21. The Loss of an Army
... An army will be sent to him. This army will be leveled while it is somewhere in the desert. (Sahih Muslim)
An army comes to fight. Once they enter the desert, the one in the front and the back disappear, and the ones in the middle cannot save themselves. (Tirmidhi, Sunan Ibn Majah, Sunan Abu Dawud)
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(1) SADDAM AND HIS MEN DISAPPEARED ( Vatan, April 11, 2003)
(2) SADDAM’S JUNTA IS LOST ( Yeni Safak, April 11, 2003)
(3) Many of Saddam’s Planes Found Buried in the Sand (Turkiye, August 13, 2003)
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The almost sudden disappearance of a large part of the Iraqi army was one of the most striking features of the 2003 American-led war against Iraq. Many newspapers and television channels reported that a 60,000-man army from the Republican Guard, along with some 15,000 Iraqi militiamen from the Fedayeen, got lost. This account indicates that "the loss of an army," a portent of the Mahdi's coming, and hence of Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) second coming, may already have taken place. (God knows best.)
In fact, the discovery of some war planes buried under the desert sands reinforces the possibility that the "leveling of an army" refers to the Iraqi army.
22. No Money Will Be Left to the Iraqis
Another portent of the End Times, and thus of the second coming of Prophet Jesus (pbuh), is that the Iraqi currency will have no value.
This hadith may indicate two situations. One of them is Iraq's economic collapse after the Iran-Iraq and the Gulf wars. The Iraqi economy, faced with such crises, could not recover in the post-war period due to the embargos imposed by America and the UN. The Iraqi people grew even poorer, and poverty became a major problem.
Or, it might refer to abolishing the Iraqi currency (dinar) in the post-war era. With the last war, the rapid loss of the Iraqi currency's value and the possibility of its being withdrawn from circulation appeared in the newspapers during 2003.
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(1) Iraq at an Impasse over “Dinar” (Hurriyet, April 16, 2003)
(2) Iraqi Dinar Will be Withdrawn from Circulation (Vatan, April 10, 2003)
(3) Iraq is Stuck in Debts (Tercuman, April 15, 2003)
(4) Iraq’s Swamp of Debts (Haberturk, April 15, 2003) |
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23. Flames Destroy Homes in Baghdad
During the Second Gulf War in 2003, from the very first day Baghdad was the target of a very intensive bombing campaign. Under heavy bombardment, Baghdad burned in flames, just as the hadith said it would. Images of Baghdad, which appeared on TV and in newspapers, conveyed this reality to the world. Thus, this is a clear indication that we are living in the End Times.
24. The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks
Bayt al-Maqdis is the name of Masjid al-Aqsa. This hadith may well indicate that an agreement will be reached in Jerusalem. For the last 50 years, Palestine has been consumed by fighting and tension. An important step toward bringing peace and security to this region was taken during the 1993 peace negotiations in Oslo. No matter how unjust some of the decisions were, and although some could not be fully implemented, the fact that the two sides did reach agreement on specific issues was an important development. In 2003, peace negotiations between the two sides continue, particularly with the American "Road Map" initiative.
25. An Embargo against Iraq and Damascus
Abu Hurayra relates: "The Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) said: 'The time will come neither a dirhams nor a qafiz will be given to Iraq. Its mudd and dinar will also not be given to Sham. Its irdab and dinar will also not be given to Egypt. You will return to the point from which you started.'" (Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud)
The embargos imposed upon Iraq and Damascus are signs of the End Times. For more than a decade, Iraq has endured embargos. Meanwhile, there exists the possibility of placing an embargo upon Syria.
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| (Left) EVER GETS SICK DIES!
