Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), - Various information in regard to the King Messiah based on the Torah, Talmud and authentic commentaries

Obligation of Jews for awaiting the King Messiah (Hazrat Mahdi [pbuh]) according to the Torah:
And after this the children of Israel shall return, and shall seek the Lord their God, and David their king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] : and they shall fear the Lord, and His goodness in the last days . (Hosea, 3:5)
The importance of waiting for the King Messiah:
In tractate Sanhedrin 97b of the Talmud the importance of waiting for the King Messiah is emphasized:
For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it (King Messiah) shall speak, and not lie: though he (King Messiah) tarry, wait for him; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. What is meant by 'but at the end it shall speak [we-yafeah] and not lie?' — R. Samuel b. Nahmani said in the name of R. Jonathan: ... “For they would say, since the predetermined time has arrived, and yet he has not come, he will never come .” But [even so], wait for him , as it is written, Though he tarry, wait for him . Should you say, We look forward [to his coming] but He does not: therefore Scripture saith, “And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you.” (Isaiah 30:18) But since we look forward to it, and He does likewise, what delays [his coming]? — The Attribute of Justice delays it [because we still do not deserve it]... [for hoping], as it is written, blessed are all they that wait for him .
The strife and unrest among nations at the time of the King Messiah's emergence:
In a commentary on the End of Times compiled in 845 AD, the strife and unrest among nations at the time of the King Messiah is described:
However, just previous to these favorable events, the nations of the world will be in strife:
Rabbi Isaac taught: “ In the year in which the king Messiah reveals himself, all the kings of the nations of the earth will be at strife with one another .”
* Braude, Pesikta Rabbati 36, p. 681; What the Rabbonim Say About Moshiach, Douglas Pyle, 2010, USA, 3rd ed.
Importance of the King Messiah for Jews:
In the Midrash Tanhum the commentary on the Torah it is stated that:
This is the King, the Messiah, and he was more exalted than Abraham, more extolled than Moses, higher than the archangels .
* Midrash Tanchuma ( Isa. 52:13 ); "How to Recognise the Messiah," (Johannesburg, South Africa, Good News Society), Pg. 21; Elowitz, Gus, Even You Rabbi?
From the 13th century commentary Yalqut:
This refers to the King Messiah… Because he is greater than the patriarchs , as it is said, "My servant shall be high, and lifted up, and lofty exceedingly" He will be higher than Abraham… lifted up above Moses… loftier than the ministering angels. * Yalkut ii: 571 (13th century); Driver and Neubauer, p. 9. The same passage is found in Midrash Tanhuma to Genesis (perhaps 9th century), edited by John T. Townsend (Hoboken, New Jersey: Ktav, 1989), p. 166.
Some setions from 18th century Torah commentary titled Likutey Halakhot by the well-known scholar Rabbi Nahman:
Influence of the King Messiah over people:
Fine oils and perfumes attract people. Like fine oil, Mashiach will have the power to draw the whole world to his teachings.
* Likutey Halakhot, Birkat HaReiach 3:8; ibid. 4:5; Mashiach: Who? What? Why? How? Where? And When?, Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute; 1st edition, June 1, 1994, Jerusalem, Israel, pp. 23-24.
The “spirit of Mashiach” is the ray of hope to which we can cling, the sweet smelling fragrance of joy and expectation that everything will turn out for the best.
* Likutey Halakhot, Birkat HaReiach 4:21; Mashiach: Who? What? Why? How? Where? And When?, Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute; 1st edition, June 1, 1994, Jerusalem, Israel, pp. 23-24.
King Messiah will not shed blood:
Mashiach will conquer the entire world without firing a single shot!
* Siach Sarfei Kodesh I-67 ; Mashiach: Who? What? Why? How? Where? And When?, Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute; 1st edition, June 1, 1994, Jerusalem, Israel, p. 41.
The prophecies by the prophets are signs for the King Messiah:
Rambam (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon or Maimonides; 1135-1204) writes that the differing prophecies should be accepted as allegories until Mashiach himself comes. We will then see them unfolding before our eyes and understand their intent retroactively.
