THE ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE
ON THE MOON
IMAM MEHDI:
THE ONE OF THE MOON
Why does this monotheistic
religion attach so much importance
to the Moon?
Surely, you will see your Lord just
as you see this Moon and you will
have no difficulty in seeing Him.
— PROPHET MOHAMMAD —
W
hile Christianity and Judaism
also declare that there is
one God, Islam has perhaps
emphasised the oneness of God the most
out of all the Abrahamic religions. This is
because Islam was founded in Mecca, a
city which was the holy centre for Arab
paganism. 360 idols had been housed in
the Kaaba before Prophet Mohammad
had 359 of them demolished 3 . Due to
the nature of the society Islam was
introduced in, it was a priority for
Prophet Mohammad to underline the
monotheistic aspect of Islam to early
Muslims. Muslims were instructed to
worship only God and were told that he
is the sole creator of the universe.
It is interesting to see how Islam,
a religion that rejects Arab pagan
traditions, views the Moon, given that
the Moon featured prominently in
Arab paganism. In fact, the Moon is so
significant in Islam that it has come
to be a de facto symbol of the religion.
Many Islamic countries such as Libya
and Pakistan depict the crescent Moon
and a star on their flags. Even Michel
de Nostradamus, in his predictions for
the future, would often use the crescent
Moon as a metaphor for Muslims.
The Islamic calendar is a lunar
calendar, meaning that all the important
dates and holidays in Islam are
determined according to the Moon’s
cycle. Celebrations such as the Eid ul Fitr,
Eid ul Adha and Rabi ul Awwal (Prophet
Mohammad’s birthday) depend on the
lunar cycle. The beginning of the holy
month of Ramadan is determined by
whether or not the crescent of the New
Moon is seen over the city of Mecca, Saudi
Arabia. There is an entire chapter in the
Koran which is dedicated to the Moon.
A famous Prophetic Tradition
directs Muslims to pray to the Moon
for protection of their faith. [AT-TIRMIDHI
NUMBER 3451; SAHI IBN HIBBAN NUMBER 888]
Laila tul Qadr (The Night of Power) is
a special night that can fall on any of the
odd-numbered days of the last ten days
of Ramadan. It is so important that the
Koran declares its blessings to be greater
than 1000 month’s sincere worship.
[KORAN 97:1-5] Since there is no fixed date
for Laila tul Qadr besides it being in the
last ten days of Ramadan, it is essential
for Muslims to correctly calculate the
Moon’s position in order to avail the
spiritual benefits of Laila tul Qadr.
The Koran also declares that the Moon
is a sign from God. [KORAN 41:37]
In addition, the sacred text indicates
that the Moon will be vital in humanity’s
recognition of the Messianic figure, Imam
Mehdi, during the last era.
When Prophet Mohammad and the Muslims conquered Mecca, he had all the idols in the Kaaba
destroyed except the Holy Black Stone, which is seen in Islam as a sacred object; it is crucial in the
T H E T R U E M pilgrimage
E H D I • I S of
S U Hajj.
E 04 • SEPT 2017
T
he Muslim faith holds that a Messianic figure
will come during the twilight phase of the
world, known by the title of Imam Mehdi 4 .
Directly translated, Imam Mehdi means, ‘The One
of the Moon.’
According to a tradition of Prophet Mohammad,
‘[Imam Mehdi] will appear at the end of time and fill
the world with justice after it has been filled with
injustice and oppression.’ [BIHAR-AL-ANWAR, VOL. 51 P.76]
Imam Mehdi would come in an era where people
had forgotten the core teachings of their religions;
tyranny and injustice would be widespread. He
would come to restore peace and establish the
Religion of God (divine love) on Earth by conferring
onto humanity God’s personal name. [KORAN 110:1-3;
KORAN 5:54; RAJHUL MUTALIB]
Fittingly, one of the major signs pertaining to
Imam Mehdi is his image becoming visible on the
surface of the Moon. Imam Jafar Sadiq, a prominent
and venerated descendant of Prophet Mohammad,
said, ‘Imam Mehdi’s face will shine on the Moon.’ [AL-
GHAYBA]
The Koran also declares that in the end times, the
secret of the Moon would sprout out 5 . [KORAN 54:1]
It also foretells of a time when God would
manifest his signs in the horizons and in the beings
of people until they accept the truth. [KORAN 41:53]
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A common misnomer for Imam Mehdi is Imam Mahdi, which
means ‘Guided One’. Imam Mehdi, however, is the original title.
This verse of the Koran is often incorrectly linked to an
alleged miracle performed by Prophet Mohammad, whereby
he split the Moon into two. However, the verb tenses used in
this verse suggest that the time for the secret of the Moon to
‘erupt’ would be in the future.
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Tifl-e-Noori
& THE MOON
(BODY OF GOD’ S LIGHT )
According to Islamic Sufi beliefs,
God grants the elite of his elite saints
auxiliary spirits from his personal being.
Muslim Sufis believe the Holy Spirit
(Jussa-e-Taufiq-e-Ilahi) given to Jesus
Christ was one of such entities.
From one of the categories of divine
sub-spirits is the Tifl-e-Noori, a spirit
believed to have been formed from
God’s ancient light. Sufis believe that
before the Primordial Day when the
souls were assembled before God, God
wanted to see how beautiful he was.
When this thought crossed his mind,
a manifestation appeared in front of
God which was the embodiment of
his beauty; this came to be known as
Aks-e-Awal (The Divine Reflection).
When God saw The Divine Reflection,
he moved in ecstasy seven times. Each
time he moved, beads of light fell from
him, forming seven different bodies of
his light. These are what Sufis refer to
as Tifl-e-Noori. Those who are granted
the Tifl-e-Noori are known as Sultan ul
Fuqra (Kings of Spiritual Poverty).
The Tifl-e-Noori in Sufi traditions
are represented in the esoteric realm
as the Moon, while the Holy Spirit is
represented by the Sun.
According to Sultan Haq Bahoo,
‘Every Tifl-e-Noori of a Sultan ul Fuqra
is an image of God.’ [ROUHI SHAREEF]
It is understood by Sufis that Imam
Mehdi would be in possession of a Tifl-
e-Noori. Therefore it is no surprise that,
in relation to Imam Mehdi’s image on
the Moon, Prophet Mohammad said,
‘Surely, you will see your Lord just a s
you see this Moon and you will have no
difficulty in seeing Him. You shall not be
harmed by seeing him.’ [NARRATED JARIR,
HADITH NUMBER 531: VOLUME 9, BOOK 93, AL-
BUKHARI; SAHIH MUSLIM]
Learn about the Primordial Day and how the
predestined fates of human beings were decided
in His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi’s book,
The Religion of God (Divine Love).
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THE TRUE MEHDI • ISSUE 04 • SEPT 2017
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