¶ Door Number Thirty-Nine
¶ Egypt
¶ “O Egypt! O Egypt! Your knowledge will survive but in legends, which later generations will be unable to believe.”
The land of Egypt has played a central role in the story of God and creation, especially in the Holy Bible and Qur’an. It is a land containing many divine mysteries and legends. It is a blessed place that connects the ancient world to the modern world and will play a major role in the Rise. The word in Arabic (مصر) or Masr (Egypt) is an epithet meaning follower of Asr or Asar (m-Asr or from Asr, من عصر). The second Mahdi is Asr (Mid-day). It also points to the end of time, as time is running out, or the end of the day. Some critical questions arise: What is the role of ancient Egypt in shaping the Abrahamic stories and religious practices? Why would the God of the Israelites instruct Moses (PBUH) and David (PBUH) to erect temples in the exact same way as their enemies? If the ancient Egyptian religions are completely false, then wouldn’t this make Judaism and the Abrahamic religions false as well?
One of the characters that are mentioned in the narrations of the Ahlul-Bayt (From Them is Peace) is the Companion of Egypt. This character is strongly connected with the Yamani (From Him is Peace), and he and the Yamani (From Him is Peace) emerge before the Sufyani. Imam Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) said:
“There emerges before the Sufyani an Egyptian and a Yamani.”
This prophecy was never realized nor did it come to pass except with the Companion of Egypt, Abdullah Hashem, and the Yamani Ahmed Al-Hassan, both of whom were the only two to claim the names “Ahmed” and “Abdullah” in the Will of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family). Ammar ibn Yassir said in a long narration where he describes the events before and around the time of the Rise:
…And there shall appear three individuals in Al-Sham, all of them are demanding rulership, a spotted man, and a red/lion man and a man from the family of Abu-Sufyan who emerges in Kalab, and keeps the people in Damascus, and the people of the West go out to Egypt. If they enter it then that is the sign of the Sufyani, and there emerges before that a person who calls to the Family of Mohammed (PBUT), and the Turks descend upon Hira, and the Romans descend upon Palestine, and Abdullah races Abdullah until their soldiers meet in Circesium at the river, and there shall be a great battle, and the companion of the West shall go forth and kill the men and capture the women and then return to Qays, until the Sufyani descends upon the island, and the Yamani shall go forth and the Sufyani will capture what they gathered. Then he shall go to Kufa and kill the helpers of the Family of Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) and he shall kill a man from them. Then the Mahdi shall come forth and his banner would be held by Shuaib ibn Saleh. If the people of Al-Sham realize that their country has come under the rule of the son of Abi Sufyan, they shall go to Mecca. At that time the pure soul shall be killed and his brother in Mecca, and a caller shall call from the sky: “O People! Your prince is so and so and that is the Mahdi who shall fill the Earth with justice and equity as it was filled with injustice and oppression.”
The name Abdullah is associated with two figures in the events of the Rise, one is Abdullah the Sufyani and the other is Abdullah the Riser. In the Book of Al-Fitan it is written:
“If a man from the Bani Abbas rules whose name is Abdullah, and he is the companion of the last Ain of them, by it they opened and by it they end. He is the key to the sword of destruction, if a book of his was read in Al-Sham that states, “from Abdullah the Prince of the Believers,” it won’t be long before a letter is read from the Platform of Egypt that states, “From Abdullah Abd Al-Rahman the Prince of the Believers.” If that happens the companions of the East and the companions of the West flock towards Al-Sham like two racing horses, each seeing that kingship shall not be established except by he who takes over Al-Sham, each stating that whoever captures it has captured kingship.”
In other narrations it is clear that the characters that race towards Al-Sham in this time are the Mahdi and the Sufyani. Later in the same book it states:
“The Sufyani and the Mahdi emerge like two racing horses, the Sufyani defeats everything ahead of him and the Mahdi defeats everything ahead of him.”
Therefore, the Sufyani and the Mahdi or the Riser are both named Abdullah, and the Mahdi/Riser is from Egypt and his name is read on the Platform of Egypt and he is the Companion of Egypt.
¶ An Infallible Leader
Other than the name of the Companion of Egypt being Abdullah, the narrations of the Ahlul-Bayt (From Them is Peace) have described the Companion of Egypt in great detail, and Imam Ali (From Him is Peace) has said:
“If the prince of princes rises in Egypt and the armies are readied.”
This is clearly an indication that the Companion of Egypt is a leader of leaders. Imam Al-Ridha (From Him is Peace) said:
“It is as if I am seeing banners coming from Egypt, they are stained green, and shall come to Al-Sham and will be given to the son of the companion of the Wills.”
Who is this son and who is the companion of the Wills except for Ahmed and his son Abdullah mentioned in the Will of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family)? So clearly the Companion of Egypt is a Prince who claims the Will. The Prince of the Believers Ali ibn Abi Talib (From Him is Peace) said:
“The Companion of Egypt is the sign of signs, and his sign is wondrous and it has signs to it, his heart is Hassan (good) and his head is Mohammed and he changes the name of his grandfather. If he emerges, know that the Mahdi will knock on your doors, so before he knocks, fly to him in the domes of the clouds or come to him even if you must crawl on ice.”
This one whom you must fly to or crawl to, even on ice, is the Companion of the Black Banners of the East, who is the Companion of Egypt, the Riser, and a Mahdi. Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) said:
“There shall fight three at the site of your treasure, every one of them is the son of a caliph, then it shall not go to any one of them. Then the Black Banners shall come from the East, and they shall fight you like you have never been fought before by anyone. If you see him then pledge allegiance to him even if you have to crawl on ice, for verily he is the Caliph of God, the Mahdi.”
The Companion of Egypt is mentioned as the one who raises the Black Banners of the East, and it is one of the signs of knowing who he is:
“…He is patient, the patience of the saints. And he raises the Black Banner. By God, the One who split the seed, he is the one who paves the way for the Mahdi.”
¶ Description
As for the physical traits of the Companion of Egypt, it is written about him in the book What Ali (PBUH) said about the End of Times:
“He is tall with red cheeks, he has good appearance, and changes the name of his grandfather. He has a good heart with pure intentions. He has straight hair, and iron eyes, his thought is correct, his beard is white, and it has in it beauty and light, and his upper half is better than his lower half. He is known to the people but he is hidden.”
It is known to the believers that this description applies to the Companion of Egypt, Abdullah. It is also known that my physical lineage is different from my spiritual lineage. I am Abdullah Karam Hashem, but I am also Abdullah son of Ahmed son of Mohammed (PBUH & His Family). One day Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) came to me and told me a secret that I did not know about myself.
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “How far back can you trace your name?”
I said, “I know my name is Abdullah son of Karam son of Soliman son of Hashem son of Soliman.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “There is another name of one of your grandfathers, in it is a great secret.”
I said, “I don’t know beyond that.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Go and ask your physical father and let me know what he says.”
I went to my physical father and asked him. Then I returned to the Imam (From Him is Peace) and said to him, “My father told me one more of my grandfather’s names. He said my name is Abdullah son of Karam son of Soliman son of Hashem son of Soliman son of Al-Hadi (الحادي).”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes, that is it. Al-Hadi (الحادي). Do you know what Al-Hadi (الحادي) means?”
