When Medina Will be in Ruins: A Prophecy in the Making
The Beginning of the End
“The flourishing state of Jerusalem will be when Yathrib (i.e., the city of Medina) will be desolate; the desolate state of Yathrib will be when the great war (Malhama) comes; the outbreak of the great war will be (followed by) the conquest of Constantinople; and the conquest of Constantinople will be (followed by) Dajjal’s (Antichrist) coming forth (i.e., appearing or emerging). He (the Prophet) then he tapped with his hand the thigh or the shoulder of the one to whom he was talking and said: This is certainly true like you are (sitting) here (he meant Hazrat Mu’aadh ibn Jabal RA).” (Sunan Abi Daud)
Introduction
The Hadith above is a prophecy made by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) over 1400 years ago. According to Islamic scholars, the events in the Hadith are given in chronological sequence culminating in the physical appearance of Dajjal.
Especially to be noted with relevance to this blog are the words ‘When Yathrab (Medina) will be desolate i.e. in ruins’. It is taken that here Medina is meant to be the government ruling over Medina-Saudi Arabia (just like Jerusalem in the Hadith means government ruling Jerusalem).
We know from other Ahadith that harm cannot come to the city of Medina, that Dajjal will not be able to enter it and refuge is to be sought in the city during times of trial at the End Times1. And ‘in ruins’ may mean political and economic ruins.
This blog looks at conditions that are leading towards the fulfillment of this prophecy.
Also read this blog for continuity and in context of End Times:
Conditions for Muhammad Bin Salman to become King
The US laid down few conditions for the crown prince, Muhammad bin Salman (commonly known as MBS) become king before his father’s death.
“Absolute obedience to the US and Israel and carrying out whatever they ask him to do.”
The other conditions include:
- Working to settle all Gaza residents in north Sinai as an alternative homeland and Saudi Arabia along with the UAE will afford the needed funds;
- Getting rid of Hamas and whoever supports it;
- Getting Sanafir Island from Egypt.
The last condition would make the Gulf of Aqaba international waters instead of Egyptian territorial waters, which would facilitate Israeli shipping to and from the port of Eilat. It would also help Israel to carry out a project planned to operate in parallel to the Suez Canal.
In other words, do everything to destroy Saudi Arabia and support Israel.
MBS was little known both at home and abroad before Salman became king in January 2015.
It is believed that when others were unprepared to meet these conditions, MBS was prepared for the job. At the time, deputy crown prince Muhammad bin Salman was welcomed to the Pentagon on May 13, 2015.
He accepted these conditions and rose to become the crown prince and is now close to becoming the king after fulfilling the remaining conditions and even more. Following is a list of the atrocities and crimes of this tyrannical leader. Further proofs are given ahead.
War in Yemen
As defense minister, MBS is responsible for starting the bloody military campaign in Yemen in 2015. The Saudi-led aggression has so far killed at least 14,000 Yemenis, including hundreds of women and children.
WHO has reported of thousands of civilians dying of famine, diseases like cholera as Saudis and its allies have prevented citizens traveling abroad and also blocked entry of medicines into the war torn country.
The Saudis continue to bomb residential areas including marriage halls, hospitals, schools, factories etc killing thousands of civilians. The WHO now classifies Yemen as one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in the world alongside Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria and Iraq.
Campaign Against Qatar
MBS then also launched a campaign against Qatar, which has since led to an air, land and sea blockade, trade sanctions and a series of demands that have so far not been met. One of the demands was to break off all ties with Hamas, one of the conditions laid down to MBS for becoming the king.
This was right after President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia and it is very likely that the 13 demands the Arab states gave to Qatar were under dictation by the United States.
Both misadventures against Yemen and Qatar proved miscalculated. The Saudis made these impulsive hostile moves without having thought through second or third steps. The attempts to scare Qatar into submission backfired, as Qatar has been getting friendlier with Russia, Turkey and Iran. This further proves that MBS was simply being asked to comply to orders, with the ultimate goal of dividing the Arabian Gulf countries and him becoming the future king.