* Yad HaChazakah, Hilkhot Melakhim 12:1; see also Likutey Moharan I, 186; Mashiach: Who? What? Why? How? Where? And When?, Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute; 1st edition, June 1, 1994, Jerusalem, Israel, p. 8.
The King Messiah is determined in destiny:
But Mashiach was created and prepared for his mission prior to the Creation of the world.
* Pesachim 54a; Mashiach: Who? What? Why? How? Where? And When?, Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute; 1st edition, June 1, 1994, Jerusalem, Israel, p. 29.
Superior morals of the King Messiah and that God will give success to him:
Jews believe that the King Messiah will not be selected by men because God has chosen him for this mission.
Mashiach will be born from man and woman as any other human being. He will be very righteous, and perform many meritorious deeds, thereby constantly elevating himself. His efforts will ultimately bring him to a very exalted level, at which point he will be able to receive Yechidah , the Unique Soul that was prepared for him prior to Creation. He will then realize who he is and what his mission will be. He will be endowed by Heaven with the power to fulfill his task.
* Arba Meot Shekel Kesef, p. 241; see also Zohar II, 7b-8b, Matok Midvash, ibid.; Zohar HaRakia, Shemot p. 56b; Mashiach: Who? What? Why? How? Where? And When?, Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute; 1st edition, June 1, 1994, Jerusalem, Israel, pp. 18-19.
King Messiah will be the means to draw people closer to God:
This is the meaning of the verse, "I will place My spirit within you, and I will cause you to follow My decrees..." "I will cause..." means that God will cause – something. Through that something, "you will follow My decrees."
That "something" is Mashiach. Mashiach will have the ability to attract people by drawing them close to God...
This is the subject of our Sages statement in the Talmud (Sukkah 52a), "In the Future the evil inclination will be slain."
* Likutey Halakhot, Birkhot HaPeirot 5:17; Mashiach: Who? What? Why? How? Where? And When?, Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute; 1st edition, June 1, 1994, Jerusalem, Israel, pp. 97-98.

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), - Statements on the suffering of the King Messiah in the Judaic Scriptures

Yefeth ben Ali, the Jewish scholar from 10th century gives an explanation of the Book of Isaiah in regard to the suffering of the King Messiah in his commentary of the Torah:
... to regard it as alluding to theThe Messiah, and as opening with a description of his [King Messiah’s] condition in exile, fromthe time of his birth to his accession to the throne : for the prophet [Isaiah] begins byspeaking of his being seated in a position of great honour, and then goes backto relate all that will happen to him during the captivity . He thus gives us tounderstand two things: In the first instance, that the Messiah will only reach his highest degree of honour after long and severe trials; and secondly,that these trials will be sent upon him as a kind of sign, so that, if he findshimself under the yoke of misfortunes whilst remaining pure in his actions, hemay know that he is the desired one…
* S. R. Driver & A. Neubauer (editors). 1969. The Fifty-third Chapter ofIsaiah According to the Jewish Interpreters (2 volumes; New York: Ktav), pp. 19-20.The English translations used here are taken from volume 2. The original texts are involume 1. Cf. Soloff, pp. 107-09.
There is a very important passage in the very old book Pesikta , cited in the treatise Abkath Rokhel ( andreprinted in Hulsii Theologia Judai ca, where this passage occurs, p. 309):
When Elohim created the world... under the Throne of His kavod, and brought forth the being of the Messiah. He said to him: 'Will you heal and redeem My sons [servants] after 6000 years?' He [King Messiah] answered Him, 'I will.' Then Elohim said to him: 'Will you then also bear the punishment ... as it is written, “But he bore our diseases” [Yeshayahu 53:4]. And the Messiah answered Him; 'I WILL JOYFULLY BEAR THEM' (cf. Zohar, 2:212a).