I said, “The first?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Exactly, Abdullah Al-Hadi (الحادي), Abdullah the first. You will discover other matters as well concerning it.”
And indeed, later the Imam (From Him is Peace) explained to me that I come before him in the Will: Abdullah, Ahmed, Al-Mahdi. We discussed this matter earlier in the Book. I also discovered that the name Al-Hadi (الحادي) has other meanings in the Arabic language, such as ‘One,’ ‘Leader,’ ‘Aldebaran Star,’ ‘The Two Planet Star (Mars),’ and ‘Cameleer.’ In a famous tradition, Imam Ali (From Him is Peace) said:
“I shall build in Egypt a platform, and I shall destroy Damascus brick by brick, and I shall take out the Jews and the Christians from all the lands of the Arabs, and I shall drive the Arabs with this staff of mine.” He was asked: “It is as if you are saying you shall come to life after your death?” The Imam (PBUH) responded: “Wait O Abaya, you have taken it in another way, a man from me shall do it.”
In this tradition we clearly see that Imam Ali (From Him is Peace) is saying that a man from him, who is the Companion of Egypt, who builds the platform in Egypt and fights the Sufyani in Damascus, will drive the Arabs with his staff like a Cameleer drives his flock of camels.
¶ Egypt Is the Mother of the World
Egypt is the mother of the world, a famous saying that all Egyptians are familiar with. In many ways it is true. Egypt is in Africa and is the oldest civilization in Africa. Africa is considered to be the cradle and mother of civilization. It is interesting to note that the Arabs are descendants of Abraham (PBUH) through Hagar (PBUH), while the Jews are descendants of Abraham (PBUH) through Sarah (PBUH). Abraham was an Iraqi while Hagar was an Egyptian, so Egypt is the mother of all Arabs. Sarah was an Iraqi, so Iraq is the mother of all Jews and Iraq is the father of all Jews and Arabs. Not only was Egypt the mother of the Arabs, but Egypt was the mother of all religion. The Muslims believe in the God of the Gospels and Torah, the Christians claim belief in the God of the Torah; therefore, the Muslims, Christians and Jews all believe in the same God and religion essentially. Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) confirmed the Torah and the God of the Torah when he said:
“Bring the Torah. It was then brought. He then withdrew the cushion from beneath him and placed the Torah on it saying: ‘I believed in thee and in Him Who revealed thee.’ ”
Jesus (PBUH) confirmed the Torah when he said:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”
However, what is barely known is that Moses (PBUH) confirmed much of the ancient Egyptian religion which came before Judaism.
¶ The Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant is an object which is mentioned in the Torah and in the Holy Qur’an. It is described as the object in which the Spirit of God resided and from which He spoke to the Israelites. After the Spirit of God spoke to Moses (PBUH) from the tree, He resided and traveled with the Children of Israel in the Ark. In Islamic sources the Ark of the Covenant is called Taboot Al-Sakinah, the literal translation of Taboot Al-Sakinah is the Coffin of Tranquility. Sakinah is also Arabic for the Hebrew word Shekinah. The description of the Ark and instructions on how to build it and what to place within it were given to Moses:
Now they shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it. You shall also cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet; two rings shall be on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. And you shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you. And you shall make an atoning cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. You shall make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the atoning cover. Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the atoning cover at its two ends. And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the atoning cover with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the atoning cover. Then you shall put the atoning cover on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. There I will meet with you; and from above the atoning cover, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about every commandment that I will give you for the sons of Israel.
According to the Bible, inside of the Ark were three items:
“...the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.”
The Holy Qur’an confirms this matter:
“And their Prophet said to them: ‘Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the Ark will come to you in which is assurance (Shekinah) from your Lord and the sacred relics (a Remnant) of the family of Moses and the family of Aaron, carried by the angels.’ ”
The sacred relics left by the family of Aaron (PBUH) in the Ark include his budded staff, and the sacred relics left by the family of Moses (PBUH) include the tablets with the commandments. Other than that, the Holy Qur’an confirms that the Shekinah or the Spirit of God still resides in the Ark. It is mentioned in the narrations that Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) will bring back the Ark of the Covenant:
“The Mahdi…brings forth the Ark of the Covenant from a cave in Antioch and in it is the Torah as it came down upon Moses (PBUH), and the Gospels as God brought it down upon Jesus (PBUH), and he rules the people of the Torah by their Torah and the people of the Gospels by their Gospels.”
Aba Michael (PBUH) once spoke about this cave and what he had heard from Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) and Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) concerning it.
Aba Michael (PBUH) said, “There is a cave in Turkey that has all that which belongs to the Prophets and Saints (PBUT). It is safeguarded by God, in it are wonders and secrets that are innumerable and immeasurable and in it are secrets that if they were to come out to the people, it would change the understanding of many things. In it are cures for terminal diseases, all diseases, diseases that have been discovered and diseases yet to be discovered. It is the cave of Luqman the Wise (PBUH), and in it are many inventions and many sciences, some of which humans have reached in this day and age and others which have not been discovered yet. These secrets will be brought forth by Imam Mahdi Mohammed ibn Al-Hassan (PBUH) and in the cave are advanced technologies that humans today will never reach until Imam Mahdi (PBUH) brings them forth, such as making solids out of liquids such as water. There is even a deadly weapon made of water in there. How to produce gold and expensive metals from dust. Water is the most powerful ever.”
I said, “These are the secrets of Alchemy.”
Aba Michael (PBUH) said, “Alchemy, Chemistry and Physics, and undiscovered sciences that will cause the West and the whole world to wonder. There are many, many secrets and hidden matters.”
In all cases, the description of the Ark of the Covenant or the Coffin of Tranquility resembled an item that was known in the ancient Egyptian world and religion. That item was the Anubis Shrine found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, son of Akhenaten, the King at the time of Joseph (PBUH). Below are images comparing the resemblance between the Ark of the Covenant and the Anubis Shrine (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Anubis Shrine and the Ark of the Covenant
The Cherubim with their wings spread on the top of the Ark were also from ancient Egypt. On the sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun, we can see the image of winged Cherubim surrounding the corners, protecting it (Figure 2). Quite clearly, the Ark of the Covenant’s features and design were already being used in ancient Egypt for a long time before Moses (PBUH). That could only mean one of two things, either Moses (PBUH) was stealing from the ancient Egyptian religion and culture, or the God of Moses (PBUH) was the same God who gave the ancient Egyptians their knowledge and religion before it became corrupted by Pharaoh and the non-working scholars.
Figure 2: Wings of the Cherubim
Other depictions of Cherubim in ancient Egypt were in the form of Sphinxes, in Mesopotamia it was the Lamassu. There are many studies written about the possibility that the Cherubim at the top of the Ark of the Covenant were winged Sphinxes instead of winged humans. The point that we are making is that the Ark of the Covenant was most definitely an ancient Egyptian artifact. Winged creatures with human heads could be found in many cultures throughout the world in ancient times, including ancient Egypt, Greece, Babylon, Phoenicia and Persia (Figure 3). In the Bible, there are many depictions of Cherubim as being human/animal hybrids, most prominently in the book of Revelation, Isaiah, and in the visions of Ezekiel:
“And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.”
