فَاخْتَلَفَ الْأَحْزَابُ مِن بَيْنِهِمْ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن مَّشْهَدِ يَوْمٍ عَظِيم
“The sects differed among themselves, and woe unto the disbelievers from the meeting of the great day”
Imam Baqir (as) said, Sit still and do not move your hands or legs until you see (all of) the signs that I am about to tell you (manifest themselves) within one year.
There will be a caller in Damascus and the earth will collapse in one of its small towns. Then a portion of the mosque of Damascus will be destroyed.
The Turks will arrive and pass through Damascus until they arrive in the island (of Hejaz). The Greeks will arrive all the way to Ramla (a city on the coastal plain south-east of Tel Aviv). In that year, there will be fighting and disorder in every Arab land.
The people of Shaam will be divided under three flags: As’hab, Abqa’, and Sufyani.
Then Muz’ar will lead (the tribe of) Bani Dhanb Al-Himaar but Sufyani and his uncles (from the tribe of) Bani Kalb will fight and kill all of them in a way that has never been heard of before. This is the meaning of the verse, “The sects differed among themselves, and woe unto the disbelievers from the meeting of the great day.”
Then Sufyani and his army will focus only on killing the family of the Prophet (as) and their Shia. He will go to Kufa, where he will crucify and kill the Shia.
Then a flag (an army) will come from Khorasan. It will reach the shores of the Tigris River. Thereafter, one of our weak lovers will rise with a group of his followers. He will be attacked on the (southern) outskirts of Kufa.
Then Sufyani will send a cavalry to Medina (looking for the Qaem (as)) and they will kill a man there. Thereafter, Mahdi (as) and Mansur will depart from Medina. However, the family of the Prophet (sawa) will all be imprisoned, from the youth to the elderly. The army of Sufyani will go looking for the two men but Mahdi (as) will depart, just as Musa departed from the people cautiously and in fear
He will go to Makkah. The army will follow him until it arrives in Baydaa. Then the earth will collapse on the army, and everyone will be killed except for an informant from among them.
The Qaem (as) will stand between Rukn and Maqaam, and then he will pray.
After the prayers, he will move with his minister and call out:
O people! We ask Allah to help us against those who oppressed us and usurped our rights.
O people! Those who dispute with me about Allah, (should know) that I am the most knowledgeable about Allah.
O people! Those who dispute with me about Adam, (should know) that I am the most knowledgeable about Adam (as)
O people! Those who dispute with me about Nuh, (should know) that I am the most knowledgeable about Nuh (as).
O people! Those who dispute with me about Ibrahim, (should know) that I am the most knowledgeable about Ibrahim (as).
O people! Those who dispute with me about the Messenger of Allah, Mohammed, (should know) that I am the most knowledgeable about the Messenger of Allah (sawa).
O people! Those who dispute with me about the prophets, (should know) that I am the most knowledgeable about the prophets.
O people! Those who dispute with me about the Book of Allah, (should know) that I am the most knowledgeable about the Book of Allah.
I testify and every Muslim also testifies that we have been oppressed, banished, and exiled from our homes. Our wealth and our families have been stolen from us, and verily (today) we ask Allah and every Muslim to help us.
I swear to Allah that a little over three hundred and ten companions will join him, and there will be fifty women with them. They will join him with no prior appointment, just like the cumulus clouds of autumn, one after another. This is the meaning of the verse, “Wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together; verily, Allah has power over all things” (Chapter 2 verse 148).
The Qaem (as) and his minister will be between Rukn and Maqaam holding the covenant, the flag, and the sword of the Prophet (sawa) when the companions of the Qaem (as) will join him and pay allegiance to him.
Then a caller will call and announce the matter (reappearance) of the Qaem (as), and will mention him by name in a voice that will be heard by everyone on earth. His name is the name of the Prophet (sawa).
If you are not certain about any of these signs, you can be certain about the covenant of the Prophet (sawa), his flag, his sword, and the purified soul from the sons of Husain (as). If you are still not certain, then you can be confident about the announcement from the heavens that will mention his name.
The family of the Prophet (sawa) has only one flag but others will rise with many different flags. Therefore, stay still and do not follow anyone until you see the man from the sons of Husain (as) who has the covenant, the flag, and the sword of the Prophet with him. The covenant of the Prophet (sawa) was given to Ali bin Husain – (after Husain (as)) and then to Mohammed bin Ali (as) and after him to whomever Allah wills. Therefore, follow this family forever and beware of those whom I mentioned to you.
When (the Qaem (as)) and his companions move toward Medina, they will pass by Baydaa. He (as) will say, “This is the land that will collapse on (the army of Sufyani).”
This is the meaning of the verse, “What! Do those who make evil plans feel secure from (the splitting ofl the earth by Allah to swallow them, or of the coming of the wrath of Allah on them from where they do not perceive?” (Chapter 16 verse 45)
When (the Qaem (as)) reaches Medina, he will send Mohammed bin Al-Shajari out of it (secretly), just like Prophet Yusuf (as). Then he will move to Kufa and he will stay there for as long as Allah wills until he seizes the city. Thereafter, he will move to Azraa with his companions and with many others who will have joined him.
Sufyani will be in Ramla at that point and the two armies will meet. That is the Day of Replacement – when some of the Shia of the family of the Prophet (sawa) will leave the army of Sufyani and join the Army of the Qaem (as), while some of the Shia of Sufyani will leave the army of the Qaem (as) and join Sufyaani. On that day, everyone will follow their own flag.
Ameerul Momeneen (as) said that on that day Sufyani and everyone with him will be killed. The true losers will be those who will not be with the Qaem (as) on that day to take from the plunder of (Bani) Kalb (the army of Sufyani).
Then he (the Qaem (as)) will go to Kufa, which is where he will live. He will buy and free every Muslim slave. He will pay the debt of every Muslim and he will return the rights of all of the Muslims back to them. He will not kill anyone without paying the blood money to his family and no one from (among his companions) will be killed without Imam (as) paying his debts on his behalf and appointing a salary for his family.
He will fill the earth with equity and justice, just as it will be filled with inequity, oppression, and aggression.
Then he and his family will move to Rohbah, which is where Nun— lived. Rohbah is a blessed land, for every land in which someone from the family of the Prophet (as) has lived or has been killed is a blessed land. Verily, they (the Ahlul Bayt) are the purified successors. (Tafseer Ayyashi volume 1 page 63)