FOREWORD:
AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT REGARDING
THE MUSLIM PERSPECTIVE ON THE OLD
TESTAMENT AND THE NEW

In the Qur'an, Allah (God) reveals that Muslims should believe in Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and all the prophets sent before him, and in all the scriptures given to those prophets. In verse 4 of Surat al-Baqara, our Lord refers to Muslims as "those who believe in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down before you . . ."

As is mentioned in the Qur'an, the Old and New Testaments, the Psalms and the pages of Prophet Abraham (pbuh) are scriptures sent down to prophets who lived in past centuries. A portion of these books has been lost, and what remains has been corrupted or altered. Nonetheless, they still contain many true and accurate statements regarding the true faith. Muslims evaluate all these statements in the light of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and consider those to be valid that are compatible with the divine verses and the hadith. For that reason, Muslims can make use of passages from both the Old and the New Testaments that are compatible with the Qur'an and in agreement with the Sunnah. The fundamental precondition, however, is that they should be compatible with the Qur'an as well as the hadith.

Allah has revealed that these scriptures were guides for the societies to which they were sent. In one verse (Surah Al 'Imran, 3-4), He reveals:

He has sent down the Book to you with truth, confirming what was there before it. And He sent down the Torah and the Injil, previously, as guidance for mankind, and He has sent down the Furqan.

Another verse reveals this about the Old Testament:

We sent down the Torah containing guidance and light, and the prophets who had submitted themselves gave judgment by it for the Jews-as did their scholars and their rabbis-by what they had been allowed to preserve of Allah's Book to which they were witnesses. (Surat al-Mai'da, 44)

In examining the portents of the End Times in the Old and New Testaments, the corrupted or distorted parts of those scriptures are not considered in this book. Only those passages compatible with the Qur'an and the hadith of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) have been used.

INTRODUCTION: THE END TIMES WE ARE LIVING IN,
AND THE GLAD TIDINGS OF THE MAHDI

"The End Times" is a term used to describe the final days of Earth, prior to Doomsday. In this period, according to Islamic belief, mankind will be confronted by terrible corruption and degeneration. This dark age will be one of increasing injustice, oppression, famine and poverty, moral collapse, war and conflict, anarchy and chaos. It will come to an end with people returning to religious moral values. Want will be replaced by plenty, injustice and oppression by justice and understanding, and anarchy and chaos by peace and security, and the world will enjoy a hitherto unseen beauty and abundance. Allah will make the the return to Earth of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) and Mahdi, a holy personage whose name means "he who has found the path of salvation" the means whereby the world attains enlightenment and abundance. These are all valuable glad tidings imparted by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as indicated in the Qur'an.

The portents of the End Times, the characteristics of the Mahdi who will appear in that age, the changes to take place after his coming, and the return to Earth of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) have already been covered in detail in earlier books. (For details, see Portents and Features of the Mahdi's Coming, The End of Times and the Mahdi, The Golden Age, The Signs of Jesus' (pbuh) Second Coming, The End Times and The Beast of the Earth, all by Harun Yahya)

This book considers signs of the End Times in both the Bible and the Qur'an. In addition, we shall examine the characteristics of the time when religious moral values will rule the world which is known as the Olam Ha-ba or the World to Come to the Jews, "Millennium" to the Christians and described as "prior to Doomsday; Golden Age" by Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

In Judaic sources, the descriptions of both the portents of the period when the Mahdi will appear in the End Times and the Golden Age under his rule have a great deal in common with those in Islamic texts. Both faiths state that at first, people will turn their backs on religious moral values. For that reason, they will suffer many difficulties and that following a time of troubles, an age of beauty and light will dawn. In the same way, a great many New Testament passages describing the signs of the End Times, as well as the age when religious moral values will reign supreme, are in agreement with Islamic sources.

This book also includes hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and statements by Islamic scholars, together with sections from the Old and New Testaments. You will see for yourself how closely those portents of the age prior to the coming of the blessed Mahdi match conditions of this present day.

In addition, this book explains how the "tribe" Israelites whose rule is promised in the Old Testament is actually the community of the Mahdi. True faith, rather than genealogy, will distinguish the community of the Mahdi. The Mahdi and his community will be known for the success they achieve for Allah. Whoever Allah makes a means in destiny for the dominion of the religion, it will be them wand they who manifest that title.

All believers hope for true religious moral values to rule the world and for people to be liberated from all kinds of spiritual and material difficulties. As can be seen in the portents of the Mahdi's coming, many events currently taking place indicate that this long awaited holy age, has finally begun. Like all believers, we pray that Allah will let us witness this holy age and take part in the intellectual struggle that will spread religious moral values across the world.

THE COMING OF THE MAHDI IS ANNOUNCED IN ALL THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

The "End Times," that period immediately preceding the end of the world, will contain a series of portents that Allah has revealed in all the sacred scriptures. In this special age, when chaos and strife reach their fiercest level, when people are as far removed from religious moral values as they can possible be, when degeneration is at a peak, our Lord will send the Mahdi-"he who gives the way to salvation." With his powerful love and fear of Allah Who has sent him to fulfil this important task, the Mahdi will be a means of salvation for the whole world. By Allah's will, the Mahdi will be successful in this duty, as is written in his destiny, and will cause religious moral values to reign supreme.

For that reason, the appearance of the blessed Mahdi will be one of the greatest events in history, one that is mentioned in all the sacred scriptures. The blessed Mahdi has been awaited not just since the time of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), but for many thousands of years. The hadith of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) reveal that the coming of the Mahdi is described in all the sacred texts revealed by Allah:

Naim has stated: "I find the Mahdi thus in the pages of the prophets (in the scriptures revealed to Adam, Seth, Idris and Abraham [peace be upon them]): There will be no cruelty and nothing shameful in the actions of the Mahdi." (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 21.)

The books of the prophets reveal that "The work of the Mahdi is not cruel and evil." (Al-Qawl Al-Mukhtasar Fi alamat Al-Mahdi Al-Muntazar, p. 49.)

Ibn al-Munawi says: "Thus it is written in the book of Daniel (pbuh). There are three sufyans and three Mahdis. The first Mahdi will oppose the first sufyan when his notoriety spreads, the second Mahdi will oppose the second sufyan, and the blessed Muhammad the Mahdi will oppose the third sufyan, and by means of him, Almighty Allah will save those previously subject to persecution and believers. The sunnahs will be revived with him; the flames of innovation [bid'ah] will be extinguished with him. People will be mighty in his day and will overcome their opponents. They will have pleasant lives, the fertility of the earth and sky will rise, and the Mahdi will then die seven years later. (This hadith is to be found in a handwritten copy of Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman in the Suleymaniye Library.)

These hadiths make it clear that all Abrahamic religions deal with the subject of the Mahdi. Thousands of years ago, both the Old and New Testaments described, the coming of the Mahdi, his qualities and activities, and the religious supremacy for which he will be a vehicle. Such passages can be seen in those parts of the Old and the New Testaments, no matter how corrupted these scriptures may have become today, that are compatible with the verses of the Qur'an and the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

That the scriptures revealed by Allah contain descriptions of the coming of the Mahdi, thousands of years before the fact, is another proof of this event's enormous significance. The attributes and activities of the Mahdi, Allah's final herald and bearer of warnings, are of the greatest importance in the End Times, so close to Doomsday. In addition, all believers have a major responsibility to make everyone aware of this vital issue and to be the spiritual supporters of this holy person.