Rabbi Moses Haddarshan states:
Immediately the Messiah, OUT OF LOVE, TOOK UPON HIMSELF ALL THOSE PLAGUES AND SUFFERINGS , as it is written in Yeshayahu 53, “ HE WAS ABUSED AND OPPRESSED .”
Zohar; is the fundamental piece of the knowledge of the Kabbalaand involves the mystical interpretation of the Torah.
Regarding the sufferings of Moshiach, we read in the notes of the Steinsaltz Edition of the Talmud:
According to Rashi, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi and Daniel were suggested as possible Messiahs [by Rav, d. 247, see Sanhedrin 98b], for they were both totally righteous men and they both suffered severely from various afflictions .
* The Talmud , SteinhaltzEdition (New York: Randomhaus, 1999), notes p. 25, 26.
A righteous one suffering on behalf of the whole world is seen in the Zohar:
The children of the world are members one of another. When the Holy One desires to give healing to the world, he smites one just man amongst them, and for his sake heals all the rest. Whence do we learn this? From the saying (Isaiah 53:5), ‘ He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities …’
* Zohar, Numbers, Pinchus 218a; Driver and Neubauer, Zohar, Numbers, Pinchus 218a (English translation), p. 15.
The oppression on the believers in the end of times is described in the Zohar as such:
The seventy sounds of a woman in labor:
At that time, She is opened to give birth to Messiah. This is owing to the pain and distress of the pious, men of good qualities , sages of secrets of the Torah, people of humility and shame, of fear and love, of kindness, men of valor, fearing Elohim, truthful men, who despise bribes, for whom it is a time of poverty. This is what the sages of the Mishnah have explained. In the times in which the son of David will come, a valiant men will go circulating from city to city but will not be shown favor. Those that fear sin will be despised and the wisdom of scribes will be sullied. Truth will be absent... * Zohar, Acharei Mot: 36,Verse 213

Welcome to Islam, - The revolutionary role of Islam – II

Historical revolution This expansion of the Islamic empire was not simply a political event. Its aim, in fact, was to set in motion a revolutionary process in history. This process had been initiated in Makkah itself, then it travelled from Makkah to Madeenah, to Damascus and Baghdad from where it entered Spain and thereafter it spread all over Europe and the entire world. We would probably be right in saying that the 20th century saw the culmination of this process. There are two basic aspects to this movement. One was the end of religious persecution. )This kind of persecution has been mentioned in the Quran asfitna’(. )Quran 8:39( The process began with the end of idolatry and was completed during the lifetime of the Prophet, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam. The other, the advent of religious freedom, came about later, during the pious caliphate; with the disintegration of the two great empires—the Sassanid and Byzantine—the two greatest pillars of religious persecution were uprooted, and religious freedom became the order of the day. However, no great revolution materializes all of a sudden. It reaches fruition only by a long historical process, and the Islamic revolution was no exception to this rule. The process of human liberation, initiated by Islam, continued over a long period to make advances through individual and collective efforts, taking various forms. The second Caliph, ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab )d.644(, may Allaah be pleased with him, addressing one of his governors and his son in a well known case asked: “Since when have you enslaved people while their mothers had given birth to them in freedom?” This voice was echoed eleven hundred years later by the well known French reformer Rousseau )d. 1778(. His book, titled The Social Contract, began with this famous sentence: ‘Man was born free, but I find him in chains’. The end of the superstitious era Another basic change wrought by the Islamic revolution was similar in some respects to the scientific revolution of modern times; that is, the rooting out of superstitious thinking on scientific grounds and the general prevalence of thinking based on facts. As mentioned above, the continued existence of the idolatrous way of life and thinking in ancient times was due to the ignorance of human beings regarding nature. Ancient man used to judge natural phenomena by their appearance. Holding them sacred, he began to worship them. For the first time in human history, Islam succeeded in convincing people that these phenomena of nature were not creators, but only creatures. They were entirely helpless beings, mere slaves and not the masters of man. In the wake of this revolution, the ideological base of idolatry was wiped out altogether. All those things held sacred were relegated to the status of mere creatures. They were there to be harnessed by man and not for man to be enslaved by them. The sun was held to be a god and worshipped in ancient times; the man of today is converting the sun into solar energy. Ancient man held the moon sacred; modern man has set his foot on it. Ancient man had deified the river; modern man has converted rivers into steam power, etc. In this way, it