Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

The End Times andDThe Emergence Of The Mahdi

Some important explanations about the End Times are as follows: During the terrible chaos of the final times, Allah will use a servant having superior morality known as the Mahdi (the guide to the truth), to invite humanity back to the right path. The Mahdi's first task will be to wage a war of ideas within the Islamic world and to turn those Muslims who have moved away from Islam's true essence back to true belief and morality. At this point, the Mahdi has three basic tasks:

1. Tearing down all philosophical systems that deny Allah's Existence and support atheism.

2. Fighting superstition by freeing Islam from the yoke of those hypocritical individuals who have corrupted it, and then revealing and implementing true Islamic morality based on the rules of the Qur'an.

3. Strengthening the entire Islamic world, both politically and socially, and then bringing about peace, security and well-being in addition to solving societal problems.

According to many hadiths, Prophet 'Isa (as) will return to Earth at the same time, and will call upon all Christians and Jews, in particular, to abandon their current superstitions and to live by the Qur'an. As the Christians harken to him, the Islamic and Christian worlds will come together in one faith, and the world will experience that period of great peace, security, happiness, and well-being known as the Golden Age.

SIGNS OF THE MAHDI'S EMERGENCE

Pervasive corruption

While a corrupt environment enables believers with strong faith to increase their faith and patience, and their rewards in the Hereafter, it leads those with weak and superficial faith to lose their faith or weaken it further. The Mahdi will come when the existing corrupt environment is extremely intense and severe.

The Mahdi, one of my children, comes into being, by the blessing of Allah, upon the approach of the Day of Judgment and the weakening of the hearts of the faithful because of death, hunger, and the disappearance of the sunnah, and the emergence of innovations and the loss of means by which to enjoin the right and forbidding the wrong. His justice and prosperity will ease the hearts of the faithful, and friendship and love will settle between the non-Arab and Arab nations. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 66)

Disorder, corruption, and fear will emerge in the West... Corruption will proliferate. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah Qurtubi) A kind of corruption will surface, from which no party will be able to protect itself, and spread immediately to every direction. This situation will persist until one comes and says: 'O people, from now on your leader is the Mahdi.' (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi'Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 23)

The hadiths speak of a corruption that will touch everybody and spread quickly. In other words, a certain type of corruption that is known to everybody and opposes religion and Allah will target the people's faith. Today, materialist philosophy is the largest and most comprehensive trend designed to deny Allah's Existence and creation.

Underlying this philosophy is the 'theory of evolution,' which provides it with a self-proclaimed 'scientific' basis. Even though it is not based on any scientific and logical evidence, certain materialist circles throughout the world continue to work for its acceptance by using methods associated with strong propaganda, deceit, and even fraud.

Today, as this theory has penetrated almost every household by means of both the press and television, almost everyone in the Muslim world and everywhere else has heard of it. This theory is first presented as fact when people are children by means of countless lies and deceit. As they grow older, they continue to be misled by such funny nonsense that they, and humanity as a whole, came into being merely as a result of coincidences and that they descended from monkeys. Youths of all age are brainwashed at all stages of their education by evolutionist lies.

There is a noteworthy point here. As our Prophet (saas) noted in one of his hadiths, corruption's global pervasiveness and rapid spread can materialize only when suitable technological means are available, as they are today (e.g., the press, publications, broadcasting, the Internet, and satellite communication).

As the relevant technology did not exist in the past, corruption could not spread throughout the world. As a result, no other worldwide corruption that had declared war against Allah's Existence, creation, and religion was seen in the past. All of these are among the important signs that the Mahdi's advent coincides with the present time.

Religious prohibitions gaining acceptance

The prevailing lifestyle of our own time, which has spread so widely in the last several decades and makes no distinction between whatreligion prohibits and allows, while tolerating all kinds of debauchery, reflects the environment depicted in the hadiths. Several hadiths describe this dark environment, the harbinger of the Mahdi's emergence, as follows:

The Mahdi will not emerge unless disbelief invades everywhere and is openly committed in the public. What rules in such times is the invasion by disbelief... That is its power. (Mektubat-i Rabbani, 2:259)

The Mahdi will emerge following the instance of such vile corruption (fitnah) whereby all of the prohibitions are regarded as lawful. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 23)

The Occupation of Afghanistan

Pity poor Taliqan (a region in Afghanistan) that at that place are treasures of Allah, but these are not of gold and silver. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 59) There is an indication that Afghanistan will be occupied during the Last Days. The Russian invasion of Afghanistan took place in 1979 (1400, according to the Islamic calendar).

