and grant him peace. This rules out anyone else being a fallible Mahdi, such as the Mahdi described in the hadiths.
2- What the hadiths concerning the Mahdi indicate—that he will champion the religion and that the earth will be filled with justice in his time—is not contradicted by the presence of the Dajjāl and his followers during that time or by their hostility towards the Muslims. Nor is it contradicted by the evidence indicating that the wicked will remain alongside the righteous until the gentle wind comes and takes the soul of every believing man and woman, and that thereafter the wicked among creation, upon whom the Hour will come, will not remain. For what is meant by the hadiths concerning the Mahdi is that goodness will abound, the Muslims will be strong, and they will prevail and subdue others. This does not exclude the presence of wicked people of little influence during his time. Likewise, we believe that the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his Rightly Guided Caliphs, may Allah be pleased with them, filled the earth with justice, even though many of their enemies were present on earth in their time.
“Say, ‘To Allah belongs the conclusive argument. Had He willed, He would have guided you all.’”
3- What the hadiths concerning the Mahdi indicate—that the earth will be filled with oppression and injustice before his appearance—does not mean that the earth will be devoid of righteous people before his time. The Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stated in authentic hadiths that a group of his community would continue to uphold the truth and prevail until Allah’s command comes. Among these is the hadith narrated by Muslim from Jābir, who heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say:
“A group of my community will continue to fight for the truth, prevailing until the Day of Resurrection.” He said: “Then Jesus son of Mary will descend, and their leader will say, ‘Come and lead us in prayer.’ He will reply, ‘No; some of you are leaders over others, as an honour Allah has bestowed upon this community.’”
These hadiths, together with those concerning the Mahdi, show that the truth endures without interruption. At certain times, its adherents prevail and it spreads widely, as in the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his Rightly Guided Caliphs, and as will happen in the time of the Mahdi and Jesus son of Mary. At other times, its spread diminishes and its adherents grow weak. But the truth has never vanished or disappeared altogether since the time of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, nor will it do so in the future until the wind comes that takes the soul of every believing man and woman. This was foretold by the one who does not speak from his own desire, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him.
There has never been a time in the past when Allah did not raise up people to uphold this religion. Even in this age, when the enemies of Islam have banded together against it and assailed it with its foes, the rites of Islam have not ceased to be observed on earth. One example is Allah’s favour to the government of the Holy Lands in enabling it to govern by Islamic law and establish Sharia courts throughout the Kingdom’s cities and villages. In these courts, people have their disputes judged according to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in a manner that, to our knowledge, has no parallel elsewhere on earth. Thus, the married adulterer is stoned, the unmarried fornicator is flogged, the drinker of intoxicants receives the prescribed punishment, the thief’s hand is cut off, the murderer is executed, and so forth. And what has been attained in these