THE PERIOD OF HAZRAT MAHDI'S (PBUH) RULE IN JUDAIC SCRIPTURES

According to Judaic belief, in the period following the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), all hatred, enmity and war in the world will come to an end. Peace and justice will be established, and an administration based on love will be set up.

During the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), there will also be great scientific advances. Cities will be beautified, and people will enjoy high standards of living. The land will be fertile and water plentiful, and there will be such wealth and plenty that no one will lack for anything. But people will also make great efforts, attaching greater importance to the spiritual than the material in order that they may draw closer to Allah. When religious moral values rule, disputes will come to an end. Populations will live in peace and security and the world will be filled with the knowledge of Allah.

The Yamot HaMashiach (the Days of Messiah)—an expression that Jews use to describe the time of the reign of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)—exhibits a very close agreement with the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that describe it as "the Golden Age." Here are some of these references to be found in Judaic scriptures:

1. The end of troubles:

The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces... (Isaiah, 25:8)
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy... (Isaiah, 35:5-6)
In his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] days... prosperity will abound till the Moon is no more. (Psalms, 72:7)
[They]... will enjoy great peace. (Psalms, 37:11)
You [my Lord] have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor... (Isaiah, 9:3-4)
They will not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble... (Isaiah, 65:23)
... The light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun, and the light of the Sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days? [Isaiah, 30:26]... The latter [refers] to the days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Talmud, Pesachim 68a)

2. Abundant water resources:

I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. (Isaiah, 41:18)
... I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. (Ezekiel, 34:26)
In that day... all the rivers will run with water... (Joel, 3:18)
I will send you rain in its season... (Leviticus, 26:4)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs... (Isaiah, 35:6-7)

3. Abundance and plenty:

... And the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. (Isaiah, 32:15)
I will call for the grain and make it plentiful... I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field. (Ezekiel, 36:29-30)
... I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field will give its fruit and the earth will give its increase... And I have raised for them a plant for renown. And they are no more consumed by hunger in the land ... (Ezekiel, 34:26-29)
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy... In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds will grow. (Isaiah, 35:1-2, 7)
In that time [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) era] there will be neither famine nor war, neither envy nor strife. All good things will be bestowed in abundance, and all delicacies will be accessible like dust. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)
In his days, the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the Moon is no more. (Psalms, 72:6-7)
... He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord... (Isaiah, 51:3)
In that day... the hills will flow with milk, all the rivers will run with water... (Joel, 3:18)
The shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor will possess the land forever. (Isaiah, 60:21)
... They will inherit a double portion... (Isaiah, 61:7)
"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes... They will make gardens and eat their fruit." (Amos, 9:13-14)
Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon... (Psalms, 72:16)

4. An end to hunger and want

"I... will not bring famine upon you..." declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezekiel, 36:29, 32)
[They] are destined to eat [their fill] in the days of the Messiah [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]... (Talmud, Sanhedrin, 98b)
"... Therefore wait for me," declares the Lord... They will eat and lie down... (Zephaniah, 3:9, 13)
They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. They will neither hunger nor thirst... (Isaiah, 49:9-10)
... And they are no more consumed by hunger in the land... (Ezekiel, 34:29)

5. An abundance of fruits:

In the generation in which the son of David [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will come... all the wild trees... will bear fruit; for it is said in Scripture, for the tree bears its fruit, the fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength. [Joel, 2:22] (Talmud, Kethuboth, 112b)
"The days are coming," declares the Lord... They will plant vineyards... They will make gardens and eat their fruit. (Amos, 9:13-14)
... The desert becomes a fertile field. (Isaiah, 32:15)
I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. (Leviticus, 26:4-5)

6. The eradication of atheist ideologies:

... It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be shattered... (1 Samuel, 2:9-10)
The Lord will be Ruler over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and His name the only name. (Zechariah, 14:9)

