The coming of the Mahdi and current international events
3-10-2010 | IslamWeb
Question:
I heard some people say that the Mahdi has already been born. Is this true? Given the international status quo, when will he appear and be given the pledge of allegiance between Maqaam Ibraaheem (the station of Abraham) and the Black Stone in Makkah?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
The followers of the Sunnah (Prophet's tradition) believe that the Mahdi will emerge at the end of time and this will be a sign of the Hereafter. For more information in this regard, please also refer to Fatwa 82108.
As for the exact time of his coming, whether he has already been born or any similar matter, Allaah The Almighty alone knows this, and He decrees and enforces it whenever He wills.
You should know, dear brother, that Allaah The Almighty does not ask His slaves to look forward to the signs of the Hour or to search for them; instead, followers are asked to rely on relevant evidences from the Quran and Sunnah.
This matter must be referred to Allaah The Almighty and we must ask him for well-being and that we will stick to the right path during the times of trial, and seek His protection against misguidance, especially in this age which seems - although Allaah Knows best – to be very close to the appearance of the major signs of the Hour. It is strange that some people anticipate the Hereafter and its signs either because they are impatient to see it or out of fear from it, whereas they give no much concern to preparing for it and working for what follows it.
Even more surprisingly, they are awaiting for and fearing from something that they may not catch, while giving no attention to what the matter that they will inevitably meet, i.e. their death, with which every man's Hereafter is established; as according to some citations, when a person dies, his Day of Resurrection is established. So, how come a person gives much importance to a Hereafter Day that he might not live to see and overlooks a Day that he will inevitably encounter?
As for the current events on the international scene, we do not know whether this is an introduction to the appearance of the Mahdi or not. However, we affirm that this time conforms to what the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said about the repeated trials and the spread of killings at the end of time. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, informed us that the Hereafter will not come until knowledge becomes scarce, earthquakes become more frequent, time passes quickly, troubles emerge, killing spreads and wealth becomes abundant and overflowing. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
And Allaah Knows best.