The Take over as Crown Prince
In June 2017, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz announced on Wednesday his decision to replace Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz with his own son, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).
After the decision was announced, the Israeli air force sent 18 of its fighter jets, including F16I, F15CD and F16CD, along with two Gulfstream aircraft, two tanker airplanes and two C130 planes, special for electronic warfare, to Saudi Arabia at the demand of the new crown prince bin Salman to block his cousin (bin Nayef)’s possible measures.
Late April, media source disclosed that Mohammad bin Salman had literally bribed the new US administration by paying $56m to Donald Trump. According to reports, MBS is paying off the US to buy its support for finding a grip over the crown.
This probably proves USA and Israel upholding their part of the deal.
King Salman significantly increased the powers of MBS, with observers describing the prince as the real power behind his father’s throne.
Saudis Lavish Spending and The Plunging Economy
Saudi Arabia has plunged into deep economic turmoil due to various reasons including plunging oil prices, buying millions of dollars in weapons, war against Yemen etc. This also included continued lavish spending by the royal family including MBS buying a yacht for almost a half a billion dollars.
A prolonged period of low oil prices forced the government to borrow money on the international bond market and to draw extensively from the country’s foreign reserves, which dropped from $730 billion at their peak in 2014 to $487.6 billion in August, the latest available government data.
‘The US State Department has approved the possible sale of a THAAD anti-missile defence system to Saudi Arabia at an estimated cost of $15 billion. The approval opens the way for Saudi Arabia to purchase 44 Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) launchers and 360 missiles, as well as fire control stations and radars.’
Besides this lavish spending on foreign trips is very common as was seen during the King’s recent trip to Russia. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman arrived in Moscow for an opulent historic visit that included an entourage of 1,500 people, a golden-plated escalator (that failed to work) and his own luxury carpets.
Around 800 kilograms of food had been flown in by a Saudi plane that is travelling daily between Riyadh and Moscow to transport supplies.
Saudi Arabia took a loan from the IMF for the first time in ten years and we all know the long-term harms the IMF does to a country.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170831-saudi-arabias-10bn-imf-loan-and-its-implications/
Saudi Arabia also took out 10 billion dollars in bank loans this year from various global banks.
https://www.ft.com/content/c30118c8-0630-11e6-a70d-4e39ac32c284
Vision 2030
To counter the plunge in the economy, in April 25, 2016, Saudi Arabia announced ‘Vision 2030’, an ambitious economic plan intended to confirm the kingdom’s status as ‘the heart of the Arab and Islamic world’. The basic objective of this vision is to decrease the dependency on oil as a source of revenue.
Again, MBS was the architect of this vision. MBS ‘appears to be firmly in control of Saudi military strategy, foreign policy, and economic planning’ and this economic vision which is widely perceived by many as a potentially successful venture, greatly helped him take over as the new crown prince in place of Prince Nayef.
It included selling off part of Aramco and an attempt to bring in new industries and other plans, some of which are mentioned below.
Introduction of Taxes on Expatriates
The Saudis are now panicking about the future of their country. In a state known hitherto for tax-free living, the government has introduced a family tax of 100 Saudi riyals ($26.66) per member per month on expatriates in July 2017 and is introducing value added tax (VAT) from next January. Subsidies on basics like fuel, water and electricity have been withdrawn.
This levy tax will increase from 600-800 Saudi Riyals on foreign workers in 2020. All of this is to increase the internal revenue and boost the dwindling economy. This was part of Vision 2030.
Steps towards Moderate Islam
In late October, 2017 MBS announced to return Saudi Arabia to moderate Islam and away from ultraconservatism, which he claims harmed the country for the last 3 decades.
First, MBS clipped the wings of the once-feared religious police, who no longer have powers to arrest and are seen to be falling in line with the new regime.
Next step taken was to lift the ban on women driving in the country and soon after the same clergy who spoke vehemently against it, were now speaking passionately for this decision.
