Iranian film says Muslim messiah returning soon

Ahmadinejad (Daniella Zalcman http://dan.iella.net/)

A documentary video, “The Coming is Near,” released on March 28 by the Iranian government promotes the idea that the Mahdi, an apocalyptic Muslim messiah, is about to return to usher a new Islamic civilization.  The documentary is based in Twelver Muslim theology to which many of Iran’s highest leaders subscribe. 

Twelver Muslims are a branch of Shia (Shiite) Islam.  Shiites and Sunnis, two factions prominent in the Iraq War, split after the death of Muhammad in A.D. 632 in a disagreement over who his successor should be.  Sunnis, the dominant branch of Islam, believe that leadership should be by elected leaders, while Shiites believe that Muslim leaders should come from Muhammad’s family line.  The Shia believe that there were twelve such leaders, called imams, although many Shia religious leaders use the title today.

The twelfth imam, Imam al-Mahdi, lived in Samarra, Iraq and was last seen in A.D. 874.  Twelvers believe that the Mahdi is in “occultation,” in the spirit world, where he is still alive.  They believe that he will one day return during a time of world chaos to usher in a worldwide Islamic caliphate (kingdom). 

According to the Iranian documentary (you can see a translated version here), the second coming of the Mahdi will occur in the near future.   Although the Mahdi is not mentioned in the Koran, his return is discussed the hadiths, collections of narrative sayings by Islamic leaders.  Some of the signs of the Mahdi’s return discussed in the film include fear, earthquakes, and sedition throughout the world.  Cultural decay, such as adultery, homosexuality, and women not wearing the hejab (head scarf and/or veil) are also cited.

The film addresses recent world events and singles out the United States and Israel as sources of evil in the world.  It also specifically points to several nations that the film’s producers believe are keys to the return of the Mahdi.  Most obviously, Iraq, home to many of the world’s Shiites, is mentioned.  Twelvers believe that Iraq will be central to the conflicts that precede the Mahdi’s return as well as the eventual  capitol of the Mahdi’s worldwide Islamic caliphate.  In the final battle against Israel, Iraqi forces will march under flags that say “Alghovah.”

The film also mentions Yemen, one of many Arab nations where protesters are demanding the resignation of the ruling authoritarian government.  The film focuses on the Shiite guerillas allied with al-Qaeda.  Yemen was the origin of several bombs sent to the U.S. and U.K. in October 2010.  According to the hadiths about the Mahdi, Yemen will be the embroiled in a revolution prior to the Mahdi’s second coming.  When the Mahdi returns, one of his first battles will be against an army of one of the Yemeni tribes.  Yemeni soldiers will be among the first to enter Mecca after the Mahdi’s return.

The hadiths also refer to turmoil in Egypt.  The filmmakers say that that the people of Egypt were prophesied to rise up and kill their leader, plunging the country into turmoil.  The people of Egypt recently ousted their dictator, Hosni Mubarak, but they did not kill him.  Thus far, the Egyptian revolution has been relatively peaceful.

Saudi Arabia, the location of Mecca, also is found the film’s interpretation of Islamic prophecy.  The hadiths mention a royal line that some Muslim theologians believe is the house of Saud.  The death of a Saudi king named Abdullah is one of the key signs of the Mahdi’s return.  The current king of Saudi Arabia is named Abdullah and is suffering from an unspecified and possibly life-threatening illness.

It is perhaps unsurprising to anyone familiar with the Middle East that the Twelvers believe that Palestine (Israel) is also central to their end-time prophecies.  Imam Ali, the first imam after the Sunni-Shia split, said that Jews would come from the west and take control of Palestine while Arabs were divided.  According the film, Jewish control would last “until the time that the Arabs rid themselves of the influence of others, take back control of their affairs, and once again have strong determination.  At that time, they shall conquer the land of Palestine and the Arabs will be victorious and united.”  The destruction of Israel is the most important event marking the Mahdi’s return.

Khamenei (Dragonfire1024/Wikimedia)

Also unsurprising is the Iranian view of Iran’s role in the Mahdi’s return.  The filmmakers believe that the 1979 revolution was a precursor to the Mahdi’s return and that Iran’s purpose is to prepare the way for the Mahdi.  Muhammad is believed to have said, “In the end of time, descendents of Imam Ali will join ranks, their hearts close to one another through the cause of Ruhollah.”  The film depicts this is a reference to the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who they believe fulfills the prophecy of the man from Qom (a city in Iran where Khomeini studied). 

