The Mahdi and His Helpers - Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society

29is the condition of those among them who make a show of religion--not those who are thecompanions of Satan (cf. Kor. 4:38; 43:36). These (outwardly pious hypocrites) "dressedup for the people in the skins of gentle sheep": 85 (they are) brothers outwardly andenemies inwardly and secretly. But God will examine them and take them by theirforelocks (cf. Kor. 55:41; 96:15-16) to that (level of Hell) which contains theirhappiness. 86Thus when the Mahdi comes forth (to establish justice in the world) he has no openenemy (Kor. 2:188; etc.) except for the jurists in particular. For then they will no longerhave any power of domination and will not be distinguished from the mass of commonpeople, and they will only keep a slight knowledge of (the divine) commandment, sincethe differences concerning the commandments will be eliminated in this world because ofthe existence of this Imam.However, if the Mahdi did not have the sword (of worldly authority) in his hand, then thejurists would all deliver legal opinions (demanding) that he be killed. But instead (asstated in the hadith) "God will bring him forth with the sword and noble character," andthey will be greedy (for his support) and fearful, so that they will (outwardly) accept hisjudgment without having any faith in it; indeed they will grudgingly conceal theirdisagreement, just as do (the two legal schools of) the Hanafites and Shafiites concerningthose matters where they disagree. For in fact it has been reported to us that the followersof these two schools in the lands of the non-Arabs (i.e., Iran and Transoxiana) areexcruciating torment. And there is a group of them who twist the Book with their tongues, so thatyou might consider that (what they say) is from the Book, although it is not from the Book. Andthey say that (what they say) is from God, although it is not from God--and they say lies against Godwhile they know (what they are doing)." See the following note for the full hadith to which Ibn 'Arabialludes at the beginning of this sentence.85 The phrases in quotes here and in the sentence preceding the previous note are taken from thefollowing saying of the Prophet recorded by Tirmidhi (from Abu Hurayra) and selected by Ibn 'Arabi inhis personal collection of hadith qudsi, the Mishkat al-Anwar (no. 35; pp. 64-65 in the translation by M.Valsan): "At the end of time men will appear who will dupe the world with (the pretense of) religion: theywill dress up for the people in the skins of gentle sheep and their tongues will be sweeter than honey, buttheir hearts are the hearts of wolves. God will say: 'Are they completely deluded about me, or do theyopenly dare (to affront) me?! I swear by Myself that I shall surely send those men a trial (or torment:fitna) that will leave even the calmest of them completely dismayed.'"86 The last phrase, evoking the Koranic references to the fate of the "wrongdoers" (mujrimun), isan allusion to Ibn 'Arabi's assumption that the people of Gehenna nonetheless do take a certain pleasure inprecisely those things which--in distracting them from God--ultimately help constitute their punishment;see, for example, the famous verses at the end of the chapter on Ismail in the Fusus al-Hikam (I, 94;Bezels, pp. 109-110), and the longer discussions in the eschatological section of this anthology.