has happened for the first time in human history that the phenomena of nature, looked upon by ancient man with reverence, have now become objects of investigation. In other words, Islam started the process of scientific enquiry. The Quran repeatedly enjoins man to reflect on the objects of the universe. This is no simple matter. The act of pondering over the nature of the phenomena of the universe has been accorded the status of worship in Islam. As a result of this thinking, for the first time in known history, all things in the universe have been subjected to research and investigation. The scientific way of thinking of the modern age initiated in the early period of Islam, continued as a process to grow, spreading from one country to another until it reached the west where it saw its culmination in the western world. In respect of its reality, this scientific thinking is a revolution desirable by Islam itself. After this revolution, for the first time in human history the idolatrous way of thinking has been totally deprived of its ideological base. The concept of the sacredness of natural phenomena is now seen for what it is—a superstition, for modem scientific investigation has demonstrated belief of this kind to be baseless. All that happened was exactly in accordance with the Divine plan, the Prophet, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, and his companions, may Allaah be pleased with them, having been asked to carry out this divine scheme. Allaah Almighty Says )what means(:“Fight them until there be no persecution and religion be wholly God’s”.]Quran 8:39[ This means that there was no longer any barrier to man’s making a choice in the way of God. This was the final goal of the revolution brought about by the Prophet Muhammad, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, and his companions. It ended that absolutist system of coercion which places curbs upon personal decisions about one’s religion. It also removed the veil of obstacles in ideological terms which confused and mislead people, as a result of which they began to worship creatures supposing them to he creators. The Quran tells us that there is no compulsion in the matter of religion, with the proviso that true guidance and misconceptions should be thoroughly separated from one another. )2:256( Truth and falsehood stand clearly separated from each other, just like light and darkness after the sun has risen. This was something which—after the Islamic revolution—could be grasped beyond the shadow of a doubt by anyone who sought reality with an open mind. No one was left groping in the dark. And no one was left with any excuses for rejecting God. To this particular end, Allaah Almighty brought about the revolutions in human history, as mentioned above. Now truth and untruth have become so distinct from one another that there is no thick or thin veil in between: the task of clarification has been performed so thoroughly that the man of today has total freedom of choice. Now in his journey towards Allaah Almighty, man is hindered neither by false ideologies nor by practical barriers.

Welcome to Islam, - The revolutionary role of Islam – I

As a result of ignorance the evil known as the worship of natural phenomena was born in human society. Man attributed divinity to mere creatures. He began to worship all the things in the world, holding them to be gods. Owing to this intellectual aberration, idolatry became a rooted feature of human civilization. Not even the coming of thousands of Prophets and reformers could bring about any change in this state of affairs, in the practical sense. The rejection of the Prophets brought down on the deniers the chastisement of God, butshirk)idolatry( could never be wiped out from society. Then God Almighty took it upon Himself to intervene. One major manifestation of this Divine intervention in human history was the emergence of the Prophet Muhammad, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam. An American encyclopedia has very appropriately described his coming as having “changed the course of human history.” French historian, Henri Pirenne, has expressed it thus: ‘Islam changed the face of the globe. The traditional order of history was overthrown.” The Quran, in defining the objective of the divine intervention, has this to say )what means(:"It is He that has sent forth His Prophet with guidance and the true faith, so that he may exalt it above all religions. God is the All-sufficient witness."]Quran 48:28[ This has found expression in ahadithrecorded in Saheeh Al-Bukhaari:"He will not depart from this world as God has decreed, unless and until these people are brought to the straight path." This shows that, for the Prophets of the past, may Allah exalt their mention, communication alone was required, whereas for the Prophet Muhammad, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, not just communication but also implementation was required. The task of the earlier prophets was completed with the full communication of the message to the people. But the Divine plan in sending the Prophet Muhammad, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, to the world was to bring about a practical revolution. His message could not, therefore, remain at the theoretical stage. It being