The Mishnah, the authorized explanation of the Judaic scriptures, describes the position of those who deny the coming of the Messiah—that is, of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):
Whoever does not believe in him, or does not await his coming, denies not only [the statements of] the other Prophets, but also [those of] the Torah and of Moshe (Moses [pbuh]), our teacher... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:1)
In addition, the Shmoneh Esrei prayer, which Jews perform three times every day, also includes the prayer for the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) to be close at hand. They recite this prayer in the expectation of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), for the restoration of justice as a requirement of religious moral values, for immorality, sin and evil to come to an end, and for the truth to prevail.This section contains those parts of the Torah that concern Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and that agree with the verses of the Qur'an and the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).
The Events Leading up to the Appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in Judaic Scriptures
According to Jewish tradition, before the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) (or the Messiah, as they refer to him), there will be a huge moral collapse stemming from atheism. People's feelings of shame will decline. Pride and oppression will grow. No one will have any compassion, the devout will be reviled, and corruption and denial will spread. On the larger scale, there will be a succession of wars and oppression. Land will become increasingly less fertile, and the cost of living, famine and poverty will increase.
Some of the features of this period preceding the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) are described in Judaic scriptures:
1. The appearance of portents in the End Times:
"And I... am about to come and gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory. I will set a sign among them…" [declares the Lord.] (Isaiah, 66:18-19)
"I am the Lord... See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you." (Isaiah, 42:8-9)
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2. The spread of atheism:
The generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... all the governments will be turned over to Minuth (will embrace the religion of the Minim [atheism]), and no preaching will avail... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
... [Even] the priests are godless; even in My Temple I find their wickedness," declares the Lord. (Jeremiah, 23:11)
The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until the whole world is converted to the belief of the heretics. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
 -1- Hürriyet, 7 June 2009 -2- Sabah.com.tr, 7 January 2009 -3- Bugün, 13 March 2009 -4- Avrupa Vatan, 13 June 2003 |
3. The reviling of the devout:
In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... fearers of sin will be despised, and truth will be lacking. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)
In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... God-fearing men [will be] despised. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... he that departs from evil makes himself a prey... He who departs from evil will be dubbed a fool by his fellow-men. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
4. Admiration of the wicked:
In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... an evil man will be honored. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
You who hate good and love evil. (Micah, 3:2)
5. Distancing from religious education:
The Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come... unless the disciples [who learn Allah's words] will decrease. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
6. Administrations turn their backs on religious moral values:
In the generation of Messiah's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] coming... the Kingdom will be converted to heresy with none to rebuke them. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... the government will turn to heresy, and there will be none [to offer them] reproof. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)
… The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until the wicked kingdom of Rome [irreligion] will have spread [its sway] over the whole world for nine months… (Talmud, Yoma 10a)
7. Rulers are not competent:
And I will make children their chiefs, and foolish ones will have rule over them. (Isaiah, 3:4)
8. A rise in female leaders:
... A babe is their master, and women rule over them... (Isaiah, 3:12)
 -1-Benazir Bhutto, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan |
9. Leaders look to their own interests:
In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... the leaders of that generation will have the nature of dogs. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
... Judges are wolves of the desert, they leave not a bone for the morrow. (Zephaniah, 3:3)
 -1- Milliyet, 04September 2007 -2- http://halfdone.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/
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10. The wicked become strong:
... They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness... (Jeremiah, 23:14)
... Their course is evil, and their force is not right. (Jeremiah, 23:10
Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions... (Zephaniah, 3:3)
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11. No one is left to establish justice:
The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until all judges and officers are gone... (Talmud, Sanhedrin, 98a)
In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... truth [will be] entirely lacking... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
12. Increasing poverty:
The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come... until the pockets will be empty... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
 -1- Ortadoğu, 11 December 2008 -2- Ortadoğu, 4 April 2008 |
13. An increase in unfair earnings:
... The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of His people: "It is you who have ruined My vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the faces of the poor?" (Isaiah, 3:14-15)
In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes… [There will be] plunderers and plunderers of the plunderers... (Talmud, Kethuboth 112b)
 -1- Tercüman, 16 May 2006 -2- Radikal, 27 July 2003 |
14. Hunger and famine:
... In the seven-year cycle at the end of which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... the arrows of hunger will be sent forth... a great famine, in the course of which men, women, and children, pious men and saints will die. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until a fish is sought for an invalid and cannot be procured… (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)
 -1- Akşam, 7 December 2004 -2- HD Tercüman, 17 October 2008 -3- Dokuz Sütun, 15 April 2008 -4- Dokuz Sütun, 20 April 2008 -5- Dokuz Sütun, 15 April 2008 -6- Taraf, 15 April 2008 |
 -1- Evrensel, 20 March 2007 -2- Yeni Çağ, 5 December 2006 -3- Günboyu, 28 March 2007 -4- Günboyu, 28 March 2007 |
15. The land becomes less fertile:
... The vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come. Smiting upon the breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine; for the land of My people whereon thorns and briers come up; yea, for all the houses of joy and the joyous city. (Isaiah, 32:10-13)
... The seeds are shrivelled beneath the clods. The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down… How the cattle moan! Even the flocks of sheep are suffering… for the grain has dried up... flames have burned up all the trees of the field. (Joel, 1:17-19)
The fields are ruined, the ground mourns; the grain is destroyed... grieve for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field is destroyed. The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree—all the trees of the field—are dried up... (Joel, 1:10-12)
16. Drought:
The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers... (Isaiah, 24:4)
... The pastures of the wilderness are dried up... (Jeremiah, 23:10)
The vine withers... (Isaiah, 24:7)
... The grain has dried up... the streams of water have dried up... (Joel, 1:18-20)
The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and apple tree—all the trees of the field—are dried up... (Joel, 1:12)
 -1- Ortadoğu, 27 June 2008 -2- Türkiye, 30 March 2009 -3- Zaman, 26 June 2007 -4- Dokuz Sütun, 14 April 2004 -5- Önce Vatan, 27 June 2008 |
 He has made night and day subservient to you, and the Sun and the Moon and stars, all subject to His command. There are certainly signs in that for people who use their intellect. (Surat an-Nahl,13) And also the things of varying colors He has created for you in the earth. There is certainly a sign in that for people who pay heed. (Surat an-Nahl,13) |
 -1- Türkiye, 14 Şubat 2006 -2- Tercüman, 13 January 2007 -3- Milli Gazete, 24 April 2008 -4- Posta, 13 March 2006 -5- Evrensel, 14 July 2005 |
17. Animals suffer:
How the cattle moan! The herds mill about because they have no pasture; even the flocks of the sheep are suffering... even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures. (Joel, 1:18-20)
A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps. (Zechariah, 14:15)
 139,000 people lost their lives in disastrous flooding in Bangladesh on 29-30 April, 1991. Some half a million animals also died. |
18. A time of trial and tribulation:
The cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter the shouting of the warrior there. That day will be... a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness... (Zephaniah, 1:14-15)
"Therefore their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there they will fall. I will bring disaster on them..." declares the Lord. (Jeremiah, 23:12)
