The Qur’an states that hopefulness is an important characteristic of believers and, at the same, an indication of their faith. People place their hope in Allah according to their degree of faith, and will cherish a deep longing to obtain His mercy and infinite bounties because He has promised believers the most beautiful things in this world and in the Hereafter. People will hope to secure these according to their degree of trust in Allah, their closeness to Him, and their submission and sincerity.
Everything that happens comes about through Allah’s command of "Be." At every second, every thing and scene that appears before us is created through Allah’s will. Nothing is left to its own devices, for everything is created for the destiny that Allah has determined for it. Believers who are aware of this do not lose hope, even when facing the most negative situations or the most distressing events, in Allah’s mercy or help. Those who are patient in hardship, do not lose hope, and never compromise Allah’s laws have been given glad tidings in both this world and the Hereafter.
One of the gladdest tidings bestowed upon true believers in the life of this world by Allah and imparted by our Prophet (saas) is that the moral values of the Qur’an will come to prevail on Earth. These tidings, imparted in a great many verses of the Qur’an, have been revealed in detail in the hadith of our beloved Prophet (saas). This information is a means for Muslims to be patient under the conditions in which they find themselves, as well as increasing their enthusiasm and excitement in their endeavors to spread Qur’anic moral values to all humanity, because when the moral values of the Qur’an do come to prevail, a blessed time known as the Golden Age will dawn.
The Golden Age, as revealed by our Prophet (saas), represents tidings of Paradise on Earth, and is a blessing from Allah on believers. This age, which, with its abundance, plenty, the comforts it will bestow on people and the peace it brings, will be one that all Muslims will seek to attain is, by the will of Allah, very close at hand.
The Tidings of the Prophet (saas) Are One by One Coming to Pass
The hadith of our Prophet (saas) contain detailed information and signs regarding the End Times that will take place close to the Day of Judgment. According to the information imparted by our Prophet (saas), a great many important events will take place one after the other during this period. In the first phase of the End Times terrible corruption and chaos will reign on Earth, and in the second phase peace and security will prevail as people come to live by true religious moral values.
In the first phase of the End Times, moral degeneration will become all-pervasive due to the influence of some philosophical systems which incite atheism and irreligion by seeking to deny the existence of Almighty Allah. Humanity will forget the reason for its existence and thus enter the downward spiral of spiritual purposelessness and moral degeneration.
The great majority of these developments, revealed to be signs of the End Times in the hadith of our Prophet (saas) are coming true in our own time in the manner described. The increasing prevalence of war and conflict, terror, violence, anarchy and chaos, slaughter and torture are again a sign that we are currently in this first phase.
According to the information in the hadith of our Prophet (saas), following this period of darkness Allah will free humanity from the chaos of the End Times and bestow a great salvation upon them. He will make one of His servants possessed of superior moral values, the “Mahdi,” or “guide to the truth,” a means to lead people who have moved away from proper moral values and societies that have undergone degeneration back to the true path. It is revealed in the hadith and in the commentaries of Islamic scholars that the Mahdi will assume three great responsibilities. First and foremost, the Mahdi will ensure the intellectual overthrow of philosophical systems that seek to deny the existence of Almighty Allah and that support atheism. On the other hand, he will restore Islam to the form revealed in the Qur’an and the Sunnah of our Prophet (saas) and bring about the dominion of true Qur’anic moral values. He will resolve all the chaos, social problems and social distress afflicting humanity in the first stage of the End Times and will be a means whereby peace, security, happiness and proper moral values come to prevail over all the world.
According to the signs imparted in the hadith, this blessed period, for which all people of faith have longed for centuries, will last for more than half a century and, in many ways, will resemble the Blessed Period of our Prophet (saas). Life in the Golden Age will be so delightful that all people will wish to have lived during that time. People will spend their days with no idea as to how time passes and how one day turns into the next. They will pray to Allah to prolong their lives in order to receive more benefits from these graces. A hadith of our Prophet (saas) states that "the younger ones wish they were grown-ups, while the adults wish they were younger."
