Global Hunger in the Narrations of the Appearance

Question

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings. Regarding the appearance of Imam Al-Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), is the global hunger mentioned in the narrations destined to occur, or are only the five predetermined signs?

Answer 1

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings. Upon reflection on the narrations that discuss the signs, one can see that they are divided into those that are certain and those that are not. The certain ones are five, and it is known that there is no possibility of change (bada) in them, and what you inquired about is not among them. However, it is known that some scholars have generalized the concept of change (bada) to include certain signs as well. That said, there are narrations that mention the hunger that will afflict humanity, which can be found in the books of the Ja'fari Shia. For instance, I asked Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali (Imam Al-Baqir) about the verse "And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger". He said: "Hunger is both general and specific. The specific hunger will be in Kufa, where God will afflict the enemies of the family of Muhammad and destroy them. The general hunger will be in Sham, where they will experience fear and hunger like they have never faced before. The hunger will occur before the rise of the Qa'im (the Mahdi), while the fear will come after his rise" (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 52, p. 229). There are also other narrations that indicate a decrease in wealth, lives, and fruits, but as we mentioned, these are not considered certain, so it is possible that change (bada) may occur regarding them, meaning they may not happen. The concept of change (bada) in the words and narrations refers to the manifestation after concealment, and this meaning is permissible for Him. In contrast, the change in the realm of possibilities is impossible for Him, as it would imply ignorance on His part and a deficiency, and God is exalted above that. Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad and his pure family.