The coming of Imam Mahdi is a significant event in Islamic eschatology. According to Islamic belief, Imam Mahdi is a righteous man from among the descendants of Prophet Muhammad who will appear at the end of time to set mankinds affairs straight and fill the earth with fairness and justice. The signs that will precede his arrival include widespread corruption and the earth being filled with wrongdoing and aggression. Some of the other signs that will precede his arrival are as follows:
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Every time a fitna (trial or tribulation) has come to an end, another will start, spread, and intensify. The people will be troubled to such an extent that they will long for death.
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The appearance of the Sufyani, a tyrant who will spread corruption and mischief on the earth before Imam Mahdi. He will be such a tyrant that he will kill children and rip out the bellies of women. When he hears about the Mahdi, he will send an army to seize and kill him. However, the earth will swallow this army before it even reaches Imam Mahdi.
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The Double Eclipse in Ramadan.
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The coming of Dajjal, a false messiah who will deceive people with his miracles and claim to be God.
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The return of Prophet Isa (Jesus), who will descend from heaven and join forces with Imam Mahdi to defeat Dajjal and establish justice and peace on earth.
When Imam Mahdi comes, he will face an overturned atmosphere, and the earth will be filled with anarchy and chaos. He will eradicate injustice and evil from the world and establish a caliphate. After 7 to 13 years, he will die, and Jesus will take over and rule for 40 years. Their deaths will be followed by the reappearance of corruption before the final end of the world.
It is important to note that no one can determine or specify how many years are left before the arrival of Imam Mahdi, Dajjal, etc. What is important is that Muslims need to prepare themselves and their future generations to work on possessing solid sound faith and increase their good works as a shield for and against the incoming intensity of trials.