Figure 3: Ancient Depictions of the Cherubim
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¶ Cherubim
I said, “My Father, can you tell me about this great mystery?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “What mystery specifically, for the mysteries are many?”
I said, “In the ancient Sumerian and Egyptian civilizations especially, but also in almost every other civilization on the planet you find the matter of half-human half-animal hybrids, or hybrid animals which are made of many different types of animals. Is it possible that extraterrestrials were conducting experiments on Earth in those days as we do today with growing ears or other body parts on mice and other animals? Did these creatures really exist or are they all myths or what exactly?”
I then showed the Imam (From Him is Peace) a collection of photographs from museums which demonstrated the hybrid creatures I was speaking about. Creatures such as the Sphinx from ancient Egypt or the Lamassu from ancient Mesopotamia (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Images of Sphinxes and the Lamassu
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “My son, all of those creatures used to come to visit the Earth from different planets.”
I said, “God is Great! What about the Lamassu, is the Lamassu the same thing as the Buraq [the beast which took Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) on the night journey]?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “No, this is called Atwir.”
I said, “Atwir?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “They come from a planet called Holfa. They are a very peaceful race and are semi-intelligent.”
I said, “So they were half-animal and half-human?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes.”
I said, “And what about Amid [one of the 124,000 Prophets whom the Sphinx is fashioned after]?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Amid was designed in that way to symbolize peace for they used to believe in those days that these creatures were angels and so out of their love for Amid (PBUH), they portrayed Amid in this image and design.”
I said, “Wow! So, in ancient Egypt these creatures used to come and go? And the origin of all the ancient Egyptian deities like Anubis and Thoth was this?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes, my son, underneath the Nile River, in the middle of old Cairo, there is a statue which resembles Amid (PBUH). It is under the water and under the riverbed. It is smaller in size than the Sphinx, they shall find it one day, perhaps not too far from now.”
I said, “So they will find it before the opening?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes. Remember me when you hear of that news. They shall also discover new gravesites in Egypt and new relics soon.”
I said, “Dr. Salah El-Khouly is asking a question.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) replied, “What did Dr. Salah ask?”
I said, “Dr. Salah is asking about Asiya and Pharaoh, is she Nefertari the wife of Ramses II or who is she? He used to think that she was Nefertari, the wife of Ahmose.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes, it is her.”
I said, “The wife of Ramses II?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes.”
I said, “So Ramses II is the Pharaoh, may God curse him?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes.”
¶ The Holy of Holies
In the Torah, God gives Moses (PBUH) instructions on how to build the Tabernacle, which is the house of worship that the Israelites set up and used in the wilderness until the conquest of Canaan. It consisted of a courtyard with an entrance, a reception area or outer sanctum and then the Holy of Holies room where the Ark of the Covenant was to be placed behind a great curtain:
“And you will put the curtain under the clasps, and you will bring the ark of the testimony there inside the curtain, and the curtain will separate for you between the holy and the most holy place.”
After the conquest of Canaan, David (PBUH) was given instructions by God to give to his son Solomon (PBUH) to build a permanent Temple and house for the Ark of the Covenant. The design was a replica of the layout of the Tabernacle. What is strange is that the design of the Tabernacle and the Temple were both almost exact replicas of ancient Egyptian Temples.
In the ancient Egyptian Temples, there was a courtyard with an entrance, and then there was a holy tent or area where the back of it was a smaller room which was called the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies was an area that only the priests could enter and within it would be housed the statue of the God that the temple was dedicated to. Here is an image of the Holy of Holies room in the Temple of Horus (Figure 5). Quite clearly you can see the Ark of Horus.
Figure 5: Holy of Holies Room in the Temple of Horus and Depictions of the Identical Designs of the Ancient Egyptian Temples and the Tabernacle
Why would the God of the Israelites instruct Moses (PBUH) and David (PBUH) to erect temples in the exact same way as the enemy of Moses (PBUH), Ramses II, would erect his camps or in the exact same way as the temples of the Egyptian Gods were laid out? This could only be explained if Judaism is a false religion and a copy of the ancient Egyptian religion, or if the origin of the ancient Egyptian religion was the God of the Israelites. We can clearly see that ancient Egypt had a huge effect on Judaism and subsequently, Christianity and Islam.
¶ The Golden Calf
When Moses (PBUH) went away from his people to meet God for forty days and nights, the Israelites were led astray by the Samiri who built a Golden Calf and made the Israelites take it as a God and worship it. But why a Golden Calf specifically? What were they worshiping? The Israelites left Egypt in the time of Ramses II. It was during the reign of Ramses II that the worship of the Apis Bull was at its peak, and it was Ramses II who initiated Apis burials at the Serapeum in Saqqara (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Depictions of Ancient Egyptian Apis Bull Ceremony
The Serapeum was a giant underground complex of burial chambers for the bulls they considered sacred. They considered the bulls sacred because the bulls represented Osiris, and they would look for bulls with specific signs and consider them to be manifestations of Osiris on Earth and thought them to be imbued with the powers of Osiris. The Pharaoh would often consume the flesh of the bulls sacrificed, believing that if one consumes the flesh he would gain the powers of Osiris. Quite clearly, the Israelites were still influenced by the gods of ancient Egypt and the practices and customs of the ancient Egyptian religion, and that is why when Moses (PBUH) left them, they went back to the religion of Ramses II. But why would they worship the God of their enemy and oppressor? When the African American slaves were brought to America, most of them were followers of African spirit-worshiping religions such as Yoruba, Macumba or Voudon. They would worship the Lwa and Orisha, the spirits of the African religions. When the Africans were enslaved and brought to America, they were forbidden by the slave owners from practicing their own faiths and were forced to accept Christianity, or else they would be tortured or even killed. In order to continue practicing their religions, they would hide their faith by associating the Christian figures and saints with the various Orisha and Lwa of their religions. In the apparent, they would be praying to a Christian saint but in reality they would be worshiping one of the Orisha or Lwa. For example, they associated Simon Peter (PBUH) with Ogun because of his association with strength, because Simon Peter too was associated with strength and was called the rock by Jesus (PBUH). They associated Yemaya with Lady Mary (PBUH) and Babalú-Ayé was associated with Lazarus, to name a few. As such, while the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt they were forbidden from practicing the religion of their forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (PBUT), and they had to associate their God and their Prophets with the figures and gods of the ancient Egyptian religion. The origin of the ancient Egyptian religion was God and His Prophets, such as Osiris who was Enoch, but corruptions happened to the religion as they do to all divine religions over time. The Israelites were affected by these corruptions and during Moses’ absence, they went back to some of the ancient Egyptian worship rituals.
