The Mahdi’s army are the black flags that will come from the east, the bible refers to them as the Kings of the east, the prophet (saws) said about them that they are of Jewish decent and called them Bani Isra’il, this description narrows down the identity of Imam Mahdi’s army considerably and explains much. They will establish Imam Mahdi’s government for him like the people of Madina established the way for Rasul Allah (saws), but Imam Mahdi (as) as Ahadith state takes His (as) name “al Mahdi” from what He (as) will do for the Jews of Israel, He (as) will find the Ark of the Covenant and bring out from it the original Torah, debate with them and all of them will convert to Islam except for a few that is why He (as) is called Al Mahdi (the one who guides) because He will guide the Jews to Allah.
While the Jews of the Pashtun are at the beginning of His (as) time the Jews of Israel are at it’s end and they will be the ones to fight Armageddon with him and then go on to take Constantinople without having to fight.
“And after that We said unto the children of Israel: “Dwell securely in the land – but [remember that] when the promise of the Last Day shall come to pass, We will bring you forth as [parts of] a motley crowd!” (17:104) In this verse Allah says to the Jews to dwell in the land of Israel until the hour but when it comes they will find they are of different backgrounds, Jews of Europe, Jews of Asia, Jews of Russia, Jews of Afghanistan where as before they where all Jews of one land.
The Jewish Exile
[This section is primarily the work of another slightly changed to remove vulgar depictions of Allah, my comments are in brackets]
God’s oversees the construction of the temple at Jerusalem, a place wherein his barka would be found and where all his people, even foreigners, could come to seek it and find him in prayer. David becomes king over all Israel, God’s issues the Davidic covenant, the establishing of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city, and the retrieving of the Ark to remain there—signified the fulfilling of God’s promise to establish the children of Abraham in the land of Canaan and to give them rest from their enemies on every side, it was thus a symbol of his enduring commitment to Israel, to uphold them and bless them as his chosen people (the only people on earth who worshiped him, that is its meaning not some magical definition that can never be known). he future preservation of this temple—and all of its interrelated covenant blessings—is directly dependent upon the nation’s remaining faithful to the law covenant given by God at Sinai by keeping its statutes and walking according to them.
Agonizingly however, the time following Solomon sees several hundred years of spiritual decay for God’s people Israel as they turn toward the worship of false gods. From the least to the greatest, with each generation the nation progressively turns away from faith and forsakes their Lord and his covenant. Graciously, God sends his Prophets to the people and the kings to warn them to repent and turn their hearts back to Him, but they will not listen. Finally, he then declares by Jeremiah that king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon will overtake Jerusalem and the Jews will be carried off into exile for 70 years as punishment for their sin (Jer 25:1-14).
(It is from this event that Jewish tribes are exiled into Afghanistan where they remain so until the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (saws), at which point they accept Islam at the hands of Khalid Ibn Walid (ra) and go on to become the Pashtun of Afghanistan and later Imam Mahdi’s (as) army who will establish His (as) rule for Him (as) in Jerusalem because that land was promised to the descendants of Abraham (as) to which they have a right to by lineage).
The Babylonian king first attacks Jerusalem in 597 BC and cannot overtake it, but he brings back with him a large group of exiles among whom is the prophet Ezekiel. On the banks of the Chebar River in Babylon, God shows Ezekiel Israel’s detestable sins of idolatry by bringing him to Jerusalem in a vision. He then shows him a terrible slaughter that is to come upon all the people except for a faithful remnant who are weeping and lamenting Israel’s sin (Ezek 8:1-9:11). Following this, he is shown a vision of a great mobile throne chariot with massive cherubim-driven wheels. Then, Ezekiel sees the glory of Allah leave the temple and reside over the mobile throne chariot which then departs from the city and comes to rest on a mountain to the east (Ezek 10:1-22; 11:22-23). This imagery of God leaving the city, together with his pronouncement of the wickedness of Israel’s leadership (Ezek 11:1-13), is a clear representation that he is standing in judgment over the nation and now regards her as a condemned enemy, cut off from his sight (cf. 1 Kgs 9:6-9).
Finally, in fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy, Nebuchadnezzar returns in 586 BC and completely annihilates the city, knocking down its walls and destroying the temple (2 Kgs 25:1-21; Jer 39:1-10). The scene is unthinkable. Whereas Jerusalem and its temple were enduring symbols to the watching world of God’s commitment to Israel, their destruction signifies that God has rejected the nation and is showing himself faithful according to his word by bringing to pass the covenantal curses that he had sworn should Israel forsake him (Deut 27:15-26; 28:15 ff.; 1 Kgs 9:4-9).
