Belief in the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)—Mashiach (Messiah) as Jews call him—is one of Judaism's fundamental beliefs. Ever since the 12th century, the Jews have regarded Rabbi Maimonides (or in Arabic, Ibn Maimun) as one of the greatest scholars of the Torah. Maimonides stated that of the 13th fundamental principles of Judaism, the 12th was"to believe in the coming of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]."According to these principles, Jewish belief regarding Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is set out as follows:"I sincerely believe in the coming of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], and even if his coming is delayed, I await his coming every day."
The Mishnah, the authorized explanation of the Judaic scriptures, describes the position of those who deny the coming of the Messiah—that is, of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):
Whoever does not believe in him, or does not await his coming, denies not only [the statements of] the other Prophets, but also [those of] the Torah and of Moshe (Moses [pbuh]), our teacher... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:1)
In addition, theShmoneh Esreiprayer, which Jews perform three times every day, also includes the prayer for the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) to be close at hand. They recite this prayer in the expectation of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), for the restoration of justice as a requirement of religious moral values, for immorality, sin and evil to come to an end, and for the truth to prevail.This section contains those parts of the Torah that concern Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and that agree with the verses of the Qur'an and the hadiths of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).
The Events Leading up to the Appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in Judaic Scriptures
According to Jewish tradition, before the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) (or the Messiah, as they refer to him), there will be a huge moral collapse stemming from atheism. People's feelings of shame will decline. Pride and oppression will grow. No one will have any compassion, the devout will be reviled, and corruption and denial will spread. On the larger scale, there will be a succession of wars and oppression. Land will become increasingly less fertile, and the cost of living, famine and poverty will increase.
Some of the features of this period preceding the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) are described in Judaic scriptures:
1.The appearance of portents in the End Times:
"And I... am about to come and gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory. I will set a sign among them..." [declares the Lord.] (Isaiah, 66:18-19)
"I am the Lord... See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you." (Isaiah, 42:8-9)
2.The spread of atheism:
The generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... all the governments will be turned over to Minuth (will embrace the religion of the Minim [atheism]), and no preaching will avail... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
... [Even] the priests are godless; even in My Temple I find their wickedness," declares the Lord. (Jeremiah, 23:11)
The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until the whole world is converted to the belief of the heretics. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
3.The reviling of the devout:
In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... fearers of sin will be despised, and truth will be lacking. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)
In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... God-fearing men [will be] despised. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... he that departs from evil makes himself a prey... He who departs from evil will be dubbed a fool by his fellow-men. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
4. Admiration of the wicked:
In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... an evil man will be honored. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
You who hate good and love evil. (Micah, 3:2)
5. Distancing from religious education:
The Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come... unless the disciples [who learn Allah's words] will decrease. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
6.Administrations turn their backs on religious moral values:
In the generation of Messiah's [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] coming... the Kingdom will be converted to heresy with none to rebuke them. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
In the footsteps of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... the government will turn to heresy, and there will be none [to offer them] reproof. (Talmud, Sotah 49b)
... The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until the wicked kingdom of Rome [irreligion] will have spread [its sway] over the whole world for nine months... (Talmud, Yoma 10a)
7.Rulers are not competent:
And I will make children their chiefs, and foolish ones will have rule over them. (Isaiah, 3:4)
8. A rise in female leaders:
... A babe is their master, and women rule over them... (Isaiah, 3:12)
9. Leaders look to their own interests:
In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... the leaders of that generation will have the nature of dogs. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
... Judges are wolves of the desert, they leave not a bone for the morrow. (Zephaniah, 3:3)
10. The wicked become strong:
... They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness... (Jeremiah, 23:14)
... Their course is evil, and their force is not right. (Jeremiah, 23:10)
Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions... (Zephaniah, 3:3)
11. No one is left to establish justice:
The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until all judges and officers are gone... (Talmud, Sanhedrin, 98a)In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... truth [will be] entirely lacking... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
12.Increasing poverty:
The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come... until the pockets will be empty... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
13. An increase in unfair earnings:
... The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of His people: "It is you who have ruined My vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the faces of the poor?" (Isaiah, 3:14-15)
In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] comes... [There will be] plunderers and plunderers of the plunderers... (Talmud, Kethuboth 112b)
14. Hunger and famine:
... In the seven-year cycle at the end of which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... the arrows of hunger will be sent forth... a great famine, in the course of which men, women, and children, pious men and saints will die. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
The son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will not come until a fish is sought for an invalid and cannot be procured... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)
15. The land becomes less fertile:
... The vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come. Smiting upon the breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine; for the land of My people whereon thorns and briers come up; yea, for all the houses of joy and the joyous city. (Isaiah, 32:10-13)
... The seeds are shrivelled beneath the clods. The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down... How the cattle moan! Even the flocks of sheep are suffering... for the grain has dried up... flames have burned up all the trees of the field. (Joel, 1:17-19)
The fields are ruined, the ground mourns; the grain is destroyed... grieve for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field is destroyed. The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree—all the trees of the field—are dried up... (Joel, 1:10-12)
16. Drought:
The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers... (Isaiah, 24:4)
... The pastures of the wilderness are dried up... (Jeremiah, 23:10)
The vine withers... (Isaiah, 24:7)
... The grain has dried up... the streams of water have dried up... (Joel, 1:18-20)
The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and apple tree—all the trees of the field—are dried up... (Joel, 1:12)
17. Animals suffer:
How the cattle moan! The herds mill about because they have no pasture; even the flocks of the sheep are suffering... even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures. (Joel, 1:18-20)
A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps. (Zechariah, 14:15)
18. A time of trial and tribulation:
The cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter the shouting of the warrior there. That day will be... a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness... (Zephaniah, 1:14-15)
"Therefore their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there they will fall. I will bring disaster on them..." declares the Lord. (Jeremiah, 23:12)
... In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... and as for the rest [other than scholars], their eyes will fail through sorrow and grief. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
... The travails of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]: "day" is written here... (Talmud, Shabbath 118a)
Let him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] come... When one goes out into the field and meets a bailiff, it is as though he had met a lion. When he enters the town, and is accosted by a tax-collector, it is as though he had met a bear. On entering his house and finding his sons and daughters in the throes of hunger, it is as though he were bitten by a serpent!... Ask you now, and see whether a man travails with child? Wherefore do I see every man [gever] with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)
19. A succession of disasters:
In the generation when the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... Multitudes of trouble and evil decrees will be promulgated anew, each new evil coming with haste before the other has ended... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a)
When you see a generation overwhelmed by many troubles as by a river, await him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], as it is written, when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him [Isaiah, 59:19]; which is followed by, and the Redeemer [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] shall come [Isaiah, 59:20]... (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)
In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... [there will be] test after test. (Talmud, Kethuboth 112b)
... A curse consumes the earth... (Isaiah, 24:6)
Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare... (Isaiah, 24:18)
"When will the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] come?" He replied, "When darkness covers those people." "You curse me," he exclaimed. He retorted, "it is but a verse: For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall shine upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you." [Isaiah, 60:2] (Talmud, Sanhedrin 99a)
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