Signs of the reappearance of Al Qaim

[Amira A]

The Signs of the Reappearance (Qiyam) of the (Imam) whoundertakes the Office (al-Qa'im), Peace be on him, the Period of Time of his Appearance, an Explanation of his Life and an Extract of what is revealed about his State.


Traditions have been reported mentioning the signs for the time of
the appearance of the Imam who will arise (qa'im), peace be on him,
and the events which will take place before his appearance, together
with the indications and features of it. Among them are: The Sufyani
will come out in revolt; the Hasanid will be killed; the Abbasids will
dispute over worldly kingdom; there will be an eclipse of the sun in
the middle of the month of Ramadan; there will be an eclipse of the
moon at the end of that month in contrast to ordinary happenings;
the land will be swallowed up at al-Bayda'; it will be swallowed in the
east-it will be swallowed up in the west; the sun will stay still from the
time of its decline to the middle of the time for the afternoon prayer; it
will rise from the west; a pure soul (nafs zakiyya) will be killed in the
outskirts of Kufa with seventy righteous men; a Hashimite will be
slaughtered between the corner (of the Ka'ba) and the station of
Abraham); the wall of the mosque of Kufa will be destroyed; black
standards will advance from Khurasan; al-Yamani will come out in
revolt; al-Maghribi will appear in Egypt and take possession of it
from Syria; the Turk will occupy the region of al-Jazira; the
Byzantines will occupy Ramla; the star will appear in the east giving
light just like the moon gives light; then (the new moon) will bend
until its two tips almost meet; a colour will appear in the sky and
spread to its horizons; a fire will appear for a long time in the east
remaining in the air for three or seven days; the Arabs will throw off
the reins and take possession of their land, throwing out the foreign
authority; the people of Egypt will kill their ruler and destroy Syria;
and three standards will dispute over it (Syria); the standards of Qays
and the Arabs will come among the people of Egypt; the standards of
Kinda (will go) to Khurasan; horses will come from the west until
they are stabled in al-Hira; the black standards will advance towards
them from the east; the Euphrates will flood so that the water comes
into the alleys of Kufa; sixty liars will come forward, all of them
claiming prophethood, and twelve will come forward from the family
of Abu Talib, all of them claiming the Imamate; a man of important
rank of the supporters of the 'Abbasids will be burnt between Jalula'
and Khaniqin; the bridge next to Karkh in the city of Baghdad will be
established; a black wind will raise it at the beginning of the day and
then an earthquake will occur so that much of it will be swallowed up;
fear will cover the people of Iraq and Baghdad; swift death (will
occur) there and there will be a loss of property, lives and harvests;
locusts will appear at their usual times and at times not usual so that
they attack agricultural land and crops and there will be little harvest
for what the people planted; two kinds of foreigners will dispute and
much blood will be shed in their quarrel; slaves will rebel against
obedience to their masters and kill their masters (mawali); a group of
heretics (ahl al-bida) will be transformed until they become monkeys
and pigs; slaves will conquer the land of their masters; a cry (will
come) from the sky (in such a way) that all the people will hear it in
their own languages; a face and a chest will appear in the sky before
the people in the centre of the sun; the dead will arise from their
graves so that they will return to the world and they will recognize one
another and visit one another; that will come to an end with twenty-
four continous rainstorms and the land will be revived by them after
being dead and it will recognize its blessings; after that every disease
will be taken away from those of the Shia of the Mahdi, peace be on
him, who believe in the truth; at that time they will know of his
appearance in Mecca and they will go to him to support him.

(These signs) are as the reports have mentioned. Among the total of
these events are some which are bound (to happen) and other which
are conditional. God knows best what will take place. We have only
mentioned them on the basis of what is recounted in basic sources of
tradition (usul) because of their inclusion in traditions which have
been handed down. From God we seek help and Him do we ask for
success.