¶ The Osiris Myth
The story of Osiris is that God appoints Osiris as the King of Egypt. He is divinely appointed and chosen. He has a brother named Set who is jealous and sees himself as more worthy of ruling Egypt. Osiris is murdered by his brother Set and his body is cut up and thrown in the water. Therefore, Egyptians considered that people who had drowned in the Nile were sacred. Isis eventually finds and restores Osiris’ body and Osiris returns from the dead and conceives a Savior child with Isis, Horus. This tale was paralleled for the Israelites in the story of their patriarch Joseph (PBUH). Joseph (PBUH) was to the Israelites their forefather, and the former ruler of Egypt, whom they saw as being divinely appointed by God to rule over Egypt. They revered him. In the narrations of the Jews, it is written:
“When the Israelites were ready to leave Egypt, they were occupied in taking booty, and Moses was the only one who was engaged with Joseph’s bones. He searched for his coffin in all the land of Egypt but could not locate it. Serah was the only one of that generation still alive. Moses went to her and asked: “Do you know where Joseph is buried?” She answered: “They placed him here. The Egyptians made for him a metal coffin and sunk it in the Nile, so that its waters would be blessed.” Moses then went to the Nile, stood on the bank and shouted: “Joseph, Joseph, the [time] has come for the oath that God swore to our father Abraham, that He will redeem His children. Give honor to the Lord, the God of Israel, and do not delay your redemption, because we are delayed on your account. If you show yourself, it will be well; and if not, then we are free from your oath [if you will not raise your coffin, we will go forth from Egypt and leave you here].” Joseph’s coffin immediately rose to the surface and Moses took it.”
In other narrations it was stated that the real reason why the body of Joseph (PBUH) was thrown into the Nile was to keep the Israelites enslaved:
“She took Moses down to the Nile, to a certain spot, and told him: “In this place, Pharaoh’s magicians made a lead coffin weighing five hundred talents” — 28,000 pounds — “and cast it into the river; for they had told Pharaoh, ‘If you wish to ensure that this people can never leave your land, as long as they can not find Joseph’s bones, they can not leave.’ ”
The Pharaoh and the magicians knew that the God of Joseph had promised him that his bones would be taken out of Egypt, just as they knew of the prophecies of a Savior to come from the Israelites.
“And Moses took Joseph’s bones with him, for Joseph had made the Children of Israel swear an oath, saying, ‘God will certainly remember you, and you shall bring my bones up from this place with you.’ ”
For the Israelites, the story of Joseph’s (PBUH) body was the same as the story of Osiris. A divinely appointed King whose throne was usurped by his evil Pharaoh brother and whose body was thrown into the waters. The resurfacing of the body of Joseph (PBUH) meant the appearance of the Savior Moses (PBUH), just as the resurfacing of the body of Osiris meant the appearance of the Savior Horus. The Israelites then traveled with both the Ark of the Covenant and the Coffin carrying the body of Joseph (PBUH):
“Joseph’s coffin (aron) proceeded before the ark (aron). And the peoples of the world saw it and said, “What is the nature of this ark which is proceeding before the ark of the Torah?” Then Israel said, “This is a coffin of a dead man that is proceeding before the ark of the Torah, since this [man] fulfilled everything that was written in this [Torah], before the Torah was given. And therefore he merited to proceed with it.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Joseph, “Joseph, although I have rewarded you with a little reward in this world, the main fund remains for you in the world to come, when Israel is redeemed with an everlasting redemption. Through the merit of Jacob and through your merit, they will be redeemed, as stated (in Ps. 77:15), ‘With Your mighty arm You redeemed Your people, the Children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.’ ”
The same story was mentioned in the narrations of the Ahlul-Bayt (From Them is Peace) which mention the elderly of the Children of Israel. Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) said to his companions:
“Did you fail to be like the elderly of the Children of Israel?” They said: “O Prophet of God, and who is the elderly of the Children of Israel?” He said: “Verily, when Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt, they became lost.” He said to the Children of Israel: “What is that?” So the scholars of the Children of Israel said to him: “Verily, when death came to Joseph (PBUH), he took upon us an oath from God that we would not leave Egypt until we take his bones with us.” Moses said: “Who knows the place of his grave?” They said: “An elderly woman from the Children of Israel.” So, he sent for her, and she came. He said: “Show me the grave of Joseph.” She said: “Not until you grant me my judgment.” He said: “What is your judgment?” She said: “That I be with you in paradise.” Moses (PBUH) hated to grant her that, so God inspired him saying: “Grant her her judgment.” So she went with them to the river, and she said: “Clear forth the water,” so they cleared it and she said: “Dig” and they dug and they brought forth the bones of Joseph, and so when it was out of the ground, the path suddenly lit up like the light of day.
This elderly woman from the Children of Israel was named Serah, the daughter of Asher, the brother of Joseph. She was Joseph’s niece and she lived on to see Moses (PBUH). As for the coffin carrying Joseph, it was carried in front of the Ark of the Covenant, and it lit the path for the Children of Israel. Joseph (PBUH) is Metatron, and he is Abdullah, and he is the angel mentioned here whose name contains the name of Allah:
“See, I am sending an Angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.”
The Israelites were accompanied on their journey by Abdullah and by Ahmed (From Them is Peace), the one who spoke to Moses (PBUH), the first Mahdi and the Yamani (the right hand):
“And we called him from the right side of Mount (Sinai), and made him draw near to Us, for mystic (converse).” “But when he came to the fire, a cry was heard from the right bank of the valley, from a tree in the hallowed ground: ‘O Moses, verily I am Allah, the Lord of all creatures of the universe.’ ”
In the Bible, in the book of Exodus it states that God spoke to Moses (PBUH) from the burning bush through an angel:
“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.”
And the one who spoke to Moses (PBUH) on the mount is Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace). The narrations of the Ahlul-Bayt (From Them is Peace) prophesied the coming of the one who spoke to Moses (PBUH) in the time of the Qaim/Riser (From Him is Peace). The Prince of the Believers (From Him is Peace) while describing the events preceding the Rise of the Qaim/Riser (From Him is Peace) says:
“Then expect the appearance of the one who spoke to Moses from the tree on Mount Sinai.”
As such in this age, Ahmed (From Him is Peace), the Yamani, the one who spoke to Moses from the tree, is with God’s chosen people, those who accepted the Seventh Covenant and he sends forth before him his angel, Abdullah, to lead them. It now becomes clear that the coffin of Joseph proceeded before the Ark of the Covenant, just as the name “Abdullah” preceded the name “Ahmed” in the Holy Will. And just as the Israelites, God’s chosen people in that time, had with them the body of Joseph and the voice who spoke to Moses in Spirit form, the Ansar, God’s chosen people in this time, have with them the living Joseph, Abdullah, and the voice who spoke to Moses, in the flesh, Ahmed.
¶ Aspects of Belief and Monotheism in Ancient Egypt
¶ By Dr. Mohamed Salah El-Khouly
The manifestation of belief in a Creator, His Godhood, and His Oneness, are apparent amongst the ancient Egyptians. Many of their religious concepts reveal their views on the origins of creation and the creation of man, their belief in resurrection, judgment, reward, and punishment, and finally what they left behind of literary tradition regarding morals and manners, which govern the behaviors of people and their actions and their relationship with their Creator, then with the environment in which they live, and with the rest of their fellow human beings, whether in their immediate circles, i.e. amongst family, or larger circles, i.e. the society at large.
It is a complete system of laws, teachings, and moral education, which closely resembles what has appeared in other holy scriptures, and it is not so different from what the religion of Islam was calling to, rather it is likely the origin of the teachings which appeared in the Old Testament, and specifically the book of Proverbs, as will be shown later. In the following section, we will briefly demonstrate some of those aspects which reveal and confirm this natural instinct towards faith, the tendency to monotheism, and the drive towards communion with the Creator and following Him.
