The Great Sheikh has a poem as follows:
Be aware, the end of the saints is a martyr. He is Mahdi the Sayyid (as), who will be a descendant of Ahl al-Ahmad. He is a sharp sword, warding off the evil! He is the sun that will eliminate all the pains and troubles. When he gives, he is like a fruitful rain.
Hazrat Mahdi (as) is a martyr. He is a very select leader. He is a descendant of the Prophet Mohammad (saas). He is the sword of knowledge, a very effective, very sharp sword that will ward off the evil, all pains and troubles, what does pain mean? He will take away all the pains, stresses, tension, pains, and psychological problems of people. He says Hazrat Mahdi (as) is a sun that will destroy all the oppression, torture, threats and ordeals of people. What does Ataturk say? He also says he is a sun. What does Bediuzzaman say? Sun. What does the Prophet Mohammad (saas) say in his hadith? A sun. he will be fruitful just like a rain.
The time has come. He has become apparent in the fourth century after the three centuries that had passed. Because the Prophet Mohammad (saas) talked at once about three centuries, followed by a fourth one. In one account, it is said ‘three centuries follow each other, one apart from others …’.
In other words, three centuries are one after another and another one is alone, which is four. And if you add one thousand? 1400 in Hijri calendar. Because Imam Rabbani says that he will come one thousand years after the demise of the Prophet Mohamed (saas). When you put it together with this report, you get 1400 in Hijri calendar.
As to him; he has authority and power. He will gain the power he needs from Allah. Because he is a verified caliph (spiritual successor) who speaks language of the birds and of all animals. For that reason, his justice will be witnessed by all the humans and jinns.
He will get the power he needs not from people, but from Allah. Because he is a leader whose reliability is confirmed by Allah, and who speaks the language of all birds and animals, as reported in hadith, which means that he will have love for all animals. He will love all of them. The hadith says his justice will extend to the jinns too, which means he will have contact with them. He will ensure justice amongst them too, and prevent them from oppressing each other.
As indicated above, Allah has bestowed him helpers who believe in him. He will make great accomplishments by the help of his aides.
He will accomplish great things by the means of his helpers, so we understand that he has students. The Prophet Mohammad (saas) says Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not be alone.
The qualities required by Hazrat Mahdi (as) for the duties he will assign to his helpers:
1. Prudence; because this quality is needed when people are invited to Allah’s path. As a matter of fact the Almighty Lord has told as follows while telling the stories of the Prophets:, "I call to Allah with inner sight, I and all who follow me.."
Hazrat Mahdi will no doubt follow the Prophet Mohammad (saas). Just like the Prophet Mohammad (saas) didn’t make any mistakes in inviting people to Allah’s way, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not make a mistake too. Because Hazrat Mahdi (as) will follow in the footsteps of the Prophet Mohammad (saas).
One of the most important qualities of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is that he has prudence. ‘I call to Allah with inner sight, I and all who follow me’, which means ‘I invite people to Allah with my students’. The verse refers to Hazrat Mahdi (as) in that sense. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be innocent in his decisions.
2. He understands the Holy book perfectly.
He will understand and explain the Qur’an perfectly.
3. He understands the meaning of the Words of Allah.
He will be able to interpret the Qur’an perfectly and explain it to people in an excellent way.
4. He knows perfectly the character and thoughts of the people he will appoint to positions…
Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be able to analyze the situation, mood, attitude, behavior, in other words, the character, psychological state of people very well.
5. He never ceases to be compassionate and just even when he gets angry…
Sometimes Allah will give a sense of great rage in him, but despite that he will never cease to be compassionate and just. He is very compassionate, in other words he is reasonable even when he gets very angry. He thinks reasonably, he acts by the Qur’an and never stops being fair. He always judges fairly even if it is against him. He is not seeking to save himself or protect his own interests.
6. Knows the classes of the beings..
He treats the kids the way they should be treated, and the grownups in the way grownups should be treated. Same thing goes for everyone, the elderly, the women. He treats everyone according to the way they would like to be treated. He knows how to speak to their soul. This is a quality of Hazrat Mahdi (as).
7. He knows about the complex details of the things; because a leader with this information will not make a mistake in his decisions… Hazrat Mahdi (as) knows the knowledge of comparison not for using it in his judgments, but for avoiding it. Because his judgment will be the result of right inspiration. He will act upon the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammed (saas). For this reason, when the Prophet Mohammad (saas) described him, he said ‘He will follow in my footsteps, he will not make a mistake’. We understand from this that, he will not introduce a new command, but he will follow the existing Sunnah. He will also be innocent. With the phrase ‘innocent’, it is meant he will be innocent in his decisions. Because the real innocence can be possible only for a Prophet. But he is not a Prophet, he is a Saint. The saints are protected from making mistakes, they are not innocent.
He knows the complex details, fine details. He analyses why someone did something, for what reason, he is capable of doing a very detailed analysis.
Because a leader with this knowledge, will never make a mistake; Hazrat Mahdi (as) knows the knowledge of comparison not for using it in his judgments, but for avoiding it too, which means he will not act according to comparison. He avoids comparison, which was used in Islamic canonic law.
The Prophet Mohammad (saas) informs us upon revelation, that he will not make a mistake. He will be innocent in his decisions. When people think he made a mistake, it is still a right decision. Allah doesn’t allow him to make a mistake in his judgments. He is an innocent imam, this is exclusive to Hazrat Mahdi (as) only. He is under the special protection of Allah. The innocent imam. Always right in his decisions. But the real innocence can be seen only in the Prophets, the Prophets are protected in every way.