In addition, this hadith draws attention to Afghanistan's material riches. Today, large oil deposits, iron basins, and coal mines that have not been commercially exploited yet have been detected there.

Stopping the flow of the Euphratesriver

Stopping and interrupting the flow of the Euphratesriver is one sign of the Mahdi's emergence. Soon the river Euphrates will disclose the treasure (the mountain) of gold, so whoever will be present at that time should not take anything of it. (Bukhari)

It (the Euphrates) will uncover a mountain of gold (under it). (Abu Dawud) Many respected books of hadith mention both of these events. Al-Suyuti mentions this hadith as 'the stopping of water.' Indeed, the Keban Dam has stopped the flow of the River Euphrates.

The surrounding land has become as valuable as gold for various reasons, such as electricity production and higher soil fertility through the irrigation and transport facilities that Keban dam has made possible. The Keban dam and the others constructed over the River Euphrates resemble a concrete mountain, and wealth as valuable as gold comes out of it. Therefore, dam takes on the properties of 'the golden mountain.' (Allah knows best).

Eclipse of the moon and sun in Ramadan

There are two signs for the Mahdi... The first one is the lunar eclipse in the first night of Ramadan, and the second is the solar eclipse in the middle of this month. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 47) There will be two solar eclipses in Ramadan before the Mahdi's advent. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah Qurtubi) ... The solar eclipse in the middle ofRamadan, and the lunar eclipse at the end... (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 37)

It has reached me that before the Mahdi emerges the moon will be eclipsed twice in Ramadan. (Related by Abu Nu'aym in al-Fitan) The most striking point here is that two solar as well as two lunar eclipses take place within one month (Ramadan). If these incidents are examined carefully, some differences become apparent. The best thing to do in such a situation is to locate the areas of agreement. These are the following: There will be solar and lunar eclipses during Ramadan, these will be spaced about 14-15 days apart, and the eclipses will be repeated twice.

In line with these calculations, there was a lunar eclipse in 1981 (Hijri 1401) on the 15th day of Ramadan, and a solar eclipse on the 29th day of the month. There was a "second" lunar eclipse in 1982 (Hijri 1402) on the 14th day of Ramadan, and a solar eclipse on the 28th day of the month. It is also particularly significant that in that particular instance, there was a full lunar eclipse in the middle of Ramadan, a most striking prophecy.

The occurrence of these incidents during the same period coinciding with the signs of the Mahdi's emergence, and their miraculous recurrence at the onset of the fourteenth Islamic century for two consecutive years (1401-02) makes it possible for these events to be the signs foretold by the hadiths.

Moreover, an astoundingly similar eclipse occurred in the years 2002 and 2003.

ACTUAL ECLIPSE DATE

Lunar Eclipse November 20, 2002

In Hijri 1423 (in the middle of Ramadan)

15 days later

Solar Eclipse December 4, 2002

In Hijri 1423 (at the end of Ramadan)

Lunar Eclipse November 9, 2003

In Hijri 1424 (in the middle of Ramadan)

15 days later

Solar Eclipse November 23, 2003

In Hijri 1424 (at the end of Ramadan)

The rise of a comet

A star with a luminous tail will rise from the East before the Mahdi emerges. (Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 200)

A comet will be appearing in the East, giving out illumination before he arrives. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 53)

The rise of that star will occur after the eclipse of the Sun and the Moon. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 32)

As referred to by the hadiths,In 1986 (Hijri 1406), Halley's comet passed by Earth. The comet is a bright, shining star that travels from East to West. This happened after the lunar and solar eclipses of 1981 and 1982 (Hijri 1401-1402). The concurrence of this star's rise with other signs of the Mahdi's emergence indicates that Halley'scomet is the star pointed to in the hadith.