... In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... and as for the rest [other than scholars], their eyes will fail through sorrow and grief. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
... The travails of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]: "day" is written here... (Talmud, Shabbath 118a)
Let him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] come... When one goes out into the field and meets a bailiff, it is as though he had met a lion. When he enters the town, and is accosted by a tax-collector, it is as though he had met a bear. On entering his house and finding his sons and daughters in the throes of hunger, it is as though he were bitten by a serpent!... Ask you now, and see whether a man travails with child? Wherefore do I see every man [gever] with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)
19. A succession of disasters:
In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... Multitudes of trouble and evil decrees will be promulgated anew, each new evil coming with haste before the other has ended... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
When you see a generation overwhelmed by many troubles as by a river, await him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], as it is written, when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him [Isaiah, 59:19]; which is followed by, and the Redeemer [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] shall come [Isaiah, 59:20]... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)
In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... [there will be] test after test. (Talmud, Kethuboth 112b)
... A curse consumes the earth... (Isaiah, 24:6)
Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare... (Isaiah, 24:18)
"When will the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] come?" He replied, "When darkness covers those people." "You curse me," he exclaimed. He retorted, "it is but a verse: For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall shine upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you." [Isaiah, 60:2] (Talmud, Sanhedrin 99a)
20. A rise in corruption:
... In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... multitudes of trouble and evil decrees will be promulgated anew... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
O my people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path. (Isaiah, 3:12)
... They were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. (Zephaniah, 3:7)
 -1- Türkiye Gazetesi, 29 October 2006 -2- Star, 18 November 2008 -3- Önce Vatan Gazetesi, 3 October 2006 -4- Yeni Şafak, 26 June 2006 |
21. The rule of despair:
[Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come... unless they will renounce their hope to be redeemed. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
22. The spread of prostitution and adultery:
In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come, the houses of assembly will be converted into houses of prostitution. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
... And traded boys for prostitutes... they sold girls. (Joel, 3:3)
The land is full of adulterers... (Jeremiah, 23:10)
... I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery ... (Jeremiah, 23:14)
 -1- Gözcü, 28 March 2006 -2- Yeni Mesaj, 31 December 2003 |
| The most obvious evidence of moral collapse observed in the End Times is no doubt the pervasion of all sorts of immorality and perversion. In our day too, appreciation of practice of homosexuality by some circles, and even granting marriage license to homosexuals in some countries is an obvious confirmation of this aberration. |
23. A decline in people's sense of shame:
... In the generation when the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... a son will not be abashed in his father's presence. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
In the generation of Messiah's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] coming impudence will increase, esteem be perverted ... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
In footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] insolence will increase and honor dwindle... (Talmud, Sota 49b)
In footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... a son will revile his father... a son will not feel ashamed before his father. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)
... The child shall behave insolently against the aged, and the base against the honorable. (Isaiah, 3:5)
24. Increasing immorality:
Rabbi Johanan also said: The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come only in a generation that is... altogether wicked. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)
Rabbi Johanan said: When you see a generation ever dwindling, hope for him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)
In the generation of Messiah's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] coming... esteem [will] be perverted... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... youths will put old men to shame, the old will stand up in the presence of the young... A son will not be ashamed before his father. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)
In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... the meeting-place [of scholars] will be used for immorality. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)
... They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness... all of them become... as Sodom, and... as Gomorrah... (Jeremiah, 23:14)
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 -1- Kelebek, 19 May 2004 -2- Takvim, 18 March 2005 -3- Star, 17 April 2007 |
25. An increase in lies and fraud:
... [They] walk in lies... (Jeremiah, 23:14)
In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... [there will be] plunderers and plunderers of the plunderers. (Talmud, Kethuboth 112b)
... People shall oppress one another, every man his fellow, and every man his neighbor... (Isaiah, 3:5)
26. Faces grow ugly:
In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog... (Talmud, Sotah 49b)
In the generation when Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes, the people shall be dog-faced. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
27. The marginalization of feelings of love and compassion:
In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... the dewellers on the frontier will go about [begging] from place to place without anyone to take pity on them... (Talmud, Sotah 49b)
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28. Increasing rebelliousness:
... In the generation when the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... daughters will rise up against their mothers, and daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... a son will revile his father, a daughter will rise against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)
29. A weakening of family ties:
In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... a man's enemies will be the members of his household... (Talmud, Sotah 49b)
30. Rising numbers of hypocrites:
... The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until denunciators [of believers] are in abundance. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
The treacherous deal treacherously; yea, the treacherous deal very treacherously. (Isaiah, 24:16)
31. A decline in the number of scholars:
... In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come, scholars will be few in number... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
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 He brings forth the living from the dead and brings forth the dead from the living and brings the earth to life after it was dead. In the same way you too will be brought forth. (Surat ar-Rum, 19) Among His signs is that He created you from dust and here you are now, widespread human beings! (Surat ar-Rum, 20) 32. A decline in the importance attached to people of knowledge: |
In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... the wisdom of scribes [men of knowledge] [will be] in disfavor... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
33. Intellectual bigotry:
In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... the wisdom of the learned will degenerate... (Talmud, Sotah 49b)
In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come, there will be prosecution against scholars. (Talmud, Kethuboth 112b)
... Her priests have profaned that which is holy, they have done violence to the law [of God]. (Zephaniah, 3:4)
34. Increasing wars:
... In the seven-year cycle at the end of which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... in the seventh, wars; and at the conclusion of the septennate the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
They... are destined to be redeemed in the seventh year (of the coming of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]) therefore the mention of redemption was placed in the seventh blessing. But a master has said, "In the sixth year will be thunderings, in the seventh wars, at the end of the seventh the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come?" — War is also the beginning of redemption. (Talmud, Megilah 17b)
And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. (Joel, 2:30)
I will gather all the nations... to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile... (Zechariah, 14:2)
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35. Bloodshed in the Middle East:
"When will the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] come?"... "give us a sign"... "The waters of the grotto of Paneas* turn into blood..." (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)
* Paneas: The name of an ancient city on the banks of the River Jordan, some 200 km from Jerusalem called Banias in modern atlases.