Imam Bagher, the fifth imam, is quoted in the film as saying, “I can see that the oppressed will rise from the East and request their rights and justice, but when it is ignored, they draw their swords and confront the enemy and that is how they succeed.  But they are not satisfied until all will revolt to see the guidance of the last messiah and their killed will be one of Martyrs.”

The film also discusses the primary characters in the Mahdi prophecies.  The Sofiani is only briefly mentioned in the film, but other sources indicate that this is a bloodthirsty leader with links to Syria.  The Sofiani will send an army to oppose the Mahdi.  He will also kill women and children.  Ironically, suicide bombers, terrorists, and Arab dictators all make war on women and children.

Seyed Khorasani is another prominent figure.  The film says that he is a high official who controls a great army and will pass the flag of Islam to the Mahdi.  He will reportedly be from the town of Bani Hashem and the province of Khorasan (although Bani Hashem is in Hormozgan rather than Khorasan).  He will also have a sign or disorder in his right hand and is associated with black flags.  The film claims that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may be Seyed Khorasani.  Khamenei is from Mashad, which is in Khorasan, and his right arm has been paralyzed since an assassination attempt in 1981.

The Yamani is also named in the film.  Yamani is a soldier of the Mahdi with strong ties to Yemen.  The film points to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the terrorist group Hezbollah, as the Yamani.  The film claims that he was born in Yemen and immigrated to Lebanon, but western sources indicate that he was actually born in Beirut.

Finally, Shoeib-Ebne Saleh is the commander-in-chief appointed 72 months prior to the Mahdi’s second coming.  Saleh is appointed by Seyed Khorasani with the goal of capturing Jerusalem.  Not surprisingly, the identity of Shoeib-Ebne Saleh is purported to be none other than Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Ahmadinejad was took office on August 6, 2005.  In the estimation of the filmmakers, end time events will be occurring 72 months, six years, after Ahmadinejad’s inauguration.  That will be this August. 

Putin and Khamenei.  Ezekiel prophesied an alliance between Russia and Iran (www.kremlin.ru.)

Accordingly, Ayatollah Khamenei is quoted in the film as saying,   “I can tell you with utmost confidence:  The promise of Allah for The Coming and the establishment of a new Islamic civilization is on its way.”  The approaching date of August 2011 also explains the title of the documentary.  The leaders of Iran truly believe that the emergence of their Islamic messiah is only a few months from occurring. 

Many Georgians might be surprised to know that there is a Twelver Shia congregation in Atlanta.  The Dar-e-Abbas Islamic Center in Lilburn describes itself as adhering to the “Ashari (Twelver) Shiah tradition of Islam” on its Facebook page.  Several attempts were made to contact Dar-e-Abbas by email and telephone, but thus far no response has been received. 

Many western observers, particularly those who are secular, may discount the effect of Twelver prophetic beliefs on the geopolitical actions of Iran’s leadership.  However, Ahmadinejad and Khamenei have a long history of working to prepare the world for the Mahdi.  Their goal of a Muslim Jerusalem and an Islamic caliphate extending around the world puts them on a collision course, not only with Israel, but with the United States and most of the rest of the world.  If the Iranian regime obtains nuclear weapons, they may set in motion events that will spark a large-scale atomic holy war.

http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/iran-film-says-muslim-messiah-is-near"> 

Waiting for the Mahdi: A Look at Twelver Islam

The Muslim world is separated into two main groups of adherents, the Sunni and the Shiite (or Shia). The Sunnis are the dominant group with Shiites being found predominantly in Iraq and Iran. Of the Shia, the largest group is the Twelvers, or Imami Muslims.

The schism dates back to death of Mohammed in AD 632. The Shia believe that the head of the Islamic religion is passed through the bloodline of Mohammed or imams selected by Allah. The Shia believe that leadership of Islam passed to Mohammed’s cousin and son-in-law, Ali. The word “Shia” is a shortened form of “Shia-t-Ali,” which means “the party of Ali.” Shia leaders are called “imams.”

Sunnis, on the other hand, believe that the legitimate head of Islam is elected from among the qualified Islamic clerics. Sunnis chose Abu Bakr, a close friend and protégé of Mohammed, as the first Caliph of the greater Islamic nation. The word “Sunni” means “one who follows in the traditions of the prophet.” The Shia have always rejected these elected Sunni leaders.

