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THE PERIOD OF THE MAHDI'S RULE IN JUDAIC SOURCES
According to Judaic belief, in the period following the coming of the Mahdi, all hatred, intolerance 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 the Mahdi, 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 Olam Ha-b ("the World to Come") --an expression that Jews use to describe the time of the reign of the Mahdi--exhibits a very close agreement with the hadith of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that described "the Golden Age." Here are some of these references to be found in Judaic scriptures:
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 days . . . prosperity will abound till the moon is no more. (Psalm 72:7)
[They]. . . will enjoy great peace. (Psalm 37:11)
. . . you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. . . . (Isaiah 9:4)
[The] Lord will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
They will not toil in vain. . . . (Isaiah 65:23)
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 41:18-19)
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)
. . . all the ravines will run with water. . . . (Joel 3:18)
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)
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, 35:7)
For the good will be plentiful, and all delicacies available as 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. (Psalm 72: 6-7)
. . . he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. . . . (Isaiah 51:3)
. . . the hills will flow with milk. . . . (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. . . ." (Amos 9:13)
4. An End to Hunger and Want:
I . . . will not bring famine upon you. . . . (Ezekiel 36:29-30)
The Jews are destined to eat [their fill] in the days of the [Mahdi]. . . (Talmud, Sanhedrin, 98b)
They will eat and lie down. . . .(Zephaniah 3:13)
They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. They will neither hunger nor thirst. . . . (Isaiah 49:9-10)
5. An Abundance of Fruits:
In the generation in which [the Mahdi] will come . . . all the wild trees . . . will bear fruit. . . . (Talmud, Kethuboth, 112b)
They will plant vineyards. . . they will make gardens and eat their fruit. (Amos 9:14)
. . . the desert becomes a fertile field. (Isaiah 32:15)
6. The Eradication of Atheist Ideologie:
. . . those who oppose the Lord will be shattered. . . . (1 Samuel 2:10)
The Lord will be king 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 the Mahdi], 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, Repentence, 9:2)
8. People will Begin to Properly Appreciate the Greatness of Allah:
In that [the Mahdi's] era, [they] will attain an understanding of their Creator to the [full] extent of human potential. . . . (Maimonides, Mishneh 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 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. . . . (Psalm 22:27-28)
10. Allah will be Revered as the One and Only God:
. . . the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. (Isaiah, 2:17)
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)
12. They will Live with the Purity of Faith, Cleansed from Sin:
I will save them from all their sinful backsliding and I will cleanse them. . . (Ezekiel 37:23-24)
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. (Psalm 37:29)
Instead of their shame, my people will receive a double portion. . . . (Isaiah 61:7)
13. An End to Lies and Fraud:
. . . [At the time of Mahdi, people] will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. . . . (Zephaniah 3:13)
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. . . . (Psalm 72:7)
14. Justice will Rule the World:
Justice will dwell in the desert and righteousness live in the fertile field. (Isaiah 32:16)
15. 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)
16. An End to Wars:
Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Isaiah 2:4)
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, there will be no hunger or war, no jealousy or rivalry. . . . (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings, 12:5)
17. 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. . . . (Ezekiel 39: 9)
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. (Isaiah 2:4)
18. An End to Violence and Terror:
They will neither harm nor destroy. . . . (Isaiah 11:9)
The meek will inherit the land. . . . (Psalm 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. . . . (Isaiah 65:25)
19. 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. . . . (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. (Isaiah 32:16-18)
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 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)
. . . no one will make them afraid. (Zephaniah 3:13)
I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side . . . . (1 Chronicles 22:9)
They will not . . . bear children for calamity. . . . (Isaiah 65:23)
20. 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)
. . . 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)
21. They will Enjoy Peace and Security:
It will be inhabited . . . and secure. (Zechariah 14:11)
I will heal My people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. (Jeremiah 33:6)
22. There will be no Difficulties in Making Ends Meet:
... in the [Mahdi's] age.... it will be very easy for people to make a living... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
With his love, he will rejoice over you . . . restore your fortunes before your very eyes. . . . (Zephaniah 3:17, 20)
23. 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. (Isaiah 35:9)
. . . no one will make him afraid. (Jeremiah 30:10)
24. 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 heal My people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I ... will rebuild them as they were before. (Jeremiah 33:6-7)
25. The Discovery of a Solution to Global Warming:
. . . nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. . . . (Isaiah 49:9-11)
26. More Roads and Bridges:
I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up. (Isaiah 49:9-11)
27. 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)
28. Faith will Soften the Hearts of Humanity:
. . . in those days [of the Mahdi] " . . and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh" . . . . (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Repentence 9:2)
29. 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 [Mahdi's] age... it will be a time when the number of wise men will increase.... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin, 10:1)
.... in the [Mahdi's] age .... with very little effort they will be able to accomplish very much.... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin, 10:1)
30. The Learning of Secret Knowledge:
And at that 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)
31. False Judgments will be Corrected:
No longer will the fool be called noble, nor the scoundrel be highly respected. (Isaiah 32:5)
32. Faith without Associating any Partners to Allah:
"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)
They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses. . . . (Ezekiel 37:23)
33. The Restoration of the Old Testament to its Original Text:
. . . in his [the Mahdi's] days all the laws of the Torah shall be reinstituted as they had been aforetimes. . . (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:1)
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