim
known as the Golden Age. (Harun Yahyah, The End Times and Signs of ruler. These Christians are supposed to conquer Syria and reconcile with
the Mahdi) the other group of Christians, and will exercise their rule till Khaybar.
The Mahdi in Shi'ite and Sunni (the two main sects of Islam) traditions are At this point, it is said that this turmoil will cause Muslims everywhere to
somewhat different as to the exact identity of alMahdi. The Shi'ites be searching for AlMahdi to lead them and end all these trials. Given the
believe that alMahdi was the 12th Imam (leader) of the Shi'ite sect (the current situation in the Middle East, it should be understandable why
fourth Caliph, Ali, was considered the first Shi'ite Imam, followed by his many Muslims look forward to the day alMahdi will appear.
sons Hasan, Hussein, and their descendents, etc). This 12th Imam, who
was then a small boy, was said to have disappeared and went into AlMahdi — A Descendent of Muhammad
occultation around 260 A.H. (874 A.D.). The Shi'ites believed that in the
Last Days, he will reappear and rule the earth. In contrast, the Sunnis The first thing we will notice about the Mahdi is that the hadiths say that
believe alMahdi to be someone to appear in the future, and do not he will be a direct descendent of Muhammad:
necessarily have any special connection to the 12th Imam of the Shi'ites.
Nevertheless, this is not important in our study, as our focus is on the Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:
Mahdi that is to appear and his characteristics and exploits. In this respect,
there is essentially no difference in Sunni and Shi'ite versions of what he The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Mahdi will be of my
will be and what he will do. family, of the descendants of Fatimah. Abdullah ibn Ja'far said: I heard
AbulMalih praising Ali ibn Nufayl and describing his good qualities. (
Historically, there have been many Muslims who have claimed to be al Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4271)
Mahdi. However, we do not dwell on these claimants, but rather on the
apocalyptic character that Muslims believe will come before the End of The world will not come to pass until a man from among my family,
Times. OK. So let's sit tight and see what the hadiths and Muslim scholars whose name will be my name, rules over the Arabs. (Tirmidhi Sahih,
have to say about alMahdi. Vol. 9, P. 74; Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 5, P. 207; also narrated by Ali b.
Abi Talib, Abu Sa'id, Umm Salma, Abu Hurayra, quoted by Idara Dawat
oIrshad, "Identification of the Prophesied Imam Mahdi")
23 24
Many similar hadiths were also recorded by other Muslims like Ahmad Narrated Abu Sa'id alKhudri:
ibn Hanbal, ibn Majar, etc. Thus alMahdi is supposed to be a descendent
of Muhammad, and will have the same name as Muhammad, but some The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Mahdi will be of my stock,
Muslims also think that names that are variants of Muhammad, like and will have a broad forehead a prominent nose. He will fill the earth
Mahmoud or Ahmad, might be acceptable. Fatimah, Ali's wife, was the will equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he
only child of Muhammad to have descendents, as the rest of Muhammad's will rule for seven years. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4272)
children either died young or did not have offsprings. Thus, alMahdi is
supposed to be a descendent of Fatimah and Ali. Muhammad's He will also supposedly look like "Bani Israel" (children of Israel):
descendants are numerous. The royal family of Jordan, for example, are
descended from Hasan, eldest son of Fatimah and Ali. Then, Hudhayfah asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, how shall we know him?'
He replied: "He is a man from my children, he looks like the men from
In another hadith, we read: the children of Israel, (quoted by Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late
Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: [Moshaikh the ANTICHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If only one day of this world This could mean he will look like a Jew, or as some Muslims speculate,
remained. Allah would lengthen that day (according to the version of like one of the "lost tribes of Israel" whatever that may mean. For
Za'idah), till He raised up in it a man who belongs to me or to my example, some claim that the Pathans (or Pashtuns) of Afghanistan and
family whose father's name is the same as my father's, who will fill the Pakistan were descended from the lost tribes of Israel (actually only from
earth with equity and justice as it has been filled with oppression and King Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin), who later converted to Islam.
tyranny (according to the version of Fitr). Sufyan's version says: The They identify themselves as Bani Israel, but not Jews. (The relationship
world will not pass away before the Arabs are ruled by a man of my between Jews and Muslims have been extremely tumultous since the days
family whose name will be the same as mine. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4269 of Muhammad, something we shall see also in other hadiths regarding the
) End Times).
This hadith seem to say that alMahdi's father will also have the same However, the above reference as refering to the Jews is the most likely
name as Muhammad's father (i.e., Abdullah). If so, then alMahdi's name interpretation, since Muhammad dealt with many Jews in Arabia during
should be Muhammad ibn Abdullah. However, some Muslims dispute the his time, and the Qur'an and he consistently used Bani Israel to refer to the
authenticity of these hadiths. Shi`ites believed that his name is Jewish people in Arabia (See Qur'an, Surah 2:40, 2:47, for example).
Muhammad ibn Hasan. There are also other hadiths that give the name of
alMahdi's mother to be the same as Muhammad's mother (i.e., Amina). Other hadiths ascribe to him a regular height, an Arab complexion, a
glittering face, about the age of 40, and has a black mole on his right
cheek. He will be wearing two cloaks (similar to Jewish tallits or Afghan
Qutwani cloaks).
AlMahdi's Looks
From the hadiths, we gather that alMahdi will have a broad forehead and
a prominent nose. An Army Bearing Black Flags Coming From Khorasan (Or The East)
25 26
Several hadiths tell of the coming of an army bearing black flags (or Maqdas) where they will erect their flags". (Tirmidhi, as quoted by
banners) prior to the revealing of alMahdi. A man from Khorasan by the Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi
name of alHarith ibn Harrath will be preparing the people for the (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")
appearance of the Mahdi, and at the front of this army is a man by the
name of Mansur. On their way to Jerusalem, they will kill many infidels Baitul Maqdas (literally Holy House) came from the Hebrew term for the
(kuffars, i.e., nonMuslims). Jewish Temple, Bait HaMiqdash, and is used to refer to Jerusalem, or
more specifically, to the AlAqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock on
Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib: the Temple Mount (the compound is known as alHaram alSharif). This
army will kill many infidels on the way, and finally on reaching
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A man called alHarith ibn Jerusalem, will plant the black flags on the AlAqsa Mosque. It is said that
Harrath will come forth from Ma Wara anNahr. His army will be led by a when the black flags appear, the appearance of alMahdi will be imminent.
man called Mansur who will establish or consolidate things for
Muhammad's family as Quraysh consolidated them for the Apostle of The black flags have been a prominent sign in Islam's army since
Allah (peace_be_upon_him). Every believer must help him, or he said: Muhammad's days.
respond to his sermons. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4277)
In Islam there are two flags. One is white and one is black. Written across
Hadhrat Buraidah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi both flags in Arabic are the words, "There is no God but Allah and
Wasallam) said: "There will be many armies after me. You must join that Muhammad is his Messenger". The white flag is called AlLiwaa and
army [that] [sic] will come from Khurasaan". (Ibn Adi, as quoted by serves as the sign for the leader of the Muslim army and is the flag of the
Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi Islamic State. The black flag is called ArRaya and is used by the Muslim
(Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)") army. It is also called the flag of jihad, and is carried into battle. One flag
is governmental and the other is a military flag. When Muhammad
"Rasulullah" means "Messenger of Allah", a title Muslims used to refer to returned to his home city of Mecca after being exiled for eight years, he
Muhammad. Khorasan today is a province in north eastern Iran, but in returned as a conqueror. With him were ten thousand Muslim soldiers.
ancient times, Greater Khorasan refers to a region that extends over north They carried with them black flags. On the flags was one word written in
eastern Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Arabic: punishment. (Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited
Thus, out of this central Asian region is supposed to arise an army Messiah", 2006.)
carrying black flags. At one time, it was speculated that Osama bin Laden
or his lieutenants, then based in Afghanistan, could have been leading this In modern days, the black flags have been used by Muslims in several
army. places during demonstrations, eg. a demonstration against the Pope in
Palestine, in antoher demonstration in Cairo, etc. This imagery is of course
As Muhammad commanded all Muslims to give this army their support an invocation of the desire for alMahdi to arrive on the world scene. It is
when they see it appear, this army, though not necessarily very well clear that many Muslims understand the significance behind this flag: a
equpped, will be very formidable. The army is said to be very successful coming retribution against those who defy Islam (whether it be non
on its journey to Jerusalem. Muslims or nondevout Muslims).
Abu Hurairah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) In summary, when the army of black flags appears in Khorasan, the
said: "(Armies carrying) black flags will come from khurasaan. No emergence of alMahdi is supposedly imminent.
power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela (Baitul
27 28
During the Haj, while performing the tawaf between Hajrul Aswad and
Maqam Ibrahim, some people known as the abdals are said to approach
AlMahdi's Ascension to Rule him and forcefully pledge their allegiance (bayah) to him. The tawaf is the
ritual of circumambulation around the Ka'aba (the holiest building in
As we study the hadiths on alMahdi, we come to some very interesting Mecca) performed by Muslims during the pilgrimage to Mecca (known as
developments. This very important person may not be some prominent the Haj). Hajrul Aswad refers to the Black Stone at a corner of the Ka'aba,
person that is already ruling over some country in the world. Instead, whereas Maqam Ibrahim (the Station of Abraham) is located in front of
Muslims believe alMahdi to be a person living in obscurity before his the only door to the Ka'aba. Thus, people will suddenly pledge allegiance
emergence, and that his heart will be changed overnight to take up this to alMahdi at this vicinity. Other hadiths say that at this time a voice from
responsibility: heaven will tell the people there that he is the khalifah (Caliph, meaning
viceroy) of Allah (Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali,
Al Mahdi is from the family of the House Allah will 'yuslihu' him in a Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)). News of this
night. unveiling of alMahdi will then travel quickly around the world to the
(Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL Muslims.
MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTICHRIST]", tr.
Shaykh Ahmad Darwish) The same hadith continues:
Since alMahdi's heart is supposed to be changed overnight, it is wellnigh An expeditionary force will then be sent against him from Syria but will
impossible to say what kind of person he currently is, if he exist today. He be swallowed up in the desert between Mecca and Medina. When the
will suddenly burst into the world scene. He will be recognized as the people see that, the eminent saints of Syria and the best people of Iraq
Mahdi by a group of Muslims known as abdals and will be suddenly will come to him and swear allegiance to him between the Corner and
thrusted into the limelight. The hadiths say: the Maqam. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4273)
Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin: So, the above hadith tells us that a huge army from Syria ("expeditionary
force") is said to come and attack him, but will be swallowed up in the
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Disagreement will occur at the desert between Medina and Mecca. When the surrounding people see or
death of a caliph and a man of the people of Medina will come flying hear about this event, leaders of Syria and Iraq will come to pledge their
forth to Mecca. Some of the people of Mecca will come to him, bring allegiance to him. At this point, alMahdi would have gained the
him out against his will and swear allegiance to him between the allegiance of quite a number of influential Muslim leaders.
Corner and the Maqam. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4273)
Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:
From this hadith, we can see that alMahdi is said to escape from Medina
to Mecca (the two holiest cities in Islam) possibly due to the fear of the The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A man called alHarith ibn
responsibilities on him. This must indicate that he will know he is to be al Harrath will come forth from Ma Wara anNahr. His army will be led by a
Mahdi. Note that it is not indicated whether he actually is a Medinan. man called Mansur who will establish or consolidate things for
Some Muslims speculated that alMahdi will be Meccan, just like Muhammad's family as Quraysh consolidated them for the Apostle of
Muhammad. However, given the ease of travel in the world today, there is Allah (peace_be_upon_him). Every believer must help him, or he said:
no telling where he will be, or what nationality he will be. respond to his sermons. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4277)
29 30
Thawban (R.A) reported that the Propet [sic] Muhammad said, 'In your pledge allegiance to him. This meteoric rise to power of a leader will be
old age three men will be killed. Each of them will be the son of a unprecendented in the history of mankind.
Khalifah (caliph a Muslim ruler). Then the black banners will come out
of the east, and they will slaughter you in a way that no Nation has ever Let's pause a moment and consider the implications of this event. Today,
done before. Then the Dear Prophet said something that I didn't remember. there are an estimated 1.3 to 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. And if only
Then again the Dear Prophet said if you see him give him your 10% of all Muslims were to join this army, we will see 130 to 150 million
allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice, because he is the Muslim mujahideens (those who participate in jihad). Given that
Khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi.' (Ibn Majah Page 300, Also Ahmad's Muhammad exhorted all Muslims to join and support them (and assuming
Musnad, alHaakim's Mustadrak and others). only the ablebodied and adult ones can actually join), the size of this
coming Muslim army is still considerable, running in the hundreds of
There is also the Hadith narrated by Thawban (may Allah be pleased with millions. No nation in this world has such a large army. One can easily
him) in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If you imagine that very very few nations can stand against this large army.
see the black banners emerging from Khurasan, seek to join their
supporters even if creeping, because among them will be caliph Al
Mahdi." That Hadith was reported by AlHakim and Ahmad. But the
chains of narration of that hadith were all unauthentic, though some AlMahdi The World Leader
Hadith scholars rendered it sound in general. (Islam Online)
We have seen the expected meteoric and sudden rise to power of al
What the last sentence in the quote above means is that the content of the Mahdi, but this is not the end. The aim of alMahdi is not just the Muslim
hadith is sound, and fits other data available, but the specific isnad (chain world, but the entire world. The title for Book 36 of Sunan Abu Dawud,
of narrators) is weak. The phrase "even if creeping" has also been one of the six Sahih Sunni collections of hadiths, is "The Promised
translated to "even if crawl over ice", and Muslims said that some Deliverer (Kitab AlMahdi)". This is a collection of hadiths related to the
mountainous regions in Khorasan area are often covered with ice and coming of alMahdi. Thus, early Muslims saw alMahdi as a coming
snow. Basically, what this means is that Muslims are told to go and join deliverer of the Muslims.
them when they appear, even if it means a great deal of hardship to get
there. This is not difficult to imagine since many foreign Muslims have Jews are waiting for the Messiah, Christians are waiting for Jesus, and
gone to the difficult mountainous region to train with alQaida. Muslims are waiting for both the Mahdi and Jesus. All religions describe
them as men coming to save the world. (Shaykh Muhammad Hisham
Notice, however, that this hadith says that "among them will be caliph Al Kabbani, "The Approach of Armageddon? An Islamic Perspective",
Mahdi". That is, alMahdi will be one of those among the army, and then Canada, Supreme Muslim Council of America, 2003, p. 229, as quoted by
later he will be revealed. Other hadiths seem to indicate that he is revealed Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)
and then this army will join him. Whatever the case, alMahdi and the
army are certainly intertwined. The hadiths tell us:
Thus far, we see that alMahdi will suddenly be recognized, and then some Even if the entire duration of the world's existence has already been
leaders will pledge allegiance to him, and due to a miraculous event, many exhausted and only one day is left before the Day of Judgment, Allah will
more leaders will then come and follow to him. This news will spread very expand that day to such a length of time, as to accommodate the kingdom
quickly among the Muslims and many more Muslims will then come and of a person out of my Ahl alBayt who will be called by my name. He will
then fill the Earth with peace and justice as it will have been filled with
31 32
injustice and tyranny before then. (Sahih Tirmidhi, vol. 2, p86, vol. 9, p74 The dwellers of Heaven and Earth, even the birds in the sky, will be
75) pleased with his Caliphate. (Harun Yahya quoting ElKavlu'l Muhtasar Fi
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If Alametil Mehdiyyil Muntazar, 29)
only one day of this world remained. Allah would lengthen that day
(according to the version of Za'idah), till He raised up in it a man who The above quotations paint a picture where Allah will cause the people of
belongs to me or to my family whose father's name is the same as my this world to admire and love him. As such, alMahdi will exude a
father's, who will fill the earth with equity and justice as it has been charisma, charm, and as we shall also see, persuasiveness, that many will
filled with oppression and tyranny (according to the version of Fitr). find difficult to resist. As a result, many people will willingly come under
Sufyan's version says: The world will not pass away before the Arabs are his rule and become Muslims as alMahdi and Isa make Islam the only
ruled by a man of my family whose name will be the same as mine. religion in this world.
(Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 36, #4269, Also #4270, #4272, #4276A)
Then there will arise a man of Quraysh whose maternal uncles belong to Under his authority, alMahdi will send out invitations to Islam to the rest
Kalb and send against them an expeditionary force which will be of the world, starting with the states around his own jurisdiction,
overcome by them, and that is the expedition of Kalb. Disappointed will according to the stipulation of Muhammad. After these are passed, then
be the one who does not receive the booty of Kalb. He will divide the according to Muhammad's sunnah (lit. path, i.e. Muhammad's example),
property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet AlMahdi is free to conduct warfare against these nations and subdue
(peace_be_upon_him) and establish Islam on Earth. He will remain them. He is expected to bring about a new era of "peace and justice" over
seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him. (Sunan Abu the entire world. Muslims tell us about his success in conducting jihad:
Dawud, Book 36, #4273)
Nafi' b. Utba reported: ... I repeat (on the fingers of my hand) that he
As the expected rule of alMahdi is to cover the whole earth and not (Allah's Messenger) said: You will attack Arabia and Allah will enable
just the Muslim countries today, nonMuslims will also be affected by you to conquer it, then you would attack Persia and He would make you to
this turn of events. In order to bring about a world of "peace and justice", Conquer it. Then you would attack Rome and AllgLh [sic] will enable you
alMahdi will rely on a number of means. Muslims tell us: to conquer it, then you would attack the Dajjal and Allah will enable you
to conquer him. Nafi' said: Jabir, we thought that the Dajjal would appear
Allah (c.c.) will sow love of him in the hearts of all people. (Harun Yahya after Rome (Syrian territory) would be conquered. (Sahih Muslim 41.6930
quoting ElKavlu'l Muhtasar Fi Alametil Mehdiyyil Muntazar, 42) ... )
So, Allah will sow love of him in the chests of the people JIHAAD ON INDIA
(Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL A jamaat of Muslims wages Jihaad on India and be successful.
MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTICHRIST]", tr.
Shaykh Ahmad Darwish) SYRIA UNDER MUSLIM RULE
Imam Mahdi returns to Syria and establishes Muslim rule over the lands
There will remain no individual not pleased with the Muslims. (Harun he passes. (Mufti Afzal Hoosen Elias, "MAJOR SIGNS OF QIYAMAT")
Yahya quoting Signs of the Judgment Day, 163) ...
So we see that first of all, people will love alMahdi and come willingly to
Al Mahdi appears, everyone only talks about Him, drinks the love of Him, submit to him, some will become persuaded by his message and be
and never talks about anything other than Him. (Harun Yahya quoting Al amazed at his military success, and the rest of the world who refuse to
Burhan fi Alamat alMahdi Akhir alZaman, 33)
33 34
follow him will be conquered, and "he will then fill the Earth with peace In the world today, whenever Muslims become the majority of the land,
and justice". the law is often changed to Shari'a. You can see this happening in
Somalia, Sudan. Even in more "moderate" countries where Muslims are
already under Shar'ia Law,, (eg. Malaysia and Indonesia), the call for
complete Shar'ia, even over nonMuslims, is regularly heard. In places
AlMahdi And The Laws Of His Government were the Muslims are minority, Shar'ia Law is practiced among Muslims,
and often recognized by the government (eg. England, Singapore, etc).
Having seen alMahdi's rise to power and how he will establish his
Caliphate over the whole world, we now explore the nature of his Another important aspect of Shar'ia relates to the calendar. Muslim nations
government. According to the hadiths, alMahdi will govern according to use the Islamic calendar that dates from the Hijra (the escape of
the Sunnah of Muhammad. The word sunnah literally means "trodden Muhammad from Mecca to Medina). Thus, Islamic dates are labelled as
path" and refers to the words and acts of Muhammad, and these are A.H. (after Hijra) instead of A.D. (Ano Domini, latin for "in the Lord").
recorded in the hadiths. The Sunnah of Muhammad refers to the The Islamic Calendar is totally lunar in nature and has no intercalation to
precedents set by Muhammad. All Muslims try to emulate Muhammad, synchronize with the solar year (unlike the Jewish or Chinese lunisolar
and some go to the extent of emulating everything he did, including the calendar). When alMahdi implements the Shari'a Law over his empire, it
beard, the turban, the sequence of putting on clothes, and other acts. As to is a given that he will also use the Islamic calendar.
matters of law, the Sunnah is codified into the Shari'a (Islamic Law).
Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:
Length Of AlMahdi's Reign
... Then there will arise a man of Quraysh whose maternal uncles belong to
Kalb and send against them an expeditionary force which will be A number of sahih or hasan (good) hadiths say that the reign of alMahdi
overcome by them, and that is the expedition of Kalb. Disappointed will will be about seven years. We have seen it mentioned in Sunan Abu
be the one who does not receive the booty of Kalb. He will divide the Dawud 36.4273. Here is another one:
property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet
(peace_be_upon_him) and establish Islam on Earth. He will remain The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Mahdi will be of my stock,
seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him. (Sunan Abu and will have a broad forehead a prominent nose. He will fill the earth will
Dawud 36.4273) equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will
rule for seven years. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4272)
So, we see that alMahdi will make Islam the religion across the entire
world. And he will also govern using the Shari'a Law. That means, he and There are some other hadiths that gives his length of rule as 5, 7, 9 or 10.
Isa will institute Shari'a Law over all the world. Even though the different There is even one that says 20 years. However, the hadith with seven years
Sunni schools have some disagreements over the actual implementation of seems to be the most authentic (Sahih). There is some doubt in the
Shari'a (the different schools have about 75% of Shar'ia that are in authenticity of the other hadiths.
complete agreement), alMahdi will probably not have any problems since
the Muslims have already pledged allegiance to him and also believed that
he is rightly guided by Allah (hence, his title of alMahdi). This means all
those legal disputes will probably be resolved under his direction. The Treaty of Seven Years
35 36
We also read of a peace treaty that the Muslims will enter into: Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi
(Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")
Hadhrat Abu Umamah radhiyallahu anhu says that Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam said: "There will be four peace agreements between you We can see that the hadiths say that Jerusalem will be captured by the
and the Romans. The fourth agreement will be mediated through a Muslims. Muhammad ibn Izzat and Muhammad 'Arif, commenting on the
person who will be from the progeny of Hadhrat Haroon alayhis above tradition, said:
salaam and will be upheld for seven years."
The Mahdi will be victorious and eradicate those pigs and dogs and the
The people asked: "O Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam , who will be idols of this time so that there will once more be a caliphate based on
the Imaam of the people at the time?" prophethood as the hadith states... Jerusalem will be the location of the
rightly guided caliphate and the center of Islamic rule, which will be
Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: "He will be from my progeny headed by Imam alMahdi... That will abolish the leadership of the
and will be forty years of age. His face will shine like a star and he will Jews... and put an end to the domination of the Satans who spit evil into
have a black spot on his left cheek. He will don two "Qutwaani" cloaks people and cause corruption in the earth, making them slaves of false idols
and will appear exactly as a person from the Bani Israeel..." (Tabrani, as and ruling the world by laws other than the Shari'a [Islamic Law] of the
quoted by Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Lord of the worlds. (Muhammad ibn Izzat and Muhammad 'Arif, as
Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)") quoted by Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)
The Romans are often equated with the Christians or the West (as the In other words, Muslims believe that Israel will be defeated and the nation
Romans Empire that came in contact with the Muslims at that time was of Israel wiped out. Muslims consider that Jerusalem will be the future
the Eastern Roman Empire, known also as the Byzantine Empire). The headquarters of alMahdi's caliphate. For example:
above quotation tells us that the agreement will be with a descendent of
Aaron (Harun or Haroon), i.e., a person from the priestly family. The Head of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement Sheikh Raed Salah
Aaronites have been entrusted with the job of taking care of the daily said Friday that "soon Jerusalem will be the capital of the new Muslim
sacrifices and only the Chief Priest may enter into the "Holy of Holies". caliphate, and the caliph's seat will be there." (Salah: Caliph will sit in
Exactly what the treaty is about, the hadiths did not specify. Jerusalem, Ynet News, Sep 15, 2006.)
A. Hijazi explains:
The flourishing of Jerusalem will happen by the hands of Muslims, by the
AlMahdi's Seat of Authority Jerusalem and/or Kufa will of Allah, after it will be retrieved from the Jews.
Another important characteristic of alMahdi is his seat of authority. We The Holy Land will be the seat of the Caliphate because the Messenger of
have already seen this hadith above: Allah sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said to Ibn Hawalah,
37 38
quoted by A. Hijazi, "Signs of the Appearance of the Dajjal and His Israelis the moment Israel lapses in her defenses. The recent war in
Destruction. Major Signs of the Last Hour") Lebanon has also destroyed the myth of invincibility of the Israeli army,
and so Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria, Iran and other groups will probably be
The fact that alMahdi will choose to rule from Jerusalem sometime into even more emboldened in the future. This means a coordinated effort by
his reign (not explicitly stated when) means there has to be a conflict with the Muslims to destroy Israel is becoming more and more a nottoodistant
the Israelis currently ruling Jerusalem, in order to resolve this issue. In reality.
fact, as we have seen above, and we shall see next, the Jews will be
defeated and slaughtered.
However, this does not mean that Jerusalem will be the seat of his throne AlMahdi and Prosperity. A New Golden Age of Islam
throughout his entire reign. In fact, Shi`ite Muslims believe that he will
rule from Kufa (in modern day Iraq) and also go to Jerusalem, whereas Another aspect of the reign of alMahdi is the expectation that it will be a
other Muslims believe that he will rule from Damascus in Syria. That said, great time of wealth and peace, in other words, a new Golden Age of
this does not preclude alMahdi from first ruling in Damascus or Kufa, Islam. During the reign of AlMahdi, there will be a lot of wealth, rain in
then ruling from Jerusalem after it was captured. its season and good harvest of crops and cattle. It will be a very
prosperous period of time.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as
AlMahdi and the Jews saying: The Last Hour will not come till wealth is abundant and
overflowing, so much so that the owner of the property will think as to
The relationship with the Jews is at a boiling point today, due especially to who will accept Sadaqa from him, and a person would be called to accept
the establishment of the modern nation of Israel. Some Muslim nations do Sadaqa and he would say: I do not need it. (Sahih Muslim 5.2209)
not recognize Israel, and some make no pretense about their desire to
completely annihilate Israel from the world map. The Sahih Muslim According to a Hadeeth narrated by Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A.) Rasulullah
contain a number of hadiths that describe what will happen to the Jews (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "...(regarding the rule of Imaam
under alMahdi: Mahdi) the skies will rain down in abundance and the earth will yield
forth its crop in abundance, and those alive will desire that those who
(Muhammad said:) The last hour would not come unless the Muslims have already passed away should have been alive to enjoy this
will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the prosperity.)" (Mustadrak, as quoted by Mohammed All Ibn Moulana
Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree Zubair Ali, "Signs of Qiyamah".)
would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me;
come and kill him; (Sahih Muslim 41.6985. Also, Sahih Muslim 41.6981, "At the end of my nation Al Mahdi will come for whom Allah will send
Sahih Muslim 41.6982, Sahih Muslim 41.6983, Sahih Muslim 41.6984) rain so that the earth produces its plants. He will give wealth equally;
cattle will increase and the nation will be great. He will live for seven
This hadith paints a very dire picture of the Jews at the End Times. This or eight."
particular hadith is often recalled by many terrorists like alQaida and (Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL
others. It is also taught in Saudi school textbooks and in sermons in the MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTICHRIST]", tr.
mosques around the world. Given the strong sentiments against Jews in Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
the Middle East, this hadith is a clear statement of what will happen to the
39 40
AlMahdi will also be so wealthy that he will have at his disposal plenty of The preceding narrations were reported by Abi Said Al Khudri in the
wealth to distribute to his followers, without even counting. reference of Abi Dawood, Al Hakim, AtTirmizi, Ahmad, ibn Hibban,
Muslim, Al Tabarani (in his middle dictionary), Al Barudi and Abu
Abu Nadra reported: "... He (Jabir b. Abdullab) kept quiet for a while and Nuaym in his forty Hadith concerning Al Mahdi.
then reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said (Narrated by the late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco Shaykh Abdullah ben
There would be a caliph in the last (period) of my Ummah who would Sadek, Ph.D., "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTI
freely give handfuls of wealth to thd [sic] people without counting it. I CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
said to Abu Nadra and Abu al'Ala: DO you mean 'Umarb. 'Abd alAziz?
They said: No (he would be Imam Mahdi.). (Sahih Muslim 41.6961) Consider for a moment, the jurisdiction of alMahdi. Once he united all
the Muslim states, consider the map of his empire. This region contains
The late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, more than three quarters of the world's known oil reserves (the only
Ph.D., said: significant one outside this is Canada, in the form of tar sands that are very
expensive to extract). At the record high price of oil today, a lot of wealth
"He will fill the earth with fairness and justice is already going into the oilproducing countries. Without oil, the world's
just as it had been filled by oppression and injustice. economy will grind to a halt and so the entire world will become very
The inhabitants of the heavens and earth will be pleased with him. dependent on alMahdi's Caliphate. AlMahdi will have much greater
He will distribute wealth equally." clout than Saudi Arabia in the 1970s (during the Oil Crisis). There will be
At this point a companion asked what 'equally' meant so the Prophet no need for OPEC meetings to determine the amount of oil to produce. Al
replied: Mahdi will be able to unilaterally set the price of oil, and therefore hold
"Equally, between the people, and Allah will fill the hearts the world's nation hostage.
of the nation of Muhammad with richness
and his justice will satisfy them
until he sends a messenger saying:
'Who is in need of wealth?' Muslims invading Arabia
None except one man will stand and say, 'Me'.
So he will say: 'Go to the treasurer and tell him The hadiths tell of an invasion of Arabia by a group of Muslims:
that Al Mahdi orders you to give me wealth.' Nafi' b. Utba reported: ... I repeat (on the fingers of my hand) that he
So the treasurer will say to him: (Allah's Messenger) said: You will attack Arabia and Allah will enable
'Fill with your hands!' you to conquer it, then you would attack Persia and He would make you to
And he will put it in his clothing then tie it. Conquer it. Then you would attack Rome and AllgLh [sic] will enable you
Then he will become contrite and say: to conquer it, then you would attack the Dajjal and Allah will enable you
'I was the most greedy among the nation of Muhammad, to conquer him. Nafi' said: Jabir, we thought that the Dajjal would appear
and he will attempt to return it but it will not be accepted, after Rome (Syrian territory) would be conquered. (Sahih Muslim 41.6930
and it will be said to him: )
'We do not accept what we have given.'
