ADNAN OKTAR:This is what we regard as dangerous. Now a man can come up and say; "I have heard the voice of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) because I have a spiritual insight. I've heard his voice, I've seen his face as well. He gave me instructions. He told me to raze all those Sunnis, Wahabis, all of them, to the ground. Annihilate Jews, Christians, all of them. This is the command of Allah upon you." If that voice, that voice coming from the unseen says all these things. What will happen? Would the man be disobeying Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)? What is he to do? He would say; "I've heard so, a voice came to me and I've done what is necessary to be done." There are such people. They go and kill their mothers and fathers and say; "I've heard such a voice coming from the unseen. The voice told me to kill my mother and father and so I killed them." There are many such cases. Now this one would be another example of the same mentality. This is the danger that we've been talking about, this is what we are explaining.

Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is an ordinary individual who has been born from a mother and a father, who has studied in the primary school, in the secondary school, in high school, who lives a normal life, who eats and drinks, who gets ill, who laughs, who is imprisoned, who is insulted, who is slandered. He is a man of suffering, this is the characteristic of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and it is also mentioned in the hadiths. How can you ever imprison such an invisible Mahdi? Only his voice is heard, he is not there. Would a court try his voice? Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be tried, he will be imprisoned. Would only his voice come to the judge? Would they only take away his voice with the police? Hazrat Mahdi will be tried in front of a judge. He will be arrested, he will be imprisoned. There is the hadith of our Prophet (saas). "The image of his face"; are they going to imprison only the image of his face? Will they imprison only his voice? How would that happen? Would his voice endure sufferings? We see how fierce this trouble is from this example, and this is the confirmation of what we've been saying.

I mean this danger has escaped from observation for hundreds of years and it has not been considered as important. But the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) has come now. Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) has come. This is a grave dissension. It is a dissension in the face of the hadiths of our Prophet (saas), and in the face of the Qur'an as well. Which Prophet has ever come as a voice, which saintly person has ever come as a voice, or as an image? The Messenger of Allah (saas) is the biggest Mahdi.

He was born from a mother and a father, he had his childhood, he grew up, he has been given Prophethood, he entered wars, they had broken his blessed tooth. He had been insulted, he had been slandered, he suffered ordeals, he has been tested and was martyred, passed away in the end.

The Prophet Joseph (pbuh) was a child, he grew up, he had been put into a well, he had been put into prison, he suffered ordeals and then passed away. Actually the lives of guides end generally in martyrdom. Prophets pass away as martyrs. And now the Mahdi that these friends are talking about is only an image. Everyone knows that such a Mahdi would never come. He would not come and they know this. Why is there the need for this? Why did they ever develop such an idea? When the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) is so explicit and clear, when the accounts are so obvious, why did they feel the need for this? My guess is, perhaps due to a childish sentiment, they have tried to get into a competition with the Christians and they probably have said; "Let us associate our Mahdi (pbuh) to the Prophet Jesus (pbuh). So that he will be like a spirit and be invisible as well. Seeing that the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is in the Sight of Allah, let us give our Mahdi (pbuh) such a form that he would be like the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) in that respect, so that he would be invisible. As far as I understand, they wanted to give Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) a very different form like that of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh).

How was it with the Prophet Joseph (pbuh)? He was born from a mother and a father, we have explained this. What does our Prophet (saas) say for Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)? "He is like the Prophet Joseph (pbuh)," he says. What does this mean? It means he will be born from a mother and father, he will be imprisoned. Since he cannot be imprisoned, since the persecutors cannot imprison him [a Mahdi consisting of a voice,] how would this happen? It is clearly seen here that the matter is in a deadlock. There is nothing to defend in this. Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is born in a city, he will endure pain, he will be insulted, he will be slandered. Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) whole life will pass with ordeals. That is why his rank will be very high. A Mahdi that will be invisible, one that passes through walls would not be tested. Such a person would not be tested. Consequently that would be something removing the free will of mind. Additionally, our Prophet (saas) does not mention such a Mahdi (pbuh). This is in complete contradiction with the hadiths as well. That is because Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) would not suffer any ordeals in such a case. How would someone passing through walls be imprisoned? How would such a Mahdi (pbuh) stay in prison? Why would he stay there? He would leave there in the form of image, in the form of a voice. He would then be a spirit anyway, so he passes through everywhere. He passes through the walls, he enters houses. He does not enter houses through doors, he passes through everywhere, according to what these guys say. Then why should he stay in prison? He would just go, would such a being be imprisoned? Consequently this claim is in contradiction with the hadith in a thousand and one points; it is a wrong way of thinking. That would be a very big blow on Islam. Such a belief would be a very big blow. They should be looking for the real Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). Whoever he is; I would kiss his feet and follow his lead, I would be his orderly. But they should not lead Muslims on to such a wrong path.

All the prophets have been tested with ordeals. The Prophet Moses (pbuh) faced many difficulties in the desert. He was a little boy. He was born, he grew up. He struggled with the Pharaoh. Right? All the prophets are like this. Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will also be born, grow up, suffer ordeals, struggle, strive, show an effort and suffer pain. He will be slandered, he will be imprisoned. He will be tested within a thousand and one hardships. That is the reason why Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) was giving his rank. A Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) who is in the form of voice, who is heard by some as a voice, who is seen as an image to some, who passes through walls, who can talk to everyone all around the world simultaneously would not be a Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) who is tested. The test would be removed for such a person. And consequently, no Prophet has ever come like that, no guide has ever come in that form. They should not lead Muslims on to a wrong path.