The Holy Prophet Muhammad^sa

ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH IN THE LATTER DAYS
Allah’s Apostle^sa came to us all of a sudden as we were busy in a discussion. He said: “What are you talking about?”The companions said: “We are discussing about the Last Hour”. Thereupon, he said: “It will not come until you see ten signs before and (in this connection) he made a mention of the smoke, Dajjal, the beast, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent of Jesus^as, The Gog and Magog, and landslides in three places, one in the east, one in the west and one in Arabia at the end of which fire would burn forth from Yemen, and would drive people to the place of their assembly.”^[1]

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1.Sahih Muslim, Book 40, No. 6931.

ACCEPTANCE OF THE MESSIAH
Acceptance of this Messiah is absolutely crucial, as the Holy Prophet^sa said: “When you see him, pledge allegiance (bai’at) to him, even if you have to crawl over ice, because he will be the Khalifa of Allah – the Mahdi.”^[2] The Holy Prophet^sa also said: “Whoever among you lives will see the time of the Messiah ( Jesus son of Mary) who will be the Imam Mahdi, the Arbiter and the Judge.”^[3] In other words, the Mahdi and the Messiah will be one person who will also be the Arbiter and the Judge in all matters of disagreement among the Muslims. He will have the final word! The Holy Prophet^sa further said: “Convey my salam (greetings) to him.”^[4] All of these narrations show us the grandeur of the Messiah and Mahdi in the eyes of the Holy Prophet^sa. He gives us emphatic instructions to do his bai’at [oath of allegiance], to consider his word as the final word and to convey his salam to him. These are not ordinary instructions for an ordinary person. Rather, they are meant for a person of extraordinary status in the eyes of the Holy Prophet^sa and, in turn, in the eyes of God Almighty.^[5]
Hazrat Abu Hurrairah^ra narrates: “When Surah Jumu’ah (Chapter 62) of the Holy Qur’an was revealed to the Holy Prophet^sa we happened to be there in his company. When he recited the verse ‘And among others from among them who have not yet joined them.’ Someone asked, ‘Who are they O Messenger of Allah?’ The
Holy Prophet^sa did not pay attention. The man repeated the question two or three times. At that time Salman^ra, the Persian was also sitting among us. The Holy Prophet^sa placed his hand on him and said, ‘Even if faith ascended to the Pleiades (completely dis- appearing from the earth), there would be some from his people; ’In another version ‘one man’ is mentioned instead of ‘some’ – ‘who would restore faith (back) to earth.’”^[6]

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