“Some Shiites link Saudi king’s health to the-end-times,” said Rohollah Faghihi, Al-Monitor, January 14, 2015:
In the last two years, media outlets have published conflicting reports on Saudi King Abdullah’s health. Just last week, Saudi Arabia’s Royal Court announced that the king has pneumonia and is temporarily using a breathing tube. In fact, every time the king’s health deteriorates, news agencies speculate on what will become of the Saudi dynasty and its leadership after the king’s death. But
some Shiite scholars think differently about the matter, believing that Abdullah’s death will mark the beginning of a chain of great events that will shock the world.
some Shiite scholars think differently about the matter, believing that Abdullah’s death will mark the beginning of a chain of great events that will shock the world.
Abdullah, the 10th son of King Abdulaziz, was born Aug. 1, 1924. His mother, Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim, was a member of the Al Rashid family, longtime rivals of the Al Saud family and a historic dynasty in the Arabian Peninsula that ruled the emirate of Jabal Shammar. Abdullah ascended to the throne in 2005 following the death of his half-brother King Fahd, though power was already in his hands.
According to Shiite hadiths, after the death of a king named Abdullah in the Hijaz — a western region of present-day Saudi Arabia — no successor to the throne would be accepted, and disagreements would escalate and persist until the rise of Imam al-Mahdi.
According to the book “250 Signs Until the Appearance of Imam al-Mahdi,” Prophet Muhammad said: “On doomsday, a man who is carrying the name of an animal ascends to the throne, after which a man named Abdullah comes to the power. Whoever informs me of his death, I will inform him of the rise [of al-Mahdi]. After Abdullah passes away, for several days and months, the government will appear.”
A seminary teacher based in Qom told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “The animal-named man can be King Fahd because one meaning of Fahd’s [name] is rapacious animal and cheetah, which matches what Prophet Muhammad said.”
The Bahar al-Anvar, a book of hadiths, quotes the sixth Shiite Imam Sadegh as saying: “When Abdullah dies, people will agree on no one, and this issue will be kept alive till the rise of Imam [Mahdi]. An age of a hundred-year reign comes to an end, and an age of a [kingdom lasting] a few days and months arrives.”
The Shiite scholar in Qom said, “Currently, there is a possibility of a power struggle in Saudi Arabia, as King Abdullah has tried to make up the new post of deputy crown prince.'' Actually, with regard to [this], if Prince Salman becomes the king and Muqrin bin Abdulaziz is named the crown prince, the next deputy crown prince will be Mutaib bin Abdullah, so we can expect tensions between King Abdullah’s sons and Salman’s brothers to escalate after Abdullah passes away.” In 2012, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (see photo right) was named crown prince, and two years later, Muqrin bin Abdulaziz was introduced as deputy crown prince.
According to Al-Akhbar newspaper, past tradition dictated that the interior minister would be the most likely candidate for second deputy prime minister, and after that, the post of crown prince. But after upgrading the status of the National Guard, which is chaired by Mutaib bin Abdullah, and turning it into a ministry on par with the ministries of defense and interior, King Abdullah’s wing in the royal family is well-positioned to be a strong contender for the throne.
The Qom seminary teacher said that according to some hadiths, leaders in the Hijaz will hide news of the king’s death for 40 days. Based on Abdullah’s deteriorating health situation, this could have happened by now.
Some believe that the rise of terrorist groups in the Levant, along with their black flags, is another sign of al-Mahdi’s resurrection.
The Nahj al-Balagh, a collection of the first Shiite Imam Ali’s sayings, quotes the imam as saying: “When you witness black flags, don’t move, because their calls are void and null and you shouldn’t help them. Their heart is like iron fillings, and they don’t honour their promise. Their names and monikers are taken from the names of cities.”
The Qom-based scholar explained the quotation, “Black flags can suggest the Islamic State, which is killing hundreds of innocent people in the region with brutality, and [regarding people named after
cities], I can mention Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi or Omar al-Chechen.”
He added, “Many in the seminary of Qom believe that the rise of Imam Mahdi is imminent. Even important figures in the seminary have expressed their hope for this event to happen and has called for our readiness to help him. What’s happening in the region is very similar to what our Imams have predicted about preconditions for the rise of Imam al-Mahdi, so the moment of truth may have come.”…
The Way I See It......the subject of the emergence of Imam al-Mahdi has now assumed truly urgent importance in the world of Islam - Shia as well as Sunni. Islamic Scholar Imran Nazar Hosein writes that this subject is important since the Angelo-American-Israeli military attack on Arabs, Pakistan and Iran can be expected at any time now, and Muslims can therefore expect that someone will soon emerge with a claim to be the promised Imam.
He goes on to say, ''I have no doubt that certain members of the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad will be blessed with true dreams and visions which will convey to them, and us, information and a 'system-of-meaning' concerning the End-Time advent of Imam al-Mahdi.'' Evidently, he explains, this system-of-meaning will harmoniously integrate all data from the Qur'an and the Hadith pertaining to the End Times, and will be recognizing the return of the true Messiah Jesus, the son of the Virgin Mary as the Sign of the End of Times, hence the subject of the emergence of Imam al-Mahdi will be harmoniously integrated with that momentous return. There's hope for us Infidels yet!
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