7. Faith in Allah will rule the earth:

... For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea... (Isaiah, 11:9)
And at that time... the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)
... In those days [of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)], knowledge, wisdom and truth will be increased in the world, as it is written, "... for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord"... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Repentance 9:2)
In the time to come, the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring the evil inclination [the system of dajjal/antimessiah] and slay it in the presence of the righteous and the wicked. (Talmud, Sukkah 52a)
... The Lord your God... will do you good... will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. (Deuteronomy, 30:5-6)
"After that time... no longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know Me..." declares the Lord. (Jeremiah, 31:33-34)
"The days are coming," declares the Sovereign Lord, "when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord." (Amos, 8:11)

8. People will begin to properly appreciate the greatness of Allah:

In that [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] era, [they] will attain an understanding of their Creator to the [full] extent of human potential... As it is said: "The earth shall be full with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea!" (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)
... They will see the Glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. (Isaiah, 35:2)
And the Glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it... (Isaiah, 40:5)

9. People will turn to Allah in awe:

... [They] will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. They will come trembling to the Lord and to His blessings in the last days. (Hosea, 3:5)
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him, for dominion belongs to the Lord... (Psalms, 22:27-28)
Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the Lord your God. Follow My decrees and be careful to obey My laws... (Leviticus, 25:17-18)

10. Allah will be revered as the One and Only God:

... The Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear. (Isaiah, 2:17-18)
Then will I [the Lord] purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve Him shoulder to shoulder. (Zephaniah, 3:9)
They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding... and I will be their God. (Ezekiel, 37:23)
In the Messianic age [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) age]... all nations will return to the true religion [to believe in One and Only Allah]... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
"On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more," declares the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah, 13:2)

11. Compliance with Allah's commandments and prohibitions:

They will follow My laws and be careful to keep My decrees. (Ezekiel, 37:24)
Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve Him shoulder to shoulder. (Zephaniah, 3:9)
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws. (Ezekiel, 36:26-27)
... "After that time," declares the Lord. I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God..." (Jeremiah, 31:33-34, Messianically applied in Yalkut Shimoni)
... In his [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] days all the statutes [Laws of God] shall be reinstituted as in former times... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 11:1)

12. They will live with the purity of faith, cleansed from sin:

They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding and I will cleanse them... (Ezekiel, 37:23-24)
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. (Ezekiel, 36:25)
And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people... [on] both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (Joel, 2:28-29)
I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against Me... (Jeremiah, 33:8)
Then will all your people be righteous... (Isaiah, 60:21)
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; the simple will not stray from it. (Isaiah, 35:8)
The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. (Psalms, 37:29)
Instead of their shame, My people will receive a double portion... (Isaiah, 61:7)
... Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in Me will not be disappointed. (Isaiah, 49:23)

13. An end to lies and fraud:

... [At the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), people] will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths... (Zephaniah, 3:13)
"On that day..." declares the Lord Almighty. "I will remove both the fake prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land." (Zechariah, 13:2)
 In his days, the righteous will flourish... (Psalms, 72:7)
For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. (Isaiah, 61:11)

14. There being no need for prisons:

This is what the Lord says: "... to say to the captives, 'come out,' and to those in darkness, 'be free!'" (Isaiah, 49:8-9)

15. Justice and honesty will rule the world:

 Justice will dwell in the desert and righteousness live in the fertile field. (Isaiah, 32:16)
In the Messianic age [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) age]... all nations... will no longer steal or oppress. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
The Messianic age [Golden Age] will be highlighted by a community of the righteous and dominated by goodness and wisdom. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

16. Rulers will be just:

... Rulers will rule with justice. Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. (Isaiah, 32:1-2)

17. An end to wars:

... In the last days... He [the Lord]... will settle disputes for many peoples... Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Isaiah, 2:2-4; Micah, 4:1-3)
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken... (Zechariah, 9:10)
And at that time [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) time], there will be no hunger or war, no jealousy or rivalry... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)
... Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. (Hosea, 2:18)
I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid... and no sword of war will go through your land. (Leviticus, 26:6)