And so he (Al Mahdi) will remain Under Muhammad, Arabia has already been conquered by the Muslims.
seven, eight or nine years Due to the reference to the Dajjal, which Muslims expect will appear in
then, there is no goodness left in life the End Times, this hadith appears to refer to the End Times. Could the
nor yet in living after him. reference to "you will attack Arabia" be a reference to the Muslims
41 42
invading to topple the Saudi government which many feel are not real Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTI
Muslims (many Muslims think the Saudi government is corrupt and not a CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
real Islamic government)? It is not insignificant that AlQaida often
singled out Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt accusing them of collusion Ka'b alAhbar says "He will be called 'Mahdi" because he will guide
with the west. (yahdi) to something hidden and will bring out the Torah and Gospel
from a town called Antioch." (Izzat and Arif, p. 40, as quoted by Joel
There is another apocalyptic predication concerning Arabia, where Arabia Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)
will be destroyed (although it is not clear if they are the same event):
AsSuyuti mentioned in alHawi that the messenger of Allah, may Allah
Zainab bint Jahsh reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) bless him and grant him peace, said, "he is called the Mahdi because he
got up from sleep saying: There is no god but Allah; there is a destruction will guide the people to a mountain in Syria from which he will bring out
in store for Arabia because of turmoil which is at hand, the barrier of Gog the volumes of the Torah to refute the Jews. At the hands of the
and Magog has opened so much. And Sufyan made a sign of ten with the Mahdi the Ark of the Covenant will be brought forth from the Lake
help of his hand (in order to indicate the width of the gap) and I said: of Tiberias and taken and placed in Jerusalem." (Izzat and Arif, p. 16,
Allah's Messenger, would we be perished in spite of the fact that there as quoted by Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah",
would be good people amongst us? Thereupon he said: Of course, but only 2006)
when the evil predominates. (Sahih Muslim 41.6881. Also Sahih Muslim
41.6883) AdDani said that he is called the Mahdi because he will be guided to a
mountain in Syria from which he will bring forth the volumes of the
Torah with which to argue against the Jews and at his hands a group
of them will become Muslim. (Izzat and Arif, p. 16, as quoted by Joel
AlMahdi the Archaeologist Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)
Muslims also tell us of an interesting bit of information about alMahdi: Basically, we see a picture of alMahdi going to some caves in Antioch (in
modernday Turkey) and he will bring out a version of the Torah and the
I said, "O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, I have never Gospel. And he will use it to refute the Jews and the Christians, thereby
seen a Roman city like the city of Antioch and I have never seen more rain convincing some of them to become Muslims. As to the actual contents of
than it has." Whereupon the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon these manuscripts, we can only speculate. However, it is clearly implied
him, said: "Yes, that is because the Torah, Staff of Moses, Tablets, and the that this version will be different from what is in the Bible today. Since it
Table of Solomon, the son of David are in its caves. There is not a single is with these manuscripts that many will be convinced to become
cloud that comes from any direction to it that does not pour its blessing in Muslims, we can speculate reasonably as follows: since many Muslims
that valley. And the days and night will not pass until a man from my believe that the Torah and the Gospels have been corrupted, supposedly,
musked children live in it. His name is like my name and his father's name this version of the Torah and the Gospel will contain the kind of message
is like my father's name; his manners are like my manners. He will fill the that is the same as the Qur'an, and maybe explicit prophecies of
world with fairness and justice just as it had been filled by harm and Muhammad which is missing from the Bible today. For example, the
transgressions." Reported by Tamin AdDari, in the reference of Ibn Qur'an says:
Hibban AdDu'fa.
(quoted by Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Those who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor
write, whom they will find described in the Torah and the Gospel
43 44
(which are) with them. He will enjoin on them that which is right and · He will discover a new Torah, Gospel, and the Ark, and will use
forbid them that which is wrong. He will make lawful for them all good them to argue and persuade Jews and Christian, and cause many
things and prohibit for them only the foul; and he will relieve them of their people to follow him into Islam.
burden and the fetters that they used to wear. Then those who believe in · During his rule, there will be good rain, great harvest and crops.
him, and honour him, and help him, and follow the light which is sent
down with him: they are the successful. (Surah 5:157) At this point, we have a pretty good picture of who alMahdi will be, and
what he will do. Is there a personality in the Bible that is similar to al
No such prophecies exist in the Bible, of course, despite some Muslim Mahdi? The answer, not surprisingly, is yes. However, this personality
claims to have found them. However, it might be that the new Torah and may not be what a Muslim expect. So, please carefully read the next
Gospel will contain such explicit statements, much like the fraudulent section in order to understand the implications.
Gospel of Barnabas did. That way, some Jews and Christians will believe
him and become Muslims. Of course, those who refuse to believe him and
submit to Islam will face the consequences as we have mentioned.
The Antichrist of the Bible
We now consider the characteristics of the Antichrist in the Bible. Please
Summary — Characteristics Of AlMahdi do not confuse this Antichrist with the antichrist in Islam known as ad
Dajjal. Note that this section is not an exhaustive nor a systematic study of
Having examined the hadiths and teachings about AlMadhi, we now the Biblical Antichrist. We only deal with characteristics that are relevant
summarize what we know about alMahdi from the above discussion. to our discussion (whether positive or negative).
· He will be Islam's deliverer. In Christianity, the title of "Antichrist" is a generic title refering to a
· He is to be a descendent of Muhammad. personality that is to appear at the End Times. He is also referred by many
· He is to bear the name or some variant name of Muhammad. different titles in the Bible, like "the Beast," "the Little Horn," "the Son of
· He will look like a Bani Israel. Perdition," etc. He is to be the epitome of those who oppose the real Jesus
· He will lead the Muslims and wage jihad against them rest of the Christ of the Bible (hence "the Antichrist").
world.
· He will rule over the world. We first begin by roughly locating where the Antichrist will come from. In
· He will cause Islam to be the only religion in the world and rule Ezekiel 38, we read of a prophecy about a gathering of nations that will
with Islamic Law. attack Israel. The list of nations include:
· He will be much loved by the world.
· He will conquer the Jews and slaughter them. · Egypt, which he will attack and subdue (Daniel 11:42).
· He will set up his seat of authority in Jerusalem. · Meschek and Tubal (most likely parts of Turkey, parts of Southern
· He will rule for seven years (or 8, or 9). Russia, parts of Iran),
· He will make a treaty of seven years with a person of priestly · Magog (a region convering parts of either Syria and/or former
lineage. Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,
· He will possess and distribute wealth to the Muslims. Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Chechnya,
Turkey, Iran, Dagestan),
45 46
· Persia (modern Iran and Iraq. Ancient Persia also includes Iraq. Antichrist Empire combines the three empires. If we combine these three
The Euphrates River in Iraq is also mentioned together with the empires, we get an area that covers the list of nations above.
two Beasts in Rev 16:1213),
· Cush (African Cush covers parts of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia. Asian The Bible also describes that the Antichrist will appear from the remnants
Cush covers Arabia through Euphrates), of the Seleucid Empire. In Daniel Chapter 8, we read about a vision in
· Put (Libya), which prophet Daniel saw a twohorned ram and a goat with a prominent
· Gomer (Cappadocia, Turkey), horn attacking it. The ram symbolized the MedoPersian Empire (Daniel
· Togarmah (southeastern part of Turkey near Syria) 8:20) and the goat symbolized the Greek Empire (Daniel 8:21). The
prominent horn symbolized the prominent king of the Greek Empire (
This alliance of different nations will rise up and attack Israel. If you look Daniel 8:21), i.e., Alexander the Great.
at a map of Middle East, you will see that these are most of the nations
surrounding Israel. Before 1948, there was no nation of Israel to destroy The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn
and this prophecy hung in limbo. However, after the miraculous birth of was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the
the modern state of Israel under the UN in 1948, this prophecy suddenly four winds of heaven. (Daniel 8:8)
came to life.
Alexander the Great died at the young age of 33, after conquering all the
The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them way to the Indus Valley in India. Alexander did not leave behind any heir,
another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue and after his death, his four generals divided up his empire ("four
three kings. (Daniel 7:24) prominent horns"):
And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven · Seleucus (Seleucid Empire),
heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous · Ptolemy (Egypt),
name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a · Lysimachos (Thrace) and
bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power · Cassander (Macedon and Greece).
and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to
have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole The Seleucid Empire is the largest of the four partitions covering
world was astonished and followed the beast. Men worshiped the dragon Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc. See this map for an idea of
because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the this partition. Then the vision continues:
beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"
(Revelations 13:14) Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew
in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. (
The description of the Antichrist here is that he will start with ten nations Daniel 8:9)
(note: nations may not be countries as we know today) in his alliance, but
he will subdue three of them (probably because they fail to respond to his "Beautiful Land" refers to the land of Israel, so the partition from the
call or fail to submit completely to his authority). The beast symbolizes his Greek Empire that fits this description is the Seleucid Empire. From this
empire, with the leopard symbolizing the Greek Empire, the bear region, we see a horn appearing that started small but grew in power.
symbolizing the MedoPersian Empire and the lion symbolizing the "Another horn" is a description of the Antichrist. In other words, we see
Babylonian Empire. Just as this beast is a composite of these animals, the that the Antichrist will arise from the region of the Seleucid Empire. He
will not come onto the scene and immediately rule over the world. He will
47 48
start humbly and then grow in power towards the land of Israel. This also The Bible tells us that a huge army 200 million strong will arise in the
indicates that his empire will increase over time from the initial stage until Euphrates region (modern Iraq). This army will kill one third of mankind:
it encompasses the whole world. The Bible continues to describe him:
It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels
He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause who are bound at the great river Euphrates." And the four angels who had
astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were
destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was
prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he two hundred million. I heard their number. (Revelations 9:1416)
will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he
will be destroyed, but not by human power. (Daniel 8:2425) Another bit of information comes from the passage of Daniel 8:2425 we
quoted above. The NIV has the phrase, "when they feel secure, he will
A very important characteristic of the Antichrist is that he will become destroy many". This phrase was also translated as "by peace shall destroy
strong not through his own power. His authority to rule was given to him. many" (KJV), "he will destroy many while they are at ease" (NASB), etc.
In other words, he will come with a message of peace and prosperity, and
I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and as a result cause many people to believe him. However, this peace is
he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on counterfeit and so he will lead many into destruction (either physically
conquest. (Revelations 6:2) and/or spiritually).
The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will
authority. (Revelations 13:2) achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute
plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the
He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given overthrow of fortresses but only for a time. (Daniel 11:24)
the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel
secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. (Daniel 11:21) He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and
will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers
The above Biblical passages describe a future leader who is currently over many people and will distribute the land at a price. (Daniel 11:39)
rather obscure. He probably didn't even ask to rule. Instead, somehow, he
was persuaded or forced to take up the leadership position. Revelations This indicate a military leader that will be plotting to overthrow many
13:2 indicates that behind the scenes, it was the dragon (Satan) that strong nations, even the strongest of the nations. With the help of his god,
actually gave the Antichrist the authority to rule. Moreover, those who he will be successful. The reign of the Antichrist will result in a lot of
give him allegiance do it voluntarily: wealth. The fact that he will distribute "plunder" and "loot" indicates that
these wealth come from the nations that he will conquer. Not only that, he
It should be pointed out that Christians are not united in opinions about the will also leave some of the rulers of the nations in authority after they
rider on the white horse in Revelations 6:2. Some believe that it refers to submit to him, similar to the picture of the fourth beast of Daniel 7.
the Antichrist, while some believe that it is Christ Himself.
Another interesting bit of information is that the word for "richest" (or
For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing "fattest") comes from the Hebrew word shaman or shemen meaning fat,
to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. ( grease or oil. In modern Hebrew, crude oil (petroleum) is called neft (not a
Revelations 17:17) Biblical word) or shemen adamah (literally earth oil). Also, the word for
49 50
province comes from the Hebrew word medina. Does this verse have any In carrying his conquests and rule of his global empire, the Antichrist will
relation with the Islam's second holiest city, Medina, and its oil? We do have to deal with those who are against him. In particular, there are the
not know for sure, but it certainly is interesting considering all the oil the Jews and Christians that the Bible said the Antichrist will be able to
Middle East has, and how alMahdi will have control over all of that. overcome them. The Bible describes that those who oppose him will face
death, and some or many of them will be beheaded:
In another Biblical passage, we read:
If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to
He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for
Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. (Daniel 11:43) patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. (Revelations
13:10)
In Daniel 11:43, we see that the Antichrist can distribute treasures from
Egypt, Libya and Nubia. This must mean that the Antichrist will be in I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to
control over these lands. Nubia covers what is modern day southern Egypt judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of
and Sudan. Today, these are Muslim lands. their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had
not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on
In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a
wicked, a sternfaced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. (Daniel 8:23) thousand years. (Revelations 20:4)
The reaction of the world towards the Antichrist is one of astonishment. We next consider the reign of the Antichrist.
Due to his miraculous healing, and due to his military genius, the world
will follow him. This results in people worshipping the dragon that gave The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the
him the power. The word "worship" is from the Greek word "proskuneo", sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end,
which is similar in meaning to the English word "prostration". This also and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with
results in people prostrating before the god of the Antichrist (i.e., many many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to
people will follow his religion and worship his god). People will also sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an
prostrate before the Antichrist (most likely at the second half of his reign). abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is
poured out on him. (Daniel 8:2627)
He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause
astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will From this passage, we see that the followers of the Antichrist will destroy
destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to Jerusalem and the sanctuary (i.e., Temple or Temple Mount) and that the
prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, Antichrist will rule for one "seven" (his reign happens in the last
he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. "sevens"). The "seven" is most commonly interpreted as seven years. This
Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. (Daniel 8:2425) period (or the second half of this period) has been commonly known as the
Great Tribulation because of the persecution against the Jews and
He will oppose the "Prince of princes" (i.e., the Jesus Christ of the Bible). Christians. The Antichrist will make a treaty for one "seven". In the
Therefore, he will also preach against the Biblical Jesus, and by extension middle of the "seven", the treaty will be broken and he will put a stop to
will be against the Christians who hold to the Bible. His ability in sacrifice. That's when the second half of persecution begins.
persuasion and in cunning exploits is clear in the Bible. In Daniel 11:21
quoted above, we see that "he will seize it through intrigue".
51 52
Today, there is no temple on the Temple Mount. As the sacrifice can only a very persuasive man to cause many Christians to be led astray. See this
be performed in the Jewish Temple, many believe that the temple will be article for more details.
rebuilt (at least by the middle of the Tribulation) in order for the sacrifice
to be reinstated. In fact, some Orthodox Jews are carefully preparing for The type of government of Antichrist will not only be military and
this day. The major obstacle is of course the alAqsa Mosque and the political, it will also be religious, as various passages above have shown.
Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. However, many researchers More importantly, he will seek to change the laws and calendar used:
believe that the actual temple courts lies apart from the Dome of the Rock
and the alAqsa Mosque on the southern end. So there is a possibility that He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to
under the treaty that the Antichrist will enter into, the temple may be change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him
rebuilt without disturbing these two structures currently on the mount. See for a time, times and half a time. (Daniel 7:25)
this article to understand some of these different views.
According to the Bible, the Antichrist will also face opposition from the
However, midway through his reign, the Antichrist will break the treaty, Two Witnesses.
most likely putting the blame on the Jews. As a result, he will put a stop to
the temple sacrifice. Not only that, he will also desecrate the temple. Jesus And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for
also told us: 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the
two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to
Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This
spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. These men have power
the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are
mountains; let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to
out that are in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
get his cloak. (Matthew 24:1518)
Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up
Not only will the Jews and Christians at that time face many persecutions from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their
including death (some by beheading), the Bible also sadly revealed that bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called
many Christians will fall away from the Biblical faith (the Great Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a
Apostasy): half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on
their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat
Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these
apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. (Revelations
destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every socalled god or 11:310.
object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,
displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:34, NASB) There is some difficulty in interpreting these two witnesses because of the
symbolic representation of "olive trees" and "lampstands". Some have
This great apostasy is also due to other very important reasons, namely the interpreted this to be Judaism and Christianity (or one associated with the
persuasive ability of the Antichrist (since he is called a master of intrigue), Old Testament and one with the New Testament). Some identify these two
as well as his military genius, as we have seen in Revelations 13:14. We witnesses to be two prophets from the list of Moses, Elijah, Enoch, John
shall also see that the Antichrist's assistant, the False Prophet, will also be the Baptist, etc. Elijah is a favorite candidate because of the ability to call
53 54
down fire from heaven. However, what we can see from this passage is But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had
that the Two Witnesses will be able to perform miracles to torment the performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had
people of this world for following the Antichrist. Finally, the Antichrist deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his
will then kill both of them, and the followers of the Antichrist will rejoice image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning
greatly. sulfur. (Revelations 19:20)
Finally, we deal with the question of whether the Antichrist will perform From these passages, we see that it is the False Prophet who will perform
miracles. In Matthew 24:2426, Jesus warned that there will be false most or all of the miracles during the time of the Antichrist (of course with
christs and prophets that will perform "great signs and miracles to deceive Satan behind the scenes). The Bible does not really explicitly say that the
even the elect". However, this passage does not say that every false christ Antichrist will perform miracles.
and prophet will perform miracles, and we have no way of telling if the
Antichrist is meant here. Revelations 16:1314 says that Overall, we see a picture of a very capable leader coming in the End
Times to lead the world, lead them in a global religion and establish a new
"Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the world order with laws and calendar based on this religion. This religion
mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of will be opposed to the teachings and the Jesus Christ of the Bible. He will
the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, be successful militarily, politically, religiously and economically. He will
and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the cause many Christians to fall from the faith, and he will also persecute the
battle on the great day of God Almighty." (Revelations 16:1314) Jews and Christians and those who oppose him will be killed (many will
be beheaded). He will have a miracle working religious leader to assist
This passage seems to suggest that the Antichrist ("the beast") will also him in setting up his empire. He will have the Two Witnesses killed and
perform miracles, but since the passage was dealing with three figures, the world will rejoice as a result. Ultimately, however, he will be
namely Satan (the dragon), Antichrist (the beast) and the False Prophet, it destroyed.
is hard to say if all were meant or a generic application to the trio. Then
we have the passage in 2 Thessalonians 2:9, "the coming of the lawless
one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of
counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders," which once again identifies that Comparison Table of AlMahdi and the Biblical Antichrist
the "Lawless One" (the Antichrist) will be accompanied by miracles, but
does not identify who performs them. Finally, we have explicit statements Now that we have quite a good picture of alMahdi and the Biblical
that it was the False Prophet who will perform miracles on behalf of the Antichrist, we now summarize the parallel points in their characteristics in
Antichrist: the following table (see the entire article to read the justification for each
point). Those points marked with "?" are tentative or simply possible:
And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come
down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he
Characteristic AlMahdi in Islam Antichrist in Christianity
was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the
inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of Either he starts appearing
His power base will arise
the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. (Revelations in Khorasan with the army
Where he in the remnants of Seleucid
16:1314) of alHarith, or this
comes from Empire (which includes
Khorasan army will come
Khorasan). *
and join him.
55 56
Jewish Leader(?) wearing hundreds of millions.
Will look like "Bani
His looks two tallits(?). Others say Will wage war and win
Israel". Wears two cloaks. Will wage war and no one
he will be a gentile His campaigns over the world and be
can stand against him.
Starts humble, forced to successful.
His ascension accept leadership. Muslims Starts humble, given Will rule for seven, eight Will rule for seven years
to power voluntarily pledge authority to rule. His length of
or nine years. Seven years (most common
allegiance to him. rule
seem to be the concensus. interpretation).
He will be changed by He is given power, throne Truce treaty of seven years
His change Allah to take up the and authority by the with a Jew of priestly
responsibilities. dragon. lineage. Though not
He will be changed by explicitly stated, truce Peace treaty of seven years
His change He changes his religion.
Allah overnight (hudna) treaties may be with the people of God.
Treaty with the
Most Muslim states of the broken in the case of a This treaty will be broken
The Muslim states. Some Jews
Middle East, except minor infraction and when in the middle of seven
states (eg. Saudi Arabia) the Muslims are strong years.
His initial possibly Egypt, Jordan and
will be attacked for their enough, as was in the case
jurisdiction Saudi Arabia. The Bible
failure to support al of the Treaty of
states 10 nations, and three
Mahdi. Hudaibiyya.
of them will be subdued.
His final The world (after successful The world (after he won His
jurisdiction jihad). over the world) relationship Will kill many Jews and Will kill many Jews and
with Jews and Christians. Christians.
By his words, will win Christians
Will win over people,
over many people,
His persuasive including Jews and Not explicitly stated, but if
including Jews and
ability Christians. He will preach he is expected to follow
Christians. "By peace he
peace, justice and equity the Sunnah of Muhammad,
will destroy many".
then beheading is a
World's Greatly loved by the world Greatly loved by the world Beheading is one of the
possibility. Islam is the
attitude (after persuading the world (after he conquers the Method of methods of execution. It is
only religion that
towards him and winning in jihad). world). execution a distingushing mark of
continues to use
Antichrist.
Comes on a white horse, beheading. Qur'an said to
Comes on a white horse
The rider conquering (one cut off heads of
(?), conquering.
interpretation). unbelievers (Surah 47:4,
Will either lead a large 8:12)
A large army of at least
army of Muslims (from His type of Will implement Shari'a
His army 200 million will assemble Will change the law.
Khorasan) or this army government Law.
in Iraq region.
will join him. Easily in the Lying Lying allowed under Will cause deceit to
57 58
certain circumstances, prosper. apocalyptic character mentioned in the Bible, namely the first beast of
according to the Sunnah of Revelations 13, also nicknamed the "Antichrist". We see very important
Muhammad. Taqqiya is an similarities between these two characters. In our view, the coming al
established doctrine and Mahdi in Islam corresponds very clearly to the Antichrist in the Bible.
practice in Islam.
However, alMahdi is not the only character that has a counterpart in the
Not explicitly stated, but Bible. There are two other characters that have an amazing
as he is expected to follow correspondence in the Bible. Just as alMahdi, Isa and adDajjal are three
His type of Will change the calendar.
the Sunnah of Muhammad, characters that are very important in the End Times in Islam, similarly, the
calendar ("change the set times")
then he will use Islamic Antichrist, the Second Beast and the Two Witnesses are also very
Calender. important characters in the End Times in the Bible. Please continue to
Direct people to worship Direct people to worship examine the following articles to see more correspondences:
His religion Allah. Establish Islam as the dragon. Establish one
the only religion. religion in the world. · The Coming of "Isa the Messiah" (Muslim Jesus).
Great prosperity and Great prosperity and · The Antichrist in Islam (adDajjal).
Prosperity wealth. Distributes wealth wealth. Distributes booty
and booty. and land. After reading about these comparisons, we invite you to ponder on the
question:
Antichrist has Second
An assistant to AlMahdi has Isa to assist
Beast (False Prophet) to
alMahdi him. · What Do All These Mean?.
assist him.
The Beast will kill the May you be under the blessings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
His assistant, Isa, will kill
Two Witnesses who
His adDajjal who exercises
exercise miracles that will
adversaries miracles that will torment
torment those who try to
the world.
kill them. References
The Bible does not
Allah will enable good rain
Miracles explicitly ascribe miracles · Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006.
and crops. The hadiths
during his to Antichrist. His assistant · Mohammad Ali Ibn Moulana Zubair Ali, "Signs of Qiyama".
does not ascribe miracles
reign will perform miracles for · Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco,
to him.
him. "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTI
CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish.
· Qur'an Browser featuring more then 10 translations.
· Online Hadith Compilation at USC MSA.
Conclusions
· Bible Gateway.
· Timothy Furnish, "Beheading in the Name of Islam", Middle East
We have examined in detail what the Islamic hadiths say about the coming
Quarterly, Spring 2005.
apocalyptic character of AlMahdi, who will be the much awaited Muslim
Caliph and later the world leader. We also compared alMahdi with an
59 60
The Coming of Isa the Messiah (Muslim Jesus) Once again, the antiparallelism is obvious when we compare the
characteristics in the two religions. If the Isa that is to come is different
from the Bible's description of the Jesus that is to return in the End Times,
did the Bible prophesy about this? If so, which character in the Bible does
Isa correspond to? What will their exploits be? This may come as a
Introduction surprise to many, so we invite you to carefully read this article.
It may come as a surprise to many that both Islam and Christianity expect This article will first examine the description of the coming of Isa, as
that Jesus will be coming back in the End Times prior to the end of world. recorded in the hadiths and as explained by Muslim authors. Then the
Yet this expectation in the two religions has on the one hand brought article will compare this with what the Bible says. A simplified
fervent hope, but on the other hand also confusion as to the nature of this comparison in table form with some explanation can be found in this
coming as expected in the two religions. article.
Muslims call Jesus by the name of Isa, or the full title, Isa alMasih (Jesus Once again, as in other articles here, we use the mechanism of Isa, Jesus in
the Messiah). Note that in the Qur'an and hadiths, even though the Islam, Muslim Jesus, etc., to refer to the personality of Jesus that is
translators use "Jesus" (Greek: Iesous), it is actually the Arabic "Isa". described in Islam, and use Jesus, Jesus Christ, Biblical Jesus, etc., to refer
According to the Qur'an and hadiths, Isa will be a very prominent figure in to the Jesus in Christianity. Although this might seem somewhat artificial,
the period prior to the Judgment Day, Yawm Qiyamah. There are quite a the purpose is to help the reader not get confused when contradicting
number of hadiths, which are the records of Muhammad's words and characteristics are ascribed to Jesus.
deeds, concerning the coming of Isa, so the importance in Islam is not to
be understated. So, please sit tight as we examine the various descriptions and
comparisons.
It is important to remember that in Islam, Isa, also known as Isa ibn Mary
(Jesus son of Mary), is not regarded as the Son of God, and Islam denies
that Jesus is God come in the flesh. Moreover, Muslims do not believe that
Jesus died on the cross, but that Allah had someone else put on the cross,
Islam's Description of Isa's Coming in the End Times
so that many Jews and Christians have been misled. Instead, Muslims
believe that Isa was taken into heaven without dying and that He is now in
Isa is recognized as a prophet in Islam, although Muslims think of Him
heaven. He is then supposed to descend from heaven at the Last Days and
only as a human being, not as the Son of God that Christians believe.
correct all the mistakes in Christianity (i.e., that Jesus taught about Islam,
Despite Isa's possession of several unique characteristics (eg. virgin birth,
not the Christianity we see today), thereby causing many Christians to
sinless, not touched by Satan, etc), Muslims still view Isa as being of
abandon Christianity and become Muslims. Even though Isa retains the
lesser status than Muhammad.
title of Messiah in Islam, it is essentially devoid of the Messianic
meanings in the Bible. However the messianic element is present in his
coming in the End Times, albeit in a very different and unexpected form.
Just as the Jesus in Islam and the Jesus in Christianity are very different,
so we shall also see that the Isa that is to come in the End Times will be Isa, A Sign of the Hour
very different from the description of the second coming of Jesus.
61 62
Isa is also considered one of the Major Signs of Qiyamah. In fact, the supposed to be coming to kill adDajjal and help alMahdi in his jihad
Qur'an considers Isa to be a sign of the Last Hour: against the world (i.e., war against the world) and governance of the
Islamic Caliphate (essentially Islamic Empire) through Islamic Law.
And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment):
therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Isa's arrival will be dramatic and unlike that of alMahdi who will simply
Straight Way. (Surah 43:61). emerge as people recognize him. Instead, that hadiths say that Isa is to
descend from the sky!
While alMahdi (see the article, "Islam's Much Awaited World Leader —
AlMahdi") will be here to unite and lead the Muslims to conquer the In a lengthy hadith concerning the Last Days, which we excerpt here a
world for Islam, Isa's expected appearance is a very important sign to the portion that dealt with the descent of Isa, we read:
Muslims.
AnNawwas b. Sam'an reported ... Allah would send Christ, son of
Mary, and he will descend at the white minaret in the eastern side of
Damscus [sic] wearing two garments lightly dyed with saffron and
Descent of Isa placing his hands on the wings of two Angels. (Sahih Muslim 41.7015)
The coming of Isa is supposed to be very dramatic. Many hadiths talk It is clear from the hadith that this appearance is supposedly Isa coming
about this dramatic arrival: down from heaven. He will land in eastern Damascus (or to the east), near
a white minaret (a minaret is a tower often found in mosques and often
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as used for the call to prayer). This place is supposedly the Umayyad Masjid
saying: The Last Hour would not come until the Romans would land at al in Damascus, and the eastern minaret is known as the "Minaret of Isa",
A'maq or in Dabiq ... The Dajjal has taken your place among your family. which is where this descent is supposed to take place in the End Times.
They would then come out, but it would be of no avail. And when they This is indeed a dramatic entrance into the world.
would come to Syria, he would come out while they would be still
preparing themselves for battle drawing up the ranks. Certainly, the time However, there is another hadith that says that Isa will descend in
of prayer shall come and then Jesus (peace be upon him) son of Mary Jerusalem:
would descend and would lead them in prayer. When the enemy of Allah
would see him, it would (disappear) just as the salt dissolves itself in water A group from my nation will keep fighting for the truth until Jesus, the son
and if he (Jesus) were not to confront them at all, even then it would of Mary descends at dawn in the Mosque of Jerusalem. He will approach
dissolve completely, but Allah would kill them by his hand and he would Al Mahdi who will say: 'O Prophet of Allah, come, lead us in prayer.' But
show them their blood on his lance (the lance of Jesus Christ). (Sahih he will decline saying: 'This nation has princes over each other.' (recorded
Muslim 41.6924. See also Sahih Muslim 41.6931, Sahih Muslim 41.6932) in Muslim, Abu Nuaym, Abu Amru AdDani and Al Bazaar, as narrated
by Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL
AdDajjal is the Muslim version of the Antichrist, and is the archenemy MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTICHRIST]", tr.
of the Muslims. We will examine this character in the article, "The Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
Antichrist in Islam". For now, we just give a very brief summary of this
character here. Essentially, adDajjal is described to be a Jewish leader
that will oppose the Muslims, perform miracles to torment the world, and Isa, AlMahdi's Subordinate Assistant
will finally be killed by Isa and alMahdi through miraculous means. Isa is
63 64
The hadiths are somewhat contradictory about the relationship of Isa and descends amongst you and he will judge people by the Law of the Quran
AlMadhi. There are some Muslims (or sects) that think of them to be the and not by the law of Gospel (Sahih Bukhari 4.55.658)
same person. In Sahih Muslim 41.6924 quoted above, we read that:
where alMahdi does not seem to be in the picture when Isa was ruling
Certainly, the time of prayer shall come and then Jesus (peace be upon over the Muslims. However, some Muslims have pointed out that the
him) son of Mary would descend and would lead them in prayer. ( translation of this hadith left something out. Instead, it should have been:
Sahih Muslim 41.6924)
How will you do when the son of Mary descends and your imam is one of
However, based on many other hadiths, most Muslims conclude that al your number? ... (source)
Mahdi and Isa will be two different persons, and that Isa will pray behind
alMahdi, indicating Isa's subordination to alMahdi. In the hadith below, "Your Imam" (i.e., Your Leader) of course refers to alMahdi. As such,
we see that "their commander" (i.e., alMahdi) will ask Isa to lead in the most Muslims conclude that Isa is separate from alMahdi and will indeed
obligatory Muslim prayers (salat), but Isa will refuse. Instead, he will pray be subordinate to alMahdi. The hadiths say that after alMahdi's death, Isa
behind alMahdi. will rule the earth for forty years. He is supposed to get married and then
die and be buried next to Muhammad.
Jabir b. 'Abdullah reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) say: A section of my people will not cease fighting for the
Truth and will prevail till the Day of Resurrection. He said: Jesus son of
Mary would then descend and their (Muslims') commander would Isa, the Religious Leader
invite him to come and lead them in prayer, but he would say: No,
some amongst you are commanders over some (amongst you). This is Contrary to what most Christians think, the Isa that is to appear according
the honour from Allah for this Ummah. (Sahih Muslim 1.293) to Islam will be a Muslim, and a Muslim teacher and prophet as well! In
fact, the Qur'an itself says that Jesus and his disciples were Muslims (
In performing the salat in a group, it is customary that the person with the Surah 3:52, 4:171172,4:172, 5:115117, 5:111112). Therefore, when Isa
highest position or authority lead the Muslims in salat. Muslims interpret is supposed to come, he will come as a devout Muslim. He has two major
that by this gesture, Isa is indicating that he is submitting to the leadership important things to do. One is to help alMahdi kill adDajjal. The other is
and authority of alMahdi. to correct the "mistakes" in Christianity, for Muslims believe that
Christianity is a corruption of the true religion, Islam.
