It may seem strange that Allah would extend the life of the Muslim Ummah, but in many well-known Ahadith recorded in a number of famous collections He has promised to do this very thing until He raise’s up the Mahdi (ra) to spread justice on earth.
We can ask why will Allah need to prepare for the Mahdi (ra), corruption on earth occurred over a long period of time and when Allah fixes something He does it through people and the events they live in life, those events would have to have the significance and meaning behind them to purify the world of the most amount of corruption it has ever witnessed, through the life of a single person.
Abdullah ibn Masud narrated from the Prophet (saws) who said: “If only one day (1000 years) of this world remained. Allah would lengthen that day till He raised up in it a man who belongs to me or to my family whose father’s name is the same as my father’s, who will fill the earth with equity and justice as it has been filled with oppression and tyranny.”
حَدَّثَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُوسَى، عَنْ فِطْرٍ، – الْمَعْنَى وَاحِدٌ – كُلُّهُمْ عَنْ عَاصِمٍ، عَنْ زِرٍّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ” لَوْ لَمْ يَبْقَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا إِلاَّ يَوْمٌ ” . قَالَ زَائِدَةُ فِي حَدِيثِهِ ” لَطَوَّلَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ ” . ثُمَّ اتَّفَقُوا ” حَتَّى يَبْعَثَ فِيهِ رَجُلاً مِنِّي ” . أَوْ ” مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِي يُوَاطِئُ اسْمُهُ اسْمِي وَاسْمُ أَبِيهِ اسْمَ أَبِي ” . زَادَ فِي حَدِيثِ فِطْرٍ ” يَمْلأُ الأَرْضَ قِسْطًا وَعَدْلاً كَمَا مُلِئَتْ ظُلْمًا وَجَوْرًا ” . وَقَالَ فِي حَدِيثِ سُفْيَانَ ” لاَ تَذْهَبُ أَوْ لاَ تَنْقَضِي الدُّنْيَا حَتَّى يَمْلِكَ الْعَرَبَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِي يُوَاطِئُ اسْمُهُ اسْمِي ” . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ لَفْظُ عُمَرَ وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ بِمَعْنَى سُفْيَانَ .
(Abu Dawud, in his Sunan book 36, Hasan Sahih ~ Also by Ibn Majah and Abu Nai’m, Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadharr, 27; Ash-Sharani, Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 437)
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “Even if but a single day (1000 years) remains in this world, Allah will certainly prolong that day so that one from my family (the Mahdi (as)) can take possession of Mount Daylam (in Iran) and the city of Constantinople (Istanbul).” (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 74 and Death-Doomsday-The Hereafter and the Portents of the End Times, p. 440)
Both Iran and Turkey will refuse to recognise the Mahdi (ra) and support Him, so He (ra) will need to conquer them both, the prophet (saws) said “Al-Mahdi (as) will conquer Constantinople and Mount Daylam (in Iran)”. (Al-Haythami’s Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntazar, p. 27)
Imam Tirmidhi (ra) narrates in his Jamii from Asim who narrated from Zirr who narrated from ‘Abdullah who narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) who said: “A man is coming from the people of my family whose name agrees with my name.” ‘Asim said: “Abu Salih narrated to us from Abu Hurairah, who said: ‘If there did not remain in the world but one day (1000 years), then Allah would extend that day until he comes.'” (Hasan, Vol. 4, Book 7, Hadith 2231)
1400 years ago the Prophet Muhammad (saws) said, if there remained One day left in this world, meaning 1000 years, Allah will extend the time remaining on earth (that day) by another half a day or 500 years so a man from His Ummah can rule over us.
This essentially says what the Ahadith in Sahih Bukhari and Sunnan Abu Dawud have said combined, that when the Ummah reached its 1000th year Allah would grant it another 500 years on this earth, and this occurred when Constantinople was conquered.
Most people have read this hadith before “If only one day of this world remained. Allah would lengthen that day till He raised up in it a man who belongs to me or to my family”, in our time it was commonly understood that the one day was a figure of speech or it literally meant 1 single normal day.
As we can see this is completely out of context to what 1 day actually meant in the Quran, which the companions and the prophet (saws) himself explained. It is an interpretation based on idioms in modern english, it is not part of the prophet’s (saws) speech to say if 1 (24 hour day) remained in the world Allah will extend this 24 hour period by stopping the sun from setting until Imam Mahdi (ra) was prepared to rule over the muslims. This is because the saying is frivolous exaggeration and has no meaning behind it, it’s like saying if pigs fly Allah will stop the sun from setting until the Mahdi rules, while Allah says in the Quran about the prophet (saws) “He doesn’t speak from his own desire”, meaning every word He (saws) says is the truth or based on it if it is an analogy, and there is no room for meaningless speech which is from exaggeration and desire.
The Prophet (saws) reiterated His understanding that Islam had a predefined, destined and decreed length of time on earth in the six Ahadith found in the Sahih of Bukhari, all in the form of an analogy based on the truth because you could literally calculate the length of time from it, it wasn’t a form of exaggeration, so the matter is very clear and beyond doubt.
