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The Antichrist in Islam (ad­Dajjal) http://al­mahdi.atspace.com/articles.html

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 Antichrist (al­Masih ad­Dajjal). Just as the title "Christ" does not have the same meaning in Christianity and Islam, the descriptions of ad­Dajjal and the descriptions of Antichrist in the Bible are also very different. As such, to avoid confusion, we refer to this character in Islam as ad­Dajjal, the Dajjal, the Antichrist in Islam, etc. This character is to be distinguished from the Antichrist described in the Bible.

Given that ad­Dajjal is a very important apocalyptic figure in the End Times in Islam, do we have any other corresponding figure(s) in the Bible? Yes! In other articles on this website, we see that

• al­Mahdi corresponds to the Antichrist in the Bible, and • Isa corresponds to the Second Beast (False Prophet) in the Bible.

So, who does ad­Dajjal correspond to in the Bible?

This article will first examine the hadiths and teachings of Muslims concerning ad­Dajjal. Then we will look into the Bible for the corresponding figure(s). After which we will give a summary. If you like, you can scroll to the bottom of this article to check out the summary table and then come back and read the detailed comparison. You can also check out this comparison in table form.

Descriptions of Ad­Dajjal

In this section, we consider what the hadiths and Muslim teachers have to say about the character of ad­Dajjal.

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A quick search at the Online Hadith Compilation at USC MSA reveals that the number of hadiths (although many are repeated) concerning ad­ Dajjal far outnumber the number of hadiths dealing with al­Mahdi or about Isa's coming. Thus, ad­Dajjal represents a very important character in Islam in the End Times.

Beware the Dajjal!

According to the hadiths, Muhammad repeatedly warned his followers about the coming of ad­Dajjal, and to watch out for the trial of ad­Dajjal. Muhammad taught that all prophets since Noah have warned their followers about ad­Dajjal, but he gave the most details:

Narrated Ibn Umar: Once Allah's Apostle stood amongst the people, glorified and praised Allah as He deserved and then mentioned the Dajjal saying, "l [sic] warn 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 but I tell you about him something of which no prophet told his nation 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 41.7000, Sunan Abu Dawud 37.4318, etc).

The number of hadiths concerning ad­Dajjal is so numerous, that it is undeniable that Muhammad had taught it to his followers. Many devout Muslims will be on the lookout for the appearance of this bizzare character.

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:

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 his eyes touched (masah) and be rendered blind; others, that the word is 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

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Jews will give him the name of al­Masih, because they will mistake him for the true Messiah, who has come to restore the kingdom of Israel to them. (Thomas Hughes, Dictionary of Islam, p. 318).

Ad­Dajjal is such a fearful character that Muhammad often prayed for forgiveness of sins, and also to seek refuge from the trials of ad­Dajjal:

'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) used to make these supplications:" O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from the trial of Hell­Fire; and from the torment of Hell­Fire; and from the trial of the 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 Thee from the evil of the turmoil of the Dajjal. O Allah, wash away my sins with snow and hail water, purify my heart from the sins as is purified the white garment from the dirt, and keep away at a distance the sins from me as yawns the distance between the East and the West; O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from sloth, from senility, from sin, and from debt." (Sahih Muslim 35.6534)

Ad­Dajjal's Physical Looks

The first thing about ad­Dajjal, and probably the most prominent characteristic mentioned in the hadiths, is that he is blind in one eye.

Narrated Ibn Umar: Once Allah's Apostle stood amongst the people, glorified and praised Allah as He deserved and then mentioned the Dajjal saying, "l [sic] warn 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 but I tell you about him something of which no prophet told his nation before 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, etc)

The hadiths, however, are contradictory as to which eye will be blind:

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Narrated Abdullah: The Prophet mentioned the Massiah Ad­Dajjal in front of the people 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 3.425, also Sahih Muslim 41.7005, etc)

Hudhalfa reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Dajjal is blind of left eye with thick hair and there would be a garden and fire with him and his fire would be a garden and his garden would be fire. (Sahih Muslim 41.70101)

Narrated Abdullah: The Prophet mentioned the Massiah Ad­Dajjal in front of the people 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 3.425, etc)

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.

The physical defect in ad­Dajjal actually has to do with another important area that Muslims believe in. Muslim theologians teach that Allah is perfect, and all his prophets are without physical or moral defects.

According to Muslim theologians, there are six essentials of Prophethood: truthfulness, trustworthiness, communication of God's commands, intelligence, infallibility, and lack of any mental and physical defect. History records that Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, had these six essential attributes in a most perfect fashion. (Fethullah Gulen, "Essentials of the Islamic Faith ­ Prophethood and Muhammad's Prophethood", 2001).

It is worthy to be mentioned here that all the Prophets were unblemished and free from any kind of physical and moral defects. (Islamic Voice, "The Stone Started Running away with the Clothes", Nov 1999)

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In conclusion, all the Prophets were perfect both mentally and physically, with nothing to suggest any defect. (The Way of Truth, "THE PROPHETS WERE FREE FROM ALL BODILY AND MENTAL DEFECTS")

Due to this belief that Allah does not use anyone with moral or physical defects as a prophet, Muslims reject all the records of the sins of prophets 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 Rebekah, Moses got angry when the Israelites asked for water, David committed adultery and murder, Job argued with God, etc. Muslims also reject the record of Job's contracting physical sores that Satan inflicted on him because of the belief that prophets have no physical defect.

On the other hand, Jews and Christians accept that even prophets are human and can sin, but God is so powerful that He is able to transcend above their sins and still be able to bring His message across. In this 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.

Again, this difference in beliefs contributes to the way each side sees the same issue. The defect in ad­Dajjal is thus a clear indication that he is not a prophet in Islam. (A side note: Mullah Omar, spiritual head of Taliban, is blind in one eye).

The hadith also say that ad­Dajjal will be a bulky man with red complexion and thick hair:

'Abdullah reported on the authority of his father 'Umar b. Khattab that he heard from the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) say: I was 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 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 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 resemblance with Ibn Qatan amongst men. (Sahih Muslim 1.327)

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Ad­Dajjal The Infidel Par Excellence

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 Dajjal will have on his forehead the letters or word "kfr", i.e., kafir, which every Muslim will be able to recognize.

Narrated Mujahid: That when the people mentioned before Ibn 'Abbas that the Dajjal would have the word Kafir, (i.e. unbeliever) or the letters Kafir (the root of the Arabic verb 'disbelieve') written on his forehead, I heard Ibn '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 curly­haired, brown man (who used to ride) a red camel, the reins of which was made of fires of date­palms. As if I were now looking down a valley." (Sahih Bukhari 4.574)

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 that the day when Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) warned people against the Dajjal, he also said: There would be written between his two eyes (the word) Kafir (infidel) and everyone who would resent 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 able to see Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, until he dies. (Sahih Muslim 41.7000)

In other words, according to the hadiths, he will have the letters "kfr" (kafir meaning infidel)

ك ف ر (separately) or

رفاك (joined together).

Ad­Dajjal's Miracles

The hadiths tell of some of the miracles that ad­Dajjal will be able to perform:

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• Raising dead people back to life:

Narrated Abu Said Al­Khudri: Allah's Apostle told us a long narrative about Ad­Dajjal, and among the many things he mentioned, was his saying, "Ad­Dajjal will come and it will be forbidden for him to pass through the entrances of Medina. He will land in some of the salty barren areas (outside) Medina; on that day the best man or one of the best men will come up to him and say, 'I testify that you are the same Dajjal whose description was given to us by Allah's Apostle.' Ad­Dajjal will say to the people, 'If I kill this man and bring him back to life again, will you doubt my claim?' They will say, 'No.' Then Ad­ Dajjal will kill that man and bring him back to life. That man will say, 'Now I know your reality better than before.' Ad­Dajjal will say, 'I want to kill him but I cannot.' " (Sahih Bukhari 3.106)

• Reversed visions of paradise and hell, water and fire:

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 what he will call Paradise will be actually Hell; so I warn you (against him) as Noah warned his nation against him." (Sahih Bukhari 4.554)

Hudhaifa reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: the Dajjal would have with him water and fire and his fire would bays the effect of cold water and his water would have the effect of fire, so don't put yourself to ruin. Abu Mas'ud reported: I also heard it from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). (Muslim 41.7011) (Sahih Muslim 41.7011)

• Whirlwind travel around the world.

We said: Allah's Messenger, how quickly would he walk upon the earth? Thereupon he said: Like cloud driven by the wind. He would come to the people and invite them (to a wrong religion)

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and they would affirm their faith in him and respond to him. (Sahih Muslim 41.7015)

• Commands rain or drought:

• He would then give command to the sky and there would be rainfall upon the earth and it would grow crops. Then in the evening, their posturing animals would come to them with their humps very high and their udders full of milk and their flanks stretched. He would then come to another people and invite them. But they would reject him and he would go away from them and there would be drought for them and nothing would be lef t [sic] with them in the form of wealth. (Sahih Muslim 41.7015)

Muhammad often prayed to be protected from the Dajjal (eg. Sahih Muslim 4.1216, Sahih Muslim 4.1224, etc.), and taught that Muslims who memorize the first ten verses of Surah al­Kahf in the Qur'an will be protected from him (Sahih Muslim 4.1766).

Ad­Dajjal's Message

Ad­Dajjal will be trying to turn people away from Islam, and some people will accept his message.

He would come to the people and invite them (to a wrong religion) and they would affirm their faith in him and respond to him. (Sahih Muslim 41.7015) He would appear on the way between Syria and Iraq and would spread mischief right and left. (Sahih Muslim 41.7015)

Ad­Dajjal The Divine?

Muslims claim that ad­Dajjal will claim to be a prophet, then claim to be divine (i.e. God). For example:

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After that time no good will be left in the world, depravity will be a way of life, drought and famine will return until satan, the stoned and cursed, appears in the disguise of a man and claims to be their lord. The 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 of Judgement, is blown. (Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish).

However, there is no explicit hadith that actually says that ad­Dajjal will claim to be God. Muslims base this claim on hadiths like this:

Narrated Ibn Umar: You should know that he is one­eyed, and Allah is not one­eyed. (Sahih Bukhari 4.553)

This allusion is the contrast in that Allah is not one­eyed (actually, Muslims do not know how many eyes Allah has), and that ad­Dajjal has 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. Nevertheless, the Muslim understanding is that ad­Dajjal will claim to be God.

Location of Ad­Dajjal's Appearance

The hadiths tell us that he will appear between Syria and Iraq:

He would appear on the way between Syria and Iraq and would spread mischief right and left. (Sahih Muslim 41.7015)

Ad­Dajjal's Followers

The hadiths portray ad­Dajjal to be a leader of the Jews:

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Anas b. Malik reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: The Dajjal would be followed by seventy thousand Jews of Isfahan wearing Persian shawls. (Sahih Muslim 41.7034)

Isfahan is an important Persian city in antiquity since the Medes. It is currently the third largest city in Iran. The hadiths say that the main followers of ad­Dajjal will be 70,000 Jews of Isfahan wearing Persian shawls, together with an unknown number of women. This seem to indicate that these are Persian Jews. However, today, there are only 25,000 Jews left in Iran (see this BBC news article), so that will mean Jews from outside Iran need to go to Iran to make up that number.

Ad­Dajjal and the Cities of Mecca and Medina

Muhammad told his followers that ad­Dajjal will not be able to enter two cities, Mecca and Medina:

He would come but would not be allowed to ether the mountain passes to Medina. (Sahih Muslim 41.7017)

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 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 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 41.7028)

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 from the Dajjal.

Length of Ad­Dajjal's Trial

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The hadiths say that ad­Dajjal will be around for about forty "days":

We said: Allah's Messenger, how long would he stay on the earth? He said.. For forty days, one day like a year and one day like a month and one day like a week and the rest of the days would be like your days. (Sahih Muslim 41.7015)

The forty days are unusual days, with one of the days like a year, another day like a month, another day like a week and the rest (i.e., 37 days) as usual days. That works out to be (or perceived to be) about 14 months.

Ad­Dajjal's Death

The hadiths say that ad­Dajjal will be killed by Allah through Isa:

When the enemy of Allah would see him, it would (disappear) just as the salt dissolves itself in water and if he (Jesus) were not to confront them at all, even then it would dissolve completely, but Allah would kill them by his hand and he would show them their blood on his lance (the lance of Jesus Christ). (Sahih Muslim 41.6924)

This killing is supposed to take place at the gate of Ludd:

He [Jesus] would then search for him (Dajjal) until he would catch hold of him at the gate of Ludd and would kill him. (Sahih Muslim 41.7015)

Ludd is supposed to be near Tel Aviv airport in northern Israel.

Summary of Ad­Dajjal's Characteristics

Now that we have seen in detail ad­Dajjal's characteristics, we now give a quick summary.

• Epitome of those who oppose Islam and Isa.

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• Blind in one eye (not sure right or left), red complexion, thick hair, etc.

• Will have the letters of "kfr" or word "kafir" on his forehead. • Appears between Syria and Iraq. • Performs great miracles. • Turns people away from Islam. • Will claim to be a prophet, will claim to be divine (?). • Leader of 70,000 Jews from Isfahan and unnamed number of

women. • Terrorize people for "40 days". • Cannot enter Mecca, Medina and possibly Damascus. • Will be killed by Allah through Isa.

Why Ad­Dajjal is not the Same as the Biblical Antichrist

Muslims sometimes think that ad­Dajjal, who is the Antichrist in Islam, is the same as the Antichrist of the Bible. However, just as Christ does not have the same meaning in Islam and Christianity, the meaning of antichrist is also not the same in the two religions. We now explain why ad­Dajjal does not correspond to the Antichrist of the Bible.

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, politically, militarily and religiously. However, ad­Dajjal is a leader whose 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 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 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 the Bible, but since we know that the coming Isa is very different from the Jesus in the Bible, that leaves us with the conclusion that ad­Dajjal is not the Antichrist in the Bible.

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And if it isn't the Biblical Antichrist, then who?

The Two Witnesses in the Bible

We have seen that ad­Dajjal does not correspond to the Antichrist of the Bible, and in fact,

• the Biblical Antichrist corresponds to al­Mahdi and • the Biblical False Prophet corresponds to Isa,

so we also expect that there be an anti­parallel correspondence as well. Indeed, we see this correspondence between ad­Dajjal and the Two Witnesses (or Two Faithful Witnesses) of the Bible.

The Two Witnesses are described in Revelations 11. The first part reads:

I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the 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 in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. These men have power to shut up the sky so 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 of plague as often as they want. (Revelations 11:1­6)

In terms of appearance, we see that the Witnesses will be dressed in sackcloth. In the Bible, this has always signified mourning and/or repentance (Hebrew, "kippur" from "kfr", for example in the Jewish holiday of "Yom Kippur". Note: in Hebrew, "p" and "f" are the same character), and calling people to mourn for their sins and repent. Thus, the Witnesses will be here to preach a message of repentance to the God of the Bible. Note also that the Two Witnesses will also be prophesying, thus they are designated as prophets in the Bible.

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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 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 exactly who or what these Two Witnesses are.

Some Bible teachers teach that these Two Witnesses represent Judaism and Christianity as they give testimony to the world about God. However, it becomes somewhat difficult to understand the part about the miracles these Two Witnesses will perform.

Others teach that it will be one of the prominent prophets of antiquity: Moses, Enoch, Elijah, John the Baptist. Some contend that it will be one Old Testament prophet (a Jew) and one New Testament prophet (a Christian).

Nevertheless, the description of this entire passage seem to indicate two very real persons. These two Witnesses have the ability to perform some very miraculous acts:

• "fire from their mouths" • those wanting to harm them will themselves die • power to shut up rain • turn waters into blood • plagues

These kind of miracles is of course not going to bring any kind of love 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 their deaths:

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a 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 over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these

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two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. (Revelations 11:7­10)

The "beast that comes up from the Abyss" is the Antichrist. And the Antichrist will kill them, and "their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified." This is commonly understood to be Jerusalem, since Jerusalem was where Jesus was crucified. For three and a half days, people from all over the world will be able to see their bodies. The Bible did not specify how this can be seen, but today, it is not difficult to imagine news broadcast on this killing. Those who reject their message will be so happy to see their deaths so much so that they send each other gifts. The denial of burial is clearly an attempt to humiliate them and their message on their death. However, the Bible goes on to tell us:

But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on. ( Revelations 11:11­12)

So, instead of the world going merry and happily ever after since their tormenters, the Two Witnesses, are dead, the Witnesses suddenly were resurrected to life and lifted up to heaven. This brings a lot of terror on the people, since they probably realize the real problem here. And at that time, there will be an earthquake, part of the city will collapse and 7,000 people will die:

At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. (Revelations 11)

The event will be so terrifying that some of the survivors began to give glory to God (i.e., repent).

Comparison Table of Ad­Dajjal and The Two Witnesses

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We now give the major characteristics of ad­Dajjal and the Two Witnesses in a table form for comparison.

Characteristic Ad­Dajjal Two Witnesses Physical characteristics blind in one eye No explicit description

Special characteristics

Has the letters "kfr" (kafir, meaning infidel) on forehead

Wears sackcloth signifying repentance (Heb: "kpr". In Hebrew, the letter "p" is the same as "f")

Location Appears between Iraq and Syria

Not stated, but likely in Israel and other places

Followers Leader of 70,000 Isfahan Jews and women.

Not stated, likely a Jew and a Christian witness. No mention of followers

Vocation Will claim to be a prophet Designated as prophets.

Ministry Oppose al­Mahdi, Muslims and lead people away from Islam

Oppose Antichrist, the world and lead people away from the world religion. Lead people into repentance to the God of the Bible.

Ministry

Preach and torment Muslims for "40 days". Due to unusual length of certain days, it is actually (or perceivably) about 14 months long.

Preach and torment Antichrist's followers for 1260 days (about 42 months, 3.5 years)

Miracles Performs great miracles, esp. sends and withholds rain.

Perform great miracles, esp. withhold rain.

Death Killed by Isa Killed by Antichrist

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Death Killed in Ludd (near Tel Aviv, Israel)

Bodies lie in Jerusalem (inside Israel)

Reactions to Death

No doubt there will be rejoicing by Muslims Rejoicing by the world

Burial Not buried. Simply disappear.

Bodies lay unburied for 3.5 days, then resurrected to heaven.

Notice that the correspondence is not as good a fit as the correspondence between al­Mahdi and Antichrist, and between Isa and False Prophet. In particular, there is one ad­Dajjal in Islam (although the hadiths say there will be thirty lesser dajjals), but there are Two Witnesses. However, the Islamic hadiths might actually be dealing only with the Jewish Witness (and did not mention the Christian Witness).

However, the general pattern is still very similar. In some characteristics, there is some leeway for both, so it isn't necessarily a mismatch. For example, ad­Dajjal is supposed to be killed in Ludd near Tel Aviv in Israel (Northern Israel), while the bodies of the Two Witnesses will lie in Jerusalem. So, there is some room for these two to actualy be both fulfilled (eg. ad­Dajjal gets killed and then bodies moved to Jerusalem for all to see). The main anti­parallels are their miracles, their ministry, their death and the world's reaction to their death.

This can be attributed to the fact that at most one religion is true (it can't 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 the future unfolds before our eyes.

Conclusions

We have examined in detail the hadiths and Muslim teachings about the Islamic apocalyptic character known as ad­Dajjal. Muslims understand this character to be the Antichrist. When compared against the Bible,

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however, ad­Dajjal is different from the Antichrist described in the Bible. Instead, we find that ad­Dajjal corresponds in description to the Two Witnesses. This brings us to these anti­parallels (check out the articles if you have not read them):

• al­Mahdi corresponds to Antichrist in the Bible • Isa corresponds to the False Prophet in the Bible • ad­Dajjal corresponds to the Two Witnesses in the Bible

All the comparisons in the three characters are also presented in a table form in a two­part article:

• Comparison of End Times Figures in Islam and Christianity

When these events happen, Muslims will be seeing al­Mahdi and Isa 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. The Christians on the other hand, will be seeing the Antichrist and the False Prophet setting their global rule over the earth, and the Two Witnesses leading people back to the God of the Bible, and then dying at the hands of the Antichrist. These correspondence clearly points to something a lot more than what we mere mortals think. What is the significance of all these correspondence and how will these affect you and me?

We now invite you to ponder the all­important question in the next article, What Do All These Mean?

May you be under the blessings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

References

• Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006. • Mohammad Ali Ibn Moulana Zubair Ali, "Signs of Qiyama".

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• Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "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. • Bible Gateway.

Islam's Much Awaited World Leader — Al­ Mahdi (and who he corresponds to in the Bible)

Introduction

Muslims today are eagerly awaiting the appearance of a Muslim leader 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 will examine this character in detail based on Islamic sources, and compare him with a character in the Bible that is very similar.

Muslims' Eager Expectation For Al­Mahdi

There is no doubt that Muslims are eagerly awaiting the appearance of a Muslim leader (known as Caliph in Arabic), who is to be a faithful representative of Allah. Consider this report on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2006:

WASHINGTON ­ While most of the reporting and analysis of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at the U.N. focused on what he had to say about the West and specifically the U.S., his chilling closing remarks were lost on most listeners ­ and apparently all reporters...

The last two paragraphs of his remarks revealed his steadfast and driving conviction, as previously reported in WND, that a messianic figure, known as the "Mahdi" to Muslims, is poised to reveal himself after an apocalyptic holocaust on Earth that leaves most of the world's population dead. (Iran leader's U.N. finale reveals apocalyptic view, World Net Daily, Sept 21, 2006)

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Or consider the statement by the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq, a collection of eight mujahideen (jihad fighters) groups fighting the United States:

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 are awaiting victory, martyrdom, triumph, enabling the Caliphate (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 will give Muslims the victory in their war against the Romans and their final capital Rome like his Prophet Mohammed, peace upon him, 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 Rebuttal To Pope's Remarks On Islam)

Many similar reports about can be cited. Who is this Mahdi mentioned in President Ahmadinejad's speech? And what is the Islamic Caliphate mentioned by the Mujahideen Shura Council? Why is there such anticipation among the 1.3 billion Muslims for the coming of 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 person? Did the Bible also prophesy about al­Mahdi? If so, which character in the Bible prophecies fits?

These are all questions that this article tries to answer as we search the 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 important source of Islamic Law. We also compare these expectations with what is contained in the Bible to gain a more complete understanding of the End Times. While most non­Muslims are probably clueless about al­Mahdi, many Muslims are eagerly expecting his coming. Some Muslims are even said to be trying to create the enviroment conducive for this coming, and are actively working towards his Caliphate.

The importance of al­Mahdi to Muslims and non­Muslims alike is that his appearance will have dramatic effects on the Muslims and the non­Muslims. As and when he appears, the entire dynamics of this world will change as a result. We encourage you to carefully read this

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article to understand the impact it will have on the Muslim psyche and how it will steer world events.

The Importance of Qiyamah in Islam

Islamic teaching is that all created things at an appointed time will be annihilated, and then resurrected for judgment before Allah. The exact date and time of this event, known as Yawm al­Qiyamah (literally Day of Resurrection), is known to Allah alone (Qur'an Surah 7:187, 31:34, 33:63 ), but the Qur'an says it will come suddenly (Surah 7:187; 12:107; 21:40; 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 time of Noah have taught about the Qiyamah to their followers, but that Muhammad told his followers in much greater details about it. In particular, Muhammad said that the prophets have warned their followers about ad­Dajjal (Muslim version of the Antichrist, not to be confused with the Antichrist in the Bible). For example, we read in the hadiths:

Narrated AbuUbaydah ibn al­Jarrah:

I heard the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) say: There has been no Prophet after Noah who has not warned his people about the antichrist (Dajjal), 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 my words will live till his time. The people asked: Apostle of Allah! what will be the condition of our hearts on that day? Like what we are today? He replied: Or better. (Sunan Abu Dawud 40.4738)

Even though Muhammad speculated that some Muslim believers might 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 Qiyamah for many hours. It is also said that the Companions of Muhammad also taught the hadiths to their children and instructed them to also teach their children. Thus, teachings about Qiyamah is something that is taught and passed down by Muslims from generation to generation,

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reflecting its importance in the Islamic faith. As such, many Muslims will 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.

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 can be categorized into Immediate or Later, where Immediate Signs refers to those supposedly fulfilled in the earlier era of Islam, while the Later Signs are supposed to happen as Qiyamah draws near. We will not deal with the Minor Signs in this article, but concentrate on the first of the Major Signs — the coming of Al­Mahdi.

Descriptions of Al­Mahdi in Islam

In this section, we will consider the various hadith reports (plural. ahadith) and Muslim teachings concerning al­Mahdi to get a good idea of this End Times personality in Islam. The hadiths are the records of words or deeds 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 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, are considered to be most authentic and beyond dispute. The Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are considered the most authentic.

Al­Mahdi is considered a Major Sign of the Qiyamah. This title means "the Guided One," i.e., he will be guided by Allah. It can also mean "the Gifted One," obviously in reference to the various gifts he will possess. There are many hadiths recording Muhammad's teachings about al­Mahdi. Many Muslims have also written about al­Mahdi and the accompanying signs of his coming. On the internet, one can find many articles related to his coming.

In essense, the hadiths speak of al­Mahdi as a character that is expected to appear in the Last Days, unite the Muslims and with the help of Isa (Muslim version of Jesus), conduct jihad (lit. struggle, more commonly,

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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. The Caliphate is the jurisdiction of the Caliph. Muslims expect this Islamic Caliphate to eventually cover the entire world as the entire world comes under Islam. He will rule for seven years, bringing in an era of "justice and equity". This is an age that many Muslims look fondly towards:

The final times represents an age that contains all of these "better" concepts. They will be a holy age, when shortages are replaced by plenty and abundance, injustice by justice, immorality by morality, conflict by peace and security, and the Islamic morality that all believers have 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)

The Mahdi in Shi'ite and Sunni (the two main sects of Islam) traditions are somewhat different as to the exact identity of al­Mahdi. The Shi'ites believe that al­Mahdi was the 12th Imam (leader) of the Shi'ite sect (the fourth Caliph, Ali, was considered the first Shi'ite Imam, followed by his sons Hasan, Hussein, and their descendents, etc). This 12th Imam, who was then a small boy, was said to have disappeared and went into 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 believe al­Mahdi to be someone to appear in the future, and do not 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 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 will be and what he will do.

Historically, there have been many Muslims who have claimed to be al­ Mahdi. However, we do not dwell on these claimants, but rather on the 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 have to say about al­Mahdi.

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Conditions at the Emergence of Al­Mahdi

According to the hadiths, just prior to the emergence of Al­Mahdi, "Christian rule will be dominant". (Note that Muslims often equate Western with Christian). A descendent of Abu Sufyan (a Meccan who converted to Islam under threat of beheading) is supposed to emerge in 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 and the Christians, after which, one group of the Christians will enter into a treaty with the Muslims while the other group will attack and conquer Constantinople (Istanbul). The Muslims and their Christian allies will then attack the other Christians and win over them. Then the Muslims and the Christians will argue over if the battle had been won with the Cross or Islam, until a full­scale battle ensued, resulting in the killing of the Muslim ruler. These Christians are supposed to conquer Syria and reconcile with the other group of Christians, and will exercise their rule till Khaybar.

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 current situation in the Middle East, it should be understandable why many Muslims look forward to the day al­Mahdi will appear.

