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THE DOMINION PROMISED TO THE HEIRS OF PROPHET ABRAHAM (PBUH), AND THE MAHDI'S DESCENT FROM THE LINE OF PROPHET ABRAHAM (PBUH), ACCORDING TO JUDAIC SOURCES
The line of Prophet Abraham (pbuh) continued with his two sons, the prophets Ishmael and Isaac (peace be upon them). Throughout the course of history, a large number of prophets descended from Prophet Isaac (pbuh) came to the Israelites: the prophets Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Jonah, Job, Elijah, David, Solomon, Zaccariah, John and Jesus (peace be upon them). Descended from the line of Prophet Ishmael are the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), teachers from his line and finally the Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi.
Therefore, the People of Israel, the People of Isaac and the People of Ishmael referred to in the Old Testament are all from the line of Prophet Abraham (pbuh). All are descended from Prophet Abraham, one sanctified by God. The holy personage who bears the title of "he who bestows the path of salvation" in the Abrahamic religions-and who will appear in the End Times as a means whereby the moral values of true belief come to rule the world-is also descended from Prophet Abraham (pbuh). This means that the Mahdi himself is descended from Prophet Abraham (pbuh).
Allah Promises Dominion to the Line of Prophet Abraham (pbuh)
Allah protected the two branches of the descendants of Prophet Abraham (pbuh) in order for them to establish their dominion. In the End Times, He will unite the Imam al-Mahdi and Prophet Jesus (pbuh) in order for that promise to be fulfilled. This period of dominion, revealed in the Qur'an and in the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), is also promised in the Old Testament to a community descended from the line of Prophet Abraham (pbuh):
I will bless you greatly, and increase your offspring like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring shall inherit their enemies' gate; all the nations of the world shall be blessed through your descendants--all because you obeyed My voice. (Genesis 22:17-18)
God said to Abraham: . . . I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you great; You shall become a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and he who curses you, I will curse. All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:1-3)
I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky, and grant them all these lands. All the nations on Earth shall be blessed through your descendants. (Genesis 26:4)
Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on Earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. (Genesis 28:14)
Parts of the Old Testament that describe how true believers of Allah will wield power on Earth and how religious moral values will prevail in the End Times, the final age of this world:
The Lord replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole Earth." (Numbers 14:20-21)
. . . the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. . . for the power of the wicked will be broken, the Lord upholds the righteous. The days of the blameless are known to the Lord and their inheritance will endure forever. . . . (Psalm 37:11, 17-18)
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. (Psalm 22:27-28)
For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. (Psalm 37:9-10)
. . . for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. . . . the wicked will perish: The Lord's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish--vanish like smoke. (Psalm 37:17, 20)
Wait for the Lord and keep his way. . . . The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord. . . . The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (Psalm 37:34, 39-40)
As these passages make clear, the "dominion" described in the Old Testament is not that of one specific group or race over other communities, but that of the moral values of the true faith-commanded to everyone by Allah-over the world. However, the Old Testament contains a number of references to the supposed racial superiority and dominion of the Jews. The expressions in question stem from the misinterpretation of the good news imparted to devout believers when the Old Testament was revealed and these misinterpretations were included in the Old Testament after Prophet Moses (pbuh). Some Jews misinterpret this to mean that their own race or society will rule the world. That is incompatible with religious moral values, and not a reflection of the true facts.
In fact, the concept of "the dominion of the moral values of the religion," which exists in Islam, is the eradication of evils and difficulties stemming from religious moral values not being complied with on Earth with the commencement of that compliance, and the spread of moral virtues. Muslims hope that the moral values commanded by Allah-namely, solidarity, justice, honesty, loyalty, modesty, forgiveness and compassion--will form the basis of relations between people, and construct an environment wherein everyone competes to behave in accord with moral values to attain Allah's pleasure. The establishment of such a climate will undoubtedly eradicate all evils stemming from the lack of these virtues. Muslims who share that understanding aim not to possess power and sovereignty, but to use any blessings Allah bestows on them in the finest manner in order to spread the moral values of the faith.
This excellent attribute of Muslims is revealed in the Qur'an:
. . .those who, if We establish them firmly on the Earth, will establish the prayer and pay alms, and command what is right and forbid what is wrong. The end result of all affairs is with Allah. (Surat al-Hajj, 41)
The Features of the Community That is Promised Dominion in the Old Testament
Allah has told the Jews that if they remain loyal to the true faith, obey the prophets and believe in Him alone, He will bestow superiority on them. The characteristics of the servants to whom Allah has promised dominion are described in these terms in the Old Testament:
If you carefully safeguard and keep this entire Mandate that I prescribe to you today, [and if you] love God, walk in all His ways, and cling to Him, then God will drive out all these nations before you. You will expel nations that are greater and stronger than you are. Every area upon which your feet tread shall belong to you. (Deuteronomy 11:22-24)
Devotion to Allah, scrupulous implementation of His commandments and love of Him are revealed as preconditions for the dominion of the People of Israel. In the continuation of this passage from the Old Testament, Jews are offered two choices; blessings if they choose faith, or tribulation if they turn their backs on it:
You can therefore see that I am placing before you both a blessing and a curse. The blessing [will come] if you obey the commandments of God your Lord, which I am prescribing to you today. The curse [will come] if you do not obey the commandments of God your Lord, and you go astray from the path that I am prescribing for you, following the gods of others, which you have not known. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28)
The characteristics of the society that is promised dominion are also described as follows in the Old Testament:
. . . God your Lord, is the Supreme Being. God is the faithful, who keeps in mind [His] covenant and love for a thousand generations when it comes to those who love Him and keep His commandments. (Deuteronomy 7:9-10)
. . . love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. . . He will give you many years in the land He swore . . . (Deuteronomy 30:20)
God will then grant you a good surplus in all the work of your hands, in the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your livestock, and the fruit of your land. God will once again rejoice in you for good, just as He rejoiced in your fathers. All this will happen when you obey God your Lord, keeping all His commandments and decrees, as they are written in this book of the Torah, and when you return to God your Lord with all your heart and soul. (Deuteronomy 30:9-10)
Elsewhere in the Old Testament, it is revealed that dominion is promised to those who fear Allah:
Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? . . . He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him. (Psalm 25:12-14)
Again in the Old Testament, it is revealed that those who place their trust in Allah, who are humble, who take pleasure from their belief in Allah, will inherit dominion and His blessings:
Trust in the Lord and do good. . . . Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him. . . those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. . . the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. (Psalm 37:3-5, 9, 11)
. . . if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. . . The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity--in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground--in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. The Lord will open the good treasure in the heavens, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. (Deuteronomy 28:9-14)
When the features of the society to which dominion is promised in the Old Testament are considered as a whole, it appears that the people on whom Allah will bestow sovereignty will have the following qualities:
* Living in Allah's path,
* Turning to Allah in all ways,
* Scrupulously obeying all His commandments,
* Loving Allah,
* Fearing Him,
* Ascribing no equals to Allah,
* Remaining loyal and faithful to Him,
* Trusting in Allah,
* Taking pleasure from belief in Allah,
* Doing good deeds, and
* Being humble.
The dominion in the Old Testament is that of the moral values of the true faith, of which believers have been told. As it is stated in the verse 85 of Surah Al'Imran, "If anyone desires anything other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from Him . . . . That true faith in the eyes of Allah is Islam.
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