(Jesus) will be following the Mahdi, the master of the time, and that is
why he will be offering his prayers behind him. (Ayatullah Baqir al As a devout Muslim, Isa will perform the Muslim pilgrimage in Mecca,
Sadr and Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari, The Awaited Savior, Karachi, called the Haj (or Hajj):
Islamic Seminary Publications, prologue, as quoted by Joel Richardson,
"Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006.) Hanzala alAslami reported: I heard Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with
him) as narrating from Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) who said:
In another hadith, we read that: By Him in Whose Hand is my life. Ibn Maryam (Jesus Christ) would
certainly pronounce Talbiya for Hajj or for Umra or for both
Narrated Abu Huraira: (simultaneously as a Qiran) in the valley of Rauha (Sahih Muslim 7.2877)
Allah's Apostle said "How will you be when the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus)
65 66
But of course, Isa will not only be a good Muslim. Afterall, Muslims of God. Furthermore, he will reaffirm in his second coming what he
regard Isa as a prophet during his first appearance, so the second time prophesied in his first coming bearing witness to the seal of the
around, his role shouldn't be any diminished. Indeed, this is the case, as Messengers, Prophet Muhammad. In his second coming many non
the Qur'an said that Isa is to be a sign of Qiyamah. Muslims will accept Jesus as a servant of Allah Almighty, as a Muslim
and a member of the Community of Muhammad. (Shaykh Muhammad
In Sahih Bukhari, we also read: Hisham Kabbani, "The Approach of Armageddon? An Islamic
Perspective", Canada, Supreme Muslim Council of America, 2003, p. 237,
Narrated Abu Huraira: as quoted by Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah",
Allah's Apostle said "How will you be when the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) 2006)
descends amongst you and he will judge people by the Law of the
Quran and not by the law of Gospel (Fatehul Bari page 304 and 305 Indeed, just about everything Islam has said about Jesus and Christianity,
Vol 7) (Sahih Bukhari 4.55.568) Muslims believe that Isa will affirm and many things the Bible said about
Jesus, Muslims believe that he will deny. Muslims believe that Isa will
In other words, Isa will be a person that follows the Qur'an, not the also point out that he taught about the coming of Muhammad. Moreover,
Gospels, and in particular, not even his own supposed commands (i.e., Isa also will tell them that he is a Muslim, and that Christians have
Jesus' commands) as recorded in the Bible. Since he is subordinate to al wrongly worshipped him, and he will invite them to accept Islam and
Mahdi as we have seen, and since alMahdi will be instituting Shari'a Law become Muslims. In other words, he will engage in dawa (literally,
(Islamic Law) over the entire world (see this article), this means he will be invitation, i.e., proselytizing activities). Muslim scholars tell us:
assisting alMahdi to institute Shari'a Law over all the peoples of this
world. Indeed, since Isa is regarded as a Muslim prophet, alMahdi will Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, will reject and correct the falsities
probably be referring to Isa for religious matters and decisions. Thus, introduced into Christianity and follow the way of Prophet Muhammad,
while alMahdi will be the political and military leader of the Islamic praise and peace be upon him. as narrated by Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek,
Caliphate (khilafa), Isa will be the religious authority in that Caliphate. late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL
And Isa's authority will be the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Muhammad (i.e., [Moshaikh the ANTICHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
the way of Muhammad), as established in the Shari'a Law.
Now consider what many Christians will be thinking as they hear the
words of Isa? What will be the impact of Isa's words? Here you have a
person who descended from the "heavens" and then teaching that what
Isa, the Great Da'i (Evangelist) they have been believing were wrong. Many will believe him to be their
Lord. It is not difficult to see that this will cause many Christians to turn
It is obvious from our preceeding examination of the hadiths that the Isa away from Christianity and become Muslims. Afterall somebody who
that the hadiths talked about is very different from the Christian appears to be their Lord just told them he was and is a Muslim, and that
understanding of Jesus from the Bible. they should all abandon the teachings of Christianity and follow Islam!
The Qur'an tells us:
Like all prophets, Prophet Jesus came with the divine message of
surrender to God Almighty, which is Islam. This verse shows that when And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him
Jesus returns he will personally correct the misrepresentations and before his death; and on the Day of Judgment he will be a witness against
misinterpretations about himself. He will affirm the true message that he them; (Surah 4:159).
brought in his time as a prophet, and that he never claimed to be the Son
67 68
The "People of the Book" refers to those who have received revelations become Muslims. However, numerous hadiths also paint a picture of Isa
previously, i.e., the Jews and Christians. However, the context here refers performing some very drastic things:
specifically to the Christians. The Qur'an says that Christians will believe
in Isa before his death. In fact, it is believed that Isa will witness against Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
those who refuse to do so. him) said: By Him in Whose hand is my life, the son of Mary (may peace
be upon him) will soon descend among you as a just judge. He will break
Another possible means that Isa may employ is the performing of crosses, kill swine and abolish Jizya and the wealth will pour forth to
miracles. This is not mentioned explicitly in the hadiths, but it is such an extent that no one will accept it. (Sahih Muslim 1.287)
something that is highly possible. When Jesus was on earth, he performed
many miracles as recorded in the Bible. The Qur'an also acknowledged the Narrated AbuHurayrah:
miracles that Jesus has performed. Therefore, it is conceivable that when The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: There is no prophet between me
Isa returns, he will perform some miracles in order to convince some and him, that is, Jesus (peace_be_upon_him). He will descent [sic] (to the
doubtful ones that he is indeed Jesus. And as a devout Muslim, he earth). When you see him, recognise him: a man of medium height,
probably will tell the people that his ability to perform miracles come from reddish fair, wearing two light yellow garments, looking as if drops were
Allah, and therefore people should worship Allah. falling down from his head though it will not be wet. He will fight the
people for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill swine, and
Consider the impact of this turning of Christians to Islam. There are about abolish jizyah. Allah will perish all religions except Islam. He will
1.3 to 1.5 billion Muslims and about 2 billion Christians (Catholics, destroy the Antichrist and will live on the earth for forty years and then he
Protestants, Orthodox, etc) today. If many of the Christians do indeed will die. The Muslims will pray over him. (Sunan Abu Dawud 37.4310)
become persuaded by Isa, that means the number of Muslims will
suddenly swell to twice its current size. The impact on jihad and the world So, apart from killing adDajjal, these are the additional things Isa will do:
political dynamics will be nothing short of phenomenal. The United
Nations will suddenly be filled with many more Muslim or Muslim · break the crosses,
dominated nations! Currently there are close to 60 Muslim countries out of · kill swine,
a total of 192, but if that number is doubled, then suddenly, it will be · abolish Jizya,
almost twothirds of all the nations! The religious and political map of the · fight the people for the cause of Islam.
world will suddenly look very different. It doesn't take much longer for the
rest of the world to submit to Islam given the clout of alMahdi and Isa. In What are the significance of these actions, you may ask?
other words, we can look forward to the day where at least twothirds of
all the nations are Muslim. Muslim agenda at the UN will be easy to The Cross is a symbol of Christianity, and many churches and Christian
bankroll. homes have them. The Cross is where Jesus died for the sins of the world.
Hence it symbolizes the salvation of Christ by his death on the Cross.
Orthodox Islam, however, denies that Jesus was ever crucified (another
unspecified person was made to look like Jesus and died in his place), so
Isa, the Abolisher of Christianity according to Islam, the cross is a practice that is rooted in false belief. The
cross is an offensive symbol among the Muslims. In fact, in many Muslim
We saw in the preceeding section about Isa's ability to perform dawa and countries, the cross is not allowed to be displayed. Since "Allah will perish
convince many people, especially the Christians. Hence, the peaceful all religions except Islam," Isa will abolish this symbol once and for all so
persuasion will cause many to abandon Christianity and turn to Islam and
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that it complies with Islam. In other words, Isa will abolish Christianity longer be available. This means that what will be left will be conversion to
altogether. Islam or war, and if the nonMuslims lose, then it will mean death. Hence
the abolition of the jizya implies that the choices for the nonMuslim has
The swine is an unclean animal in Judaism and Islam, but Gentile (i.e., narrowed considerably:
nonJews) Christians are allowed to eat them. This freedom is rooted in an
account in the Book of Acts, where the Apostle Peter was in a vision and Jesus, the son of Mary will soon descend among the Muslims as a just
he was told to eat some unclean animals, but he refused, whereupon a judge ... Jesus will, therefore, judge according to the law of Islam ... all
voice from heaven said: "Do not call anything impure that God has made people will be required to embrace Islam and there will be no other
clean." (Acts 10:15). In fact, the Apostles had a meeting in Jerusalem in alternative. (Sideeque M.A. Veliankode, Doomsday Portents and
Acts 15:135:15, and they agreed that Gentile Christians do not have to Prophecies Scarborough, Canada, 1999, p. 358, as quoted by Joel
follow Jewish Law. Islamic practice in food laws, of course, have instead Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006.)
gone back to the Judaistic roots, with some modifications. Hence the
killing of the swine is a symbol that this freedom of the Christians is no Ibn Kathir, a very famous medievel Muslim scholar, in his Tafsir
more and thus abolished. Henceforth, all food has to be halal (permitted (commentary) said:
according to Shari'a Law). The pig could very well be exterminated into
extinction under the leadership of AlMahdi and Isa. The pronoun in the clause 'before his death' refers to `Isa, upon him peace,
meaning there is none of the People of the Scripture but he will certainly
The third act of abolishing the jizya is also very important. The jizya is a believe in `Isa when he descends to the earth before the Day of
tax or tribute that is levied on nonMuslims when they come under Resurrection. At that time he shall abolish the jizya and nothing shall
Muslim rule. By paying the jizya tax, the nonMuslims henceforth accept be accepted other than Islam. (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir 1:367, as quoted by GR
the position of dhimmis ("protected"). This means that while the non Hadad, Tafsir (Explanation of Quranic Verse) 4:159).
Muslims are protected from outside forces, they also lose many other
rights within the Muslim nation. In other words, they become second class Together with alMahdi, Isa will "fight the people for the cause of Islam."
citizens under Muslim rule. However, we just read that Isa will altogether Thus, he will be a mujahideen (one who engages in jihad) as he engages in
abolish the jizya tax, which means nonMuslims cannot even be second jihad against the rest of the world. Under the leadership of alMahdi and
class citizens under Muslim rule anymore. Isa, "Allah will perish all religions except Islam," i.e., only Islam will be
left. All other religions will be abolished and exterminated. And all those
In another article, What is an Invitation to Islam?, we explained that who insist on not submitting to Islam will also be killed.
Muhammad stipulated that Muslims are to give an invitation to Islam for
people whom they will meet in warfare. This stipulation requires that
Muslims give the nonMuslims three choices:
The Mark of the Beast
· conversion to Islam
· pay Jizya The Qur'an said:
· war
And when the word is fulfilled concerning them, We shall bring forth a
These are the three choices a nonMuslim has when given such an beast of the earth to speak unto them because mankind had not faith in Our
invitation. However, we see that when Isa comes, he will abolish the jizya. revelations. (Surah 27:82).
In other words, that choice and protection under dhimmitude will no
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This is one of the last signs of Qiyamah, according to Islam. There will · He will be subordinate to alMahdi, the undisputed Leader of all
appear a beast that can speak. Not only that, Muslims also tell us that this Muslims, and help alMahdi. In other words, Isa will be second in
beast will go around marking people: command.
· He will be a devout Muslim.
According to a Hadeeth recorded in Ibn Katheer and narrated by Hadhrat · He will claim to be the real Jesus that came 2,000 years ago, was
Talha bin Umar (R.A.) the following is mentioned: not crucified and has been in heaven till his descent.
· He will kill adDajjal.
"As the animal emerges from the ground, it will be dusting the sand off its · He will direct people to worship Allah and obey alMahdi.
head. It will proceed towards the area between Hajrul Aswad and · He will help alMahdi to govern his caliphate and institute Shari'a
Maqaamul Ibraheem. The people on seeing it will flee in all directions, Law over the whole world.
except for one group of people. It will approach this group and illuminate · He will persuade many Christians to leave Christianity and become
their faces like shining stars. Thereafter it will set out and travel Muslims.
throughout the whole world (at a great speed). It will mark the faces of the · He will break the cross (abolish Christianity), kill the swine, and
Kuffar and none will be able to escape it". abolish the jizya (abolish dhimmi protection).
· He will kill those who refuse to submit to Islam. Beheading is a
It is narrated that this animal will have the staff of Sayyidena Moosa real possibility.
(A.S.) with which it will mark the faces of the Mu'mineen causing it to · A beast will mark the Muslims' face.
glitter while it will mark the necks and noses of the Kuffar with the ring of
Sayyidena Sulaiman (A.S.) causing their faces to be blackened. Most
scholars are of the opinion that this animal will speak the normal and
general things to the people. Before the emergence of this animal there What Does the Bible Say About Isa? Examining "Another
will be rumor on two previous occasions about its emergence, once in Beast" of the Bible
Yemen and once in Najd. After performing its duty the animal will
disappear. (Mohammad Ali bin Zubair Ali, "Signs of Qiyamah"). Given that we have seen a close correspondence between alMahdi and the
Antichrist described in the Bible (see this article for detailed comparison),
So we see that Muslims will be marked on the face and their faces will is there a character that the Bible mentioned that is a close parallel to Isa?
glitter, while nonMuslims will be marked on the neck and noses and their The answer, is a definite yes (and a surprise to some)! This character is the
faces will turn black. This clearly distinguishes a Muslim from a non second beast mentioned in the Bible, and is described in Revelations
Muslim. 13:1118. In this passage, the Apostle John saw a vision of two beasts, in
which the first beast is symbolic of what we commonly call the Antichrist.
The second beast is our concern in this section, and he is commonly
known as the "False Prophet" because of the nature of his activities.
Summary — Characteristics of Isa Again, this is not an exhaustive study of this character. We only deal with
characteristics that are relevant to our discussion (whether positive or
We now summarize what we know about Isa from the above discussion. negative).
· Isa will be a prominent religious leader in Islam coming in the End The Bible gives us this description of the second beast:
Times.
· He will descend in Damascus.
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Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a Three particularly astounding miracles are mentioned in the Biblical
lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first passage: causing fire to come down from heaven, healing the mortal
beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first wound of the Antichrist and killing those who refused to worship the
beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and image. Exactly what the image will be is hard to say at this point in time.
miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in The ability of this Second Beast to perform these miracles will definitely
full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf convince many people about his teachings, and follow him to honor the
of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them Antichrist and "men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority
to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword to the beast" (Revelations 13:4). And that is why, Christians nicknamed
and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first him the "False Prophet".
beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the
image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and Exactly what the "Mark of the Beast" is, we can't really say. Many people
poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his speculate based on the names of certain people, like Nero, Hitler, etc.
forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is Others speculate that it is the bar code, an implantable computer chip, etc.
the name of the beast or the number of his name. All these are possible and certainly given today's technological advances,
controlling people's activities will be a lot easier with such technological
This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number devices. However, it should be noted that the Bible itself doesn't really say
of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666. (Revelations much about it, except that it is to allow buying and selling. This could
13:1118) mean just a simple mark, a tatoo, or even a bandana worn over the head or
the arm. Therefore, while it is possible that a hightech system may be
This passage is actually pretty straightforward. We will deal with the used, we should not limit our projections to only these systems. Again, we
"physical" looks of this beast later on. Other than the looks, the first other don't really know until this happens.
thing we notice is that "he exercised all the authority of the first beast on
his behalf". This is a clear statement that the Second Beast is subordinate We now discuss a little bit about the "physical" look of the Second Beast.
to the First Beast, also known as the Antichrist. He helps the First Beast In reality, there is nothing physical about it. The Bible says that "he had
set up a global worship (the Greek word is from proskuneo meaning two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon." (Revelations 13:11).
prostration), and has the ability to perform great and miraculous signs. This is, of course, not a real beast with horns, for the book of Revelations
These signs are so wonderful that the people of the world are awed by it abounds with symbolisms. In Biblical image, horns have consistently
and people will believe in the things he say. Of course, given that he is represented authority (eg. ten horns of Antichrist beast image represent the
described as a negative figure in the Bible that is in collusion with the ten nations he will start his rule with, the prominent horn of the goat in
Antichrist, his words are in reality a deception. This particular image Daniel 8 represents Alexander the Great, the four horns after that
that he help set up could actually "speak", but by what means we do not represents the four partitions after his death, etc). The Second Beast has
know. By today's technology, there is no difficulty in hiding a speaker two horns compared to the Antichrist's ten, so it may represent an
inside, but we don't really know. Those who refuse to submit to this inferiority in power compared to the Antichrist. More importantly, we are
global religion will find themselves killed. Moreover, we also read about told that "he had two horns like a lamb". The lamb of course represents
the famous "Mark of the Beast" (a mysterious number related to 666 or Jesus Christ, who in the Bible is called:
616, the exact nature of which we do not yet know). The Second Beast
will force this mark on everyone's forehead or right hand, so that only The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the
those who have this mark can buy and sell. Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29).
75 76
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the
Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:3536). apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of
destruction, (2 Thessalonians 2:3, NASB).
As the Jesus in the Bible is called "the Lamb of God," while the Second
Beast will only have "two horns like lamb," so the Second Beast and the The sad fact is that the Bible warns us that the "Day of the Lord" will not
Biblical Jesus are not the same. Thus, we see that the Second Beast will come until there comes a great apostasy (falling away), and the Antichrist
try to exercise power and authority as if he is Jesus Christ. In other words, (man of lawlessness) is revealed. This means many Christians will be
he will be an imposter pretending to be the Biblical Jesus. In fact, Jesus deceived into believing the False Prophet, as we have seen above.
alluded to this sad state of affairs:
I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if
someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. (John 5:43). Comparison Table of Isa and the Second Beast (aka. The
False Prophet)
Finally, the Bible says that the Second Beast "spoke like a dragon". The
dragon in the Book of Revelations is used to symbolize Satan: Now that we have quite a good picture of Isa and the Biblical False
Prophet, we now summarize the parallel points in their characteristics in
The great dragon was hurled down that ancient serpent called the devil, the following table. Those points marked with "?" are tentative or simply
or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, possible:
and his angels with him. (Revelations 12:9).
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and False Prophet in
Characteristic Isa in Islam
bound him for a thousand years. (Revelations 20:2). Christianity
Subordinate to Antichrist.
Subordinate to alMahdi.
So, without doubt, the words of the Second Beast will be like those of Lower in status than
Lower in status than al
Satan. In Revelations 12:9 quoted above, we see that Satan "leads the Position Antichrist. Help
Mahdi. Help alMahdi
whole world astray," so the words of the Second Beast will have the effect Antichrist achieve his
achieve his goals.
of leading people from the God of the Bible. goals.
A prominent religious A prominent religious
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your leader. Helps alMahdi leader. Helps Antichrist
father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the Function institute Islam over world. institute world religion
truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native All other religions will be over world. No other
language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44). abolished. religion allowed.
Direct people to worship Direct people to worship
Satan is a liar and the father of lies. So we can see that the Second Beast, Religion
Allah "dragon"
and by inference the Antichrist and his government, will allow plenty of
deception and lies to achieve their goals. They will have many people Help alMahdi to institute
Help Antichrist to change
killed. Ultimately, these lies deceive and lead the whole world astray, Laws Shari'a Law and Islamic
laws and times
leading people away from the Jesus Christ and the God of the Bible. The calendar
Bible tells us of a sad state of affairs among the Christians:
77 78
Will claim to be the real Horns like a lamb Qur'an that Jesus is divine. However, any simple and honest study will
Jesus, and act like him. (exercises authority like reveal many differences in the Biblical Jesus and Muslim Isa. The obvious
Lying allowed under Jesus), speak like a ones are that Christians believe Jesus to be divine and that he died on the
Behavior cross for our sins, whereas Islam believes that Isa was simply a prophet
certain circumstances dragon (lies and leading
according to Sunnah of people astray and away and that he did not die on the cross. Islam believes that a substitute was
Muhammad. from God) put on the cross (we are not told who), a very large deception hoisted by
Allah on the world.
Will direct all to follow
Christianity Will abolish Christianity Antichrist and his However, we do not deal with these here. Instead, we find that the
religion. descriptions of the second coming of Jesus and Isa also differ
Will lead many astray significantly:
from Jesus and God of the
Will persuade many
Bible. There will be a · Isa will kill the Christians who refused to submit to Islam, whereas
Proselytization Christians to become
great falling away (the Jesus warned the Christians in the Bible that they will be
Muslims
Great Apostasy) in the persecuted and killed for their faith in Him:
End Times.
Persecutes and kills Jews "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death,
Persecutes and kills Jews and Christians who refuse and you will be hated by all nations because of me." (Matthew
Persecution 24:9).
and Christians to follow Antichrist and
him
It is clear that the Muslim Isa is not the same as the Biblical Jesus.
As a prophet, will possibly Performs astounding
Miracles
be able to perform miracles miracles
· In Jesus' descent from heaven, many Christians believe that Jesus
A beast will mark the Institute the mark on the will come and descend at Mount Olives (Acts 1:1112, Zechariah
"Mark of the Muslims on the forehead to forehead or right hand so 14:4). On the other hand, Muslims believe that Isa will descend at
Beast" distinguish from non that only those who have a minaret (of a mosque) in Damascus. It should be noted that in the
Muslims. the mark can buy and sell. Bible, the False Prophet (whom we have shown, corresponds to
Antichrist will kill the Isa) will appear some time before the real Jesus comes to judge the
Slayer Isa will kill adDajjal. world, so many people will not know that the False Prophet is not
Two Witnesses.
Jesus.
· When Isa comes, he will of course claim to be Jesus, that he was a
Differences Between the Return of Isa and the Biblical Jesus prophet of Allah, and that he did not die on the cross but that he
ascended to heaven and had been there all along. He will proceed
Some readers may object to the differentiation between the Biblical Jesus to kill adDajjal and help alMahdi set up the Islamic Caliphate. He
and the Isa in Islam, arguing that they are one and the same. In fact, some will try to "prove" that he is the Jesus of the Bible (the Qur'an says
Muslims have tried to argue from the Bible that Jesus is simply a man and that the disciples of Jesus are Muslims), and thereby cause many
not divine (Christians believe that Jesus is both human and divine). Of Christians to follow him. Once again in the Bible, Jesus warned in
course, some Christians have done similar things by arguing from the advance that:
79 80
"At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, mentions the blowing of the trumpet and the reward of the martyrs
'There he is!' do not believe it." (Matthew 24:23). in order to reign with Jesus. Thus, from the Biblical perspective,
the coming of Jesus also brings to end a chapter of the world.
· Jesus warned:
These are not signs associated with Isa's coming, but most of the
"So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go world probably wouldn't know. Muslims believe that Isa will come
out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as to help alMahdi set up the final Islamic Caliphate and then rule
lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so when the alMahdi dies. Moreover, in Islam, the trumpet call also
will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:2627). signifies the end of the world, but Isa's coming does not signify the
end of the world yet.
This implies a spontaneous event that can be seen throughout the
the world, not through TV. His coming will be so dramatic that the
whole world will know.
Conclusions
· Perhaps, Muslims might think that since Jesus said that: "They will
see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power We have examined in detail what the Islamic hadiths say about the coming
and great glory." (Matthew 24:30), it refers to Isa's descent at apocalyptic character of Isa, which is the Muslim version of Jesus. The
Damascus. While there is some similarity (and perhaps that is descriptions are of course very different from that of Jesus of the Bible.
precisely the purpose to be convincing), note also the surrounding We also compared Isa with another apocalyptic character mentioned in the
verses which give some more details: Bible, namely the second beast of Revelations 13, also nicknamed the
"False Prophet". We see very important similarities between these two
"Immediately after the distress of those days " 'the sun will be characters. The many antiparallels between Isa and the False Prophets
darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall forces us to conclude that the coming Isa in Islam corresponds to the
from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' "False Prophet" in the Bible.
"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and However, Isa is not the only character that has a counterpart in the Bible.
all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of There are two other characters that have an amazing correspondence in the
Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. Bible. Just as alMahdi, Isa and adDajjal are three characters that are very
And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will important in the End Times in Islam, similarly, the Antichrist, the Second
gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens Beast and the Two Witnesses are also very important characters in the End
to the other." (Matthew 24:29;31) Times in the Bible. Please continue to examine the following articles for
more amazing antiparallelisms:
"Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.
Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken · Islam's Much Awaited Coming World Leader — alMahdi.
and the other left." (Matthew 24:4041) · The Antichrist in Islam (adDajjal).
The Biblical passage describes Jesus sending his angels to gather Finally, we need to ponder the all important question after reading the
those that belong to Him ... and some will be taken while others above articles,
remain. The Biblical passage in Revelations 11:1518 also
81 82
· What Do All These Mean? Bible, but since the meaning of Christ is not the same in the two beliefs, so
is the meaning of the Antichrist. Similarly, the descriptions of Jesus
May you be under the blessings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Muslims call Him Isa) in Islamic End Times expectations are not the
same as the coming Jesus described in the Bible.
References
Failure to distinguish between the two viewpoints can lead to much
· Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006. confusion. Any careful study of this topic in Islam and Christianity will
· Mohammad Ali Ibn Moulana Zubair Ali, "Signs of Qiyama". show that many similarities are antiparallels of each other. Instead of
· Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, going into long explanations, we try to present in this article some
"AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTI summary observations on the antiparallels. We present it pointbypoint,
CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish. comparing the beliefs in Christianity and Islam. Each point, of course, can
· Qur'an Browser featuring more then 10 translations. go into long citations and discussion, but we try to keep it as easy to read
· Online Hadith Compilation at USC MSA. as possible so that you can see the antiparallels easily. For more details of
· Bible Gateway. the comparisions of each prominent character, please consult the following
· Timothy Furnish, "Beheading in the Name of Islam", Middle East articles:
Quarterly, Spring 2005.
· Islam's Much Awaited World Leader – AlMahdi.
· The Coming of Isa the Messiah (Muslim Jesus).
Comparison of End Times Figures in · The Antichrist in Islam (adDajjal).
Christianity and Islam, Part I
In essence, Islam expects that there will be three major figures in the End
Times: adDajjal (Islamic version of Antichrist), alMahdi (Islamic
Both Islam and Christianity have very specific things to say about End version of worldwide leader) and Isa (the Muslim Jesus, who will return to
Times, the period of great significance and events just before the world this world). The hadiths contain many references to these three persons.
comes to an end. This period of time has also been called by many other The hadiths are the second most important source of Islamic doctrines and
names, including the Last Days, the Last Hour, the Apocalypse, the Great jurisprudence after the Qur'an. Belief in the Qiyamah is one of the articles
Tribulation, etc. Both religions have specific expectations of what will of faith in Islam.
happen, and there are many similarities between the two beliefs. Some
similarities include the expected appearance of natural disasters and In Christianity, the major End Times personalities mentioned are the Two
calamities, an Antichrist, the coming of Jesus, etc. The striking similarities Witnesses, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. While different titles were
provide a parallelism between the two religions on this topic. also given in the Bible for the Antichrist personality, in addition to the title
of Antichrist: The Beast, the Son of Perdition, the Lawless One, The Little
However, closer examination also reveals striking significant differences. Horn, etc, we will just use the generic "Antichrist" to refer to this person.
The result is what is known as antiparallelism, whereby many Also, there is also another person called The Second Beast, who is also
significant parallel points are actually opposite in nature. The known as the False Prophet. In Biblical eschatology, all these events
diametrically opposed viewpoint from which a Muslim and a Christian culminate in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, where the eternal rule of
view the same event contributes to this antiparallelism. Readers may Jesus commences. In Jewish expectations, there is the coming of the long
easily confuse the Antichrist in Islam with the Antichrist described in the awaited Messiah. In contrast, Islam expects that after Isa comes, he is
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expected to help alMahdi establish his Caliphate and live and rule for a Many people who are into interpreting prophecies have taken to using
period of time and then die, and then judgment will ensue some time later. prophetic scriptural passages and then correlating them to past and current
events, trying to make the connection and then projecting into the future.
In this article, we compare the above major figures in Islam and in We want to say that this is not necessarily a wrong approach and can
Christianity. Much of the interpretations of End Times in the Bible are provide significant insights. However, we need to be careful not to project
quite mainstream, even though there exist a wide range of opinions among our ideas and theories into scriptures and make scriptures say what it did
Bible scholars. The reader will quickly see many similar expectations in not, and end up with obscure and esoteric interpretations that we believe
the two religions, but many of the similarities are actually antiparallels. are out of place in the interpretation of scriptures.
Below, each item is marked by "*" for Islam (green box) and "+" for
Christianity (blue box). The "–" denotes some comments. Some Our approach to this topic is to compare the prophecies contained in both
characteristics are omitted because there are no corresponding Christian scriptures and Muslim hadiths. Some of them match very well,
characterstic on the other side. In order to get a good sense of the while others are somewhat peripheral. Since we are dealing with two
parallelism and antiparallelism in these expectations, you will need to different religions, we should not expect them to line up perfectly ... since
read down the list. only at most one can be true. In some characteristics, only one religion
makes an explicit statement, but if it is also apparent in the other religion,
In order to avoid confusion, we have used the following mechanism to then we also put that down as a correlating point. In any case, it is the core
refer to the different characters: comparisons that are important.
· Antichrist. We use this to refer to the Antichrist character that is The prophecies contained in Islam and Christianity are contained in the
described in the Bible. We do not mean the Antichrist in Islam. If respective source books, namely the Qur'an and hadiths for Islam, and the
we need to refer to the Antichrist in Islam, we will use the title Bible for Christianity. The source texts themselves are constant. Only the
"Antichrist in Islam" or adDajjal (see below). interpretations of the source texts may change as better understandings
· adDajjal. This is the Antichrist character referred to in Islam. By become available. Therefore, our comparison is on the source texts, with
this title, we do not mean the Antichrist in the Bible. some interpretations when necessary.
· Jesus. We use this to refer to the Jesus that is described in the
Bible and not the Jesus described in Islam, because the
descriptions of Jesus in both religions are very different in some
aspects. If we need to to refer to Jesus in Islam, we will use "Isa", Comparisons
"Isa in Islam", "Muslim Jesus" or "Jesus in Islam". Otherwise, we
may end up being hopelessly mired in confusion.