Storming the Ka`ba and the subsequent bloodshed

People will perform hajj together and gather without an Imam. The Hajjis will be looted and there will be a battle at Mina in which many will be slain and blood will flow until it runs over the Jamra al-'Aqaba. (Jamra: a stone pillar, which representsSatan, that is stoned during the pilgrimage.) (Narrated by 'Amr ibn Shu'ayb, al-Hakim and Nu'aym ibn Hammad)

People make pilgrimage without an imam leading them. Big wars break out when they come down to Mina, and they are entwined just the way dogs entwine, and tribes attack on each other. This strife is so widespread that legs are buried in lakes of blood. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 35)

The phrase 'the year in which he will emerge' draws attention to a massacre that will occur on the date of the Mahdi's emergence. In 1979,a massacre very like this one occured during the Ka'ba raid, which took place during the pilgrimage month. It is very interesting that this raid occured at the very beginning of the period during which the signs of Mahdi's advent appeared, that is, the first day of the Islamic year 1400 (21 November 1979).

The hadiths also mention bloodshed and massacres. The killing of 30 people during the clashes between Saudi soldiers and attacking militants during the raid confirms the rest of this hadith.

Seven years later, an even bloodier incident happened during the pilgrimage. In this incident, 402 demonstrating pilgrims were killed, andvast amounts of blood was shed. Both the Saudi soldiers and the Iranian pilgrims committed great sins, for they killed one another. These bloody incidents have great parallels to the environment described in the hadith.

There come the cries of war in (the month of) Shawwal with the outbreak of war, massacre, and carnage in (the month of) Dhu'l-Hijja. The pilgrims are plundered in this month, the streets cannot be crossed because of the blood shed, and religious prohibitions are violated. Big sins are committed near the Magnificient House (the Ka`ba). (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 37)

This hadith draws attention to the incidents that will occur near the Ka`ba. The incidents during 1407 actually took place near the Ka`ba, and not inside it, unlike the event of 1400. Both incidents happened just the hadiths indicated that they would.

Sighting a flare in the East

In its section on the signs of the Mahdi's emergence, the book Ikdiddurer states: 'The emergence of a big flare which is seen in the East up on the sky for three nights.Sighting of an extraordinary redness, not as red as the usual color of the dawn, and its spread over the horizon. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 32)

I swear that a flame will engulf you. That flame is presently in an extinguished state at the valley called Berehut. That flame swallows up people with terrible pain inside it, burns down and destroys people and property, and spreads all over the world by flying like a cloud with the assistance of winds. Its heat at night is much higher than its daytime temperature. By going as deep as the center of Earth from the heads of people, that flame becomes a terrible noise just like the lightning between the earth and sky, he narrated. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah Qurtubi)

A brief explanation of this flame, a sign of the Mahdi's advent, is as follows:

In July 1991, after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, a huge fire spread through Kuwait and the Persian Gulf after the Iraqis fired Kuwait's oil wells. In addition, the first part of the hadith says that the flame 'is in an extinguished state.' Given that the flame is the result of burning an inflammable substance, what waits in an extinguished state is not the flame itself but the material to be burnt by the flame. In this context, this may mean underground oil. Berehut is the name of a well-an oil well. When the time comes, oil extracted from these wells will become a fire ready to be burned.

A sign out of the Sun

He (the Mahdi) will not come unless a sign emerges out of the Sun. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 47)

The Mahdi will not emerge unless the Sun rises as a sign. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 33) The large explosions detected on the Sun during the twentieth century may well be this sign. Also, the August 11, 1999 solar eclipse was the last of the century. It was the first time that so many people had been able to watch and study an eclipse for so long.