Al­Mahdi — A Descendent of Muhammad

The first thing we will notice about the Mahdi is that the hadiths say that he will be a direct descendent of Muhammad:

Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Mahdi will be of my family, of the descendants of Fatimah. Abdullah ibn Ja'far said: I heard AbulMalih praising Ali ibn Nufayl and describing his good qualities. ( 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, 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")

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Many similar hadiths were also recorded by other Muslims like Ahmad 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 Muslims also think that names that are variants of Muhammad, like Mahmoud or Ahmad, might be acceptable. Fatimah, Ali's wife, was the only child of Muhammad to have descendents, as the rest of Muhammad's children either died young or did not have offsprings. Thus, al­Mahdi is supposed to be a descendent of Fatimah and Ali. Muhammad's descendants are numerous. The royal family of Jordan, for example, are descended from Hasan, eldest son of Fatimah and Ali.

In another hadith, we read:

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If 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 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 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 )

This hadith seem to say that al­Mahdi's father will also have the same name as Muhammad's father (i.e., Abdullah). If so, then al­Mahdi's name should be Muhammad ibn Abdullah. However, some Muslims dispute the authenticity of these hadiths. Shi`ites believed that his name is 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).

Al­Mahdi's Looks

From the hadiths, we gather that al­Mahdi will have a broad forehead and a prominent nose.

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Narrated Abu Sa'id al­Khudri:

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 equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4272)

He will also supposedly look like "Bani Israel" (children of Israel):

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 the children of Israel, (quoted by Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

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 example, some claim that the Pathans (or Pashtuns) of Afghanistan and Pakistan were descended from the lost tribes of Israel (actually only from King Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin), who later converted to Islam. They identify themselves as Bani Israel, but not Jews. (The relationship between Jews and Muslims have been extremely tumultous since the days of Muhammad, something we shall see also in other hadiths regarding the End Times).

However, the above reference as refering to the Jews is the most likely interpretation, since Muhammad dealt with many Jews in Arabia during his time, and the Qur'an and he consistently used Bani Israel to refer to the Jewish people in Arabia (See Qur'an, Surah 2:40, 2:47, for example).

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).

An Army Bearing Black Flags Coming From Khorasan (Or The East)

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Several hadiths tell of the coming of an army bearing black flags (or banners) prior to the revealing of al­Mahdi. A man from Khorasan by the name of al­Harith ibn Harrath will be preparing the people for the 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 (kuffars, i.e., non­Muslims).

Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A man called al­Harith ibn 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 Muhammad's family as Quraysh consolidated them for the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him). Every believer must help him, or he said: respond to his sermons. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4277)

Hadhrat Buraidah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "There will be many armies after me. You must join that army [that] [sic] will come from Khurasaan". (Ibn Adi, as quoted by Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")

"Rasulullah" means "Messenger of Allah", a title Muslims used to refer to Muhammad. Khorasan today is a province in north eastern Iran, but in ancient times, Greater Khorasan refers to a region that extends over north eastern Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Thus, out of this central Asian region is supposed to arise an army 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 army.

As Muhammad commanded all Muslims to give this army their support when they see it appear, this army, though not necessarily very well 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) said: "(Armies carrying) black flags will come from khurasaan. No power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela (Baitul

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Maqdas) where they will erect their flags". (Tirmidhi, as quoted by Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")

Baitul Maqdas (literally Holy House) came from the Hebrew term for the 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 the Temple Mount (the compound is known as al­Haram al­Sharif). This 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 when the black flags appear, the appearance of al­Mahdi will be imminent.

The black flags have been a prominent sign in Islam's army since Muhammad's days.

In Islam there are two flags. One is white and one is black. Written across both flags in Arabic are the words, "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger". The white flag is called Al­Liwaa and serves as the sign for the leader of the Muslim army and is the flag of the Islamic State. The black flag is called Ar­Raya and is used by the Muslim 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 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. They carried with them black flags. On the flags was one word written in Arabic: punishment. (Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006.)

In modern days, the black flags have been used by Muslims in several places during demonstrations, eg. a demonstration against the Pope in Palestine, in antoher demonstration in Cairo, etc. This imagery is of course an invocation of the desire for al­Mahdi to arrive on the world scene. It is clear that many Muslims understand the significance behind this flag: a coming retribution against those who defy Islam (whether it be non­ Muslims or non­devout Muslims).

In summary, when the army of black flags appears in Khorasan, the emergence of al­Mahdi is supposedly imminent.

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Al­Mahdi's Ascension to Rule

As we study the hadiths on al­Mahdi, we come to some very interesting developments. This very important person may not be some prominent person that is already ruling over some country in the world. Instead, Muslims believe al­Mahdi to be a person living in obscurity before his emergence, and that his heart will be changed overnight to take up this responsibility:

Al Mahdi is from the family of the House Allah will 'yuslihu' him in a night. (Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

Since al­Mahdi's heart is supposed to be changed overnight, it is well­nigh impossible to say what kind of person he currently is, if he exist today. He will suddenly burst into the world scene. He will be recognized as the Mahdi by a group of Muslims known as abdals and will be suddenly thrusted into the limelight. The hadiths say:

Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Disagreement will occur at the death of a caliph and a man of the people of Medina will come flying forth to Mecca. Some of the people of Mecca will come to him, bring him out against his will and swear allegiance to him between the Corner and the Maqam. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4273)

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 responsibilities on him. This must indicate that he will know he is to be al­ Mahdi. Note that it is not indicated whether he actually is a Medinan. Some Muslims speculated that al­Mahdi will be Meccan, just like 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.

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During the Haj, while performing the tawaf between Hajrul Aswad and Maqam Ibrahim, some people known as the abdals are said to approach him and forcefully pledge their allegiance (bayah) to him. The tawaf is the ritual of circumambulation around the Ka'aba (the holiest building in Mecca) performed by Muslims during the pilgrimage to Mecca (known as the Haj). Hajrul Aswad refers to the Black Stone at a corner of the Ka'aba, whereas Maqam Ibrahim (the Station of Abraham) is located in front of the only door to the Ka'aba. Thus, people will suddenly pledge allegiance to al­Mahdi at this vicinity. Other hadiths say that at this time a voice from 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, Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)). News of this unveiling of al­Mahdi will then travel quickly around the world to the Muslims.

The same hadith continues:

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 people see that, the eminent saints of Syria and the best people of Iraq will come to him and swear allegiance to him between the Corner and the Maqam. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4273)

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 desert between Medina and Mecca. When the surrounding people see or hear about this event, leaders of Syria and Iraq will come to pledge their allegiance to him. At this point, al­Mahdi would have gained the allegiance of quite a number of influential Muslim leaders.

Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A man called al­Harith ibn 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 Muhammad's family as Quraysh consolidated them for the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him). Every believer must help him, or he said: respond to his sermons. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4277)

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Thawban (R.A) reported that the Propet [sic] Muhammad said, 'In your 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 of the east, and they will slaughter you in a way that no Nation has ever done before. Then the Dear Prophet said something that I didn't remember. Then again the Dear Prophet said if you see him give him your allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice, because he is the Khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi.' (Ibn Majah Page 300, Also Ahmad's Musnad, al­Haakim's Mustadrak and others).

There is also the Hadith narrated by Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If you 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 Hadith scholars rendered it sound in general. (Islam Online)

What the last sentence in the quote above means is that the content of the hadith is sound, and fits other data available, but the specific isnad (chain of narrators) is weak. The phrase "even if creeping" has also been translated to "even if crawl over ice", and Muslims said that some mountainous regions in Khorasan area are often covered with ice and snow. Basically, what this means is that Muslims are told to go and join 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 gone to the difficult mountainous region to train with al­Qaida.

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 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 army are certainly intertwined.

Thus far, we see that al­Mahdi will suddenly be recognized, and then some leaders will pledge allegiance to him, and due to a miraculous event, many more leaders will then come and follow to him. This news will spread very quickly among the Muslims and many more Muslims will then come and

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pledge allegiance to him. This meteoric rise to power of a leader will be unprecendented in the history of mankind.

Let's pause a moment and consider the implications of this event. Today, there are an estimated 1.3 to 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. And if only 10% of all Muslims were to join this army, we will see 130 to 150 million Muslim mujahideens (those who participate in jihad). Given that Muhammad exhorted all Muslims to join and support them (and assuming only the able­bodied and adult ones can actually join), the size of this coming Muslim army is still considerable, running in the hundreds of millions. No nation in this world has such a large army. One can easily imagine that very very few nations can stand against this large army.

Al­Mahdi The World Leader

We have seen the expected meteoric and sudden rise to power of al­ Mahdi, but this is not the end. The aim of al­Mahdi is not just the Muslim 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 Deliverer (Kitab Al­Mahdi)". This is a collection of hadiths related to the coming of al­Mahdi. Thus, early Muslims saw al­Mahdi as a coming deliverer of the Muslims.

Jews are waiting for the Messiah, Christians are waiting for Jesus, and Muslims are waiting for both the Mahdi and Jesus. All religions describe them as men coming to save the world. (Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, "The Approach of Armageddon? An Islamic Perspective", Canada, Supreme Muslim Council of America, 2003, p. 229, as quoted by Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)

The hadiths tell us:

Even if the entire duration of the world's existence has already been 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 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

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injustice and tyranny before then. (Sahih Tirmidhi, vol. 2, p86, vol. 9, p74­ 75) Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If 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 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 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, Book 36, #4269, Also #4270, #4272, #4276A) 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 property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and establish Islam on Earth. He will remain seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 36, #4273)

As the expected rule of al­Mahdi is to cover the whole earth and not just the Muslim countries today, non­Muslims will also be affected by this turn of events. In order to bring about a world of "peace and justice", al­Mahdi will rely on a number of means. Muslims tell us:

Allah (c.c.) will sow love of him in the hearts of all people. (Harun Yahya quoting El­Kavlu'l Muhtasar Fi Alamet­il Mehdiyy­il Muntazar, 42) ...

So, Allah will sow love of him in the chests of the people (Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

There will remain no individual not pleased with the Muslims. (Harun Yahya quoting Signs of the Judgment Day, 163) ...

Al Mahdi appears, everyone only talks about Him, drinks the love of Him, and never talks about anything other than Him. (Harun Yahya quoting Al­ Burhan fi Alamat al­Mahdi Akhir al­Zaman, 33)

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The dwellers of Heaven and Earth, even the birds in the sky, will be pleased with his Caliphate. (Harun Yahya quoting El­Kavlu'l Muhtasar Fi Alamet­il Mehdiyy­il Muntazar, 29)

The above quotations paint a picture where Allah will cause the people of this world to admire and love him. As such, al­Mahdi will exude a charisma, charm, and as we shall also see, persuasiveness, that many will find difficult to resist. As a result, many people will willingly come under his rule and become Muslims as al­Mahdi and Isa make Islam the only religion in this world.

Under his authority, al­Mahdi will send out invitations to Islam to the rest of the world, starting with the states around his own jurisdiction, according to the stipulation of Muhammad. After these are passed, then according to Muhammad's sunnah (lit. path, i.e. Muhammad's example), Al­Mahdi is free to conduct warfare against these nations and subdue 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:

Nafi' b. Utba reported: ... I repeat (on the fingers of my hand) that he (Allah's Messenger) said: You will attack Arabia and Allah will enable you to conquer it, then you would attack Persia and He would make you to Conquer it. Then you would attack Rome and AllgLh [sic] will enable you 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 after Rome (Syrian territory) would be conquered. (Sahih Muslim 41.6930 )

JIHAAD ON INDIA A jamaat of Muslims wages Jihaad on India and be successful.

SYRIA UNDER MUSLIM RULE Imam Mahdi returns to Syria and establishes Muslim rule over the lands he passes. (Mufti Afzal Hoosen Elias, "MAJOR SIGNS OF QIYAMAT")

So we see that first of all, people will love al­Mahdi and come willingly to submit to him, some will become persuaded by his message and be amazed at his military success, and the rest of the world who refuse to

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follow him will be conquered, and "he will then fill the Earth with peace and justice".

Al­Mahdi And The Laws Of His Government

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 government. According to the hadiths, al­Mahdi will govern according to the Sunnah of Muhammad. The word sunnah literally means "trodden path" and refers to the words and acts of Muhammad, and these are recorded in the hadiths. The Sunnah of Muhammad refers to the precedents set by Muhammad. All Muslims try to emulate Muhammad, and some go to the extent of emulating everything he did, including the beard, the turban, the sequence of putting on clothes, and other acts. As to matters of law, the Sunnah is codified into the Shari'a (Islamic Law).

Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:

... 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 property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and establish Islam on Earth. He will remain seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4273)

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 Isa will institute Shari'a Law over all the world. Even though the different Sunni schools have some disagreements over the actual implementation of Shari'a (the different schools have about 75% of Shar'ia that are in 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.

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In the world today, whenever Muslims become the majority of the land, 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 were the Muslims are minority, Shar'ia Law is practiced among Muslims, and often recognized by the government (eg. England, Singapore, etc).

Another important aspect of Shar'ia relates to the calendar. Muslim nations use the Islamic calendar that dates from the Hijra (the escape of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina). Thus, Islamic dates are labelled as A.H. (after Hijra) instead of A.D. (Ano Domini, latin for "in the Lord"). The Islamic Calendar is totally lunar in nature and has no intercalation to synchronize with the solar year (unlike the Jewish or Chinese luni­solar calendar). When al­Mahdi implements the Shari'a Law over his empire, it is a given that he will also use the Islamic calendar.

Length Of Al­Mahdi's Reign

A number of sahih or hasan (good) hadiths say that the reign of al­Mahdi will be about seven years. We have seen it mentioned in Sunan Abu 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 equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4272)

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 seems to be the most authentic (Sahih). There is some doubt in the authenticity of the other hadiths.

The Treaty of Seven Years

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We also read of a peace treaty that the Muslims will enter into:

Hadhrat Abu Umamah radhiyallahu anhu says that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: "There will be four peace agreements between you and the Romans. The fourth agreement will be mediated through a person who will be from the progeny of Hadhrat Haroon alayhis salaam and will be upheld for seven years."

The people asked: "O Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam , who will be the Imaam of the people at the time?"

Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: "He will be from my progeny and will be forty years of age. His face will shine like a star and he will have a black spot on his left cheek. He will don two "Qutwaani" cloaks and will appear exactly as a person from the Bani Israeel..." (Tabrani, as quoted by Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")

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 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 sacrifices and only the Chief Priest may enter into the "Holy of Holies". Exactly what the treaty is about, the hadiths did not specify.

Al­Mahdi's Seat of Authority ­ Jerusalem and/or Kufa

Another important characteristic of al­Mahdi is his seat of authority. We have already seen this hadith above:

Abu Hurairah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "(Armies carrying) black flags will come from khurasaan. No 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

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Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")

We can see that the hadiths say that Jerusalem will be captured by the Muslims. Muhammad ibn Izzat and Muhammad 'Arif, commenting on the above tradition, said:

The Mahdi will be victorious and eradicate those pigs and dogs and the 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 rightly guided caliphate and the center of Islamic rule, which will be headed by Imam al­Mahdi... That will abolish the leadership of the Jews... and put an end to the domination of the Satans who spit evil into people and cause corruption in the earth, making them slaves of false idols 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)

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 headquarters of al­Mahdi's caliphate. For example:

Head of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement Sheikh Raed Salah said Friday that "soon Jerusalem will be the capital of the new Muslim caliphate, and the caliph's seat will be there." (Salah: Caliph will sit in Jerusalem, Ynet News, Sep 15, 2006.) A. Hijazi explains:

The flourishing of Jerusalem will happen by the hands of Muslims, by the will of Allah, after it will be retrieved from the Jews.

The Holy Land will be the seat of the Caliphate because the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said to Ibn Hawalah,

"O Ibn Hawalah! If you live to see the seat of the Caliphate of the Holy Land, then earthquakes, disasters and great calamities are imminent. Then, the Hour will be closer to people than this hand of mine to your head!" (Al­Hakim in Al­Mustadrak, vol. 4, p. 420, and he says, "Sahih", as

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quoted by A. Hijazi, "Signs of the Appearance of the Dajjal and His Destruction. Major Signs of the Last Hour")

The fact that al­Mahdi will choose to rule from Jerusalem sometime into his reign (not explicitly stated when) means there has to be a conflict with the Israelis currently ruling Jerusalem, in order to resolve this issue. In 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 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 other Muslims believe that he will rule from Damascus in Syria. That said, this does not preclude al­Mahdi from first ruling in Damascus or Kufa, then ruling from Jerusalem after it was captured.

Al­Mahdi and the Jews

The relationship with the Jews is at a boiling point today, due especially to the establishment of the modern nation of Israel. Some Muslim nations do not recognize Israel, and some make no pretense about their desire to completely annihilate Israel from the world map. The Sahih Muslim contain a number of hadiths that describe what will happen to the Jews under al­Mahdi:

(Muhammad said:) The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree 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, Sahih Muslim 41.6982, Sahih Muslim 41.6983, Sahih Muslim 41.6984)

This hadith paints a very dire picture of the Jews at the End Times. This particular hadith is often recalled by many terrorists like al­Qaida and others. It is also taught in Saudi school textbooks and in sermons in the mosques around the world. Given the strong sentiments against Jews in the Middle East, this hadith is a clear statement of what will happen to the

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Israelis the moment Israel lapses in her defenses. The recent war in Lebanon has also destroyed the myth of invincibility of the Israeli army, and so Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria, Iran and other groups will probably be even more emboldened in the future. This means a coordinated effort by the Muslims to destroy Israel is becoming more and more a not­too­distant reality.

Al­Mahdi and Prosperity. A New Golden Age of Islam

Another aspect of the reign of al­Mahdi is the expectation that it will be a great time of wealth and peace, in other words, a new Golden Age of Islam. During the reign of Al­Mahdi, there will be a lot of wealth, rain in 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 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 who will accept Sadaqa from him, and a person would be called to accept Sadaqa and he would say: I do not need it. (Sahih Muslim 5.2209)

According to a Hadeeth narrated by Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A.) Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "...(regarding the rule of Imaam 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 have already passed away should have been alive to enjoy this prosperity.)" (Mustadrak, as quoted by Mohammed All Ibn Moulana Zubair Ali, "Signs of Qiyamah".)

"At the end of my nation Al Mahdi will come for whom Allah will send 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 or eight." (Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

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Al­Mahdi will also be so wealthy that he will have at his disposal plenty of wealth to distribute to his followers, without even counting.

Abu Nadra reported: "... He (Jabir b. Abdullab) kept quiet for a while and then reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said There would be a caliph in the last (period) of my Ummah who would freely give handfuls of wealth to thd [sic] people without counting it. I 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)

The late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, Ph.D., said:

"He will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it had been filled by oppression and injustice. The inhabitants of the heavens and earth will be pleased with him. He will distribute wealth equally." At this point a companion asked what 'equally' meant so the Prophet replied: "Equally, between the people, and Allah will fill the hearts 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?' None except one man will stand and say, 'Me'. So he will say: 'Go to the treasurer and tell him that Al Mahdi orders you to give me wealth.' So the treasurer will say to him: 'Fill with your hands!' And he will put it in his clothing then tie it. Then he will become contrite and say: 'I was the most greedy among the nation of Muhammad, and he will attempt to return it but it will not be accepted, and it will be said to him: 'We do not accept what we have given.' And so he (Al Mahdi) will remain seven, eight or nine years ­­ then, there is no goodness left in life nor yet in living after him.

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The preceding narrations were reported by Abi Said Al Khudri in the reference of Abi Dawood, Al Hakim, At­Tirmizi, Ahmad, ibn Hibban, Muslim, Al Tabarani (in his middle dictionary), Al Barudi and Abu Nuaym in his forty Hadith concerning Al Mahdi. (Narrated by the late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, Ph.D., "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­ CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

Consider for a moment, the jurisdiction of al­Mahdi. Once he united all the Muslim states, consider the map of his empire. This region contains 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 expensive to extract). At the record high price of oil today, a lot of wealth is already going into the oil­producing countries. Without oil, the world's economy will grind to a halt and so the entire world will become very dependent on al­Mahdi's Caliphate. Al­Mahdi will have much greater 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.

Muslims invading Arabia

The hadiths tell of an invasion of Arabia by a group of Muslims: Nafi' b. Utba reported: ... I repeat (on the fingers of my hand) that he (Allah's Messenger) said: You will attack Arabia and Allah will enable you to conquer it, then you would attack Persia and He would make you to Conquer it. Then you would attack Rome and AllgLh [sic] will enable you 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 after Rome (Syrian territory) would be conquered. (Sahih Muslim 41.6930 )

Under Muhammad, Arabia has already been conquered by the Muslims. Due to the reference to the Dajjal, which Muslims expect will appear in the End Times, this hadith appears to refer to the End Times. Could the reference to "you will attack Arabia" be a reference to the Muslims

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invading to topple the Saudi government which many feel are not real Muslims (many Muslims think the Saudi government is corrupt and not a real Islamic government)? It is not insignificant that Al­Qaida often singled out Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt accusing them of collusion with the west.

There is another apocalyptic predication concerning Arabia, where Arabia will be destroyed (although it is not clear if they are the same event):

Zainab bint Jahsh reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) got up from sleep saying: There is no god but Allah; there is a destruction in store for Arabia because of turmoil which is at hand, the barrier of Gog and Magog has opened so much. And Sufyan made a sign of ten with the help of his hand (in order to indicate the width of the gap) and I said: Allah's Messenger, would we be perished in spite of the fact that there would be good people amongst us? Thereupon he said: Of course, but only when the evil predominates. (Sahih Muslim 41.6881. Also Sahih Muslim 41.6883)

Al­Mahdi the Archaeologist

Muslims also tell us of an interesting bit of information about al­Mahdi:

I said, "O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, I have never seen a Roman city like the city of Antioch and I have never seen more rain than it has." Whereupon the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said: "Yes, that is because the Torah, Staff of Moses, Tablets, and the Table of Solomon, the son of David are in its caves. There is not a single cloud that comes from any direction to it that does not pour its blessing in that valley. And the days and night will not pass until a man from my 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 transgressions." Reported by Tamin Ad­Dari, in the reference of Ibn Hibban Ad­Du'fa. (quoted by Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of

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Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­ CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

Ka'b al­Ahbar says "He will be called 'Mahdi" because he will guide (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 Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)

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 will guide the people to a mountain in Syria from which he will bring out the volumes of the Torah to refute the Jews. At the hands of the Mahdi the Ark of the Covenant will be brought forth from the Lake of Tiberias and taken and placed in Jerusalem." (Izzat and Arif, p. 16, as quoted by Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)

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 Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)

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 Gospel. And he will use it to refute the Jews and the Christians, thereby convincing some of them to become Muslims. As to the actual contents of these manuscripts, we can only speculate. However, it is clearly implied that this version will be different from what is in the Bible today. Since it is with these manuscripts that many will be convinced to become Muslims, we can speculate reasonably as follows: since many Muslims believe that the Torah and the Gospels have been corrupted, supposedly, this version of the Torah and the Gospel will contain the kind of message that is the same as the Qur'an, and maybe explicit prophecies of Muhammad which is missing from the Bible today. For example, the Qur'an says:

Those who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they will find described in the Torah and the Gospel

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(which are) with them. He will enjoin on them that which is right and forbid them that which is wrong. He will make lawful for them all good 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 him, and honour him, and help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him: they are the successful. (Surah 5:157)

No such prophecies exist in the Bible, of course, despite some Muslim 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 submit to Islam will face the consequences as we have mentioned.

Summary — Characteristics Of Al­Mahdi

Having examined the hadiths and teachings about Al­Madhi, we now summarize what we know about al­Mahdi from the above discussion.

• He will be Islam's deliverer. • He is to be a descendent of Muhammad. • He is to bear the name or some variant name of Muhammad. • He will look like a Bani Israel. • He will lead the Muslims and wage jihad against them rest of the

world. • He will rule over the world. • He will cause Islam to be the only religion in the world and rule

with Islamic Law. • He will be much loved by the world. • He will conquer the Jews and slaughter them. • He will set up his seat of authority in Jerusalem. • He will rule for seven years (or 8, or 9). • He will make a treaty of seven years with a person of priestly

lineage. • He will possess and distribute wealth to the Muslims.

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• He will discover a new Torah, Gospel, and the Ark, and will use them to argue and persuade Jews and Christian, and cause many people to follow him into Islam.

• During his rule, there will be good rain, great harvest and crops.

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 Mahdi? The answer, not surprisingly, is yes. However, this personality may not be what a Muslim expect. So, please carefully read the next section in order to understand the implications.

The Antichrist of the Bible

We now consider the characteristics of the Antichrist in the Bible. Please 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 the Biblical Antichrist. We only deal with characteristics that are relevant to our discussion (whether positive or negative).

In Christianity, the title of "Antichrist" is a generic title refering to a personality that is to appear at the End Times. He is also referred by many different titles in the Bible, like "the Beast," "the Little Horn," "the Son of Perdition," etc. He is to be the epitome of those who oppose the real Jesus Christ of the Bible (hence "the Antichrist").

We first begin by roughly locating where the Antichrist will come from. In Ezekiel 38, we read of a prophecy about a gathering of nations that will attack Israel. The list of nations include:

• Egypt, which he will attack and subdue (Daniel 11:42). • Meschek and Tubal (most likely parts of Turkey, parts of Southern

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, Turkey, Iran, Dagestan),

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• Persia (modern Iran and Iraq. Ancient Persia also includes Iraq. The Euphrates River in Iraq is also mentioned together with the two Beasts in Rev 16:12­13),

• Cush (African Cush covers parts of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia. Asian Cush covers Arabia through Euphrates),

• Put (Libya), • Gomer (Cappadocia, Turkey), • Togarmah (southeastern part of Turkey near Syria)

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 surrounding Israel. Before 1948, there was no nation of Israel to destroy and this prophecy hung in limbo. However, after the miraculous birth of the modern state of Israel under the UN in 1948, this prophecy suddenly came to life.

The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. (Daniel 7:24)

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 name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power 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 world was astonished and followed the beast. Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" (Revelations 13:1­4)

The description of the Antichrist here is that he will start with ten nations (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 call or fail to submit completely to his authority). The beast symbolizes his empire, with the leopard symbolizing the Greek Empire, the bear symbolizing the Medo­Persian Empire and the lion symbolizing the Babylonian Empire. Just as this beast is a composite of these animals, the

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Antichrist Empire combines the three empires. If we combine these three empires, we get an area that covers the list of nations above.

The Bible also describes that the Antichrist will appear from the remnants of the Seleucid Empire. In Daniel Chapter 8, we read about a vision in which prophet Daniel saw a two­horned ram and a goat with a prominent horn attacking it. The ram symbolized the Medo­Persian Empire (Daniel 8:20) and the goat symbolized the Greek Empire (Daniel 8:21). The prominent horn symbolized the prominent king of the Greek Empire ( Daniel 8:21), i.e., Alexander the Great.

The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven. (Daniel 8:8)

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, and after his death, his four generals divided up his empire ("four prominent horns"):

• Seleucus (Seleucid Empire), • Ptolemy (Egypt), • Lysimachos (Thrace) and • Cassander (Macedon and Greece).

