Is It True That There Will Be a Dispute over the Throne and that the Euphrates River Will Dry Up before the Hour?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I have a question before Imam Mahdi comes, is this hadith authentic a king will die, and a dispute will occur amongst the royals for the throne, but the Mahdi will run away to Makka. Is this the king of Saudi Arabia that will die as he is in bad condition and is old?

Secondly, is the Euphrates River drying up a major or minor sign of Islam?
According to Sunni scholars, how many years are estimated to be left for the arrival of Dajjal? And have all Minor Signs of the Judgement taken place?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are well. Thank you for your question.

River Euphrates Drying Up

Abu Huraira (Allah bless him and give him peace) reported the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The Hour will not be established until the Euphrates River uncovers a mountain of gold and people will fight over it. Every ninety-nine people out of a hundred will be killed, and each man among them will say: Perhaps I will be the one who is saved!” [Muslim]

Hafiz Ibn Hajar (Allah have mercy on him) says, “This hadith indicates that this will take place after the emergence of Imam Mahdi and that is before the descending of Isa (peace be upon him) and before the fire appears and Allah knows best.” [Bukhari, Fath al-Bari]

Dispute Amongst Caliphs

It was narrated from Thawban that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Three will fight one another for your treasure, each one of them the son of a caliph, but none of them will gain it. Then the black banners will come from the east, and they will kill you in an unprecedented manner.” Then he mentioned something that I do not remember; then he said: “When you see them, then pledge your allegiance to them even if you have to crawl over the snow, for that is the caliph of Allah, Mahdi.” [Ibn Maja]

The term ‘caliph’ here means succession in the ruling, in that a ruler will die, and his three sons will fight over a treasure. We cannot say or specify what it is to do with the ruling dynasty of a country like Saudi Arabia, as this is not mentioned.

Estimated Time Left Before Dajjal

No one can determine or specify how many years are left before the arrival of Imam Mahdi, Dajjal, etc. What is important is that we must prepare ourselves and future generations to work on solid, sound faith and increase our good works as a shield for and against the incoming intensity of trials. And this is the only reason these minor and major signs have been mentioned, not specified with a time, so we prepare thoroughly in every way possible.

A Bedouin asked the Prophet about the Hour. He said, “It will surely come to pass. What have you prepared for it?” The man said, “O Messenger of Allah, I have not prepared much in the way of prayer and good works, but I love Allah and His Messenger.” The Prophet said, “You will be with those you love.” The Muslims had never rejoiced as much as they did when they heard this hadith. [Bukhari]

Signs of the Hour

Below is a link to the Signs of the Hour by Ibn Kathir (Allah have mercy on him) and Shaykh Abu Bakr al-Adani (Allah have mercy on him)

Check these answers as well:
Day of Judgment Reader
The Concise Article
The Signs Before the Day of Judgment

I pray this helps with your question.

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.

He started his early education in UK. He went onto complete hifz of Qur’an in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in UK where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then travelled to Karachi, Pakistan.

He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.

He currently resides in UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.