Mahdi Distributes Wealth Without Counting

Pursuant to the contents of my previous post regarding the imminent emergence of the promised Mahdi (peace be upon him), I should like to quote another Hadith which attests to the fact that he shall rule for approximately seven years:

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآَلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، قَالَ : يَخْرُجُ فِي آخِرِ أُمَّتِي الْمَهْدِيُّ ، يَسْقِيهِ اللَّهُ الْغَيْثَ ، وَتُخْرِجُ الأَرْضُ نَبَاتَهَا ، وَيُعْطِي الْمَالَ صِحَاحًا ، وَتَكْثُرُ الْمَاشِيَةُ ، وَتَعْظُمُ الأُمَّةُ ، يَعِيشُ سَبْعًا أَوْ ثَمَانِيًا

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah (Peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “At the end of the time of my Umma, the Mahdi will appear. Allah will grant him rain, the earth will bring forth its fruits, he will give a lot of money, cattle will increase and the Umma will become great. He will live (rule) for seven or eight (years).” (Mustadrak al-Hakim)

Comment: This Hadith establishes several important facts, firstly, the appearance of the Mahdi is in the latter days, closer to Judgment Day, indeed, being one of its portents, and, secondly, it shall be a time of material prosperity for the Muslim Umma. Thirdly, this Hadith says that the Mahdi will rule for approximately seven to eight years in confirmation of another Hadith I quoted in the previous entry which establishes that the Mahdi’s rule over the Arabs is for seven years. Observating the situation of the Muslims today, it is quite evident that we as a nation are, for the most part, in a state of abject poverty. The majority of the masses are suffering from malnutrition, while the threshold of water in river basins is lowering significantly, leading to the looming scarcity of fresh drinking water. The Gulf states like Saudi Arabia have already experienced the peak of their prosperity and are now on a downward trajectory. The relative luxury and wealth in which they live is not only in jeopardy after the plummeting of the oil market, but it is confined to the ruling elite. We know that in the time of the Mahdi wealth shall be distributed among everyone, and there will be no more poverty or want for anything from anyone. In an authentic Hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) prophesied:

يَكُونُ فِي آخِرِ الزَّمَانِ خَلِيفَةٌ يَقْسِمُ الْمَالَ وَلاَ يَعُدُّهُ

“There shall be, in the end of time, a Khalifa distributing money without counting it.” (Sahih Muslim)

There is a weak narration in the collections of Tirmidhi (#2232) and Ibn Maja (#4083) which explicitly mentions that the Khalifa who will freely distribute wealth is the Mahdi. But as I have said, that Hadith is weak, due to the narrator Zaid al-Ammi. Nevertheless, we can safely conclude that the Khalifa spoken of in the authentic Hadith is the Mahdi due to several factors. Firstly, that Khalifa is said to be during the latter part of this Umma, in the end of time, in which the Mahdi is known to appear. Secondly, no Muslim ruler in the history of this Umma has ever matched this description of distributing wealth freely without account and without refusing anyone. Finally, I have already quoted the sound Hadith from Mustadrak al-Hakim which states that the Mahdi shall give a way a lot of money. Another authentic Hadith mentions the fact that during the second coming of Jesus son of Mary:

وَيَفِيضَ الْمَالُ حَتَّى لاَ يَقْبَلَهُ أَحَدٌ

“Money will be in such abundance that no one will accept it.” (Sahih al-Bukhari)

However, the difference is that during the Mahdi’s rule, people will be flocking to him to acquire their share of wealth, and he will distribute it freely without counting, but by the time of the second coming of Jesus, there will still be such an abundance of wealth that could be distributed, but since people have more than what they can handle they will no longer accept it. There is also the general prophecy that:

لاَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى يَكْثُرَ الْمَالُ وَيَفِيضَ حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ الرَّجُلُ بِزَكَاةِ مَالِهِ فَلاَ يَجِدُ أَحَدًا يَقْبَلُهَا مِنْهُ وَحَتَّى تَعُودَ أَرْضُ الْعَرَبِ مُرُوجًا وَأَنْهَارًا

The Hour will not be established until money increases and becomes abundant (so much so) that a man will take out the Zakat from his wealth but not find anyone accepting from it, and until the land of the Arabs returns to being meadows and rivers. (Sahih Muslim)

This Hadith appears to be a reference to the period of the Mahdi and Messiah, in the latter days, when the abundance of wealth will lead to a transformation of the landscape of barren, desert Arabia into a fertile, green land of flowing rivers.