The Seleucid Empire is the largest of the four partitions covering Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc. See this map for an idea of this partition. Then the vision continues:

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. ( Daniel 8:9)

"Beautiful Land" refers to the land of Israel, so the partition from the Greek Empire that fits this description is the Seleucid Empire. From this region, we see a horn appearing that started small but grew in power. "Another horn" is a description of the Antichrist. In other words, we see 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

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start humbly and then grow in power towards the land of Israel. This also indicates that his empire will increase over time from the initial stage until it encompasses the whole world. The Bible continues to describe him:

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 destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he 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)

A very important characteristic of the Antichrist is that he will become strong not through his own power. His authority to rule was given to him.

I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. (Revelations 6:2)

The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. (Revelations 13:2)

He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. (Daniel 11:21)

The above Biblical passages describe a future leader who is currently rather obscure. He probably didn't even ask to rule. Instead, somehow, he was persuaded or forced to take up the leadership position. Revelations 13:2 indicates that behind the scenes, it was the dragon (Satan) that actually gave the Antichrist the authority to rule. Moreover, those who give him allegiance do it voluntarily:

It should be pointed out that Christians are not united in opinions about the rider on the white horse in Revelations 6:2. Some believe that it refers to the Antichrist, while some believe that it is Christ Himself.

For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. ( Revelations 17:17)

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The Bible tells us that a huge army 200 million strong will arise in the Euphrates region (modern Iraq). This army will kill one third of mankind:

It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. (Revelations 9:14­16)

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 destroy many". This phrase was also translated as "by peace shall destroy 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 as a result cause many people to believe him. However, this peace is counterfeit and so he will lead many into destruction (either physically and/or spiritually).

When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses ­ but only for a time. (Daniel 11:24)

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 over many people and will distribute the land at a price. (Daniel 11:39)

This indicate a military leader that will be plotting to overthrow many strong nations, even the strongest of the nations. With the help of his god, he will be successful. The reign of the Antichrist will result in a lot of 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 will also leave some of the rulers of the nations in authority after they submit to him, similar to the picture of the fourth beast of Daniel 7.

Another interesting bit of information is that the word for "richest" (or "fattest") comes from the Hebrew word shaman or shemen meaning fat, grease or oil. In modern Hebrew, crude oil (petroleum) is called neft (not a Biblical word) or shemen adamah (literally earth oil). Also, the word for

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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 not know for sure, but it certainly is interesting considering all the oil the Middle East has, and how al­Mahdi will have control over all of that.

In another Biblical passage, we read:

He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. (Daniel 11:43)

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 control over these lands. Nubia covers what is modern day southern Egypt and Sudan. Today, these are Muslim lands.

In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern­faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. (Daniel 8:23)

The reaction of the world towards the Antichrist is one of astonishment. 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 him the power. The word "worship" is from the Greek word "proskuneo", which is similar in meaning to the English word "prostration". This also results in people prostrating before the god of the Antichrist (i.e., many people will follow his religion and worship his god). People will also prostrate before the Antichrist (most likely at the second half of his reign).

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 destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he 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)

He will oppose the "Prince of princes" (i.e., the Jesus Christ of the Bible). Therefore, he will also preach against the Biblical Jesus, and by extension will be against the Christians who hold to the Bible. His ability in 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".

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In carrying his conquests and rule of his global empire, the Antichrist will have to deal with those who are against him. In particular, there are the 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 death, and some or many of them will be beheaded:

If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to 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 13:10)

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to 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 not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelations 20:4)

We next consider the reign of the Antichrist.

The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, 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 sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. (Daniel 8:26­27)

From this passage, we see that the followers of the Antichrist will destroy Jerusalem and the sanctuary (i.e., Temple or Temple Mount) and that the Antichrist will rule for one "seven" (his reign happens in the last "sevens"). The "seven" is most commonly interpreted as seven years. This period (or the second half of this period) has been commonly known as the Great Tribulation because of the persecution against the Jews and Christians. The Antichrist will make a treaty for one "seven". In the middle of the "seven", the treaty will be broken and he will put a stop to sacrifice. That's when the second half of persecution begins.

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Today, there is no temple on the Temple Mount. As the sacrifice can only be performed in the Jewish Temple, many believe that the temple will be 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 this day. The major obstacle is of course the al­Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. However, many researchers 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 under the treaty that the Antichrist will enter into, the temple may be rebuilt without disturbing these two structures currently on the mount. See this article to understand some of these different views.

However, mid­way through his reign, the Antichrist will break the treaty, 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 also told us:

Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let 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 out that are in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. (Matthew 24:15­18)

Not only will the Jews and Christians at that time face many persecutions including death (some by beheading), the Bible also sadly revealed that many Christians will fall away from the Biblical faith (the Great Apostasy):

Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so­called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3­4, NASB)

This great apostasy is also due to other very important reasons, namely the persuasive ability of the Antichrist (since he is called a master of intrigue), 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

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a very persuasive man to cause many Christians to be led astray. See this article for more details.

The type of government of Antichrist will not only be military and political, it will also be religious, as various passages above have shown. More importantly, he will seek to change the laws and calendar used:

He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. (Daniel 7:25)

According to the Bible, the Antichrist will also face opposition from the Two Witnesses.

And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 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 harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. These men have power to shut up the sky so 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 of plague as often as they want.

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a 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 over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. (Revelations 11:3­10.

There is some difficulty in interpreting these two witnesses because of the symbolic representation of "olive trees" and "lampstands". Some have interpreted this to be Judaism and Christianity (or one associated with the Old Testament and one with the New Testament). Some identify these two 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

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down fire from heaven. However, what we can see from this passage is that the Two Witnesses will be able to perform miracles to torment the people of this world for following the Antichrist. Finally, the Antichrist will then kill both of them, and the followers of the Antichrist will rejoice greatly.

Finally, we deal with the question of whether the Antichrist will perform miracles. In Matthew 24:24­26, Jesus warned that there will be false christs and prophets that will perform "great signs and miracles to deceive 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 Antichrist is meant here. Revelations 16:13­14 says that

"Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty." (Revelations 16:13­14)

This passage seems to suggest that the Antichrist ("the beast") will also perform miracles, but since the passage was dealing with three figures, 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 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 the "Lawless One" (the Antichrist) will be accompanied by miracles, but does not identify who performs them. Finally, we have explicit statements that it was the False Prophet who will perform miracles on behalf of the Antichrist:

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 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 the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. (Revelations 16:13­14)

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But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. (Revelations 19:20)

From these passages, we see that it is the False Prophet who will perform most or all of the miracles during the time of the Antichrist (of course with Satan behind the scenes). The Bible does not really explicitly say that the Antichrist will perform miracles.

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 world order with laws and calendar based on this religion. This religion will be opposed to the teachings and the Jesus Christ of the Bible. He will be successful militarily, politically, religiously and economically. He will cause many Christians to fall from the faith, and he will also persecute the 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 him in setting up his empire. He will have the Two Witnesses killed and the world will rejoice as a result. Ultimately, however, he will be destroyed.

Comparison Table of Al­Mahdi and the Biblical Antichrist

Now that we have quite a good picture of al­Mahdi and the Biblical Antichrist, we now summarize the parallel points in their characteristics in the following table (see the entire article to read the justification for each point). Those points marked with "?" are tentative or simply possible:

Characteristic Al­Mahdi in Islam Antichrist in Christianity

Where he comes from

Either he starts appearing in Khorasan with the army of al­Harith, or this Khorasan army will come and join him.

His power base will arise in the remnants of Seleucid Empire (which includes Khorasan). *

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His looks Will look like "Bani Israel". Wears two cloaks.

Jewish Leader(?) wearing two tallits(?). Others say he will be a gentile

His ascension to power

Starts humble, forced to accept leadership. Muslims voluntarily pledge allegiance to him.

Starts humble, given authority to rule.

His change He will be changed by Allah to take up the responsibilities.

He is given power, throne and authority by the dragon.

His change He will be changed by Allah overnight He changes his religion.

His initial jurisdiction

The Muslim states. Some states (eg. Saudi Arabia) will be attacked for their failure to support al­ Mahdi.

Most Muslim states of the Middle East, except possibly Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Bible states 10 nations, and three of them will be subdued.

His final jurisdiction

The world (after successful jihad).

The world (after he won over the world)

His persuasive ability

Will win over people, including Jews and Christians. He will preach peace, justice and equity

By his words, will win over many people, including Jews and Christians. "By peace he will destroy many".

World's attitude towards him

Greatly loved by the world (after persuading the world and winning in jihad).

Greatly loved by the world (after he conquers the world).

The rider Comes on a white horse (?), conquering.

Comes on a white horse, conquering (one interpretation).

His army

Will either lead a large army of Muslims (from Khorasan) or this army will join him. Easily in the

A large army of at least 200 million will assemble in Iraq region.

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hundreds of millions.

His campaigns Will wage war and win over the world and be successful.

Will wage war and no one can stand against him.

His length of rule

Will rule for seven, eight or nine years. Seven years seem to be the concensus.

Will rule for seven years (most common interpretation).

Treaty with the Jews

Truce treaty of seven years with a Jew of priestly lineage. Though not explicitly stated, truce (hudna) treaties may be broken in the case of a minor infraction and when the Muslims are strong enough, as was in the case of the Treaty of Hudaibiyya.

Peace treaty of seven years with the people of God. This treaty will be broken in the middle of seven years.

His relationship with Jews and Christians

Will kill many Jews and Christians.

Will kill many Jews and Christians.

Method of execution

Not explicitly stated, but if he is expected to follow the Sunnah of Muhammad, then beheading is a possibility. Islam is the only religion that continues to use beheading. Qur'an said to cut off heads of unbelievers (Surah 47:4, 8:12)

Beheading is one of the methods of execution. It is a distingushing mark of Antichrist.

His type of government

Will implement Shari'a Law. Will change the law.

Lying Lying allowed under Will cause deceit to

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certain circumstances, according to the Sunnah of Muhammad. Taqqiya is an established doctrine and practice in Islam.

prosper.

His type of calendar

Not explicitly stated, but as he is expected to follow the Sunnah of Muhammad, then he will use Islamic Calender.

Will change the calendar. ("change the set times")

His religion Direct people to worship Allah. Establish Islam as the only religion.

Direct people to worship the dragon. Establish one religion in the world.

Prosperity Great prosperity and wealth. Distributes wealth and booty.

Great prosperity and wealth. Distributes booty and land.

An assistant to al­Mahdi

Al­Mahdi has Isa to assist him.

Antichrist has Second Beast (False Prophet) to assist him.

His adversaries

His assistant, Isa, will kill ad­Dajjal who exercises miracles that will torment the world.

The Beast will kill the Two Witnesses who exercise miracles that will torment those who try to kill them.

Miracles during his reign

Allah will enable good rain and crops. The hadiths does not ascribe miracles to him.

The Bible does not explicitly ascribe miracles to Antichrist. His assistant will perform miracles for him.

Conclusions

We have examined in detail what the Islamic hadiths say about the coming apocalyptic character of Al­Mahdi, who will be the much awaited Muslim Caliph and later the world leader. We also compared al­Mahdi with an

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apocalyptic character mentioned in the Bible, namely the first beast of Revelations 13, also nicknamed the "Antichrist". We see very important similarities between these two characters. In our view, the coming al­ Mahdi in Islam corresponds very clearly to the Antichrist in the Bible.

However, al­Mahdi is not the only character that has a counterpart in the Bible. There are two other characters that have an amazing correspondence in the Bible. Just as al­Mahdi, Isa and ad­Dajjal are three characters that are very important in the End Times in Islam, similarly, the Antichrist, the Second Beast and the Two Witnesses are also very important characters in the End Times in the Bible. Please continue to examine the following articles to see more correspondences:

• The Coming of "Isa the Messiah" (Muslim Jesus). • The Antichrist in Islam (ad­Dajjal).

After reading about these comparisons, we invite you to ponder on the question:

• What Do All These Mean?.

May you be under the blessings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

References

• Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006. • Mohammad Ali Ibn Moulana Zubair Ali, "Signs of Qiyama". • Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco,

"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. • Bible Gateway. • Timothy Furnish, "Beheading in the Name of Islam", Middle East

Quarterly, Spring 2005.

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The Coming of Isa the Messiah (Muslim Jesus)

Introduction

It may come as a surprise to many that both Islam and Christianity expect that Jesus will be coming back in the End Times prior to the end of world. Yet this expectation in the two religions has on the one hand brought fervent hope, but on the other hand also confusion as to the nature of this coming as expected in the two religions.

Muslims call Jesus by the name of Isa, or the full title, Isa al­Masih (Jesus the Messiah). Note that in the Qur'an and hadiths, even though the translators use "Jesus" (Greek: Iesous), it is actually the Arabic "Isa". According to the Qur'an and hadiths, Isa will be a very prominent figure in the period prior to the Judgment Day, Yawm Qiyamah. There are quite a number of hadiths, which are the records of Muhammad's words and deeds, concerning the coming of Isa, so the importance in Islam is not to be understated.

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, 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 heaven. He is then supposed to descend from heaven at the Last Days and correct all the mistakes in Christianity (i.e., that Jesus taught about Islam, not the Christianity we see today), thereby causing many Christians to abandon Christianity and become Muslims. Even though Isa retains the 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 very different from the description of the second coming of Jesus.

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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 surprise to many, so we invite you to carefully read this article.

This article will first examine the description of the coming of Isa, as recorded in the hadiths and as explained by Muslim authors. Then the article will compare this with what the Bible says. A simplified comparison in table form with some explanation can be found in this article.

Once again, as in other articles here, we use the mechanism of Isa, Jesus in Islam, Muslim Jesus, etc., to refer to the personality of Jesus that is described in Islam, and use Jesus, Jesus Christ, Biblical Jesus, etc., to refer to the Jesus in Christianity. Although this might seem somewhat artificial, the purpose is to help the reader not get confused when contradicting characteristics are ascribed to Jesus.

So, please sit tight as we examine the various descriptions and comparisons.

Islam's Description of Isa's Coming in the End Times

Isa is recognized as a prophet in Islam, although Muslims think of Him only as a human being, not as the Son of God that Christians believe. Despite Isa's possession of several unique characteristics (eg. virgin birth, sinless, not touched by Satan, etc), Muslims still view Isa as being of lesser status than Muhammad.

Isa, A Sign of the Hour

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Isa is also considered one of the Major Signs of Qiyamah. In fact, the Qur'an considers Isa to be a sign of the Last Hour:

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 Straight Way. (Surah 43:61).

While al­Mahdi (see the article, "Islam's Much Awaited World Leader — Al­Mahdi") will be here to unite and lead the Muslims to conquer the world for Islam, Isa's expected appearance is a very important sign to the Muslims.

Descent of Isa

The coming of Isa is supposed to be very dramatic. Many hadiths talk about this dramatic arrival:

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The Last Hour would not come until the Romans would land at al­ A'maq or in Dabiq ... The Dajjal has taken your place among your family. They would then come out, but it would be of no avail. And when they would come to Syria, he would come out while they would be still preparing themselves for battle drawing up the ranks. Certainly, the time of prayer shall come and then Jesus (peace be upon him) son of Mary 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 and if he (Jesus) were not to confront them at all, even then it would dissolve completely, but Allah would kill them by his hand and he would show them their blood on his lance (the lance of Jesus Christ). (Sahih Muslim 41.6924. See also Sahih Muslim 41.6931, Sahih Muslim 41.6932)

Ad­Dajjal is the Muslim version of the Antichrist, and is the arch­enemy of the Muslims. We will examine this character in the article, "The 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 will finally be killed by Isa and al­Mahdi through miraculous means. Isa is

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supposed to be coming to kill ad­Dajjal and help al­Mahdi in his jihad against the world (i.e., war against the world) and governance of the Islamic Caliphate (essentially Islamic Empire) through Islamic Law.

Isa's arrival will be dramatic and unlike that of al­Mahdi who will simply emerge as people recognize him. Instead, that hadiths say that Isa is to descend from the sky!

In a lengthy hadith concerning the Last Days, which we excerpt here a portion that dealt with the descent of Isa, we read:

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 placing his hands on the wings of two Angels. (Sahih Muslim 41.7015)

It is clear from the hadith that this appearance is supposedly Isa coming 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 used for the call to prayer). This place is supposedly the Umayyad Masjid in Damascus, and the eastern minaret is known as the "Minaret of Isa", which is where this descent is supposed to take place in the End Times. This is indeed a dramatic entrance into the world.

However, there is another hadith that says that Isa will descend in Jerusalem:

A group from my nation will keep fighting for the truth until Jesus, the son of Mary descends at dawn in the Mosque of Jerusalem. He will approach Al Mahdi who will say: 'O Prophet of Allah, come, lead us in prayer.' But he will decline saying: 'This nation has princes over each other.' (recorded in Muslim, Abu Nuaym, Abu Amru Ad­Dani and Al Bazaar, as narrated by Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

Isa, Al­Mahdi's Subordinate Assistant

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The hadiths are somewhat contradictory about the relationship of Isa and Al­Madhi. There are some Muslims (or sects) that think of them to be the same person. In Sahih Muslim 41.6924 quoted above, we read that:

Certainly, the time of prayer shall come and then Jesus (peace be upon him) son of Mary would descend and would lead them in prayer. ( Sahih Muslim 41.6924)

However, based on many other hadiths, most Muslims conclude that al­ 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, we see that "their commander" (i.e., al­Mahdi) will ask Isa to lead in the obligatory Muslim prayers (salat), but Isa will refuse. Instead, he will pray behind al­Mahdi.

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 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 the honour from Allah for this Ummah. (Sahih Muslim 1.293)

In performing the salat in a group, it is customary that the person with the highest position or authority lead the Muslims in salat. Muslims interpret that by this gesture, Isa is indicating that he is submitting to the leadership and authority of al­Mahdi.

(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 Sadr and Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari, The Awaited Savior, Karachi, Islamic Seminary Publications, prologue, as quoted by Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006.)

In another hadith, we read that:

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said "How will you be when the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus)

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descends amongst you and he will judge people by the Law of the Quran and not by the law of Gospel (Sahih Bukhari 4.55.658)

where al­Mahdi does not seem to be in the picture when Isa was ruling over the Muslims. However, some Muslims have pointed out that the translation of this hadith left something out. Instead, it should have been:

How will you do when the son of Mary descends and your imam is one of your number? ... (source)

"Your Imam" (i.e., Your Leader) of course refers to al­Mahdi. As such, most Muslims conclude that Isa is separate from al­Mahdi and will indeed be subordinate to al­Mahdi. The hadiths say that after al­Mahdi's death, Isa will rule the earth for forty years. He is supposed to get married and then die and be buried next to Muhammad.

Isa, the Religious Leader

Contrary to what most Christians think, the Isa that is to appear according 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 ( Surah 3:52, 4:171­172,4:172, 5:115­117, 5:111­112). Therefore, when Isa is supposed to come, he will come as a devout Muslim. He has two major important things to do. One is to help al­Mahdi kill ad­Dajjal. The other is to correct the "mistakes" in Christianity, for Muslims believe that Christianity is a corruption of the true religion, Islam.

As a devout Muslim, Isa will perform the Muslim pilgrimage in Mecca, called the Haj (or Hajj):

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: By Him in Whose Hand is my life. Ibn Maryam (Jesus Christ) would certainly pronounce Talbiya for Hajj or for Umra or for both (simultaneously as a Qiran) in the valley of Rauha (Sahih Muslim 7.2877)

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But of course, Isa will not only be a good Muslim. Afterall, Muslims regard Isa as a prophet during his first appearance, so the second time around, his role shouldn't be any diminished. Indeed, this is the case, as the Qur'an said that Isa is to be a sign of Qiyamah.

In Sahih Bukhari, we also read:

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said "How will you be when the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) 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 Vol 7) (Sahih Bukhari 4.55.568)

In other words, Isa will be a person that follows the Qur'an, not the Gospels, and in particular, not even his own supposed commands (i.e., Jesus' commands) as recorded in the Bible. Since he is subordinate to al­ Mahdi as we have seen, and since al­Mahdi will be instituting Shari'a Law (Islamic Law) over the entire world (see this article), this means he will be 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 probably be referring to Isa for religious matters and decisions. Thus, while al­Mahdi will be the political and military leader of the Islamic Caliphate (khilafa), Isa will be the religious authority in that Caliphate. And Isa's authority will be the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Muhammad (i.e., the way of Muhammad), as established in the Shari'a Law.

Isa, the Great Da'i (Evangelist)

It is obvious from our preceeding examination of the hadiths that the Isa that the hadiths talked about is very different from the Christian understanding of Jesus from the Bible.

Like all prophets, Prophet Jesus came with the divine message of surrender to God Almighty, which is Islam. This verse shows that when Jesus returns he will personally correct the misrepresentations and misinterpretations about himself. He will affirm the true message that he brought in his time as a prophet, and that he never claimed to be the Son

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of God. Furthermore, he will reaffirm in his second coming what he prophesied in his first coming bearing witness to the seal of the Messengers, Prophet Muhammad. In his second coming many non­ Muslims will accept Jesus as a servant of Allah Almighty, as a Muslim and a member of the Community of Muhammad. (Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, "The Approach of Armageddon? An Islamic Perspective", Canada, Supreme Muslim Council of America, 2003, p. 237, as quoted by Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)

Indeed, just about everything Islam has said about Jesus and Christianity, 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 also point out that he taught about the coming of Muhammad. Moreover, Isa also will tell them that he is a Muslim, and that Christians have wrongly worshipped him, and he will invite them to accept Islam and become Muslims. In other words, he will engage in dawa (literally, invitation, i.e., proselytizing activities). Muslim scholars tell us:

Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, will reject and correct the falsities introduced into Christianity and follow the way of Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him. as narrated by Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

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 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 away from Christianity and become Muslims. Afterall somebody who appears to be their Lord just told them he was and is a Muslim, and that they should all abandon the teachings of Christianity and follow Islam! The Qur'an tells us:

And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment he will be a witness against them; ­ (Surah 4:159).

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The "People of the Book" refers to those who have received revelations previously, i.e., the Jews and Christians. However, the context here refers 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 those who refuse to do so.

Another possible means that Isa may employ is the performing of miracles. This is not mentioned explicitly in the hadiths, but it is 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 miracles that Jesus has performed. Therefore, it is conceivable that when Isa returns, he will perform some miracles in order to convince some doubtful ones that he is indeed Jesus. And as a devout Muslim, he probably will tell the people that his ability to perform miracles come from Allah, and therefore people should worship Allah.

Consider the impact of this turning of Christians to Islam. There are about 1.3 to 1.5 billion Muslims and about 2 billion Christians (Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, etc) today. If many of the Christians do indeed 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 political dynamics will be nothing short of phenomenal. The United Nations will suddenly be filled with many more Muslim or Muslim dominated nations! Currently there are close to 60 Muslim countries out of a total of 192, but if that number is doubled, then suddenly, it will be almost two­thirds of all the nations! The religious and political map of the 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 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 bankroll.

Isa, the Abolisher of Christianity

We saw in the preceeding section about Isa's ability to perform dawa and convince many people, especially the Christians. Hence, the peaceful persuasion will cause many to abandon Christianity and turn to Islam and

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become Muslims. However, numerous hadiths also paint a picture of Isa performing some very drastic things:

Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon 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 crosses, kill swine and abolish Jizya and the wealth will pour forth to such an extent that no one will accept it. (Sahih Muslim 1.287)

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus (peace_be_upon_him). He will descent [sic] (to the earth). When you see him, recognise him: a man of medium height, reddish fair, wearing two light yellow garments, looking as if drops were 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 abolish jizyah. Allah will perish all religions except Islam. He will destroy the Antichrist and will live on the earth for forty years and then he will die. The Muslims will pray over him. (Sunan Abu Dawud 37.4310)

So, apart from killing ad­Dajjal, these are the additional things Isa will do:

• break the crosses, • kill swine, • abolish Jizya, • fight the people for the cause of Islam.

What are the significance of these actions, you may ask?

The Cross is a symbol of Christianity, and many churches and Christian 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 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 countries, the cross is not allowed to be displayed. Since "Allah will perish all religions except Islam," Isa will abolish this symbol once and for all so

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that it complies with Islam. In other words, Isa will abolish Christianity altogether.

The swine is an unclean animal in Judaism and Islam, but Gentile (i.e., 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 he was told to eat some unclean animals, but he refused, whereupon a voice from heaven said: "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." (Acts 10:15). In fact, the Apostles had a meeting in Jerusalem in Acts 15:1­35:15, and they agreed that Gentile Christians do not have to follow Jewish Law. Islamic practice in food laws, of course, have instead 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 more and thus abolished. Henceforth, all food has to be halal (permitted according to Shari'a Law). The pig could very well be exterminated into extinction under the leadership of Al­Mahdi and Isa.

The third act of abolishing the jizya is also very important. The jizya is a tax or tribute that is levied on non­Muslims when they come under Muslim rule. By paying the jizya tax, the non­Muslims henceforth accept the position of dhimmis ("protected"). This means that while the non­ Muslims are protected from outside forces, they also lose many other rights within the Muslim nation. In other words, they become second class citizens under Muslim rule. However, we just read that Isa will altogether abolish the jizya tax, which means non­Muslims cannot even be second class citizens under Muslim rule anymore.

In another article, What is an Invitation to Islam?, we explained that 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:

• conversion to Islam • pay Jizya • war

These are the three choices a non­Muslim has when given such an invitation. However, we see that when Isa comes, he will abolish the jizya. In other words, that choice and protection under dhimmitude will no

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longer be available. This means that what will be left will be conversion to 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 narrowed considerably:

Jesus, the son of Mary will soon descend among the Muslims as a just judge ... Jesus will, therefore, judge according to the law of Islam ... all people will be required to embrace Islam and there will be no other alternative. (Sideeque M.A. Veliankode, Doomsday Portents and Prophecies Scarborough, Canada, 1999, p. 358, as quoted by Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006.)

Ibn Kathir, a very famous medievel Muslim scholar, in his Tafsir (commentary) said:

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 believe in `Isa when he descends to the earth before the Day of Resurrection. At that time he shall abolish the jizya and nothing shall be accepted other than Islam. (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir 1:367, as quoted by GR Hadad, Tafsir (Explanation of Quranic Verse) 4:159).

Together with al­Mahdi, Isa will "fight the people for the cause of Islam." Thus, he will be a mujahideen (one who engages in jihad) as he engages in jihad against the rest of the world. Under the leadership of al­Mahdi and 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 who insist on not submitting to Islam will also be killed.

The Mark of the Beast

The Qur'an said:

And when the word is fulfilled concerning them, We shall bring forth a beast of the earth to speak unto them because mankind had not faith in Our revelations. (Surah 27:82).

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This is one of the last signs of Qiyamah, according to Islam. There will appear a beast that can speak. Not only that, Muslims also tell us that this beast will go around marking people:

According to a Hadeeth recorded in Ibn Katheer and narrated by Hadhrat Talha bin Umar (R.A.) the following is mentioned:

"As the animal emerges from the ground, it will be dusting the sand off its head. It will proceed towards the area between Hajrul Aswad and Maqaamul Ibraheem. The people on seeing it will flee in all directions, except for one group of people. It will approach this group and illuminate their faces like shining stars. Thereafter it will set out and travel throughout the whole world (at a great speed). It will mark the faces of the Kuffar and none will be able to escape it".

It is narrated that this animal will have the staff of Sayyidena Moosa (A.S.) with which it will mark the faces of the Mu'mineen causing it to 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 will be rumor on two previous occasions about its emergence, once in Yemen and once in Najd. After performing its duty the animal will disappear. (Mohammad Ali bin Zubair Ali, "Signs of Qiyamah").