“How can it still be said God has a people [cf. Ezek 11:20] apart from Jerusalem and its Davidic king and temple, that is, apart from Israel whom he has rejected and relegated to the same status as the Gentiles?” This is an important question for us to ask along with the exiled Jews, but we must await its ultimate answer until the coming forth of Jesus Christ.
Following these words of comfort, God begins to speak great words of hope to the exiled Jews through Ezekiel. He promises them that he is about to act on their behalf to vindicate his holy Name which they have profaned (Ezek 36:22-23). He announces that he will do so by restoring them to the land of Canaan, cleansing the land and the people of their defilement, and by giving them a new heart and putting his Spirit in them that they might no longer depart from him, but live out his statutes in faith and be his people forever (Ezek 11:17-20; 36:24-28). To this end, God will establish with them a new covenant of peace by which they shall be delivered from all their oppressors, the ruined and desolate cities of Israel will be rebuilt, and the land will flourish and thrive with abundant harvests as never before (Ezek 34:25-31; 36:33-35). What is more, this glorious work of restoration will take place before the watching nations such that they will all know the Name of Allah (Ezek 36:36).
(This has not occurred yet and is most likely a prophecy about Imam Mahdi (as) who will do this in Jerusalem while the entire world is watching Him (as) revive Islam, He will rebuild that land as the Capital of His Khalifah. This prophecy is about Him (as) because His (as) army and people are the Jews and the people of Israel at that time will accept Him (as) after He (as) brings out the Ark of the covenant to show them what the real Torah says, Allah will fulfill what He promised to the Jews just not as they think because He exiled them and dispersed them so that they lost their lineage and connection back to the original covenant. “And after that We said unto the children of Israel: “Dwell securely in the land – but [remember that] when the promise of the Last Day shall come to pass, We will bring you forth as [parts of] a motley crowd! (People belonging to different ethnicities)” (17:104)).
Concerning the fate of the ruined temple at Jerusalem, Ezekiel receives yet another vision, this time of a newly restored Jerusalem and temple that far exceeds the glory of anything prior and to which the nations flood to worship (Ezek 40:1-48:35) (this is a prophecy about a future time). The awesome splendor and elegant beauty of this future city is elaborately described by Ezekiel across nine chapters, but we may comprehend it more simply and succinctly merely by the name by which it will be known: “Allah Is There” (Ezek 48:35). Indeed, the glory of God will come forth and fill this newly created temple and His baraka will be there in the city with his people (Ezek 43:4-7).
With these incredible promises in hand, the exiled Jews are returned to the land after 70 years—just as the Lord had promised—whereupon they proceed with great anticipation to begin to rebuild Jerusalem, construct a new temple, and initiate a time of national teaching, prayer, and repentance. However, it becomes quickly apparent to all that the state of things in Israel following the exile falls impossibly short of the restoration promises given by the Prophets such that there is great mourning amongst the people and a general sense that their repentance had fallen short of what God required. Where they had expected abundance, they had lack; a regained national sovereignty, vassal servitude; a renewed spirituality, continued sin and radio silence from God as new prophets stopped coming forth.
(Allah tried doing exactly this when He sent them Isa Ibn Maryam (as), one of His most spiritual prophets and equipped Him (as) with everything needed to give the Jews a new heart, but because the Jews of that time and region where so engrossed in materialism they did not want to change their way of life and challenged that He (as) was even a prophet, they lost their way so much they forgot what the Ihsan and light of prophets looked like, which was their proof).
Concerning the rebuilt temple, when compared to what existed prior, it is so meager that the elderly in Israel who had seen the first temple cannot help but weep at the sight of it (Ez 3:12-13) (Allah’s promise yet to be fulfilled).
