I -asws am He Who summoned the mighty lightning and caused...

I -asws am He Who summoned the mighty lightning and caused the ocean to rise and swell, the one -asws who spoke to the sun and caused the stunning trumpet to blast forth. I -asws am the refuge of all that have obeyed Allah -azwj , and verily, Allah -azwj is my Lord and there is no other Allah -azwj but He -azwj . For falsehood offers illusions, but truth gives the everlasting sovereignty.

I -asws shall soon depart from amongst you, but be watchful and aware; be on your guard against the tests and tribulations caused by the ‘Umayyad’s and their worldly powers. And after they shall pass away, the kingdom will revert to the ‘Abbasids [7] who will bring both sorrow and happiness to mankind. And they shall build a city called Baghdád, which shall be between the Tigris and the Euphrates.

Woe betide men in those latter days, for amongst them will rise the oppressors among my people, who shall build palaces for themselves and courts and tabernacles. For they shall seek supremacy through intrigue and impiety. Two score and two kings shall rule among the children of the ‘Abbasids, after whose reign shall come to pass the Most Great Tribulation on the surface of the earth. Then shall the True Qá’im -asws rise up once more.

Then shall I show my face amongst men, and it shall be as luminous as the face of the moon amid the other stars. But note well the ten signs associated with my coming. The first sign shall be the inversion of banners on the highways of Kúfa [8] ; the second, the abeyance of true worship and the prescribed prayers; the third, the end of true pilgrimage. The fourth sign shall be an eclipse in the lands of Khorasán [9] , the gathering of constellations and the appearance of comets in the sky.

There shall be chaos and confusion, massacre, pillage and robbery in the world. Many other signs shall there be too, surpassing all these signs, among which is the sign of wonderment. But when all these signs have passed away, then, verily, shall the Qá’im -asws Himself arise in truth.