There were a total of twelve imams beginning with Imam Ali. The last imam was Mahmoud al-Mahdi who lived in Samarra, Iraq and was last seen in AD 874. Twelvers believe that al-Mahdi disappeared into “occultation,” hiding in the spirit world, and is still alive. The Mahdi, as the twelfth imam is known, supposedly communicated from the spirit world through intermediaries called Babs, or “gates.” The last Bab died in AD 941, marking the end of the lesser occultation and the beginning of the greater occultation. In the greater occultation, the Mahdi can no longer communicate with earth until he returns to earth shortly before the Final Judgment and the end of the world.

Twelver theology indicates that the twelfth imam will one day return when the world is in a time of great chaos and upheaval. The Mahdi will return to usher in a period of peace and justice under a worldwide Islamic caliphate. They also believe that Jesus Christ will return to rule alongside the Mahdi as his aide.

It is important to note that Sunnis do not accept these teachings about the Mahdi because they do not appear in the Koran itself. Instead these teachings are found in the hadiths, a collection of the sayings of Mohammed and other traditions that were compiled by his followers. The Sunni and Shia branches of Islam each recognize their own separate hadiths.

There are several signs that Shia believe will precede the Mahdi’s return. First is that it will be in a time of fear, violence, and chaos. Second, there will be a battle in the city of Mina, Saudi Arabia. Mina is near Mecca and accommodates many pilgrims making the hajj, or pilgrimage, to Islam’s holy city. The pilgrims will be robbed and many will be killed. They also believe that gold will be discovered along the Euphrates River. The find will provoke a battle in which people are killed. Shia also expect voices from the sky and an angel who will proclaim, “This is the Mahdi. Follow him.”

A major sign is the emergence of the Sufyani. This leader will be linked to Syria and will be a bloodthirsty ruler who will kill women and children. The Sufyani will send his army to capture the Mahdi, but the army will be swallowed up by the deserts of Saudi Arabia.

The hadiths also provide a description of the returning Mahdi. His name will be Mohammed and his father’s name will be Abdullah. He will be of average build and height. He will have a shiny forehead and a high nose. His complexion will be light, but his hair will be dark. He will also have a slight stutter. The Mahdi will appear from the east with an army marching under black banners.

When he appears, some of the people of Makkah, Saudi Arabia will give him bayat, their allegiance. He will be miraculously protected from harm as a Syrian army comes for him. This will inspire other Syrians and Iraqis to give him their allegiance.

The Mahdi’s first battle will be against the army of a Yemeni tribe, which he will win. The Mahdi will also fight a great war against a large number of Christians. Although many Muslims will be killed, the Mahdi will win the war and capture Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey). The Mahdi will then become Caliph, or ruler, for a period of seven years.

Next, the Dajjal will appear. The Dajjal is a Muslim equivalent of the Antichrist. He is a fat, one-eyed man with a broad chest and sharp teeth. On his forehead is the word “infidel.” The Dajjal will be a deceiver who will trick people into following him. He will be able to spread wealth among his followers. He will fail to take the Saudi city of Medina, and will then turn toward Damascus with his army of 70,000 Jews.

As the Mahdi and his army prepare to face the Dajjal, Jesus will descend from heaven. His breath will kill much of the Dajjal’s army before killing the Dajjal himself with a spear. Afterwards, the Muslim army will kill the remainder of the Dajjal’s Jewish army. When they attempt to hide behind a rock, the rock will call the Muslims to kill the hiding Jew. Jesus will then become a Caliph and spread Islam throughout the world.

While many people, especially in Western countries, reject this Shia theology out of hand, it is important to realize that it doesn’t matter whether we believe it; what matters is that thousands of Muslims around the world believe it. Twelvers have already played a major role in a recent armed conflict: the Iraq War.

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr led his Mahdi Army against Iraqi government and Coalition forces for several years after the fall of Saddam Hussein. In August 2004, he went so far as to call upon his followers to rise up and fight US troops. The Mahdi Army figured prominently in Iraq’s sectarian strife for several years until the “surge” of US troops. In August 2008, al-Sadr announced plans to have the Mahdi Army’s military operations stand down, largely due to a drop in Iranian funding. The Mahdi Army remains a coherent organization, but is now focused on Shiite spirituality.

Devotees of the Mahdi also figure prominently in the Iranian government. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is widely believed to have been a member of the Hojjatieh Society. This society was banned by the Ayatollah Khomeini after the Iranian Revolution because its members opposed the creation of an Islamic Republic, believing instead that the Mahdi should be the one to establish such a theocratic government. Along with Ahmadinejad, several members of his cabinet are believed to be Hojjatieh members.