The Rebuilding of Ruined Places

The rebuilding of the ruined places in the world, and the ruination of constructed places are signs and portents of Doomsday. (Agreed Upon) Various hadiths reveal that the Qur'an refers to the MahdiThe Mahdi will rule Earth, just like Dhu'l-Qarnayn and Sulayman. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 29) The Companions of the Cave (Ahl al-Kahf) will be the Mahdi's helpers. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 59) The number of the Mahdi's helpers will be as many as those who crossed the river with Talut. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 57)

THE GOLDEN AGE

The Prophet (saas) describes the End Times with its heavenly features Many hadiths indicate the existence of a period when the Qur'an's values will pervade Earth. This period, known as the Golden Age, will last for more than half a century and, in many ways, will resemble 'the Blessed Period' of our Prophet (saas).

According to one hadith, people will be so content that they will spend their days with no idea as to how time passes and how one day turns into the next. They will pray to Allah to prolong their lives in order to receive more benefits from these graces. Another Prophetic hadith states that;The younger ones wish they were grown-ups, while the adults wish they were younger... The good become evenmore good , and even the wicked ones are treated well. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 17)

Unprecedented Abundance

Many hadiths reveal that there will be an unprecedented abundance of crops and goods, all of which will be distributed without measure: During this (period), my ummah (people) will lead a kind of comfortable and carefree life that they have never known before. (The land) will bring forth its yield and will not hold anything back... (Ibn Majah)

In the last of times there will be a khalifa (successor) who will distribute wealth without even counting it. (Muslim) The inhabitants of the heavens and the inhabitants of the earth will be pleased with him and such plants will be produced by the earth that the living will wish the dead could come back to life. (At-Tabarani and Abu Nu'aym) The land will turn like the silver tray growing vegetation... (Ibn Majah)

Technological developments will provide abundance in the Golden Age

People will reap 700 measures of wheat for every one they sow People will throw down a few handfuls of seeds and reap 700 handfuls Although much rain will fall, none will be wasted. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 43) This hadith refers to an increase in agricultural production that will occur in the End Times by transitioning to modern agriculture, developing new agricultural techniques, improving seed stocks, and using rainwater more efficiently by constructing new dams and artificial lakes.

The high cost of living and poverty will endAs the Golden Age will be a time of welfare and great wealth, all people will receive more than they demand. Nothing will be measured or counted.

Our Prophet (saas) said that his people will live in blessings, especially during the Last Days: A time will come when a person, with his golden alms in his hand, will go around, finding no one (in need) who is willing to receive the alms. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah Qurtubi) Then will my Ummah be blessed, the number of animals will increase and the land will bear its fruits. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 26) Definitely possessions will be in abundance then, flowing like water. Yet no one will (condescend) to take any. (Mukhtasar Tazkirah Qurtubi)

Religion will be restored to its original state

Another news revealed by the Hadith literature regarding the End Times is that the original religion will no longer be misunderstood. In the Golden Age, all heretical misunderstandings that entered Islam after the Prophet (saas) will be eliminated, and the original religion will be restored. Just as in the case of the Prophet, the requirements of the religion will be fulfilled. After the death of our Prophet (saas) and his Companions, history records that unrelated heresies and forms of worship were introduced into the original religion, and that countless hadiths and judgments, most of which have survived to our day, were fabricated and attributed to our Prophet (saas). Despite the best efforts of true Muslims to eliminate these fabrications, many practices done in the name of Islam today are not based upon the Qur'an.

As the Qur'an is the only source that can distinguish between the correct and mistaken practices, only its guidance can expose and remove these fabricated heresies. This way, the true religion will resurface. In the End Times, Allah will restore the religion to its original state and make the Qur'an's morality prevail. When this time comes, He will remove all deviations that hinder people from living by His religion, and will purify Islam from all heresies, false beliefs, and forms of worship.