beyond human capacity to make the end result a certainty, how was the Prophet’s, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, message to be translated into reality? It all became possible due to the special Divine succor extended to the Prophet, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, by God Almighty. This took the form of a Divine plan which had two basic aspects to it: one, to provide the Prophet, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, with a powerful and trustworthy team, and the other to significantly weaken the enemies of monotheism by means of a special strategy, so that the Prophet, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, and his companions, may Allaah be pleased with them, could easily dominate their opponents. The first part of this Divine plan was brought to completion in the form of the settlement of Ismaa’eel, son of Prophet Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt their mention, in the unpopulated desert of Arabia, two thousand five hundred years ago. At that time it was a totally isolated place situated far from the centres of civilization. There, a community was raised by Ismaaeel ibn Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt their mention, trained in the desert atmosphere where there was nothing save nature. As a natural result of this unadulterated atmosphere, )free from all man-made pollution,( the human qualities of the inhabitants of the desert were fully preserved. It was like a vast natural training camp. It took more than two thousand years to evolve a nation of such high calibre as to be called a “nation of heroes” by a western scholar. In the history of the Arabs, this nation is known as the Ismaailites. Despite religious perversion having set in, so distinguished were they in human values—thanks to their particular training—that they had no peers among those who came before or after them. The Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, one of the distinguished members of the Banu Ismaa’eel, struggled for about thirteen years in Makkah and ten years in Madeenah. Ultimately, more than one hundred thousand people believed in him and joined his mission. Each and every one of his companions, may Allaah be pleased with them, possessed a strong and dependable character. In this way, the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, in an exceptional way, secured a team by which he could bring the message of the Prophets, may exalt their mention, to fruition—taking the prophetic mission from the theoretical stage of ideology to the practical stage of revolution. The next part of this Divine plan consisted of weakening these anti-monotheism forces so considerably that the last Prophet might subjugate them and usher in the desired revolution in the very first generation itself. To achieve this end, the Arabian tribes remained engaged for a long period of time in bloody, internecine warfare. Consequently, when the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, was sent to the world, the idolatrous tribes of Arabia, having so weakened themselves, could not continue their resistance for long. This enabled the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, to overcome Arabia and root out idolatry completely within a short period of time. In those days there were two great empires outside of Arabia. These empires kept the major parts of Asia and Africa under their full control. Their power was so great that the Arabs could not even have dreamed of overcoming them. Despite this extremely out of proportion difference, how did it become possible for the Arabs of the very first generation, to conquer both these empires—the Sassanid and Roman—in such a decisive way as to crush them absolutely, resulting in the dominance of monotheism over idolatry throughout this region? This miracle became a reality owing to a special Divine strategy, which is paralleled by the case of the Romans: Allaah Almighty Says what means:"The Romans have been defeated in a neighbouring land. But after their defeat they shall themselves gain victory within a few years."]Quran, 30:1-3[ History shows that from 602 to 628 A.D., extremely extraordinary events took place between these two great empires. First, the royal families in the respective countries clashed internally with one another, and in consequence, many individuals of great political worth were killed. In fact, these feuds gave a death blow to these empires, shaking them to the very roots. Subsequently, certain factors led to the destructive collision of these empires with one another. First the armies of the Sassanid empire crossed the border of the Roman empire to attack it. Circumstances proved favourable and they succeeded to the extent that the Roman Emperor Heraclius decided to flee from his Palace in Constantinople. But again, events took a new turn. Heraclius regained his lost confidence and after making full preparations, attacked the Sassanid empire, destroyed their armed forces and penetrated right into the heart of Jerusalem. These civil wars, lasting for about twenty five years, considerably weakened both these empires. Therefore, during the pious caliphate when the Arab forces entered the Roman and Sassanid empires, they managed to advance with great speed.