· Isa. This Arabic name is used to refer to the Jesus that is described
in Islam. We used this name to distinguish from the Jesus of the · THE FIRST MAJOR FIGURE: Introducing the Antichrist in the
Bible. Bible and AlMahdi
Our Approach + The first major personality we will deal with is the Antichrist
mentioned in the Bible, also called "The Beast". This Beast is
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symbolic of the personality behind it and is not interpreted literally more inclusive of everyone, including Muslims. So, for the whole
as an animal. This person will be an unparalleled political, military world to follow the alMahdi (the Beast) is a real possibility, since
and religious leader in the Last Days (Rev 13:19). another reason as we shall soon see, is that any Biblical Christians
* Muslims expect that at the End Times, there will arise a Muslim around will be persecuted during the End Times. Another reason is
leader called alMahdi, meaning "The Guided One". He will be the that Europe is fast becoming Islamicized, and as such, Europe
leader of all the Muslims and will wage jihad against the rest of the might even become "Eurabia" soon. Thus Europe is or will be
world and bring the entire world under Islam. This means his ready to accept, either willingly or not, the domination of Islam
kingdom will be worldwide and his accomplishment will surpass soon.
all the great Empires in history. Thus, he will be an unparalleled
ruler over the whole world. · WORLD'S REACTION TO HIM
– Mahdism, as some call it, is a very important expectation among
Muslims. Several Muslims, including Osama bin Laden, President
Ahmadinejad of Iran, etc, have in recent history made speeches
concerning this. More aspects of the alMahdi will be reviewed as + The Bible says that the people of this world will be amazed and will
we go down this list. follow the Beast (Rev 13:3,7). Many Christians believe that this is most
probably after certain miracles have been performed and certain victories
Some Muslims think that adDajjal corresponds to the Biblical have been attained. The Bible describes him to have suffered a fatal
Antichrist. Islamic hadiths say that the followers of adDajjal are wound, but was healed, thereby causing many people to marvel and follow
mostly the Jews (numbering 70,000) and women. This hardly him. Another reason is the Antichrist's military genius in conducting
indicates a prominent Israeli leader, let alone a world leader. warfare.
Hence, it is safe to say that adDajjal is not a world leader. * Regarding alMahdi, the hadiths say that "The inhabitants of Heaven and
However, the hadiths do credit him with the ability to wreck havoc Earth will be pleased with him." and "Allah will sow love of him in the
around the world. We shall see that there are other End Times chests of the people". This means alMahdi will be a leader much loved
personalities in the Bible that also have this ability. Also, the and followed by the world, either through voluntary allegiance or because
hadiths say that Muslims will be able to recognize adDajjal and of being subdued through jihad. Thus, it is alMahdi will be a charismatic
therefore will not follow him, so only that leaves a large segment and attractive person that can command the love of the world.
of the world population who will resist him. Again, this indicates
that adDajjal is not the global leader that the Bible describes. – It is significant that the Bible describes the Antichrist as being one that
the world will follow, while the hadiths describe that alMahdi will also be
Now, turning the question around, how about the Antichrist and loved and followed. Once again, this clearly shows that the Antichrist does
the "Christian" nations? The problem is of course one will be hard not correspond to adDajjal since his followers numbers about 70,000
pressed to find any "Christian" nation in the world. Europe is in the only. A significant portion of the world, the Muslims (forming about 1/4
postChristian era, and America is really not much far behind. of the world at this moment), will not follow adDajjal. Hence, we should
There is no nation in this world that has its constitution grounded equate alMahdi with the biblical Antichrist.
in the Bible (influenced, yes, but not grounded). Afterall, with
separation of church and state in these traditional "Christian"
countries, many have abandoned Christianity as state religion to be · HIS EMPIRE
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John was recording down the book of Revelations. Historically, we know
that the Islamic Empire is the seventh. It conquered the Eastern Roman
+ The Bible describes the Antichrist Empire as a resurrection of one or Empire with the fall of Constantinople (modern day Istanbul).
more of the seven Empires that preceeded it (Rev 17:911). When the
Apostle John recorded the Book of Revelations, the Empire at the time No real large Empire has emerged in the Middle East after the Ottomans.
was the Roman Empire, the 6th Empire ("one is"), and one more was yet As Muslims are eagerly expecting and working to revive the Islamic
to come, which will stay for a considerable period of time. (Rev 17:10). Caliphate and if it indeed comes true sometime soon, then this new
The eighth and final Empire before the End of the World is from the Caliphate will be a revival of the previous Islamic Empire that ended the
seven, but it is not the Roman Empire (Rev 17:11). For an explanation of Roman Empire. Not only that, such a revived Islamic Caliphate of al
why it is not the Roman Empire, see this article. Mahdi will also include the geographic regions of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th,
* The large world Empire that came after the Romans is of course the 5th and 7th empire. And if our observation about Europe turning into
Islamic Empire, beginning at the time of Muhammad in the 7th century. Eurabia is correct, then this Islamic Caliphate will also cover the previous
Within a few decades, it has captured the entire Northern Africa, Persia Roman Empire, meaning that the revived Islamic Caliphate will then be
and has reached Constantinople (modern day Istanbul), the capital of the a revival of all seven previous empires. It will indeed be "from the
Eastern Roman Empire. The Muslims fought many wars with the Romans seven", however you slice it!
until the latter fell in 1453. While the Islamic Empire could actually be
divided into the Ummayyad, Abbassid and Ottoman Empire, they were
essentially still Islamic empires. With the end of the Ottoman Caliphate in · SOME LISTED NATIONS UNDER HIS RULE
1923, the Islamic Caliphate came to an end.
However, near the end of the world, Muslims are expecting alMahdi to
appear to restore the Caliphate of the Muslims. While this revived + The Bible describes that ten nations will come under the rule of the
Caliphate may have nothing to do with the Ottoman Caliphate, it is Antichrist, and he "will subdue three nations" (Dan 7:24). Here, "nations"
significant that it will definitely be an Islamic Caliphate. may not necessarily be the countries we know today. These ten "nations"
– The Empires described in Rev 17:911 were great kingdoms that have to will form the basis of his Empire, from which he will then seek to subdue
do with the Middle East. Bible teachers have identified the first five the rest of the world.
empires to be:
The Bible also describes some of the lands the Beast will lead (Dan 11:42,
1. the Egyptian Empire, Ezek 38):
2. the Assyrian Empire,
3. the Babylonian Empire, · Egypt, which he will attack and subdue (Dan 11:42).
4. the Persian Empire, and · Meschek and Tubal (most likely parts of Turkey, parts of Southern
5. the Greek Empire. Russia, parts of Iran),
· Magog (a region convering parts of either Syria and/or former
Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Chechnya,
The 6th is the Roman Empire, the Empire during the time that the Apostle Turkey, Iran, Dagestan),
89 90
· Persia (modern Iran and Iraq. Ancient Persia also includes Iraq. and destroy Israel once and for all.
The Euphrates River in Iraq is also mentioned together with the
two Beasts in Rev 16:1213), Dan 11:42 also prophesied that this world leader will attack and subdue
· Cush (African Cush covers parts of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia. Asian Egypt (this could be one the three nations that was subdued by the
Cush covers Arabia through Euphrates), Antichrist). This might seem strange as Egypt is also a Muslim country
· Put (Libya), and one which has strong antiIsrael sentiments. However, it should also
· Gomer (Cappadocia, Turkey), be noted that Egypt is a nation that currently has a peace treaty with Israel.
· Togarmah (southeastern part of Turkey near Syria) Could it be that Egypt was attacked when it failed to respond to the call to
war by alMahdi to attack Israel? Moreover, when Ezekiel prophesied
about the nations coming to attack Israel (Ezek 38), Egypt was
conspicuously absent.
Basically, this is the region spanning N. Africa, Arabia, Syria, Turkey,
Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asian Islamic Republics (the various Jordan is another country that currently has a peace treaty with Israel. And
stans). This region are all Muslim dominated nations. The Bible says that again, in Ezek 38, Jordan is also missing from the list of nations attacking
these nations will then come together and attack the land of Israel. Israel.
* Muslims expect alMahdi (together with Isa) to unify and rule over all
the Muslims, and thus the Islamic nations. Anyone who looks at the world Is it just plain coincidence that two of Israel's surrounding nations that
map that shows the various religions can easily see that the region were not mentioned in the list of nations attacking Israel, and they so
described above are all Muslim countries. Even though Muhammad said happen to be nations that currently have a peace treaty with Israel (namely
in the hadiths that Muslims are to pledge their allegiance to alMahdi Egypt and Jordan)?
when he is revealed, it is conceivable that some Muslims leaders do not or
do not want to recognize him. This may cause him to want to attack and Another interesting point is also the protest (albeit a very feeble one)
subdue those Muslim nations that do not recognize him. However, it is against this attack by Saudi Arabia:
very likely that the people of those nations will give their allegiance to al
Mahdi. Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will
say to you, "Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to
Once he has united the Muslims, AlMahdi is said to then lead the loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to
Muslims and wage jihad against other (nonMuslim) nations and bring the seize much plunder?" (Ezek 38:13)
entire world under Islam.
Interestingly, these three countries were also singled out by alQaida in
– It is significant that the list of areas and countries given in Dan 11:42 their message on the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 incident:
and Ezek 38 (written hundreds of years before Christ), and who will attack
Israel, are today Muslim dominated nations. Many Muslims have "The collusion of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan is very clear."
expressed their desire to destroy the nation of Israel, from the Palestinians
to the Iranian President Ahmadinejad. Thus, if alMahdi corresponds to It is interesting that current events are lining up in the exact same fashion
the Biblical Antichrist, then he will already have a ready set of states to as the Bible had prophesied thousands of years ago.
start his rule, whose people are united in religion and also in their desire to
destroy Israel. In fact, various hadiths also say that the Muslims will attack
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· WHERE HE WILL COME FROM
+ The Beast's Empire will combine characteristics of three previous
Empires (Rev 13:2). The three empires described symbolically are:
+ The Beast will appear from the region occupied by the Seleucid Empire,
1. Babylonian (symbolized by lion), one of the four that the Greek Empire founded by Alexander the Great was
2. MedoPersian (symbolized by bear) and broken up into after his death (Dan 8:89). This region spans from the
3. Greek (symbolized by leopard). Aegean Sea to Afghanistan.
* The hadiths indicate that a Muslim leader will appear with an army from
If we combine the three Empires, we again get almost the same areas Khorasan (Greater Khorasan includes north eastern Iran, Afghanistan,
above. Pakistan and the Central Asian Islamic Republics), so it could be one of
* alMahdi, of course, will rule over the Islamic states, and then some these regions or countries. This army will come to aid alMahdi.
more. The core regions of his Empire coincides with the Bible's
description. "The world will not come to an end," said Muhammad, "until a man from
– With the exception of the Macedonian portion (modern Greece) of the my family (Ahlulbayt) and of my name shall be master of the world,
Greek Empire, the rest of the Greek Empire are all Islamic today. The When you see a green ensign coming from the direction of Khorasan, then
areas covered by the Babylonian and MedoPersian Empires are also all join them, for the Imam of God will be with the standards who will be
Islamic today. Greece used to be part of the Ottoman Caliphate. Will al called AlMahdi."
Mahdi try to reclaim Greece as part of the Islamic Caliphate soon after his
rise to power? Once again, we see that the Empire of the beast is of the Other hadiths say that he will come with black flags.
seven previous Empires. – The region mentioned in the hadiths are part of the regions of the
Seleucid Empire. The Seleucid Empire is the part that "grew exceedingly
great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land
· LENGTH OF HIS RULE (another name for Promised Land)".
· HIS LOOKS
+ The Bible describes the Antichrist to rule for seven years (Dan 9:27).
* alMahdi will rule for seven years (some hadiths say 8 or 9, but the
majority says seven). Some Muslims say that the seven years is the
amount of time it takes for the jihad against the rest of the world. + He has a stern look (Dan 8:23) probably means intimidating. He will
be a master of intrigue that means highly intelligent. Some say that he
– There are some disagreements if the "sevens" (or "weeks") in the book will look like an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) probably means that he
of Daniel are years or not, although many do believe it to be years. When behaves religiously and/or have good looks and/or that there is light or
compared against Dan 11:12 and Rev 11:23, it appears that a "seven" glow on his face.
equaling seven years is a very reasonable interpretation.
* The hadiths describe alMahdi as having a handsome look with broad
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forehead and a prominent nose, with an Arab complexion, but looks like a
Jew (Children of Israel), "imposing and hardy". His face will be like a
glittering star. + He will come riding on a white horse and conquering (Rev 6:2).
* Ironically, some Muslims also think that alMahdi will be coming on a
white horse and conquering, using the same passage (Rev 6:2) to justify it.
· HIS ASCENSION TO RULE
– Note that this description is not really in the hadiths. However, some
Muslim scholars and writers, after studying the Bible, concludes that Rev
6:2 refers to alMahdi. It is indeed ironic that Christians view this passage
to describe the Antichrist!
+ The ten nations are such that "They have one purpose, and they will give
their power and authority to the beast." (Rev 17:13). This means that
except for the subduing of the three nations, the rest of the league of ten · HIS WEALTH
nations will willingly give their right to govern their countries to the
Antichrist. Also they will rule with the Beast for a moment (Rev 17:12).
* Muslims are commanded by Muhammad to give allegiance to alMahdi
when he appears, "even if [they were to] crawl over ice". This means that + The Antichrist will have treasures of Egypt, Libya, Nubians (Northern
some Muslim leaders, if they are good Muslims, will willingly give their Sudan, Southern Egypt) to give to his followers (Dan 11:43).
allegiance and governance to alMahdi.
* These countries are all Muslim countries. The previous discussions
– Again, it is significant that both the biblical Antichrist and alMahdi are already made clear that alMahdi will rule over them.
described as leaders that were given authority to rule, that people
voluntarily come under his rule. The manner in which this person ascends – Given that alMahdi rules over the areas listed above, it is no surprise
to power is again uncannily similar. that he has the treasures of those nations to give out.
· + "he was given a crown." (Rev 6:2), indicating that he was not of
royalty, nor one that attempts to gain power at first. Instead, he was
somehow persuaded to take up his rule.
+ He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers (Dan
* The hadiths say that alMahdi originally denied that he is the one 11:24). He will distribute land (Dan 11:39).
Muslims are waiting for, and will try to escape but the knowledgeable
people will search for him and finally people will pledge allegiance to * The hadiths says that during alMahdi's reign, "wealth will be in such
him. Once his identity is revealed, all Muslims are to pledge allegiance to abundance that no one will care about it" and that "At the end of Time, a
him. Caliph will come who distributes wealth without counting." Thus, the
hadiths say that there will be plenty of wealth during alMahdi's reign and
– Once again, the similarity in people asking, persuading, even "forcing" so he will give to his followers. Since alMahdi rules over the nations
him to lead is uncannily similar. mentioned above, he has the ability to give those treasures, as well as
booty captured through jihad.
It is interesting that Daniel 11:24,39 mentions the distribution of loot as
· HIS OTHER DISTINGUISHING TRAITS
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part of the wealth available to him to distribute. This indicates that it was whole world is beholden to.
wealth that came through conquering other people and lands. When – Islamic hadiths say that the adDajjal (Muslim version of Antichrist)
Muhammad began fighting the nonMuslims, he also distributed booty to cannot enter Medinah in Arabia (the second most holiest place in Islam).
his followers, a precedent followed by his successor Caliphs. Moreover, So, if this verse coincides with Islamic apocalyptic expectations, then this
we are told that alMahdi will engage in jihad against the nonMuslims passage should be referring to alMahdi and not the adDajjal. This also
and thus, when he conquers them, he will have much booty to distribute. means the adDajjal is not the Antichrist the Bible is talking about.
Besides, alMahdi will sit over threequarters of the world's oil reserves
(also counting African and Asian countries that have Muslim majority).
Oil is a commodity that is becoming more and more important in this · HIS FOREIGN POLICIES
modern world. Without oil imports, the economy of this world will grind
to a halt. Fast and large developing economies like China and India (that is
4050% of the world population) are today eagerly forging long term
contracts with the Middle East (eg. Iran). Much of the world will be + He will make a treaty with many (likely Israel and possibly the West) for 7 ye
beholden, and likely even more so, to the Middle East for the foreseeable 9:27).
future before the oil runs out. * The hadiths say that there will be a treaty with the Romans for seven years (th
4 such treaties). This appears to coincide with the reign of alMahdi. Muslims sa
Not only that, the continued rising revenues from oil, will of course cause treaty is through a "Son of Aaron" (a Levite).
much wealth to flow into the Middle East. OPEC in September 2006 told
– The word "Romans" is often used in Muslim literature to refer to the Christian
the world to prepare for an age of new oil prices (signaling that the days of
although it is not clear if Christians were meant in the hadiths. In any case, man
"cheap" oil is gone forever). The oil in much of the rest of the world will
Muslims equate the West with Christianity. The treaty could also be made with
run out first, long (as in decades) before the Middle East, creating a very
body (eg. United Nations). Actually, the Bible does not mention Israel concernin
big dependency. The only other large oil reserves outside the Muslim
treaty, so it may or not be with an Israeli leader. However, it mentions the Temp
dominated areas is in Canada, but this is in the form of tarsands, which
sacrifice, so the content of this treaty is likely concerning Israel.
takes a lot of energy and money to extract. For the rest of the world, such
dependency means that alMahdi will be able to bring about his rule much
quicker. The conditions are simply too ripe for the global leader to There are some disagreements over the interpretation of "sevens" or "weeks". H
emerge. many Bible scholars do believe that it refers to seven years.
· + He will break the treaty when the time is ripe; he is said to terminate the sac
the middle of the seven years (Dan 9:27).
* Remember the 10 year Treaty of Hudaibiya that Muhammad was forced to sig
the Meccans? Two years later, when the Muslims had become a much stronger
+ The Bible says that the Antichrist will enter peaceably the "richest Muhammad broke the treaty on a minor infraction.
province" (Dan 11:24). Note that in Hebrew, "richest" comes from the – Muslim scholars have said that there is no such thing as a permanent peace tre
word "shiman" meaning fat, oil, grease. The Hebrew word for "province" nonMuslims; there is only a truce treaty (hudna). This was exactly what happen
is "Medinah". Treaty of Hudaibiya. Will alMahdi do the same thing? Possibly. In fact, the late
* alMahdi will rule over the oil of the Middle East, which much of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat alluded to the Treaty of Hudaibiya when he sig
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Oslo Peace Treaty with Israel. And since alMahdi will lead the Muslims in jihad against
the "religion of peace" globally.
the nonMuslim nations, whatever treaty that may have existed before will have to be
broken in order to bring about a worldwide Islam. In particular, the Jizya tax whereby
Islam has been plagued by violence from within since its early days, with
Christians were "protected" under Muslim rule but in the status of dhimmitude will be
Caliphs Umar, Uthman, Ali (Muhammad's soninlaw), Imam Hussein
abolished. Hence all other treaties appear to be able to be broken at that period. (Ali's son) violently assassinated. Imam Hasan (also Ali's son) was
allegedly poisoned. Even Muhammad himself was poisoned, and for two
years suffered greatly its effects until he died, despite the "Angel Gabriel"
telling him that he will be healed.
Muslim scholars divide the world in Darul Salam (House of Peace), the
+ The Antichrist will "by peace shall destroy many" (Dan 8:25), indicating abode of all Muslims, and Darul Harb (House of War), the abode of all
an empty promise of global peace. infidels (nonMuslims), where Muslims are to wage jihad against the non
* alMahdi and Isa are supposed to usher an era of peace as the whole believers. It is very likely that in the early stages of alMahdi, there will be
world follow Islam. However, this also involves killing all those who much unity and peace within the Muslim world, especially while waging
refuse to accept Islam (Isa will "kill the swine, break the Cross, and jihad against the rest of the infidel world.
abolish the Jizya tax" ... so Isa will accept nothing except Islam from the
Christians). This means those who refuse to follow alMahdi and Isa will
be faced with death. · HIS RULE
– Dan 8:25 provides a clue as to how the Antichrist actually destroyed (as
in deceived by Satan and ultimately destroyed in hell) many people. While
he will engage in warfare and win, the majority were destroyed through
peaceful means. The word for "peace" in the verse above has also been + He will desecrate the Jewish Temple (Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). Jesus
translated as "secure" (NIV), "at ease" (NASB) or "in prosperity" (NKJV). also alluded to this prophecy (Matthew 24:15) in His famous discourse on
This means that the "peace" promised is in reality an empty one. the EndTimes in (Matthew 24).
Many Muslims tout Islam as a religion of "peace". When Muhammad * Although the hadiths say nothing about this, alMahdi and Isa will
wrote to neighboring rulers inviting them to Islam, he always ended his certainly do away with Judaism and Christianity. Once the Jews (and
letters with "Aslem Taslam", meaning "Surrender and you will be safe". Christians) are out of the way, the conversion of the Temple to an Islamic
After the invitation to Islam is passed, then warfare is conducted to bring mosque/shrine is a definite possibility after the abolition of Judaism and
them into submission. Since alMahdi is supposed to follow the Sunnah of Christianity. In fact, a number of archaeologists and historians believed
Muhammad, it is very likely that he will do the same. In fact, Osama bin that the Dome of Rock, the alAqsa mosque, on the temple was originally
Laden and Iranian President Ahmadinejad have extended invitations to a Byzantine church building which the Muslims converted into a mosque.
Islam to President Bush of USA. Of course, when President Bush ignores – Any Islamic artifact, eg. Islamic inscriptions like those on the alAqsa
these invitations, then war is the logical next step according to the Sunnah. Mosque (Dome of the Rock) is clearly a desecration of the Jewish Temple
Islam, as a "religion of peace", will wage wars against infidel nations and (from the Biblical point of view), even though in the eyes of alMahdi, he
also kill Jews, Christians, and all apostates (as it has done since will be cleansing the temple and dedicating it to Allah, the one who gives
Muhammad's days) in the days of alMahdi and Isa, in order to institute him the authority and power to rule over the world.
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However, there is currently no Jewish Temple on the site. While there is Prophet put his hand on my head, and then said: 'Ibn Hawwala, if you see
no consensus among Christians, many believe that it will be rebuilt in the that the Caliphate has taken its abode in the holy land, then the earthquake,
future, and that there are some orthodox Jews who are preparing for the the tribulations and great events are at hand, and the Last Hour on that day
resumption of the Temple sacrifice. In fact, it is not impossible to see the will be closer to people than my hand is to your head." (Ahmad ibn
Temple rebuilt under the treaty mentioned above, but in the middle of the Hanbal, Musnad. also Abu Dawud).
treaty, it will be taken over by the Antichrist who then goes on the set up
the "abomination that causes desolation". Ibn Sa'd quoted 'Abd AlRahman Ibn Abi 'Umayra alMazni, "There will
be an oath of allegiance according to guidance in Jerusalem." (ibn Hanbal,
Some Christian teachers have taught that this prophecy has already been Musnad)
completely fulfilled in the person of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (who – The Temple is of course in Jerusalem. The general area therefore agrees.
reigned 175163 BC), a Seleucid ruler who severely suppressed the Jewish However, since the "abomination" is probably set up about midway
people. He also desecrated the Jewish Temple by sacrificing a pig on its through his rule, it is most likely that it is only the second part where the
altar, leading to the Maccabean revolt. However, it is also clear from exaltation in the temple happens. As for the first part of his rule, it could
Jesus' allusions that the prophecy in Daniel refers to events in the future be some area in Jerusalem or it may not even need to be so.
since Jesus was speaking some 200 years after Antiochus Epiphanes'
death. Thus, most Christian teachers are of the opinion that Antiochus Again, the hadiths do not necessary mean that the headquarters of the al
Epiphanes was only a prototype of the Antichrist that is to come. Indeed, Mahdi will be in Jerusalem all the time. However, the fact that both the
as we have seen above, the Antichrist will also arise from the remains of Antichrist and alMahdi will choose Jerusalem as their seat of authority
the Seleucid Empire. sometime in their career is again no mere coincidence!
But wait, there are even more shocking antiparallels. Please continue to
· HIS PLACE OF RULE Part II, which compares Isa & The False Prophet, adDajjal & The Two
Witnesses.
If you want a more detailed analysis of alMahdi, you can read the article,
+ The Beast will set himself up in the Jewish temple and exalts himself Islam's Much Awaited World Leader – AlMahdi.
there (2 Thess 2:4).
* Muslims believe that Jerusalem will be "the center and headquarter of Comparison of End Times Figures in
the future Islamic Caliphate"
Christianity and Islam, Part II
For example, the head of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement
Sheikh Raed Salah addressed an audience of 50,000 in September 2006
that "soon Jerusalem will be the capital of the new Muslim caliphate, and We have examined the first major figure in the previous section, namely
the caliph's seat will be there." (Ynet News article) the Antichrist of the Bible and alMahdi in Islam. We next compare his
assisant and their exploits together.
Imam Ahmad, AlHakim and Abu Dawud quoted 'Abdullah Ibn Zughb
Al Ibadi who heard from 'Abdullah Ibn Hawwala Al Azdi that: "The · THE SECOND MAJOR FIGURE: ASSISTANT TO THE FIRST
MAJOR FIGURE
101 102
see the clear correlation of the First Beast and Second Beast of
Revelations with alMahdi and Isa respectively.
+ The Bible says that the Antichrist will have a prominent assistant
who will help him (Rev 13:1117). The Bible calls this assistant
the Second Beast (symbolic of a person, not interpreted as literally
an animal) or the False Prophet. · SUBORDINATION OF ASSISTANT TO THE RULER
* Muslims expect the coming of Isa (the Muslim version of Jesus).
The Hadiths say that Isa will help slay the adDajjal (Muslim
version of Antichrist) and then help alMahdi to set up the global
Islamic Caliphate. + The deputy is subordinate to the First Beast and will support him
– This is where the adDajjal and Antichrist correlation that most and deceive people to follow the First Beast (Rev 13:21).
Muslims seem to see breaks down. The hadiths do not describe the * The hadiths say that Isa will submit himself to the authority of
adDajjal having a prominent but secondary assistant. Yet, the the alMahdi (eg. he asks alMahdi to lead in prayer), etc. He will
hadiths clearly indicate that alMahdi will have Isa's help. assist alMahdi to set up Islamic religion over the whole world.
Similarly, the Bible clearly shows that the First Beast has the
Second Beast/False Prophet to help him. – Amazingly, not only does the Bible and the hadiths agree that
there will be a second prominent figure appearing, but both also
The hadiths also speak of another person called AlHarith ibn agree that the second one is a religious figure, who will submit to
Hirath, and whose army will be led a man called Mansur. They are the authority of the first prominent figure, and will assist the first
supposed to come from Transoxania (Khorasan) and help pave the one to set up the world wide religion.
way for the alMahdi to establish his government. However, other
than this reference, this man was no longer mentioned after al
Mahdi is revealed. Moreover, we shall see below that the Second
Beast is a religious figure that is alongside alMahdi as alMahdi · CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ASSISTANT
establishes his caliphate, so the parallel cannot be with alHarith.
+ The 2nd Beast will have horns that look like a lamb's but speak
like a dragon (Rev 13:11). Lamb in the Bible obviously refers to
Jesus who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 1:3536).
+ The Second Beast is a religious figure to bring in a global Horns in Biblical symbolism often represent power and authority.
religion (Rev 13). Thus, we see that the second Beast will claim to be the real Jesus
and exercise power (eg. miracles) and authority in his name, but is
* The hadiths say that Isa will "make the religion of Allah prevail in reality not the Biblical Jesus. The dragon is the father of lies (
in the world." John 8:44). That means the second Beast will employ lies to help
– It is significant that both the Bible and the hadiths agree that the the 1st Beast and bring about the new Empire. Lying will be
role of the assistant as religious in nature. In fact, it is here that we allowed to bring about the desired results.
103 104
* Isa is the Muslim version of the biblical Jesus. Muslims believe * alMahdi will lead the Muslims to wage jihad against the rest of
that Isa is a human prophet, but not Son of God, and that he did not the world to bring about the golden era of Islam.
die on the cross. Muslims believe that Isa is now in heaven and – Given that there are 1.3 to 1.5 billion Muslims in the world
will return to help the alMahdi to set up the Islamic Caliphate. It is today, and given that when alMahdi appears, many Muslims will
said that he will "correct the falsities introduced into Christianity" join him to wage jihad against the rest of the world, the number of
perhaps by claiming that he is not God and that he was in heaven able fighting Muslims will be considerable (see below). New
all along and has now returned to turn the world to Islam. converts often formed one of the most zealous fighters. Such a
large number of fighters is unmatched by any nation in this world.
Islam allows the use of lying to achieve some of its goals. The
hadiths say that lying is allowed under certain circumstances, one Early Muslim history also tells us how the Muslims were zealous
of which is when in a state of war. Muhammad also allowed his in fighting and expanding the Islamic Empire for Allah. Within a
followers to lie in order to get his enemies killed. If Isa were to few decades, the entire Northern Africa came under the Crescent.
follow the Sunnah of Muhammad, then lying is an acceptable Later, Muslim armies conquered Spain, central Asian, India, etc.
means to deal with the enemies in order to establish the Caliphate. The Eastern Roman Empire also fell to the Ottoman Turks.
– Thus, when alMahdi and Isa were engaged in Jihad with the rest
of the nonMuslim world, lying is allowed and probably be used. Given the huge army alMahdi can muster to wage jihad against
the rest of the world, it is clear that many nations will fall very
quickly. Very few nations can stand against this onslaught,
especially that there are already many Muslims in every country.
+ Jesus alluded that an imposter will be accepted as the biblical
Jesus (John 5:43).
* Isa will be accepted as Jesus. This is of course in the context of
Islam. + Together, they will institute a global religion over the whole
world (Rev 13:8,15). The second beast is the religious leader that
– Muslim Isa is not the same as the Jesus described in the Bible. will help the first beast institute and enforce this new religion.
Read on for more differences.
* indeed, see above.
· THEIR ARMY
+ There will arise from the Euphrates (modern Iraq) an army of
+ The two beasts will have a powerful army to dominate the world 200 million (Rev 9:1416). This does not mean that they are all
and create a new world order (Rev 13:7). from that region, but could be a gathering of people, and it also
105 106
does not mean that that is the size of the army of the first Beast. that all the world will be under Islam.
* The number of Muslims today is somewhere between 1.3 to 1.5 – Rev 13:14 talks about the dragon behind the first beast, which
billion. alMahdi will wage jihad against the rest of the world. 200 according to the Bible is symbolically Satan.
million is less than 20% of all Muslims.
– That number is kind of hard to imagine before the last century, From Rev 13:14, we know that the Antichrist will be very
but the world population has grown six times in the last two successful in his military campaigns. People will be amazed at his
centuries (it was 1 billion in 1802). We once heard that Muslims military genius. Similarly, alMahdi will be very successful in his
say that about 10% of the Muslims are militant. That gives us a jihad. A similar exclamation is indeed very possible.
number of 120 to 150 million. Factoring in growth in the next few · HIS LAWS
years or decades, the number of available Muslims to fight in jihad
is easily 200 million. Actually, it appears more likely that the
number mentioned in Rev 9:16 forms only a portion of the
Antichrist's army. That number is also imaginable if the entire + They will change existing laws (Dan 7:25).
Muslim world engages in jihad against the rest of the world.
* The hadiths clearly say that alMahdi will institute Shar'ia over the
Given such a huge army, it is clear that the rest of the world stands world. Shar'ia is Islamic law.
little chance of resisting him militarily. Coupled with the – Islam is the only religion that has a set of codified laws governing every
dependence of the world on oil, much of the world will have to fall aspect of a Muslim's life ... from religious, to political, to social, to
to the domination of Islam fairly quickly (probably in less than personal hygeine. This set of laws is called the Shar'ia Law. The Sunnis
seven years). Hence, it is easily seen that the world will fall to his have four main schools (mahdb) of jurisprudence (fiqh), and while its
rule. However, there will definitely be some who will resist, and implementation is not necessarily uniform across the different schools,
the Bible says that one third of mankind will perish in this global Muslims say that more than 70% of the rules are the same.
conflict (Rev 9:15).
