Our Prophet (saas) has set out the signs of the appearance of the Mahdi in great detail in the hadiths. Nearly all of these have been taking place one after the other since the year 1400, Hegira style (1979). Our Prophet (saas) has described the severing of the waters of the Euphrates, how the Sun and Moon will be eclipsed during the month of Ramadan, the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, extraordinary phenomena appearing in the skies, great earthquakes, instances of corruption one after the other, rising anarchy and disorder and social degeneration, all of which have taken place.
One of the signs of the coming of the Mahdi revealed by the Prophet (saas) is a rise in economic difficulties and grave economic recession. The Prophet Muhammad (saas) reported how in the End Times trade will come to a standstill, how everyone will complain of having insufficient earnings and how the cost of living will go up, in short, how there will be serious economic problems. THE MAJOR GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS THAT BEGAN IN 2008 WAS REPORTED 1400 YEARS AGO BY THE PROPHET (SAAS) AS ONE OF THE SIGNS OF THE COMING OF THE MAHDI. The following are some examples of the hadiths on the subject:
In a hadith narrated by Naim ibn Hammad from ibn Masud, the period preceding the appearance of the Mahdi is described as “the time when TRADE and roads are SEVERED and strife increases.” The hadith goes on to report that this will come to an end in the time of the Mahdi:
"… We came to seek that person (the Mahdi) BY WHOSE HAND STRIFE WILL BE EXTINGUISHED. CONSTANTINOPLE (ISTANBUL) WILL BE CAPTURED THROUGH HIM. (In other words, the Mahdi will spiritually capture hearts and establish a huge cultural impact.) We recognize him by his name, and his mother and father’s names, and his army…" [1]
“Before the Mahdi appears, TRADE and ROADS between nations will be SEVERED, and strife between men will multiply.” [2]
“(Before the coming of the Mahdi) THE MARKET WILL BE STILL, AND EARNINGS WILL BE REDUCED.” [3]
“Everyone WILL COMPLAIN OF LOW EARNINGS, and the rich will be respected for their money.” [4]
“Business will be stagnant. Everyone will complain, ‘I cannot sell, I cannot buy, I cannot earn!'” [5]
“(The time before the appearance of the Mahdi) will be one when TRADE and roads are SEVERED and when strife multiplies.” [6]
The Abundance, Wealth and Plenty in the Time of the Mahdi
The Golden Age is a blessing from Allah on believers, that our Prophet (saas) says will be a good news on Earth of the heaven. This period, which every Muslim will want to see, with its abundance, plenty, comforts of all kinds for humanity and peaceful climate, is a very superior reward for believers in the life of this world.
The hadiths of the Prophet (saas) contain very detailed information and signs regarding the events in the time close to the Last Day. According to the information imparted by the Prophet (saas), a number of significant events will take place one after the other during this time. In the first stage of the End Times, there will be terrible degeneration, disorder, difficulty, troubles and economic problems across the world. In the second stage, however, peace and security will prevail on Earth as people live by true religious moral values.