¶ Concerning the Perceptions of Creation:
The ancient Egyptians had a number of myths surrounding the great Creator and the means of creation. They were presented in a mythological form, but these myths were rooted in truth and had clear origins which confirms that their foundations were derived from real sources. The first of these myths is known as the Ennead of the gods of Iunu (Ain Shams - Heliopolis) in creation.
The myth tells the story of an eternal God, a Creator, who created His own self, meaning He was not begotten nor did He beget. He was known as Atum, which we can translate as complete or perfect.
Before Atum began the creation process, the universe consisted of eternal waters, ruled by complete darkness, in a state of total chaos, until a bright white primeval mound emerged from the middle of this primordial ocean. This symbolized the emergence of light in the midst of the darkness. Upon this mound, which they called “Ben Ben” settled the Creator God, Atum, and He was alone, in the form of a pure, white Phoenix. He began to create the heavens and the earth, then the human beings. He sneezed, and two divine elements emerged from Him, air and moisture (Shou and Tefnut). These two elements merged in the form of a union, so the earth (male) and the sky (female) emerged, then those two elements, the earth (Geb) and the sky (Nut), merged, and from their union came the first human beings, who were half-god, half-human, and they were four, two males, Osiris and his brother Set, and two females, Isis and Nephthys, and from them followed the rest of mankind.
Osiris married his sister Isis, and Set married his sister Nephthys. And there appeared a conflict between Osiris (the representation of good) and Set (the representation of evil) and the matter ended with Set murdering his brother Osiris, and this is another story which completes the Myth of the Ennead.
There are a lot of aspects of truth which can be extracted from this creation myth, and they are:
- The worshiped One is the Creator, Atum, and He creates and was not created: The name Atum may be interpreted as an attribute of the Creator, which means perfect or complete. Or perhaps there was confusion regarding the name of the first created being, Adam, the father of humanity, so with time he was taken from being a creature to being the Creator and creation was attributed to him.
- Creation began with two principal elements, and they are air and moisture (water) and without them, heaven and earth or life in general would not have arisen, which is consistent with the saying of the Almighty: “We created from water every living thing.”
- The creation of humans came after the merging of heaven and earth. This resulted in the birth of four children, Osiris, his wife Isis, and Set and his wife Nephthys. The creation of humans and demigods coincides exactly with the birth of Adam’s sons, Cain and Abel, and two sisters, and what ended up being Cain’s killing of his brother Abel out of jealousy and envy. And that incident was the beginning of the eternal struggle between good and evil, just as it happened in the Egyptian myth.
- The last indication of this resemblance is found in the description of the Creator God Atum’s settling upon the primordial mound emerging from the primordial water, symbolizing the emergence of light and brightness. Perhaps this also reminds us of what came in the Holy Qur’an, when God says, “and His Throne was upon the waters” when speaking about the creation of the heavens and earth. Thus, despite this idea being wrapped in a fictional and mythical covering, we can begin to grasp an understanding of the story of the first creation.
The second creation theory is known as the doctrine of “Ptah”, the eternal Creator and Lord of the city of “Memphis”. In this doctrine, “Ptah” appears as an eternal Creator who created all deities and creatures and everything only with the will in His heart and with the word on His tongue, meaning that He thought in His heart and spoke with His tongue, thus the creation emerged. The two elements of creation here are “Hu” corresponding to “the command or word pronounced by the tongue” and “Sia” corresponding to “the will which is in the heart.” This is stated in the text depicted below, inscribed on Ptah’s famous plate containing the so-called “Memphetic doctrine” of creation. It says; “Very great is Ptah the bestower of life upon all deities, he created with the (will) in the heart and by the tongue” (Figure 7).
Figure 7: An image of the God Ptah along with the text which speaks about creating via the heart and tongue.
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The reality is that this doctrine of creation is in total agreement with the way God created everything, whereby God says in His Holy Book:
“Verily His matter is only that if He wants something He says to it Be and it is.”
Here too we see that it is initially the will or intention that is followed by the word or the command. This is also in agreement with what is stated in the Holy Bible:
“In the beginning was the word”
in regard to the description of Jesus the son of Mary (PBUH), stating that he was the word of God. This clear match proves that the ancient Egyptians had realized this truth and were aware of it, that is, through the Kaf and the Nun (through Be).
¶ Creation of Man:
One of the striking things about the ancient Egyptian perception of the creation of man is that they realized an important truth proven by the Holy Qur’an and other holy books, which is that man was created from mud, specifically from clay, and this creation was assigned to a God known as “Khnum” who was depicted in the form of a ram sitting in front of a potter’s wheel. Just as pottery vessels are formed, he forms the human being and his double with his hands (Figure 8). An Egyptian text, known as the coffin texts, talks about what this deity does, saying:
“He (Khnum) the spirit of Shu (air) forms people on his wheel. He depicted the men and shaped the deities. He shaped everything with his own hands. He is the deity who shapes all bodies.”
This perception of how the human being was created and from what material is almost identical to what the Holy Qur’an states:
“He created humankind from ˹sounding˺ clay like pottery.”
Figure 8: The deity Khnum forming a human on a potter’s wheel
¶ On Belief in Resurrection and Reckoning:
One of the most prominent features of the ancient Egyptian faith is the firm belief of the ancient Egyptians in the existence of an eternal and immortal life in exchange for a temporary worldly life which is only a passage to the other life. Death was called “Minit”, which literally means the anchorage or port through which one arrives at the shores of eternity and permanence. The ancient Egyptians realized that the soul is immortal and does not die and that the body is nothing but a mortal and temporary vessel. They also sought to safeguard the physical body through mummification and also through making statues that preserved the image of the dead person to facilitate the soul’s return to it in case the body decays.
They also realized that the afterlife is the abode of reckoning in which a person does not enjoy immortality until after he goes through a difficult journey of judgment in which he is held accountable before the judge of the Netherworld, who is Osiris, for the deeds which he has done in this world, whether they’re good or evil. And on that basis, he receives the appropriate reward or penalty. The scene of the trial is depicted in the Book of the Dead in Chapter 125, the details of which are depicted in a wonderful scene that almost matches to a large extent the description of the Day of Judgment in the Abrahamic religions. The deceased is led to the tribunal hall, in the middle of which is the scale on which his deeds are weighed, and at the end of the tribunal hall the judge Osiris sits, watching the trial from his throne. On one of the scales the heart of the deceased is placed, and it is the only organ that is preserved inside his body after embalming, specifically for this moment. On the opposite side of the scale stands the symbol of justice in the form of a feather or in the image of a female deity called “Maat”, who represents justice, truth, and balance. Thoth, the scribe of the deities, holds a tablet on which he reads his deeds, watches the scale and records the result of the weighing. The court is supervised by 42 judges. Each of them in turn asks the deceased about the sins he may have committed. If the feather becomes heavy, this indicates that his deeds are good and that he is honest, and his fate will be to a heaven known as “The Fields of the Yarrow” and he will meet the judge of the dead. But if the heart is heavy against the feather, this indicates his many sins and misdeeds, so his heart is thrown to “Ammit” or the devourer, that mythical animal that lurks next to the scale or under it to devour the heart and devour its intestines (Figure 9).