Notice the implementation of the Shar'ia in Muslims countries, and the
clamor for the Shar'ia in many Muslim dominated countries (eg. Nigeria,
Sudan, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc) despite the presence of significant
· WORSHIP OF THEIR MASTERS number of nonMuslims. Muslim leaders in Britain and America make no
pretense that they want the Shar'ia to be the only law of their nations.
When the number of believers become the majority and/or when it has
enough political power, Islam is the only religion where its believers will
+ The Bible says that people will worship the person behind the change the law of the land into the Shar'ia Law. This law is extended even
Beast because power was given to the Beast (Rev 13:14). People to the nonMuslims, bringing about a state of dhimmitude to the non
will say, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" Muslims.
(Rev 13:14).
* AlMahdi and Isa will direct people to worship Allah. AlMahdi
and Isa will be very successful in their jihad against the world ... so · HIS CALENDAR
107 108
+ They will change the calendar system (Dan 7:25). · RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL AND THE JEWS
* Clearly, alMahdi will use the Islamic calendar as he implements the
Shar'ia.
– All Muslim countries use the Islamic calendar. Islamic calendar, unlike + The Bible says that the Antichrist will attack Israel (Dan 11:41).
the Gregorian calendar used in the West, is completely lunar and has no
intercalation to synchronize with the solar calendar. The Islamic calendar * The hadiths say that alMahdi and his followers will attack the Jews. The
dates from the Hijra, Muhammad's flight from Mecca to Medina. So first group will of course be adDajjal and his Jewish followers.
instead of A.D., the calendar is dated in A.H. (after Hijra).
(Muhammad said:) The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will
Again, while many religions have their own calendar system, only Islam fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews
consistently uses this over the entire land when it is the dominant religious would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would
force. If the world comes under Islamic rule, then the use of the Islamic say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and
calendar is a given. kill him; (Sahih Muslim Book 041, Number 6985).
– Based on the above alone, we can rule out all religious and political
systems that have little to do with Israel or the Jews as being the Antichrist
· PERSECUTION OF JEWS AND CHRISTIANS global system.
Above, we read a famous hadith that the Jews will be massacred such that
even those hiding behind stones will be killed.
+ The Beasts will persecute the Jews and Christians, and will be allowed Before 1948, it is difficult to imagine many nations gathering to attack the
to win over them (Dan 7:2, 8:24; Rev 13:7,10). Nation of Israel. There wasn't even such a nation, and so many prophecies
* Since the Jizya tax will be abolished under Isa and alMahdi, the concerning the attack on Israel hung in limbo. But after the establishment
"protection" of Christianity under Islamic rule is longer allowed. "Isa will of the modern Nation of Israel in 1948, the scenario suddenly become a
accept nothing except Islam from the Jews and Christians." That means real possibility. Even at the birth of Israel, the neighboring Muslim nations
the only acceptable response from a Christian is either to become a immediately attacked Israel, but lost even more land to Israel. Such
Muslim or be killed. See also this article, What is an "Invitation to Islam"? memories of defeat and humiliation is one that Muslims continue to want
. to eradicate today. The existence of Israel is a "poke in the eye"
– Christians today already face many persecutions in Islamic countries, concerning the power of Allah. Hence, many Muslims support various
ranging from Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Middle East. Apostates groups fighting Israel, even if the groups have been labelled as "terrorist
from Islam are regularly killed, either through the state or through "honor organizations". The 2006 war in Lebanon between Israel and Hizbollah
killings". When alMahdi comes, invitations to Islam will go out to non has also probably removed some of the myth about the power of Israel's
Muslims and nonMuslim nations. If a nonMuslim does not accept the army. Muslim groups are probably more emboldened, realizing that the
invitation, then it is clear that there will be war and they will be killed Israeli army is not as "invincible" as previously believed.
when they lose.
109 110
And with the unification of all Muslims under alMahdi, Israel will be So, a coming slaughter of the Jews will come the moment Israel lapses in her de
completely surrounded by Muslims. The eradication of Israel is a goal of The Bible said twothirds of the Jews will be killed.
many Muslims. For example, the President of Iran continued to extol
about the annihilation of Israel, and in the Hamas office hangs a map of
Palestine without Israel. · HIS METHOD OF EXECUTION
+ The Bible says that those who refuse to follow the new world religion
+ The world will attack Israel. "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of will be killed (Rev 20:4, 13:10).
drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against * Muslims tell us that when the alMahdi comes, "At that time, the only
Judah and Jerusalem." (Zechariah 12:2. Also Ezekiel 38). two options for humanity will be to embrace Islam or die. "
* alMahdi, will lead many nations to attack Israel. – See also above about Jews and Christians.
– It used to be quite unthinkable that all nations can gather and attack a
nation. However, with the precendent set during the First Gulf War, such
an attack under authorization by the United Nations is perfectly possible.
However, even without the UN, such an attack is still possible, since the
core nations that attacks Israel are mainly the Islamic countries. + They will use beheading as a means to execute those who do not follow
them (Rev 20:4, 13:10).
* Muhammad had the males of the entire tribe of Banu Qurayza beheaded
after he defeated them. The Qur'an says:
When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks, then, when you have
+ They (and his deputy below) will attack and conquer Jerusalem (Dan 9:26). made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds; then set them free,
* Same as above. either by grace or ransom, till the war lays down its loads. So it shall be;
– Both the Bible and the hadiths paint a dire consequence and Jerusalem will be and if God had willed, He would have avenged Himself upon them; but
conquered by the Antichrist. that He may try some of you by means of others. And those who are slain
in the way of God, He will not send their works astray. (Surah 47:4, 8:12)
· + They and their followers will kill two thirds of the inhabitants of Israel. (Zechariah
– It is significant that Islam is the only global entity that continues to use
13:8,9. Also Ezekiel 38).
beheading for execution today. This does not mean that everyone will be
* Same as above. beheaded, but will be a distinguishing trait of the global religion at the End
Times.
– It is significant that the hadiths contain many chilling reports saying that in the Last
Days, Muslims will kill the Jews. As one looks at the situation in the Middle East, we
know that Muslims' anger at the Israelites has never been greater. Statements from
various Muslims groups have made their intention of annihilating Israel a plain desire.
· THE MARK OF THE BEAST
111 112
Antichrist, Jesus, etc often have diametrically opposite meanings.
· THEIR MIRACLES
+ The False Prophet will require a mark on people's head or hand so that
they can buy or sell (Rev 13:17). As the False Prophet is the religious
leader of the new world order, his system of marking obviously
distinguishes between those who are submitted to the world religion and
order, and against those who are not. + The Second Beast will be able to perform miracles (Rev 13:13).
* Some Muslims claim that there will be a beast that will make this mark * A hadith says, "At the end of the time of my Ummah, the Mahdi will
on every person, to distinguish between a Muslim and a nonMuslim. The appear. Allah will grant him rain, the earth will bring forth its fruits, he
Muslim's face will then shine while that of a nonMuslim will become will give a lot of money, cattle will increase and the Muslim Ummah will
black. Others claim that it is the mark of performing salat, as a sign of become great."
piety.
Also, Jesus performed many miracles the first time He was on earth, so
– In the Bible this mark is for commerce, i.e. you cannot buy or sell when Isa arrives, it is likely that Isa will perform miracles in order that
without this mark. Today in many countries where there are significant people will believe him.
number of Muslims, businesses need certification from the Islamic
authorities to show that their food or practices are halal (eg. food, banking, – Notice that it really doesn't say that alMahdi will perform miracles,
investments, etc). In places like Malaysia, Singapore, western businesses although some believe that he will. What is interesting is that the Bible in
like McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken display the halal certification Rev 13 describes him as a man of military might, who received a fatal
for their food sold. Halal food has begun showing up in regular American wound but was somehow healed. However, the second beast was the one
grocery stores. able to perform great miracles. This matches Muslims description of al
Mahdi and Isa because
A lot of people speculate that the mark will be some kind of computer
chip, code, etc, that will track a person's location and also contain a lot of · Muslims believe that prophets are authenticated through miracles.
personal history, including financial history. That may indeed be possible, · Muslims believe that alMahdi is not a prophet, and therefore not
given the technology that we have today. And in a global government and necessarily have the ability to perform miracles, although many
religion, it definitely makes conformance a lot easier. However, neither believe that he has the ability.
the Bible nor the hadiths make such a claim concerning the Mark of the · Muslims believe that Isa was a prophet, and have performed
Beast. In the Bible, it only says it is a mark (and is a number of the name miracles. Hence, his ability to perform miracles will be a sign of
of the Beast), so that you need to have this mark to buy and sell. The his prophethood. This allows Muslims to "authenticate" that the
hadiths say that it is a mark to distinguish the Muslims from the non Second Beast is Isa.
Muslims. Hence, it does not require that the mark be some sort of
technological device, although no one can know for sure until it happens.
113 114
+ The Bible prophesies that many Christians will turn away from the
biblical faith (2 Thess 2:3, Matthew 24:1013, 1 Tim 4:12, 2 Tim 4:34).
In Luke 18:8, Jesus asked poignantly, "when the Son of Man comes, will · THE THIRD MAJOR FIGURE(S): THE WITNESSES
he find faith on earth?".
* Under alMahdi, the Jizya tax will be abolished and the Cross broken.
Given that the Jizya tax will be abolished, the fate of Christians can only
be one of the two: become a Muslim, or be executed. It is easily + The Bible describes Two Witnesses at the End Times (Rev 11:114).
conceivable that a number of Christians will become Muslims in such a * The Hadiths describe adDajjal at the End Times
scenario. + We now come to a comparison between the Two Witnesses in the Bible
and adDajjal. Note that numerically, the two do not match, but their
This has been poignantly illustrated in the kidnapping of Fox News characteristics however matches.
journalists Steve Centarini and Olaf Wiig in August 2006, who were
forced to convert to Islam under gunpoint. See this article. Bible scholars are divided over how to interpret the Two Witnesses due to
– Under the threat of death, and also the "fulfillment" of Islamic the symbolic language (eg. olive trees, lampstands) also used to described
apocalyptic prophecies, many Christians will be persuaded to abandon the them. Some believe it to be entirely figurative, referring to Judaism and
Christian faith and turn to Islam. This has already happened, as many Christianity as the Two Witnesses. Others believe these two to be an Old
nominal Christians have become Muslims in Europe and elsewhere. Islam Testament prophet (possibly Moses, Elijah or Enoch) and maybe a New
is the fastest growing religion in the Americas. Testament Prophet (possibly John the Baptist). Since the Bible did not
explicitly identify them, it is hard to say exactly who they might be. Still
Muslims also believe that alMahdi will be able to go to Syria and bring others believe that they are simply two different persons altogether. The
out some artifacts and archaeological finds, one of which is a version of rest of this article assumes them to be literally two different persons.
the Torah, and will use it to argue against the Jews. As a result, a number
of them are said to become Muslims. Similarly, it is likely that many
Christians will follow suit when the integrity of the Bible appears to have
been compromised.
+ The Witnesses will work many miracles. "And if anyone wants to harm
them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if
· LIES AND DECEPTION anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have
power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy;
and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the
earth with all plagues, as often as they desire." (Rev 11:56), and "these
+ There will be the use of lies in the world religion (2 John 1:7, Rev two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth." (Rev 11:10).
13:11, 14, 19:20) – probably in order to win over people and to rule them. * Muslims believe that adDajjal will work many miracles, deceive many
* Laying is acceptable, even among Muslims (eg. to effect reconciliation). people, and cause great suffering and torment in the world. Also, Muslims
– It is also significant that Islam allows lying under certain conditions to believe that Yajug and Majuj (Gog and Magog, but should be distinguish
achieve certain goals. from the Gog and Magog in the Bible) and their followers will "cause
115 116
great devastation to the earth and Muslims". Muhammad told his followers – Significantly, both the Bible and the hadiths agree that the Two
to beware of the "trial of adDajjal". Muhammad broke out in sweat and Witnesses / adDajjal will be killed by the Antichrist/Isa.
trembling at times when he had visions of adDajjal.
– The Two Witnesses of the Bible could be seen as adDajjal since he/they It is possible for the whole world to see this event on TV news today. Not
will torment the world (i.e., including Muslims). It could either correspond possible before the invention and popularity of TVs.
to Yajug and Majuj (not to be confused with Gog of Magog in the Bible,
which in Ezekiel 38 refers to the Antichrist). ·
+ The Witnesses will be killed in Israel, "And their dead bodies
will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called
Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." (Rev 11:8).
+ The Witnesses will wear sackcloth, signifying repentance and "In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the
atonement. Atonement in Hebrew is Kippur, from the root word kpr (in city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed" (
Hebrew f and p are the same letter, the latter being a hardening of sound of Rev 11:13).
the former). * According to the Muslim expectations, Isa will kill the adDajjal
* Muslims believe that adDajjal has the letters kfr on his head, which all at the Gate of Ludd (Lod in Israel, near Tel Aviv). At the same
Muslims can recognize and therefore identify him as adDajjal. They will time, his followers (numbering either 7,000 or 70,000) will also
then be able to avoid him. lose their lives.
– It is hard to say if there is any real correspondence between the Hebrew – The Biblical passage only says that the bodies will lie in the
"kippur" and the Arabic "kafir" above, since we are dealing with two place "where also our Lord was crucified", typically interpreted to
different though related languages. Hebrew and Arabic are very similar mean Jerusalem. But it did not say where they will be killed. The
languages but have different alphabets (in writing today). Both "kippur" figurative language of "Sodom" and "Egypt" may indicate a non
and "kafir" come from "kpr/kfr", and actually mean the same thing, "to literal location. Anyway, we do have the death inside Israel.
cover", "to hide". One is to "cover" one's sins (atonement in Hebrew), the Interestingly, who are the 7,000 mentioned in the Bible who were
other is to "cover" one's heart and beliefs (infidelity in Arabic). killed? Will they be adDajjal's followers?
·
·
+ The Witnesses will be killed by the Beast and the whole world will see + At the Witnesses' death, the world will rejoice and send each
their bodies without burial for three and a half days (Rev 11:8). other gifts (Rev 11:10).
* Isa is expected to descend from heaven and then kill adDajjal, and usher * Given that adDajjal is a negative figure in Islam, tormenting the
a new era of worldwide Islam. As Muslims who die are supposed to be Muslims, there is no doubt that Muslims will rejoice at the death of
buried as soon as possible, the denial of burial is a clear sign to punish the adDajjal.
infidel adDajjal.
·
117 118
· Antichrist (IN THE BIBLICAL SENSE) · The hadiths go to great length to describe adDajjal as being one
eyed, in contrast to Allah who is not one eyed. The hadiths,
however, are contradictory about which eye was blind. Some
hadiths say left, while some others say right. Many Muslims claim
+ According to the Bible, the Antichrist denies that Jesus is the that adDajjal will claim to be God, but we have not come across
Christ, denies the Son and the Father, ie. FatherSon relationship any hadiths that say that explicitly.
between God and Jesus (1 John 2:2123, 4:3), denies that Jesus
came in the flesh, i.e. God came in flesh (1 John 4:23, 2 John 1:7), The Bible describes in Zechariah 11:17 a bad shepherd who is the
opposite of the good shepherd, and who receives a wound that
* Islam specifically denies the central beliefs of Christianity. It blinded his right eye. Some scholars think this describes the
denies Antichrist who receives a fatal wound and then was healed (Rev
13:3,12). Muslims naturally think that this describes adDajjal
o that Jesus is God (i.e., FatherSon relationship of because of the blind eye, if they were to use this passage of the
God and Jesus) Bible to bolster their arguments. Islamic hadiths, however, don't
o that Jesus came in the flesh (since Muslims deny say how the adDajjal became oneeyed.
that Jesus is God)
o that Jesus died on the Cross for the sins of mankind However, given the close parallels of the Old Testament and the
(Islam believes that Jesus was not crucified on the cross, New Testament on the End Times figures, it is more likely that the
but someone else was). passage in Zechariah 11:17 refers to the Antichrist in the Biblical
sense. In fact, many Bible scholars believe that the Antichrist is
– While Islam thinks that the adDajjal is the Antichrist, the originally goodlooking, but later receives this wound and causes
description of an Islamic alMahdi matches the criteria given by him to go blind. Consider the following scenario: alMahdi
Apostle John. In fact, the many other parallels in Daniel, becomes the leader of the Jews after conquering them, persuading
Revelations, Ezekiel point to alMahdi as the biblical Antichrist. them (after finding a new version of the Torah) and leading them
to submit to Islam is also a possibility, and hence becomes a (false)
At the same time, Isa is a substitute for the Biblical Jesus, in that shepherd to Israel. The slaughtering of the Jews could happen after
he will claim to be the Biblical Jesus, and at the same time deny all these when he breaks the treaty mentioned above. At some
the descriptions of Jesus in the Bible. point later, alMahdi becomes severely wounded, and his miracle
performing assistant (i.e., Isa) heals him back to life (Rev 13:4).
From a Biblical perspective, Islam is an antichrist religion as it The rest of the world then becomes convinced of his prowess and
denies every of the central beliefs of Christianity. follows him. This scenario is entirely possible and causes no
contradiction with the Biblical passages.
From the forgoing comparisons, there are many more indications
that the Antichrist in the Biblical sense matches alMahdi of Islam,
and the Two Witnesses may be the adDajjal in the Muslim sense.
Some especially compelling reasons for the latter identification are
Miscellania
119 120
o the similar descriptions of their abilities to perform (possibility without much warfare). Nonetheless, it doesn't really
miracles in both religions, matter if the Christians are still around (ie. either midTribulation
o the similar descriptions of their tormenting the people of or postTribulation Rapture is correct) for two reasons: 1) there
the world, will be many who will leave the Christian faith, and 2) the book of
o the similar descriptions of their being killed by the First and Revelations and Daniel disclosed that the Antichrist will make
Second Beast and the world rejoicing at their death. wars against the saints and win over them. So that means that
whatever resistance there might be left will be too small to stand
The only difference appears to be the number of personalities against the Antichrist, resulting in martyrdom for many. Hence, the
involved. Islam describes only one adDajjal, while the Bible doctrine of Rapture is inconsequential to the exploits of the
describes two Witnesses. Islam's description is that of a Jewish Antichrist and his assistant, the False Prophet.
leader, whereas the Bible's description is likely one person · DIFFERENCES BETWEEN JESUS IN THE BIBLE AND ISA IN
associated with the Old Testament and another associated with the ISLAM
New Testament. Could it be that one of the Two Witnesses is
Jewish (associated with the Old Testament), while the other a Some readers may object to the differentiation between the
Gentile (nonJew) Christian (associated with the New Testament)? Biblical Jesus and the Isa in Islam, arguing that they are one and
If that is the case, then, the identification of adDajjal with the the same. In fact, some Muslims have tried to argue from the Bible
Jewish Witness fits the descriptions very well. that Jesus is simply a man and not divine (Christians believe that
Jesus is both human and divine). Of course, some Christians have
Bear in mind that we are looking at two different belief systems, done similar things by arguing from the Qur'an that Jesus is divine.
and since at most one is correct, it doesn't mean that both will However, any simple and honest study will reveal many
come true at the same time to the fullest details. At the most, only differences in the Biblical Jesus and Muslim Isa. The obvious ones
one will be fulfilled to the fullest. The counterfeit one will likely are that Christians believe Jesus to be divine and that he died on
be very close in fulfillment in order to draw people to it, but will the cross for our sins, whereas Islam believes that Isa was simply a
probably have some missing pieces to wake up the people who are prophet and that he did not die on the cross. Islam believes that a
paying close attention. substitute was put on the cross (we are not told who), a very large
deception hoisted by Allah on the world.
· Many Muslims say that adDajjal will claim to be God, but we
have not come across any hadith that specifically say this. At most, However, we do not deal with these here. Instead, we see that the
there are allusions because the hadiths say that "Allah is not one eschatological descriptions of Jesus and Isa also differ
eyed". On the other hand, if the Witnesses were to bear witness to significantly:
the Biblical Jesus, it will be seen as blasphemous in the eyes of
Muslims. o Isa will kill the Christians who refused to submit to Islam,
· We do not deal with the Rapture (the catching up of believers to whereas Jesus warned that Christians "will be handed over
meet their Lord in the air), much less whether it be before the to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by
Great Tribulation (the period where the Antichrist openly all nations because of me." (Matthew 24:9). It is clear that
persecutes the saints), midTribulation or postTribulation. If the the Muslim Isa is not the same as the Biblical Jesus.
Christians are raptured before the Tribulation, then resistance to o In Jesus' descent from heaven, many Christians believe that
and knowledge about the Antichrist will be very scarce, making it Jesus will come and descend at Mount Olives (Acts 1:11
much easier for the Antichrist to establish his rule and religion 12, Zechariah 14:4). On the other hand, Muslims believe
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that Isa will descend at a minaret (of a mosque) in loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the
Damascus. It should be noted that in the Bible, the False four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (
Prophet will appear some time before the real Jesus comes Matthew 24:29;31)
to judge the world.
o When Isa comes, he will of course claim to be Jesus, that "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the
he was a prophet of Allah, and that he did not die on the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill;
cross but that he ascended to heaven and had been there all one will be taken and the other left." (Matthew 24:4041)
along. He will proceed to kill adDajjal and help alMahdi
set up the Islamic Caliphate. He will try to "prove" that he The Biblical passage describes Jesus sending his angels to
is the Jesus of the Bible (the Qur'an says that the disciples gather those that belong to Him ... and some will be taken
of Jesus are Muslims), and thereby cause many Christians while others remain. The Biblical passage in Rev 11:1518
to follow him. Once again in the Bible, Jesus warned in also mentions the blowing of the trumpet and the reward of
advance that: "At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, the martyrs in order to reign with Jesus. Thus, from the
here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it." ( Biblical perspective, the coming of Jesus also brings to end
Matthew 24:23). a chapter of the world.
o Jesus warned: "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in
the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner These are not signs associated with Isa's coming, but most
rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from of the world probably wouldn't know. Muslims believe that
the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of Isa comes to help alMahdi set up the Caliphate and then
the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:2627). This implies a rule when the alMahdi dies. Moreover, in Islam, the
spontaneous event that can be seen throughout the the trumpet call also signifies the end of the world, but Isa's
world, not through TV. His coming will be so dramatic that coming does not signify the end of the world yet.
the whole world will know.
o Perhaps, Muslims might think that since Jesus said that: Hence, Isa's coming is an imitation of the one given in
"They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the the Bible and is not the same. To those who do not know
sky, with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30), it refers the Bible, the events are likely to convince them that
to Isa's descent at Damascus. Yes, there is some similarity Islam is correct, and that events are unfolding as the
(and perhaps that is precisely the purpose), but note also the hadiths have foretold. However, to those who know the
surrounding verses which give some more details: Bible, they will know that Isa is not the real Jesus, the
Jesus of the Bible.
"Immediately after the distress of those days " 'the sun will
be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars
will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be
shaken.' CONCLUSION
"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the This article has tried to show the parallels and antiparallels of the
sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will expectations in Christianity and Islam regarding the End Times (Last
see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with Hour) figures. In particular, we have attempted to show that alMahdi that
power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a
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Muslims are expecting to come to usher in the worldwide religion Islam's Much Awaited World Leader — Al
corresponds to the Antichrist described in the Bible. The alMahdi and the
Antichrist described in the Bible are that of a leader whose role is political Mahdi (and who he corresponds to in the Bible)
and military in nature. The Isa that Muslims expects to see coming to
assist alMahdi corresponds to the False Prophet of Revelations 13 in the Introduction
Bible, which the Bible describes as coming to assist the Antichrist. Both
the Muslim Isa and the False Prophet of Rev. 13 are described as a leader Muslims today are eagerly awaiting the appearance of a Muslim leader
whose role is primarily religious in nature. The adDajjal (Antichrist in known as alMahdi. The entire landscape of the Muslim world and the rest
Islam) appears to correspond to the Two Witnesses in the Bible. In Islam, of the world will dramatically change as a result of his appearance. We
this personality opposed the alMahdi and Isa and are killed by them, will examine this character in detail based on Islamic sources, and
whereas in Christianity, the Two Witnesses will oppose the Antichrist and compare him with a character in the Bible that is very similar.
False prophet and will be killed by them.
Muslims' Eager Expectation For AlMahdi
When the above personalities do develop and appear, both Christians
and Muslims will likely see in the unfolding events the supposed There is no doubt that Muslims are eagerly awaiting the appearance of a
fulfillment of their respective prophecies. Thus, when alMahdi appears, Muslim leader (known as Caliph in Arabic), who is to be a faithful
Christians who adhere to the Bible will see in him the fulfillment of the representative of Allah. Consider this report on Iranian President
prophecies of the Antichrist in the Bible, while the Muslims will see in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech to the United Nations General Assembly
him the fulfillment of the much awaited Savior and the Imam of the in September 2006:
Muslim people. When Isa comes, the Biblical Christians will see in him
the fulfillment of the False Prophet, while other Christians will think that WASHINGTON While most of the reporting and analysis of Iranian
what they had believed about Jesus of Christianity was wrong, and thus President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at the U.N. focused on what he
fall away and join Islam. The Bible had foretold this deception by the had to say about the West and specifically the U.S., his chilling closing
"Second Beast" and of this great falling away as one of the signs of the remarks were lost on most listeners and apparently all reporters...
End of Times.
The last two paragraphs of his remarks revealed his steadfast and
Of course, at most one side is on the side of truth. The delusion will be driving conviction, as previously reported in WND, that a messianic
great indeed. Satan has indeed hatched a very brilliant plan and deception. figure, known as the "Mahdi" to Muslims, is poised to reveal himself
Hopefully, you choose the correct side to be on. after an apocalyptic holocaust on Earth that leaves most of the
world's population dead. (Iran leader's U.N. finale reveals apocalyptic
Detailed comparisons of the individual characters can be found in the view, World Net Daily, Sept 21, 2006)
articles listed in the References. We encourage you to read all of them,
and then ponder the great and important question, What Do All These Or consider the statement by the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq, a
Mean? collection of eight mujahideen (jihad fighters) groups fighting the United
States:
May you be under the blessings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Sep 26, 2006. Both you and the Romans, await the defeat as you see what
happens everyday in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere as we
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are awaiting victory, martyrdom, triumph, enabling the Caliphate Islamic teaching is that all created things at an appointed time will be
(Islamic state) that judges by the law of Allah. Then we will break the annihilated, and then resurrected for judgment before Allah. The exact
cross, shed the wine and we wont accept Jiziya (Islam or Death), Allah date and time of this event, known as Yawm alQiyamah (literally Day of
will give Muslims the victory in their war against the Romans and Resurrection), is known to Allah alone (Qur'an Surah 7:187, 31:34, 33:63
their final capital Rome like his Prophet Mohammed, peace upon him, ), but the Qur'an says it will come suddenly (Surah 7:187; 12:107; 21:40;
has promised in the authentic Hadith and just as we were the victorious 22:55; 29:53; 39:55; 43:66; 47:18). Belief in the Last Days, in particular
when we conquered Istanbul in the past. (MSC Iraq Issues Statement In the Day of Judgment, is listed as the fifth Article of Faith in Islam, and
Rebuttal To Pope's Remarks On Islam) therefore an essential element of the Islamic faith. All Muslims are
expected to believe in it. Islam considers that all the prophets since the
Many similar reports about can be cited. Who is this Mahdi mentioned in time of Noah have taught about the Qiyamah to their followers, but that
President Ahmadinejad's speech? And what is the Islamic Caliphate Muhammad told his followers in much greater details about it. In
mentioned by the Mujahideen Shura Council? Why is there such particular, Muhammad said that the prophets have warned their followers
anticipation among the 1.3 billion Muslims for the coming of alMahdi? about adDajjal (Muslim version of the Antichrist, not to be confused with
What will he do when he appears on the scene? What effects will his the Antichrist in the Bible). For example, we read in the hadiths:
appearance bring to the whole world? How will the world react to this
person? Did the Bible also prophesy about alMahdi? If so, which Narrated AbuUbaydah ibn alJarrah:
character in the Bible prophecies fits?
I heard the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) say: There has been no Prophet
These are all questions that this article tries to answer as we search the after Noah who has not warned his people about the antichrist (Dajjal),
hadiths (Muslim record of Muhammad's words or deeds) and the teachings and I warn you of him. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him)
of Muslim scholars. Apart from the Qur'an, the hadiths form the next most described him to us, saying: Perhaps some who have seen me and heard
important source of Islamic Law. We also compare these expectations my words will live till his time. The people asked: Apostle of Allah! what
with what is contained in the Bible to gain a more complete understanding will be the condition of our hearts on that day? Like what we are today?
of the End Times. While most nonMuslims are probably clueless about He replied: Or better. (Sunan Abu Dawud 40.4738)
alMahdi, many Muslims are eagerly expecting his coming. Some
Muslims are even said to be trying to create the enviroment conducive for Even though Muhammad speculated that some Muslim believers might
this coming, and are actively working towards his Caliphate. live till the last days when adDajjal appears, this was not to be the case.
The hadiths recorded that Muhammad sometimes preached sermons on the
The importance of alMahdi to Muslims and nonMuslims alike is Qiyamah for many hours. It is also said that the Companions of
that his appearance will have dramatic effects on the Muslims and the Muhammad also taught the hadiths to their children and instructed them to
nonMuslims. As and when he appears, the entire dynamics of this also teach their children. Thus, teachings about Qiyamah is something that
world will change as a result. We encourage you to carefully read this is taught and passed down by Muslims from generation to generation,
article to understand the impact it will have on the Muslim psyche reflecting its importance in the Islamic faith. As such, many Muslims will
and how it will steer world events. be familiar with the teachings on Qiyamah, about the coming of alMahdi,
about the coming of Isa (Islamic name for Jesus) and the coming of ad
Dajjal.
The Importance of Qiyamah in Islam Muslim scholars tell us that the signs of the Qiyamah can be divided into
two types: Major (Greater) and Minor (Lesser) Signs. The Minor Signs
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can be categorized into Immediate or Later, where Immediate Signs refers The final times represents an age that contains all of these "better"
to those supposedly fulfilled in the earlier era of Islam, while the Later concepts. They will be a holy age, when shortages are replaced by plenty
Signs are supposed to happen as Qiyamah draws near. We will not deal and abundance, injustice by justice, immorality by morality, conflict by
with the Minor Signs in this article, but concentrate on the first of the peace and security, and the Islamic morality that all believers have
Major Signs — the coming of AlMahdi. yearned for down the centuries comes to prevail... the world will
experience that period of great peace, security, happiness, and wellbeing
known as the Golden Age. (Harun Yahyah, The End Times and Signs of
the Mahdi)
Descriptions of AlMahdi in Islam
The Mahdi in Shi'ite and Sunni (the two main sects of Islam) traditions are
In this section, we will consider the various hadith reports (plural. ahadith) somewhat different as to the exact identity of alMahdi. The Shi'ites
and Muslim teachings concerning alMahdi to get a good idea of this End believe that alMahdi was the 12th Imam (leader) of the Shi'ite sect (the
Times personality in Islam. The hadiths are the records of words or deeds fourth Caliph, Ali, was considered the first Shi'ite Imam, followed by his
of Muhammad, and is second in importance as the source of inspiration sons Hasan, Hussein, and their descendents, etc). This 12th Imam, who
after the Qur'an. As such, the hadiths play a very important part in the was then a small boy, was said to have disappeared and went into
doctrine and practice of Islam. However, not all the hadiths are equal, in occultation around 260 A.H. (874 A.D.). The Shi'ites believed that in the
that some of the them, especially the Sahih (authentic or sound) hadiths, Last Days, he will reappear and rule the earth. In contrast, the Sunnis
are considered to be most authentic and beyond dispute. The Sahih believe alMahdi to be someone to appear in the future, and do not
Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are considered the most authentic. necessarily have any special connection to the 12th Imam of the Shi'ites.