SignsOf The End Times From Surat Al-Kahf

The Prophet Muhammad (saas) highlighted this sura

Many prophetic hadiths connect Surat al-Kahf with the End Times. Some of these are given below: Related by An-Nawwas ibn Sam'an: 'He who among you will survive to see him (the Dajjal) should recite over him the opening verses of Surah al-Kahf.' (Muslim) Related by Abu Umamah al-Bahili:

Whoever enters his (the Dajjal's) Hell, let him seek refuge with Allah and recite the opening verse of Surat al-Kahf, and it will become cool and peaceful for him, as the fire became cool and peaceful for Ibrahim. (Ibn Kathir)

Signs and secrets about the End Times

One reason why the Prophet (saas) recommends that believers read Surat al-Kahf is that it contains very important signs about the End Times, such as those that are required to defend and fight against the Dajjal and the irreligious movements that bring so much evil to humanity, and which he wants to spread around the world. It also contains many lessons for Muslims. Our Prophet's (saas) recommendation to memorize and to read this surah attentively is a clear indication of this.

As we will see throughout this chapter, the experiences of the Companions of the Cave (Ashab al-Kahf), who lived in an unbelieving society, the lessons that Musa (as) learned from Khidr (as), and the rule over the world that Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) established in order to disseminate the values of Islam, are matters upon which believers need to reflect.

The extraordinary situation of the People of the Cave

Do you consider that the Companions of the Cave and Ar-Raqim were one of the most remarkable of Our Signs? When the young men took refuge in the cave and said: 'Our Lord, give us mercy directly fromYou and open the way for us to right guidance in our situation.' (Surat al-Kahf: 9-10)

These verses touch upon this group's extraordinary situation. As the narrative unfolds, we see that their experiences are of an unusual and metaphysical nature. Their entire life is full of miraculous developments. Their situation is subject to our Prophet's (saas) hadith, which make the connection between them and the End Times. This indicates that people living in the End Times may have supernatural experiences.

The tenth verse tells us that those young people sought refuge in the cave from the existing oppressive system, which did not allow them to express their views, tell the truth, and call to Allah's religion. Thus, they distanced themselves from their society.

However, this should not be understood as an idle period away from society, for they took refuge there while asking for Allah's grace and help. They also sought to improve and develop themselves. Muslims of the End Times living under oppressive regimes will conceal themselves and hope for Allah to increase His grace upon them, and also to make their lives and struggle against anti-religious movements easier.

Their secrecy continued for some time

SoWe sealed their ears with sleep in the cave for a number of years. ThenWe woke them up again so that We might see which of the two groups would better calculate the time they had stayed there. (Surat al-Kahf: 11-12)

The reason for this state of sleep was their surrender to fate and peace, because Allah, Who created the universe out of nothing, arranges everything for the benefit of Muslims. In our own time, some Muslims have adopted a similar spiritual detachment. This way, they remain uncorrupted by the materialist ideologies that seek to distance people from their faith, and also are untouched by the violence to which these ideologies lead. Thus, they can continue to live according to the Qur'an without being affected by the surrounding moral degeneration, cruelty, and chaos. TheCompanions of the Cave remained hidden for some time, and Allah roused them at a time of His choosing.

They proclaimed Allah's religion to their people

Our people have taken deities apart from Him. Why do they not produce a clear authority concerning them? Who could do greater wrong than someone who invents a lie against Allah? (Surat al-Kahf: 15)

As this verse states, the Companions of the Cave called their idolatrous people to faith, invited them to Allah's religion, asked them to stop associating others with Allah, and demanded that they bring forth the evidence upon which they based their denial. When they could not do this, they exposed their idolatrous people as liars and slanderers. Today, Muslims also demand proof from those who take idols besides Allah. In the End Times, there exists an idolatrous belief that idolizes matter and chance: Darwinism.

Darwinism claims that the universe has no purpose, was formed by random occurrences, and that only the fittest members of nature survive. This anti-religious system is based on conflict and violence. In reality, these claims of random occurrences being responsible for everything are no more than acts of slander by the Darwinists against Allah, Who is All-powerful and has created everything that exists.

They distanced themselves utterly from the surrounding idolatrous worldview

When you have separated yourselves from them and everything they worship except Allah, take refuge in the cave, and your Lord will unfold His mercy to you and open the way to the best for you in your situation. (Surat al-Kahf: 16) Due to the unbelievers' oppression, the Companions of the Cave felt the need for total segregation. Thus, they severed all links with the unbelievers by seeking refuge in the cave. During this period, Allah's grace descended on them, and He made things easier for them in many respects. The most important aspect of His help and support was sparing them from the negative impact of the unbelievers.

