The Reality of Khilafah — Page 77
Chapter Two—About the Mahdi 77 possess the light of faith and the benefits of knowledge. Rather, most of them will behave like animals, wolves or serpents, paying no heed to the Faith. All of this will be due to the influence of Gog and Magog. They will become like a paralysed organ and will be like the dead. In those same days, when the sea of spiritual death and mis- guidance will engulf all, and people will be craving after the tem- poral world and turning away from Allah, the Lord of Majesty, He will create a servant of His in the same way as He created Adam: using the perfection of His Divine power and providence and without the aid of any visible means. For this reason, He will call him Adam. For, Allah created Adam with His Hand, taught him all the names, vouchsafed him with great favours, guided him, and made him of the insightful ones. In the same way, He clearly named him ‘ I s a ibn Maryam [‘Jesus son of Mary’] because his creation and upbringing was similar to that of Jesus as. They both possess the same secret reality and the reasons for their advent are the same. Their respective times were marked by similar tribulations and methods of reform. The hearts of the enemies of the religion, too, were alike. The greatest sign of the time of the Mahdi is that it will be a time of great darkness brought on by the people of Gog and Magog who will completely dominate the earth and come charging down from every height. 1 1. ٭ Footnote: This is the indicative Sign of the Last Days and of the near- ness of the Hour, in keeping with the saying of the Best of Mankind s as recorded in [ S a hih ] Muslim. It is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah s as said, تقوم القیامۃ والروم اکثر من سائر الناس [‘The Hour will come when the Romans will be in the majority’]. By the word ‘Romans’ he meant the Christians, as is acknowledged by the people of knowledge and under- standing and the Mu h addith i n. —Author