Nevertheless, this is not important in our study, as our focus is on the
AlMahdi is considered a Major Sign of the Qiyamah. This title means Mahdi that is to appear and his characteristics and exploits. In this respect,
"the Guided One," i.e., he will be guided by Allah. It can also mean "the there is essentially no difference in Sunni and Shi'ite versions of what he
Gifted One," obviously in reference to the various gifts he will possess. will be and what he will do.
There are many hadiths recording Muhammad's teachings about alMahdi.
Many Muslims have also written about alMahdi and the accompanying Historically, there have been many Muslims who have claimed to be al
signs of his coming. On the internet, one can find many articles related to Mahdi. However, we do not dwell on these claimants, but rather on the
his coming. apocalyptic character that Muslims believe will come before the End of
Times. OK. So let's sit tight and see what the hadiths and Muslim scholars
In essense, the hadiths speak of alMahdi as a character that is expected to have to say about alMahdi.
appear in the Last Days, unite the Muslims and with the help of Isa
(Muslim version of Jesus), conduct jihad (lit. struggle, more commonly,
referring to warfare in Allah's cause) against the rest of the world. He is
expected to be victorious and to usher in a new era of Islamic Caliphate. Conditions at the Emergence of AlMahdi
The Caliphate is the jurisdiction of the Caliph. Muslims expect this
Islamic Caliphate to eventually cover the entire world as the entire world According to the hadiths, just prior to the emergence of AlMahdi,
comes under Islam. He will rule for seven years, bringing in an era of "Christian rule will be dominant". (Note that Muslims often equate
"justice and equity". This is an age that many Muslims look fondly Western with Christian). A descendent of Abu Sufyan (a Meccan who
towards: converted to Islam under threat of beheading) is supposed to emerge in
Syria (Sham) and kill many of Muhammad's descendents and rule over
129 130
Syria and Egypt. There is then supposed to be a battle between the ruler Mahmoud or Ahmad, might be acceptable. Fatimah, Ali's wife, was the
and the Christians, after which, one group of the Christians will enter into only child of Muhammad to have descendents, as the rest of Muhammad's
a treaty with the Muslims while the other group will attack and conquer children either died young or did not have offsprings. Thus, alMahdi is
Constantinople (Istanbul). The Muslims and their Christian allies will then supposed to be a descendent of Fatimah and Ali. Muhammad's
attack the other Christians and win over them. Then the Muslims and the descendants are numerous. The royal family of Jordan, for example, are
Christians will argue over if the battle had been won with the Cross or descended from Hasan, eldest son of Fatimah and Ali.
Islam, until a fullscale battle ensued, resulting in the killing of the Muslim
ruler. These Christians are supposed to conquer Syria and reconcile with In another hadith, we read:
the other group of Christians, and will exercise their rule till Khaybar.
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud:
At this point, it is said that this turmoil will cause Muslims everywhere to
be searching for AlMahdi to lead them and end all these trials. Given the The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If only one day of this world
current situation in the Middle East, it should be understandable why remained. Allah would lengthen that day (according to the version of
many Muslims look forward to the day alMahdi will appear. Za'idah), till He raised up in it a man who belongs to me or to my
family whose father's name is the same as my father's, who will fill the
earth with equity and justice as it has been filled with oppression and
tyranny (according to the version of Fitr). Sufyan's version says: The
AlMahdi — A Descendent of Muhammad world will not pass away before the Arabs are ruled by a man of my
family whose name will be the same as mine. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4269
The first thing we will notice about the Mahdi is that the hadiths say that )
he will be a direct descendent of Muhammad:
This hadith seem to say that alMahdi's father will also have the same
Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin: name as Muhammad's father (i.e., Abdullah). If so, then alMahdi's name
should be Muhammad ibn Abdullah. However, some Muslims dispute the
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Mahdi will be of my authenticity of these hadiths. Shi`ites believed that his name is
family, of the descendants of Fatimah. Abdullah ibn Ja'far said: I heard Muhammad ibn Hasan. There are also other hadiths that give the name of
AbulMalih praising Ali ibn Nufayl and describing his good qualities. ( alMahdi's mother to be the same as Muhammad's mother (i.e., Amina).
Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4271)
The world will not come to pass until a man from among my family,
whose name will be my name, rules over the Arabs. (Tirmidhi Sahih, AlMahdi's Looks
Vol. 9, P. 74; Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 5, P. 207; also narrated by Ali b.
Abi Talib, Abu Sa'id, Umm Salma, Abu Hurayra, quoted by Idara Dawat From the hadiths, we gather that alMahdi will have a broad forehead and
oIrshad, "Identification of the Prophesied Imam Mahdi") a prominent nose.
Many similar hadiths were also recorded by other Muslims like Ahmad Narrated Abu Sa'id alKhudri:
ibn Hanbal, ibn Majar, etc. Thus alMahdi is supposed to be a descendent
of Muhammad, and will have the same name as Muhammad, but some The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Mahdi will be of my stock,
Muslims also think that names that are variants of Muhammad, like and will have a broad forehead a prominent nose. He will fill the earth
131 132
will equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he name of Mansur. On their way to Jerusalem, they will kill many infidels
will rule for seven years. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4272) (kuffars, i.e., nonMuslims).
Then, Hudhayfah asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, how shall we know him?' The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A man called alHarith ibn
He replied: "He is a man from my children, he looks like the men from Harrath will come forth from Ma Wara anNahr. His army will be led by a
the children of Israel, (quoted by Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late man called Mansur who will establish or consolidate things for
Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL Muhammad's family as Quraysh consolidated them for the Apostle of
[Moshaikh the ANTICHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish) Allah (peace_be_upon_him). Every believer must help him, or he said:
respond to his sermons. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4277)
This could mean he will look like a Jew, or as some Muslims speculate,
like one of the "lost tribes of Israel" whatever that may mean. For Hadhrat Buraidah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi
example, some claim that the Pathans (or Pashtuns) of Afghanistan and Wasallam) said: "There will be many armies after me. You must join that
Pakistan were descended from the lost tribes of Israel (actually only from army [that] [sic] will come from Khurasaan". (Ibn Adi, as quoted by
King Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin), who later converted to Islam. Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi
They identify themselves as Bani Israel, but not Jews. (The relationship (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")
between Jews and Muslims have been extremely tumultous since the days
of Muhammad, something we shall see also in other hadiths regarding the "Rasulullah" means "Messenger of Allah", a title Muslims used to refer to
End Times). Muhammad. Khorasan today is a province in north eastern Iran, but in
ancient times, Greater Khorasan refers to a region that extends over north
However, the above reference as refering to the Jews is the most likely eastern Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
interpretation, since Muhammad dealt with many Jews in Arabia during Thus, out of this central Asian region is supposed to arise an army
his time, and the Qur'an and he consistently used Bani Israel to refer to the carrying black flags. At one time, it was speculated that Osama bin Laden
Jewish people in Arabia (See Qur'an, Surah 2:40, 2:47, for example). or his lieutenants, then based in Afghanistan, could have been leading this
army.
Other hadiths ascribe to him a regular height, an Arab complexion, a
glittering face, about the age of 40, and has a black mole on his right As Muhammad commanded all Muslims to give this army their support
cheek. He will be wearing two cloaks (similar to Jewish tallits or Afghan when they see it appear, this army, though not necessarily very well
Qutwani cloaks). equpped, will be very formidable. The army is said to be very successful
on its journey to Jerusalem.
Abu Hurairah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)
An Army Bearing Black Flags Coming From Khorasan (Or The East) said: "(Armies carrying) black flags will come from khurasaan. No
power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela (Baitul
Several hadiths tell of the coming of an army bearing black flags (or Maqdas) where they will erect their flags". (Tirmidhi, as quoted by
banners) prior to the revealing of alMahdi. A man from Khorasan by the Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi
name of alHarith ibn Harrath will be preparing the people for the (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")
appearance of the Mahdi, and at the front of this army is a man by the
133 134
Baitul Maqdas (literally Holy House) came from the Hebrew term for the person that is already ruling over some country in the world. Instead,
Jewish Temple, Bait HaMiqdash, and is used to refer to Jerusalem, or Muslims believe alMahdi to be a person living in obscurity before his
more specifically, to the AlAqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock on emergence, and that his heart will be changed overnight to take up this
the Temple Mount (the compound is known as alHaram alSharif). This responsibility:
army will kill many infidels on the way, and finally on reaching
Jerusalem, will plant the black flags on the AlAqsa Mosque. It is said that Al Mahdi is from the family of the House Allah will 'yuslihu' him in a
when the black flags appear, the appearance of alMahdi will be imminent. night.
(Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL
The black flags have been a prominent sign in Islam's army since MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTICHRIST]", tr.
Muhammad's days. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
In Islam there are two flags. One is white and one is black. Written across Since alMahdi's heart is supposed to be changed overnight, it is wellnigh
both flags in Arabic are the words, "There is no God but Allah and impossible to say what kind of person he currently is, if he exist today. He
Muhammad is his Messenger". The white flag is called AlLiwaa and will suddenly burst into the world scene. He will be recognized as the
serves as the sign for the leader of the Muslim army and is the flag of the Mahdi by a group of Muslims known as abdals and will be suddenly
Islamic State. The black flag is called ArRaya and is used by the Muslim thrusted into the limelight. The hadiths say:
army. It is also called the flag of jihad, and is carried into battle. One flag
is governmental and the other is a military flag. When Muhammad Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:
returned to his home city of Mecca after being exiled for eight years, he
returned as a conqueror. With him were ten thousand Muslim soldiers. The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Disagreement will occur at the
They carried with them black flags. On the flags was one word written in death of a caliph and a man of the people of Medina will come flying
Arabic: punishment. (Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited forth to Mecca. Some of the people of Mecca will come to him, bring
Messiah", 2006.) him out against his will and swear allegiance to him between the
Corner and the Maqam. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4273)
In modern days, the black flags have been used by Muslims in several
places during demonstrations, eg. a demonstration against the Pope in From this hadith, we can see that alMahdi is said to escape from Medina
Palestine, in antoher demonstration in Cairo, etc. This imagery is of course to Mecca (the two holiest cities in Islam) possibly due to the fear of the
an invocation of the desire for alMahdi to arrive on the world scene. It is responsibilities on him. This must indicate that he will know he is to be al
clear that many Muslims understand the significance behind this flag: a Mahdi. Note that it is not indicated whether he actually is a Medinan.
coming retribution against those who defy Islam (whether it be non Some Muslims speculated that alMahdi will be Meccan, just like
Muslims or nondevout Muslims). Muhammad. However, given the ease of travel in the world today, there is
no telling where he will be, or what nationality he will be.
In summary, when the army of black flags appears in Khorasan, the
emergence of alMahdi is supposedly imminent. During the Haj, while performing the tawaf between Hajrul Aswad and
Maqam Ibrahim, some people known as the abdals are said to approach
AlMahdi's Ascension to Rule him and forcefully pledge their allegiance (bayah) to him. The tawaf is the
ritual of circumambulation around the Ka'aba (the holiest building in
As we study the hadiths on alMahdi, we come to some very interesting Mecca) performed by Muslims during the pilgrimage to Mecca (known as
developments. This very important person may not be some prominent the Haj). Hajrul Aswad refers to the Black Stone at a corner of the Ka'aba,
135 136
whereas Maqam Ibrahim (the Station of Abraham) is located in front of allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice, because he is the
the only door to the Ka'aba. Thus, people will suddenly pledge allegiance Khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi.' (Ibn Majah Page 300, Also Ahmad's
to alMahdi at this vicinity. Other hadiths say that at this time a voice from Musnad, alHaakim's Mustadrak and others).
heaven will tell the people there that he is the khalifah (Caliph, meaning
viceroy) of Allah (Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, There is also the Hadith narrated by Thawban (may Allah be pleased with
Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)). News of this him) in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If you
unveiling of alMahdi will then travel quickly around the world to the see the black banners emerging from Khurasan, seek to join their
Muslims. supporters even if creeping, because among them will be caliph Al
Mahdi." That Hadith was reported by AlHakim and Ahmad. But the
The same hadith continues: chains of narration of that hadith were all unauthentic, though some
Hadith scholars rendered it sound in general. (Islam Online)
An expeditionary force will then be sent against him from Syria but will
be swallowed up in the desert between Mecca and Medina. When the What the last sentence in the quote above means is that the content of the
people see that, the eminent saints of Syria and the best people of Iraq hadith is sound, and fits other data available, but the specific isnad (chain
will come to him and swear allegiance to him between the Corner and of narrators) is weak. The phrase "even if creeping" has also been
the Maqam. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4273) translated to "even if crawl over ice", and Muslims said that some
mountainous regions in Khorasan area are often covered with ice and
So, the above hadith tells us that a huge army from Syria ("expeditionary snow. Basically, what this means is that Muslims are told to go and join
force") is said to come and attack him, but will be swallowed up in the them when they appear, even if it means a great deal of hardship to get
desert between Medina and Mecca. When the surrounding people see or there. This is not difficult to imagine since many foreign Muslims have
hear about this event, leaders of Syria and Iraq will come to pledge their gone to the difficult mountainous region to train with alQaida.
allegiance to him. At this point, alMahdi would have gained the
allegiance of quite a number of influential Muslim leaders. Notice, however, that this hadith says that "among them will be caliph Al
Mahdi". That is, alMahdi will be one of those among the army, and then
Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib: later he will be revealed. Other hadiths seem to indicate that he is revealed
and then this army will join him. Whatever the case, alMahdi and the
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A man called alHarith ibn army are certainly intertwined.
Harrath will come forth from Ma Wara anNahr. His army will be led by a
man called Mansur who will establish or consolidate things for Thus far, we see that alMahdi will suddenly be recognized, and then some
Muhammad's family as Quraysh consolidated them for the Apostle of leaders will pledge allegiance to him, and due to a miraculous event, many
Allah (peace_be_upon_him). Every believer must help him, or he said: more leaders will then come and follow to him. This news will spread very
respond to his sermons. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4277) quickly among the Muslims and many more Muslims will then come and
pledge allegiance to him. This meteoric rise to power of a leader will be
Thawban (R.A) reported that the Propet [sic] Muhammad said, 'In your unprecendented in the history of mankind.
old age three men will be killed. Each of them will be the son of a
Khalifah (caliph a Muslim ruler). Then the black banners will come out Let's pause a moment and consider the implications of this event. Today,
of the east, and they will slaughter you in a way that no Nation has ever there are an estimated 1.3 to 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. And if only
done before. Then the Dear Prophet said something that I didn't remember. 10% of all Muslims were to join this army, we will see 130 to 150 million
Then again the Dear Prophet said if you see him give him your Muslim mujahideens (those who participate in jihad). Given that
137 138
Muhammad exhorted all Muslims to join and support them (and assuming filled with oppression and tyranny (according to the version of Fitr).
only the ablebodied and adult ones can actually join), the size of this Sufyan's version says: The world will not pass away before the Arabs are
coming Muslim army is still considerable, running in the hundreds of ruled by a man of my family whose name will be the same as mine.
millions. No nation in this world has such a large army. One can easily (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 36, #4269, Also #4270, #4272, #4276A)
imagine that very very few nations can stand against this large army. Then there will arise a man of Quraysh whose maternal uncles belong to
Kalb and send against them an expeditionary force which will be
overcome by them, and that is the expedition of Kalb. Disappointed will
be the one who does not receive the booty of Kalb. He will divide the
AlMahdi The World Leader property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet
(peace_be_upon_him) and establish Islam on Earth. He will remain
We have seen the expected meteoric and sudden rise to power of al seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him. (Sunan Abu
Mahdi, but this is not the end. The aim of alMahdi is not just the Muslim Dawud, Book 36, #4273)
world, but the entire world. The title for Book 36 of Sunan Abu Dawud,
one of the six Sahih Sunni collections of hadiths, is "The Promised As the expected rule of alMahdi is to cover the whole earth and not
Deliverer (Kitab AlMahdi)". This is a collection of hadiths related to the just the Muslim countries today, nonMuslims will also be affected by
coming of alMahdi. Thus, early Muslims saw alMahdi as a coming this turn of events. In order to bring about a world of "peace and justice",
deliverer of the Muslims. alMahdi will rely on a number of means. Muslims tell us:
Jews are waiting for the Messiah, Christians are waiting for Jesus, and Allah (c.c.) will sow love of him in the hearts of all people. (Harun Yahya
Muslims are waiting for both the Mahdi and Jesus. All religions describe quoting ElKavlu'l Muhtasar Fi Alametil Mehdiyyil Muntazar, 42) ...
them as men coming to save the world. (Shaykh Muhammad Hisham
Kabbani, "The Approach of Armageddon? An Islamic Perspective", So, Allah will sow love of him in the chests of the people
Canada, Supreme Muslim Council of America, 2003, p. 229, as quoted by (Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL
Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006) MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTICHRIST]", tr.
Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
The hadiths tell us:
There will remain no individual not pleased with the Muslims. (Harun
Even if the entire duration of the world's existence has already been Yahya quoting Signs of the Judgment Day, 163) ...
exhausted and only one day is left before the Day of Judgment, Allah will
expand that day to such a length of time, as to accommodate the kingdom Al Mahdi appears, everyone only talks about Him, drinks the love of Him,
of a person out of my Ahl alBayt who will be called by my name. He will and never talks about anything other than Him. (Harun Yahya quoting Al
then fill the Earth with peace and justice as it will have been filled with Burhan fi Alamat alMahdi Akhir alZaman, 33)
injustice and tyranny before then. (Sahih Tirmidhi, vol. 2, p86, vol. 9, p74
75) The dwellers of Heaven and Earth, even the birds in the sky, will be
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If pleased with his Caliphate. (Harun Yahya quoting ElKavlu'l Muhtasar Fi
only one day of this world remained. Allah would lengthen that day Alametil Mehdiyyil Muntazar, 29)
(according to the version of Za'idah), till He raised up in it a man who
belongs to me or to my family whose father's name is the same as my The above quotations paint a picture where Allah will cause the people of
father's, who will fill the earth with equity and justice as it has been this world to admire and love him. As such, alMahdi will exude a
139 140
charisma, charm, and as we shall also see, persuasiveness, that many will Having seen alMahdi's rise to power and how he will establish his
find difficult to resist. As a result, many people will willingly come under Caliphate over the whole world, we now explore the nature of his
his rule and become Muslims as alMahdi and Isa make Islam the only government. According to the hadiths, alMahdi will govern according to
religion in this world. the Sunnah of Muhammad. The word sunnah literally means "trodden
path" and refers to the words and acts of Muhammad, and these are
Under his authority, alMahdi will send out invitations to Islam to the rest recorded in the hadiths. The Sunnah of Muhammad refers to the
of the world, starting with the states around his own jurisdiction, precedents set by Muhammad. All Muslims try to emulate Muhammad,
according to the stipulation of Muhammad. After these are passed, then and some go to the extent of emulating everything he did, including the
according to Muhammad's sunnah (lit. path, i.e. Muhammad's example), beard, the turban, the sequence of putting on clothes, and other acts. As to
AlMahdi is free to conduct warfare against these nations and subdue matters of law, the Sunnah is codified into the Shari'a (Islamic Law).
them. He is expected to bring about a new era of "peace and justice" over
the entire world. Muslims tell us about his success in conducting jihad: Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:
Nafi' b. Utba reported: ... I repeat (on the fingers of my hand) that he ... Then there will arise a man of Quraysh whose maternal uncles belong to
(Allah's Messenger) said: You will attack Arabia and Allah will enable Kalb and send against them an expeditionary force which will be
you to conquer it, then you would attack Persia and He would make you to overcome by them, and that is the expedition of Kalb. Disappointed will
Conquer it. Then you would attack Rome and AllgLh [sic] will enable you be the one who does not receive the booty of Kalb. He will divide the
to conquer it, then you would attack the Dajjal and Allah will enable you property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet
to conquer him. Nafi' said: Jabir, we thought that the Dajjal would appear (peace_be_upon_him) and establish Islam on Earth. He will remain
after Rome (Syrian territory) would be conquered. (Sahih Muslim 41.6930 seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him. (Sunan Abu
) Dawud 36.4273)
JIHAAD ON INDIA So, we see that alMahdi will make Islam the religion across the entire
A jamaat of Muslims wages Jihaad on India and be successful. world. And he will also govern using the Shari'a Law. That means, he and
Isa will institute Shari'a Law over all the world. Even though the different
SYRIA UNDER MUSLIM RULE Sunni schools have some disagreements over the actual implementation of
Imam Mahdi returns to Syria and establishes Muslim rule over the lands Shari'a (the different schools have about 75% of Shar'ia that are in
he passes. (Mufti Afzal Hoosen Elias, "MAJOR SIGNS OF QIYAMAT") complete agreement), alMahdi will probably not have any problems since
the Muslims have already pledged allegiance to him and also believed that
So we see that first of all, people will love alMahdi and come willingly to he is rightly guided by Allah (hence, his title of alMahdi). This means all
submit to him, some will become persuaded by his message and be those legal disputes will probably be resolved under his direction.
amazed at his military success, and the rest of the world who refuse to
follow him will be conquered, and "he will then fill the Earth with peace In the world today, whenever Muslims become the majority of the land,
and justice". the law is often changed to Shari'a. You can see this happening in
Somalia, Sudan. Even in more "moderate" countries where Muslims are
already under Shar'ia Law,, (eg. Malaysia and Indonesia), the call for
complete Shar'ia, even over nonMuslims, is regularly heard. In places
AlMahdi And The Laws Of His Government were the Muslims are minority, Shar'ia Law is practiced among Muslims,
and often recognized by the government (eg. England, Singapore, etc).
141 142
Another important aspect of Shar'ia relates to the calendar. Muslim nations Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: "He will be from my progeny
use the Islamic calendar that dates from the Hijra (the escape of and will be forty years of age. His face will shine like a star and he will
Muhammad from Mecca to Medina). Thus, Islamic dates are labelled as have a black spot on his left cheek. He will don two "Qutwaani" cloaks
A.H. (after Hijra) instead of A.D. (Ano Domini, latin for "in the Lord"). and will appear exactly as a person from the Bani Israeel..." (Tabrani, as
The Islamic Calendar is totally lunar in nature and has no intercalation to quoted by Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam
synchronize with the solar year (unlike the Jewish or Chinese lunisolar Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")
calendar). When alMahdi implements the Shari'a Law over his empire, it
is a given that he will also use the Islamic calendar. The Romans are often equated with the Christians or the West (as the
Romans Empire that came in contact with the Muslims at that time was
the Eastern Roman Empire, known also as the Byzantine Empire). The
above quotation tells us that the agreement will be with a descendent of
Length Of AlMahdi's Reign Aaron (Harun or Haroon), i.e., a person from the priestly family. The
Aaronites have been entrusted with the job of taking care of the daily
A number of sahih or hasan (good) hadiths say that the reign of alMahdi sacrifices and only the Chief Priest may enter into the "Holy of Holies".
will be about seven years. We have seen it mentioned in Sunan Abu Exactly what the treaty is about, the hadiths did not specify.
Dawud 36.4273. Here is another one:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Mahdi will be of my stock,
and will have a broad forehead a prominent nose. He will fill the earth will AlMahdi's Seat of Authority Jerusalem and/or Kufa
equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will
rule for seven years. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4272) Another important characteristic of alMahdi is his seat of authority. We
have already seen this hadith above:
There are some other hadiths that gives his length of rule as 5, 7, 9 or 10.
There is even one that says 20 years. However, the hadith with seven years Abu Hurairah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)
seems to be the most authentic (Sahih). There is some doubt in the said: "(Armies carrying) black flags will come from khurasaan. No
authenticity of the other hadiths. power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela (Baitul
Maqdas) where they will erect their flags". (Tirmidhi, as quoted by
The Treaty of Seven Years Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi
(Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")
We also read of a peace treaty that the Muslims will enter into:
We can see that the hadiths say that Jerusalem will be captured by the
Hadhrat Abu Umamah radhiyallahu anhu says that Rasulullah sallallahu Muslims. Muhammad ibn Izzat and Muhammad 'Arif, commenting on the
alayhi wasallam said: "There will be four peace agreements between you above tradition, said:
and the Romans. The fourth agreement will be mediated through a
person who will be from the progeny of Hadhrat Haroon alayhis The Mahdi will be victorious and eradicate those pigs and dogs and the
salaam and will be upheld for seven years." idols of this time so that there will once more be a caliphate based on
prophethood as the hadith states... Jerusalem will be the location of the
The people asked: "O Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam , who will be rightly guided caliphate and the center of Islamic rule, which will be
the Imaam of the people at the time?" headed by Imam alMahdi... That will abolish the leadership of the
143 144
Jews... and put an end to the domination of the Satans who spit evil into this does not preclude alMahdi from first ruling in Damascus or Kufa,
people and cause corruption in the earth, making them slaves of false idols then ruling from Jerusalem after it was captured.
and ruling the world by laws other than the Shari'a [Islamic Law] of the
Lord of the worlds. (Muhammad ibn Izzat and Muhammad 'Arif, as
quoted by Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)
AlMahdi and the Jews
In other words, Muslims believe that Israel will be defeated and the nation
of Israel wiped out. Muslims consider that Jerusalem will be the future The relationship with the Jews is at a boiling point today, due especially to
headquarters of alMahdi's caliphate. For example: the establishment of the modern nation of Israel. Some Muslim nations do
not recognize Israel, and some make no pretense about their desire to
Head of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement Sheikh Raed Salah completely annihilate Israel from the world map. The Sahih Muslim
said Friday that "soon Jerusalem will be the capital of the new Muslim contain a number of hadiths that describe what will happen to the Jews
caliphate, and the caliph's seat will be there." (Salah: Caliph will sit in under alMahdi:
Jerusalem, Ynet News, Sep 15, 2006.)
A. Hijazi explains: (Muhammad said:) The last hour would not come unless the Muslims
will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the
The flourishing of Jerusalem will happen by the hands of Muslims, by the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree
will of Allah, after it will be retrieved from the Jews. would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me;
come and kill him; (Sahih Muslim 41.6985. Also, Sahih Muslim 41.6981,
The Holy Land will be the seat of the Caliphate because the Messenger of Sahih Muslim 41.6982, Sahih Muslim 41.6983, Sahih Muslim 41.6984)
Allah sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said to Ibn Hawalah,
This hadith paints a very dire picture of the Jews at the End Times. This
"O Ibn Hawalah! If you live to see the seat of the Caliphate of the Holy particular hadith is often recalled by many terrorists like alQaida and
Land, then earthquakes, disasters and great calamities are imminent. others. It is also taught in Saudi school textbooks and in sermons in the
Then, the Hour will be closer to people than this hand of mine to your mosques around the world. Given the strong sentiments against Jews in
head!" (AlHakim in AlMustadrak, vol. 4, p. 420, and he says, "Sahih", as the Middle East, this hadith is a clear statement of what will happen to the
quoted by A. Hijazi, "Signs of the Appearance of the Dajjal and His Israelis the moment Israel lapses in her defenses. The recent war in
Destruction. Major Signs of the Last Hour") Lebanon has also destroyed the myth of invincibility of the Israeli army,
and so Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria, Iran and other groups will probably be
The fact that alMahdi will choose to rule from Jerusalem sometime into even more emboldened in the future. This means a coordinated effort by
his reign (not explicitly stated when) means there has to be a conflict with the Muslims to destroy Israel is becoming more and more a nottoodistant
the Israelis currently ruling Jerusalem, in order to resolve this issue. In reality.
fact, as we have seen above, and we shall see next, the Jews will be
defeated and slaughtered.
However, this does not mean that Jerusalem will be the seat of his throne AlMahdi and Prosperity. A New Golden Age of Islam
throughout his entire reign. In fact, Shi`ite Muslims believe that he will
rule from Kufa (in modern day Iraq) and also go to Jerusalem, whereas Another aspect of the reign of alMahdi is the expectation that it will be a
other Muslims believe that he will rule from Damascus in Syria. That said, great time of wealth and peace, in other words, a new Golden Age of
145 146
Islam. During the reign of AlMahdi, there will be a lot of wealth, rain in "He will fill the earth with fairness and justice
its season and good harvest of crops and cattle. It will be a very just as it had been filled by oppression and injustice.
prosperous period of time. The inhabitants of the heavens and earth will be pleased with him.
He will distribute wealth equally."
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as At this point a companion asked what 'equally' meant so the Prophet
saying: The Last Hour will not come till wealth is abundant and replied:
overflowing, so much so that the owner of the property will think as to "Equally, between the people, and Allah will fill the hearts
who will accept Sadaqa from him, and a person would be called to accept of the nation of Muhammad with richness
Sadaqa and he would say: I do not need it. (Sahih Muslim 5.2209) and his justice will satisfy them
until he sends a messenger saying:
According to a Hadeeth narrated by Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A.) Rasulullah 'Who is in need of wealth?'
(Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "...(regarding the rule of Imaam None except one man will stand and say, 'Me'.
Mahdi) the skies will rain down in abundance and the earth will yield So he will say: 'Go to the treasurer and tell him
forth its crop in abundance, and those alive will desire that those who that Al Mahdi orders you to give me wealth.'
have already passed away should have been alive to enjoy this So the treasurer will say to him:
prosperity.)" (Mustadrak, as quoted by Mohammed All Ibn Moulana 'Fill with your hands!'
Zubair Ali, "Signs of Qiyamah".) And he will put it in his clothing then tie it.
Then he will become contrite and say:
"At the end of my nation Al Mahdi will come for whom Allah will send 'I was the most greedy among the nation of Muhammad,
rain so that the earth produces its plants. He will give wealth equally; and he will attempt to return it but it will not be accepted,
cattle will increase and the nation will be great. He will live for seven and it will be said to him:
or eight." 'We do not accept what we have given.'
(Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL And so he (Al Mahdi) will remain
MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTICHRIST]", tr. seven, eight or nine years
Shaykh Ahmad Darwish) then, there is no goodness left in life
nor yet in living after him.
AlMahdi will also be so wealthy that he will have at his disposal plenty of
wealth to distribute to his followers, without even counting. The preceding narrations were reported by Abi Said Al Khudri in the
reference of Abi Dawood, Al Hakim, AtTirmizi, Ahmad, ibn Hibban,
Abu Nadra reported: "... He (Jabir b. Abdullab) kept quiet for a while and Muslim, Al Tabarani (in his middle dictionary), Al Barudi and Abu
then reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said Nuaym in his forty Hadith concerning Al Mahdi.