They hid themselves

For if they find out about you, they will stone you or make you revert to their religion, and then you will never have success. (Surat al-Kahf: 20) 'They will stone you' describes a form of terror. This character trait is clearly recognizable today in people who are under the influence of godless ideologies. For example, terrorists who subscribe to communism are led by their hostility to the state to throw stones and attack its officials, as well as at the police forces. These attacks aim to weaken and demoralize them so that the communists can realize their anti-religious ideals and establish their rule by dragging the country into chaos and conflict.

Given this, it is vital for the people of the End Times to stay clear of the bloodstained ideologies that have brought nothing but evil to the world, not to side with those who corrupt others, and not to be influenced by the provocations of anti-religious ideologies or their agitations.

Only Allah and a handful of people knew their number

They will say: 'There were three of them, their dog being the fourth.' They will say: 'There were five of them, their dog being the sixth,' guessing at the Unseen. And they will say: 'There were seven of them, their dog being the eighth.' Say: 'My Lord knows best their number. Those who know about them are very few.' So do not enter into any argument concerning them, except in relation to what is clearly known. And do not seek the opinion of any of them regarding them. (Surat al-Kahf: 22)

'Those who know about them are very few' indicates also that a few people could have this knowledge. For instance, one such person could be Khidr (as), whose miraculous circumstances we will explore shortly. It is also possible that Khidr's disciples might have this knowledge, with Allah's will and revelation. The Qur'an reveals that Allah reveals some of the Unseen to His Messengers.

The journey of Prophet Musa (as) and his young servant to the 'meeting-place of the two seas'

Remember when Musa said to his young servant: 'I will not give up until I reach the meeting-place of the two seas, even if I must press on for many years.' (Surat al-Kahf, 60) Here, 'young' suggests that when doing something, one should seek the assistance of young people and work with them. Young people should be motivated to use their energy, dynamism, strength, ambition, and excitement for right action for Allah's pleasure. Some of the verses speak of youth, and the following verse states that only some young people of his nation believed in Musa (as):

No one believed in Musa, except (some) offspring (i.e., youths) among his people, out of fear that Pharaoh and the elders, would persecute them. Pharaoh was high and mighty in the land. He was one of the profligate. (Surah Yunus, 83)

The sixtieth verse of Surat al-Kahf refers to the meeting point toward which Musa (as) is traveling. Musa (as) knows that he will meet with someone, and he knows that this will take place at the 'meeting-place of the two seas.' This place could be any place on Earth that fits this description.

Prophet Musa (as) meets with the blessed and merciful Khidr (as)

They found a servant ofOurs whom We had granted mercy from Us and whom We had also given knowledge direct from Us. (Surat al-Kahf, 65) Allah is most compassionate, graceful, and merciful toward His servants.Musa (as) set out to meet Khidr (as), someone to whom Allah has given mercy. Therefore, Allah's attributes of grace and mercy are reflected on him, which has caused him to receive a superior knowledge from Allah and to become one of His distinguished servants.

Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as)

They will ask you about Dhu'l-Qarnayn. Say: 'I will tell you something about him that is worthy of remembrance and mention.' (Surat al-Kahf, 83) Throughout history, many scholars have interpreted the narrative of Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) in many ways. The verse says that it was revealed as a reminder to Muslims and is connected with the revelations of hidden meanings and reasons.

Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) had power and was enlightened

We gave him power and authority on Earth, and granted him a way to everything. So he followed a way. (Surat al-Kahf, 84-85) From these verses, we understand that Dhu'l-Qarnayn's country is away from problems. In other words, his rule is solid, rational, and strong. 'We granted him a way to everything' suggests that Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) was given the ability to solve every problem, which means that he was a very intelligent, sagacious, and perceptive believer. With these Allah-given faculties, he solved all complex issues quickly and removed the obstacles.

Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) was also a spiritual guide

He (Dhu'l-Qarnayn) said: 'As for those who do wrong,We will punish them. Then they will be returned to their Lord, and He will punish them with a dreadful punishment. But as for him who believes and acts rightly, he will receive the best of rewards, and we will issue a command, making things easy for him." (Surat al-Kahf: 87-88)

When Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) spoke, he reminded his people of Allah and the Hereafter. He spoke in a Muslim manner. From the expressions used in the verse, we understand that he was a Muslim leader who ruled a Muslim nation. Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) proceeded straight away to call the people he met to believe in Allah, devotion,the good deeds prescribed by the Qur'an, and to perform the prayers and acts of worship. He drew their attention, in order to encourage them, to the rewards that they are promised in this world and the next, and thus called them to faith.

Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) helped people

They said: 'Dhu'l-Qarnayn! Yajuj and Majuj are causing corruption in the land. Can we, therefore, pay tribute to you in return for your constructing a barrier between us and them?' (Surat al-Kahf: 94) For the corruption of Yajuj and Majuj, the people in trouble sought Dhu'l-Qarnayn's (as) help and offered to pay him a tax in return. From this, we understand that Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) did not represent a single person; rather, he ruled a nation. Just like Sulayman (as), he ruled a nation and commanded an army.

This verse indicates that he must have had teams of construction experts and civil engineers with him. From the people's request, we can deduce that Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) was interested in, and was knowledgeable about, construction and civil engineering. He might even have been renowned for his expertise in these fields. Accordingly, other nations requested his assistance. All of these factors demonstrate the size and power of his nation. That Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) was well respected and effective in the East and the West could indicate that he was ruling a nation whose power was extensive. Therefore, he was a leader, aware of his responsibility to bring peace, justice, and security not only to his own nation, but also to every part of the world.

The narrative of Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) indicates that in the End Times, just as it was during his own time, the values of Islam will rule the world.

A different interpretation

Another possibility is that this narrative conveys events that will happen in the future. In Allah's presence, all time is one. Future, past, and present are experienced all at once. In some verses, the events of the Day of Judgment in Hell and Paradise are related as if they have already taken place. The following verses are an example of this technique.

The Trumpet is blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth swoon away, save him who Allah wills. Then it is blown a second time, and behold them standing waiting! And the earth shone with the light of her Lord, and the Book is set up, and the prophets and the witnesses are brought, and it is judged between them with truth, and they are not wronged. (Surat az-Zumar: 68-69)

The events related in this verse are told as if they have already taken place, even though to us, they are future events yet to happen. Therefore it is possible that the Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) narrative is from the future, related to us in the past tense. The eighty-fourth verse says: '... (We) granted him a way to everything.' This might indicate that Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) will rule the world in the future.

In today's world, a leader or a nation that has dominion over the world must have both communication technology and conventional power. As the leader cannot inspect all of them personally, we can assume that he will stay in a central capital city and control the other areas through satellites and other means of communication. As the ninety-fifth verse expresses, "He said: 'The power my Lord has granted me is better than that,'' it is probable that Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) had an established power.

If we look at the narrative from this perspective, we realize that each verse could be conveying a different message.For example, Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) went first to the West, then to the East, and then back again. These verses might be implying that he communicates with different areas by changing channels broadcasting from satellites. The verses speak constantly of 'finding.' Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) 'found' a people by the 'spring,' that he 'found' a people in the East, who did not understand. These acts of 'finding' happen by searching, and this could be a finding based on looking up satellite channels.

The verses say that the people of the East had no shelter from the sun. If we consider this information in the light of communication technology, there are two possible messages here. Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) could be watching or gathering intelligence via satellite from these areas (Allah knows best). Or they could be implying infrared technology, which is used in many different areas today.

Infrared cameras are used in medicine, criminal pathology, meteorology, criminology, intelligence, industry, and other fields. Such cameras also can observe the human body in great detail.If Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) was addressing a nation, he could do so via satellite and TV broadcasts. This would enable him to learn of the people's needs and complaints, regardless of where they lived, and then rule the areas under his control accordingly.