So we see that Muslims will be marked on the face and their faces will glitter, while non­Muslims will be marked on the neck and noses and their faces will turn black. This clearly distinguishes a Muslim from a non­ Muslim.

Summary — Characteristics of Isa

We now summarize what we know about Isa from the above discussion.

• Isa will be a prominent religious leader in Islam coming in the End Times.

• He will descend in Damascus. 74

• He will be subordinate to al­Mahdi, the undisputed Leader of all Muslims, and help al­Mahdi. In other words, Isa will be second in command.

• He will be a devout Muslim. • He will claim to be the real Jesus that came 2,000 years ago, was

not crucified and has been in heaven till his descent. • He will kill ad­Dajjal. • He will direct people to worship Allah and obey al­Mahdi. • He will help al­Mahdi to govern his caliphate and institute Shari'a

Law over the whole world. • He will persuade many Christians to leave Christianity and become

Muslims. • He will break the cross (abolish Christianity), kill the swine, and

abolish the jizya (abolish dhimmi protection). • He will kill those who refuse to submit to Islam. Beheading is a

real possibility. • A beast will mark the Muslims' face.

What Does the Bible Say About Isa? Examining "Another Beast" of the Bible

Given that we have seen a close correspondence between al­Mahdi and the Antichrist described in the Bible (see this article for detailed comparison), is there a character that the Bible mentioned that is a close parallel to Isa? The answer, is a definite yes (and a surprise to some)! This character is the second beast mentioned in the Bible, and is described in Revelations 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. Again, this is not an exhaustive study of this character. We only deal with characteristics that are relevant to our discussion (whether positive or negative).

The Bible gives us this description of the second beast:

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Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 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 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 the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first 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 poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666. (Revelations 13:11­18)

This passage is actually pretty straightforward. We will deal with the "physical" looks of this beast later on. Other than the looks, the first other 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 to the First Beast, also known as the Antichrist. He helps the First Beast set up a global worship (the Greek word is from proskuneo meaning prostration), and has the ability to perform great and miraculous signs. These signs are so wonderful that the people of the world are awed by it and people will believe in the things he say. Of course, given that he is described as a negative figure in the Bible that is in collusion with the Antichrist, his words are in reality a deception. This particular image that he help set up could actually "speak", but by what means we do not know. By today's technology, there is no difficulty in hiding a speaker inside, but we don't really know. Those who refuse to submit to this global religion will find themselves killed. Moreover, we also read about the famous "Mark of the Beast" (a mysterious number related to 666 or 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 those who have this mark can buy and sell.

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Three particularly astounding miracles are mentioned in the Biblical passage: causing fire to come down from heaven, healing the mortal wound of the Antichrist and killing those who refused to worship the image. Exactly what the image will be is hard to say at this point in time. The ability of this Second Beast to perform these miracles will definitely convince many people about his teachings, and follow him to honor the Antichrist and "men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast" (Revelations 13:4). And that is why, Christians nicknamed him the "False Prophet".

Exactly what the "Mark of the Beast" is, we can't really say. Many people speculate based on the names of certain people, like Nero, Hitler, etc. Others speculate that it is the bar code, an implantable computer chip, etc. All these are possible and certainly given today's technological advances, controlling people's activities will be a lot easier with such technological devices. However, it should be noted that the Bible itself doesn't really say much about it, except that it is to allow buying and selling. This could 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 used, we should not limit our projections to only these systems. Again, we don't really know until this happens.

We now discuss a little bit about the "physical" look of the Second Beast. In reality, there is nothing physical about it. The Bible says that "he had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon." (Revelations 13:11). This is, of course, not a real beast with horns, for the book of Revelations abounds with symbolisms. In Biblical image, horns have consistently represented authority (eg. ten horns of Antichrist beast image represent the ten nations he will start his rule with, the prominent horn of the goat in Daniel 8 represents Alexander the Great, the four horns after that represents the four partitions after his death, etc). The Second Beast has two horns compared to the Antichrist's ten, so it may represent an inferiority in power compared to the Antichrist. More importantly, we are told that "he had two horns like a lamb". The lamb of course represents Jesus Christ, who in the Bible is called:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29).

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The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:35­36).

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 Biblical Jesus are not the same. Thus, we see that the Second Beast will try to exercise power and authority as if he is Jesus Christ. In other words, he will be an imposter pretending to be the Biblical Jesus. In fact, Jesus 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).

Finally, the Bible says that the Second Beast "spoke like a dragon". The dragon in the Book of Revelations is used to symbolize Satan:

The great dragon was hurled down ­ that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. (Revelations 12:9).

He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. (Revelations 20:2).

So, without doubt, the words of the Second Beast will be like those of Satan. In Revelations 12:9 quoted above, we see that Satan "leads the whole world astray," so the words of the Second Beast will have the effect of leading people from the God of the Bible.

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44).

Satan is a liar and the father of lies. So we can see that the Second Beast, and by inference the Antichrist and his government, will allow plenty of deception and lies to achieve their goals. They will have many people killed. Ultimately, these lies deceive and lead the whole world astray, leading people away from the Jesus Christ and the God of the Bible. The Bible tells us of a sad state of affairs among the Christians:

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Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, (2 Thessalonians 2:3, NASB).

The sad fact is that the Bible warns us that the "Day of the Lord" will not come until there comes a great apostasy (falling away), and the Antichrist (man of lawlessness) is revealed. This means many Christians will be deceived into believing the False Prophet, as we have seen above.

Comparison Table of Isa and the Second Beast (aka. The False Prophet)

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 following table. Those points marked with "?" are tentative or simply possible:

Characteristic Isa in Islam False Prophet in Christianity

Position

Subordinate to al­Mahdi. Lower in status than al­ Mahdi. Help al­Mahdi achieve his goals.

Subordinate to Antichrist. Lower in status than Antichrist. Help Antichrist achieve his goals.

Function

A prominent religious leader. Helps al­Mahdi institute Islam over world. All other religions will be abolished.

A prominent religious leader. Helps Antichrist institute world religion over world. No other religion allowed.

Religion Direct people to worship Allah

Direct people to worship "dragon"

Laws Help al­Mahdi to institute Shari'a Law and Islamic calendar

Help Antichrist to change laws and times

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Behavior

Will claim to be the real Jesus, and act like him. Lying allowed under certain circumstances according to Sunnah of Muhammad.

Horns like a lamb (exercises authority like Jesus), speak like a dragon (lies and leading people astray and away from God)

Christianity Will abolish Christianity Will direct all to follow Antichrist and his religion.

Proselytization Will persuade many Christians to become Muslims

Will lead many astray from Jesus and God of the Bible. There will be a great falling away (the Great Apostasy) in the End Times.

Persecution Persecutes and kills Jews and Christians

Persecutes and kills Jews and Christians who refuse to follow Antichrist and him

Miracles As a prophet, will possibly be able to perform miracles

Performs astounding miracles

"Mark of the Beast"

A beast will mark the Muslims on the forehead to distinguish from non­ Muslims.

Institute the mark on the forehead or right hand so that only those who have the mark can buy and sell.

Slayer Isa will kill ad­Dajjal. Antichrist will kill the Two Witnesses.

Differences Between the Return of Isa and the Biblical Jesus

Some readers may object to the differentiation between the Biblical Jesus and the Isa in Islam, arguing that they are one and the same. In fact, some Muslims have tried to argue from the Bible that Jesus is simply a man and not divine (Christians believe that Jesus is both human and divine). Of course, some Christians have done similar things by arguing from the

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Qur'an that Jesus is divine. However, any simple and honest study will reveal many differences in the Biblical Jesus and Muslim Isa. The obvious ones are that Christians believe Jesus to be divine and that he died on the cross for our sins, whereas Islam believes that Isa was simply a prophet and that he did not die on the cross. Islam believes that a substitute was put on the cross (we are not told who), a very large deception hoisted by Allah on the world.

However, we do not deal with these here. Instead, we find that the descriptions of the second coming of Jesus and Isa also differ significantly:

• Isa will kill the Christians who refused to submit to Islam, whereas Jesus warned the Christians in the Bible that they will be persecuted and killed for their faith in Him:

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me." (Matthew 24:9).

It is clear that the Muslim Isa is not the same as the Biblical Jesus.

• In Jesus' descent from heaven, many Christians believe that Jesus will come and descend at Mount Olives (Acts 1:11­12, Zechariah 14:4). On the other hand, Muslims believe that Isa will descend at a minaret (of a mosque) in Damascus. It should be noted that in the Bible, the False Prophet (whom we have shown, corresponds to Isa) will appear some time before the real Jesus comes to judge the world, so many people will not know that the False Prophet is not Jesus.

• When Isa comes, he will of course claim to be Jesus, that he was a 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 to kill ad­Dajjal and help al­Mahdi set up the Islamic Caliphate. He will try to "prove" that he is the Jesus of the Bible (the Qur'an says that the disciples of Jesus are Muslims), and thereby cause many Christians to follow him. Once again in the Bible, Jesus warned in advance that:

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"At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it." (Matthew 24:23).

• 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 rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:26­27).

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.

• 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 and great glory." (Matthew 24:30), it refers to Isa's descent at Damascus. While there is some similarity (and perhaps that is precisely the purpose to be convincing), note also the surrounding verses which give some more details:

"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.'

"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Matthew 24:29;31)

"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 and the other left." (Matthew 24:40­41)

The Biblical passage describes Jesus sending his angels to gather those that belong to Him ... and some will be taken while others remain. The Biblical passage in Revelations 11:15­18 also

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mentions the blowing of the trumpet and the reward of the martyrs in order to reign with Jesus. Thus, from the Biblical perspective, the coming of Jesus also brings to end a chapter of the world.

These are not signs associated with Isa's coming, but most of the world probably wouldn't know. Muslims believe that Isa will come to help al­Mahdi set up the final Islamic Caliphate and then rule when the al­Mahdi dies. Moreover, in Islam, the trumpet call also signifies the end of the world, but Isa's coming does not signify the end of the world yet.

Conclusions

We have examined in detail what the Islamic hadiths say about the coming apocalyptic character of Isa, which is the Muslim version of Jesus. The descriptions are of course very different from that of Jesus of the Bible. We also compared Isa with another apocalyptic character mentioned in the Bible, namely the second beast of Revelations 13, also nicknamed the "False Prophet". We see very important similarities between these two characters. The many anti­parallels between Isa and the False Prophets forces us to conclude that the coming Isa in Islam corresponds to the "False Prophet" in the Bible.

However, Isa is not the only character that has a counterpart in the Bible. There are two other characters that have an amazing correspondence in the Bible. Just as al­Mahdi, Isa and ad­Dajjal are three characters that are very important in the End Times in Islam, similarly, the Antichrist, the Second Beast and the Two Witnesses are also very important characters in the End Times in the Bible. Please continue to examine the following articles for more amazing anti­parallelisms:

• Islam's Much Awaited Coming World Leader — al­Mahdi. • The Antichrist in Islam (ad­Dajjal).

Finally, we need to ponder the all important question after reading the above articles,

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• What Do All These Mean?

May you be under the blessings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

References

• Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006. • Mohammad Ali Ibn Moulana Zubair Ali, "Signs of Qiyama". • Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco,

"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. • Bible Gateway. • Timothy Furnish, "Beheading in the Name of Islam", Middle East

Quarterly, Spring 2005.

Comparison of End Times Figures in Christianity and Islam, Part I

Both Islam and Christianity have very specific things to say about End Times, the period of great significance and events just before the world comes to an end. This period of time has also been called by many other names, including the Last Days, the Last Hour, the Apocalypse, the Great Tribulation, etc. Both religions have specific expectations of what will happen, and there are many similarities between the two beliefs. Some similarities include the expected appearance of natural disasters and calamities, an Antichrist, the coming of Jesus, etc. The striking similarities provide a parallelism between the two religions on this topic.

However, closer examination also reveals striking significant differences. The result is what is known as anti­parallelism, whereby many significant parallel points are actually opposite in nature. The diametrically opposed viewpoint from which a Muslim and a Christian view the same event contributes to this anti­parallelism. Readers may easily confuse the Antichrist in Islam with the Antichrist described in the

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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 (Muslims call Him Isa) in Islamic End Times expectations are not the same as the coming Jesus described in the Bible.

Failure to distinguish between the two viewpoints can lead to much confusion. Any careful study of this topic in Islam and Christianity will show that many similarities are anti­parallels of each other. Instead of going into long explanations, we try to present in this article some summary observations on the anti­parallels. We present it point­by­point, comparing the beliefs in Christianity and Islam. Each point, of course, can go into long citations and discussion, but we try to keep it as easy to read as possible so that you can see the anti­parallels easily. For more details of the comparisions of each prominent character, please consult the following articles:

• Islam's Much Awaited World Leader – Al­Mahdi. • The Coming of Isa the Messiah (Muslim Jesus). • The Antichrist in Islam (ad­Dajjal).

In essence, Islam expects that there will be three major figures in the End Times: ad­Dajjal (Islamic version of Antichrist), al­Mahdi (Islamic version of worldwide leader) and Isa (the Muslim Jesus, who will return to this world). The hadiths contain many references to these three persons. The hadiths are the second most important source of Islamic doctrines and jurisprudence after the Qur'an. Belief in the Qiyamah is one of the articles of faith in Islam.

In Christianity, the major End Times personalities mentioned are the Two Witnesses, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. While different titles were 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 Horn, etc, we will just use the generic "Antichrist" to refer to this person. Also, there is also another person called The Second Beast, who is also known as the False Prophet. In Biblical eschatology, all these events culminate in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, where the eternal rule of Jesus commences. In Jewish expectations, there is the coming of the long 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 period of time and then die, and then judgment will ensue some time later.

In this article, we compare the above major figures in Islam and in Christianity. Much of the interpretations of End Times in the Bible are quite mainstream, even though there exist a wide range of opinions among Bible scholars. The reader will quickly see many similar expectations in the two religions, but many of the similarities are actually anti­parallels. Below, each item is marked by "*" for Islam (green box) and "+" for Christianity (blue box). The "–" denotes some comments. Some characteristics are omitted because there are no corresponding characterstic on the other side. In order to get a good sense of the parallelism and anti­parallelism in these expectations, you will need to read down the list.

In order to avoid confusion, we have used the following mechanism to refer to the different characters:

• Antichrist. We use this to refer to the Antichrist character that is described in the Bible. We do not mean the Antichrist in Islam. If we need to refer to the Antichrist in Islam, we will use the title "Antichrist in Islam" or ad­Dajjal (see below).

• ad­Dajjal. This is the Antichrist character referred to in Islam. By this title, we do not mean the Antichrist in the Bible.

• 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", "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 Bible.

Our Approach

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Many people who are into interpreting prophecies have taken to using prophetic scriptural passages and then correlating them to past and current events, trying to make the connection and then projecting into the future. We want to say that this is not necessarily a wrong approach and can provide significant insights. However, we need to be careful not to project our ideas and theories into scriptures and make scriptures say what it did not, and end up with obscure and esoteric interpretations that we believe are out of place in the interpretation of scriptures.

Our approach to this topic is to compare the prophecies contained in both Christian scriptures and Muslim hadiths. Some of them match very well, while others are somewhat peripheral. Since we are dealing with two different religions, we should not expect them to line up perfectly ... since 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, then we also put that down as a correlating point. In any case, it is the core comparisons that are important.

The prophecies contained in Islam and Christianity are contained in the respective source books, namely the Qur'an and hadiths for Islam, and the Bible for Christianity. The source texts themselves are constant. Only the interpretations of the source texts may change as better understandings become available. Therefore, our comparison is on the source texts, with some interpretations when necessary.

Comparisons

• THE FIRST MAJOR FIGURE: Introducing the Antichrist in the Bible and Al­Mahdi

+ 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 as an animal. This person will be an unparalleled political, military and religious leader in the Last Days (Rev 13:1­9). * Muslims expect that at the End Times, there will arise a Muslim leader called al­Mahdi, meaning "The Guided One". He will be the leader of all the Muslims and will wage jihad against the rest of the world and bring the entire world under Islam. This means his kingdom will be world­wide and his accomplishment will surpass all the great Empires in history. Thus, he will be an unparalleled ruler over the whole world. – 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 we go down this list.

Some Muslims think that ad­Dajjal corresponds to the Biblical Antichrist. Islamic hadiths say that the followers of ad­Dajjal are mostly the Jews (numbering 70,000) and women. This hardly indicates a prominent Israeli leader, let alone a world leader. Hence, it is safe to say that ad­Dajjal is not a world leader. However, the hadiths do credit him with the ability to wreck havoc around the world. We shall see that there are other End Times personalities in the Bible that also have this ability. Also, the hadiths say that Muslims will be able to recognize ad­Dajjal and therefore will not follow him, so only that leaves a large segment of the world population who will resist him. Again, this indicates that ad­Dajjal is not the global leader that the Bible describes.

Now, turning the question around, how about the Antichrist and the "Christian" nations? The problem is of course one will be hard­ pressed to find any "Christian" nation in the world. Europe is in the post­Christian era, and America is really not much far behind. There is no nation in this world that has its constitution grounded 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

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more inclusive of everyone, including Muslims. So, for the whole world to follow the al­Mahdi (the Beast) is a real possibility, since another reason as we shall soon see, is that any Biblical Christians around will be persecuted during the End Times. Another reason is that Europe is fast becoming Islamicized, and as such, Europe might even become "Eurabia" soon. Thus Europe is or will be ready to accept, either willingly or not, the domination of Islam soon.

• WORLD'S REACTION TO HIM

+ The Bible says that the people of this world will be amazed and will follow the Beast (Rev 13:3,7). Many Christians believe that this is most probably after certain miracles have been performed and certain victories have been attained. The Bible describes him to have suffered a fatal wound, but was healed, thereby causing many people to marvel and follow him. Another reason is the Antichrist's military genius in conducting warfare. * Regarding al­Mahdi, the hadiths say that "The inhabitants of Heaven and Earth will be pleased with him." and "Allah will sow love of him in the chests of the people". This means al­Mahdi will be a leader much loved and followed by the world, either through voluntary allegiance or because of being subdued through jihad. Thus, it is al­Mahdi will be a charismatic and attractive person that can command the love of the world. – 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 loved and followed. Once again, this clearly shows that the Antichrist does not correspond to ad­Dajjal since his followers numbers about 70,000 only. A significant portion of the world, the Muslims (forming about 1/4 of the world at this moment), will not follow ad­Dajjal. Hence, we should equate al­Mahdi with the biblical Antichrist.

• HIS EMPIRE

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+ The Bible describes the Antichrist Empire as a resurrection of one or 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 was the Roman Empire, the 6th Empire ("one is"), and one more was yet to come, which will stay for a considerable period of time. (Rev 17:10). The eighth and final Empire before the End of the World is from the seven, but it is not the Roman Empire (Rev 17:11). For an explanation of why it is not the Roman Empire, see this article. * The large world Empire that came after the Romans is of course the Islamic Empire, beginning at the time of Muhammad in the 7th century. Within a few decades, it has captured the entire Northern Africa, Persia and has reached Constantinople (modern day Istanbul), the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Muslims fought many wars with the Romans 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 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 Caliphate may have nothing to do with the Ottoman Caliphate, it is significant that it will definitely be an Islamic Caliphate. – The Empires described in Rev 17:9­11 were great kingdoms that have to do with the Middle East. Bible teachers have identified the first five empires to be:

1. the Egyptian Empire, 2. the Assyrian Empire, 3. the Babylonian Empire, 4. the Persian Empire, and 5. the Greek Empire.

The 6th is the Roman Empire, the Empire during the time that the Apostle

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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 Empire with the fall of Constantinople (modern day Istanbul).

No real large Empire has emerged in the Middle East after the Ottomans. As Muslims are eagerly expecting and working to revive the Islamic Caliphate and if it indeed comes true sometime soon, then this new Caliphate will be a revival of the previous Islamic Empire that ended the Roman Empire. Not only that, such a revived Islamic Caliphate of al­ Mahdi will also include the geographic regions of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th empire. And if our observation about Europe turning into Eurabia is correct, then this Islamic Caliphate will also cover the previous Roman Empire, meaning that the revived Islamic Caliphate will then be a revival of all seven previous empires. It will indeed be "from the seven", however you slice it!

• SOME LISTED NATIONS UNDER HIS RULE

+ The Bible describes that ten nations will come under the rule of the Antichrist, and he "will subdue three nations" (Dan 7:24). Here, "nations" may not necessarily be the countries we know today. These ten "nations" will form the basis of his Empire, from which he will then seek to subdue the rest of the world.

The Bible also describes some of the lands the Beast will lead (Dan 11:42, Ezek 38):

• Egypt, which he will attack and subdue (Dan 11:42). • Meschek and Tubal (most likely parts of Turkey, parts of Southern

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, Turkey, Iran, Dagestan),

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• Persia (modern Iran and Iraq. Ancient Persia also includes Iraq. The Euphrates River in Iraq is also mentioned together with the two Beasts in Rev 16:12­13),

• Cush (African Cush covers parts of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia. Asian Cush covers Arabia through Euphrates),

• Put (Libya), • Gomer (Cappadocia, Turkey), • Togarmah (southeastern part of Turkey near Syria)

Basically, this is the region spanning N. Africa, Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asian Islamic Republics (the various ­ stans). This region are all Muslim dominated nations. The Bible says that these nations will then come together and attack the land of 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 map that shows the various religions can easily see that the region described above are all Muslim countries. Even though Muhammad said in the hadiths that Muslims are to pledge their allegiance to al­Mahdi 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 subdue those Muslim nations that do not recognize him. However, it is very likely that the people of those nations will give their allegiance to al­ Mahdi.

Once he has united the Muslims, Al­Mahdi is said to then lead the Muslims and wage jihad against other (non­Muslim) nations and bring the entire world under Islam. – It is significant that the list of areas and countries given in Dan 11:42 and Ezek 38 (written hundreds of years before Christ), and who will attack Israel, are today Muslim dominated nations. Many Muslims have expressed their desire to destroy the nation of Israel, from the Palestinians to the Iranian President Ahmadinejad. Thus, if al­Mahdi corresponds to the Biblical Antichrist, then he will already have a ready set of states to 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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and destroy Israel once and for all.

Dan 11:42 also prophesied that this world leader will attack and subdue Egypt (this could be one the three nations that was subdued by the Antichrist). This might seem strange as Egypt is also a Muslim country and one which has strong anti­Israel sentiments. However, it should also be noted that Egypt is a nation that currently has a peace treaty with Israel. 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.

Jordan is another country that currently has a peace treaty with Israel. And again, in Ezek 38, Jordan is also missing from the list of nations attacking Israel.

Is it just plain coincidence that two of Israel's surrounding nations that were not mentioned in the list of nations attacking Israel, and they so happen to be nations that currently have a peace treaty with Israel (namely Egypt and Jordan)?

Another interesting point is also the protest (albeit a very feeble one) against this attack by Saudi Arabia:

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 loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?" (Ezek 38:13)

Interestingly, these three countries were also singled out by al­Qaida in their message on the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 incident:

"The collusion of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan is very clear."

It is interesting that current events are lining up in the exact same fashion as the Bible had prophesied thousands of years ago.

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+ The Beast's Empire will combine characteristics of three previous Empires (Rev 13:2). The three empires described symbolically are:

1. Babylonian (symbolized by lion), 2. Medo­Persian (symbolized by bear) and 3. Greek (symbolized by leopard).

If we combine the three Empires, we again get almost the same areas above. * al­Mahdi, of course, will rule over the Islamic states, and then some more. The core regions of his Empire coincides with the Bible's description. – With the exception of the Macedonian portion (modern Greece) of the Greek Empire, the rest of the Greek Empire are all Islamic today. The areas covered by the Babylonian and Medo­Persian Empires are also all Islamic today. Greece used to be part of the Ottoman Caliphate. Will al­ 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 seven previous Empires.

• LENGTH OF HIS RULE

+ 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. – There are some disagreements if the "sevens" (or "weeks") in the book of Daniel are years or not, although many do believe it to be years. When compared against Dan 11:12 and Rev 11:2­3, it appears that a "seven" equaling seven years is a very reasonable interpretation.

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• WHERE HE WILL COME FROM

+ The Beast will appear from the region occupied by the Seleucid Empire, one of the four that the Greek Empire founded by Alexander the Great was broken up into after his death (Dan 8:8­9). This region spans from the Aegean Sea to Afghanistan. * The hadiths indicate that a Muslim leader will appear with an army from Khorasan (Greater Khorasan includes north eastern Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Central Asian Islamic Republics), so it could be one of these regions or countries. This army will come to aid al­Mahdi.

"The world will not come to an end," said Muhammad, "until a man from my family (Ahlulbayt) and of my name shall be master of the world, When you see a green ensign coming from the direction of Khorasan, then join them, for the Imam of God will be with the standards who will be called Al­Mahdi."

Other hadiths say that he will come with black flags. – 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 (another name for Promised Land)".

• HIS LOOKS

+ 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 will look like an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) ­ probably means that he behaves religiously and/or have good looks and/or that there is light or glow on his face. * 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.

• HIS ASCENSION TO RULE

+ 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 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 some Muslim leaders, if they are good Muslims, will willingly give their allegiance and governance to al­Mahdi. – Again, it is significant that both the biblical Antichrist and al­Mahdi are described as leaders that were given authority to rule, that people voluntarily come under his rule. The manner in which this person ascends to power is again uncannily similar.

• + "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. * The hadiths say that al­Mahdi originally denied that he is the one Muslims are waiting for, and will try to escape but the knowledgeable people will search for him and finally people will pledge allegiance to him. Once his identity is revealed, all Muslims are to pledge allegiance to him. – Once again, the similarity in people asking, persuading, even "forcing" him to lead is uncannily similar.

• HIS OTHER DISTINGUISHING TRAITS 96

+ 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. – 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!

• HIS WEALTH

+ The Antichrist will have treasures of Egypt, Libya, Nubians (Northern Sudan, Southern Egypt) to give to his followers (Dan 11:43). * These countries are all Muslim countries. The previous discussions already made clear that al­Mahdi will rule over them. – Given that al­Mahdi rules over the areas listed above, it is no surprise that he has the treasures of those nations to give out.

+ He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers (Dan 11:24). He will distribute land (Dan 11:39). * The hadiths says that during al­Mahdi's reign, "wealth will be in such abundance that no one will care about it" and that "At the end of Time, a Caliph will come who distributes wealth without counting." Thus, the hadiths say that there will be plenty of wealth during al­Mahdi's reign and so he will give to his followers. Since al­Mahdi rules over the nations 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

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part of the wealth available to him to distribute. This indicates that it was wealth that came through conquering other people and lands. When Muhammad began fighting the non­Muslims, he also distributed booty to his followers, a precedent followed by his successor Caliphs. Moreover, we are told that al­Mahdi will engage in jihad against the non­Muslims and thus, when he conquers them, he will have much booty to distribute.

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 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 beholden, and likely even more so, to the Middle East for the foreseeable future before the oil runs out.

