Page 66 - Portents and Features of the Mahdi's Comingl

PORTENTS AND FEATURES OF THE MAHDI'S COMING

gled to sur vive because of the pol lu tion in the Persian
Gulf. It has been stat ed that smoke ris ing from 600 oil
wells has spread to neigh bor ing coun tries, and that
smoke con tain ing such car cin o gen ic sub stan ces as
sul fur has turned into acid rain and reduced agri cul tur -
al pro duc tiv i ty.
(Kurtlar Sofrasında Ortadoğu, M. Necati Ozfatura, p.
171)
I swear that a fire will enfold you. That fire is cur rent -
ly lying extin guished in the val ley known as Berehut [the
name of a val ley or a well].
(Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 461, Qamus
Translation, 1:550)
The had ith's first part says that the flame "is pres -
ent ly in an extin guished state." Given that the flame is
the result of burn ing an inflam ma ble sub stance, what
waits in an extin guished state is not the flame itself but
rath er the mate ri al to be burned by the flame. In this
con text, this may mean under ground oil. Berehut is the
name of a well. This can be con sid ered an oil well. When
the time comes, oil extract ed from these wells will
become a fire ready to be burned.
"That flame swal lows up peo ple with ter ri ble pain
inside it." This flame is not mere ly a burn ing flare, but
also one that deprives peo ple of their lives and pos ses -
sions, mak ing them mis er a ble and sor row ful, and con -
tam i nates the sur round ing envi ron ment.
"That flame … burns up and destroys peo ple and

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