36. Ruin in the Middle East:
In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... Galilee* will be destroyed, Gavlan** desolated. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a; Sotah 49b)
*Galilee: The region to the west of the River Jordan, and north of the lake of Tiberias, in Palestine, now located in modern Israel.
** Gavlan: The region including part of the modern-day Golan Heights, northwest Jordan and southwest Syria
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37. The killing of the innocent:
... They shed innocent blood. (Joel, 3:19)
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38. Rising numbers of refugees:
In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... the dwellers on the frontier will go about [begging] from place to place without anyone to take pity on them. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)
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39. An increase in rebellion and revolt:
... Transgression thereof is heavy upon it [the earth], and it shall fall, and not rise again. (Isaiah, 24:20)
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40. Looting:
The earth shall be utterly emptied, and despoiled: for the Lord had spoken this word. (Isaiah, 24:3)
... The houses rifled... (Zechariah, 14:2)
41. Signs in the bodies of those who oppose the truth:
This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought... Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. (Zechariah, 14:12)
... Their words and deeds are against the Lord... The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it... (Isaiah, 3:8-9)
42. Unhappiness:
... All the merrymakers groan. The gaiety of the tambourines is stilled, the noise of the revelers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent. (Isaiah, 24:7-8)
Surely the joy of mankind is withered away. (Joel, 1:12)
... All joy turns to gloom, all gaiety is banished from the earth. (Isaiah, 24:11)
43. Despair among men of religion:
The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the Lord. (Joel, 1:9)
Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. (Joel, 1:13)
44. Earthquakes:
... The foundations of the earth shake... The earth is thoroughly shaken... It sways like a hut in the wind... (Isaiah, 24:18-20)
... The heavens and the earth shall shake... (Joel, 3:16)
Therefore I [the Almighty Lord] will make the heavens to tremble, and the earth shall be shaken out of her place. (Isaiah, 13:13)
The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook... The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare... (Psalms, 18:7, 15)
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45. Ever more natural disasters:
The Lord of Armies will punish you with thunder, earthquakes, and loud noises, with windstorms, rainstorms, and fire storms. (Isaiah, 29:6)
... I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth... (Joel, 2:30)
... The windows on high are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. (Isaiah, 24:18)
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46. Floods in one region and drought in another:
In the seven-year cycle at the end of which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come–in the first year, this verse will be fulfilled: And I will cause it to rain upon one city and cause it not to rain upon another city. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
47. Locust attacks:
What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten... A nation has invaded my land, powerful and without number... (Joel, 1:4, 6)
48. Rising environmental pollution:
The earth is defiled by its people... (Isaiah, 24:5)
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49. Spiritual decline:
He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will only come when all the souls destined to [inhabit earthly] bodies will be exhausted... (Talmud, Abodah Zarah 5a)
50. War in Iraq:
50. 1. The fact that the occupying army in the Iraq war was multinational:
... Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! (Isaiah, 13:4)
Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude!... (Isaiah, 13:4)
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50.2 Distant countries wage war in Iraq:
An oracle concerning Babylon* that Isaiah... saw... They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens... to destroy the whole country. (Isaiah, 13:1, 5)
*Babylon: The name of an ancient city near Baghdad, the capital of modern-day Iraq.