Not only that, the continued rising revenues from oil, will of course cause much wealth to flow into the Middle East. OPEC in September 2006 told the world to prepare for an age of new oil prices (signaling that the days of "cheap" oil is gone forever). The oil in much of the rest of the world will run out first, long (as in decades) before the Middle East, creating a very big dependency. The only other large oil reserves outside the Muslim dominated areas is in Canada, but this is in the form of tar­sands, which 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 emerge.

+ The Bible says that the Antichrist will enter peaceably the "richest province" (Dan 11:24). Note that in Hebrew, "richest" comes from the word "shiman" meaning fat, oil, grease. The Hebrew word for "province" is "Medinah". * al­Mahdi will rule over the oil of the Middle East, which much of the

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whole world is beholden to. – Islamic hadiths say that the ad­Dajjal (Muslim version of Antichrist) cannot enter Medinah in Arabia (the second most holiest place in Islam). So, if this verse coincides with Islamic apocalyptic expectations, then this passage should be referring to al­Mahdi and not the ad­Dajjal. This also means the ad­Dajjal is not the Antichrist the Bible is talking about.

• HIS FOREIGN POLICIES

+ He will make a treaty with many (likely Israel and possibly the West) for 7 years ( 9:27). * The hadiths say that there will be a treaty with the Romans for seven years (the last of 4 such treaties). This appears to coincide with the reign of al­Mahdi. Muslims say this treaty is through a "Son of Aaron" (a Levite). – The word "Romans" is often used in Muslim literature to refer to the Christians, although it is not clear if Christians were meant in the hadiths. In any case, many Muslims equate the West with Christianity. The treaty could also be made with a world body (eg. United Nations). Actually, the Bible does not mention Israel concerning this treaty, so it may or not be with an Israeli leader. However, it mentions the Temple sacrifice, so the content of this treaty is likely concerning Israel.

There are some disagreements over the interpretation of "sevens" or "weeks". However, 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 sacrifice in the middle of the seven years (Dan 9:27). * Remember the 10 year Treaty of Hudaibiya that Muhammad was forced to sign with the Meccans? Two years later, when the Muslims had become a much stronger force, Muhammad broke the treaty on a minor infraction. – Muslim scholars have said that there is no such thing as a permanent peace treaty with non­Muslims; there is only a truce treaty (hudna). This was exactly what happen with the Treaty of Hudaibiya. Will al­Mahdi do the same thing? Possibly. In fact, the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat alluded to the Treaty of Hudaibiya when he signed the

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Oslo Peace Treaty with Israel. And since al­Mahdi will lead the Muslims in jihad against 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 Christians were "protected" under Muslim rule but in the status of dhimmitude will be abolished. Hence all other treaties appear to be able to be broken at that period.

+ The Antichrist will "by peace shall destroy many" (Dan 8:25), indicating an empty promise of global peace. * al­Mahdi and Isa are supposed to usher an era of peace as the whole world follow Islam. However, this also involves killing all those who refuse to accept Islam (Isa will "kill the swine, break the Cross, and 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. – 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 translated as "secure" (NIV), "at ease" (NASB) or "in prosperity" (NKJV). This means that the "peace" promised is in reality an empty one.

Many Muslims tout Islam as a religion of "peace". When Muhammad wrote to neighboring rulers inviting them to Islam, he always ended his letters with "Aslem Taslam", meaning "Surrender and you will be safe". After the invitation to Islam is passed, then warfare is conducted to bring them into submission. Since al­Mahdi is supposed to follow the Sunnah of Muhammad, it is very likely that he will do the same. In fact, Osama bin Laden and Iranian President Ahmadinejad have extended invitations to Islam to President Bush of USA. Of course, when President Bush ignores these invitations, then war is the logical next step according to the Sunnah. Islam, as a "religion of peace", will wage wars against infidel nations and also kill Jews, Christians, and all apostates (as it has done since Muhammad's days) in the days of al­Mahdi and Isa, in order to institute

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the "religion of peace" globally.

Islam has been plagued by violence from within since its early days, with Caliphs Umar, Uthman, Ali (Muhammad's son­in­law), Imam Hussein (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 abode of all Muslims, and Darul Harb (House of War), the abode of all infidels (non­Muslims), where Muslims are to wage jihad against the non­ believers. It is very likely that in the early stages of al­Mahdi, there will be much unity and peace within the Muslim world, especially while waging jihad against the rest of the infidel world.

• HIS RULE

+ He will desecrate the Jewish Temple (Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). Jesus also alluded to this prophecy (Matthew 24:15) in His famous discourse on the End­Times in (Matthew 24). * Although the hadiths say nothing about this, al­Mahdi and Isa will certainly do away with Judaism and Christianity. Once the Jews (and Christians) are out of the way, the conversion of the Temple to an Islamic mosque/shrine is a definite possibility after the abolition of Judaism and Christianity. In fact, a number of archaeologists and historians believed that the Dome of Rock, the al­Aqsa mosque, on the temple was originally a Byzantine church building which the Muslims converted into a mosque. – Any Islamic artifact, eg. Islamic inscriptions like those on the al­Aqsa Mosque (Dome of the Rock) is clearly a desecration of the Jewish Temple (from the Biblical point of view), even though in the eyes of al­Mahdi, he will be cleansing the temple and dedicating it to Allah, the one who gives 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 no consensus among Christians, many believe that it will be rebuilt in the future, and that there are some orthodox Jews who are preparing for the resumption of the Temple sacrifice. In fact, it is not impossible to see the Temple rebuilt under the treaty mentioned above, but in the middle of the treaty, it will be taken over by the Antichrist who then goes on the set up the "abomination that causes desolation".

Some Christian teachers have taught that this prophecy has already been completely fulfilled in the person of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (who reigned 175­163 BC), a Seleucid ruler who severely suppressed the Jewish people. He also desecrated the Jewish Temple by sacrificing a pig on its altar, leading to the Maccabean revolt. However, it is also clear from Jesus' allusions that the prophecy in Daniel refers to events in the future since Jesus was speaking some 200 years after Antiochus Epiphanes' death. Thus, most Christian teachers are of the opinion that Antiochus Epiphanes was only a prototype of the Antichrist that is to come. Indeed, as we have seen above, the Antichrist will also arise from the remains of the Seleucid Empire.

• HIS PLACE OF RULE

+ The Beast will set himself up in the Jewish temple and exalts himself there (2 Thess 2:4). * Muslims believe that Jerusalem will be "the center and headquarter of the future Islamic Caliphate"

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 the caliph's seat will be there." (Ynet News article)

Imam Ahmad, Al­Hakim and Abu Dawud quoted 'Abdullah Ibn Zughb Al­ Ibadi who heard from 'Abdullah Ibn Hawwala Al­ Azdi that: "The

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Prophet put his hand on my head, and then said: 'Ibn Hawwala, if you see that the Caliphate has taken its abode in the holy land, then the earthquake, the tribulations and great events are at hand, and the Last Hour on that day will be closer to people than my hand is to your head." (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad. also Abu Dawud).

Ibn Sa'd quoted 'Abd Al­Rahman Ibn Abi 'Umayra al­Mazni, "There will be an oath of allegiance according to guidance in Jerusalem." (ibn Hanbal, Musnad) – The Temple is of course in Jerusalem. The general area therefore agrees. However, since the "abomination" is probably set up about midway through his rule, it is most likely that it is only the second part where the exaltation in the temple happens. As for the first part of his rule, it could be some area in Jerusalem or it may not even need to be so.

Again, the hadiths do not necessary mean that the headquarters of the al­ Mahdi will be in Jerusalem all the time. However, the fact that both the Antichrist and al­Mahdi will choose Jerusalem as their seat of authority sometime in their career is again no mere coincidence!

But wait, there are even more shocking antiparallels. Please continue to 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, Islam's Much Awaited World Leader – Al­Mahdi.

Comparison of End Times Figures in Christianity and Islam, Part II

We have examined the first major figure in the previous section, namely the Antichrist of the Bible and al­Mahdi in Islam. We next compare his assisant and their exploits together.

• THE SECOND MAJOR FIGURE: ASSISTANT TO THE FIRST MAJOR FIGURE

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+ 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. * 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. – This is where the ad­Dajjal and Antichrist correlation that most Muslims seem to see breaks down. The hadiths do not describe the ad­Dajjal having a prominent but secondary assistant. Yet, the hadiths clearly indicate that al­Mahdi will have Isa's help. Similarly, the Bible clearly shows that the First Beast has the Second Beast/False Prophet to help him.

The hadiths also speak of another person called Al­Harith ibn Hirath, and whose army will be led a man called Mansur. They are supposed to come from Transoxania (Khorasan) and help pave the 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 establishes his caliphate, so the parallel cannot be with al­Harith.

+ The Second Beast is a religious figure to bring in a global religion (Rev 13). * The hadiths say that Isa will "make the religion of Allah prevail in the world." – It is significant that both the Bible and the hadiths agree that the role of the assistant as religious in nature. In fact, it is here that we

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see the clear correlation of the First Beast and Second Beast of Revelations with al­Mahdi and Isa respectively.

• SUBORDINATION OF ASSISTANT TO THE RULER

+ The deputy is subordinate to the First Beast and will support him and deceive people to follow the First Beast (Rev 13:21). * The hadiths say that Isa will submit himself to the authority of the al­Mahdi (eg. he asks al­Mahdi to lead in prayer), etc. He will assist al­Mahdi to set up Islamic religion over the whole world. – Amazingly, not only does the Bible and the hadiths agree that there will be a second prominent figure appearing, but both also agree that the second one is a religious figure, who will submit to the authority of the first prominent figure, and will assist the first one to set up the world wide religion.

• CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ASSISTANT

+ 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). Horns in Biblical symbolism often represent power and authority. 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 in reality not the Biblical Jesus. The dragon is the father of lies ( John 8:44). That means the second Beast will employ lies to help the 1st Beast and bring about the new Empire. Lying will be allowed to bring about the desired results.

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* Isa is the Muslim version of the biblical Jesus. Muslims believe that Isa is a human prophet, but not Son of God, and that he did not die on the cross. Muslims believe that Isa is now in heaven and will return to help the al­Mahdi to set up the Islamic Caliphate. It is said that he will "correct the falsities introduced into Christianity" ­ ­ perhaps by claiming that he is not God and that he was in heaven all along and has now returned to turn the world to Islam.

Islam allows the use of lying to achieve some of its goals. The hadiths say that lying is allowed under certain circumstances, one of which is when in a state of war. Muhammad also allowed his followers to lie in order to get his enemies killed. If Isa were to follow the Sunnah of Muhammad, then lying is an acceptable means to deal with the enemies in order to establish the Caliphate. – Thus, when al­Mahdi and Isa were engaged in Jihad with the rest of the non­Muslim world, lying is allowed and probably be used.

+ 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. – Muslim Isa is not the same as the Jesus described in the Bible. Read on for more differences.

• THEIR ARMY

+ The two beasts will have a powerful army to dominate the world and create a new world order (Rev 13:7).

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* al­Mahdi will lead the Muslims to wage jihad against the rest of the world to bring about the golden era of Islam. – Given that there are 1.3 to 1.5 billion Muslims in the world today, and given that when al­Mahdi appears, many Muslims will join him to wage jihad against the rest of the world, the number of able fighting Muslims will be considerable (see below). New converts often formed one of the most zealous fighters. Such a large number of fighters is unmatched by any nation in this world.

Early Muslim history also tells us how the Muslims were zealous in fighting and expanding the Islamic Empire for Allah. Within a few decades, the entire Northern Africa came under the Crescent. Later, Muslim armies conquered Spain, central Asian, India, etc. The Eastern Roman Empire also fell to the Ottoman Turks.

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.

+ Together, they will institute a global religion over the whole world (Rev 13:8,15). The second beast is the religious leader that will help the first beast institute and enforce this new religion. * indeed, see above.

+ There will arise from the Euphrates (modern Iraq) an army of 200 million (Rev 9:14­16). This does not mean that they are all from that region, but could be a gathering of people, and it also

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does not mean that that is the size of the army of the first Beast. * The number of Muslims today is somewhere between 1.3 to 1.5 billion. al­Mahdi will wage jihad against the rest of the world. 200 million is less than 20% of all Muslims. – That number is kind of hard to imagine before the last century, but the world population has grown six times in the last two centuries (it was 1 billion in 1802). We once heard that Muslims say that about 10% of the Muslims are militant. That gives us a number of 120 to 150 million. Factoring in growth in the next few 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 Muslim world engages in jihad against the rest of the world.

Given such a huge army, it is clear that the rest of the world stands little chance of resisting him militarily. Coupled with the dependence of the world on oil, much of the world will have to fall to the domination of Islam fairly quickly (probably in less than seven years). Hence, it is easily seen that the world will fall to his rule. However, there will definitely be some who will resist, and the Bible says that one third of mankind will perish in this global conflict (Rev 9:15).

• WORSHIP OF THEIR MASTERS

+ The Bible says that people will worship the person behind the Beast because power was given to the Beast (Rev 13:14). People will say, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" (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

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that all the world will be under Islam. – Rev 13:14 talks about the dragon behind the first beast, which according to the Bible is symbolically Satan.

From Rev 13:14, we know that the Antichrist will be very successful in his military campaigns. People will be amazed at his military genius. Similarly, al­Mahdi will be very successful in his jihad. A similar exclamation is indeed very possible.

• HIS LAWS

+ They will change existing laws (Dan 7:25). * The hadiths clearly say that al­Mahdi will institute Shar'ia over the world. Shar'ia is Islamic law. – Islam is the only religion that has a set of codified laws governing every aspect of a Muslim's life ... from religious, to political, to social, to personal hygeine. This set of laws is called the Shar'ia Law. The Sunnis have four main schools (mahdb) of jurisprudence (fiqh), and while its implementation is not necessarily uniform across the different schools, Muslims say that more than 70% of the rules are the same.

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 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 change the law of the land into the Shar'ia Law. This law is extended even to the non­Muslims, bringing about a state of dhimmitude to the non­ Muslims.

• HIS CALENDAR

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+ They will change the calendar system (Dan 7:25). * Clearly, al­Mahdi will use the Islamic calendar as he implements the Shar'ia. – All Muslim countries use the Islamic calendar. Islamic calendar, unlike the Gregorian calendar used in the West, is completely lunar and has no intercalation to synchronize with the solar calendar. The Islamic calendar dates from the Hijra, Muhammad's flight from Mecca to Medina. So instead of A.D., the calendar is dated in A.H. (after Hijra).

Again, while many religions have their own calendar system, only Islam consistently uses this over the entire land when it is the dominant religious force. If the world comes under Islamic rule, then the use of the Islamic calendar is a given.

• PERSECUTION OF JEWS AND CHRISTIANS

+ The Beasts will persecute the Jews and Christians, and will be allowed to win over them (Dan 7:2, 8:24; Rev 13:7,10). * Since the Jizya tax will be abolished under Isa and al­Mahdi, the "protection" of Christianity under Islamic rule is longer allowed. "Isa will accept nothing except Islam from the Jews and Christians." That means the only acceptable response from a Christian is either to become a Muslim or be killed. See also this article, What is an "Invitation to Islam"? . – Christians today already face many persecutions in Islamic countries, ranging from Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Middle East. Apostates from Islam are regularly killed, either through the state or through "honor killings". When al­Mahdi comes, invitations to Islam will go out to non­ Muslims and non­Muslim nations. If a non­Muslim does not accept the invitation, then it is clear that there will be war and they will be killed when they lose.

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• RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL AND THE JEWS

+ The Bible says that the Antichrist will attack Israel (Dan 11:41). * The hadiths say that al­Mahdi and his followers will attack the Jews. The first group will of course be ad­Dajjal and his Jewish followers.

(Muhammad said:) The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and 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 global system.

Above, we read a famous hadith that the Jews will be massacred such that even those hiding behind stones will be killed.

Before 1948, it is difficult to imagine many nations gathering to attack the Nation of Israel. There wasn't even such a nation, and so many prophecies concerning the attack on Israel hung in limbo. But after the establishment of the modern Nation of Israel in 1948, the scenario suddenly become a real possibility. Even at the birth of Israel, the neighboring Muslim nations immediately attacked Israel, but lost even more land to Israel. Such 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" concerning the power of Allah. Hence, many Muslims support various groups fighting Israel, even if the groups have been labelled as "terrorist organizations". The 2006 war in Lebanon between Israel and Hizbollah has also probably removed some of the myth about the power of Israel's army. Muslim groups are probably more emboldened, realizing that the Israeli army is not as "invincible" as previously believed.

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And with the unification of all Muslims under al­Mahdi, Israel will be completely surrounded by Muslims. The eradication of Israel is a goal of 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.

+ The world will attack Israel. "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem." (Zechariah 12:2. Also Ezekiel 38). * al­Mahdi, will lead many nations to attack Israel. – 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 (and his deputy below) will attack and conquer Jerusalem (Dan 9:26). * Same as above. – Both the Bible and the hadiths paint a dire consequence and Jerusalem will be conquered by the Antichrist. • + They and their followers will kill two thirds of the inhabitants of Israel. (Zechariah 13:8,9. Also Ezekiel 38). * Same as above. – 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.

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So, a coming slaughter of the Jews will come the moment Israel lapses in her defense. The Bible said two­thirds of the Jews will be killed.

• HIS METHOD OF EXECUTION

+ The Bible says that those who refuse to follow the new world religion will be killed (Rev 20:4, 13:10). * Muslims tell us that when the al­Mahdi comes, "At that time, the only two options for humanity will be to embrace Islam or die. " – See also above about Jews and Christians.

+ 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 made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds; then set them free, either by grace or ransom, till the war lays down its loads. So it shall be; and if God had willed, He would have avenged Himself upon them; but 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) – It is significant that Islam is the only global entity that continues to use beheading for execution today. This does not mean that everyone will be beheaded, but will be a distinguishing trait of the global religion at the End Times.

• THE MARK OF THE BEAST

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+ 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. * Some Muslims claim that there will be a beast that will make this mark on every person, to distinguish between a Muslim and a non­Muslim. The Muslim's face will then shine while that of a non­Muslim will become black. Others claim that it is the mark of performing salat, as a sign of piety. – In the Bible this mark is for commerce, i.e. you cannot buy or sell without this mark. Today in many countries where there are significant number of Muslims, businesses need certification from the Islamic authorities to show that their food or practices are halal (eg. food, banking, investments, etc). In places like Malaysia, Singapore, western businesses like McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken display the halal certification for their food sold. Halal food has begun showing up in regular American grocery stores.

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 personal history, including financial history. That may indeed be possible, given the technology that we have today. And in a global government and religion, it definitely makes conformance a lot easier. However, neither the Bible nor the hadiths make such a claim concerning the Mark of the Beast. In the Bible, it only says it is a mark (and is a number of the name of the Beast), so that you need to have this mark to buy and sell. The hadiths say that it is a mark to distinguish the Muslims from the non­ 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.

It is interesting that the "mark of the beast" is a negative one in the Bible, as it is given to those who follows the Antichrist. On the other hand, in Islam, it is a positive one received by the Muslims to distinguish between Muslims and non­Muslims. Once again, it reminds us that the definition of

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Antichrist, Jesus, etc often have diametrically opposite meanings. • THEIR MIRACLES

+ The Second Beast will be able to perform miracles (Rev 13:13). * A hadith says, "At the end of the time of my Ummah, the Mahdi will appear. Allah will grant him rain, the earth will bring forth its fruits, he will give a lot of money, cattle will increase and the Muslim Ummah will become great."

Also, Jesus performed many miracles the first time He was on earth, so when Isa arrives, it is likely that Isa will perform miracles in order that people will believe him. – Notice that it really doesn't say that al­Mahdi will perform miracles, although some believe that he will. What is interesting is that the Bible in Rev 13 describes him as a man of military might, who received a fatal wound but was somehow healed. However, the second beast was the one able to perform great miracles. This matches Muslims description of al­ Mahdi and Isa because

• Muslims believe that prophets are authenticated through miracles. • Muslims believe that al­Mahdi is not a prophet, and therefore not

necessarily have the ability to perform miracles, although many believe that he has the ability.

• Muslims believe that Isa was a prophet, and have performed miracles. Hence, his ability to perform miracles will be a sign of his prophethood. This allows Muslims to "authenticate" that the Second Beast is Isa.

• THE GREAT APOSTASY OF CHRISTIANS

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+ 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 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 conceivable that a number of Christians will become Muslims in such a scenario.

This has been poignantly illustrated in the kidnapping of Fox News journalists Steve Centarini and Olaf Wiig in August 2006, who were forced to convert to Islam under gun­point. See this article. – Under the threat of death, and also the "fulfillment" of Islamic apocalyptic prophecies, many Christians will be persuaded to abandon the Christian faith and turn to Islam. This has already happened, as many nominal Christians have become Muslims in Europe and elsewhere. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the Americas.

Muslims also believe that al­Mahdi will be able to go to Syria and bring out some artifacts and archaeological finds, one of which is a version of 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.

• LIES AND DECEPTION

+ There will be the use of lies in the world religion (2 John 1:7, Rev 13:11, 14, 19:20) – probably in order to win over people and to rule them. * Laying is acceptable, even among Muslims (eg. to effect reconciliation). – It is also significant that Islam allows lying under certain conditions to achieve certain goals.

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• THE THIRD MAJOR FIGURE(S): THE WITNESSES

+ The Bible describes Two Witnesses at the End Times (Rev 11:1­14). * The Hadiths describe ad­Dajjal at the End Times + 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 characteristics however matches.

Bible scholars are divided over how to interpret the Two Witnesses due to the symbolic language (eg. olive trees, lampstands) also used to described them. Some believe it to be entirely figurative, referring to Judaism and Christianity as the Two Witnesses. Others believe these two to be an Old Testament prophet (possibly Moses, Elijah or Enoch) and maybe a New 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 others believe that they are simply two different persons altogether. The rest of this article assumes them to be literally two different persons.

+ The Witnesses will work many miracles. "And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if 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 two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth." (Rev 11:10). * Muslims believe that ad­Dajjal will work many miracles, deceive many people, and cause great suffering and torment in the world. Also, Muslims believe that Yajug and Majuj (Gog and Magog, but should be distinguish from the Gog and Magog in the Bible) and their followers will "cause

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great devastation to the earth and Muslims". Muhammad told his followers to beware of the "trial of ad­Dajjal". Muhammad broke out in sweat and trembling at times when he had visions of ad­Dajjal. – The Two Witnesses of the Bible could be seen as ad­Dajjal since he/they will torment the world (i.e., including Muslims). It could either correspond 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 wear sackcloth, signifying repentance and atonement. Atonement in Hebrew is Kippur, from the root word kpr (in Hebrew f and p are the same letter, the latter being a hardening of sound of the former). * Muslims believe that ad­Dajjal has the letters kfr on his head, which all Muslims can recognize and therefore identify him as ad­Dajjal. They will then be able to avoid him. – It is hard to say if there is any real correspondence between the Hebrew "kippur" and the Arabic "kafir" above, since we are dealing with two different though related languages. Hebrew and Arabic are very similar languages but have different alphabets (in writing today). Both "kippur" and "kafir" come from "kpr/kfr", and actually mean the same thing, "to cover", "to hide". One is to "cover" one's sins (atonement in Hebrew), the other is to "cover" one's heart and beliefs (infidelity in Arabic).

+ The Witnesses will be killed by the Beast and the whole world will see their bodies without burial for three and a half days (Rev 11:8). * Isa is expected to descend from heaven and then kill ad­Dajjal, and usher a new era of world­wide Islam. As Muslims who die are supposed to be buried as soon as possible, the denial of burial is a clear sign to punish the infidel ad­Dajjal.

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– Significantly, both the Bible and the hadiths agree that the Two Witnesses / ad­Dajjal will be killed by the Antichrist/Isa.

It is possible for the whole world to see this event on TV news today. Not possible before the invention and popularity of TVs.

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+ 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). "In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed" ( Rev 11:13). * According to the Muslim expectations, Isa will kill the ad­Dajjal at the Gate of Ludd (Lod in Israel, near Tel Aviv). At the same time, his followers (numbering either 7,000 or 70,000) will also lose their lives. – The Biblical passage only says that the bodies will lie in the place "where also our Lord was crucified", typically interpreted to mean Jerusalem. But it did not say where they will be killed. The figurative language of "Sodom" and "Egypt" may indicate a non­ literal location. Anyway, we do have the death inside Israel. Interestingly, who are the 7,000 mentioned in the Bible who were killed? Will they be ad­Dajjal's followers?

• •

+ At the Witnesses' death, the world will rejoice and send each other gifts (Rev 11:10). * Given that ad­Dajjal is a negative figure in Islam, tormenting the Muslims, there is no doubt that Muslims will rejoice at the death of ad­Dajjal.

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• Antichrist (IN THE BIBLICAL SENSE)

+ According to the Bible, the Antichrist denies that Jesus is the Christ, denies the Son and the Father, ie. Father­Son relationship 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), * Islam specifically denies the central beliefs of Christianity. It denies

o that Jesus is God (i.e., Father­Son relationship of God and Jesus)

o that Jesus came in the flesh (since Muslims deny that Jesus is God)

o that Jesus died on the Cross for the sins of mankind (Islam believes that Jesus was not crucified on the cross, but someone else was).

– While Islam thinks that the ad­Dajjal is the Antichrist, the description of an Islamic al­Mahdi matches the criteria given by Apostle John. In fact, the many other parallels in Daniel, Revelations, Ezekiel point to al­Mahdi as the biblical Antichrist.

At the same time, Isa is a substitute for the Biblical Jesus, in that he will claim to be the Biblical Jesus, and at the same time deny the descriptions of Jesus in the Bible.

From a Biblical perspective, Islam is an antichrist religion as it denies every of the central beliefs of Christianity.

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• 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 that ad­Dajjal will claim to be God, but we have not come across any hadiths that say that explicitly.

The Bible describes in Zechariah 11:17 a bad shepherd who is the opposite of the good shepherd, and who receives a wound that blinded his right eye. Some scholars think this describes the Antichrist who receives a fatal wound and then was healed (Rev 13:3,12). Muslims naturally think that this describes ad­Dajjal because of the blind eye, if they were to use this passage of the Bible to bolster their arguments. Islamic hadiths, however, don't say how the ad­Dajjal became one­eyed.

However, given the close parallels of the Old Testament and the New Testament on the End Times figures, it is more likely that the passage in Zechariah 11:17 refers to the Antichrist in the Biblical sense. In fact, many Bible scholars believe that the Antichrist is originally good­looking, but later receives this wound and causes him to go blind. Consider the following scenario: al­Mahdi becomes the leader of the Jews after conquering them, persuading 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) shepherd to Israel. The slaughtering of the Jews could happen after all these when he breaks the treaty mentioned above. At some point later, al­Mahdi becomes severely wounded, and his miracle­ performing assistant (i.e., Isa) heals him back to life (Rev 13:4). The rest of the world then becomes convinced of his prowess and 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

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o the similar descriptions of their abilities to perform miracles in both religions,

o the similar descriptions of their tormenting the people of the world,

o the similar descriptions of their being killed by the First and Second Beast and the world rejoicing at their death.

The only difference appears to be the number of personalities involved. Islam describes only one ad­Dajjal, while the Bible describes two Witnesses. Islam's description is that of a Jewish leader, whereas the Bible's description is likely one person associated with the Old Testament and another associated with the New Testament. Could it be that one of the Two Witnesses is Jewish (associated with the Old Testament), while the other a Gentile (non­Jew) Christian (associated with the New Testament)? If that is the case, then, the identification of ad­Dajjal with the Jewish Witness fits the descriptions very well.