There would be a caliph in the last (period) of my Ummah who would (Narrated by the late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco Shaykh Abdullah ben
freely give handfuls of wealth to thd [sic] people without counting it. I Sadek, Ph.D., "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTI
said to Abu Nadra and Abu al'Ala: DO you mean 'Umarb. 'Abd alAziz? CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
They said: No (he would be Imam Mahdi.). (Sahih Muslim 41.6961)
Consider for a moment, the jurisdiction of alMahdi. Once he united all
The late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, the Muslim states, consider the map of his empire. This region contains
Ph.D., said: more than three quarters of the world's known oil reserves (the only
significant one outside this is Canada, in the form of tar sands that are very
147 148
expensive to extract). At the record high price of oil today, a lot of wealth Allah's Messenger, would we be perished in spite of the fact that there
is already going into the oilproducing countries. Without oil, the world's would be good people amongst us? Thereupon he said: Of course, but only
economy will grind to a halt and so the entire world will become very when the evil predominates. (Sahih Muslim 41.6881. Also Sahih Muslim
dependent on alMahdi's Caliphate. AlMahdi will have much greater 41.6883)
clout than Saudi Arabia in the 1970s (during the Oil Crisis). There will be
no need for OPEC meetings to determine the amount of oil to produce. Al
Mahdi will be able to unilaterally set the price of oil, and therefore hold
the world's nation hostage. AlMahdi the Archaeologist
Muslims invading Arabia Muslims also tell us of an interesting bit of information about alMahdi:
The hadiths tell of an invasion of Arabia by a group of Muslims: I said, "O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, I have never
Nafi' b. Utba reported: ... I repeat (on the fingers of my hand) that he seen a Roman city like the city of Antioch and I have never seen more rain
(Allah's Messenger) said: You will attack Arabia and Allah will enable than it has." Whereupon the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon
you to conquer it, then you would attack Persia and He would make you to him, said: "Yes, that is because the Torah, Staff of Moses, Tablets, and the
Conquer it. Then you would attack Rome and AllgLh [sic] will enable you Table of Solomon, the son of David are in its caves. There is not a single
to conquer it, then you would attack the Dajjal and Allah will enable you cloud that comes from any direction to it that does not pour its blessing in
to conquer him. Nafi' said: Jabir, we thought that the Dajjal would appear that valley. And the days and night will not pass until a man from my
after Rome (Syrian territory) would be conquered. (Sahih Muslim 41.6930 musked children live in it. His name is like my name and his father's name
) is like my father's name; his manners are like my manners. He will fill the
world with fairness and justice just as it had been filled by harm and
Under Muhammad, Arabia has already been conquered by the Muslims. transgressions." Reported by Tamin AdDari, in the reference of Ibn
Due to the reference to the Dajjal, which Muslims expect will appear in Hibban AdDu'fa.
the End Times, this hadith appears to refer to the End Times. Could the (quoted by Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of
reference to "you will attack Arabia" be a reference to the Muslims Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh the ANTI
invading to topple the Saudi government which many feel are not real CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)
Muslims (many Muslims think the Saudi government is corrupt and not a
real Islamic government)? It is not insignificant that AlQaida often Ka'b alAhbar says "He will be called 'Mahdi" because he will guide
singled out Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt accusing them of collusion (yahdi) to something hidden and will bring out the Torah and Gospel
with the west. from a town called Antioch." (Izzat and Arif, p. 40, as quoted by Joel
Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)
There is another apocalyptic predication concerning Arabia, where Arabia
will be destroyed (although it is not clear if they are the same event): AsSuyuti mentioned in alHawi that the messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, said, "he is called the Mahdi because he
Zainab bint Jahsh reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) will guide the people to a mountain in Syria from which he will bring out
got up from sleep saying: There is no god but Allah; there is a destruction the volumes of the Torah to refute the Jews. At the hands of the
in store for Arabia because of turmoil which is at hand, the barrier of Gog Mahdi the Ark of the Covenant will be brought forth from the Lake
and Magog has opened so much. And Sufyan made a sign of ten with the of Tiberias and taken and placed in Jerusalem." (Izzat and Arif, p. 16,
help of his hand (in order to indicate the width of the gap) and I said:
149 150
as quoted by Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah",
2006)
Summary — Characteristics Of AlMahdi
AdDani said that he is called the Mahdi because he will be guided to a
mountain in Syria from which he will bring forth the volumes of the Having examined the hadiths and teachings about AlMadhi, we now
Torah with which to argue against the Jews and at his hands a group summarize what we know about alMahdi from the above discussion.
of them will become Muslim. (Izzat and Arif, p. 16, as quoted by Joel
Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006) · He will be Islam's deliverer.
· He is to be a descendent of Muhammad.
Basically, we see a picture of alMahdi going to some caves in Antioch (in · He is to bear the name or some variant name of Muhammad.
modernday Turkey) and he will bring out a version of the Torah and the · He will look like a Bani Israel.
Gospel. And he will use it to refute the Jews and the Christians, thereby · He will lead the Muslims and wage jihad against them rest of the
convincing some of them to become Muslims. As to the actual contents of world.
these manuscripts, we can only speculate. However, it is clearly implied · He will rule over the world.
that this version will be different from what is in the Bible today. Since it · He will cause Islam to be the only religion in the world and rule
is with these manuscripts that many will be convinced to become with Islamic Law.
Muslims, we can speculate reasonably as follows: since many Muslims · He will be much loved by the world.
believe that the Torah and the Gospels have been corrupted, supposedly, · He will conquer the Jews and slaughter them.
this version of the Torah and the Gospel will contain the kind of message · He will set up his seat of authority in Jerusalem.
that is the same as the Qur'an, and maybe explicit prophecies of · He will rule for seven years (or 8, or 9).
Muhammad which is missing from the Bible today. For example, the · He will make a treaty of seven years with a person of priestly
Qur'an says: lineage.
· He will possess and distribute wealth to the Muslims.
Those who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor · He will discover a new Torah, Gospel, and the Ark, and will use
write, whom they will find described in the Torah and the Gospel them to argue and persuade Jews and Christian, and cause many
(which are) with them. He will enjoin on them that which is right and people to follow him into Islam.
forbid them that which is wrong. He will make lawful for them all good · During his rule, there will be good rain, great harvest and crops.
things and prohibit for them only the foul; and he will relieve them of their
burden and the fetters that they used to wear. Then those who believe in At this point, we have a pretty good picture of who alMahdi will be, and
him, and honour him, and help him, and follow the light which is sent what he will do. Is there a personality in the Bible that is similar to al
down with him: they are the successful. (Surah 5:157) Mahdi? The answer, not surprisingly, is yes. However, this personality
may not be what a Muslim expect. So, please carefully read the next
No such prophecies exist in the Bible, of course, despite some Muslim section in order to understand the implications.
claims to have found them. However, it might be that the new Torah and
Gospel will contain such explicit statements, much like the fraudulent
Gospel of Barnabas did. That way, some Jews and Christians will believe
him and become Muslims. Of course, those who refuse to believe him and The Antichrist of the Bible
submit to Islam will face the consequences as we have mentioned.
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We now consider the characteristics of the Antichrist in the Bible. Please The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them
do not confuse this Antichrist with the antichrist in Islam known as ad another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue
Dajjal. Note that this section is not an exhaustive nor a systematic study of three kings. (Daniel 7:24)
the Biblical Antichrist. We only deal with characteristics that are relevant
to our discussion (whether positive or negative). And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven
heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous
In Christianity, the title of "Antichrist" is a generic title refering to a name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a
personality that is to appear at the End Times. He is also referred by many bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power
different titles in the Bible, like "the Beast," "the Little Horn," "the Son of and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to
Perdition," etc. He is to be the epitome of those who oppose the real Jesus have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole
Christ of the Bible (hence "the Antichrist"). world was astonished and followed the beast. Men worshiped the dragon
because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the
We first begin by roughly locating where the Antichrist will come from. In beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"
Ezekiel 38, we read of a prophecy about a gathering of nations that will (Revelations 13:14)
attack Israel. The list of nations include:
The description of the Antichrist here is that he will start with ten nations
· Egypt, which he will attack and subdue (Daniel 11:42). (note: nations may not be countries as we know today) in his alliance, but
· Meschek and Tubal (most likely parts of Turkey, parts of Southern he will subdue three of them (probably because they fail to respond to his
Russia, parts of Iran), call or fail to submit completely to his authority). The beast symbolizes his
· Magog (a region convering parts of either Syria and/or former empire, with the leopard symbolizing the Greek Empire, the bear
Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, symbolizing the MedoPersian Empire and the lion symbolizing the
Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Babylonian Empire. Just as this beast is a composite of these animals, the
Turkey, Iran, Dagestan), Antichrist Empire combines the three empires. If we combine these three
· Persia (modern Iran and Iraq. Ancient Persia also includes Iraq. empires, we get an area that covers the list of nations above.
The Euphrates River in Iraq is also mentioned together with the
two Beasts in Rev 16:1213), The Bible also describes that the Antichrist will appear from the remnants
· Cush (African Cush covers parts of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia. Asian of the Seleucid Empire. In Daniel Chapter 8, we read about a vision in
Cush covers Arabia through Euphrates), which prophet Daniel saw a twohorned ram and a goat with a prominent
· Put (Libya), horn attacking it. The ram symbolized the MedoPersian Empire (Daniel
· Gomer (Cappadocia, Turkey), 8:20) and the goat symbolized the Greek Empire (Daniel 8:21). The
· Togarmah (southeastern part of Turkey near Syria) prominent horn symbolized the prominent king of the Greek Empire (
Daniel 8:21), i.e., Alexander the Great.
This alliance of different nations will rise up and attack Israel. If you look
at a map of Middle East, you will see that these are most of the nations The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn
surrounding Israel. Before 1948, there was no nation of Israel to destroy was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the
and this prophecy hung in limbo. However, after the miraculous birth of four winds of heaven. (Daniel 8:8)
the modern state of Israel under the UN in 1948, this prophecy suddenly
came to life. Alexander the Great died at the young age of 33, after conquering all the
way to the Indus Valley in India. Alexander did not leave behind any heir,
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and after his death, his four generals divided up his empire ("four The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great
prominent horns"): authority. (Revelations 13:2)
This indicate a military leader that will be plotting to overthrow many He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause
strong nations, even the strongest of the nations. With the help of his god, astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will
he will be successful. The reign of the Antichrist will result in a lot of destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to
wealth. The fact that he will distribute "plunder" and "loot" indicates that prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure,
these wealth come from the nations that he will conquer. Not only that, he he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes.
will also leave some of the rulers of the nations in authority after they Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. (Daniel 8:2425)
submit to him, similar to the picture of the fourth beast of Daniel 7.
He will oppose the "Prince of princes" (i.e., the Jesus Christ of the Bible).
Another interesting bit of information is that the word for "richest" (or Therefore, he will also preach against the Biblical Jesus, and by extension
"fattest") comes from the Hebrew word shaman or shemen meaning fat, will be against the Christians who hold to the Bible. His ability in
grease or oil. In modern Hebrew, crude oil (petroleum) is called neft (not a persuasion and in cunning exploits is clear in the Bible. In Daniel 11:21
Biblical word) or shemen adamah (literally earth oil). Also, the word for quoted above, we see that "he will seize it through intrigue".
province comes from the Hebrew word medina. Does this verse have any
relation with the Islam's second holiest city, Medina, and its oil? We do In carrying his conquests and rule of his global empire, the Antichrist will
not know for sure, but it certainly is interesting considering all the oil the have to deal with those who are against him. In particular, there are the
Middle East has, and how alMahdi will have control over all of that. Jews and Christians that the Bible said the Antichrist will be able to
overcome them. The Bible describes that those who oppose him will face
In another Biblical passage, we read: death, and some or many of them will be beheaded:
He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to
Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. (Daniel 11:43) be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for
patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. (Revelations
In Daniel 11:43, we see that the Antichrist can distribute treasures from 13:10)
Egypt, Libya and Nubia. This must mean that the Antichrist will be in
control over these lands. Nubia covers what is modern day southern Egypt I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to
and Sudan. Today, these are Muslim lands. judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of
their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had
In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on
wicked, a sternfaced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. (Daniel 8:23) their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a
thousand years. (Revelations 20:4)
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We next consider the reign of the Antichrist. the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains; let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things
The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the out that are in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to
sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, get his cloak. (Matthew 24:1518)
and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with
many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to Not only will the Jews and Christians at that time face many persecutions
sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an including death (some by beheading), the Bible also sadly revealed that
abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is many Christians will fall away from the Biblical faith (the Great
poured out on him. (Daniel 8:2627) Apostasy):
From this passage, we see that the followers of the Antichrist will destroy Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the
Jerusalem and the sanctuary (i.e., Temple or Temple Mount) and that the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of
Antichrist will rule for one "seven" (his reign happens in the last destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every socalled god or
"sevens"). The "seven" is most commonly interpreted as seven years. This object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,
period (or the second half of this period) has been commonly known as the displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:34, NASB)
Great Tribulation because of the persecution against the Jews and
Christians. The Antichrist will make a treaty for one "seven". In the This great apostasy is also due to other very important reasons, namely the
middle of the "seven", the treaty will be broken and he will put a stop to persuasive ability of the Antichrist (since he is called a master of intrigue),
sacrifice. That's when the second half of persecution begins. as well as his military genius, as we have seen in Revelations 13:14. We
shall also see that the Antichrist's assistant, the False Prophet, will also be
Today, there is no temple on the Temple Mount. As the sacrifice can only a very persuasive man to cause many Christians to be led astray. See this
be performed in the Jewish Temple, many believe that the temple will be article for more details.
rebuilt (at least by the middle of the Tribulation) in order for the sacrifice
to be reinstated. In fact, some Orthodox Jews are carefully preparing for The type of government of Antichrist will not only be military and
this day. The major obstacle is of course the alAqsa Mosque and the political, it will also be religious, as various passages above have shown.
Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. However, many researchers More importantly, he will seek to change the laws and calendar used:
believe that the actual temple courts lies apart from the Dome of the Rock
and the alAqsa Mosque on the southern end. So there is a possibility that He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to
under the treaty that the Antichrist will enter into, the temple may be change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him
rebuilt without disturbing these two structures currently on the mount. See for a time, times and half a time. (Daniel 7:25)
this article to understand some of these different views.
According to the Bible, the Antichrist will also face opposition from the
However, midway through his reign, the Antichrist will break the treaty, Two Witnesses.
most likely putting the blame on the Jews. As a result, he will put a stop to
the temple sacrifice. Not only that, he will also desecrate the temple. Jesus And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for
also told us: 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the
two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to
Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This
spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. These men have power
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to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are This passage seems to suggest that the Antichrist ("the beast") will also
prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to perform miracles, but since the passage was dealing with three figures,
strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want. namely Satan (the dragon), Antichrist (the beast) and the False Prophet, it
is hard to say if all were meant or a generic application to the trio. Then
Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up we have the passage in 2 Thessalonians 2:9, "the coming of the lawless
from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of
bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders," which once again identifies that
Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a the "Lawless One" (the Antichrist) will be accompanied by miracles, but
half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on does not identify who performs them. Finally, we have explicit statements
their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat that it was the False Prophet who will perform miracles on behalf of the
over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these Antichrist:
two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. (Revelations
11:310. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come
down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he
There is some difficulty in interpreting these two witnesses because of the was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the
symbolic representation of "olive trees" and "lampstands". Some have inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of
interpreted this to be Judaism and Christianity (or one associated with the the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. (Revelations
Old Testament and one with the New Testament). Some identify these two 16:1314)
witnesses to be two prophets from the list of Moses, Elijah, Enoch, John
the Baptist, etc. Elijah is a favorite candidate because of the ability to call But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had
down fire from heaven. However, what we can see from this passage is performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had
that the Two Witnesses will be able to perform miracles to torment the deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his
people of this world for following the Antichrist. Finally, the Antichrist image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning
will then kill both of them, and the followers of the Antichrist will rejoice sulfur. (Revelations 19:20)
greatly.
From these passages, we see that it is the False Prophet who will perform
Finally, we deal with the question of whether the Antichrist will perform most or all of the miracles during the time of the Antichrist (of course with
miracles. In Matthew 24:2426, Jesus warned that there will be false Satan behind the scenes). The Bible does not really explicitly say that the
christs and prophets that will perform "great signs and miracles to deceive Antichrist will perform miracles.
even the elect". However, this passage does not say that every false christ
and prophet will perform miracles, and we have no way of telling if the Overall, we see a picture of a very capable leader coming in the End
Antichrist is meant here. Revelations 16:1314 says that Times to lead the world, lead them in a global religion and establish a new
world order with laws and calendar based on this religion. This religion
"Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the will be opposed to the teachings and the Jesus Christ of the Bible. He will
mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of be successful militarily, politically, religiously and economically. He will
the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, cause many Christians to fall from the faith, and he will also persecute the
and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the Jews and Christians and those who oppose him will be killed (many will
battle on the great day of God Almighty." (Revelations 16:1314) be beheaded). He will have a miracle working religious leader to assist
him in setting up his empire. He will have the Two Witnesses killed and
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the world will rejoice as a result. Ultimately, however, he will be His final The world (after successful The world (after he won
destroyed. jurisdiction jihad). over the world)
By his words, will win
Will win over people,
over many people,
His persuasive including Jews and
including Jews and
Comparison Table of AlMahdi and the Biblical Antichrist ability Christians. He will preach
Christians. "By peace he
peace, justice and equity
will destroy many".
Now that we have quite a good picture of alMahdi and the Biblical
Antichrist, we now summarize the parallel points in their characteristics in World's Greatly loved by the world Greatly loved by the world
the following table (see the entire article to read the justification for each attitude (after persuading the world (after he conquers the
point). Those points marked with "?" are tentative or simply possible: towards him and winning in jihad). world).
Comes on a white horse,
Comes on a white horse
Characteristic AlMahdi in Islam Antichrist in Christianity The rider conquering (one
(?), conquering.
interpretation).
Either he starts appearing
His power base will arise Will either lead a large
in Khorasan with the army
Where he in the remnants of Seleucid army of Muslims (from A large army of at least
of alHarith, or this
comes from Empire (which includes His army Khorasan) or this army 200 million will assemble
Khorasan army will come
Khorasan). * will join him. Easily in the in Iraq region.
and join him.
hundreds of millions.
Jewish Leader(?) wearing
Will look like "Bani Will wage war and win
His looks two tallits(?). Others say Will wage war and no one
Israel". Wears two cloaks. His campaigns over the world and be
he will be a gentile can stand against him.
successful.
Starts humble, forced to
His ascension accept leadership. Muslims Starts humble, given Will rule for seven, eight Will rule for seven years
His length of
to power voluntarily pledge authority to rule. or nine years. Seven years (most common
rule
allegiance to him. seem to be the concensus. interpretation).
He will be changed by He is given power, throne Truce treaty of seven years
His change Allah to take up the and authority by the with a Jew of priestly
responsibilities. dragon. lineage. Though not
explicitly stated, truce Peace treaty of seven years
He will be changed by (hudna) treaties may be with the people of God.
His change He changes his religion. Treaty with the
Allah overnight broken in the case of a This treaty will be broken
Most Muslim states of the Jews
The Muslim states. Some minor infraction and when in the middle of seven
Middle East, except the Muslims are strong years.
states (eg. Saudi Arabia)
His initial possibly Egypt, Jordan and enough, as was in the case
will be attacked for their
jurisdiction Saudi Arabia. The Bible of the Treaty of
failure to support al
states 10 nations, and three Hudaibiyya.
Mahdi.
of them will be subdued. His Will kill many Jews and Will kill many Jews and
163 164
relationship Christians. Christians. The Beast will kill the
His assistant, Isa, will kill
with Jews and Two Witnesses who
His adDajjal who exercises
Christians exercise miracles that will
adversaries miracles that will torment
Not explicitly stated, but if torment those who try to
the world.
he is expected to follow kill them.
the Sunnah of Muhammad, The Bible does not
Allah will enable good rain
then beheading is a Miracles explicitly ascribe miracles
Beheading is one of the and crops. The hadiths
possibility. Islam is the during his to Antichrist. His assistant
Method of methods of execution. It is does not ascribe miracles
only religion that reign will perform miracles for
execution a distingushing mark of to him.
continues to use him.
Antichrist.
beheading. Qur'an said to
cut off heads of
unbelievers (Surah 47:4,
Conclusions
8:12)
His type of Will implement Shari'a We have examined in detail what the Islamic hadiths say about the coming
Will change the law.
government Law. apocalyptic character of AlMahdi, who will be the much awaited Muslim
Lying allowed under Caliph and later the world leader. We also compared alMahdi with an
certain circumstances, apocalyptic character mentioned in the Bible, namely the first beast of
according to the Sunnah of Will cause deceit to Revelations 13, also nicknamed the "Antichrist". We see very important
Lying similarities between these two characters. In our view, the coming al
Muhammad. Taqqiya is an prosper.
established doctrine and Mahdi in Islam corresponds very clearly to the Antichrist in the Bible.
practice in Islam.
However, alMahdi is not the only character that has a counterpart in the
Not explicitly stated, but
Bible. There are two other characters that have an amazing
as he is expected to follow
His type of Will change the calendar. correspondence in the Bible. Just as alMahdi, Isa and adDajjal are three
the Sunnah of Muhammad,
calendar ("change the set times") characters that are very important in the End Times in Islam, similarly, the
then he will use Islamic
Antichrist, the Second Beast and the Two Witnesses are also very
Calender.
important characters in the End Times in the Bible. Please continue to
Direct people to worship Direct people to worship examine the following articles to see more correspondences:
His religion Allah. Establish Islam as the dragon. Establish one
the only religion. religion in the world. · The Coming of "Isa the Messiah" (Muslim Jesus).
Great prosperity and Great prosperity and · The Antichrist in Islam (adDajjal).
Prosperity wealth. Distributes wealth wealth. Distributes booty
and booty. and land. After reading about these comparisons, we invite you to ponder on the
Antichrist has Second question:
An assistant to AlMahdi has Isa to assist
Beast (False Prophet) to
alMahdi him. · What Do All These Mean?.
assist him.
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May you be under the blessings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. President Ahmadinejad later made it clear that his letter to President Bush
was an invitation to Islam.
Meaning of an "Invitation to Islam" Jakarta, May 11, IRNA Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said
here Thursday that his letter to President George W. Bush did not concern
Are you invited? the nuclear dossier, but rather was an invitation to Islam and the prophets
culture. (source, emphasis added)
In the past few years, we have seen a number of high profile "invitations
to Islam" extended to various nonMuslims, both leaders and private Or consider in September 2006, alQaida published a video, introduced by
citizens. alQaida No. 2, Ayman alZawahiri, entitled "An Invitation to Islam". In
it, Azzam the American, also known as Adam Yahiye Gadahn, gave a
Not long after the 9/11 incident, Osama bin Laden invited the American long lecture and invited the American people and other unbelievers to
people to Islam: Islam:
(Q2) As for the second question that we want to answer: What are we "We invite all Americans and unbelievers to Islam," Gadahn says.
calling you to, and what do we want from you? "Decide today, because today could be your last day."
(1) The first thing that we are calling you to is Islam.
... Or consider Abu Bakr Bashir, supposed head of Jemaah Islamiah, the
It is to this religion [Islam] that we call you. organization responsible for the bombing of tourists resorts in Bali. In
(see ref. at end of article) June 2006, he also invited Australian Prime Minister John Howard to
Islam:
In other words, Osama bin Laden is calling the American public to accept
Islam and become Muslims. He has since made many other similar calls. After a brief stop to bathe his feet and pray, Bashir immediately launched
into a brief sermon, telling thousands of students and onlookers seated in a
Then, in May 2006, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter dusty courtyard before him that Australian Prime Minister John Howard
to President Bush: should "convert to Islam". (source)
Do you not think that if all of us come to believe in and abide by these The latest saga involves the Pope, who gave a speech in Germany in
principles, that is, monotheism, worship of God, justice, respect for the September 2006. The full text of his speech can be found here. The
dignity of man, belief in the Last Day, we can overcome the present Muslim world reacted with much fury and anger. In one of these, an
problems of the world ? that are the result of disobedience to the Almighty "invitation to Islam" was given to the Pope:
and the teachings of prophets ? and improve our performance? Do you not
think that belief in these principles promotes and guarantees peace, Citing the words of the Prophet Muhammad, Muslim religious leaders in
friendship and justice? Do you not think that the aforementioned written the Gaza Strip on Sunday warned Pope Benedict XVI that he must
or unwritten principles are universally respected? Will you not accept "accept" Islam if he wanted to live in peace...
this invitation? That is, a genuine return to the teachings of prophets, to
monotheism and justice, to preserve human dignity and obedience to the One of them, Dr. Imad Hamto, called on the pope to "repent and ask for
Almighty and His prophets? Mr President, History tells us that repressive forgiveness." He added: "We want to use the words of the Prophet
and cruel governments do not survive. (source. Emphasis added). Muhammad and tell the pope: 'Aslim Taslam'" Aslim Taslam is a phrase
167 168
that was taken from the letters sent by the Prophet Muhammad to the Heraclius did not give a favorable reply, but there is a tradition that seems
chiefs of tribes in his times in which he reportedly urged them to to imply that Heraclius was convinced that Muhammad was a prophet, and
convert to Islam to spare their lives. (Jerusalem Post report. Emphasis might have become a secret believer. This article examines this encounter
added) recorded in the hadith.
You can read many more such invitations to Islam in recent news at this As narrated in the hadith, Muhammad set down the rule that the Muslims
news page. are to first invite to Islam the people they attacking:
When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three
courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it
Historical Practice of "Invitation to Islam" and withold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept)
Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting
Why is there such "Invitations to Islam" or "Calls to Islam" consistently against them. ... If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the
being practiced by these Muslims? Who initiated this "invitation" and Jizya [tax]. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your
whose precedent were they following? What is the significance of such an hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them.
invitation? What happens when a person accepts the invitation? What (Sahih Muslim 19.4294)
happens when a person refuses this invitation?
The steps to this "Rule of Engagement" are pretty clear and welldefined:
Most nonMuslims probably have little idea what an "Invitation to Islam"
means or entail. However, a devout Muslim knows full well the meaning 1. First invite them to Islam
of such an invitation. And Muslims know full well the pattern that 2. If they accept, fine. If not, demand from them Jizya tax.
Muhammad has set. The rules of engagement are welldefined in the 3. If they accept, fine. If not, fight them.
hadiths. As Dr. Imad Hamto said, the words came from Muhammad
himself. What is the jizya tax? This is a tax (or tribute) that Muslims imposed on
those nonMuslims who are willing to come under the rule of the
Muhammad himself sent letters to Emperor Heraclius of the Eastern Muslims. Acceptance of jizya grants to the nonMuslims the status of
Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) and also to Chosroes II (Emperor of dhimmis. The Muslims are obligated to protect the nonMuslim from
the Persian Empire), to the king of Yemen, etc. The letters were similar, outside forces, but dhimmis lose many rights and are no longer equal to
and a translation of his letter to Heraclius is as follows: the Muslims. In other words, these nonMuslims become second class
citizens under Muslim rule. You can see these examples throughout the
"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. This letter is from Muslim world today in Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, etc. The person
Muhammad the slave of Allah and his Apostle to Heraclius, the ruler of who refuses to accept Islam, the jizya tax, and subsequently loses the fight
the Byzantines. Peace be upon him who follows the right path. or war, will die.
Furthermore, I invite you to Islam and if you become a Muslim you will
be safe, and Allah will double your reward, and if you reject this (Side Note: It should be noted that at the End Times, Muslims expect that
invitation of Islam you will be committing a sin by misguiding your Isa (Muslim version of Jesus) will descend from heaven. One of the things
subjects. And I recite to you Allah's statement (followed by quote from he will do is to abolish the jizya tax. That means that option (2) above will
Surah 3:6). no longer be available to the nonMuslim. Consequently, when an
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invitation to Islam is given out to nonMuslims, it will either be In other words, if people will convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax, then
conversion to Islam or war, and defeat means death.) the Muslims will not make war against them. That is the pattern that
Muhammad has set for all his followers. In Gadahn's "invitation" to Islam,
When the ruthless Khalid ibn alWalid, nicknamed "Sword of Islam", a he also gave a threat of violence:
Muslim general highly regarded by Muhammad, came to conquer Syria in
633 A.D., he said: "To Americans and the rest of Christendom we say, either repent (your)
misguided ways and enter into the light of truth or keep your poison to
A smile of indignation expressed the refusal of Caled. "Ye Christian yourself and suffer the consequences in this world and the next ..."
dogs, you know your option; the Koran, the tribute, or the sword. We (emphasis added)
are a people whose delight is in war, rather than in peace: and we despise
your pitiful alms, since we shall be speedily masters of your wealth, your From the previous examples, after an invitation to Islam, the Muslims
families, and your persons." (Edward Gibbon, History Of The Decline have fulfilled their obligations under Islamic Law. If the invitation is
And Fall Of The Roman Empire Volume 5) rejected and the jizya tax is refused, then the Muslim has every right to
attack the nonMuslims.
This pattern was repeated in the kidnapping of two Fox News journalists,
Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig. Before their appearance on video, his This is the pattern alQaida, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Abu Bakr
captors released a statement saying the two journaliasts had been offered a Bashir and Adam Gadahn are all following. What happens next is
choice between anybody's guess, but being pious Muslims, they have all obeyed the
Islamic Law and observed the first part of the "Rules of Engagement".
1. conversion to Islam, They have extended an "Invitation to Islam" to their nonMuslim enemies.
2. the jizya,
3. war AlQaida have extended to the American president and public a number of
such invitations to Islam. These has not been met with a favorable
As a result, these two men converted to Islam at gunpoint, made a video response. On the 5th anniversay of 9/11 (i.e., September 2006), AlQaida
tape announcing their conversion and and invited President Bush and No. 2, Ayman alZawahiri, released a video and said:
Prime Minister Blair to also convert. They were then released by their
captors. The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdel Aziz alSheikh, "We have repeatedly warned you and offered a truce with you. Now we
explained: have all the legal and rational justification to continue to fight you
until your power is destroyed or you give in and surrender," he said.
Saudi Arabia's most senior cleric also explained that war was never Islam's "The days are pregnant and giving birth to new events."
ancient founder, the prophet Mohammed's, first choice: "He gave three
options: either accept Islam, or surrender and pay tax, and they will be
allowed to remain in their land, observing their religion under the
protection of Muslims." Thus, according to the Grand Mufti, the third Conclusions
option of violence against nonMuslims was only a last resort, if they
refused to convert or surrender peacefully to the armies of Islam. (The Under Islamic Law, an "invitation to Islam" is a prequisite to be extended
Australian, "Creed of the sword", Sept 23, 2006) to the enemies before a formal attack by the Muslims on the nonMuslims.
This does not mean that an attack is going to be imminent when such an
171 172
"invitation" arrives. However, under Islamic Law, such an invitation and a Very often, these are young boys and girls. If they are young, they are not
rejection of the invitation provides the justification for the attack to occur. returned to their parents because Islamic Law does not recognize the
custody of Muslims by nonMuslim parents. Young girls are often married
to Muslim men, since Islamic Law allows marriage of very young girls.
Muhammad himself married Aisha when she was six years old and
consummated the marriage when she was nine years old.
Forced Conversions in Islam?
Before we go on, we need to ask the following question:
In August 2006, Muslim kidnappers from the hitherto unknown Holy
Jihad Brigade in Gaza took two Fox News journalists, American Steve
Centanni and New Zealander Olaf Wiig. They were forced to convert to How Does One Become A Muslim?
Islam under gunpoint. They were forced to make a video, where they read
a statement that they have converted to Islam. In the video, they also If a person is borned to Muslim parents, he automatically becomes a
invited President Bush and Prime Minister Blair to accept Islam. Muslim. However, if a nonMuslim were to become a Muslim, what does
he have to do to become one? The answer is that it is surprisingly easy.
Before that, the captors released a statement saying the two journalists had
been offered a choice between To become a Muslim, the person needs to recite the Shahada (lit. "to
testify" in Arabic), a declaration of faith, believing the words:
1. conversion to Islam,
2. the jizya, Ashhadu anla ilaha illaallah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasul
3. war ullah.