Figure 9: Trial Scene of the Deceased
Here we notice that a person’s heart stands for his deeds, and he is held accountable based on his heart. And this specifically corresponds to the same concept with regard to the heart in Islam, for example what is expressed in the narration of the Messenger of God (PBUH & His Family):
“Actions are judged by the intentions behind them. Every person will be rewarded for what they intended...”
And intention occurs in the heart. This is completely identical to the qur’anic verse:
“Then as for one whose scales are heavy [with good deeds], they will lead a contented life.”
We also notice in this trial scene that the court clerk (Thoth) holds in his hand a record from which he reads the deeds of the deceased one in order that his record be a witness upon him, and in which he also records the results of the scale and his judgment. This reminds us of the verse from the Holy Qur’an:
“You will then be presented ˹before Him for judgment˺, and none of your secrets will stay hidden. As for those given their records in their right hand, they will cry ˹happily˺, “Here ˹everyone˺! Read my record!”
In this situation the deceased has no choice but to try and prove his innocence from sins and transgressions, and so he repeatedly declares his innocence from 42 sins, the same number as the judges who are watching and observing him.
The most notable of the sins that the deceased denies are: “I have not killed, I have not ordered to kill, I have not robbed, I have not taken food from the poor, I have not taken the path of evil, I have not lied, I have not disobeyed the commands of the gods, I have not caused harm, I have not committed adultery, I have not falsified the plummet of the scales, etc.” Then he says, “I am pure, I am pure, I am pure.”
Prior to that, he pleads to his heart that is on the scale in order that it does not testify against him, and he says: “O my heart, the heart of my mother and the heart of my father, do not rise up against me as a witness, for you are my companion within my body. Do not make my name stink before these judges.”
These were some depictions of the ancient Egyptian perceptions of the Day of Judgment and the method of judgment, their understanding of the reasons behind the judgment and their intense fear of punishment, along with their great hope that they would enter heaven and the world of immortality. These perceptions are many and do not differ much from what we read in the holy scriptures, primarily the Holy Qur’an.
¶ Refining Morals and Ideals and Honoring Righteous Behavior:
The ancient Egyptians and their sages were primarily concerned with setting a beacon for righteous behavior, refining morals and manners, and elevating them, and refraining from sins and reprehensible behavior. Their disciplinary heritage was littered with many books of wisdom and exhortations that appeared regularly throughout the ages, complementing each other and adding new experiences and wisdom. Perhaps the most prominent of their sages were “Ptah-hotep”, “Ani”, “Amenemope” and “Ankh Shashanqi”. Their advice and wisdom covered all aspects of life. Some of them dealt with discipline and refining a person’s behavior towards themselves, their family and society, while others dealt with a person’s relationship towards the young and the old, the chief and the subordinate, and others cautioned about observing the Creator, following His commands and avoiding His prohibitions. Below we mention some excerpts of these wisdoms, especially what the Islamic religion, as well as other religions, urged and called for, either directly or indirectly. For example, we see the wise “Ptah-hotep” calling for early marriage and considering it chastity for the person. He also calls for taking care of the wife, likening her to “an estate profitable unto its lord.” This reminds us of the Almighty’s saying,
“Your wives are a place of cultivation [i.e., sowing of seed] for you.”
He also strongly warns against entering a house without permission in the absence of its owner, and this is consistent with what the Holy Qur’an states:
“O you who believe! Enter not houses other than your own, until you have asked permission.”
Ani, the sage, also warns against backbiting and considers it a major offense, he says, “Do not speak about another person who is not present with you, this is a major offense,” and this corresponds to the saying of God Almighty,
“Woe to every backbiter, slanderer,”
and the saying of His Noble Messenger Mohammed (PBUH & His Family):
“Does any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother, which you so detest?”
Ani also warns against approaching a woman who is a stranger to you, or even looking at her, especially if she is a married woman, for she is, according to him, a deep stream the windings of which are unknown, and this, too, he considers a crime worthy of death. We find this meaning in the book of Proverbs, Chapters 5 and 6 in the Old Testament. This also reminds us of the Almighty’s saying:
“Do not even approach adultery. It is indecent and an evil act.”
We also find that Ani warns against drinking alcohol and its bad effects, which include losing control of one’s tongue, not knowing what one is saying, and being subject to insult and humiliation. We see him warning his son against cheating and perjury, which he considers a crime. Ani also advises his son to treat his mother kindly and says to him: “Give your mother twice as much food, and take her hand as she took yours, for you were a heavy burden on her, and she carried you without complaining, and when you were born after months of pregnancy, she held you to her. Her breasts have been in your mouth for three years, and she never resented your filth.” This advice of good treatment for the mother is almost entirely identical to what is stated in the Holy Qur’an:
“And We have enjoined upon man, to his parents, good treatment. His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship, and his gestation and weaning [period] is thirty months.”
These were some of the many pieces of wisdom and advice that the sages of ancient Egypt have left for us, which correspond to what was mentioned in the Holy Qur’an to a great extent.
Most prominent is what was stated in the Torah in the book of Proverbs, and we find it almost identical with what the famous Egyptian sage of the 12th century B.C. Amenemope wrote in his famous papyrus. He recorded in 30 chapters his wisdom and exhortations to his son “Hor-em-maakher”.
Interestingly, the advice and lessons of this sage are almost identical with the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament, so much so that most of the researchers considered the Hebrew version to be a literal translation of the ancient Egyptian version. We also note that the lessons of Amenemope are an extension of words and wisdoms of previous ancient Egyptian sages, the oldest of them dates back to the middle of the third millennium B.C. It is also interesting to note that the book of Proverbs is also divided into 30 chapters, and contains similar lessons and exhortations from a father to a son. Amenemope’s advice to his son begins by saying: “Incline your ears to hear my words, and set your heart to understand them, for it is a useful thing if you put them in your heart.” We read the same beginning in the book of Proverbs,
“Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise— apply your mind to my knowledge—for it is pleasing when you keep them within you.”
We see that the ancient Egyptians referred to the heart as a center for understanding and realization, exactly as the Holy Qur’an says:
“Do they not then reflect on the Qur’an? Or are there locks upon their hearts?”
or in the saying of the Almighty:
“Have they not traveled throughout the land so their hearts may reason, and their ears may listen?”
From among what Amenemope said about not ridiculing any human being for any reason, is, “Do not despise the one who has lameness, and do not frown in his face, for the human being is made of clay and straw, and God is his Creator.” This reminds us of the Almighty’s saying:
“O believers! Do not let some ˹men˺ ridicule others, they may be better than them.”
Amenemope says about falsifying the scale and reducing the measure, “Do not abuse the measure and fulfill the measure with due accuracy, and do not cheat because God hates the deceiving man.” We find the same meaning in the beginning of the book of Proverbs, Chapter 11:
“The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him.”
And we find the same meaning in the Holy Qur’an,
“Woe to the defrauders! Those who take full measure ˹when they buy˺ from people, but give less when they measure or weigh for buyers.”
The Almighty also says in Surah Al-Rahman:
“So that you do not defraud the scales. Weigh with justice, and do not give short measure.”