The Conflict and Anarchy Prevailing over Much of the World Will Come to an End in the Golden Age
The twentieth century is remembered as "the century of wars." As for the twenty-first century, it again started off with war and terror, both of which remain common features all over the world. In the hadith, our Prophet (saas) describes this climate that will be experienced during the End Times in these terms:
…Then there will be calamities, fitna, and many evil things that you will not like. Such calamities will occur that the latter, often much greater, will make the preceding one appear insignificant.
However, again according to the tidings imparted by our Prophet (saas), in the wake of this period filled with fear and darkness, Allah will bestow a great salvation on all humanity by means of the Mahdi. All strife, wars, slaughter, terror, violence and acts of anarchy will come to an end, to be replaced by a time of enlightenment, peace and security. It is revealed in hadith that the Mahdi will end corruption:
A kind of corruption will surface, from which no party will be able to protect itself, and spread immediately to every direction. This situation will persist until one comes and says: “O people, from now on your leader is the Mahdi.”
Proper Moral Values Will Prevail in All Societies
One of the most important features of the Golden Age, when all humanity will enjoy great peace, comfort and security, is that it will be a time when Qur’anic moral values are implemented to the letter. Since people will fear and respect Allah and be aware that they will have to account for all their deeds in the Hereafter, they will avoid features of poor moral values such as selfishness, hatred, anger, envy and revenge, as well as corruption, unjust profits, telling lies, backbiting and bribery. These will be replaced by features of proper moral values, such as honesty, helpfulness, loyalty, thinking of others and their health, comfort and security, love, respect, compassion, devotion, faithfulness and brotherhood.
The existence of people who fear Allah, who are pure, submissive, who look for the best in all things, who are possessed of good conscience, affectionate, compassionate, just, courageous, trustworthy, strong, honorable, modest, understanding, tolerant, humane, lovable, who have no qualms about speaking the truth, who are patient, not swayed by anger, do not persist in error, who conform to the truth rather than to the majority, who keep their word, who are loyal, chaste and conciliatory, will bring about the emergence of societies with good moral values.
They will be better able to see and appreciate the beauties created by Allah and the blessings around them, and will take greater pleasure from them. Their feelings of love for other people and children, and of compassion towards the elderly and the needy will grow. People will display moral values full of love and respect towards those they employ. They will protect their families, share all problems and hasten to assist each other in all sections of society when the need arises.
Falsity, ignorance and superficiality in society will be eliminated, and depth, honesty and high quality will dominate people’s natures. All forms of vulgarity and ignorance will disappear of their own accord when people come to live by Qur’anic moral values.
Again as a requirement of Qur’anic moral values, people will attach great importance to cleanliness, and will make their surroundings and their own persons as clean and pleasant as possible. Everyone, in all sections of society, will be exceedingly clean, elegant and well-groomed.
This moral virtue that will be experienced in the Golden Age is described in these terms in the hadith of our Prophet (saas):
Tabarani reported from Amr. b. Ali and Ali. b. Ebi Talib:
…Allah will bring Islam to an end in the same way that He commenced it with us. In the same way that He freed them from hostility and enmity and placed friendship and love in their hearts with us, so it will be (with his coming).
… The good become even more good, and the wicked ones are treated well.
Muslims Must Experience the Joy of These Tidings
The responsibility of devout Muslims is to experience the joy, enthusiasm and excitement of these tidings and to prepare for this blessed period in the best possible way. 2006 will, by Allah’s leave, be a year when many more tidings of our Prophet (saas) come to pass and when the Golden Age draws ever nearer. The current difficulties and problems must never lead devout Muslims into looseness, but must rather increase their determination to spread the moral values of the Qur’an and ensure that people come to live by these, since these difficulties are in fact signs of the forthcoming bright and pleasant days.