50.3. That war is declared with sirens and loud noises:
... Shout to them [warriors]; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles. (Isaiah, 13:2)
50.4. The death of many children and the young during the war:
Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants nor will they look with compassion on children. (Isaiah, 13:18)
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50.5. That women are wronged:
... Their wives [will be] ravished. (Isaiah, 13:16)
50.6. The looting of people's homes:
... Their houses will be looted... (Isaiah, 13:16)
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50.7. Enormous bloodshed:
Whoever is captured will be thrust through; all who are caught will fall by the sword. Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes... (Isaiah, 13:15-16)
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50.8. The public in a state of fear and suffering:
... All hands will go limp, every man's heart will melt. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them... They will writhe... They will look aghast at each other ... (Isaiah, 13:7-8)
50.9. People flee to neighboring countries:
Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, each will return to his own people, each will flee to his native land. (Isaiah, 13:14)
50.10. Cities deserted after the war:
But desert creatures will lie there [in Babylon], jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will howl in her strongholds, jackals in her luxurious palaces... (Isaiah, 13:21-22)
I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir. (Isaiah, 13:12)
50.11. And the damage done to peace and order:
... No Arab [Bedouin] will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flocks there. (Isaiah, 13:20)
... To make the land desolate... (Isaiah, 13:9)
... The earth will shake from its place. (Isaiah, 13:13)
 Do not sell Allah’s contract for a paltry price. What is with Allah is better for you if you only knew. (Surat an-Nahl, 95) What is with you runs out but what is with Allah goes on forever. Those who were steadfast will be recompensed according to the best of what they did. (Surat an-Nahl, 96) |
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50.12. The razing of Iraqi cities:
Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms... will be overthrown by God. (Isaiah, 13:19)
51. The appearance of Gog and Magog in the End Times (World Wars I and II):
The travails of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]: "day" is written here... The wars of Gog and Magog: "day" is written here; whilst there it is written, in that day when Gog shall come. (Talmud, Shabbath 118a)
... [Time on the earth] will be spent... some in the war of Gog and Magog, and the remaining [period] will be the Messianic era [that of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], whilst the Holy One, blessed be He, will renew His world only after seven thousand years. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97b)
51.1. Their being a vast population:
... All the hordes gathered... (Ezekiel, 38:7)
You will advance... like a cloud that covers the land... (Ezekiel, 38:16)
... All of them brandishing their swords... (Ezekiel, 38:4)
51.2. Their constituting a multinational society:
... Many nations with you, all of them riding on horses... (Ezekiel, 38:15)
You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm... (Ezekiel, 38:9)
51.3. Their having large armed forces:
... Your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords... with them, [their troops] all with shields and helmets... (Ezekiel, 38:4-5)
... All of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. (Ezekiel, 38:15)
51.4. Their causing corruption:
... You will devise an evil scheme. You will say... "I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people"... (Ezekiel, 38:10-11)
Every man's sword will be against his brother. (Ezekiel, 38:21)
51.5. Their being an aggressive, plundering society:
You will say, "... I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins..." (Ezekiel, 38:11-12)
[People] 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?" (Ezekiel, 38:13)
You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm... (Ezekiel, 38:9)
51.6. Their waging war in the mountains:
"I will summon a sword against Gog on all My mountains," declares the Sovereign Lord... (Ezekiel, 38:21)
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51.7. Their using chemical weapons in wars:
... I will pour down... hailstones and burning sulfur*... on the many nations... (Ezekiel, 38:22)
* Mustard gas, a chemical weapon containing sulfur chloride and used in World Wars I and II, was widely employed and had a burning effect on the human body.
51.8. The outbreak of epidemics in time of war:
I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed... (Ezekiel, 38:22)
Men will be regularly employed to cleanse the land [from epidemics]... (Ezekiel, 39:14)
51.9. The deaths of many people in war:
... Gog and all his hordes will be buried there... For seven months, [people] will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. All the people of the land will bury them... Some will go throughout the land and, in addition to them, others will bury those that remain on the ground... (Ezekiel 39:11-14)
You will fall in the open field... (Ezekiel, 39:5)
Every man's sword will be against his brother... (Ezekiel, 38:21)
51.10. Attacks on defenseless people:
... You will invade a land that has recovered from war whose people... now... live in safety... (Ezekiel, 38:8)
You will say, "I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. (Ezekiel, 38:11)
52. Statements by the Prophets (peace be upon them all) referring to the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):
All the Prophets prophesied only for the days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Talmud, Berachoth 34b, Shabbath 63a)
All the Prophets prophesied [all the good things] only in respect of the Messianic era [the era of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 99a)
53. The troubled period of the End Times having no effect on devout believers:
Abaye enquired of Rabbah: "What is your reason [for not wishing to see him]? Shall we say, because of the birth pangs [preceding the advent] of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]?" But it has been taught... "What must a man do to be spared the pangs of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]?" "Let him engage in study and benevolence; and your master do both." (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)
The Characteristics of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in Judaic Scriptures
In addition, Judaic tradition says that Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) personality and beauty of soul will influence others, and that he will turn people in the direction of faith with very wise words. However, this servant whom Allah chooses and supports will very definitely not be any superhuman entity. He will be an individual born normally to ordinary parents, but whom Allah supports in every way physically and spiritually and bestows glory upon. Some of the characteristics ascribed to Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) according to Jewish references are:
1. He will be just:
With righteousness he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will judge the needy... (Isaiah, 11:4)
... In judging, [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] seeks justice... (Isaiah, 16:5)
... A scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom... (Psalms, 45:6-7)
Righteousness will be his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] belt, and faithfulness the sash around his waist. (Isaiah, 11:5)
[Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is] righteous and having salvation, gentle ... (Zechariah, 9:9)
"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous branch [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... who will... do what is just and right in the land... (Jeremiah, 23:5-6)
2. He will protect the rights of the oppressed:
With righteousness shall he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] judge the poor, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth... (Isaiah, 11:4)
3. He will bring justice to the whole world:
Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight!... He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will bring justice to the nations. (Isaiah, 42:1)
... In faithfulness he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. ... (Isaiah, 42:3-4)
Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] in righteousness to his service... (Isaiah, 41:2)
4. He will be honest and truthful:
You love righteousness and hate wickedness... (Psalms, 45:7)
... With righteousness shall he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] judge the poor... (Isaiah, 11:4)
"In those days and at that time I will make a righteous branch sprout from David's line; he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will do what is just and right in the land." (Jeremiah, 33:15)
One from the house of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... who in judging seeks justice... (Isaiah, 16:5)
... [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] shall reign in righteousness... (Isaiah, 32:1)
The Messianic age [the Golden Age] will be ruled by the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], a righteous and honest king... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
 Mankind! The messenger has brought you the truth from your Lord, so it is better for you to believe. But if you do not believe, everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Surat an-Nisa', 170) 5. He will be a savior: |
... [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is] righteous and having salvation... (Zechariah, 9:9)
