Signs before the Qa’im’s rising

Reports have come down mentioning signs of the time when the Qa’im, the Mahdi, peace be upon him, rises, and events preceding his rising, with signs and indications. Among them are: the Sufyani’s emergence; the killing of the Hasanid; the Abbasids’ dispute over worldly rule; an eclipse of the sun halfway through Ramadan and of the moon at its end, contrary to the usual course; the ground sinking at al-Bayda, in the west and in the east; the sun standing still from noon until the middle of the afternoon prayer times, and its rising in the west; a pure soul being killed outside Kufa among seventy righteous people; a Hashimite man slaughtered between the Corner and the Station; Kufa’s wall being demolished; black banners approaching from Khurasan; the Yamani’s emergence; the Maghribi appearing in Egypt and gaining control of Syria; the Turks occupying al-Jazira and the Romans al-Ramla; a star rising in the east, shining like the moon, then bending until its ends nearly meet; redness appearing in the sky and spreading across its horizons; and a fire stretching through the east, remaining in the air for three or seven days. The Arabs will cast off their reins, take possession of lands and escape foreign rule. The Egyptians will kill their ruler. Syria will be devastated, with three banners disputing there. The banners of Qays and the Arabs will enter Egypt, and Kinda’s banners Khurasan. Horses will arrive from the west and be tethered outside al-Hira; black banners will approach them from the east. The Euphrates will burst forth until water enters Kufa’s alleys. Sixty liars will emerge, each claiming prophethood, and twelve of Abu Talib’s family, each claiming the imamate for himself. A man of great standing among the Abbasids’ supporters will be burned between Jalula and Khanaqin. A bridge will be constructed on the Karkh side of the City of Peace; a black wind will rise there early in the day, and an earthquake will swallow much of the city. Fear will encompass Iraq, with widespread death and losses of lives, property and fruits. Locusts will appear in and out of season, consuming crops; what people plant will yield little. Two groups of foreigners will contend, shedding much blood. Slaves will disobey and kill their masters. Some religious innovators will be transformed into apes and pigs. Slaves will overcome their masters’ lands. A call from heaven will be heard by the earth’s inhabitants, each people in its own language. A face and chest will appear from heaven to people within the sun. The dead will be raised from their graves and return to this world, recognizing and visiting one another. This will conclude with twenty-four successive rainfalls, reviving the earth after its death and making its blessings known. Every affliction will then leave those among the Mahdi’s Shi‘a who believe the truth. They will recognize his appearance in Mecca and go toward him to support him, as the reports relate. Some of these events are inevitable and others conditional. God knows best what will happen. We have mentioned them according to what is established in the source collections and contained in transmitted reports. We seek God’s help and ask him for success. Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Bilal al-Muhallabi informed me: Muhammad ibn Ja‘far al-Mu’addib related to me, from Ahmad ibn Idris, from Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Qutayba, from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan, from Isma‘il ibn al-Sabbah, who said: I heard an elder among our companions relate from Sayf ibn Umayra: I was with Abu Ja‘far al-Mansur when he began, “Sayf ibn Umayra, a caller must call from heaven the name of a man descended from Abu Talib.” I said, “May I be your ransom, Commander of the Faithful! Do you transmit this?” He said, “Yes, by him in whose hand is my soul: my own ears heard it.” I said, “Commander of the Faithful, I had never heard this report before now!” He said, “Sayf, it is true. When it happens, we shall be the first to answer him. The call concerns a man descended from our uncle.” I asked, “A descendant of Fatima?” He said, “Yes, Sayf. Had I not heard Abu Ja‘far Muhammad ibn Ali tell me this, I would not have accepted it even if everyone on earth had told me. But it was Muhammad ibn Ali.” Yahya ibn Abi Talib related, from Ali ibn Asim, from Ata ibn al-Sa’ib, from his father, from Abd Allah ibn Umar: God’s Messenger, God bless him and his family, said, “The Hour will not come until the Mahdi emerges from my descendants. The Mahdi will not emerge until sixty liars emerge, each saying: I am a prophet.” Al-Fadl ibn Shadhan, from an unnamed transmitter, from Abu Hamza, who said: I asked Abu Ja‘far, peace be upon him, “Is the Sufyani’s emergence inevitable?” He said, “Yes. The call is inevitable; the sun’s rising in the west is inevitable; the Abbasids’ dispute over rule is inevitable; the killing of the pure soul is inevitable; and the Qa’im’s emergence from Muhammad’s family is inevitable.” I asked, “How will the call happen?” He said, “A caller from heaven will call early in the day: Indeed, truth is with Ali and his Shi‘a. Then