Abu Musa (ra) said, the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said: “The example of Muslims, Jews and Christians is like the example of a man who employed labourers to work for him from morning till night for specific wages. They worked till midday and then said, ‘We do not need your money which you have fixed for us and let whatever we have done be annulled.’ The man said to them, ‘Don’t quit the work, but complete the rest of it and take your full wages.’ But they refused and went away. The man employed another batch after them and said to them, ‘Complete the rest of the day and yours will be the wages I had fixed for the first batch.’ So, they worked till the time of `Asr prayer. Then they said, “Let what we have done be annulled and keep the wages you have promised us for yourself.’ The man said to them, ‘Complete the rest of the work, as only a little of the day remains,’ but they refused. Thereafter he employed another batch to work for the rest of the day and they worked for the rest of the day till the sunset, and they received the wages of the two former batches. So, that was the example of those people (Muslims) and the example of this light (guidance) which they have accepted willingly.” (Bukhari)
The Black Flags
Al Zuhari said ” The black flags will come from the East, led by mighty men, with long hair and beards, their last names are taken from the names of their home towns and their first names are from a Kunya (nick name, usually starts with ‘Abu’, which means ‘father of”).” (Nuaim bin Hammad’s Kitab Al-Fitan)
We can say with certainty that the Mahdi’s army are the people of Afghanistan, the Pashtun who are of Jewish decent having converted to Islam just after the prophet’s (saws) death. “led by mighty men” when Russia was still the USSR at the height of it’s power they invaded Afghanistan the Pashtun fought them for nine years denying the worlds second most powerful superpower victory, the prophet (saws) also said once they march with the black flags they will keep on coming, they won’t stop their Jihad for Islam generation after generation until the end.
Many Historical sources exist for about their origin in old manuscripts; here is one Quote that is comprehensive in its account.
In his Travels into Bokhara, which he published in 1835, Sir Alexander Burnes wrote: “The Afghans call themselves Bani Israel, or the children of Israel, but consider the term Yahoodi, or Jew, to be one of reproach. They say that Nebuchadnezzar, after the overthrow of Israel, transplanted them into the towns of Ghore near Bamean and that they were called after their Chief Afghan, they say that they lived as Israelites till Khalid (Ibn Walid) summoned them in the first century of the Muhammadans. Having precisely stated the traditions and history of the Afghans I see no good reason for discrediting them… the Afghans look like Jews and the younger brother marries the widow of the elder. The Afghans entertain strong prejudices against the Jewish nation, which would at least show that they have no desire to claim – without just cause – a descent from them. (Sir Alexander Burnes, Travels into Bokhara, Vol. 2:139-141.)
Regarding The Mahdi’s Appearance Being like the Bani Israil and His Wearing a Qutwani Cloak
There is a Hadith in Sahih Muslim which says “Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: You have heard about a city the one side of which is in the land and the other is in the sea (Constantinople). They said: Allall’s Messenger, yes. Thereupon he said: The Last Hour would not come unless seventy thousand (70,000) persons from Bani lsra’il (Jews) would attack it (referring to the army of the Mahdi). (Sahih Muslim: Book 41, Hadith 6979)
Bani Israil is a term referring to the origins or lineage of a people.
The Prophet Muhammad (blessing and peace be upon him) said that ”When you hear the news of Black Flags coming from the East, then, you must join them even if you have to crawl over ice (to reach them).(Trimdhi)
On the authority of Thawban, the Messenger of Allah (upon him be peace and blessings) said: “Before your treasure, three will kill each other (over it), all of them are the sons of a different Khaliph (ruller) but none will be the recipient. Then the black Banners will appear from the East and they will Kill you in a way that has never been done by a nation.” Thawban said: ‘Then he said something that I do not remember by heart’ then continued to say that the prophet (praise and peace be upon him) said: “ If you see him give him your allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice, because surely he is the Khalif of Allah, the Mahdi.
If you see the black flags coming from Khurasan, join that army, even if you have to crawl over ice, for this is the army of the Caliph, the Mahdi and no one can stop that army until it reaches Jerusalem.” (It’s isnad is Sahih according to Al-Hakim who narrates it in Mustadrak al Hakim).
An Afghan brother wrote regarding this Issue: In the Encyclopaedia Britannica 1997 it says, Qutwani cloaks resemble the Israili “Tallit” of present day. Both Qutwani cloak and Tallit have fringes on their borders (similar to how it is seen in Native American dress) and it’s mostly made of Wool. It generally falls across the head, neck, and shoulders. However the Qutwani cloak is larger and a more conspicuous prayer shawl than the Tallit. The Qutwani cloak is exactly like the cloaks worn by the Pashtoons of Afghanistan and Pakistan and it is also worn in the same way like the Qutwani cloak described in the hadith. The Pashtuns wrap these cloaks around them to protect them from the cold weather. In fact these cloaks are often the necessary part of Pashtun dress.
In Contrast to present day Jews who wear the Tallit as a symbol and are much smaller, so it can’t be wrapped around the body.