According to the hadiths, this blessed age, which people have awaited longingly for centuries, will last for more than half a century, and will be similar to the “Age of Happiness” experienced in the time of our Prophet (saas). The Golden Age will be so delightful that everyone will wish to live during it. They will be unaware how time passes and will hope that Allah will prolong their lives in order to enjoy these delights for longer. This longing for the Golden Age is revealed as follows in the hadiths of the Prophet (saas):
There Will Be Unmatched Abundance and Plenty in the End Times
The matchless nature of the blessings in the Golden Age are described in great detail in the hadiths of the Prophet (saas). According to these descriptions, the Golden Age will be a time of very great plenty and abundance of goods and products. There will be a previously unseen wealth; and high costs of living, difficulties in making ends meet, hunger, poverty and shortages will be a thing of the past. There will be no more needy people, and people will be given many times more than what they ask for, and nothing will be counted or measured. Material and other means will be used for people’s comfort, ease, joy and well-being, and there will be not the slightest trouble, poverty or hunger. This is how the Prophet (saas) described the abundance and plenty in the time of the Mahdi:
“The Mahdi will come from my community. Almighty Allah will send him to make humanity wealthy. At that time, my community will be blessed, animals will be in abundance and there will be many plants of the Earth. The Mahdi will distribute many goods to people on an equal basis.” [7]
“… There will be many goods accumulated on that day.” [8]
“In giving people goods, he will give generously and without counting them.” [9]
“At that time, my community, the good and the bad, will be blessed with an amount of blessings they have ever seen…” [10]
“… Goods will multiply so much that nobody will accept any.” [11]
There Will Be Great Advances in Agriculture
In the hadiths, the Prophet (saas) reveals that many more products than ever before will be obtained from the earth and that there will be an unmatched abundance and fertility in this area:
“People will find seven hundred measures of wheat in return for one measure sown… In his time, people will sow a few handfuls of seeds and reap 700 handfuls…” [12]
“… The earth will give up foodstuffs and will hide nothing from people…” [13]
“… At that time, my community will be blessed, animals will be in abundance and there will be many plants of the Earth…” [14]
Again according to the hadiths of our Prophet (saas), in the Golden Age there will also be great abundance in terms of water resources, and as means of irrigation increase, all the land will become more fertile than ever before:
“… Although there will be much rain, not a drop will be wasted, and the land will be fertile and productive without asking for a single seed.” [15]
“… In his time, all the waters will be fresh, rivers will be extended, the earth will multiply its plants and it will give up the treasures (within it).” [16]
“… In his time, even flowing rivers will increase their waters…” [17]
“… The sky will send down rain, the earth will give forth abundance, and my community will be more comfortable at that time than ever before.” [18]
These hadiths of the Prophet (saas) may be referring to a transition to modern agriculture in the time of the Mahdi, and to increased production as a result of the development of new production techniques, research into seed improvement and the collection of rain water in new dams and reservoirs. Rapid progress is being made in agriculture today, and there can be huge increases in the quality and quantities of products. They can now be preserved for longer and grown using less water. Thanks to newly developed technologies, a great variety of products can now be obtained and fruit and vegetables of all kinds can now be grown all year round.
These advances will progress still further in the Golden Age, and there will be a huge rise in product quality. A greater variety of products with better smells and flavors will be grown. Allah reveals in one verse of the Qur’an referring to this:
The metaphor of those who spend their wealth in the Way of Allah is that of a grain which produces seven ears; in every ear there are a hundred grains. Allah gives such multiplied increase to whoever He wills. Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing. — (Surat al-Baqara, 261)
According to the indications in the hadiths, great importance will be attached to irrigation in the Golden Age; broad reservoirs, dams, canals and artificial rivers will be constructed, and nowhere will be arid any more. Sea, rain and flood waters will be purified and used in agriculture, and arid areas will thus attain great abundance and plenty. Technologies that are only used in narrow areas today will cause the deserts to flourish, and humanity will obtain wide expanses of agricultural land. Again according to the hadiths, all these advances in agriculture will also lead to a great improvement in livestock quality, and the production of all forms of animal products will increase:
“… The community will be blessed, animals will eat and drink much, and the earth will give forth plants…” [19]
Underground Riches Will Be Unearthed
Another development in the time of the Mahdi is the unearthing of all underground riches, and their use for the well-being and comfort of humanity. This feature of the Golden Age is described as follows in the hadiths of the Prophet (saas):
“… The Mahdi will bring forth treasures…” [20]
“In his time, the earth will cast forth the treasures within it.” [21]
“… The earth will give forth all the riches concealed within it in the form of gold and silver pillars.” [22]
Notes:
[1]. Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 52
[2]. Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, p. 39
[3]. Signs of the Last Day, p. 148
[4]. Signs of the Last Day, p. 146
[5]. Signs of the Last Day, p. 152
[6]. Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 52
[7]. Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, p. 23
[8]. Sunan ibn Majah, 10-347
[9]. Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, p. 21
[10]. Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 16
[11]. Sunan ibn Majah, 10/340
[12]. Signs of the Last Day, p. 164 / Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, p. 24
[13]. Sunan ibn Majah, 10-347
[14]. Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, p. 26
[15]. Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, p. 21
[16]. An-Najm al-Thaqib Fi Bayan Aal al-Mahdi min Aulad Ali bin Abi Talib, p. 43
[17]. Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, p. 31
[18]. Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 9
[19]. Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 15
[20]. Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, p. 33
[21]. Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, p. 43
[22]. Imam Sharani, Death, the Last Day, the Hereafter and the Signs of the End Times, p. 464