Iblis will call from the earth late in the day: Indeed, truth is with Uthman and his Shi‘a. Then those who follow falsehood will doubt.” Al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Washsha, from Ahmad ibn A’idh, from Abu Khadija, from Abu Abd Allah, peace be upon him, who said, “The Qa’im will not emerge until twelve men of Banu Hashim emerge before him, each calling people to himself.” Muhammad ibn Abi al-Bilad, from Ali ibn Muhammad al-Awdi, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said, “Before the Qa’im there will be red death and white death, and locusts in season and out of season, like the colors of blood. Red death is the sword; white death is plague.” Al-Hasan ibn Mahbub, from Amr ibn Abi al-Miqdam, from Jabir al-Ju‘fi, from Abu Ja‘far, peace be upon him, who said, “Stay on the ground and do not move a hand or foot until you see signs I shall tell you, though I do not think you will live to see them: the Abbasids’ dispute, a caller calling from heaven, the sinking of a Syrian village called al-Jabiya, the Turks occupying al-Jazira, and the Romans occupying al-Ramla. Great discord will then arise in every land until Syria is devastated. Its devastation will result from three banners gathering there: the banner of the tawny one, the banner of the piebald one, and the Sufyani’s banner.” Abd Allah ibn Bukayr, from Abd al-Malik ibn Isma‘il, from his father, from Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, who said: In the year when the Mahdi, peace be upon him, rises, the earth will receive twenty-four rainfalls whose effects and blessings will be seen. Al-Fadl ibn Shadhan, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Nasr, from Tha‘laba al-Azdi, who said: Abu Ja‘far, peace be upon him, said, “Two signs will precede the Qa’im: the sun’s eclipse halfway through Ramadan, and the moon’s at its end.” I said, “Son of God’s Messenger, the sun is eclipsed at the end of the month, and the moon halfway through.” Abu Ja‘far, peace be upon him, said, “I know what I said. These are two signs that have not occurred since Adam, peace be upon him, came down.” Tha‘laba ibn Maymun, from Shu‘ayb al-Haddad, from Salih ibn Maytham, who said: I heard Abu Ja‘far, peace be upon him, say, “No more than fifteen nights separate the Qa’im’s rising, peace be upon him, and the killing of the pure soul.” Amr ibn Shimr, from Jabir, who said: I asked Abu Ja‘far, peace be upon him, “When will this matter happen?” He answered, “How could it happen, Jabir, when killing has not yet become widespread between al-Hira and Kufa?” Muhammad ibn Sinan, from al-Husayn ibn al-Mukhtar, from Abu Abd Allah, peace be upon him, who said, “When the wall of Kufa’s mosque adjoining Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud’s house is demolished, the people’s rule will pass away. When it passes away, the Qa’im, peace be upon him, will emerge.” Sayf ibn Umayra, from Bakr ibn Muhammad, from Abu Abd Allah, peace be upon him, who said, “The three will emerge in the same year, the same month and the same day: the Sufyani, the Khurasani and the Yamani. No banner among them is better guided than the Yamani’s, because he calls to the truth.” Al-Fadl ibn Shadhan, from Ma‘mar ibn Khallad, from Abu al-Hasan, peace be upon him, who said, “It is as though I see green-dyed banners approaching from Egypt until they reach Syria and are led to the descendant of the holder of the testaments.” Hammad ibn Isa, from Ibrahim ibn Umar al-Yamani, from Abu Basir, from Abu Abd Allah, peace be upon him, who said, “These people’s rule will not pass away until they slaughter people in Kufa on Friday. It is as though I see heads falling between the Elephant Gate and the soap sellers.” Ali ibn Asbat, from al-Hasan ibn al-Jahm, who said: A man asked Abu al-Hasan, peace be upon him, about deliverance. He replied, “Do you want a lengthy account, or shall I summarize?” He said, “Summarize for me.” He said, “When Qays’s banners are planted in Egypt, and Kinda’s banners in Khurasan.” Al-Husayn ibn Abi al-Ala, from Abu Basir, from Abu Abd Allah, peace be upon him, who said, “The descendants of so-and-so will have a battle at your mosque,” meaning Kufa’s mosque, “on Friday. Four thousand will be killed between the Elephant Gate and the soap sellers. Beware of that road and avoid it. Those best placed will take the Ansar lane.” Ali ibn Abi Hamza, from Abu Basir, from Abu Abd Allah, peace be upon him, who said, “Before the Qa’im, peace be upon him, there will be a year of abundant rain in which fruits and the dates on the palms spoil. Do not doubt this.” Ibrahim ibn Muhammad, from Ja‘far ibn Sa‘d, from his father, from Abu Abd Allah, peace be upon him, who said, “In the year of victory, the Euphrates will burst forth until it enters Kufa’s alleys.” Al-Husayn ibn Yazid related from Mundhir al-Khuzi: I heard Abu Abd Allah, peace be upon him, say, “Before the Qa’im rises, peace be upon him, people will be rebuked for their sins by a fire appearing in heaven, redness covering the sky, the ground sinking in Baghdad and in Basra, blood shed there, houses destroyed and people perishing, and fear encompassing Iraq’s people so that they have no peace.”