Women were the first time allowed to go in to stadiums where on offer was a concert in the Red Sea city of Jeddah featuring 11 Arab musicians, plus fireworks, air acrobatics and traditional folk dance shows, many things which were considered taboo/’haram’ only a few years ago.
Also proposed luxury beach resort on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Islands where men and women bathers may mix and wear skimpy swim clothes including bikinis etc, albeit secluded from the rest of the country and its media.
Cinemas, which were closed decades ago, are expected to be opened before the end of 2017. A British cinema chain is in talks to open Saudi Arabia’s first film theatres since they were banned 35 years ago.
An Islamic centre tasked with certifying the sayings of Prophet Muhammad PBUH will be established, especially concerning use of violence or terrorism. In a decree, King Salman ordered the establishment of an authority to scrutinize use of the ‘Ahadith’ — accounts of the sayings, actions or habits of the Prophet that are used by preachers and jurists to support teachings and edicts on all aspects of life.
The Purge
King Salman devises an high-powered “anti-corruption” commission and appoints his son, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, i.e. MBS, as chairman.
Right on cue, the commission detains 11 House of Saud princes, four current ministers and dozens of former princes/cabinet secretaries – all charged with corruption. Hefty bank accounts are frozen, private jets are grounded. The high-profile accused lot is “jailed” at the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton.
There were two major objectives of the purge:
- To crush any political dissent by arresting dozens of coup plotters or potential coup-plotters
- Replenish the country’s foreign reserves which declined in the past 3 years by over 250 billion dollars.
Picture showing dead or ignored (crossed out by red line) and MBS promoted:
The government practically run by MBS was aiming to confiscate cash and other assets worth as much as $800 billion in its broadening crackdown on alleged corruption among the kingdom’s elite.
The arrest of Prince Waleed bin Talal, worth close to 18 billion dollars, was one of the richest men in the world with shares in Fox News, Twitter and other mega companies. All of these princes and ex-ministers assets were frozen by the government.
It is a purge similar to that in Turkey by Erdogan but with a different plot!
It seems to haves proceeded smoothly so far, without encountering any serious obstacles.
Obviously his friends have given their approval:
MBS now has now brought the four major pillars of state power – the economy, the security and military forces, the media and the religious establishment (both the official Council of Senior Ulema and the unofficial ‘awakening’ clerics) — totally under his control.
He has thrown all his opponents, and anyone who uttered any criticism of his rule, behind bars (or, in the case of the princes and other high-ranking figures, incarcerated them in a luxury hotel for now). The latest round of detentions is unlikely to be the last, for we are dealing here with a bulldozer that levels everything that stands in its path.
Saudi Arabia’s Latest Skirmish with Lebanon
This is also following the orders of the US administration’s orders which is in the interest of Israel. It may be designed to first isolate Hezbollah and then evict Iranian influence from the region. Again Saudis playing along with the Americans and Israelis in re-igniting the self created ‘Sunni Shia’ divide in the region.
The Disastrous Potential Consequences
The Backlash
MBS arrest of hundreds of potential rivals, including 11 royal princes and many influential Saudi businessmen, can only be described as a pre-emptive coup. He has amassed more power in the last two years than any member of the House of Saud, including its kings. This may someday backfire on him.
The young prince, who before his father came to power held no position of significance, is now the heir to the throne, minister of defense, chairman of the newly launched “anti-corruption” committee, and, by royal decree, the man in charge of Saudi Arabia’s primary source of wealth, Saudi Aramco.
He has done all this under the umbrella of his guardians (Trump etc) who have supported his actions no more than a day after. He is intent on destroying any and/or all of his rivals before they have time to act against him.
While dozens of leading businessmen and princes have been arrested, two men stood out in terms of their potential to threaten Muhammad bin Salman’s ascension to the throne: Prince Mansour bin Muqrin, who died (killed?) in a helicopter crash near Yemen this week, and Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah, who has been removed as head of Saudi Arabia’s National Guard.