6. His message will influence the world:
He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth [he will influence with his words without having a weapon]; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked [he will make them spiritually ineffective by his speech.] (Isaiah, 11:4)
... And he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will be called wonderful counselor. (Isaiah, 9:6)
You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery [that is, Hazrat Mahd (pbuh) will demolish the irreligious systems by his ideas]. (Psalms, 2:9)
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7. His words will act on people's hearts:
Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) words are so wise and affective that he will make the irreligious ideologies ineffective]. (Psalms, 45:5)
8. He will turn the whole world toward belief in Allah:
He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will [then] correct the entire world to serve God together, as is written: "For then I shall turn to the nations a pure tongue, that all shall call upon the name of God to serve Him shoulder to shoulder." [Zephaniah, 3:9] (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:4)
9. He will spiritually cleanse mankind:
But who can endure the day of his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify... and refine them like gold and silver. (Malachi, 3:2-3)
... I will... make you [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... a light for the nations, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. (Isaiah, 42:6-7)
10. He will succeed with the power of faith, without resorting to force:
"Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah, 4:6)
11. He will possess power and success:
See, My servant [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. (Isaiah, 52:13)
"Here I will make a horn grow for David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] and set up a lamp for My anointed one. I will clothe his enemies with shame, but the crown on his head will be resplendent." (Psalms, 132:17-18)
Through the victories You gave, his glory is great; You have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. Surely You have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of Your presence. For the king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. (Psalms, 21:5-7)
... He [Lord] will give strength unto His king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], and exalt the horn of His anointed. (1 Samuel, 2:10)
... A son is given unto us; and the government is upon his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] shoulder... That the government may be increased, and of peace there be no end... (Isaiah, 9:6-7, Targum and Debarim Rabbah)
 It is He Who calls down blessing on you, as do His angels, to bring you out of the darkness into the light. He is Most Merciful to the believer. Their greeting on the Day they meet Him will be "Peace!" and He has prepared a generous reward for them. (Surat al-Ahzab, 43-44) |
12. He will be a spiritual leader to nations:
The Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will be a very great king... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] was given authority, glory and sovereign power. All the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him... (Daniel, 7:14)
[He] will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Isaiah, 11:10)
All the nations will come to listen to him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Repentance 9:2)
In his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] law, the islands will put their hope. (Isaiah, 42:4)
Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you... (Isaiah, 60:3-4)
... Until Shiloh [sent by God] comes, and to him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will be the obedience of peoples. (Genesis, 49:10)
13. People will be subjected to Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):
May the king's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] name endure for ever; may his name be continued as long as the Sun; may men also bless themselves by him; may all nations call him happy. (Psalms, 72:17)
His [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] great righteousness and the wonders that he will bring about will cause all peoples to make peace with him and all lands to serve him... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin, 10:1)
... Let the nations fall beneath your feet [All the people will be subjected to Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. (Psalms, 45:5)
14. He will possess hegemony:
... There was given him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] dominion, and glory, and a kingdom. All the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel, 7:14)
... He [your king] will proclaim peace to the nations. His [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth. (Zechariah, 9:10)
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever... (Isaiah, 9:7)
Here I will make a horn grow for David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... I will clothe his enemies with shame, but the crown on his head will be resplendent. (Psalms, 132:17-18)
He [God] gives His king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] great victories. He shows unfailing kindness to His anointed. (2 Samuel, 22:51)
In future time, the King Moshiach [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will arise and renew the Davidic dynasty, restoring it to its initial sovereignty... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:4)
He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will rule from sea to sea and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth. (Psalms, 72:8)
15. He will rule the world from his own base:
... Son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), like the the Prophet Solomon (pbuh)]... reigned only over his couch... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 20b)
16. He will rule the world through his helpers:
... Son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), like the Prophet Solomon (pbuh)]... reigned only over his staff [helpers]. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 20b)
17. He will establish world peace:
I will take away the chariots... and the battle bow will be broken... He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will proclaim peace to the nations... (Zechariah, 9:10)
His [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] great righteousness and the wonders that he will bring about will cause all peoples to make peace with him... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
(In the days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)])... battles and wars will cease... "They will not lift a sword, nation against nation." (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
 What is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Allah. Allah suffices as a Guardian. (Surat an-Nisa', 132) |
18. He will be chaste:
... And the glory of the Lord rises upon you... and His glory appears over you. (Isaiah, 60:1-2)
Through the victories You gave, his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] glory is great; You have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. (Psalms, 21:5)
19. He will trust in Allah and rely on Him:
... For the king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. (Psalms, 21:7)
20. Allah will support Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in every way:
Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Isaiah, 42:1)
I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you... a light to the nations ... (Isaiah, 42:6)
And the Spirit of Lord shall rest upon him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Lord. (Isaiah, 11:2)
You welcomed him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked You for life, and You gave it to him... (Psalms, 21:3-4)
Our Rabbis taught, The Holy One, blessed be He, will say to the Messiah, the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]: "Ask of Me anything, and I will give it to you." (Talmud, Sukkah 52a)
This is what the Lord says: "In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people..." (Isaiah, 49:8)
The spirit of the God is upon me... (Isaiah, 61:1)
O Lord, the king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories You give! You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. (Psalms, 21:1-2)
21. He will be intelligent and wise:
"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous branch, a king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land." (Jeremiah, 23:5)
That king who will arise from the descendants of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will be even wiser than Solomon... (Mishnah Torah, Repentance 9:2)
The Messianic age [Golden Age] will be ruled by the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... outstanding in wisdom... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
Rabbi Nahman said: If he (the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]) is of those living today... he would be our holy master. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)
22. He will be a servant beloved of Allah:
He gives His king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] great victories; He shows unfailing kindness to his anointed ... forever. (2 Samuel, 22:51; Psalms, 18:50)
... Through the unfailing love of the Most High, he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not be shaken. (Psalms, 21:7)
Here is My servant [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight... (Isaiah, 42:1)
23. He will be filled with the fear of Allah:
... The spirit of the fear of Lord shall rest upon him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... His delight shall be in the fear of Lord... (Isaiah, 11:2-3)
24. He remains close to Allah:
The Messianic age [Golden Age]... will be ruled by the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... outstanding in wisdom, close to God. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
25. He is good-looking:
Your eyes will see the king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] in his beauty... (Isaiah, 33:17)
You are the most excellent of men... (Psalms, 45:2)
26. Allah's glory will be upon him:
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you... Nations will come to your light. (Isaiah, 60:1-3)
27. His speech is wise:
... And your lips have been anointed with grace... (Psalms, 45:2)
28. He will teach and call people to Allah's path:
... That king who will arise from the descendants of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... will therefore [be able to] teach the people the ways of God and to fear them. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Repentance 9:2)
If a king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will arise from the House of David... and repair the breaches [in the observance of Allah's Laws]... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:4)
... He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will then perfect the entire world, to serve God together... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:4)
29. He will have majesty and splendor:
... You have bestowed on him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] splendor and majesty. (Psalms, 21:5)
30. His dwelling will be magnificent:
... His [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] resting-place shall be glorious. (Isaiah, 11:10)
31. He will have humility:
... He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] is triumphant, and victorious, lowly... (Zechariah, 9:9)
32. He will act in accord with Allah's approval:
If a king [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] will arise from the House of David... and if he will fight the wars of God [if he wages intellectual struggle for Allah]; we may, with assurance, consider him Mashiach [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:4)
33. He will rule not superficially, but with the knowledge of the hidden (ladun):
... He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears... (Isaiah, 11:3)
He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] smells [a man] and judges, as it is written, and he will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. [Isaiah, 11:3-4] (Talmud, Sanhedrin 93b)
34. He will possess love and compassion:
For he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. (Psalms, 72:12)
He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will have pity on the poor and needy, and the souls of the needy he will save. (Psalms, 72:13)
He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will redeem their soul from oppression and violence, and precious will their blood be in his sight. (Psalms, 72:14)
He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will defend the afflicted among the people, and save the children of the needy... (Psalms, 72:4)
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35. He will be good-natured:
He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. (Isaiah, 42:2)
A bruised reed he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. (Isaiah, 42:3)
36. He will be courageous:
... He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth... (Isaiah, 42:4)
O mighty one [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty. (Psalms, 45:3)
37. He will be given abundance:
He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] grew up before Him [the Lord] like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground... (Isaiah, 53:2)
He [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. (Psalms, 72:6)
Surely You have granted him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] eternal blessings... (Psalms, 21:6)
38. He will impart glad tidings:
How beautiful... are the feet of those... who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation... (Isaiah, 52:7)
39. He will epitomize Allah's title of the Salam (Peace):
... And he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will be called... prince of peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end... (Isaiah, 9:6-7)
40. He will have human form, and be a genuine human being:
In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], coming with the clouds of heaven... (Daniel 7:13)
Rabbi Nahman said: If he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] is of those living [today], it might be one like myself, as it is written. And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governors shall proceed from the midst of them. [Jeremiah, 30:21] (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)
41. He will rule the world without working miracles:
Do not consider it possible that the King Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] must make signs and wonders and make new things in the world or revive the dead and the like, as the matter is not so... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:3)
Let no one consider that in the days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] anything of the customary way of the world will be defunct, or that there will be anything new in Creation, rather the world will remain as it is. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:1)
Do not think that the ways of the world or the laws of nature will change in the era of the Messiah [in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... The world will continue as it is. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
The Sages did not ask him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] for any signs or wonders. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:2)
 Those to whom We have given the Book, who recite it in the way it should be recited, such people believe in it. As for those who reject it, they are the losers. (Surat al-Baqara, 121) |
42. He will be known throughout the world:
He [Messiah (Hazrat Mahdi [pbuh])] will achieve great fame, and his reputation among the nations will be even greater than that of King Solomon... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
43. He will appear in the End Times:
... And in the last jubilee* the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97b)
*Jubilee: a period that the Jews regard as holy and occurs once every 50 years.
44. He will appear unexpectedly:
(In calculating the time of the Messiah's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] coming)... Three come unawares... Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], a found article and a scorpion. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
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45. He will be Allah's blessing upon humanity:
... What is his (the Messiah's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)]) name?... His name is Shiloh [sent by God]... His name is Yinnon [His name shall endure for ever]... His name is Haninah [blessed by God]... His name is Menahem [the comforter]... Because Menahem [the comforter], that would relieve my soul... Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)
46. His value was unknown at first:
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah, 53:3, Messianically quoted in Targum, Talmud Sanhedrin 98b)
47. He will be tested with hardships:
In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come there will be prosecution against scholars. When I repeated this statement in the presence of Samuel, he exclaimed, [there will be] test after test... (Talmud, Kethuboth 112b)
The Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]—as it is written, and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge of the fear of the Lord... Rabbi Alexandri said: "This teaches that He loaded him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] with good deeds and suffering as a mill [is laden]. [Isaiah, 11:2] (Talmud, Sanhedrin 93b)
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His anointed one [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters." (Psalms, 2:1-3)
48. His helpers' main task will be to serve Allah:
And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. (Isaiah, 61:6)
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49. Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) being is predestined:
The world was created only on David's account; Samuel said: On Moses account; Rabbi Johanan said: For the sake of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)
Seven things were contemplated (by the Holy One, Blessed be He) before Creation: The Torah, repentance, the Garden of Eden and Gehinnom, the Throne of Glory, the Holy Temple and the Messiah's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] identity. (Talmud, Pesachim 51a)
Seven things were created before the world, viz., the Torah, repentance, the Garden of Eden, Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... The name of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], as it is written, his name shall endure forever, and [has existed] before the Sun! [Psalms 72:17] (Talmud, Nedarim 39b)
50. Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will have a serving period of 40 years:
It has been taught: Rabbi Eliezer said: The days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will last forty years, as it is written, forty years long shall I take hold of the generation. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 99a)
The Period of Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) Rule in Judaic Scriptures
According to Judaic belief, in the period following the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), all hatred, enmity and war in the world will come to an end. Peace and justice will be established, and an administration based on love will be set up.