It is very difficult to find medicine in Baghdad, prices can not be supervised, Medicine for fatal diseases can’t be imported. (Milliyet, March 1, 2003)
(Right) EMBARGO THREAT ON SYRIA (Milli Gazete, May 6, 2003)
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26. The Restructuring of Iraq
The hadith draws attention to the reconstruction of Iraq. Many Iraqi cities were reduced to rubble during the Iran-Iraq war, and then again during the two Gulf wars of 1991 and 2003. After this latest war, Iraq's rebuilding became compulsory because so much of it had been ruined. Looting also contributed to this situation. This appeared in newspapers, as follows:
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(1) USA WILL RECONSTRUCT IRAQ (Ortadogu, March 19, 2003)
(2) THE RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ (Oncevatan, April 18, 2003)
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27. Iraqis Flee to Damascus and the North
Immediately before the outbreak of the latest Iraq war, tens of thousands of Iraqis sought to migrate to other countries, especially Syria. This bears a great similarity to the event described in the hadith. News and pictures about this attempted migration appeared in the media.
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(Left) Drama of Emigration (Milli Gazete, March 19, 2003)
(Middle) IRAQI PEOPLE ON ROADS (Vatan, March, 2003)
(Right)Emigration Started (Vatan, March 18, 2003) |
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28. Fitna in Damascus
The hadith indicates that there will be terrible chaos in Sham before the Mahdi appears. This refers to the chaos developing in Syria.
As we mentioned earlier, however, "Sham" means "the left" and refers to those countries to the left of the Hijaz.
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(Left) The gravest accusation from USA to Damascus: Syria is a Terrorist State (Cumhuriyet, April 5, 2003)
(Right) Clashes in Syria Continue: The city of Hama is in Flames (Hurriyet, February, 1982) |
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During the early years of the twentieth century, civil wars, rebellions, conflict and great wars were already raging in this region. These conflicts triggered one another and had a great impact upon all of the people living there. The statement "This tribulation … will calm down on the one hand and flare up again on another" is noteworthy in this regard: Over the last fifty years, several major events occurred in this region, among them the Suez War, the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the Lebanese civil war, and the ongoing tension in Palestine.
29. Chaos in Damascus, Iraq, and Arabia
The expression, "The woes will move around Sham, fall upon Iraq" may well indicate the Second Gulf war in 2003. Before and during this war, there was always the possibility of extending the war to Syria, although the war remained limited to Iraq.
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(1) Muslim Observer, May 10-16, 2003
(2) USA increases the dosage of its accusations against Syria: BARREL TURNED TO SYRIA
(3) Radikal, April 14, 2003 |
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(1) Crescent, May 1-15, 2003
(2) Destination SyriaStar, (April 29, 2003) |
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30. The Division of Iraq into Three Parts
Another sign of the End Times is the division of the Iraqi people into three. As the hadith relates, some Iraqis will join the "looters." Indeed, at the end of the war, some Iraqis took advantage of the loss of authority and engaged in looting. In fact, some of these people stole and looted, acts that can be defined as "pillaging." The hadith informs us that some people would try so hard to escape that they would not even think about the families they would leave behind.
The hadith also tells that some people would fight and be killed. During this latest Gulf war, some Iraqis fought and died.
"The division of Iraq into three," as is related in the hadith's first part, also came true after the first Gulf War in 1991, when the country was divided into the following regions: between the 32th and 36th parallels, south of the 32th parallel, and north of the 36th parallel.
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(1) PEOPLE FLEE IN MASSES (Tercuman, March 19, 2003)
(2) THEY LOOT WHATEVER THEY FIND (Milliyet, April 10, 2003)
(3) SADDAM’S PALACE GUARDS ABANDONED THE PALACE
The Republican Guards Fled the Palace: Some of them jumped into the River Tigris (Vatan, April 8, 2003)
(4) FLEE FROM HUNGER AND DEATH (Yeni Safak, March 30, 2003) |
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(Left) Iraq is divided into 3
(Right) DEATH FIELDS
Coalition Forces turned the war into a massacre.
Lands between Basra and Baghdad abound in corpses (Milliyet, May 4, 2003) |
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