He will accept his repentance and grant him success, inspiration, and guidance that he had not previously received. He will support him with people from the east who will aid him and establish his authority. Their banners, too, will be black—a dignified adornment—for the Messenger’s banner, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was black and was called al-‘Uqāb (the Eagle). Khālid ibn al-Walīd, may Allah be pleased with him, had set it up on the pass east of Damascus until he arrived from Iraq. The pass became known by its name and is still called the Pass of al-‘Uqāb.

It proved a punishment for the unbelieving Byzantine Christians, those who sided with them, and those who came after them, until the Day of Judgment. Praise be to Allah. Likewise, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, entered Mecca on the day of its conquest wearing a black mail coif on his head. A hadith also relates that he wore a black turban over white attire. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him.

The point is that the praised Mahdi, whose appearance at the end of time has been promised, will first emerge in the east, and allegiance will be pledged to him at the Sacred House, as some hadiths indicate. I have devoted a separate treatise to the Mahdi. All praise and gratitude are due to Allah.

Ibn Mājah also said: Nasr ibn ‘Alī al-Jahdamī narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Marwān al-‘Uqaylī narrated to us; ‘Umārah ibn Abī Hafsah narrated to us, from Zayd al-‘Ammī, from Abū al-Siddīq al-Nājī, from Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

‘The Mahdi will be among my ummah. If his time is short, it will be seven years; otherwise, nine. During his time, my ummah will enjoy prosperity the like of which they have never heard. The earth will yield its produce, withholding none of it, and wealth will lie in heaps. A man will stand up and say, “O Mahdi, give me!” He will reply, “Take.”’

Al-Tirmidhī said: Muhammad Ja‘far narrated to us; Shu‘bah narrated to us: I heard Zayd al-‘Ammī say: I heard al-Siddīq al-Nājī narrate from Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī, who said:

‘We feared that some calamity might occur after our Prophet was gone, so we asked the Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He said, “The Mahdi will appear among my ummah and live for five, seven, or nine”—Zayd was uncertain. We asked, “What does that mean?” He replied, “Years.” He said, “A man will come to him and say, ‘O Mahdi, give me!’ He will then bring him, in his garment, as much as he can carry.”’

This is a sound hadith. It has also been narrated through other chains from Abū Sa‘īd, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Abū al-Siddīq al-Nājī’s name was Bakr ibn ‘Amr, or, according to another account, Bakr ibn Qays. This indicates that his rule will last nine years at most, and five or seven at least. He may be the caliph who will distribute wealth by the handful. Allah knows best.

During his time, fruits will be plentiful, crops abundant, wealth ample, authority powerful, religion upheld, and the enemy humbled. Good will endure throughout his days.”

He then cited two hadiths, one from Imam Muhammad and the other from Ibn Mājah, and then said:

“As for the hadith narrated by Ibn Mājah in his Sunan, where he—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—said: Yūnus ibn ‘Abd al-A‘lā narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfi‘ī narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Khālid al-Jundī narrated to me, from Abān ibn