8. Understanding the needs of people well; because Allah has brought him over other people to take care of them. The actions and decisions of the leaders must be to seek the interests of the people, rather than themselves. A leader that does not work for the interests of the people and help them, must be relieved of duty. Because there is no more any difference between him and the people.
The quality of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is this: whole world is his family. If a kid’s leg is broken in Uganda, he will be taken care of, as if he was the child of Hazrat Mahdi (as). A Muslim in London and a Muslim in Uganda will be treated the same way. Both will eat very good food, will receive very high quality treatment, both will live in very good houses. There will be no more second class citizen, third class citizen. Everyone will be like the child of Hazrat Mahdi (as). For example let’s say a kid in Japan is to be operated on. You know in some communities, no one knows what’s going on in the life of others. It won’t be like that with Hazrat Mahdi (as). Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be as careful as it is his own operation. That’s why he will resist the offers to make him imam. He doesn’t accept, but they force him. Because the spiritual responsibility is too great, because he is responsible for the entire world, he is given the duty of imamate (religious leadership) by force, under the threat for his life. He will not seek his own interests, but he will make sure that the people’s interests are safeguarded in the best way possible. He will follow very carefully. Everyone in the hospital will be a first class citizen. Everyone will eat the best food. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will make sure that everyone will eat what he eats, everyone will wear what he wears, and everyone will live as comfortable as he does. This is the characteristic of Hazrat Mahdi (as). Because there is no more difference between him and other people, they are the same, he takes care of everyone so carefully, it’s like they will all be his own children.
9. He will have the knowledge of the unknown , which will be needed particularly in his time, because only then, can he solve the emerging problems. As indicated above, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not act on comparison. Because comparison will lead to many new issues, and this will only cause trouble for people. But the preferred action in Islam is facilitation. For this reason, the Prophet Mohammed (saas) said: ‘Leave me alone when I leave matters to you to decide’. In this way he didn’t want people to ask him many questions, in order to prevent too much judgments and offers. He only settled with communicating the message of Allah. So since we understand that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will follow in the tracks of the Prophet Mohammad (saas), he will not make a mistake, and he will be very compassionate to beings just like the Messenger of Allah.
So Hazrat Mahdi (as) will have these nine qualities. He will have knowledge of unseen, which is particularly needed in his own time. He will know what will happen in the future, based on the hadiths and the Qur’an verses. He will take appropriate measures since he will know what will happen in the future, by the leave of Allah.
There will be no more comparison, Hazrat Mahdi (as) doesn’t use comparison. He says that if comparison is used, then there will appear complex judgments and an inextricable understanding of Islam for people. He will not accept that. Because that would trouble the people. Our religion is the religion of ease. It is Allah’s orders to make the religion easier. And making it difficult would be what satan wants. Making the religion, worshipping, life easier, that’s the style in Islam.
"Leave me alone when I leave matters to you to decide’, meaning ‘don’t try to produce new judgments’. When the Companions asked him ‘how will this be?’, he answered ‘do whatever you think is the best, because if I say something, it will be a judgment, and you will have to do it from now on, so don’t ask me, live freely’ said the Prophet Mohammad (saas). ‘If it is something important, I will warn you anyway’ he says. ‘But if I don’t say anything, don’t try to produce judgments and don’t force me to do it’.
So he doesn’t want too many rules and judgments. What is the situation now? There are too many rules and judgments. That is what gave birth to superstitions, innovations, religion turning into something else. This is the real reason behind the pains of the Islamic world.
He confined to communicating the message of Islam. Allah gave him information about significant and critical matters, other than that, Muslims should be left free.
Since Hazrat Mahdi (as) will follow in the tracks of the Prophet Mohammad (saas) and will not make a mistake, then he has to be very compassionate towards the beings just like the Messenger of Allah. So he is not only compassionate, he is extremely compassionate, towards all living things, to dogs, cats, fish, people, kids, all of them…
The Prophet Mohammad (saas) said that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not make a mistake but was silent about others; in other words, the Prophet Mohammad (saas) didn’t say that other imams like Abu Bakr, Omar, Uthman, Ali and other saints will be innocent. He only said Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not make a mistake, this is firm in the hadiths.
The Prophet Jesus (as), will descend onto a white minaret to the east of Dimashq, in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as), while people are performing the afternoon prayer. The imam will step back and he will lead the prayer, and he will act as an imam and perform the salat in line with the commands of the Prophet Mohammad (saas).
Some people misinterpret this. Sham is a very wide area. A very vast land that includes Istanbul and Anatolia, is called Sham. So he will appear in a high building, a high house. Because when minaret is said, the first thing that comes to mind is a tall building. A high place, where he can be heard from everywhere.
Warning:
The meaning of this hadith is not contradictory to the hadiths which narrate that the Prophet Jesus (as) will follow Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the morning salat, when he will say ‘this was sent for you!’.
So it is not contradictory with the situation where the Prophet Jesus (as) pushed Hazrat Mahdi (as) forward to make sure that he leads the salat. So the Prophet Jesus (as) makes Hazrat Mahdi (as) the imam and then Hazrat Mahdi (as) makes the Prophet Jesus (as) the vizier. What is related here happens after this prayer. So Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) position as the imam is verified, it is recognized that he is the leader of the world. The Prophet Jesus (as) confirms that he is the imam. And Hazrat Mahdi (as) appoints various other people as imams, the Prophet Jesus (as) will be his head vizier, he makes him an imam too.
It is a miracle that Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) knew that white minarets would be built in the end times. There weren’t minarets in his time. And he says that it will happen. It is an amazing miracle. So in Istanbul, or in Jerusalem, or in a place like that, the Prophet Jesus (as) will lead the prayer in a mosque with a white minaret, in the area called Sham.