Bear in mind that we are looking at two different belief systems, and since at most one is correct, it doesn't mean that both will come true at the same time to the fullest details. At the most, only one will be fulfilled to the fullest. The counterfeit one will likely be very close in fulfillment in order to draw people to it, but will probably have some missing pieces to wake up the people who are paying close attention.

• Many Muslims say that ad­Dajjal will claim to be God, but we have not come across any hadith that specifically say this. At most, there are allusions because the hadiths say that "Allah is not one­ eyed". On the other hand, if the Witnesses were to bear witness to the Biblical Jesus, it will be seen as blasphemous in the eyes of Muslims.

• We do not deal with the Rapture (the catching up of believers to meet their Lord in the air), much less whether it be before the Great Tribulation (the period where the Antichrist openly persecutes the saints), mid­Tribulation or post­Tribulation. If the Christians are raptured before the Tribulation, then resistance to and knowledge about the Antichrist will be very scarce, making it much easier for the Antichrist to establish his rule and religion

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(possibility without much warfare). Nonetheless, it doesn't really matter if the Christians are still around (ie. either mid­Tribulation or post­Tribulation Rapture is correct) for two reasons: 1) there will be many who will leave the Christian faith, and 2) the book of Revelations and Daniel disclosed that the Antichrist will make wars against the saints and win over them. So that means that whatever resistance there might be left will be too small to stand against the Antichrist, resulting in martyrdom for many. Hence, the doctrine of Rapture is inconsequential to the exploits of the Antichrist and his assistant, the False Prophet.

• DIFFERENCES BETWEEN JESUS IN THE BIBLE AND ISA IN ISLAM

Some readers may object to the differentiation between the Biblical Jesus and the Isa in Islam, arguing that they are one and the same. In fact, some Muslims have tried to argue from the Bible that Jesus is simply a man and not divine (Christians believe that Jesus is both human and divine). Of course, some Christians have done similar things by arguing from the Qur'an that Jesus is divine. However, any simple and honest study will reveal many differences in the Biblical Jesus and Muslim Isa. The obvious ones are that Christians believe Jesus to be divine and that he died on the cross for our sins, whereas Islam believes that Isa was simply a prophet and that he did not die on the cross. Islam believes that a substitute was put on the cross (we are not told who), a very large deception hoisted by Allah on the world.

However, we do not deal with these here. Instead, we see that the eschatological descriptions of Jesus and Isa also differ significantly:

o Isa will kill the Christians who refused to submit to Islam, whereas Jesus warned that Christians "will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me." (Matthew 24:9). It is clear that the Muslim Isa is not the same as the Biblical Jesus.

o In Jesus' descent from heaven, many Christians believe that Jesus will come and descend at Mount Olives (Acts 1:11­ 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 Damascus. It should be noted that in the Bible, the False Prophet will appear some time before the real Jesus comes to judge the world.

o When Isa comes, he will of course claim to be Jesus, that he was a 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 to kill ad­Dajjal and help al­Mahdi set up the Islamic Caliphate. He will try to "prove" that he is the Jesus of the Bible (the Qur'an says that the disciples of Jesus are Muslims), and thereby cause many Christians to follow him. Once again in the Bible, Jesus warned in advance that: "At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it." ( Matthew 24:23).

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 rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:26­27). 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.

o 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 and great glory." (Matthew 24:30), it refers to Isa's descent at Damascus. Yes, there is some similarity (and perhaps that is precisely the purpose), but note also the surrounding verses which give some more details:

"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.'

"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a

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loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." ( Matthew 24:29;31)

"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 and the other left." (Matthew 24:40­41)

The Biblical passage describes Jesus sending his angels to gather those that belong to Him ... and some will be taken while others remain. The Biblical passage in Rev 11:15­18 also mentions the blowing of the trumpet and the reward of the martyrs in order to reign with Jesus. Thus, from the Biblical perspective, the coming of Jesus also brings to end a chapter of the world.

These are not signs associated with Isa's coming, but most of the world probably wouldn't know. Muslims believe that Isa comes to help al­Mahdi set up the Caliphate and then rule when the al­Mahdi dies. Moreover, in Islam, the trumpet call also signifies the end of the world, but Isa's coming does not signify the end of the world yet.

Hence, Isa's coming is an imitation of the one given in the Bible and is not the same. To those who do not know the Bible, the events are likely to convince them that Islam is correct, and that events are unfolding as the hadiths have foretold. However, to those who know the Bible, they will know that Isa is not the real Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible.

CONCLUSION

This article has tried to show the parallels and anti­parallels of the expectations in Christianity and Islam regarding the End Times (Last Hour) figures. In particular, we have attempted to show that al­Mahdi that

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Muslims are expecting to come to usher in the world­wide religion 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 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 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 whose role is primarily religious in nature. The ad­Dajjal (Antichrist in Islam) appears to correspond to the Two Witnesses in the Bible. In Islam, this personality opposed the al­Mahdi and Isa and are killed by them, whereas in Christianity, the Two Witnesses will oppose the Antichrist and False prophet and will be killed by them.

When the above personalities do develop and appear, both Christians and Muslims will likely see in the unfolding events the supposed fulfillment of their respective prophecies. Thus, when al­Mahdi appears, Christians who adhere to the Bible will see in him the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Antichrist in the Bible, while the Muslims will see in him the fulfillment of the much awaited Savior and the Imam of the Muslim people. When Isa comes, the Biblical Christians will see in him the fulfillment of the False Prophet, while other Christians will think that what they had believed about Jesus of Christianity was wrong, and thus fall away and join Islam. The Bible had foretold this deception by the "Second Beast" and of this great falling away as one of the signs of the End of Times.

Of course, at most one side is on the side of truth. The delusion will be great indeed. Satan has indeed hatched a very brilliant plan and deception. Hopefully, you choose the correct side to be on.

Detailed comparisons of the individual characters can be found in the 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 Mean?

May you be under the blessings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

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Islam's Much Awaited World Leader — Al­ Mahdi (and who he corresponds to in the Bible)

Introduction

Muslims today are eagerly awaiting the appearance of a Muslim leader 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 will examine this character in detail based on Islamic sources, and compare him with a character in the Bible that is very similar.

Muslims' Eager Expectation For Al­Mahdi

There is no doubt that Muslims are eagerly awaiting the appearance of a Muslim leader (known as Caliph in Arabic), who is to be a faithful representative of Allah. Consider this report on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2006:

WASHINGTON ­ While most of the reporting and analysis of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at the U.N. focused on what he had to say about the West and specifically the U.S., his chilling closing remarks were lost on most listeners ­ and apparently all reporters...

The last two paragraphs of his remarks revealed his steadfast and driving conviction, as previously reported in WND, that a messianic figure, known as the "Mahdi" to Muslims, is poised to reveal himself after an apocalyptic holocaust on Earth that leaves most of the world's population dead. (Iran leader's U.N. finale reveals apocalyptic view, World Net Daily, Sept 21, 2006)

Or consider the statement by the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq, a collection of eight mujahideen (jihad fighters) groups fighting the United States:

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 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 will give Muslims the victory in their war against the Romans and their final capital Rome like his Prophet Mohammed, peace upon him, 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 Rebuttal To Pope's Remarks On Islam)

Many similar reports about can be cited. Who is this Mahdi mentioned in President Ahmadinejad's speech? And what is the Islamic Caliphate mentioned by the Mujahideen Shura Council? Why is there such anticipation among the 1.3 billion Muslims for the coming of 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 person? Did the Bible also prophesy about al­Mahdi? If so, which character in the Bible prophecies fits?

These are all questions that this article tries to answer as we search the 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 important source of Islamic Law. We also compare these expectations with what is contained in the Bible to gain a more complete understanding of the End Times. While most non­Muslims are probably clueless about al­Mahdi, many Muslims are eagerly expecting his coming. Some Muslims are even said to be trying to create the enviroment conducive for this coming, and are actively working towards his Caliphate.

The importance of al­Mahdi to Muslims and non­Muslims alike is that his appearance will have dramatic effects on the Muslims and the non­Muslims. As and when he appears, the entire dynamics of this world will change as a result. We encourage you to carefully read this article to understand the impact it will have on the Muslim psyche and how it will steer world events.

The Importance of Qiyamah in Islam

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Islamic teaching is that all created things at an appointed time will be annihilated, and then resurrected for judgment before Allah. The exact date and time of this event, known as Yawm al­Qiyamah (literally Day of Resurrection), is known to Allah alone (Qur'an Surah 7:187, 31:34, 33:63 ), but the Qur'an says it will come suddenly (Surah 7:187; 12:107; 21:40; 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 time of Noah have taught about the Qiyamah to their followers, but that Muhammad told his followers in much greater details about it. In particular, Muhammad said that the prophets have warned their followers about ad­Dajjal (Muslim version of the Antichrist, not to be confused with the Antichrist in the Bible). For example, we read in the hadiths:

Narrated AbuUbaydah ibn al­Jarrah:

I heard the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) say: There has been no Prophet after Noah who has not warned his people about the antichrist (Dajjal), 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 my words will live till his time. The people asked: Apostle of Allah! what will be the condition of our hearts on that day? Like what we are today? He replied: Or better. (Sunan Abu Dawud 40.4738)

Even though Muhammad speculated that some Muslim believers might 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 Qiyamah for many hours. It is also said that the Companions of Muhammad also taught the hadiths to their children and instructed them to also teach their children. Thus, teachings about Qiyamah is something that is taught and passed down by Muslims from generation to generation, reflecting its importance in the Islamic faith. As such, many Muslims will 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.

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 to those supposedly fulfilled in the earlier era of Islam, while the Later Signs are supposed to happen as Qiyamah draws near. We will not deal with the Minor Signs in this article, but concentrate on the first of the Major Signs — the coming of Al­Mahdi.

Descriptions of Al­Mahdi in Islam

In this section, we will consider the various hadith reports (plural. ahadith) and Muslim teachings concerning al­Mahdi to get a good idea of this End Times personality in Islam. The hadiths are the records of words or deeds 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 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, are considered to be most authentic and beyond dispute. The Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are considered the most authentic.

Al­Mahdi is considered a Major Sign of the Qiyamah. This title means "the Guided One," i.e., he will be guided by Allah. It can also mean "the Gifted One," obviously in reference to the various gifts he will possess. There are many hadiths recording Muhammad's teachings about al­Mahdi. Many Muslims have also written about al­Mahdi and the accompanying signs of his coming. On the internet, one can find many articles related to his coming.

In essense, the hadiths speak of al­Mahdi as a character that is expected to 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. The Caliphate is the jurisdiction of the Caliph. Muslims expect this Islamic Caliphate to eventually cover the entire world as the entire world comes under Islam. He will rule for seven years, bringing in an era of "justice and equity". This is an age that many Muslims look fondly towards:

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The final times represents an age that contains all of these "better" concepts. They will be a holy age, when shortages are replaced by plenty and abundance, injustice by justice, immorality by morality, conflict by peace and security, and the Islamic morality that all believers have 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)

The Mahdi in Shi'ite and Sunni (the two main sects of Islam) traditions are somewhat different as to the exact identity of al­Mahdi. The Shi'ites believe that al­Mahdi was the 12th Imam (leader) of the Shi'ite sect (the fourth Caliph, Ali, was considered the first Shi'ite Imam, followed by his sons Hasan, Hussein, and their descendents, etc). This 12th Imam, who was then a small boy, was said to have disappeared and went into 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 believe al­Mahdi to be someone to appear in the future, and do not 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 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 will be and what he will do.

Historically, there have been many Muslims who have claimed to be al­ Mahdi. However, we do not dwell on these claimants, but rather on the 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 have to say about al­Mahdi.

Conditions at the Emergence of Al­Mahdi

According to the hadiths, just prior to the emergence of Al­Mahdi, "Christian rule will be dominant". (Note that Muslims often equate Western with Christian). A descendent of Abu Sufyan (a Meccan who converted to Islam under threat of beheading) is supposed to emerge in Syria (Sham) and kill many of Muhammad's descendents and rule over

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Syria and Egypt. There is then supposed to be a battle between the ruler and the Christians, after which, one group of the Christians will enter into a treaty with the Muslims while the other group will attack and conquer Constantinople (Istanbul). The Muslims and their Christian allies will then attack the other Christians and win over them. Then the Muslims and the Christians will argue over if the battle had been won with the Cross or Islam, until a full­scale battle ensued, resulting in the killing of the Muslim ruler. These Christians are supposed to conquer Syria and reconcile with the other group of Christians, and will exercise their rule till Khaybar.

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 current situation in the Middle East, it should be understandable why many Muslims look forward to the day al­Mahdi will appear.

Al­Mahdi — A Descendent of Muhammad

The first thing we will notice about the Mahdi is that the hadiths say that he will be a direct descendent of Muhammad:

Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Mahdi will be of my family, of the descendants of Fatimah. Abdullah ibn Ja'far said: I heard AbulMalih praising Ali ibn Nufayl and describing his good qualities. ( 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, 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")

Many similar hadiths were also recorded by other Muslims like Ahmad 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 Muslims also think that names that are variants of Muhammad, like

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Mahmoud or Ahmad, might be acceptable. Fatimah, Ali's wife, was the only child of Muhammad to have descendents, as the rest of Muhammad's children either died young or did not have offsprings. Thus, al­Mahdi is supposed to be a descendent of Fatimah and Ali. Muhammad's descendants are numerous. The royal family of Jordan, for example, are descended from Hasan, eldest son of Fatimah and Ali.

In another hadith, we read:

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If 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 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 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 )

This hadith seem to say that al­Mahdi's father will also have the same name as Muhammad's father (i.e., Abdullah). If so, then al­Mahdi's name should be Muhammad ibn Abdullah. However, some Muslims dispute the authenticity of these hadiths. Shi`ites believed that his name is 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).

Al­Mahdi's Looks

From the hadiths, we gather that al­Mahdi will have a broad forehead and a prominent nose.

Narrated Abu Sa'id al­Khudri:

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

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will equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4272)

He will also supposedly look like "Bani Israel" (children of Israel):

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 the children of Israel, (quoted by Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

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 example, some claim that the Pathans (or Pashtuns) of Afghanistan and Pakistan were descended from the lost tribes of Israel (actually only from King Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin), who later converted to Islam. They identify themselves as Bani Israel, but not Jews. (The relationship between Jews and Muslims have been extremely tumultous since the days of Muhammad, something we shall see also in other hadiths regarding the End Times).

However, the above reference as refering to the Jews is the most likely interpretation, since Muhammad dealt with many Jews in Arabia during his time, and the Qur'an and he consistently used Bani Israel to refer to the Jewish people in Arabia (See Qur'an, Surah 2:40, 2:47, for example).

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).

An Army Bearing Black Flags Coming From Khorasan (Or The East)

Several hadiths tell of the coming of an army bearing black flags (or banners) prior to the revealing of al­Mahdi. A man from Khorasan by the name of al­Harith ibn Harrath will be preparing the people for the appearance of the Mahdi, and at the front of this army is a man by the

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name of Mansur. On their way to Jerusalem, they will kill many infidels (kuffars, i.e., non­Muslims).

Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A man called al­Harith ibn 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 Muhammad's family as Quraysh consolidated them for the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him). Every believer must help him, or he said: respond to his sermons. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4277)

Hadhrat Buraidah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "There will be many armies after me. You must join that army [that] [sic] will come from Khurasaan". (Ibn Adi, as quoted by Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")

"Rasulullah" means "Messenger of Allah", a title Muslims used to refer to Muhammad. Khorasan today is a province in north eastern Iran, but in ancient times, Greater Khorasan refers to a region that extends over north eastern Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Thus, out of this central Asian region is supposed to arise an army 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 army.

As Muhammad commanded all Muslims to give this army their support when they see it appear, this army, though not necessarily very well 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) said: "(Armies carrying) black flags will come from khurasaan. No 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 Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")

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Baitul Maqdas (literally Holy House) came from the Hebrew term for the 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 the Temple Mount (the compound is known as al­Haram al­Sharif). This 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 when the black flags appear, the appearance of al­Mahdi will be imminent.

The black flags have been a prominent sign in Islam's army since Muhammad's days.

In Islam there are two flags. One is white and one is black. Written across both flags in Arabic are the words, "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger". The white flag is called Al­Liwaa and serves as the sign for the leader of the Muslim army and is the flag of the Islamic State. The black flag is called Ar­Raya and is used by the Muslim 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 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. They carried with them black flags. On the flags was one word written in Arabic: punishment. (Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006.)

In modern days, the black flags have been used by Muslims in several places during demonstrations, eg. a demonstration against the Pope in Palestine, in antoher demonstration in Cairo, etc. This imagery is of course an invocation of the desire for al­Mahdi to arrive on the world scene. It is clear that many Muslims understand the significance behind this flag: a coming retribution against those who defy Islam (whether it be non­ Muslims or non­devout Muslims).

In summary, when the army of black flags appears in Khorasan, the emergence of al­Mahdi is supposedly imminent.

Al­Mahdi's Ascension to Rule

As we study the hadiths on al­Mahdi, we come to some very interesting developments. This very important person may not be some prominent

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person that is already ruling over some country in the world. Instead, Muslims believe al­Mahdi to be a person living in obscurity before his emergence, and that his heart will be changed overnight to take up this responsibility:

Al Mahdi is from the family of the House Allah will 'yuslihu' him in a night. (Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

Since al­Mahdi's heart is supposed to be changed overnight, it is well­nigh impossible to say what kind of person he currently is, if he exist today. He will suddenly burst into the world scene. He will be recognized as the Mahdi by a group of Muslims known as abdals and will be suddenly thrusted into the limelight. The hadiths say:

Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Disagreement will occur at the death of a caliph and a man of the people of Medina will come flying forth to Mecca. Some of the people of Mecca will come to him, bring him out against his will and swear allegiance to him between the Corner and the Maqam. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4273)

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 responsibilities on him. This must indicate that he will know he is to be al­ Mahdi. Note that it is not indicated whether he actually is a Medinan. Some Muslims speculated that al­Mahdi will be Meccan, just like 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.

During the Haj, while performing the tawaf between Hajrul Aswad and Maqam Ibrahim, some people known as the abdals are said to approach him and forcefully pledge their allegiance (bayah) to him. The tawaf is the ritual of circumambulation around the Ka'aba (the holiest building in Mecca) performed by Muslims during the pilgrimage to Mecca (known as the Haj). Hajrul Aswad refers to the Black Stone at a corner of the Ka'aba,

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whereas Maqam Ibrahim (the Station of Abraham) is located in front of the only door to the Ka'aba. Thus, people will suddenly pledge allegiance to al­Mahdi at this vicinity. Other hadiths say that at this time a voice from 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, Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)). News of this unveiling of al­Mahdi will then travel quickly around the world to the Muslims.

The same hadith continues:

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 people see that, the eminent saints of Syria and the best people of Iraq will come to him and swear allegiance to him between the Corner and the Maqam. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4273)

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 desert between Medina and Mecca. When the surrounding people see or hear about this event, leaders of Syria and Iraq will come to pledge their allegiance to him. At this point, al­Mahdi would have gained the allegiance of quite a number of influential Muslim leaders.

Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A man called al­Harith ibn 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 Muhammad's family as Quraysh consolidated them for the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him). Every believer must help him, or he said: respond to his sermons. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4277)

Thawban (R.A) reported that the Propet [sic] Muhammad said, 'In your 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 of the east, and they will slaughter you in a way that no Nation has ever done before. Then the Dear Prophet said something that I didn't remember. Then again the Dear Prophet said if you see him give him your

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allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice, because he is the Khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi.' (Ibn Majah Page 300, Also Ahmad's Musnad, al­Haakim's Mustadrak and others).

There is also the Hadith narrated by Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If you 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 Hadith scholars rendered it sound in general. (Islam Online)

What the last sentence in the quote above means is that the content of the hadith is sound, and fits other data available, but the specific isnad (chain of narrators) is weak. The phrase "even if creeping" has also been translated to "even if crawl over ice", and Muslims said that some mountainous regions in Khorasan area are often covered with ice and snow. Basically, what this means is that Muslims are told to go and join 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 gone to the difficult mountainous region to train with al­Qaida.

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 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 army are certainly intertwined.

Thus far, we see that al­Mahdi will suddenly be recognized, and then some leaders will pledge allegiance to him, and due to a miraculous event, many more leaders will then come and follow to him. This news will spread very 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 unprecendented in the history of mankind.

Let's pause a moment and consider the implications of this event. Today, there are an estimated 1.3 to 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. And if only 10% of all Muslims were to join this army, we will see 130 to 150 million Muslim mujahideens (those who participate in jihad). Given that

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Muhammad exhorted all Muslims to join and support them (and assuming only the able­bodied and adult ones can actually join), the size of this coming Muslim army is still considerable, running in the hundreds of millions. No nation in this world has such a large army. One can easily imagine that very very few nations can stand against this large army.

Al­Mahdi The World Leader

We have seen the expected meteoric and sudden rise to power of al­ Mahdi, but this is not the end. The aim of al­Mahdi is not just the Muslim 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 Deliverer (Kitab Al­Mahdi)". This is a collection of hadiths related to the coming of al­Mahdi. Thus, early Muslims saw al­Mahdi as a coming deliverer of the Muslims.

Jews are waiting for the Messiah, Christians are waiting for Jesus, and Muslims are waiting for both the Mahdi and Jesus. All religions describe them as men coming to save the world. (Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, "The Approach of Armageddon? An Islamic Perspective", Canada, Supreme Muslim Council of America, 2003, p. 229, as quoted by Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)

The hadiths tell us:

Even if the entire duration of the world's existence has already been 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 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 injustice and tyranny before then. (Sahih Tirmidhi, vol. 2, p86, vol. 9, p74­ 75) Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If 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 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

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filled with oppression and tyranny (according to the version of Fitr). Sufyan's version says: The 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, Book 36, #4269, Also #4270, #4272, #4276A) 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 property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and establish Islam on Earth. He will remain seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 36, #4273)

As the expected rule of al­Mahdi is to cover the whole earth and not just the Muslim countries today, non­Muslims will also be affected by this turn of events. In order to bring about a world of "peace and justice", al­Mahdi will rely on a number of means. Muslims tell us:

Allah (c.c.) will sow love of him in the hearts of all people. (Harun Yahya quoting El­Kavlu'l Muhtasar Fi Alamet­il Mehdiyy­il Muntazar, 42) ...

So, Allah will sow love of him in the chests of the people (Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

There will remain no individual not pleased with the Muslims. (Harun Yahya quoting Signs of the Judgment Day, 163) ...

Al Mahdi appears, everyone only talks about Him, drinks the love of Him, and never talks about anything other than Him. (Harun Yahya quoting Al­ Burhan fi Alamat al­Mahdi Akhir al­Zaman, 33)

The dwellers of Heaven and Earth, even the birds in the sky, will be pleased with his Caliphate. (Harun Yahya quoting El­Kavlu'l Muhtasar Fi Alamet­il Mehdiyy­il Muntazar, 29)

The above quotations paint a picture where Allah will cause the people of this world to admire and love him. As such, al­Mahdi will exude a

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charisma, charm, and as we shall also see, persuasiveness, that many will find difficult to resist. As a result, many people will willingly come under his rule and become Muslims as al­Mahdi and Isa make Islam the only religion in this world.

Under his authority, al­Mahdi will send out invitations to Islam to the rest of the world, starting with the states around his own jurisdiction, according to the stipulation of Muhammad. After these are passed, then according to Muhammad's sunnah (lit. path, i.e. Muhammad's example), Al­Mahdi is free to conduct warfare against these nations and subdue 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:

Nafi' b. Utba reported: ... I repeat (on the fingers of my hand) that he (Allah's Messenger) said: You will attack Arabia and Allah will enable you to conquer it, then you would attack Persia and He would make you to Conquer it. Then you would attack Rome and AllgLh [sic] will enable you 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 after Rome (Syrian territory) would be conquered. (Sahih Muslim 41.6930 )

JIHAAD ON INDIA A jamaat of Muslims wages Jihaad on India and be successful.

SYRIA UNDER MUSLIM RULE Imam Mahdi returns to Syria and establishes Muslim rule over the lands he passes. (Mufti Afzal Hoosen Elias, "MAJOR SIGNS OF QIYAMAT")

So we see that first of all, people will love al­Mahdi and come willingly to submit to him, some will become persuaded by his message and be 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 and justice".

Al­Mahdi And The Laws Of His Government

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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 government. According to the hadiths, al­Mahdi will govern according to the Sunnah of Muhammad. The word sunnah literally means "trodden path" and refers to the words and acts of Muhammad, and these are recorded in the hadiths. The Sunnah of Muhammad refers to the precedents set by Muhammad. All Muslims try to emulate Muhammad, and some go to the extent of emulating everything he did, including the beard, the turban, the sequence of putting on clothes, and other acts. As to matters of law, the Sunnah is codified into the Shari'a (Islamic Law).

Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:

... 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 property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and establish Islam on Earth. He will remain seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4273)

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 Isa will institute Shari'a Law over all the world. Even though the different Sunni schools have some disagreements over the actual implementation of Shari'a (the different schools have about 75% of Shar'ia that are in 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.

In the world today, whenever Muslims become the majority of the land, 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 were the Muslims are minority, Shar'ia Law is practiced among Muslims, and often recognized by the government (eg. England, Singapore, etc).

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Another important aspect of Shar'ia relates to the calendar. Muslim nations use the Islamic calendar that dates from the Hijra (the escape of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina). Thus, Islamic dates are labelled as A.H. (after Hijra) instead of A.D. (Ano Domini, latin for "in the Lord"). The Islamic Calendar is totally lunar in nature and has no intercalation to synchronize with the solar year (unlike the Jewish or Chinese luni­solar calendar). When al­Mahdi implements the Shari'a Law over his empire, it is a given that he will also use the Islamic calendar.

Length Of Al­Mahdi's Reign

A number of sahih or hasan (good) hadiths say that the reign of al­Mahdi will be about seven years. We have seen it mentioned in Sunan Abu 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 equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years. (Sunan Abu Dawud 36.4272)

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 seems to be the most authentic (Sahih). There is some doubt in the authenticity of the other hadiths.

The Treaty of Seven Years

We also read of a peace treaty that the Muslims will enter into:

Hadhrat Abu Umamah radhiyallahu anhu says that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: "There will be four peace agreements between you and the Romans. The fourth agreement will be mediated through a person who will be from the progeny of Hadhrat Haroon alayhis salaam and will be upheld for seven years."

The people asked: "O Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam , who will be the Imaam of the people at the time?"

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Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: "He will be from my progeny and will be forty years of age. His face will shine like a star and he will have a black spot on his left cheek. He will don two "Qutwaani" cloaks and will appear exactly as a person from the Bani Israeel..." (Tabrani, as quoted by Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")

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 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 sacrifices and only the Chief Priest may enter into the "Holy of Holies". Exactly what the treaty is about, the hadiths did not specify.

