People will prosper
until the ninety-fifth year, that is, their business
will prosper. In the ninety-seventh and the ninety-ninth
year, their possessions will go to waste... (Ibn Hajar
al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi' 'Alamat al-Mahdi
al-Muntazar, p. 54)
This hadith contains detailed information about the economic
situation at the Golden Age.
It is highly probable that “ninety-fifth year” refers to
the year 1995, a period when people had a relatively better
life and its conditions have not become so difficult. Indeed,
as described in the hadith, in this year, people will have
enough income to earn a living and have some possessions.
However, 1997 and 1999 was a period during which the economy
deteriorated and poverty spread. In this time, possessions
lost their value. Such an event can happen very quickly,
as exemplified by Argentina's economic crisis experienced
in the recent past.
Radikal, July 25, 2002
Cumhuriyet, August 1, 2001
Cumhuriyet, December 21, 2001
Milli Gazete, January 6, 2003