[Abu al-Hasan 'Ali b. Bilal al-Muhallabi informed me:
Muhammad b. Jafar al-Mu'addib told me on the authority of
Ahmad b. Idris, on the authority of 'Ali b. Muhammad b. Qutayba,
on the authority of al-Fadl b. Shadhan, on the authority of Ismaeil b.
al-Sabbah, who said: I heard an old man among our colleagues
mention on the authority of Sayf b. Umayra, who said:]

I (i.e. Sayf b. 'Umayra) was with Abu Jafar al-Mansur and he said
to me of his own accord: "There will certainly be a voice calling from
the sky the name of a man from the descendants of Abu Talib."

"May I be your ransom, Commander of the faithful," I said, "do
you relate that?"

"Indeed, by Him in Whose hands is my life," he replied, "because
my own ears have heard it."

"Commander of the faithful," I said, "this tradition which you
have heard is before my time."

"Sayf, it is the truth," he told me. "When it happens, we will be the
first to answer it. Indeed the call will be for a man from the
descendants of our uncle."

"A man from the descendants of Fatima, peace be on her?" I
asked.

"Yes," he replied. "Sayf, if it was not for the fact that I have heard
from Abu Jafar Muhammad b. Ali (al-Baqir), who told me about it,
even though all the people of the earth have told me about it, I would
not accept it from them. However it was Muhammad b. Ali (al-
Baqir), peace be on them, (who told me)."

[Yahya b. Abi Talib reported on the authority of Ali b. Asim, on
the authority of Ata' b. al-Sa'ib, on the authority of his father on the
authority of Abd Allah b. Umar, who said:]

The Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, said: "The
hour (of the end of the world) will not arise until the Mahdi from my
descendants comes forth. The Mahdi will not come forth until sixty
liars come forward, all of them declaring: 'I am a prophet.' "

[al-Fadl b. Shadhan reported on the authority of one who reported
it on the authority of Abu Hamza al-Thumali, who said:]

I (i.e. Abu Hamza al-Thumali) asked Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace
be on him: "Is the revolt of the Sufyani one of the things which must
happen?"

"Yes," he replied. "The call is one of the things which must happen
as is the rising of the sun from the west one of the things which must
happen. The dispute of the Abbasids over the state is also one of
them and the killing of the pure soul (al-nafs al-zakiyya). The
appearance of the one who will arise (al-qa'im) from the family of
Muhammad, may God bless him and his family, is another of the
things which must happen."

"How will the call be?" I asked.

"There will be a call from the sky at the beginning of the dayù
indeed the truth is with Ali; and his Shia,'' he said. "Then at the end
of the day, Satan will call from the earth - indeed the truth is with
Uthman and his supporters. At that the false one will feel doubt."

[al-Hasan b. Ali al-Washsha' (reported) on the authority of
Ahmad b. A'idh, on the authority of Abu Khadija, on the authority
of Abu Abd Allah (Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be on him:]

(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "The one who will arise (al-qa'im) will not
come forth until twelve of the Banu Hashim come forth before him,
all of them summoning men to themselves."

[Muhammad b. Abi al-Bilad (reported) on the authority of Ali b.
Muhammad al-Azdi, on the authority of his father, on the authority
of his grandfather, who said:]

The Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, said: "Before the
one who will arise (al-qa'im), there will be red death and white death;
there will be locusts at their usual time and at their unusual time like
the colours of blood. As for red death that is (from) the sword,while
white death is (from) plague."

[al-Hasan b. Mahbub (reported) on the authority of 'Amr b. Abi
Miqdam, on the authority of Jabir al-Jufi on the authority of Abu-
Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him:]

(Al-Baqir) said: "Stay close to the ground. Don't move an arm or a
leg until you see the signs which I will mention to youùI don't think
that you will live until that time. The Abbasids will dispute; a voice
will call from the sky; one of the villages of Syria called
al-Jabiyya will
be swallowed up; the Turks will occupy the region of al-Jazira; the
Byzantines will attack al-Ramla; at that time there will be much
conflict throughout the land until Syria is destroyed. The cause of its
destruction will be the meeting of three standards there: the standard
of the Red, the standard of the Spotted and the standard of the
Sufyam."