Al­Mahdi's Seat of Authority ­ Jerusalem and/or Kufa

Another important characteristic of al­Mahdi is his seat of authority. We have already seen this hadith above:

Abu Hurairah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "(Armies carrying) black flags will come from khurasaan. No 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 Mufti A.H. Elias and Mohammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali, "Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH)")

We can see that the hadiths say that Jerusalem will be captured by the Muslims. Muhammad ibn Izzat and Muhammad 'Arif, commenting on the above tradition, said:

The Mahdi will be victorious and eradicate those pigs and dogs and the 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 rightly guided caliphate and the center of Islamic rule, which will be headed by Imam al­Mahdi... That will abolish the leadership of the

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Jews... and put an end to the domination of the Satans who spit evil into people and cause corruption in the earth, making them slaves of false idols 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)

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 headquarters of al­Mahdi's caliphate. For example:

Head of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement Sheikh Raed Salah said Friday that "soon Jerusalem will be the capital of the new Muslim caliphate, and the caliph's seat will be there." (Salah: Caliph will sit in Jerusalem, Ynet News, Sep 15, 2006.) A. Hijazi explains:

The flourishing of Jerusalem will happen by the hands of Muslims, by the will of Allah, after it will be retrieved from the Jews.

The Holy Land will be the seat of the Caliphate because the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said to Ibn Hawalah,

"O Ibn Hawalah! If you live to see the seat of the Caliphate of the Holy Land, then earthquakes, disasters and great calamities are imminent. Then, the Hour will be closer to people than this hand of mine to your head!" (Al­Hakim in Al­Mustadrak, vol. 4, p. 420, and he says, "Sahih", as quoted by A. Hijazi, "Signs of the Appearance of the Dajjal and His Destruction. Major Signs of the Last Hour")

The fact that al­Mahdi will choose to rule from Jerusalem sometime into his reign (not explicitly stated when) means there has to be a conflict with the Israelis currently ruling Jerusalem, in order to resolve this issue. In 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 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 other Muslims believe that he will rule from Damascus in Syria. That said,

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this does not preclude al­Mahdi from first ruling in Damascus or Kufa, then ruling from Jerusalem after it was captured.

Al­Mahdi and the Jews

The relationship with the Jews is at a boiling point today, due especially to the establishment of the modern nation of Israel. Some Muslim nations do not recognize Israel, and some make no pretense about their desire to completely annihilate Israel from the world map. The Sahih Muslim contain a number of hadiths that describe what will happen to the Jews under al­Mahdi:

(Muhammad said:) The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree 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, Sahih Muslim 41.6982, Sahih Muslim 41.6983, Sahih Muslim 41.6984)

This hadith paints a very dire picture of the Jews at the End Times. This particular hadith is often recalled by many terrorists like al­Qaida and others. It is also taught in Saudi school textbooks and in sermons in the mosques around the world. Given the strong sentiments against Jews in the Middle East, this hadith is a clear statement of what will happen to the Israelis the moment Israel lapses in her defenses. The recent war in Lebanon has also destroyed the myth of invincibility of the Israeli army, and so Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria, Iran and other groups will probably be even more emboldened in the future. This means a coordinated effort by the Muslims to destroy Israel is becoming more and more a not­too­distant reality.

Al­Mahdi and Prosperity. A New Golden Age of Islam

Another aspect of the reign of al­Mahdi is the expectation that it will be a great time of wealth and peace, in other words, a new Golden Age of

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Islam. During the reign of Al­Mahdi, there will be a lot of wealth, rain in 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 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 who will accept Sadaqa from him, and a person would be called to accept Sadaqa and he would say: I do not need it. (Sahih Muslim 5.2209)

According to a Hadeeth narrated by Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A.) Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "...(regarding the rule of Imaam 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 have already passed away should have been alive to enjoy this prosperity.)" (Mustadrak, as quoted by Mohammed All Ibn Moulana Zubair Ali, "Signs of Qiyamah".)

"At the end of my nation Al Mahdi will come for whom Allah will send 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 or eight." (Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

Al­Mahdi will also be so wealthy that he will have at his disposal plenty of wealth to distribute to his followers, without even counting.

Abu Nadra reported: "... He (Jabir b. Abdullab) kept quiet for a while and then reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said There would be a caliph in the last (period) of my Ummah who would freely give handfuls of wealth to thd [sic] people without counting it. I 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)

The late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, Ph.D., said:

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"He will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it had been filled by oppression and injustice. The inhabitants of the heavens and earth will be pleased with him. He will distribute wealth equally." At this point a companion asked what 'equally' meant so the Prophet replied: "Equally, between the people, and Allah will fill the hearts 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?' None except one man will stand and say, 'Me'. So he will say: 'Go to the treasurer and tell him that Al Mahdi orders you to give me wealth.' So the treasurer will say to him: 'Fill with your hands!' And he will put it in his clothing then tie it. Then he will become contrite and say: 'I was the most greedy among the nation of Muhammad, and he will attempt to return it but it will not be accepted, and it will be said to him: 'We do not accept what we have given.' And so he (Al Mahdi) will remain seven, eight or nine years ­­ then, there is no goodness left in life nor yet in living after him.

The preceding narrations were reported by Abi Said Al Khudri in the reference of Abi Dawood, Al Hakim, At­Tirmizi, Ahmad, ibn Hibban, Muslim, Al Tabarani (in his middle dictionary), Al Barudi and Abu Nuaym in his forty Hadith concerning Al Mahdi. (Narrated by the late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, Ph.D., "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­ CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

Consider for a moment, the jurisdiction of al­Mahdi. Once he united all the Muslim states, consider the map of his empire. This region contains 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

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expensive to extract). At the record high price of oil today, a lot of wealth is already going into the oil­producing countries. Without oil, the world's economy will grind to a halt and so the entire world will become very dependent on al­Mahdi's Caliphate. Al­Mahdi will have much greater 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.

Muslims invading Arabia

The hadiths tell of an invasion of Arabia by a group of Muslims: Nafi' b. Utba reported: ... I repeat (on the fingers of my hand) that he (Allah's Messenger) said: You will attack Arabia and Allah will enable you to conquer it, then you would attack Persia and He would make you to Conquer it. Then you would attack Rome and AllgLh [sic] will enable you 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 after Rome (Syrian territory) would be conquered. (Sahih Muslim 41.6930 )

Under Muhammad, Arabia has already been conquered by the Muslims. Due to the reference to the Dajjal, which Muslims expect will appear in the End Times, this hadith appears to refer to the End Times. Could the reference to "you will attack Arabia" be a reference to the Muslims invading to topple the Saudi government which many feel are not real Muslims (many Muslims think the Saudi government is corrupt and not a real Islamic government)? It is not insignificant that Al­Qaida often singled out Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt accusing them of collusion with the west.

There is another apocalyptic predication concerning Arabia, where Arabia will be destroyed (although it is not clear if they are the same event):

Zainab bint Jahsh reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) got up from sleep saying: There is no god but Allah; there is a destruction in store for Arabia because of turmoil which is at hand, the barrier of Gog and Magog has opened so much. And Sufyan made a sign of ten with the help of his hand (in order to indicate the width of the gap) and I said:

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Allah's Messenger, would we be perished in spite of the fact that there would be good people amongst us? Thereupon he said: Of course, but only when the evil predominates. (Sahih Muslim 41.6881. Also Sahih Muslim 41.6883)

Al­Mahdi the Archaeologist

Muslims also tell us of an interesting bit of information about al­Mahdi:

I said, "O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, I have never seen a Roman city like the city of Antioch and I have never seen more rain than it has." Whereupon the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said: "Yes, that is because the Torah, Staff of Moses, Tablets, and the Table of Solomon, the son of David are in its caves. There is not a single cloud that comes from any direction to it that does not pour its blessing in that valley. And the days and night will not pass until a man from my 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 transgressions." Reported by Tamin Ad­Dari, in the reference of Ibn Hibban Ad­Du'fa. (quoted by Shaykh Abdullah ben Sadek, late Grand Muhaddith of Morocco, "AL MAHDI, JESUS and DAJJAL [Moshaikh ­ the ANTI­ CHRIST]", tr. Shaykh Ahmad Darwish)

Ka'b al­Ahbar says "He will be called 'Mahdi" because he will guide (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 Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)

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 will guide the people to a mountain in Syria from which he will bring out the volumes of the Torah to refute the Jews. At the hands of the Mahdi the Ark of the Covenant will be brought forth from the Lake of Tiberias and taken and placed in Jerusalem." (Izzat and Arif, p. 16,

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as quoted by Joel Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)

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 Richardson, "Antichrist, Islam's Awaited Messiah", 2006)

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 Gospel. And he will use it to refute the Jews and the Christians, thereby convincing some of them to become Muslims. As to the actual contents of these manuscripts, we can only speculate. However, it is clearly implied that this version will be different from what is in the Bible today. Since it is with these manuscripts that many will be convinced to become Muslims, we can speculate reasonably as follows: since many Muslims believe that the Torah and the Gospels have been corrupted, supposedly, this version of the Torah and the Gospel will contain the kind of message that is the same as the Qur'an, and maybe explicit prophecies of Muhammad which is missing from the Bible today. For example, the Qur'an says:

Those who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they will find described in the Torah and the Gospel (which are) with them. He will enjoin on them that which is right and forbid them that which is wrong. He will make lawful for them all good 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 him, and honour him, and help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him: they are the successful. (Surah 5:157)

No such prophecies exist in the Bible, of course, despite some Muslim 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 submit to Islam will face the consequences as we have mentioned.

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Summary — Characteristics Of Al­Mahdi

Having examined the hadiths and teachings about Al­Madhi, we now summarize what we know about al­Mahdi from the above discussion.

• He will be Islam's deliverer. • He is to be a descendent of Muhammad. • He is to bear the name or some variant name of Muhammad. • He will look like a Bani Israel. • He will lead the Muslims and wage jihad against them rest of the

world. • He will rule over the world. • He will cause Islam to be the only religion in the world and rule

with Islamic Law. • He will be much loved by the world. • He will conquer the Jews and slaughter them. • He will set up his seat of authority in Jerusalem. • He will rule for seven years (or 8, or 9). • He will make a treaty of seven years with a person of priestly

lineage. • He will possess and distribute wealth to the Muslims. • He will discover a new Torah, Gospel, and the Ark, and will use

them to argue and persuade Jews and Christian, and cause many people to follow him into Islam.

• During his rule, there will be good rain, great harvest and crops.

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 Mahdi? The answer, not surprisingly, is yes. However, this personality may not be what a Muslim expect. So, please carefully read the next section in order to understand the implications.

The Antichrist of the Bible

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We now consider the characteristics of the Antichrist in the Bible. Please 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 the Biblical Antichrist. We only deal with characteristics that are relevant to our discussion (whether positive or negative).

In Christianity, the title of "Antichrist" is a generic title refering to a personality that is to appear at the End Times. He is also referred by many different titles in the Bible, like "the Beast," "the Little Horn," "the Son of Perdition," etc. He is to be the epitome of those who oppose the real Jesus Christ of the Bible (hence "the Antichrist").

We first begin by roughly locating where the Antichrist will come from. In Ezekiel 38, we read of a prophecy about a gathering of nations that will attack Israel. The list of nations include:

• Egypt, which he will attack and subdue (Daniel 11:42). • Meschek and Tubal (most likely parts of Turkey, parts of Southern

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, Turkey, Iran, Dagestan),

• Persia (modern Iran and Iraq. Ancient Persia also includes Iraq. The Euphrates River in Iraq is also mentioned together with the two Beasts in Rev 16:12­13),

• Cush (African Cush covers parts of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia. Asian Cush covers Arabia through Euphrates),

• Put (Libya), • Gomer (Cappadocia, Turkey), • Togarmah (southeastern part of Turkey near Syria)

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 surrounding Israel. Before 1948, there was no nation of Israel to destroy and this prophecy hung in limbo. However, after the miraculous birth of the modern state of Israel under the UN in 1948, this prophecy suddenly came to life.

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The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. (Daniel 7:24)

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 name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power 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 world was astonished and followed the beast. Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" (Revelations 13:1­4)

The description of the Antichrist here is that he will start with ten nations (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 call or fail to submit completely to his authority). The beast symbolizes his empire, with the leopard symbolizing the Greek Empire, the bear symbolizing the Medo­Persian Empire and the lion symbolizing the Babylonian Empire. Just as this beast is a composite of these animals, the Antichrist Empire combines the three empires. If we combine these three empires, we get an area that covers the list of nations above.

The Bible also describes that the Antichrist will appear from the remnants of the Seleucid Empire. In Daniel Chapter 8, we read about a vision in which prophet Daniel saw a two­horned ram and a goat with a prominent horn attacking it. The ram symbolized the Medo­Persian Empire (Daniel 8:20) and the goat symbolized the Greek Empire (Daniel 8:21). The prominent horn symbolized the prominent king of the Greek Empire ( Daniel 8:21), i.e., Alexander the Great.

The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven. (Daniel 8:8)

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 prominent horns"):

• Seleucus (Seleucid Empire), • Ptolemy (Egypt), • Lysimachos (Thrace) and • Cassander (Macedon and Greece).

The Seleucid Empire is the largest of the four partitions covering Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc. See this map for an idea of this partition. Then the vision continues:

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. ( Daniel 8:9)

"Beautiful Land" refers to the land of Israel, so the partition from the Greek Empire that fits this description is the Seleucid Empire. From this region, we see a horn appearing that started small but grew in power. "Another horn" is a description of the Antichrist. In other words, we see 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 start humbly and then grow in power towards the land of Israel. This also indicates that his empire will increase over time from the initial stage until it encompasses the whole world. The Bible continues to describe him:

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 destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he 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)

A very important characteristic of the Antichrist is that he will become strong not through his own power. His authority to rule was given to him.

I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. (Revelations 6:2)

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The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. (Revelations 13:2)

He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. (Daniel 11:21)

The above Biblical passages describe a future leader who is currently rather obscure. He probably didn't even ask to rule. Instead, somehow, he was persuaded or forced to take up the leadership position. Revelations 13:2 indicates that behind the scenes, it was the dragon (Satan) that actually gave the Antichrist the authority to rule. Moreover, those who give him allegiance do it voluntarily:

It should be pointed out that Christians are not united in opinions about the rider on the white horse in Revelations 6:2. Some believe that it refers to the Antichrist, while some believe that it is Christ Himself.

For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. ( Revelations 17:17)

The Bible tells us that a huge army 200 million strong will arise in the Euphrates region (modern Iraq). This army will kill one third of mankind:

It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. (Revelations 9:14­16)

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 destroy many". This phrase was also translated as "by peace shall destroy 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 as a result cause many people to believe him. However, this peace is counterfeit and so he will lead many into destruction (either physically and/or spiritually).

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When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses ­ but only for a time. (Daniel 11:24)

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 over many people and will distribute the land at a price. (Daniel 11:39)

This indicate a military leader that will be plotting to overthrow many strong nations, even the strongest of the nations. With the help of his god, he will be successful. The reign of the Antichrist will result in a lot of 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 will also leave some of the rulers of the nations in authority after they submit to him, similar to the picture of the fourth beast of Daniel 7.

Another interesting bit of information is that the word for "richest" (or "fattest") comes from the Hebrew word shaman or shemen meaning fat, grease or oil. In modern Hebrew, crude oil (petroleum) is called neft (not a Biblical word) or shemen adamah (literally earth oil). Also, the word for 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 not know for sure, but it certainly is interesting considering all the oil the Middle East has, and how al­Mahdi will have control over all of that.

In another Biblical passage, we read:

He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. (Daniel 11:43)

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 control over these lands. Nubia covers what is modern day southern Egypt and Sudan. Today, these are Muslim lands.

In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern­faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. (Daniel 8:23)

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The reaction of the world towards the Antichrist is one of astonishment. 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 him the power. The word "worship" is from the Greek word "proskuneo", which is similar in meaning to the English word "prostration". This also results in people prostrating before the god of the Antichrist (i.e., many people will follow his religion and worship his god). People will also prostrate before the Antichrist (most likely at the second half of his reign).

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 destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he 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)

He will oppose the "Prince of princes" (i.e., the Jesus Christ of the Bible). Therefore, he will also preach against the Biblical Jesus, and by extension will be against the Christians who hold to the Bible. His ability in 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".

In carrying his conquests and rule of his global empire, the Antichrist will have to deal with those who are against him. In particular, there are the 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 death, and some or many of them will be beheaded:

If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to 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 13:10)

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to 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 not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on 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 people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, 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 sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. (Daniel 8:26­27)

From this passage, we see that the followers of the Antichrist will destroy Jerusalem and the sanctuary (i.e., Temple or Temple Mount) and that the Antichrist will rule for one "seven" (his reign happens in the last "sevens"). The "seven" is most commonly interpreted as seven years. This period (or the second half of this period) has been commonly known as the Great Tribulation because of the persecution against the Jews and Christians. The Antichrist will make a treaty for one "seven". In the middle of the "seven", the treaty will be broken and he will put a stop to sacrifice. That's when the second half of persecution begins.

Today, there is no temple on the Temple Mount. As the sacrifice can only be performed in the Jewish Temple, many believe that the temple will be 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 this day. The major obstacle is of course the al­Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. However, many researchers 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 under the treaty that the Antichrist will enter into, the temple may be rebuilt without disturbing these two structures currently on the mount. See this article to understand some of these different views.

However, mid­way through his reign, the Antichrist will break the treaty, 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 also told us:

Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let

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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 out that are in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. (Matthew 24:15­18)

Not only will the Jews and Christians at that time face many persecutions including death (some by beheading), the Bible also sadly revealed that many Christians will fall away from the Biblical faith (the Great Apostasy):

Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so­called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3­4, NASB)

This great apostasy is also due to other very important reasons, namely the persuasive ability of the Antichrist (since he is called a master of intrigue), 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 a very persuasive man to cause many Christians to be led astray. See this article for more details.

The type of government of Antichrist will not only be military and political, it will also be religious, as various passages above have shown. More importantly, he will seek to change the laws and calendar used:

He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. (Daniel 7:25)

According to the Bible, the Antichrist will also face opposition from the Two Witnesses.

And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 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 harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This 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 prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a 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 over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. (Revelations 11:3­10.

There is some difficulty in interpreting these two witnesses because of the symbolic representation of "olive trees" and "lampstands". Some have interpreted this to be Judaism and Christianity (or one associated with the Old Testament and one with the New Testament). Some identify these two 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 down fire from heaven. However, what we can see from this passage is that the Two Witnesses will be able to perform miracles to torment the people of this world for following the Antichrist. Finally, the Antichrist will then kill both of them, and the followers of the Antichrist will rejoice greatly.

Finally, we deal with the question of whether the Antichrist will perform miracles. In Matthew 24:24­26, Jesus warned that there will be false christs and prophets that will perform "great signs and miracles to deceive 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 Antichrist is meant here. Revelations 16:13­14 says that

"Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty." (Revelations 16:13­14)

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This passage seems to suggest that the Antichrist ("the beast") will also perform miracles, but since the passage was dealing with three figures, 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 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 the "Lawless One" (the Antichrist) will be accompanied by miracles, but does not identify who performs them. Finally, we have explicit statements that it was the False Prophet who will perform miracles on behalf of the Antichrist:

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 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 the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. (Revelations 16:13­14)

But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. (Revelations 19:20)

From these passages, we see that it is the False Prophet who will perform most or all of the miracles during the time of the Antichrist (of course with Satan behind the scenes). The Bible does not really explicitly say that the Antichrist will perform miracles.

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 world order with laws and calendar based on this religion. This religion will be opposed to the teachings and the Jesus Christ of the Bible. He will be successful militarily, politically, religiously and economically. He will cause many Christians to fall from the faith, and he will also persecute the 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 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 destroyed.

Comparison Table of Al­Mahdi and the Biblical Antichrist

Now that we have quite a good picture of al­Mahdi and the Biblical Antichrist, we now summarize the parallel points in their characteristics in the following table (see the entire article to read the justification for each point). Those points marked with "?" are tentative or simply possible:

Characteristic Al­Mahdi in Islam Antichrist in Christianity

Where he comes from

Either he starts appearing in Khorasan with the army of al­Harith, or this Khorasan army will come and join him.

His power base will arise in the remnants of Seleucid Empire (which includes Khorasan). *

His looks Will look like "Bani Israel". Wears two cloaks.

Jewish Leader(?) wearing two tallits(?). Others say he will be a gentile

His ascension to power

Starts humble, forced to accept leadership. Muslims voluntarily pledge allegiance to him.

Starts humble, given authority to rule.

His change He will be changed by Allah to take up the responsibilities.

He is given power, throne and authority by the dragon.

His change He will be changed by Allah overnight He changes his religion.

His initial jurisdiction

The Muslim states. Some states (eg. Saudi Arabia) will be attacked for their failure to support al­ Mahdi.

Most Muslim states of the Middle East, except possibly Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Bible states 10 nations, and three of them will be subdued.

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His final jurisdiction

The world (after successful jihad).

The world (after he won over the world)

His persuasive ability

Will win over people, including Jews and Christians. He will preach peace, justice and equity

By his words, will win over many people, including Jews and Christians. "By peace he will destroy many".

World's attitude towards him

Greatly loved by the world (after persuading the world and winning in jihad).

Greatly loved by the world (after he conquers the world).

The rider Comes on a white horse (?), conquering.

Comes on a white horse, conquering (one interpretation).

His army

Will either lead a large army of Muslims (from Khorasan) or this army will join him. Easily in the hundreds of millions.

A large army of at least 200 million will assemble in Iraq region.

His campaigns Will wage war and win over the world and be successful.

Will wage war and no one can stand against him.

His length of rule

Will rule for seven, eight or nine years. Seven years seem to be the concensus.

Will rule for seven years (most common interpretation).

Treaty with the Jews

Truce treaty of seven years with a Jew of priestly lineage. Though not explicitly stated, truce (hudna) treaties may be broken in the case of a minor infraction and when the Muslims are strong enough, as was in the case of the Treaty of Hudaibiyya.

Peace treaty of seven years with the people of God. This treaty will be broken in the middle of seven years.

His Will kill many Jews and Will kill many Jews and

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relationship with Jews and Christians

Christians. Christians.

Method of execution

Not explicitly stated, but if he is expected to follow the Sunnah of Muhammad, then beheading is a possibility. Islam is the only religion that continues to use beheading. Qur'an said to cut off heads of unbelievers (Surah 47:4, 8:12)

Beheading is one of the methods of execution. It is a distingushing mark of Antichrist.

His type of government

Will implement Shari'a Law. Will change the law.

Lying

Lying allowed under certain circumstances, according to the Sunnah of Muhammad. Taqqiya is an established doctrine and practice in Islam.

Will cause deceit to prosper.

His type of calendar

Not explicitly stated, but as he is expected to follow the Sunnah of Muhammad, then he will use Islamic Calender.

Will change the calendar. ("change the set times")

His religion Direct people to worship Allah. Establish Islam as the only religion.

Direct people to worship the dragon. Establish one religion in the world.

Prosperity Great prosperity and wealth. Distributes wealth and booty.

Great prosperity and wealth. Distributes booty and land.

An assistant to al­Mahdi

Al­Mahdi has Isa to assist him.

Antichrist has Second Beast (False Prophet) to assist him.

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His adversaries

His assistant, Isa, will kill ad­Dajjal who exercises miracles that will torment the world.

The Beast will kill the Two Witnesses who exercise miracles that will torment those who try to kill them.

Miracles during his reign

Allah will enable good rain and crops. The hadiths does not ascribe miracles to him.

The Bible does not explicitly ascribe miracles to Antichrist. His assistant will perform miracles for him.

Conclusions

We have examined in detail what the Islamic hadiths say about the coming apocalyptic character of Al­Mahdi, who will be the much awaited Muslim Caliph and later the world leader. We also compared al­Mahdi with an apocalyptic character mentioned in the Bible, namely the first beast of Revelations 13, also nicknamed the "Antichrist". We see very important similarities between these two characters. In our view, the coming al­ Mahdi in Islam corresponds very clearly to the Antichrist in the Bible.

However, al­Mahdi is not the only character that has a counterpart in the Bible. There are two other characters that have an amazing correspondence in the Bible. Just as al­Mahdi, Isa and ad­Dajjal are three characters that are very important in the End Times in Islam, similarly, the Antichrist, the Second Beast and the Two Witnesses are also very important characters in the End Times in the Bible. Please continue to examine the following articles to see more correspondences:

• The Coming of "Isa the Messiah" (Muslim Jesus). • The Antichrist in Islam (ad­Dajjal).

After reading about these comparisons, we invite you to ponder on the question:

• What Do All These Mean?.

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May you be under the blessings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Meaning of an "Invitation to Islam"

Are you invited?

In the past few years, we have seen a number of high profile "invitations to Islam" extended to various non­Muslims, both leaders and private citizens.

Not long after the 9/11 incident, Osama bin Laden invited the American people to Islam:

(Q2) As for the second question that we want to answer: What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you? (1) The first thing that we are calling you to is Islam. ... It is to this religion [Islam] that we call you. (see ref. at end of article)

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.

Then, in May 2006, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to President Bush:

Do you not think that if all of us come to believe in and abide by these principles, that is, monotheism, worship of God, justice, respect for the dignity of man, belief in the Last Day, we can overcome the present problems of the world ? that are the result of disobedience to the Almighty and the teachings of prophets ? and improve our performance? Do you not think that belief in these principles promotes and guarantees peace, friendship and justice? Do you not think that the aforementioned written or unwritten principles are universally respected?Will you not accept this invitation? That is, a genuine return to the teachings of prophets, to monotheism and justice, to preserve human dignity and obedience to the Almighty and His prophets? Mr President, History tells us that repressive and cruel governments do not survive. (source. Emphasis added).

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President Ahmadinejad later made it clear that his letter to President Bush was 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 the nuclear dossier, but rather was an invitation to Islam and the prophets culture. (source, emphasis added)

Or consider in September 2006, al­Qaida published a video, introduced by al­Qaida No. 2, Ayman al­Zawahiri, entitled "An Invitation to Islam". In it, Azzam the American, also known as Adam Yahiye Gadahn, gave a long lecture and invited the American people and other unbelievers to Islam:

"We invite all Americans and unbelievers to Islam," Gadahn says. "Decide today, because today could be your last day."

Or consider Abu Bakr Bashir, supposed head of Jemaah Islamiah, the organization responsible for the bombing of tourists resorts in Bali. In June 2006, he also invited Australian Prime Minister John Howard to Islam:

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 dusty courtyard before him that Australian Prime Minister John Howard should "convert to Islam". (source)

The latest saga involves the Pope, who gave a speech in Germany in September 2006. The full text of his speech can be found here. The Muslim world reacted with much fury and anger. In one of these, an "invitation to Islam" was given to the Pope:

Citing the words of the Prophet Muhammad, Muslim religious leaders in the Gaza Strip on Sunday warned Pope Benedict XVI that he must "accept" Islam if he wanted to live in peace...

One of them, Dr. Imad Hamto, called on the pope to "repent and ask for forgiveness." He added: "We want to use the words of the Prophet Muhammad and tell the pope: 'Aslim Taslam'" Aslim Taslam is a phrase

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that was taken from the letters sent by the Prophet Muhammad to the chiefs of tribes in his times in which he reportedly urged them to convert to Islam to spare their lives. (Jerusalem Post report. Emphasis added)

You can read many more such invitations to Islam in recent news at this news page.

Historical Practice of "Invitation to Islam"

Why is there such "Invitations to Islam" or "Calls to Islam" consistently being practiced by these Muslims? Who initiated this "invitation" and whose precedent were they following? What is the significance of such an invitation? What happens when a person accepts the invitation? What happens when a person refuses this invitation?

