Scholarly Note and Clarification

and they will take it as spoils. Then they will reside in it for seven years, after which they will relocate from it to Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). Thereupon, news will reach them that the Dajjal has emerged from among the Jews of Isfahan." Narrated by Abu Amr al-Dani in his "Sunan".

And in another narration: Then he - meaning the Mahdi - comes to a city called al-Qati', which is situated upon the Green Sea (al-Bahr al-Akhdar) that encompasses the world, behind which there is nothing except the command of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; and he mentioned something similar to what preceded.

And know that it has been narrated that the Mahdi will enter every city that Dhul-Qarnayn entered and reform it, and that no tyrant will remain without being destroyed. It has been narrated from the Prophet (ﷺ): "The entire world was ruled by two believers and two disbelievers. As for the two believers, they were Dhul-Qarnayn and Solomon (Sulayman); and as for the two disbelievers, they were Nimrod (Namrud) and Nebuchadnezzar (Bukhtanassar). And a fifth person from my household will surely rule it, and he is the Mahdi."

Ibn Mardawayh narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) in a marfu' narration: "The Companions of the Cave (Ashab al-Kahf) are the helpers of the Mahdi."

The scholars said: The wisdom behind delaying them until this late period is so that they may attain the honor of