If Imam Mahdi’s army is from Khorasan and that region it should not be hard to understand why Rasul Allah (blessing and peace be upon him) said he will resemble the Bani Israil, as he will choose to dress like his followers. Rasul Allah (blessing and peace be upon him) for example used to wear a Yemeni cloak even though he wasn’t from Yemen.
“He (Imam Mahdi) would be wearing two Qutwani Cloaks. He will appear exactly as a person from Bani Israeel. He will rule for 20 years and will conquer the cities of the Mushrikeen (Idolaters) (Ref: Kanz-ul-Aamal, Page 268, Hadith No 3868).
The blessed Mahdi’s stature and posture resemble those of the People of Israel. (Reference:Al-Qawl Al-Mukhtasar Fi alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, pp. 36-29.)
He will resemble one of the Israelites [in his external appearance]. (Reference: Al-Uqayli, An-Najmu’s-saqib fi Bayan Anna’l Mahdi min Awladi Ali b. Abu Talib Ale’t-Tamam ve’l Qamal).
It is as if he is a man from the people of Israel. (Reference: Nuaym ibn Hammad, vr. 52a; Mar’i ibn Yusuf al-Maqdisi).
Many Ulluma say the 20 years mentioned in the above hadith refer to Different Era’s in the mahdi’s life (prior to his public emergence), the 7 to 9 years mentioned in other hadith will be in the final part of his life, meaning when Allah shows he is the Mahdi. It may also be that the narrators made a mistake in transmitting the Ahadith.
Other Ahadith Regarding The Army Of The Mahdi and The Origins Of The Pashtuns
The Sufyani (A person from the Quraish tribe) will appear in the Arabian Peninsula and will be the enemy of Imam Mahdi, the tribe of Kash (in Arabic spelled Qais) will fight against the Sufyani as told in the following Hadith Narrated by Abu Huraira (R.A)
The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said: That a person called Sufyani will appear from the suburbs of Damascus and his general followers will be the people of the Kulaib Tribe. He will attack (so fiercely) that he will cut the bellies of Women and kill children. To fight against him, the people of the Tribe of Qais will gather. Sufyani will fight them and kill them so much that no valley will be left without their dead bodies. (Reference: Mustadrik P520)
The word Qais or Kash is the name of numerous personalities of the Bani Israil an example is Saul son of Kish; Kash is known as the forefather of the Pashtuns because he is the first one to embrace Islam,when he became Muslim he was then known as Abdur Rashid. Kash or Kish are the same word, the Arabs pronounce it Qais, hence Bani Qais is used in Ahadith.
In Pakistan and Afghanistan we find many places where Pashtuns live by the name of Kish/Kash such as:
– Dasht-e-Kash: a desert in southern Afghanistan.
– The city of Kish Khenjak in Afghanistan in Velayat-e Oruzgan .
– The Sulaiman Mountain range is also know by Pashtuns as the Kash Ghar, The Mountain of Kash or Qais.
An Example of One scholar tracing his Afghan ancestry: Hadhrat Mohammed Maseehullah Khan, hails from the renowned and distinguished Sherwaani family of Pathans. Although the Sherwaani clan is famed as Pathan, it in reality is Sayyid (descendant from the prophet Muhammad) in its origin, for its ancestral progenitor was Sayyid Husain Ghauri R.A. who migrated from Ghaur during the reign of Khalif Abdul Maalik Bin Marwaan (d. 65 A.H.) and settled in the region neighboring ‘Koohe Sulaimaan.’ (The Sulaiman Mountains) Sayyid Husain Ghauri R.A. settled among the Pathans and married the daughter of Batan Bin Qais Abdur Rashid. She bore him two sons, Lodi and Serwaani. The descendants of Serwaani became known as Sherwaani. It is then to this family of Sayyids that Hadhrat Maseehullah Khan Saheb belongs.
The people of this region are the descendants of Ibrahim, Allah promised to his entire family, both Arabs and Jews, the lands of Canaan, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine, he will once again fulfill this promise when these Muslim Jews inherit this land.
The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: A man called al-Harith ibn Harrath will come forth from Ma Wara an-Nahr (roughly present day Afghanistan). His army will be led by a man called Mansur who will establish or consolidate things for Muhammad’s family as Quraysh consolidated them for the Messenger of Allah (saws). Every believer must help him, or he said: respond to his sermons. (Aid him) (Sunan Abu Dawud Book 38, Hadith 13)
“A people will come out of the East who will pave the way for the Mahdi.” (Ibn Majah.)