If one of them would strike a mountain with his sword...

If one of them would strike a mountain with his sword, the mountain will be divided into two. With such soldiers and equipment, Hadrat al-Qa’im ( ‘atfs ) will wage war on India, Daylam, Kurdistan,[^6] Rome,[^7] the Berbers, Fars, and between Jabarsa and Jabalqa.”[^8] The means of defense possessed by the forces of al-Mahdi ( ‘atfs ) will be such that the weapons of the enemy will be rendered useless (and harmless) against them.

In this regard, Imam as-Sadiq ( ‘a ) said: “If the supporters of al-Mahdi ( ‘a ) encountered an army stretching from east to west, they would be able to crush them in a moment, and the weapons of the enemy would never have any effect upon them.” ^9 The Imam’s Conquest of the World for the Liberation of Mankind There are two sets of hadith s concerning the military operations of Hadrat al-Mahdi ( ‘atfs ) and the conquest of cities and countries.

Some hadith s have made mention of the conquest of the east and west, the south and the Qiblah , and finally the entire world while others indicate the conquest of particular portions of the world. There is no doubt that the Imam ( ‘atfs ) will dominate and rule over the entire world. But the reason why some cities have been mentioned is probably on account of the importance they will have at that time.

This importance might be due to the fact that they will be centers of power in those days and will have control over some parts of the world. It is also possible that those lands would be vast in which the bulk of the world’s population are concentrated, or that they are the center of the hopes and aspirations of particular sects and religions so much so that if such a city fell, all the followers of a certain belief system would surrender.

It could also be because of their military and strategic importance such that their fall would result in the failure of enemy operations and pave the way for the offensive operations of the forces of the Imam ( ‘a ). The selection of Mecca as the point of origin of the uprising and then the selection of Iraq, the city of Kufah in particular, as the military-political capital of the government, the march toward Sham (Syria) and the conquest of Bayt al-Muqaddas emphasize this point.

This is because today, the political, religious and military importance of these three places is proverbial to all.