Faced with danger to their lives, these two men converted to Islam at gun of which a translation in English is:
point. Muslims prefer to use "reverted" rather than "converted",
contending that all were borned Muslims. So the question is: are these two I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that
men Muslims from the point of view of Islamic Law (Shar'ia)? Are their Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
conversions valid?
The Shia sect may add
These are not isolated events. Forced conversions of nonMuslims
happens on a daily basis throughout the Muslim world (eg. see Sundri's Aliyun wali Allah (Ali is the viceregent of Allah).
tragic story in Pakistan). Even former Indonesian President Abdurrahman
Wahid and a Muslim scholar acknowledged that Christians in the Maluku at the end of the Shahada, and although this is not compulsory, the
Islands have been forcibly converted to Islam: Ayatollahs say that it is preferable.
"There is an effort by Islamic extremists to convert Christians to Islam. Most traditional schools of Islamic jurisprudence prefer this to be done in
This is not right." (source) the presence of Muslim witnesses, so that others may consider them to be
fellow believers, but there are others who teach that as long as you believe
173 174
it in your heart, it is acceptable. Typically, the person is to then take a "Muhammad sent Khalid Ibn alWalid to the tribe of the children of
complete bath (wudu) and then say the first prayers (salat) as a Muslim. Haritha and told him: `Call them to accept Islam before you fight with
The new Muslim should then take steps to register as a Muslim, as this them. If they respond, accept that from them, but if they refuse, fight
confers on the person new rights (for example, previously, the person them.' Khalid told them: `Accept Islam and spare your life.' They entered
might be a dhimmi paying the jizya tax. Upon conversion to Islam, this Islam by force. He brought them to Muhammad. Muhammad said to
person is no longer subject to this tax. Also, this person's marriage might them: `Had you not accepted Islam I would have cast your heads
become invalid under some schools if the spouse does not also convert.) under your feet' " (ibn Hisham, The Biography of the Apostle", part 4, p.
134. Emphasis added.)
The shahada features prominently in the Muslim's life. It is in the call to
prayer five times a day, invoked in major events, recited in his daily We have seen how Muhammad set the example for Muslims in later times
prayers, during funerals, etc. to follow. People indeed can be forced to accept Islam.
In the case of the Fox News journalists video, the irony is that in the
video, the kidnappers also invoke this famous verse from the Qur'an:
Are Forced Conversions Valid?
There is no compulsion in religion (Surah 2:256)
The Sira recorded for us this incident:
This verse has often been used by Muslims to show nonMuslims that
When Muhammad and his followers were about to attack Mecca to Islam is a religion of peace, and that people will not be forced into Islam.
subjugate it to Islam, his adherents arrested Abu Sufyan, one of Mecca's Many nonMuslims (and many in the media) have swallowed this up. Yet,
inhabitants. They brought him to Muhammad. Muhammad told him: "Woe the irony of the Fox News journalists incident clearly illustrates the gulf of
to you, O Abu Sufyan. Is it not time for you to realize that there is no God understanding of freedom of conscience.
but the only God?" Abu Sufyan answered: "I do believe that." Muhammad
then said to him: "Woe to you, O Abu Sufyan. Is it not time for you to For someone to quote the verse and show the forced conversion of these
know that I am the apostle of God?" Abu Sufyan answered: "By God, O two journalists clearly illustrate the different reality that these kidnappers
Muhammad, of this there is doubt in my soul." The 'Abbas who was live in. To their minds, the forced conversion of these journalists cannot be
present with Muhammad told Abu Sufyan: "Woe to you! Accept Islam considered compulsion, because they have been offered the choice of
and testify that Muhammad is the apostle of God before your neck is "conversion, jizya or war". It doesn't matter that you were pointing a gun
cut off by the sword." Thus he professed the faith of Islam and at them. It doesn't matter if you "converted" because you fear for your life,
became a Muslim. (Ibn Hisham, Biography of the Prophet, part 4, p. 11, or that you fear for the lives of your loved ones. It is a valid stipulation
"The Chronicle of the Tabari", part 2, p. 157, Ibn Kathir, "The Prophetic from Muhammad. Successive generations of Muslims have followed this
Biography", part 3, p. 549, and "The Beginning and the End", Ibn stipulation to the letter. Even today, alQaida leaders, Iranian President
Khaldun, the rest of part 2, p. 43 and on AlSira alHalabiyya, Vol. 3. p. Ahmadinejad, JI spiritual leader Abu Bakr Bashir have all followed this
18, Al Road Al Anf, part 4, p. 90, by Al Sohaily, as quoted by Behind the pattern. See this article for more details. As long as the person was
Veil, Chapter 2. Emphasis added.) offered the choice of "conversion, jizya or war", there is no
compulsion according to Islamic Law. Such is the meaning of
And so, Abu Sufyan became a Muslim under threat of death. In another "compulsion" in Islam.
incident:
175 176
Following this incident, we tried to scour the news sources and strangely This "invitation to Islam" comes from Muhammad's stipulation:
found very little news after the initial news about the forced conversions.
There has been no news about their new life since their release. Did they When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three
live as Muslims? The silence from the Muslim authorities was deafening. courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it
We have not come across any Muslim leader saying that their conversions and withold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept)
are not valid. Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting
against them. ... If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the
However, we came across this quotation from an Egyptian tenth grade Jizya [tax]. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your
textbook: hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them.
(Sahih Muslim 19.4294)
If a Protected Person [Dhimmi] is forced to convert to Islam, his
conversion is valid. If a Harbi [nonMuslim alien] is fought against and However, we also read in this article that at the End Times, when al
converts to Islam it is valid... If the [same] Dhimmi returns [to his former Mahdi and Isa appears, Isa will abolish the jizya tax. This means that
religion], he is not killed [like an ordinary apostate], but imprisoned until during those times, the "invitation to Islam" will simply be:
he converts to Islam [again], because there is doubt regarding his belief
[when he was forced to convert]. There is a possibility that it [i.e., his · conversion to Islam
forced conversion] was sincere, so he is to be killed as an apostate. It is · pay the jizya tax
[also] possible that he did not believe [in Islam while having been forced · war
to convert] and then he [should] be a Dhimmi and shall not be killed...
Selections for the Explanation of [the Book of] "Selection", Grade 10, Of course, if you lose the fight to the Muslims who calls you to Islam,
(2002) p. 168 (Azharite) (source) then you will die. If they are "benovelent" enough, they may give you one
last chance of conversion, but nonMuslims better not count on it.
Meanwhile, the rest of of the world waits with bated breath for some fatwa
announcing that the forced conversion of the two Fox News journalists is
invalid. Unfortunately, given that Muhammad himself started the same
"conversion, jizya or war" choice, and with a sword over Abu Sufyan's What About Apostasy?
neck, this fatwa is unlikely to come from any Muslim authority.
Although less conservative Muslims feel that it is a matter of personal
choice, especially citing the Qur'an, "There is no compulsion in religion"
(Sura 2:256), Islamic Law is a lot more stringent. Islamic Law prescribes
What About the End Times? the death penalty for apostasy from Islam. This is based on many hadiths
(here we only show the ones considered most authentic by Muslims):
We read in the article, What is an "Invitation to Islam"?, that a formal
invitation to Islam is that a person is given the choice of: Narrated Ikrima:
Ali burnt some people and this news reached Ibn 'Abbas, who said, "Had I
· conversion to Islam been in his place I would not have burnt them, as the Prophet said, 'Don't
· pay the jizya tax punish (anybody) with Allah's Punishment.' No doubt, I would have killed
· war
177 178
them, for the Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, Muslim who became a Christian. The clerics and judges all called for his
kill him.' " (Sahih Bukhari 4.52.260) death, saying that this is according to Shar'ia Law. Of course, a Muslim
has the liberty to leave Islam, but he is not assured that he will not be
Narrated 'Ikrima: killed. Islamic Law usually puts the person in jail for a certain period, and
Some Zanadiqa (atheists) were brought to 'Ali and he burnt them. The if he recants and goes back to Islam, he is absolved, but if he insists, then
news of this event, reached Ibn 'Abbas who said, "If I had been in his he is put to death. In fact, according to the hadiths above, an ordinary
place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah's Apostle forbade it, saying, Muslim is permitted to kill an apostate.
'Do not punish anybody with Allah's punishment (fire).' I would have
killed them according to the statement of Allah's Apostle, 'Whoever
changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'" (Sahih Bukhari 9.84.57)
Conclusions
Narrated Abu Burda:
... Behold: There was a fettered man beside Abu Muisa. Mu'adh asked, We have seen that nonMuslims can be forced to convert to Islam as long
"Who is this (man)?" Abu Muisa said, "He was a Jew and became a as certain steps are taken, namely being given a choice of "conversion,
Muslim and then reverted back to Judaism." Then Abu Muisa requested jizya or war". This is in accordance with the commands of Muhammad to
Mu'adh to sit down but Mu'adh said, "I will not sit down till he has been his followers. This has happened repeatedly during Muhammad's reign
killed. This is the judgment of Allah and His Apostle (for such cases) and and also in his successors'.
repeated it thrice. Then Abu Musa ordered that the man be killed, and he
was killed. Abu Musa added, "Then we discussed the night prayers and Moreover, we also see that when a Muslim gives up Islam, the penalty is
one of us said, 'I pray and sleep, and I hope that Allah will reward me for death. Under Islamic Law, an ordinary Muslim is permitted to carry out
my sleep as well as for my prayers.'" (Sahih Bukhari 9.84.58) the death penalty on the apostate.
Narrated Abu Musa: http://almahdi.atspace.com/articles.html
A man embraced Islam and then reverted back to Judaism. Mu'adh bin
Jabal came and saw the man with Abu Musa. Mu'adh asked, "What is
wrong with this (man)?" Abu Musa replied, "He embraced Islam and then Some Thoughts for Muslims
reverted back to Judaism." Mu'adh said, "I will not sit down unless you
kill him (as it is) the verdict of Allah and His Apostle (Sahih Bukhari
9.89.271)
Dear Muslim friend,
'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported:
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: It is not While you may not be familiar with the characters of the Antichrist, False
permissible to take the life of a Muslim who bears testimony (to the fact Prophet and the Two Witnesses in the Bible, and you may even be
that there is no god but Allah, and I am the Messenger of Allah, but in one confused and think that the Antichrist of the Bible is the same as adDajjal
of the three cases: the married adulterer, a life for life, and the deserter of (since he is known as the Antichrist in Islam), the following articles
his Din (Islam), abandoning the community. (Sahih Muslim 16.4152) should have made clear to you that
The penalty for apostasy is death, according to the Sunna of Muhammad, · alMahdi corresponds to the Antichrist that is described in the
and as seen and clearly explained in the case of Abdul Rahman, an Afghan Bible,
179 180
· Isa corresponds to the False Prophet, and already know which one is true. But do you? Have you carefully thought
· adDajjal corresponds to the Two Witnesses. about all the things we have mentioned in this website, especially when
you realize that Satan is working very hard to confuse and deceive all
If you have not read those articles, please read them first. It should be humankind? How do you know which is true?
obvious to you that the two sets of prophecies are opposite in nature. Thus,
at most one side is going to be correct. If Islam is true, then the diehard The only sure way to evaluate the truthfulness of these prophecies is
Christians (i.e., those who refused to become Muslims) are going to be when all these events come to pass. Right now, both religions can only
deceived, and you probably also believe that they ought to be killed, claim that their own beliefs are true.
according to the prophecies on alMahdi and Isa. If Christianity is correct,
then the Muslims and the apostate Christians are going to be deceived, and Indeed, this is also how the Bible gives a simple and objective test of a
they will also end up persecuting the Jews and Christians. Obviously, both prophet.
sides are going to think that their religion is correct, since the events are
happening just like the prophecies in their own religion. You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not
been spoken by the LORD?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of
You will probably agree with us that the agent behind all these deception the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD
is Satan (Iblis). Muslims and Christians agree that Satan will try his very has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid
best to deceive as many people as possible. Indeed, the way the prophecies of him. (Deuteronomy 18:2122).
are opposite in nature shows that Satan has perpetuated a very clever plan,
because many people are going to be deceived. So, how are we to evaluate The Mishkat also considers this to be the best proof:
which is true?
The greatest thing in miracles is a prophecy i.e. a forecast of future events.
In the Qur'an, it is recorded: This us [sic] not a political forecast but a forecast of future secrets derived
from Divine Knowledge. Prophecy is greatest for the following reasons. It
Say: "If I am astray, I only stray to the loss of my own soul: but if I can be historically proved but a miracle cannot. Prophecy manifests God's
receive guidance, it is because of the inspiration of my Lord to me: it is He foreknowledge, while a miracle God's power. As knowledge is greater
Who hears all things, and is (ever) near." (Surah 34:50) than power, prophecy is greater than a miracle. (Mishkat Volume IV, page
396, as quoted by Gerhard Nehls, "Proofs of The Prophethood of
For most individual humans, it may be true that if he goes astray, then the Mohammed")
only loss is himself, plus maybe a few of his close ones. However, for
Muhammad, this will never be the case. There are today about 1.3 billion Nobody should believe a person whose prophecies fail to come to pass as
Muslims, and if we add up all the Muslims that ever live, and all the it was stated. Only when what is prophesied comes to pass does it confirm
Muslims that will be gained under alMahdi and Isa, that will probably be the prophet and his prophecies. Unfortunately, the problem is not so easily
quite a few billion. That is not an insignificant number! Thus, in contrast solved.
to Surah 34:50, if Muhammad was wrong, the loss will be a couple of
billion souls. Indeed, what if Muhammad was wrong? Why would we say that? While the test given in the Bible is simple to
understand and easy to agree to, the problem we mere mortals face is
This should be a very sobering realization. Therefore, it becomes all the that by the time we know the truth, it may be too late.
more pertinent that one carefully examine the claims and evaluate the truth
of each religion. The stake is simply too great. You may think that you
181 182
Let's assume here that Christianity is correct. When the Antichrist appears this is the case, yet, the Qur'an still holds you accountable for your actions,
in the person of alMahdi, Muslims will be so happy, will join him and and you will spend eternity in hell, according to the will of Allah.
help him establish Islam as the only religion on this earth. He will
establish the Islamic Caliphate and govern according to the Sunnah of However, if it is not preordered, then you owe it to yourself to investigate
Muhammad. Everything seems to be going on just like the prophecies in and make the right decision. You cannot afford to let others do the
the hadiths say, and so Muslims are going to think that Islam has been thinking for you. Instead, you have to do it yourself, for you will be
correct all along. Yet, this will all be just a deception. The Bible says that accountable for your actions. The path you choose will lead to its
at the end of his rule, he, his assistant and their followers will be captured inevitable destination.
and then thrown into hell (Revelations 19:1921). By then, it will be too
late for the Muslims! Nowhere in the Qur'an or the hadiths is it taught that Allah loves the
sinners. The love of Allah to people is conditional upon their submission.
However, just because many things will be clear only when the events If they do not submit, or perform the various pious deeds as required of
have happened, it doesn't mean that we don't keep our eyes open and them, the Qur'an says Allah does not love them.
evaluate the events unfolding before our eyes. Perhaps, along the way,
we may be able to realize the truth or falsehood of each system. Therefore, while Muslims say that Allah is merciful and compassionate
Indeed, later we will list a number of things that we should watch out for. (as in the title of arRahman, arRahim), this is true only upon the
submission of the people. Those who refuse to submit is not deserving of
Concerning Allah's guidance for mankind, the Qur'an says: Allah's mercy and compassion. In fact, mercy is not an intrinsic attribute
of Allah. The hadiths said that it was something Allah created for himself
And had Allah willed, He could have made you (all) one nation, but He (see Sahih Bukhari 9.76.476, Sahih Muslim 37.6634, etc.).
sends astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. But you shall
certainly be called to account for what you used to do. (Surah 16:93, On the other hand, the Bible teaches that "God is love". It is an intrinsic
translated by Hilali Khan). part of His character, and He is patient, and not willing that anyone should
perish, but to come to repentance.
Based on this and many other numerous Qur'an verses as well as
numerous hadiths, Muslims believe that Allah preordered (belief in Qadr) But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a
mankind into paradise and hell. This of course leads to a fatalistic mind thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow
set in many Muslims since it is believed that Allah has already decided in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with
who will be in hell and who will be heaven (regardless of one's status as a you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2
Muslim). Coupled with a threat that even entertaining questioning Peter 3:89)
thoughts may render a Muslim an apostate, many Muslims fail to think
through what they believe. In other words, this means that God does not want people to be deceived.
Thus, it will be consistent in His character to provide signs and warnings
However, this should not be the case. You have a mind and a will. You for people to watch out for. In fact, Jesus told his disciples to "watch and
can make your own investigation and choice, despite what the Qur'an says. pray", "when you see the signs," etc.
For if everything is preordered as Islam believes, then whatever you do,
think or say is immaterial, for the Qur'an says "He sends astray whom He Indeed, the God of the Bible has provided signs for mankind to discern the
wills and guides whom He wills" (See Surah 6:39, 13:27, 14:4, 16:93, truth. With respect to all the prophecies of Antichrist, the False Prophet
35:8, 74:31). Afterall, if you stray, it will still be Allah's will. Even though and the Two Witnesses, the God of the Bible has indeed provided some
183 184
signs for people to watch out for and distinguish between the truths of the These are some of the signs that we believe God will provide so that
Bible and that of Islam: people may recognize the false religion. The Qur'an says:
· Antichrist will present peaceful messages, present himself to be And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal
benevolent and so on. In other words, the perfect, good leader. His unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before
real face, however, will be revealed when he introduces his thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou
program of exterminating his enemies, marked especially by of the waverers. (Surah 10:94)
widespread beheading. The message of peace will then turn into a
reign of terror, and he will teach that the terror is necessary for the The advice of the Qur'an to Muhammad to go and ask the Jews and
establishment of global peace (or something similar). Christians still holds true today. You see, the People of the Book are those
· Antichrist will renege on the 7year treaty with the Jews in the who have "read the Scripture," and therefore knows what God has
middle of his reign. The Bible says that anyone who has taken an prepared. You can even go directly to the Bible, including the prophecies
oath must keep it, even if it hurts (Psalms 15:4). The breaking of contained therein. We encourage you to read the Bible, so that you can
oaths is indicative that his lord will also not keep his promises. make your own decision. We encourage you to compare the intrinsic
· Antichrist, with the help of his assistant, will introduce his mark on character of Allah and the God of the Bible and then think about the
every one. A true and good leader does not need to control people, implications. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "what we are worshiping we
but will earn the love and respect of people. Unfortunately, those are becoming."
who submit to Islam will willingly take this mark.
· Antichrist will set up an "abomination that causes desolation". This Finally, you may still have some objections to the scenarios we have
is something that Jesus warned about. Exactly what this painted. In that case, we invite you to examine the articles in this page:
abomination will be is hard to say, but everyone should be on the Objection!, where we dealt with objections from both Christians and
look out for such a thing in the Holy Place (i.e., Temple Mount). Muslims.
· Antichrist will set himself up above everyone else and require
everyone to honor him. An image (unfortunately we don't what May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob be with you. May you choose
that is until it happens) will be made to honor him. A true and good wisely as well.
leader doesn't require that. Moreover, this goes against Judaism,
Christianity and Islam, so thinking Muslims who are also watching
will know that something is wrong. Unfortunately, too many
Some Thoughts for Muslims
people will be giddy with the promise of the Antichrist/Mahdi.
· There is some disagreement about whether the Antichrist of the
Bible actually requires people to worship him, since the word used
for worship is also used to describe paying homage to a respected Dear Muslim friend,
person. However, if ever the world leader demands that people
worship him, then you can be sure that he is a false representative While you may not be familiar with the characters of the Antichrist, False
of God. If alMahdi were to demand that, Muslims can be sure that Prophet and the Two Witnesses in the Bible, and you may even be
this is actually the Antichrist mentioned in the Bible, and thereby confused and think that the Antichrist of the Bible is the same as adDajjal
realize that all their beliefs about Islam is false. (since he is known as the Antichrist in Islam), the following articles
should have made clear to you that
185 186
· alMahdi corresponds to the Antichrist that is described in the This should be a very sobering realization. Therefore, it becomes all the
Bible, more pertinent that one carefully examine the claims and evaluate the truth
· Isa corresponds to the False Prophet, and of each religion. The stake is simply too great. You may think that you
· adDajjal corresponds to the Two Witnesses. already know which one is true. But do you? Have you carefully thought
about all the things we have mentioned in this website, especially when
If you have not read those articles, please read them first. It should be you realize that Satan is working very hard to confuse and deceive all
obvious to you that the two sets of prophecies are opposite in nature. Thus, humankind? How do you know which is true?
at most one side is going to be correct. If Islam is true, then the diehard
Christians (i.e., those who refused to become Muslims) are going to be The only sure way to evaluate the truthfulness of these prophecies is
deceived, and you probably also believe that they ought to be killed, when all these events come to pass. Right now, both religions can only
according to the prophecies on alMahdi and Isa. If Christianity is correct, claim that their own beliefs are true.
then the Muslims and the apostate Christians are going to be deceived, and
they will also end up persecuting the Jews and Christians. Obviously, both Indeed, this is also how the Bible gives a simple and objective test of a
sides are going to think that their religion is correct, since the events are prophet.
happening just like the prophecies in their own religion.
You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not
You will probably agree with us that the agent behind all these deception been spoken by the LORD?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of
is Satan (Iblis). Muslims and Christians agree that Satan will try his very the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD
best to deceive as many people as possible. Indeed, the way the prophecies has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid
are opposite in nature shows that Satan has perpetuated a very clever plan, of him. (Deuteronomy 18:2122).
because many people are going to be deceived. So, how are we to evaluate
which is true? The Mishkat also considers this to be the best proof:
In the Qur'an, it is recorded: The greatest thing in miracles is a prophecy i.e. a forecast of future events.
This us [sic] not a political forecast but a forecast of future secrets derived
Say: "If I am astray, I only stray to the loss of my own soul: but if I from Divine Knowledge. Prophecy is greatest for the following reasons. It
receive guidance, it is because of the inspiration of my Lord to me: it is He can be historically proved but a miracle cannot. Prophecy manifests God's
Who hears all things, and is (ever) near." (Surah 34:50) foreknowledge, while a miracle God's power. As knowledge is greater
than power, prophecy is greater than a miracle. (Mishkat Volume IV, page
For most individual humans, it may be true that if he goes astray, then the 396, as quoted by Gerhard Nehls, "Proofs of The Prophethood of
only loss is himself, plus maybe a few of his close ones. However, for Mohammed")
Muhammad, this will never be the case. There are today about 1.3 billion
Muslims, and if we add up all the Muslims that ever live, and all the Nobody should believe a person whose prophecies fail to come to pass as
Muslims that will be gained under alMahdi and Isa, that will probably be it was stated. Only when what is prophesied comes to pass does it confirm
quite a few billion. That is not an insignificant number! Thus, in contrast the prophet and his prophecies. Unfortunately, the problem is not so easily
to Surah 34:50, if Muhammad was wrong, the loss will be a couple of solved.
billion souls. Indeed, what if Muhammad was wrong?
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Why would we say that? While the test given in the Bible is simple to For if everything is preordered as Islam believes, then whatever you do,
understand and easy to agree to, the problem we mere mortals face is think or say is immaterial, for the Qur'an says "He sends astray whom He
that by the time we know the truth, it may be too late. wills and guides whom He wills" (See Surah 6:39, 13:27, 14:4, 16:93,
35:8, 74:31). Afterall, if you stray, it will still be Allah's will. Even though
Let's assume here that Christianity is correct. When the Antichrist appears this is the case, yet, the Qur'an still holds you accountable for your actions,
in the person of alMahdi, Muslims will be so happy, will join him and and you will spend eternity in hell, according to the will of Allah.
help him establish Islam as the only religion on this earth. He will
establish the Islamic Caliphate and govern according to the Sunnah of However, if it is not preordered, then you owe it to yourself to investigate
Muhammad. Everything seems to be going on just like the prophecies in and make the right decision. You cannot afford to let others do the
the hadiths say, and so Muslims are going to think that Islam has been thinking for you. Instead, you have to do it yourself, for you will be
correct all along. Yet, this will all be just a deception. The Bible says that accountable for your actions. The path you choose will lead to its
at the end of his rule, he, his assistant and their followers will be captured inevitable destination.
and then thrown into hell (Revelations 19:1921). By then, it will be too
late for the Muslims! Nowhere in the Qur'an or the hadiths is it taught that Allah loves the
sinners. The love of Allah to people is conditional upon their submission.
However, just because many things will be clear only when the events If they do not submit, or perform the various pious deeds as required of
have happened, it doesn't mean that we don't keep our eyes open and them, the Qur'an says Allah does not love them.
evaluate the events unfolding before our eyes. Perhaps, along the way,
we may be able to realize the truth or falsehood of each system. Therefore, while Muslims say that Allah is merciful and compassionate
Indeed, later we will list a number of things that we should watch out for. (as in the title of arRahman, arRahim), this is true only upon the
submission of the people. Those who refuse to submit is not deserving of
Concerning Allah's guidance for mankind, the Qur'an says: Allah's mercy and compassion. In fact, mercy is not an intrinsic attribute
of Allah. The hadiths said that it was something Allah created for himself
And had Allah willed, He could have made you (all) one nation, but He (see Sahih Bukhari 9.76.476, Sahih Muslim 37.6634, etc.).
sends astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. But you shall
certainly be called to account for what you used to do. (Surah 16:93, On the other hand, the Bible teaches that "God is love". It is an intrinsic
translated by Hilali Khan). part of His character, and He is patient, and not willing that anyone should
perish, but to come to repentance.
Based on this and many other numerous Qur'an verses as well as
numerous hadiths, Muslims believe that Allah preordered (belief in Qadr) But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a
mankind into paradise and hell. This of course leads to a fatalistic mind thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow
set in many Muslims since it is believed that Allah has already decided in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with
who will be in hell and who will be heaven (regardless of one's status as a you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2
Muslim). Coupled with a threat that even entertaining questioning Peter 3:89)
thoughts may render a Muslim an apostate, many Muslims fail to think
through what they believe. In other words, this means that God does not want people to be deceived.
Thus, it will be consistent in His character to provide signs and warnings
However, this should not be the case. You have a mind and a will. You for people to watch out for. In fact, Jesus told his disciples to "watch and
can make your own investigation and choice, despite what the Qur'an says. pray", "when you see the signs," etc.
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Indeed, the God of the Bible has provided signs for mankind to discern the this is actually the Antichrist mentioned in the Bible, and thereby
truth. With respect to all the prophecies of Antichrist, the False Prophet realize that all their beliefs about Islam is false.
and the Two Witnesses, the God of the Bible has indeed provided some
signs for people to watch out for and distinguish between the truths of the These are some of the signs that we believe God will provide so that
Bible and that of Islam: people may recognize the false religion. The Qur'an says:
· Antichrist will present peaceful messages, present himself to be And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal
benevolent and so on. In other words, the perfect, good leader. His unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before
real face, however, will be revealed when he introduces his thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou
program of exterminating his enemies, marked especially by of the waverers. (Surah 10:94)
widespread beheading. The message of peace will then turn into a
reign of terror, and he will teach that the terror is necessary for the The advice of the Qur'an to Muhammad to go and ask the Jews and
establishment of global peace (or something similar). Christians still holds true today. You see, the People of the Book are those
· Antichrist will renege on the 7year treaty with the Jews in the who have "read the Scripture," and therefore knows what God has
middle of his reign. The Bible says that anyone who has taken an prepared. You can even go directly to the Bible, including the prophecies
oath must keep it, even if it hurts (Psalms 15:4). The breaking of contained therein. We encourage you to read the Bible, so that you can
oaths is indicative that his lord will also not keep his promises. make your own decision. We encourage you to compare the intrinsic
· Antichrist, with the help of his assistant, will introduce his mark on character of Allah and the God of the Bible and then think about the
every one. A true and good leader does not need to control people, implications. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "what we are worshiping we
but will earn the love and respect of people. Unfortunately, those are becoming."
who submit to Islam will willingly take this mark.
· Antichrist will set up an "abomination that causes desolation". This Finally, you may still have some objections to the scenarios we have
is something that Jesus warned about. Exactly what this painted. In that case, we invite you to examine the articles in this page:
abomination will be is hard to say, but everyone should be on the Objection!, where we dealt with objections from both Christians and
look out for such a thing in the Holy Place (i.e., Temple Mount). Muslims.
· Antichrist will set himself up above everyone else and require
everyone to honor him. An image (unfortunately we don't what May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob be with you. May you choose
that is until it happens) will be made to honor him. A true and good wisely as well.
leader doesn't require that. Moreover, this goes against Judaism,
Christianity and Islam, so thinking Muslims who are also watching
will know that something is wrong. Unfortunately, too many
Some Thoughts for nonMuslims and non
people will be giddy with the promise of the Antichrist/Mahdi. Christians
· There is some disagreement about whether the Antichrist of the
Bible actually requires people to worship him, since the word used
for worship is also used to describe paying homage to a respected
person. However, if ever the world leader demands that people Dear friend,
worship him, then you can be sure that he is a false representative
of God. If alMahdi were to demand that, Muslims can be sure that In many ways, this website seems to address the Muslims and the
Christian only, and this is quite true due to the nature of the topic at hand.
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This does not mean that we don't care about you, if you are neither a God is a loving God who has come to die for you and me. Even though
Christian nor a Muslim. you may not be convinced now, we hope that when these events unfold,
you will see plainly the truth, and choose to follow the Lord Jesus Christ,
By now, we hope that you can see that: even if it means that you will die at the hands of alMahdi and Isa.
· alMahdi corresponds to the Antichrist that is described in the We encourage you to read the Bible and know the truth for yourself, and
Bible, get in touch with Christians who hold to the Bible. They will be able to
· Isa corresponds to the False Prophet, and help you understand the Biblical truths and help you know more about the
· adDajjal corresponds to the Two Witnesses. loving God of the Bible, who sent Jesus to save you.
Being neither a Christian nor a Muslim, you might think that this topic has May you be under the blessings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
nothing to do with you. The reality is that you will be affected by it,
whether you like it or not. You may be affected by the Muslim community
that is growing around you, including some of your relatives or friends.
You may be affected by terrorist acts being carried out. You may be
affected by the world events that are tied to Mahdism and the coming
Caliphate. Very few places in this world (if any) will be insulated from
these global events.
Worse still, the time may be coming where you have to make a choice of
following alMahdi and Isa or to resist them. When these two characters
appear, you may not have the opportunity to move away from Muslims
during that time. Recent news has shown a number of people being forced
to become Muslims. This day might be upon us pretty soon. When that
day comes, what will your response be?
The Bible has foretold all these events, from the time of Daniel (or earlier)
to the disciples of Jesus. Many of the prophecies have to do with the
nation of Israel, and for almost two thousand years, there was no Israel.
Yet, in 1948, the nation of Israel was miraculously born, despite
opposition from many quarters. Immediately, the Arab nations attacked
Israel, yet the nation of Israel survived. The Bible foretold a time when the
nations of this world will once again attack Israel, and this day is coming
closer.
We encourage you to keep your eyes open as world events unfold, and
continue to ponder the significance of all these events. It cannot be plain
coincidence. The Bible has foretold this ultimate deception in the End
Times of the Antichrist (alMahdi) and the False Prophet (Isa), because
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