The picture is clear then, Allah originaly gave Islam 1000 years on earth, He later lengthened our time and kept the Ummah alive for a further 500 years. We can see from the chronology of these Ahadith when Allah first told Him (saws) the life span of Islam and then when He later informed Him (saws) He would extend it.
So then Why do the Ahadith say “because of the Mahdi (ra)”, this is more than likely because the matter was originally a choice between 2000 years for Islam if they remained strong or 1500 years if they declined at the 1000 year mark. So because the Ummah could not maintain their position and Allah shortened it to a Half day, of all people alive in the last 500 years Imam Mahdi (ra) was a person who could regain their position with Allah so the last 500 years were said to be for Him. Allah had to send someone to rectify the situation on earth before the end, so He raised up the Mahdi (ra) for the Ummah and sent Isa (as) for the entire world.
The Prophet (saws) said of Abu Bakr (ra), if the Iman (faith) of my entire Ummah was placed on one side of a scale and Abu Bakr’s on the other, his Iman would outweigh that of the entire Ummah, we can only imagine what the Mahdi (r.a) deserves in Allah’s sight, but we can get a glimpse of this from His achievements, the Mahdi (ra) is a single man but He will spread justice on this earth just like it took an entire world of people to spread corruption on it, He will fulfil the rights of his Muslim brothers like no person alive today and reverse the downward spiral that the entire world is in.
Ibn Kathir records in his al Bidaya wa Nihaya a hadith with a chain that is Hasan Sahih that Abu Hurairah related that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Where there to be a single day left in this world, Allah would prolong that day until a man from the people of my household would rule; his name is the same as my name”
Abdullah ibn Mas’ood reported from the Prophet (pbuh), who said: “The world will not come to pass until a man from among my family, whose name will be my name, rules over the Arabs.” (Tirmidhi Sahih, Abu Dawud, Sahih, also narrated by Ali b. Abi Talib, Abu Sa’id, Umm Salma, Abu Hurayra)
Abu Hurayrah said the Prophet said: “If there only remains but one day left in the world, Allah will prolong it until a man from my house governs. He will open Constantinople (Istanbul) and the Mountain of Al-Daylam (in Iran).” (Ibn Hibban, At-Tirmizi, Abuya’li, At-Tabarani, Al Bazaar, Abu Nuaym and Al Hakim.)
The following two Ahadith speak specifically about Allah shortening time not just prolonging it, but they are not a reference to a 24 hour day becoming shorter like some took to thinking Allah would lengthen a 24 hour day for the Mahdi (ra).
Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudree reported that the Prophet said, “In my nation there will be the Mahdi. If his period is shortened, then (his rule is) for seven (years); otherwise, it is for nine (years). (Ibn Maajah, Ibn Katheer in his al Bidaya wa Nihaya)
In the following hadith the prophet talks about the possibility of Islam’s period being prolonged on earth, before Allah actually decreed it. Abu Hurairah related that he heard the Messenger of Allah say, “If your period is prolonged, the time is near when a people will advance, going forth in the morning with Allah’s anger (upon them) and going forth (in the early day) in the Trial. In their hands will be that which is similar to the tails of cows.” (Ahmad)
These people came out in the twentieth century as the scholars mentioned, this hadith establishes that rasul allah (saws) knew before it actually occurred there was a likelihood Allah would lengthen our time on earth.
In another version Muslim narrated that Abu Hurairah said the messenger of Allah said there are two types, amongst the denizens of hell, I have yet not seen them. One possessing whips like the tail of an ox and they flog people with them, the second are women who would be naked in spite of being dressed, who are seduced (to wrong paths) and seduce others (to the same). This was a reference to the feminist movement that corrupted women around the world and the police used to subdue people.
Ibn Masood reported that the Prophet said, “Even if there remains only a day (1000 years) before the World ends, the almighty Allah will greatly prolong that day to send a man from me (my progeny), from members of my House (family). His name will be similar to my name and his father’s name similar to my father’s name.” (Abu Dawud)
Huzaifa narrated that the Prophet said: ” If there is not left in this World except one day (1000 years), Allah will lengthen it until He (Allah) sends a man from my children (or descendants), his name is (like) mine.” So, Salman Al-Farsi stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah: From which of your children (or descendants)? He said: ” From my Child, this one and he tapped with his hand on Al-Hussein .” (Ibn Majjah, Ibn Hajar Al-Haitami, Tabarani.), (other narrations report al Hassan).
In the following version of the Hadith the Prophet (pbuh) mentions the time left for this Ummah is 1000 years, and He (saws) thought in that 1000 years Allah would send the Mahdi (ra).
The Messenger of Allah said, “Even if there remains from this world a single day (1000 years), Allah will send a man from us who will fill it with justice, just as it was filled with oppression.” (Ahmad)
It is a rule in hadith interpretation that the literal meaning of the Hadith is first understood before attempting to apply any analogical or allegorical meaning to it.
This understanding between the Ahadith of Sahih Bukhari and Sunnan of Abu Dawud is in line with Ibn Hajar’s Tafsir of the Ahadith in Sahih Bukhari regarding the lifespan of the Ummah being One Thousand Years, and Allah latter extending it by another five hundred years, as Imam Suyuti, al Tabarani, Ibn Arabi, al-Munawi and Abu Hasan Al-Barzanji mentioned.