[Ali b. Abi Hamza (reported) on the authority of Abu al-Hasan
Musa, peace be on him:]

Concerning the words of Him, the Mighty and High: We will show
them our signs on the horizons and in themselves so that it will become
clear to them that it is the truth [XLI 53], (Musa) said: "(There will be)
a disturbance on the horizons and the enemies of truth will be
changed in form."

[Wahb b. (Abi) Hafs (reported) on the authority of Abu Basir, who
said:]

I (i.e. Abu Basir) heard Abu Jafar (al-Baqir) speak concerning the
words of Him, the Exalted: If We wish, We will send down on them
signs from the sky, and their necks will remain bent submissively to
them (XXVI 4). He said: "God will do that to them."

"Who are they?" I asked.

"The Umayyads and their supporters," he answered.

"What is the sign?" I asked.

"Between the decline of the sun (at noon) and the time of the
afternoon prayer, the sun will remain still," he said. "The chest and
face of man will appear in the centre of the sun, who will be
recognized by his standing and genealogy. That will occur in the time
of the Sufyani. At that moment his destruction will occur and the
destruction of his people."

[Abd Allah b. Bukayr (reported) on the authority of Abd al-
Malik b. Ismail, on the authority of his father, on the authority of
Said b. Jubayr:]

(Sa'id b. Jubayr) said: "In the year in which the Mahdl will rise,
twenty rain storms will rain on the earth. You will see their effects and
benefits."

[al-Fadl b. Shadhan (reported) on the authority of Ahmad b.
Muhammad b. Abi Nasr , on the authority of Thalaba al-Azdi, who
said:]

Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him, said: "Two signs will come
before the one who will arise (al-qa'im), peace be on him: there will be
an eclipse of the sun in the middle of the month of Ramadan and an
eclipse of the moon at the end of it."

"Son of the Apostle of God," I said, "usually the eclipse of the sun
occurs at the end of the month and the eclipse of the moon occurs in
the middle of it?"

"I know what I have said," replied Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be
on him. "They are signs which have not occurred since Adam came
down."

[Thalaba b. Maymun (reported) on the authority of Shuayb al-
Haddad, on the authority of Salih. b. Maytham, who said:]

I (i.e. Salih b. Maytham) heard Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on
him, say: "There is no longer than fifteen nights between the
appearance of the one who will rise (al-qa'im), peace be on him, and
the killing of the pure soul (al-nafs al-zakiyya)."

[Amr b Shamir (reported) on the authority of Jabir (al-Jufi) who
said:]

I (i.e. Jabir al-Jufi) said to Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him:
"When will this event occur?"

"Jabir, that will occur at a time when the killing between al-Hira
and Kufa is considerable," he replied.

[Muhammad b. Sinan (reported) on the authority of al-Husayn b.
al-Mukhtar, on the authority of Abu Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq),
peace be on him:]

(Ja'far al-Sadiq) said: "When the wall of the mosque of Kufa,
which adjoins the house of Abd Allah b. Masud is destroyed, then at
that time the ruler of the people will disappear. At his disappearance,
the one who will rise (al-qai'im), peace be on him, will come forth."

[Sayf b. 'Umayra (reported) on the authority of Bakr b.
Muhammad, on the authority of Abu 'Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq),
peace be on him:]

(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "There will be three appearances in one year,
one month and one dayùthe Sufyani, the Khurasani and the
Yamam. The standard of guidance will not be among them, except
the standard of the Yamani, because he will summon (people) to the
truth."

[al-Fadl b. Shadhan (reported) on the authority of Ahmad b.
Muhammad b. Abi Nasr, on the authority of Abu al-Hasan al-Rida,
peace be on him:]

(Al-Rida) said: "What you stretch your necks for will not occur
until you are able to discern and to be tested. Only a few of you will
remain."

Then he recited: Alif Lam. Do the people consider that they can
abandon saying " We believe whenever they are tempted? [XXIX 1-2].
He said: "Among the signs of the relief is an event which will occur
between the two mosques (of Mecca and Medina). So-and-so from
the descendants of so-and-so will kill fifteen leaders of the Arabs."