Ahmadinejad has a long history as a follower of the Mahdi. In his former role as mayor of Tehran, he built a grand avenue for the Mahdi’s return and, as president, built a rail line from Tehran to Jamkaran, where the Mahdi is believed to have appeared at a wishing well. He also allocated $17 million to renovate the Jamkaran mosque. At his first cabinet meeting, Ahmadinejad required his cabinet members to swear an oath to the Mahdi.

More importantly, Ahmadinejad has also spearheaded Iran’s efforts to build a nuclear weapon. In numerous speeches since his election, he has spoke of his devotion to the Mahdi and his belief that the Mahdi will return soon. For example, he publicly stated that the goal of his administration was to establish a government and society that would be “a platform for the reappearance of the Mahdi.”

On his addresses to the United Nations, Ahmadinejad has also invoked the Mahdi. He ended his 2005 speech with a prayer: “O mighty lord, I pray to you to hasten the emergence of your last repository, the Promised One, that perfect and pure human being, the One that will fill this world with justice and peace.” He was not referring to Barack Obama.

Ahmadinejad later recalled, “One of our group told me that when I started to say ‘In the name of God the almighty and merciful,’ he saw a light around me, and I was placed inside this aura. I felt it myself. I felt the atmosphere suddenly change, and for those 27 or 28 minutes, the leaders of the world did not blink... And they were rapt. It seemed as if a hand was holding them there and had opened their eyes to receive the message from the Islamic republic.”

Ahmadinejad has also stated his intention to wipe Israel “off the map,” but he doesn’t stop there. He also says that “the Imam gave him the presidency for a single task: provoking a ‘clash of the civilizations’ in which the Muslim world, led by Iran, takes on the ‘infidel’ West, led by the United States, and defeats it.”

For those who take Ahmadinejad’s apocalyptic statements seriously, it is disturbing to think that a man who believes that he is called by Allah to sow chaos and destruction in the world may one day soon have nuclear weapons at his command. As Ayatollah Khamenei said, “It is the mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to erase Israel from the map of the region.”

Ahmadinejad’s meteoric rise to power from Tehran mayor has fueled his belief that Allah has a special role for him. In reality, it appears that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei helped to pave the way for Ahmadinejad. While Iran does have elections, the outcomes are heavily influenced by the Supreme Leader and his Revolutionary Guards.

It is also striking to note that belief in the Mahdi also has several parallels in Biblical end-time prophecy. The most obvious is that the Mahdi will appear as a militaristic savior during a time of fear, violence, and war. This closely resembles the Biblical Beast who will appear to lead a world government amid a time of God’s judgment on the earth.

In the theology of both religions, the end-time ruler will unify the world under a single religious and economic system. Both rulers will make war on Christians and Jews as well. Finally, both leaders will marshal their forces for apocalyptic end-time battles. As with the Mahdi, the Beast, or Antichrist, will also rule for a seven-year period, referred to by Christian theologians as the Tribulation. Also in both cases, Jesus will return at the end of the seven-year period. In Christian theology, He will return to judge the Antichrist and his minions. In Twelver theology, He will be a deputy to the Mahdi.

If Iran is allowed to obtain nuclear weapons, it is extremely likely that Ahmadinejad and Khamenei will use them to stoke the fires of fear and chaos in the world. It is likely that these weapons would be used against either Israel or the United States in an attempt to create a suitable environment for the return of the Mahdi. With the Iranian government convinced that they are doing the work of Allah, diplomacy is unlikely to convince them to shut down their weapons programs. It also likely that any attempt to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities would touch off a holy war as well. At this point, a war with Iran is extremely likely regardless of the West’s course of action.



Sources:
Rosenberg, Joel C. “Inside the Revolution,” Tyndale House, Carol Stream, IL 2009.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/intro/islam-ithna-ashari.htm
http://www.ezsoftech.com/akram/shia.asp
http://i-cias.com/e.o/twelvers.htm
http://islam.about.com/cs/divisions/f/shia_sunni.htm
http://www.inplainsite.org/html/imam_mahdi.html
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/SHIA/HIDDEN.HTM
http://www.inter-islam.org/faith/mahdi1.htm
http://www.inter-islam.org/faith/Majorsigns.html
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/al-sadr.htm
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,397483,00.html
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GI09Ak01.html
http://www.meforum.org/1985/ahmadinejad-and-the-mahdi
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-1_12_06_DP.html

Ft. Worth TX