Most non­Muslims probably have little idea what an "Invitation to Islam" means or entail. However, a devout Muslim knows full well the meaning of such an invitation. And Muslims know full well the pattern that Muhammad has set. The rules of engagement are well­defined in the hadiths. As Dr. Imad Hamto said, the words came from Muhammad himself.

Muhammad himself sent letters to Emperor Heraclius of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) and also to Chosroes II (Emperor of the Persian Empire), to the king of Yemen, etc. The letters were similar, and a translation of his letter to Heraclius is as follows:

"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. This letter is from Muhammad the slave of Allah and his Apostle to Heraclius, the ruler of the Byzantines. Peace be upon him who follows the right path. 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 invitation of Islam you will be committing a sin by misguiding your subjects. And I recite to you Allah's statement (followed by quote from Surah 3:6).

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Heraclius did not give a favorable reply, but there is a tradition that seems to imply that Heraclius was convinced that Muhammad was a prophet, and might have become a secret believer. This article examines this encounter recorded in the hadith.

As narrated in the hadith, Muhammad set down the rule that the Muslims 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 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 against them. ... If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya [tax]. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them. (Sahih Muslim 19.4294)

The steps to this "Rule of Engagement" are pretty clear and well­defined:

1. First invite them to Islam 2. If they accept, fine. If not, demand from them Jizya tax. 3. If they accept, fine. If not, fight them.

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 Muslims. Acceptance of jizya grants to the non­Muslims the status of dhimmis. The Muslims are obligated to protect the non­Muslim from outside forces, but dhimmis lose many rights and are no longer equal to the Muslims. In other words, these non­Muslims become second class citizens under Muslim rule. You can see these examples throughout the Muslim world today in Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, etc. The person who refuses to accept Islam, the jizya tax, and subsequently loses the fight or war, will die.

(Side Note: It should be noted that at the End Times, Muslims expect that Isa (Muslim version of Jesus) will descend from heaven. One of the things he will do is to abolish the jizya tax. That means that option (2) above will 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 conversion to Islam or war, and defeat means death.)

When the ruthless Khalid ibn al­Walid, nicknamed "Sword of Islam", a Muslim general highly regarded by Muhammad, came to conquer Syria in 633 A.D., he said:

A smile of indignation expressed the refusal of Caled. "Ye Christian dogs, you know your option; the Koran, the tribute, or the sword. We 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 families, and your persons." (Edward Gibbon, History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire Volume 5)

This pattern was repeated in the kidnapping of two Fox News journalists, Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig. Before their appearance on video, his captors released a statement saying the two journaliasts had been offered a choice between

1. conversion to Islam, 2. the jizya, 3. war

As a result, these two men converted to Islam at gun­point, made a video­ tape announcing their conversion and and invited President Bush and Prime Minister Blair to also convert. They were then released by their captors. The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdel Aziz al­Sheikh, explained:

Saudi Arabia's most senior cleric also explained that war was never Islam's 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 option of violence against non­Muslims was only a last resort, if they refused to convert or surrender peacefully to the armies of Islam. (The Australian, "Creed of the sword", Sept 23, 2006)

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In other words, if people will convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax, then 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, he also gave a threat of violence:

"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 yourself and suffer the consequences in this world and the next ..." (emphasis added)

From the previous examples, after an invitation to Islam, the Muslims have fulfilled their obligations under Islamic Law. If the invitation is rejected and the jizya tax is refused, then the Muslim has every right to attack the non­Muslims.

This is the pattern al­Qaida, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Abu Bakr Bashir and Adam Gadahn are all following. What happens next is anybody's guess, but being pious Muslims, they have all obeyed the Islamic Law and observed the first part of the "Rules of Engagement". They have extended an "Invitation to Islam" to their non­Muslim enemies.

Al­Qaida have extended to the American president and public a number of such invitations to Islam. These has not been met with a favorable response. On the 5th anniversay of 9/11 (i.e., September 2006), Al­Qaida No. 2, Ayman al­Zawahiri, released a video and said:

"We have repeatedly warned you and offered a truce with you. Now we 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. "The days are pregnant and giving birth to new events."

Conclusions

Under Islamic Law, an "invitation to Islam" is a prequisite to be extended 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

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"invitation" arrives. However, under Islamic Law, such an invitation and a rejection of the invitation provides the justification for the attack to occur.

Forced Conversions in Islam?

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 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 invited President Bush and Prime Minister Blair to accept Islam.

Before that, the captors released a statement saying the two journalists had been offered a choice between

1. conversion to Islam, 2. the jizya, 3. war

Faced with danger to their lives, these two men converted to Islam at gun­ point. Muslims prefer to use "reverted" rather than "converted", contending that all were borned Muslims. So the question is: are these two men Muslims from the point of view of Islamic Law (Shar'ia)? Are their conversions valid?

These are not isolated events. Forced conversions of non­Muslims happens on a daily basis throughout the Muslim world (eg. see Sundri's tragic story in Pakistan). Even former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid and a Muslim scholar acknowledged that Christians in the Maluku Islands have been forcibly converted to Islam:

"There is an effort by Islamic extremists to convert Christians to Islam. This is not right." (source)

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Very often, these are young boys and girls. If they are young, they are not 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.

Before we go on, we need to ask the following question:

How Does One Become A Muslim?

If a person is borned to Muslim parents, he automatically becomes a 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.

To become a Muslim, the person needs to recite the Shahada (lit. "to testify" in Arabic), a declaration of faith, believing the words:

Ash­hadu anla ilaha illa­allah wa ash­hadu anna Muhammadan rasul­ ullah.

of which a translation in English is:

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.

The Shia sect may add

Aliyun wali Allah (Ali is the viceregent of Allah).

at the end of the Shahada, and although this is not compulsory, the Ayatollahs say that it is preferable.

Most traditional schools of Islamic jurisprudence prefer this to be done in 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

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it in your heart, it is acceptable. Typically, the person is to then take a complete bath (wudu) and then say the first prayers (salat) as a Muslim. The new Muslim should then take steps to register as a Muslim, as this confers on the person new rights (for example, previously, the person might be a dhimmi paying the jizya tax. Upon conversion to Islam, this person is no longer subject to this tax. Also, this person's marriage might become invalid under some schools if the spouse does not also convert.)

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 prayers, during funerals, etc.

Are Forced Conversions Valid?

The Sira recorded for us this incident:

When Muhammad and his followers were about to attack Mecca to subjugate it to Islam, his adherents arrested Abu Sufyan, one of Mecca's inhabitants. They brought him to Muhammad. Muhammad told him: "Woe to you, O Abu Sufyan. Is it not time for you to realize that there is no God 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 know that I am the apostle of God?" Abu Sufyan answered: "By God, O Muhammad, of this there is doubt in my soul." The 'Abbas who was present with Muhammad told Abu Sufyan: "Woe to you! Accept Islam and testify that Muhammad is the apostle of God before your neck is cut off by the sword." Thus he professed the faith of Islam and became a Muslim. (Ibn Hisham, Biography of the Prophet, part 4, p. 11, "The Chronicle of the Tabari", part 2, p. 157, Ibn Kathir, "The Prophetic Biography", part 3, p. 549, and "The Beginning and the End", Ibn Khaldun, the rest of part 2, p. 43 and on Al­Sira al­Halabiyya, Vol. 3. p. 18, Al Road Al Anf, part 4, p. 90, by Al Sohaily, as quoted by Behind the Veil, Chapter 2. Emphasis added.)

And so, Abu Sufyan became a Muslim under threat of death. In another incident:

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"Muhammad sent Khalid Ibn al­Walid to the tribe of the children of Haritha and told him: `Call them to accept Islam before you fight with them. If they respond, accept that from them, but if they refuse, fight them.' Khalid told them: `Accept Islam and spare your life.' They entered Islam by force. He brought them to Muhammad. Muhammad said to them: `Had you not accepted Islam I would have cast your heads under your feet' " (ibn Hisham, The Biography of the Apostle", part 4, p. 134. Emphasis added.)

We have seen how Muhammad set the example for Muslims in later times 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:

There is no compulsion in religion (Surah 2:256)

This verse has often been used by Muslims to show non­Muslims that Islam is a religion of peace, and that people will not be forced into Islam. Many non­Muslims (and many in the media) have swallowed this up. Yet, the irony of the Fox News journalists incident clearly illustrates the gulf of understanding of freedom of conscience.

For someone to quote the verse and show the forced conversion of these two journalists clearly illustrate the different reality that these kidnappers live in. To their minds, the forced conversion of these journalists cannot be considered compulsion, because they have been offered the choice of "conversion, jizya or war". It doesn't matter that you were pointing a gun at them. It doesn't matter if you "converted" because you fear for your life, or that you fear for the lives of your loved ones. It is a valid stipulation from Muhammad. Successive generations of Muslims have followed this stipulation to the letter. Even today, al­Qaida leaders, Iranian President Ahmadinejad, JI spiritual leader Abu Bakr Bashir have all followed this pattern. See this article for more details. As long as the person was offered the choice of "conversion, jizya or war", there is no compulsion according to Islamic Law. Such is the meaning of "compulsion" in Islam.

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Following this incident, we tried to scour the news sources and strangely 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 live as Muslims? The silence from the Muslim authorities was deafening. We have not come across any Muslim leader saying that their conversions are not valid.

However, we came across this quotation from an Egyptian tenth grade textbook:

If a Protected Person [Dhimmi] is forced to convert to Islam, his conversion is valid. If a Harbi [non­Muslim alien] is fought against and converts to Islam ­ it is valid... If the [same] Dhimmi returns [to his former religion], he is not killed [like an ordinary apostate], but imprisoned until 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 forced conversion] was sincere, so he is to be killed as an apostate. It is [also] possible that he did not believe [in Islam while having been forced 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, (2002) p. 168 (Azharite) (source)

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 neck, this fatwa is unlikely to come from any Muslim authority.

What About the End Times?

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:

• conversion to Islam • pay the jizya tax • war

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This "invitation to Islam" comes from Muhammad's stipulation:

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 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 against them. ... If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya [tax]. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them. (Sahih Muslim 19.4294)

However, we also read in this article that at the End Times, when al­ Mahdi and Isa appears, Isa will abolish the jizya tax. This means that during those times, the "invitation to Islam" will simply be:

• conversion to Islam • pay the jizya tax • war

Of course, if you lose the fight to the Muslims who calls you to Islam, 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.

What About Apostasy?

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 the death penalty for apostasy from Islam. This is based on many hadiths (here we only show the ones considered most authentic by Muslims):

Narrated Ikrima: Ali burnt some people and this news reached Ibn 'Abbas, who said, "Had I been in his place I would not have burnt them, as the Prophet said, 'Don't punish (anybody) with Allah's Punishment.' No doubt, I would have killed

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them, for the Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.' " (Sahih Bukhari 4.52.260)

Narrated 'Ikrima: Some Zanadiqa (atheists) were brought to 'Ali and he burnt them. The news of this event, reached Ibn 'Abbas who said, "If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah's Apostle forbade it, saying, '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)

Narrated Abu Burda: ... Behold: There was a fettered man beside Abu Muisa. Mu'adh asked, "Who is this (man)?" Abu Muisa said, "He was a Jew and became a Muslim and then reverted back to Judaism." Then Abu Muisa requested Mu'adh to sit down but Mu'adh said, "I will not sit down till he has been killed. This is the judgment of Allah and His Apostle (for such cases) and 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 one of us said, 'I pray and sleep, and I hope that Allah will reward me for my sleep as well as for my prayers.'" (Sahih Bukhari 9.84.58)

Narrated Abu Musa: 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 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)

'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: It is not permissible to take the life of a Muslim who bears testimony (to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and I am the Messenger of Allah, but in one of the three cases: the married adulterer, a life for life, and the deserter of his Din (Islam), abandoning the community. (Sahih Muslim 16.4152)

The penalty for apostasy is death, according to the Sunna of Muhammad, and as seen and clearly explained in the case of Abdul Rahman, an Afghan

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Muslim who became a Christian. The clerics and judges all called for his 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 killed. Islamic Law usually puts the person in jail for a certain period, and if he recants and goes back to Islam, he is absolved, but if he insists, then he is put to death. In fact, according to the hadiths above, an ordinary Muslim is permitted to kill an apostate.

Conclusions

We have seen that non­Muslims can be forced to convert to Islam as long as certain steps are taken, namely being given a choice of "conversion, jizya or war". This is in accordance with the commands of Muhammad to his followers. This has happened repeatedly during Muhammad's reign and also in his successors'.

Moreover, we also see that when a Muslim gives up Islam, the penalty is death. Under Islamic Law, an ordinary Muslim is permitted to carry out the death penalty on the apostate.

http://al­mahdi.atspace.com/articles.html

Some Thoughts for Muslims

Dear Muslim friend,

While you may not be familiar with the characters of the Antichrist, False Prophet and the Two Witnesses in the Bible, and you may even be confused and think that the Antichrist of the Bible is the same as ad­Dajjal (since he is known as the Antichrist in Islam), the following articles should have made clear to you that

• al­Mahdi corresponds to the Antichrist that is described in the Bible,

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• Isa corresponds to the False Prophet, and • ad­Dajjal corresponds to the Two Witnesses.

If you have not read those articles, please read them first. It should be 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 Christians (i.e., those who refused to become Muslims) are going to be deceived, and you probably also believe that they ought to be killed, 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 they will also end up persecuting the Jews and Christians. Obviously, both sides are going to think that their religion is correct, since the events are happening just like the prophecies in their own religion.

You will probably agree with us that the agent behind all these deception is Satan (Iblis). Muslims and Christians agree that Satan will try his very best to deceive as many people as possible. Indeed, the way the prophecies 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 which is true?

In the Qur'an, it is recorded:

Say: "If I am astray, I only stray to the loss of my own soul: but if I receive guidance, it is because of the inspiration of my Lord to me: it is He Who hears all things, and is (ever) near." (Surah 34:50)

For most individual humans, it may be true that if he goes astray, then the 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 Muslims, and if we add up all the Muslims that ever live, and all the Muslims that will be gained under al­Mahdi and Isa, that will probably be quite a few billion. That is not an insignificant number! Thus, in contrast to Surah 34:50, if Muhammad was wrong, the loss will be a couple of billion souls. Indeed, what if Muhammad was wrong?

This should be a very sobering realization. Therefore, it becomes all the 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

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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 you realize that Satan is working very hard to confuse and deceive all humankind? How do you know which is true?

The only sure way to evaluate the truthfulness of these prophecies is when all these events come to pass. Right now, both religions can only claim that their own beliefs are true.

Indeed, this is also how the Bible gives a simple and objective test of a prophet.

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 the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:21­22).

The Mishkat also considers this to be the best proof:

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 from Divine Knowledge. Prophecy is greatest for the following reasons. It can be historically proved but a miracle cannot. Prophecy manifests God's fore­knowledge, while a miracle God's power. As knowledge is greater than power, prophecy is greater than a miracle. (Mishkat Volume IV, page 396, as quoted by Gerhard Nehls, "Proofs of The Prophethood of Mohammed")

Nobody should believe a person whose prophecies fail to come to pass as it was stated. Only when what is prophesied comes to pass does it confirm the prophet and his prophecies. Unfortunately, the problem is not so easily solved.

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 that by the time we know the truth, it may be too late.

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Let's assume here that Christianity is correct. When the Antichrist appears in the person of al­Mahdi, Muslims will be so happy, will join him and help him establish Islam as the only religion on this earth. He will establish the Islamic Caliphate and govern according to the Sunnah of Muhammad. Everything seems to be going on just like the prophecies in the hadiths say, and so Muslims are going to think that Islam has been correct all along. Yet, this will all be just a deception. The Bible says that at the end of his rule, he, his assistant and their followers will be captured and then thrown into hell (Revelations 19:19­21). By then, it will be too late for the Muslims!

However, just because many things will be clear only when the events have happened, it doesn't mean that we don't keep our eyes open and evaluate the events unfolding before our eyes. Perhaps, along the way, we may be able to realize the truth or falsehood of each system. Indeed, later we will list a number of things that we should watch out for.

Concerning Allah's guidance for mankind, the Qur'an says:

And had Allah willed, He could have made you (all) one nation, but He 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, translated by Hilali Khan).

Based on this and many other numerous Qur'an verses as well as numerous hadiths, Muslims believe that Allah pre­ordered (belief in Qadr) mankind into paradise and hell. This of course leads to a fatalistic mind­ set in many Muslims since it is believed that Allah has already decided who will be in hell and who will be heaven (regardless of one's status as a Muslim). Coupled with a threat that even entertaining questioning thoughts may render a Muslim an apostate, many Muslims fail to think through what they believe.

However, this should not be the case. You have a mind and a will. You can make your own investigation and choice, despite what the Qur'an says. 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 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

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this is the case, yet, the Qur'an still holds you accountable for your actions, and you will spend eternity in hell, according to the will of Allah.

However, if it is not pre­ordered, then you owe it to yourself to investigate and make the right decision. You cannot afford to let others do the thinking for you. Instead, you have to do it yourself, for you will be accountable for your actions. The path you choose will lead to its inevitable destination.

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. If they do not submit, or perform the various pious deeds as required of them, the Qur'an says Allah does not love them.

Therefore, while Muslims say that Allah is merciful and compassionate (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 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 (see Sahih Bukhari 9.76.476, Sahih Muslim 37.6634, etc.).

On the other hand, the Bible teaches that "God is love". It is an intrinsic part of His character, and He is patient, and not willing that anyone should perish, but to come to repentance.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8­9)

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 for people to watch out for. In fact, Jesus told his disciples to "watch and pray", "when you see the signs," etc.

Indeed, the God of the Bible has provided signs for mankind to discern the truth. With respect to all the prophecies of Antichrist, the False Prophet and the Two Witnesses, the God of the Bible has indeed provided some

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signs for people to watch out for and distinguish between the truths of the Bible and that of Islam:

• Antichrist will present peaceful messages, present himself to be benevolent and so on. In other words, the perfect, good leader. His real face, however, will be revealed when he introduces his program of exterminating his enemies, marked especially by 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 establishment of global peace (or something similar).

• Antichrist will renege on the 7­year treaty with the Jews in the middle of his reign. The Bible says that anyone who has taken an oath must keep it, even if it hurts (Psalms 15:4). The breaking of oaths is indicative that his lord will also not keep his promises.

• Antichrist, with the help of his assistant, will introduce his mark on every one. A true and good leader does not need to control people, but will earn the love and respect of people. Unfortunately, those who submit to Islam will willingly take this mark.

• Antichrist will set up an "abomination that causes desolation". This is something that Jesus warned about. Exactly what this abomination will be is hard to say, but everyone should be on the look out for such a thing in the Holy Place (i.e., Temple Mount).

• Antichrist will set himself up above everyone else and require everyone to honor him. An image (unfortunately we don't what that is until it happens) will be made to honor him. A true and good 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 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 person. However, if ever the world leader demands that people 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 this is actually the Antichrist mentioned in the Bible, and thereby realize that all their beliefs about Islam is false.

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These are some of the signs that we believe God will provide so that people may recognize the false religion. The Qur'an says:

And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. (Surah 10:94)

The advice of the Qur'an to Muhammad to go and ask the Jews and Christians still holds true today. You see, the People of the Book are those who have "read the Scripture," and therefore knows what God has prepared. You can even go directly to the Bible, including the prophecies contained therein. We encourage you to read the Bible, so that you can make your own decision. We encourage you to compare the intrinsic character of Allah and the God of the Bible and then think about the implications. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "what we are worshiping we are becoming."

Finally, you may still have some objections to the scenarios we have painted. In that case, we invite you to examine the articles in this page: Objection!, where we dealt with objections from both Christians and Muslims.

May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob be with you. May you choose wisely as well.

Some Thoughts for Muslims

Dear Muslim friend,

While you may not be familiar with the characters of the Antichrist, False Prophet and the Two Witnesses in the Bible, and you may even be confused and think that the Antichrist of the Bible is the same as ad­Dajjal (since he is known as the Antichrist in Islam), the following articles should have made clear to you that

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• al­Mahdi corresponds to the Antichrist that is described in the Bible,

• Isa corresponds to the False Prophet, and • ad­Dajjal corresponds to the Two Witnesses.

If you have not read those articles, please read them first. It should be 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 Christians (i.e., those who refused to become Muslims) are going to be deceived, and you probably also believe that they ought to be killed, 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 they will also end up persecuting the Jews and Christians. Obviously, both sides are going to think that their religion is correct, since the events are happening just like the prophecies in their own religion.

You will probably agree with us that the agent behind all these deception is Satan (Iblis). Muslims and Christians agree that Satan will try his very best to deceive as many people as possible. Indeed, the way the prophecies 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 which is true?

In the Qur'an, it is recorded:

Say: "If I am astray, I only stray to the loss of my own soul: but if I receive guidance, it is because of the inspiration of my Lord to me: it is He Who hears all things, and is (ever) near." (Surah 34:50)

For most individual humans, it may be true that if he goes astray, then the 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 Muslims, and if we add up all the Muslims that ever live, and all the Muslims that will be gained under al­Mahdi and Isa, that will probably be quite a few billion. That is not an insignificant number! Thus, in contrast to Surah 34:50, if Muhammad was wrong, the loss will be a couple of billion souls. Indeed, what if Muhammad was wrong?

188

This should be a very sobering realization. Therefore, it becomes all the 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 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 you realize that Satan is working very hard to confuse and deceive all humankind? How do you know which is true?

The only sure way to evaluate the truthfulness of these prophecies is when all these events come to pass. Right now, both religions can only claim that their own beliefs are true.

Indeed, this is also how the Bible gives a simple and objective test of a prophet.

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 the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:21­22).

The Mishkat also considers this to be the best proof:

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 from Divine Knowledge. Prophecy is greatest for the following reasons. It can be historically proved but a miracle cannot. Prophecy manifests God's fore­knowledge, while a miracle God's power. As knowledge is greater than power, prophecy is greater than a miracle. (Mishkat Volume IV, page 396, as quoted by Gerhard Nehls, "Proofs of The Prophethood of Mohammed")

Nobody should believe a person whose prophecies fail to come to pass as it was stated. Only when what is prophesied comes to pass does it confirm the prophet and his prophecies. Unfortunately, the problem is not so easily solved.

189

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 that by the time we know the truth, it may be too late.

Let's assume here that Christianity is correct. When the Antichrist appears in the person of al­Mahdi, Muslims will be so happy, will join him and help him establish Islam as the only religion on this earth. He will establish the Islamic Caliphate and govern according to the Sunnah of Muhammad. Everything seems to be going on just like the prophecies in the hadiths say, and so Muslims are going to think that Islam has been correct all along. Yet, this will all be just a deception. The Bible says that at the end of his rule, he, his assistant and their followers will be captured and then thrown into hell (Revelations 19:19­21). By then, it will be too late for the Muslims!

However, just because many things will be clear only when the events have happened, it doesn't mean that we don't keep our eyes open and evaluate the events unfolding before our eyes. Perhaps, along the way, we may be able to realize the truth or falsehood of each system. Indeed, later we will list a number of things that we should watch out for.

Concerning Allah's guidance for mankind, the Qur'an says:

And had Allah willed, He could have made you (all) one nation, but He 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, translated by Hilali Khan).

Based on this and many other numerous Qur'an verses as well as numerous hadiths, Muslims believe that Allah pre­ordered (belief in Qadr) mankind into paradise and hell. This of course leads to a fatalistic mind­ set in many Muslims since it is believed that Allah has already decided who will be in hell and who will be heaven (regardless of one's status as a Muslim). Coupled with a threat that even entertaining questioning thoughts may render a Muslim an apostate, many Muslims fail to think through what they believe.

However, this should not be the case. You have a mind and a will. You can make your own investigation and choice, despite what the Qur'an says.

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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 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 this is the case, yet, the Qur'an still holds you accountable for your actions, and you will spend eternity in hell, according to the will of Allah.

However, if it is not pre­ordered, then you owe it to yourself to investigate and make the right decision. You cannot afford to let others do the thinking for you. Instead, you have to do it yourself, for you will be accountable for your actions. The path you choose will lead to its inevitable destination.

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. If they do not submit, or perform the various pious deeds as required of them, the Qur'an says Allah does not love them.

Therefore, while Muslims say that Allah is merciful and compassionate (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 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 (see Sahih Bukhari 9.76.476, Sahih Muslim 37.6634, etc.).

On the other hand, the Bible teaches that "God is love". It is an intrinsic part of His character, and He is patient, and not willing that anyone should perish, but to come to repentance.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8­9)

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 for people to watch out for. In fact, Jesus told his disciples to "watch and 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 truth. With respect to all the prophecies of Antichrist, the False Prophet 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 Bible and that of Islam:

• Antichrist will present peaceful messages, present himself to be benevolent and so on. In other words, the perfect, good leader. His real face, however, will be revealed when he introduces his program of exterminating his enemies, marked especially by 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 establishment of global peace (or something similar).

• Antichrist will renege on the 7­year treaty with the Jews in the middle of his reign. The Bible says that anyone who has taken an oath must keep it, even if it hurts (Psalms 15:4). The breaking of oaths is indicative that his lord will also not keep his promises.

• Antichrist, with the help of his assistant, will introduce his mark on every one. A true and good leader does not need to control people, but will earn the love and respect of people. Unfortunately, those who submit to Islam will willingly take this mark.

• Antichrist will set up an "abomination that causes desolation". This is something that Jesus warned about. Exactly what this abomination will be is hard to say, but everyone should be on the look out for such a thing in the Holy Place (i.e., Temple Mount).

• Antichrist will set himself up above everyone else and require everyone to honor him. An image (unfortunately we don't what that is until it happens) will be made to honor him. A true and good 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 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 person. However, if ever the world leader demands that people 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

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this is actually the Antichrist mentioned in the Bible, and thereby realize that all their beliefs about Islam is false.

These are some of the signs that we believe God will provide so that people may recognize the false religion. The Qur'an says:

And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. (Surah 10:94)

The advice of the Qur'an to Muhammad to go and ask the Jews and Christians still holds true today. You see, the People of the Book are those who have "read the Scripture," and therefore knows what God has prepared. You can even go directly to the Bible, including the prophecies contained therein. We encourage you to read the Bible, so that you can make your own decision. We encourage you to compare the intrinsic character of Allah and the God of the Bible and then think about the implications. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "what we are worshiping we are becoming."

Finally, you may still have some objections to the scenarios we have painted. In that case, we invite you to examine the articles in this page: Objection!, where we dealt with objections from both Christians and Muslims.

May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob be with you. May you choose wisely as well.

Some Thoughts for non­Muslims and non­ Christians

Dear friend,

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 Christian nor a Muslim.

By now, we hope that you can see that:

• al­Mahdi corresponds to the Antichrist that is described in the Bible,

• Isa corresponds to the False Prophet, and • ad­Dajjal corresponds to the Two Witnesses.

Being neither a Christian nor a Muslim, you might think that this topic has 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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God is a loving God who has come to die for you and me. Even though 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, even if it means that you will die at the hands of al­Mahdi and Isa.

We encourage you to read the Bible and know the truth for yourself, and get in touch with Christians who hold to the Bible. They will be able to help you understand the Biblical truths and help you know more about the loving God of the Bible, who sent Jesus to save you.

May you be under the blessings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.