Amenemope warns against telling falsehoods, saying: “Do not enter the courtroom and fake your words, and do not hesitate to answer when your witnesses have stood. Speak the truth before the judge and do not let anyone have authority over you.” And again we find the same warning in the book of Proverbs,
“A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free.”
These were some examples from many, whose origins we find in the literature of ancient Egyptian wisdom, and even older sources than the maxims of Amenemope, such as the maxims of Ani and Ptah-hotep. The space does not allow that we mention them in their entirety, but they all confirm that the source is one, and that the ancient Egyptians were following, at least in their morals, the true religion and they called towards good and forbade evil.
Finally, we must answer an important question: Did the ancient Egyptians believe in one God when they had this number of deities and gods? The answer is that they believed that God must be one, but the plurality was due to the fact that they considered these secondary deities to be attributes of the Absolute Creator and a manifestation of His power. The manifestation of monotheism is that God is only One, which was expressed in a sentence in a text in one of the papyri as glorification and supplication for the Absolute Creator, saying: “You are the Almighty God, One and only God, Ra-Horakhty. He has no equal/There is nothing like Him.”
This sentence emphasizes monotheism and the superiority of the supreme God. It is almost a literal translation of Surah Al-Tawhid in the Holy Qur’an:
“Say: He is God, the One. God is the Eternal. He has not begotten and has not been begotten, and there is none equal to Him.”
Figure 10: A Picture of the Aforementioned Papyrus
[This section by Dr. Mohammed Salah El-Khouly ends here]
¶ Incarnations in Egypt
The Companion of Egypt’s first incarnation on Earth was Enoch. Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) revealed that Enoch was Osiris and that he was the one who built the Great Pyramids. Osiris was an Egyptian King and was divinely appointed over the lands of Egypt. Another one of his incarnations is Amid (PBUH). Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) said:
The Sphinx is a Prophet from the 124,000 Prophets. He was a man with great knowledge, and he had many miracles, his name is Prophet Amid (PBUH). The Ansar of Prophet Amid (PBUH) built the Sphinx and the face (of the Sphinx) is the face of Prophet Amid (PBUH). This is Egypt the great, the blessed land of Egypt is the purest place on Earth after Mecca, Najaf and Karbala and the Pyramids are older than the Sphinx. The one who built the Pyramids is a genius and he is from Allah. A man who was sent from God for this mission, he built it for an important reason at the time and to safeguard an important matter in the future in the time of the Qaim (PBUH). The energy which is gathered from the Pyramids prevents earthquakes in Egypt and it has many benefits. And the one who reveals the secrets of the Pyramids is one of the Mahdi’s men (PBUH), and he is a secret from the secrets of God. The Companion of Egypt is the one who opens the Pyramids, it was built by its Companion and will be opened by its Companion. Inside the Pyramids are the graves of six Prophets from the 124,000 Prophets. It has an opening, if you place anything in it, it returns to its primal form. If you place a live chicken in it, it returns to being an egg, if a human enters with a missing or amputated limb, he will return to how he was before his handicap. The sick become cured and the old become young again. And there is a large and great treasure in Egypt which will be made to overflow with goodness on its neighbors.
The Companion of Egypt also incarnated as a ruler over Egypt in the time of Akhenaten (PBUH) as Joseph (PBUH). He led the Israelites out of Egypt as Metatron, and he traveled to and was martyred in Egypt as Prophet Jeremiah (PBUH). He ruled over Egypt as Alexander the Great (PBUH) and as Malik Al-Ashtar (PBUH). Once again, in this day and age, he is born and returns as an Egyptian to rule over the lands of Egypt.
¶ Egypt’s Savior
¶ By Hadil El-Khouly
The narrations of the Holy Family of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) include a unique description of Egypt and the role of Egypt during this critical period in human history. Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (From Him is Peace) said in Al-Jafr describing Egypt in the time of the Qaim:
“Egypt is the support of the Mahdi.”
He also said:
“Egypt is a reinforcement and a support, held by the hand of the believer, and it becomes for the Mahdi his right wing.”
However, this great role of Egypt as a support for Imam Mahdi is related to the circumstances in which the Egyptian people will be at that time, as it will be one of the darkest periods in which the suffering of the Egyptian people will intensify under the weight of poverty, humiliation, sedition and ruin. The Egyptian people are afflicted by the scourge of immoral, corrupt rulers who drain the country’s resources, plunder its wealth, and sell its land and people for the cheapest price.
The Egyptians shall become so fed up that they shall cry out for their Savior, the Companion of Egypt. After an era of humiliation, betrayal, and tyranny suffered by the Egyptians at the hands of rulers appointed by man-made regimes, the Egyptians finally realize that their salvation is at the hands of a ruler appointed by God and not by the people, and that this is what the Almighty has always destined for them from the beginning, so they shall be the ones who seek the Companion of Egypt to rule them, unlike the tyrants who impose themselves and usurp rulership.
Thus we understand the words of Imam Ali (From Him is Peace) in Al-Jafr when he said:
“The Companion will awaken the people of Kinana (a synonym for Egypt) from slumber and Allah will resurrect them the resurrection of the dead. Verily, for every time period is a preordained destiny, and for every occultation there is a return.”
The awakening of the Egyptians to this fact is tantamount to reviving them after death.
It is also very clear from the narrations that the Companion of Egypt does not call to his own self, to the extent that the people of Egypt are unaware of him while he is in their midst,
“And after an age, its Riser shall rise up to it, a companion for whom there is no commotion nor sound, after he was to fill the hearings and sights,”
and also,
“No one sees him while he is with them,”
meaning that he (From Him is Peace) is in front of them, they can hear him and see him, but they do not recognize him and they are ignorant of his reality. This will be followed by his absence from them until he returns to them as a conqueror, seated on the throne of Egypt. There are many statements in the narrations of the Family of Mohammed (From Them is Peace) of glad tidings to the people of Egypt of this return.
Among the things that the Companion of Egypt does for its people after he conquers it are the following:
He restores Egypt’s wealth and eliminates poverty:
“Glad tidings to you, O people of Egypt, Allah shall heal your broken state, fulfill your promises, enrich your needy ones, pay your debts, and unite you, so long as you are holding on to the path of Allah.”
He restores Egypt’s global standing:
“The Companion of Egypt restores its glory and takes it to safety after people become accustomed to immorality.”
He reveals the secrets and treasures of Egypt:
“The Companion of Egypt will emerge from a long disappearance and silence, he opens the cave of secrets, and calls out, revenge, revenge.”
He conquers Jerusalem:
“To them are the glad tidings of entering Jerusalem after God illuminates in it (Egypt) the luminous lamp, a companion who becomes in it the example of the righteous.”
It also states:
“Indeed, give glad tidings to the people of Egypt that they will enter Jerusalem and they have an appointment with Jerusalem, and the Companion of Egypt will pave the way for the rulership of the Mahdi.”
He builds the Platform of Egypt and makes Egypt a media center for Imam Mahdi:
“And I learnt that the great platform of the Mahdi at the end of times will be from Egypt, and the carpet shall be unrolled to him by a man whose strength is iron and his heart is strong, God shall open to him the opening of the Knowers.”
