Historical Phases

Through the Prophetic texts, Islamic history is divided into five distinct phases:
I. The Prophetic Phase — During the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ. Its foundation is Revelation and Infallibility, safeguarded by miracles and moral perfection.

II. The Rightly Guided Caliphate (Al-Khilafah al-Rashidah) — Safeguarded by scholarly exertion and Prophetic texts. The purest continuation of the Prophetic manner in governance and knowledge.

III. The Dynastic Monarchy (Al-Mulk al-Adhudh) — From the Umayyads through the Abbasids to the Ottoman Caliphate. Safeguarded by the preservation of the core of Islam and the obligation of jihad.

IV. The Era of Frailty (Al-Ghuthaiyyah) — The current age. The Prophet ﷺ described it: “You will be scum and rubbish like that carried down by a torrent.” Marked by weakness (wahn) — the love of the world and the dislike of death. Protection now operates at the level of the individual and the local community.

V. The Major Signs (Ashrat al-Saah al-Kubra) — The emergence of the Mahdi, the descent of Isa ibn Maryam, the Dajjal, Yajuj and Majuj, the rising of the sun from the west, and the Beast. These follow one another as beads upon a cord once severed.