During the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), there will also be great scientific advances. Cities will be beautified, and people will enjoy high standards of living. The land will be fertile and water plentiful, and there will be such wealth and plenty that no one will lack for anything. But people will also make great efforts, attaching greater importance to the spiritual than the material in order that they may draw closer to Allah. When religious moral values rule, disputes will come to an end. Populations will live in peace and security and the world will be filled with the knowledge of Allah.
The Yamot HaMashiach (the Days of Messiah)—an expression that Jews use to describe the time of the reign of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)—exhibits a very close agreement with the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that describe it as "the Golden Age." Here are some of these references to be found in Judaic scriptures:
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1. The end of troubles:
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces... (Isaiah, 25:8)
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy... (Isaiah, 35:5-6)
In his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] days... prosperity will abound till the Moon is no more. (Psalms, 72:7)
[They]... will enjoy great peace. (Psalms, 37:11)
You [my Lord] have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor... (Isaiah, 9:3-4)
They will not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble... (Isaiah, 65:23)
... The light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun, and the light of the Sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days? [Isaiah, 30:26]... The latter [refers] to the days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Talmud, Pesachim 68a)
2. Abundant water resources:
I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. (Isaiah, 41:18)
... I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. (Ezekiel, 34:26)
In that day... all the rivers will run with water... (Joel, 3:18)
I will send you rain in its season... (Leviticus, 26:4)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs... (Isaiah, 35:6-7)
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3. Abundance and plenty:
... And the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. (Isaiah, 32:15)
I will call for the grain and make it plentiful... I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field. (Ezekiel, 36:29-30)
... I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field will give its fruit and the earth will give its increase... And I have raised for them a plant for renown. And they are no more consumed by hunger in the land ... (Ezekiel, 34:26-29)
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy... In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds will grow. (Isaiah, 35:1-2, 7)
In that time [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) era] there will be neither famine nor war, neither envy nor strife. All good things will be bestowed in abundance, and all delicacies will be accessible like dust. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)
In his days, the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the Moon is no more. (Psalms, 72:6-7)
... He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord... (Isaiah, 51:3)
In that day... the hills will flow with milk, all the rivers will run with water... (Joel, 3:18)
The shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor will possess the land forever. (Isaiah, 60:21)
... They will inherit a double portion... (Isaiah, 61:7)
"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes... They will make gardens and eat their fruit." (Amos, 9:13-14)
Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon... (Psalms, 72:16)
4. An end to hunger and want
"I... will not bring famine upon you..." declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezekiel, 36:29, 32)
[They] are destined to eat [their fill] in the days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Talmud, Sanhedrin, 98b)
"... Therefore wait for me," declares the Lord... They will eat and lie down... (Zephaniah, 3:9, 13)
They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. They will neither hunger nor thirst... (Isaiah, 49:9-10)
... And they are no more consumed by hunger in the land... (Ezekiel, 34:29)
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5. An abundance of fruits:
In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... all the wild trees... will bear fruit; for it is said in Scripture, for the tree bears its fruit, the fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength. [Joel, 2:22] (Talmud, Kethuboth, 112b)
"The days are coming," declares the Lord... They will plant vineyards... They will make gardens and eat their fruit. (Amos, 9:13-14)
... The desert becomes a fertile field. (Isaiah, 32:15)
I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. (Leviticus, 26:4-5)
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6. The eradication of atheist ideologies:
... It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be shattered... (1 Samuel, 2:9-10)
The Lord will be Ruler over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and His name the only name. (Zechariah, 14:9)
7. Faith in Allah will rule the earth:
... For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea... (Isaiah, 11:9)
And at that time... the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)
... In those days [of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], knowledge, wisdom and truth will be increased in the world, as it is written, "... for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord"... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Repentance 9:2)
In the time to come, the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring the evil inclination [the system of dajjal/antimessiah] and slay it in the presence of the righteous and the wicked. (Talmud, Sukkah 52a)
... The Lord your God... will do you good... will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. (Deuteronomy, 30:5-6)
"After that time... no longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know Me..." declares the Lord. (Jeremiah, 31:33-34)
"The days are coming," declares the Sovereign Lord, "when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord." (Amos, 8:11)
 Those who say that Allah is the third of three are unbelievers. There is no deity but One God. If they do not stop saying what they say, a painful punishment will afflict those among them who are unbelievers. (Surat-al-Ma'ida, 73) |
8. People will begin to properly appreciate the greatness of Allah:
In that [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] era, [they] will attain an understanding of their Creator to the [full] extent of human potential... As it is said: "The earth shall be full with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea!" (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)
... They will see the Glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. (Isaiah, 35:2)
And the Glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it... (Isaiah, 40:5)
9. People will turn to Allah in awe:
... [They] will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. They will come trembling to the Lord and to His blessings in the last days. (Hosea, 3:5)
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him, for dominion belongs to the Lord... (Psalms, 22:27-28)
Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the Lord your God. Follow My decrees and be careful to obey My laws... (Leviticus, 25:17-18)
10. Allah will be revered as the One and Only God:
... The Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear. (Isaiah, 2:17-18)
Then will I [the Lord] purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve Him shoulder to shoulder. (Zephaniah, 3:9)
They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding... and I will be their God. (Ezekiel, 37:23)
In the Messianic age [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) age]... all nations will return to the true religion [to believe in One and Only Allah]... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
"On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more," declares the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah, 13:2)
11. Compliance with Allah's commandments and prohibitions:
They will follow My laws and be careful to keep My decrees. (Ezekiel, 37:24)
Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve Him shoulder to shoulder. (Zephaniah, 3:9)
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws. (Ezekiel, 36:26-27)
... "After that time," declares the Lord. I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God..." (Jeremiah, 31:33-34, Messianically applied in Yalkut Shimoni)
... In his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] days all the statutes [Laws of God] shall be reinstituted as in former times... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:1)
