Three tough years before the Mahdi emerges
5-10-2010 | IslamWeb
Question:
How will it be that the Mahdi will emerge during a time of famine and shortage of plants and that his victories would then prevail over a great part of the world?
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.
When the Mahdi Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allaah emerges, Allaah The Almighty will make the earth full of justice just as it was filled with injustice. Justice always results in the increase of wellbeing and blessings from the sky.
On the authority of Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri 
the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that the Mahdi will appear in the Ummah (Muslim nation); consequently, Allaah The Almighty will order the sky to rain for him and the earth will produce its fruit. Also, he will be given wealth, cattle will increase and the Ummah will increase. He will continue living for another seven or eight years. [Al-Haakim: Saheeh (Authentic); Ath-Thahabi: Saheeh]
Before the Antichrist emerges, Allaah The Almighty will make the earth in a state of adversity and drought lasting for years. This is the sign before his emergence. On the authority of Abu Umaamah the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that there will be three tough years before the Antichrist emerges and during this time people will be stricken by severe famine.
In the first year, Allaah The Almighty will order the sky to withhold one third of its rain and the earth to withhold one third of its fruit. In the second year, He will order the sky to withhold two thirds of its rain and the earth to withhold two thirds of its fruit. Then, in the third year, Allaah The Almighty will order the sky to withhold its rain so that there will not be even a drop of rain and the earth to withhold its fruit so that it will not produce any fruit at all. Every animal will perish except those whom Allaah The Almighty wills to remain alive. The nourishment of people at that time will be through saying ‘la ilaaha ilaa Allaah’ (none is truly worthy of worship but Allaah), Takbeer (Allaahu Akbar (Allaah is Great)) and Tahmeed (Alhamdu lillaah) All praise is due to Allaah). These sayings will suffice them as an alternative for food. [Ibn Maajah, Ibn Khuzaymah, Al-Haakim and Al-Albaani: Saheeh]