[Al-Fadl b. Shadhan (reported) on the authority of Muammar b.
Khallad, on the authority of Abu al-Hasan (al-Rida), peace be on
him:]

(Al-Rida) said: "(It is as if I see) standards, dyed green, coming
from Egypt until they come to the Syrian (standards). Then they will
be guided to the descendant of the one who gave the testamentary
bequests of authority (to the Imams)."

[Hammad b. Isa (reported) on the authority of Ibrahim b. Umar
al-Yamani on the authority of Abu Basir, on the authority of Abu
Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be on him:]

(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "The kingdom of these men will not
disappear until they slaughter people in Kufa on Friday. It is as if I
was looking at heads falling between the Gate of al-Fil and (the place
of) the soap-sellers."

[Ali b. Asbat (reported) on the authority of (Abu) al-Hasan b. al-
Jahm, who said:]

A man asked Abu al-Hasan (Musa), peace be on him, about the
relief. He asked: "Do you want most of it or shall I give you a
summary?"

"Would you give me a summary?" he said.

"(It will be) when the standards of Qays are carried in Egypt and
the standards of Kinda in Khurasan," he replied.

[Al-Husayn b. Abi 'Ala' (reported) on the authority of Abu Basir,
on the authority of Abu Abd Allah (Ja'far al-Sadiq), peace be on
him:]

(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "Because of the sons of so-and-so there will
be a battle at your mosqueùmeaning the mosque of Kufa. On one
Friday four thousand will be killed between the Gate of al-Fil to (the
place of) the soap-sellers. Beware of this street. Avoid it. Those who
are in the best situation will take the street of the Ansar."

[Ali b. Abi Hamza (reported) on the authority of Abu Basir, on
the authority of Abu 'Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be on him:]

(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "Before (the coming of) the one who will rise
(al-qa'im), peace be on him, there will be a year of abundant rain in
which the fruits and the dates on the palms will be destroyed. But
don't complain of that."

[Ibrahim b. Muhammad (reported) on the authority of Ja'far b.
Sad, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Abu Abd
Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be on him:]

(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "In the year of the Conquest (by the Mahdi)
the Euphrates will flood so that the water goes into the alleys of
Kufa."

[It is reported in the account (hadith) of Muhammad b. Muslim,
who said:]

I (i.e. Muhammad b. Muslim) heard Abu Abd Allah (Jafar al-
Sadiq), peace be on him, say: "Before (the coming) of the one who
will rise (al-qaim) there will be a trial from God."

"May I be your ransom, what is that?" I asked him.

He recited: Let Us test you with fear, with hunger, and with lack of
money, of lives and of harvests. Good news will come to those who are
steadfast [II 55]. Then he said: "The fear will be from the kings of the
Banu so-and-so; the hunger will be as a result of exorbitant prices; the
lack of money will be due to the failure of trade and the scarcity of
surplus (goods) in it; the lack of lives will be because of swift death;
the lack of harvest will be due to the great rains and the little benefit
they bring to the crops." Then he continued: "The good news for
those who are steadfast is that the one who will rise (al-qa'im) will
soon come forth."

[Al-Husayn b. Sa'id (reported) on the authority of Mundhir al-
Jawzi, on the authority of Abu Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be
on him:]

(Mundhir al-Jawzi) said: I heard (Ja'far al-Sadiq) say: "Before the
coming of the one who will rise (al-qa'im), peace be on him, the people
will be chided for their acts of disobedience by a fire which will appear
in the sky and a redness which will cover the sky. It will swallow up
Baghdad, it will swallow up Kufa. There blood will be shed and
houses destroyed. Death (fana) will occur amid their people and a
fear will come over the people of Iraq from which they shall have no
rest."


Kitab al Irshad
Chapter: The Twelfth Imam (Peace be on him)
Page (s): 541 - 548
Published by Tehrike Tersile Qura'n

Contributed by Br. Ali Abbas, abbas@seas.gwu.edu