Muhammad bin Salman’s dismissal of Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah from his position could prove to be a serious miscalculation. MBS is already unpopular with large parts of the Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) for his disastrous and impetuous war in Yemen.
The Saudi led war in Yemen has proceeded from failure to failure and has put tremendous pressure on the inadequately trained and led RSLF. The National Guard has largely been spared deployment to Saudi Arabia’s dangerous and porous border with Yemen. This is largely due to Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah’s efforts to thwart MBS’ war in Yemen, which is regarded by many within the House of Saud as reckless, dangerous, and deeply immoral.
Muhammad bin Salman’s betrayal of decades of rule by consensus and consultation in favor of determined autocracy has undoubtedly made enemies of hundreds, if not thousands, of wealthy and influential princes and businessmen. These princes and businessmen are unlikely to wait for their invitation to the Ritz Carlton.
Possibility of Civil War
“This is more serious than it appears. The arrest of the two sons of previous King Abdullah, Princes Miteb and Turki, was a fatal mistake. This now endangers the King himself. It was only the regard for the King that protected MBS. There are many left in the army against MBS and they are enraged at the arrest of their commanders.”
There are three major royal family groups aligning against the present rulers: the family of former King Abdullah, the family of former King Fahd, and the family of former Crown Prince Nayef.
We could be heading for a series of pile-up of purges, coups and countercoups as the norm. There could be a political chaos after the death of King Salman, the father of MBS and that is probably why he wants to become the king before he dies.
None the less, the death of King Salman or any subsequent king may fulfill another near awaited prophecy:
“Narrated Hazrat Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu’minin RA:
‘The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Disagreement will occur at the death of a Khalifa and a man of the people of Medina will come flying forth to Mecca. Some of the people of Mecca will come to him, bring him out against his will and swear allegiance to him between the Corner and the Maqam. An expeditionary force will then be sent against him from Syria but will be swallowed up in the desert between Mecca and Medina. When the people see that, the eminent saints of Syria and the best people of Iraq will come to him and swear allegiance to him between the Corner and the Maqam.
Then there will arise a man of Quraysh whose maternal uncles belong to Kalb and send against them an expeditionary force which will be overcome by them, and that is the expedition of Kalb. Disappointed will be the one who does not receive the booty of Kalb. He will divide the property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet (ﷺ) and establish Islam on Earth. He will remain seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him.
Abu Dawud said: Some transmitted from Hisham “nine years” and some “seven years”.
The Hadith is reported by Al-Tabarani, Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawud. Many consider it is sound and authentic.
Scholars say the word ‘Khalifa’ here means any Muslim ruler, as a Muslim ruler is supposed to be a vicegerent/viceroy (literal meaning of Khalifa). The man fleeing to Makkah from Medina is Imam Mehdi who will remain for 7-9 years)
Possibility of Military Conflicts in the Middle East
Right now, the kingdom’s leadership is desperately in need of an enemy to unite the population and draw their attention away from the chaotic events that are unfolding in the country. A warlike rhetoric against Iran, Lebanon and Hezbollah etc are a clear sign of this.
- A possible military confrontation backed by the USA over atrocities and crushing siege in Yemen
- Formation of a new military alliance, this time involving USA and NATO
- Third, the bombardment of Lebanon and destruction of its infrastructure on the pretext of trying to eradicate Hezbollah. This has been enhanced by the recent abduction of Lebanon’s Prime Minister Mr. Hariri.
- Invasion of Qatar
- Counter-offensive in Syria
- Mobilizing Kurdish militias as US proxies in Northern Iraq and Syria
Possible Effects on Economy
The “anti-corruption” campaign is just an excuse: the corruption has always been high in Saudi Arabia, and no one batted an eye before now.
Of course, there is a major danger that such a draconian cash grab would result in a violent blowback by everyone who has funds parked in the Kingdom. To assuage fears, Saudi Arabia’s minister of commerce, Majid al Qasabi, on Tuesday sought to reassure the private sector that the corruption investigation wouldn’t interfere with normal business operations. The procedures and investigations undertaken by the anti-corruption agency won’t affect ongoing business or projects, he said. Furthermore, the Saudi central bank said that individual accounts had been frozen, not corporate accounts. “It is business as usual for both banks and corporates,” the central bank said.