12. They will live with the purity of faith, cleansed from sin:
They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding and I will cleanse them... (Ezekiel, 37:23-24)
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. (Ezekiel, 36:25)
And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people... [on] both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (Joel, 2:28-29)
I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against Me... (Jeremiah, 33:8)
Then will all your people be righteous... (Isaiah, 60:21)
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; the simple will not stray from it. (Isaiah, 35:8)
The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. (Psalms, 37:29)
Instead of their shame, My people will receive a double portion... (Isaiah, 61:7)
... Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in Me will not be disappointed. (Isaiah, 49:23)
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13. An end to lies and fraud:
... [At the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), people] will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths... (Zephaniah, 3:13)
"On that day..." declares the Lord Almighty. "I will remove both the fake prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land." (Zechariah, 13:2)
In his days, the righteous will flourish... (Psalms, 72:7)
For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. (Isaiah, 61:11)
14. There being no need for prisons:
This is what the Lord says: "... to say to the captives, 'come out,' and to those in darkness, 'be free!'" (Isaiah, 49:8-9)
15. Justice and honesty will rule the world:
Justice will dwell in the desert and righteousness live in the fertile field. (Isaiah, 32:16)
In the Messianic age [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) age]... all nations... will no longer steal or oppress. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
The Messianic age [Golden Age] will be highlighted by a community of the righteous and dominated by goodness and wisdom. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
16. Rulers will be just:
... Rulers will rule with justice. Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. (Isaiah, 32:1-2)
17. An end to wars:
... In the last days... He [the Lord]... will settle disputes for many peoples... Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Isaiah, 2:2-4; Micah, 4:1-3)
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken... (Zechariah, 9:10)
And at that time [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) time], there will be no hunger or war, no jealousy or rivalry... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)
... Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. (Hosea, 2:18)
I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid... and no sword of war will go through your land. (Leviticus, 26:6)
18. An end to the arms race:
... Burn them [the weapons] up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears... They will use them for fuel... declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezekiel, 39:9-10)
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. (Isaiah, 2:4; ; Micah, 4:3)
19. An end to violence and terror:
They will neither harm nor destroy... (Isaiah, 11:9)
The meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace... (Psalms, 37:11)
"The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food... They will neither harm nor destroy..." says the Lord. (Isaiah, 65:25)
20. A climate of peace and security:
Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken... (Micah, 4:4)
The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest... How blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free. (Isaiah, 32:17-18, 20)
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together, and a little child will lead them... The lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy... (Isaiah, 11:6-9)
They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety... Then they will know that I am the Lord their God. (Ezekiel, 28:26)
I will... rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forests in safety. (Ezekiel, 34:25)
... The people will be secure in their land... They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. (Ezekiel, 34:27-28)
... No one will make them afraid. (Zephaniah, 3:13)
They will not... bear children for calamity... (Isaiah, 65:23)
... You will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. (Leviticus, 26:5)
 The Creation of the heavens and earth is far greater than the Creation of humanity. But most of humanity do not know it. (Surah Ghafir, 57) |
21. People will live in happiness and joy:
Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah, 51:11)
Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. (Isaiah, 51:3)
You [the Lord] have... increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. (Isaiah, 9:3)
... Everlasting joy will be theirs. (Isaiah, 61:7)
Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord... will have compassion on his afflicted ones. (Isaiah, 49:13)
22. They will enjoy peace and security:
... You will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. (Leviticus, 26:5-6)
... You will live safely in the land. (Leviticus, 25:18)
... Jerusalem will be living without fear of danger... It will be... secure. (Zechariah, 14:11)
I will heal My people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. (Jeremiah, 33:6)
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23. There will be no difficulties in making ends meet:
... In the [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] age... it will be very easy for people to make a living... and with very little effort they will be able to accomplish very much. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
With His love, He [the Lord] will rejoice over [the city]... restore your fortunes before your very eyes... (Zephaniah, 3:17, 20)
Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. (Leviticus, 25:19)
24. Danger and worry will vanish:
No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there... Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah, 35:9 -10)
... [They] shall again be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid. (Jeremiah, 30:10)
25. People being mentally and physically healthier:
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. (Isaiah, 35:5-6)
The Messianic era [the era of the Mahdi (pbuh)] will witness ultimate physical and spiritual bliss. All will be healed. (Midrash, Bereshit Rabba 20:56)
26. Ravaged cities will be rebuilt:
... They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them... (Amos, 9:14)
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. (Isaiah, 61:4)
I will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I... will rebuild them as they were before. (Jeremiah, 33:6-7)
 O humanity! You are the poor in need of Allah whereas Allah is the Rich Beyond Need, the Praiseworthy. (Surat al-Ahzab, 15) |
27. More roads and bridges will be built:
I will turn all My mountains into roads, and My highways will be raised up. (Isaiah, 49:11)
28. The humble will replace the proud:
I will remove... those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty. (Zephaniah, 3:11)
I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the Lord. (Zephaniah, 3:12)
... The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low... (Isaiah, 2:17)
29. Faith will soften the hearts of humanity:
... In those days [of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] knowledge, wisdom and truth will be increased in the world, as it is written "... and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh"... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Repentance 9:2)
30. An increase in reason and wisdom:
The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. (Isaiah, 32:4)
... In the Messianic [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] age... it will be a time when the number of wise men will increase... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin, 10:1)
... In the Messianic [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] age... with very little effort they will be able to accomplish very much... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin, 10:1)
The Messianic age [Golden Age] will be... dominated by goodness and wisdom. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
31. The learning of secret knowledge:
And at that time [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) time]... they will perceive the esoteric truths and comprehend their Creator's wisdom as is the capacity of man. As it is written: "For the earth shall be filled with knowledge of God, as the waters cover the sea..." (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)
32. False judgments will be corrected:
No longer will the fool be called noble, nor the scoundrel be highly respected. (Isaiah, 32:5)
... The horn of the righteous is exalted, as it is written: All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.(Talmud, Megilah 17b)
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