The narrative of the events in the narrations corresponds to the biography of the Companion of Egypt, Aba Al-Sadiq, Abdullah Hashem (From Him is Peace). Despite being in Egypt for many years, he never called to himself, that he is the Companion of Egypt, rather his Call to the Supremacy of God and to his Grandfather Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) was hated among the people, just as the narrations stated:
“He has a hated call, like the smell of garlic; he and his master come out in humiliation, after the Jews transgress against Egypt, like the attack of a vicious dog.”
This is exactly what happened with Abdullah Hashem, Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace). He succeeded in conveying the Call of Imam Mahdi (PBUH & His Family) to the whole world through the media platform that he and his companions built in Egypt. ِAnd he raised the Black Banners of the East in the third month of 2015, just as the narrations state,
“He shall be patient the patience of the saints and he shall raise the Black Banner.”
So the Egyptian authorities and security forces fought him, and he and his companions were imprisoned and persecuted for years constantly until he and his family were forced to leave the country, and he became wanted by the Egyptian intelligence.
During the years of exile, I watched the Companion of Egypt as his heart ached over the injustice and oppression that befell its people and the state that the rulers have brought the country to, until they turned it into a hotbed of Zionists, the House of Saud and the traitorous Arab rulers. I listened to him as he spoke about the Egypt that he wants for the Egyptians, Egypt as he will rule it, as it should be. Egypt that is ruled by Aba Al-Sadiq, where no one has the right to hoard millions while the rest live on crumbs. Rather, wealth is distributed equally after the rich hand over the surplus that exceeds their needs. It will be then redistributed among the people such that everyone enjoys the same standard of living and luxury.
In Egypt that is ruled by Aba Al-Sadiq, there is no such thing as private schools or foreign schools or universities, but every individual has the right to get the best education for themselves and their children. The plumber is equal to the engineer, the craftsman to the doctor. Everyone has an equal opportunity to go to the best schools.
In Egypt that is ruled by Aba Al-Sadiq, simple people are not deprived of health care or social services because of their income. Rather, everyone enjoys optimal and equal health care, without financial considerations. I heard him talk about Egypt’s treasures and its locations that no one knows about, and how he could enrich everyone in need, rather it shall overflow to its neighbors.
I saw in him the Egypt that I wished for and dreamt of with my people, the Egypt we saw in every moment of oppression that we’ve been through.
I saw in him the Egypt that the youth dream of, those who were once known as the “youth of the revolution”, and I say to them, the ruler you were waiting for is here, the one who lives like his people and refuses to live in palaces. He does not bow his head to a tyrant, and he sacrifices himself in order that his people live in freedom and dignity.
I listened to him talking about Egypt, not only as one of his supporters, but as a young Egyptian woman who dreamt of a better tomorrow for her family and her people, and I knew then that we, as Egyptians, after long humiliation, will raise our heads again.
¶ Sources
- This Door only reveals a part of what Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) has revealed about Egypt. More of the Imam’s knowledge and mysteries of Egypt will be revealed in the book Egypt, And What Do You Know About Egypt by Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace).
- Legend: The Genesis of Civilization, David Rohl, pp. 451-452
- Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 52, p. 210
- Mo’jam Ahadeeth Imam Al-Mahdi (AS), Al-Shaikh Ali Al-Korani, Vol. 1, pp. 329-330
- Kitab Al-Fitan, Naim ibn Hammad, p. 154
- Kitab Al-Fitan, Naim ibn Hammad, p. 205
- Asr-Al-Zuhur (Age of Appearance), Al-Shaikh Ali Al-Korani, p. 150
- Al-Irshad, Al-Shaikh Al-Mufid, Vol. 2, p. 376
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 330
- Mo’jam Ahadeeth Imam Al-Mahdi (AS), Al-Shaikh Ali Al-Korani, Vol. 1, p. 427
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 328
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 328
- Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 53, p. 60
- Tafsir ibn Kathir, Ibn Kathir, Vol. 2, p. 61
- The Holy Bible, Book of Matthew, Chapter 5, Verse 17
- The Holy Bible, Book of Exodus, Chapter 25, Verses 10-22
- The Holy Bible, Book of Hebrews, Chapter 9, Verse 4
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah), Verse 248
- Al-Malahim wal Fitan, Al-Sayyid ibn Tawus, Vol. 1, p. 139
- Alchemy is the forerunner of chemistry from the medieval period and is based on the transformation of matter. It was the science of converting base metals into gold or finding a universal elixir (Source: Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable).
- The Holy Bible, Book of Ezekiel, Chapter 10, Verses 14-15
- The Holy Bible, Book of Exodus, Chapter 26, Verse 33
- Mekhilta de-Rabbi Yishmael, Masekhta Vayehi Beshalah, Petihtah; Babylonian Talmud Sotah 13a
- Rabbi Abe Friedman, The Sea Saw, Pesah Yizkor 5777 , 18 April 2017
https://bzbi.org/the-sea-saw/ - The Holy Bible, Book of Exodus, Chapter 13, Verse 19
- Midrash Tanchuma, Naso 30, Verse 1
- Al-Mustadrak, Al-Hakim Al-Nishapuri, Vol. 2, pp. 404-405
- The Holy Bible, Book of Exodus, Chapter 23, Verses 20-21
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 19, (Maryam), Verse 52
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 28, (Al-Qasas), Verse 30
- The Holy Bible, Book of Exodus, Chapter 3, Verses 1-2
- Mo’jam Ahadeeth Imam Al-Mahdi (AS), Al-Shaikh Ali Al-Korani, Vol. 3, p. 26
- This section is a contribution by Dr. Mohamed Salah El-Khouly, Professor of Egyptology.
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 21 (Al-Anbiya), Verse 30
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 11 (Surah Hud), Verse 7
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 36 (Surah Yassin), Verse 82
- The Holy Bible, Book of John, Chapter 1, Verse 1
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 55 (Al-Rahman), Verse 14
- It is interesting to note here how the 42 judges parallel the 42 scribes of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) who wrote down the inspiration and the 42 men with Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace).
- Mizan Al-Hikmah (Scale of Wisdom), Mohammed Al-Reyshahri, Vol. 4, p. 3414
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 101 (Al-Qaria), Verses 6-7
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 69 (Al-Haqqah), Verses 18-19
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah), Verse 223
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 24 (Al-Nur), Verse 27
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 104 (Al-Humazah), Verse 1
- Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 26, p. 234
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 17 (Al-Isra), Verse 32
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 46 (Al-Ahqaf), Verse 15
- The Holy Bible, Book of Proverbs, Chapter 22, Verses 17-18
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 47 (Mohammed), Verse 24
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 22 (Al-Hajj), Verse 46
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 49 (Al-Hujurat), Verse 11
- The Holy Bible, Book of Proverbs, Chapter 11, Verse 1
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 83 (Al-Mutaffifin), Verses 1-3
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 55 (Al-Rahman), Verses 8-9
- The Holy Bible, Book of Proverbs, Chapter 19, Verse 5
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 112 (Al-Ikhlāṣ)
- This section is a contribution by Egyptian Human Rights activist and defender Hadil El-Khouly.
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 327
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 327
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 327
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 327
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 328
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 329
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 327
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 329
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 327-328
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 329
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 328
- What Imam Ali said concerning the End Times, Al-Sayed Ali Ashoor, p. 327