18. An end to the arms race:

... Burn them [the weapons] up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears... They will use them for fuel... declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezekiel, 39:9-10)
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. (Isaiah, 2:4; ; Micah, 4:3)

19. An end to violence and terror:

They will neither harm nor destroy... (Isaiah, 11:9)
The meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace... (Psalms, 37:11)
"The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food... They will neither harm nor destroy..." says the Lord. (Isaiah, 65:25)

20. A climate of peace and security:

Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken... (Micah, 4:4)
The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest... How blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free. (Isaiah, 32:17-18, 20)
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together, and a little child will lead them... The lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy... (Isaiah, 11:6-9)
They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety... Then they will know that I am the Lord their God. (Ezekiel, 28:26)
I will... rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forests in safety. (Ezekiel, 34:25)
... The people will be secure in their land... They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. (Ezekiel, 34:27-28)
... No one will make them afraid. (Zephaniah, 3:13)
They will not... bear children for calamity... (Isaiah, 65:23)
... You will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. (Leviticus, 26:5)

21. People will live in happiness and joy:

Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah, 51:11)
Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. (Isaiah, 51:3)
 You [the Lord] have... increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. (Isaiah, 9:3)
... Everlasting joy will be theirs. (Isaiah, 61:7)
Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord... will have compassion on his afflicted ones. (Isaiah, 49:13)

22. They will enjoy peace and security:

... You will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. (Leviticus, 26:5-6)
... You will live safely in the land. (Leviticus, 25:18)
... Jerusalem will be living without fear of danger... It will be... secure. (Zechariah, 14:11)
I will heal My people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. (Jeremiah, 33:6)

23. There will be no difficulties in making ends meet:

... In the [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] age... it will be very easy for people to make a living... and with very little effort they will be able to accomplish very much. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)
With His love, He [the Lord] will rejoice over [the city]... restore your fortunes before your very eyes... (Zephaniah, 3:17, 20)
Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. (Leviticus, 25:19)

24. Danger and worry will vanish:

No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there... Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah, 35:9 -10)
... [They] shall again be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid. (Jeremiah, 30:10)

25. People being mentally and physically healthier:

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. (Isaiah, 35:5-6)
The Messianic era [the era of the Mahdi (pbuh)] will witness ultimate physical and spiritual bliss. All will be healed. (Midrash, Bereshit Rabba 20:56)

26. Ravaged cities will be rebuilt:

... They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them... (Amos, 9:14)
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. (Isaiah, 61:4)
I will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I... will rebuild them as they were before. (Jeremiah, 33:6-7)

27. More roads and bridges will be built:

I will turn all My mountains into roads, and My highways will be raised up. (Isaiah, 49:11)

28. The humble will replace the proud:

I will remove... those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty. (Zephaniah, 3:11)
I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the Lord. (Zephaniah, 3:12)
... The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low... (Isaiah, 2:17)

29. Faith will soften the hearts of humanity:

... In those days [of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] knowledge, wisdom and truth will be increased in the world, as it is written "... and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh"... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Repentance 9:2)

30. An increase in reason and wisdom:

The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. (Isaiah, 32:4)
... In the Messianic [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] age... it will be a time when the number of wise men will increase... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin, 10:1)
 ... In the Messianic [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh)] age... with very little effort they will be able to accomplish very much... (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin, 10:1)
The Messianic age [Golden Age] will be... dominated by goodness and wisdom. (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Sanhedrin 10:1)

31. The learning of secret knowledge:

And at that time [Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) time]... they will perceive the esoteric truths and comprehend their Creator's wisdom as is the capacity of man. As it is written: "For the earth shall be filled with knowledge of God, as the waters cover the sea..." (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5)

32. False judgments will be corrected:

 No longer will the fool be called noble, nor the scoundrel be highly respected. (Isaiah, 32:5)
... The horn of the righteous is exalted, as it is written: All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up. (Talmud, Megilah 17b)