However, this is problematic: first, not only is the list of names of detained and “frozen” accounts growing by the day…
The biggest irony would be if from this flagrant attempt to shore up the Kingdom’s deteriorating finances, a domestic and international bank run emerged, with locals and foreign individuals and companies quietly, or not so quietly, pulling their assets and capital from confiscation ground zero, in the process precipitating the very economic collapse that the move was meant to avoid.
Judging by the market reaction, which has sent Riyal forward tumbling on rising bets of either a recession, or devaluation, or both, this unorthodox attempt to inject up to $800 billion in assets into the struggling local economy, could soon backfire spectacularly.
The Expatriate Labor Force
By taxation of the expatriate workers, most of whom make the majority of the labor force, they are being compelled to leave the country. Who will replace these skilled expatriates?
Saudi nationals have for many years taken for granted the availability of easy, high-paying jobs in the public sector and will not readily discard this comfortable reality. These questions remain unanswered or possibly the Saudis are expecting Arabs including Egyptians, Moroccans and others to fill in the void. However this will not deem good for relations with brotherly Muslim countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Backfire from the Clergy/Religious Elements of the Society
Saudi Arabia has arrested thousands of prominent clerics to avoid any dissent. Not only clerics, but columnists, journalists and other prominent citizens are being rounded up by the government forces loyal to MBS to avoid any backfire.
Saudi Arabia already has large number of human rights violations:
Saudi Arabia’s primary political legitimacy has rested on a narrative of Islam. The House of Saud ruled in accordance with Islam, perhaps playing the ‘Islam card’ when needed. As long as Islam was strictly implemented, the House of Saud’s legitimacy has remained intact.
Saudi Arabia will have a hard time promoting itself as a beach resort tourist destination given its conservative image, but more problematic is how Saudis will deal with this schism. Perhaps transforming the basis of political legitimacy might work elsewhere in a country which doesn’t host Islam’s two holiest sites, but for Saudi Arabia it will be very difficult.
Should Saudis wake up one day and find their western coast in naked contradiction with the rest of the country, it will likely not bode well for the Saudi regime’s future legitimacy.
Conclusion
The discussion concludes that the foolish Saudi Government lead by MBS is treading on a path of self-destruction and ultimately on the way to the prophecy mentioned at the start and ending with the prophecy mentioned near the end of the blog (regarding quarrel over the next ruler after death of a Khalifah).
‘When Jerusalem will be flourishing and Madina will be in ruins’
And now President Trump is preparing to make Jerusalem the capital of Israel……..
And Allah knows best…..
For More on Islamic Eschatology (End Times), check out following category for new or previous blogs:
https://drnaumanshad.com/index.php/category/islamic-eschatology-end-of-times/
References
1. Abu Dawud
Book No: 7
No: 3188
Narrated Hazrat Abu Hurayrah RA
Allah’s Messenger (peace_be_upon_him) said: A time will come for the people (of Medina) when a man will invite his cousin and any other near relation: Come (and settle) at (a place) where living is cheap, come to where there is plenty, but Medina will be better for them; would they know it!
By Him in Whose Hand is my life, none amongst them would go out (of the city) with a dislike for it, but Allah would make his successor in it someone better than he. Behold, Medina is like furnace which eliminates from it the impurities. And the Last Hour will not come until Medina banishes its evils just as a furnace eliminates the impurities of iron.
https://www.samaa.tv/economy/2017/08/saudi-tax-axe-forcing-thousands-of-pakistanis-to-return-home/
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/09/15/saudi-arabia-prominent-clerics-arrested
Maybe this is the road to peace. Everything else has been tried.
Nice summary. May Allah increase your knowledge.
A though provoking article. May Allah show and keep all of us on the right path.