The Yajuj and Majuj corruption could be a classic act of terror or anarchy or even be committed by means of broadcasting. For example, they could be disrupting other broadcasts in order to broadcast their corrupt ideas. Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) could have prevented this broadcast and thus the corruption. For instance, he could have used the copper and iron mentioned in the verse to create an electromagnetic field and disrupt the radio and TV broadcasts. Transformers, which are made by winding copper wire around an iron core, are one of the sources of electromagnetic fields. A powerful electromagnetic field can disrupt radio and TV broadcasts.

Another possibility is that a huge communal satellite dish is implied. The reason for it being so big could have been to overcome Yajuj and Majuj's global disruptive system. The surfaces of these dishes are usually made of the cheaper and lighter aluminum, which is not the ideal material for performance. Copper is a much better conductor, and might have been preferred for this reason. However, covering such a huge dish with copper sheets is not rational. On the other hand, copper-plating the dish with molten copper would give it the smoothest surface and deliver the highest possible performance.

The wall or barrier created by the competing broadcasts or by creating a magnetic field could be termed an 'invisible barrier.' Some scholars read the word saddayn in the ninety-third verse as suddayn, and sadd in the following verse as sudd. In the first case, the meaning would be a 'visible barrier'; in the second, it means an 'invisible barrier' (Allah knows best).

'Theywere , therefore, unable to climb over it, nor were they able to make a breach in it,' as stated in the ninety-seventh verse, might be referring to this, because Yajuj and Majuj attempt to overcome or breach the transmitter's broadcast. Significantly, the current expression used for pirate stations that broadcast by interfering with another broadcast is 'breaching transmission.'

Considering the expression 'scarcely able to understand speech' in this light might mean that this satellite broadcast is sometimes not understood by some people. When the broadcast is disrupted, the people cannot understand; but when the normal broadcast is restored, they begin to understand (Allah knows best).

The expression 'a muddy spring' in the eighty-sixth verse is also interesting, because seeing the sunset on the TV screen is just like the sun setting in a spring. The colors on the screen change as the sun sets in the distance over the sea, and this appears grayer on the screen. Thus, for someone viewing this, it will appear as if setting in a muddy spring. The aynin hami'ah expression, made up of 'ayn (spring) and hami'ah (muddy) could be implying this unclear view.

Also, his contact with the East and the West could indicate that he is in touch with the various parts of the globe. While the sun rises over one part, it sets on the other.

THE NUMERICAL VALUES (ABJAD) IN SOME OF THE VERSES IN SURAT AL-KAHF POINT TO TIMES VERY CLOSE TO OUR OWN DAY

We fortified their hearts... (Surat al-Kahf: 14) 1400 A.H. (Anno Hegirae, the Islamic calendar) or 1979 A.D. (Anno Domini, 'In the year of our Lord,' the Christians' Gregorian calendar) He said: 'The power my Lord has granted me is better than that...' (Surat al-Kahf: 95) 1409 A.H., or 1988 A.D. (Without shaddah)

We gave him power and authority on Earth... (Surat al-Kahf: 84) 1440 A.H., or 2019 A.D. (With shaddah)

A sign pointing at the beginning of the Islamic 1400s and the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first Christian century is the number 1980, which is obtained by multiplying Surat al-Kahf's number of verses with its numerical order in the Qur'an. Sura 18: Surat al-Kahf (contains 110 verses) 18 x 110 = 1980.

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi also often indicated that this time was the beginning of the End Times. He says, for example: Thus, unfair people who do not know this truth say: 'Why did the Companions of the Prophet with their vigilant hearts and keen sight, who had been taught all the details of the hereafter, suppose a fact that would occur one thousand four hundred years later to be close to their century, as though their ideas had deviated a thousand years from the truth?'10

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, by saying '1400 years after' the Companions of the Prophet indicated the years around 1980 as the end times. Here it is important to note that he said 1400, not 1373, 1378, and not 1398. In other words, the Islamic 1400s. Surat al-Kahf contains very good news for the Muslims. This news, as our Prophet (saas) revealed, is the approaching blessed period of the End Times. If Surat al-Kahf is viewed from this perspective, it is pointing at the different phases, beginning, development, and conclusion of Islam in the End Times, culminating in the rule of Islam and concluding with the arrival of 'Isa (as).