Arsalan Ahmed, Missionary, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
A universal hope across humanity
Across every civilisation, from the temples of India to the monasteries of Tibet, from the synagogues of Jerusalem to the churches of Rome, humanity has carried a remarkable and unifying hope: when the world is engulfed in darkness, a divinely guided reformer will arise to restore light.
This expectation is not a minor footnote in religious history. It is one of the most striking common threads woven through the world’s major faiths.
Despite vast differences in culture, language and geography, every major religion anticipates a future figure who will revive spirituality, establish justice and guide humanity back to truth.
Before exploring how these expectations appear across different faiths, it is worth asking: what exactly do the world’s religions say about this awaited figure?
The universal prophecy: Reformers across world religions
Hinduism – The coming of Kalki: Hindu scriptures foretell the arrival of Kalki, the final avatar of Vishnu, who will appear at the end of the age of darkness (Kaliyuga) to restore righteousness. (Vishnu Purana, Book 4, Ch. 24, Bhagavata Purana, Canto 12, Ch. 2)
Buddhism – The future Buddha, Metteyya: The Buddha prophesied the coming of Metteyya (Maitreya), a future Buddha who will renew the Dharma and guide humanity back to compassion. (Cakkavatti Sutta, Digha Nikaya 26)
Judaism – The return of Elijah: The Hebrew Bible promises the return of Elijah, who will “turn the hearts” of people back to righteousness. (Malachi 4:5-6)
Christianity – The second coming of Jesus: The New Testament affirms the return of Jesus, who will defeat evil and establish God’s kingdom. (Matthew 24:30; Acts 1:11; Revelation 19:11-16)
Islam – The Promised Messiah: Islamic teachings speak of the second advent of Jesus, a peaceful reformer who will fill the earth with justice. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Kitab al‑Mahdi, 4283; Sahih Muslim, 3449)
The Quran hints at a future messenger sent to “others who have not yet joined them.” (The Holy Quran, Ch.62: V.3-4)
Sikhism – A future reformer: Sikh tradition, including the Janamsakhi and Sarabloh Granth, speaks of a future figure who will restore righteousness and uphold divine truth. (Sarabloh Granth, Part 3)
Why do all religions await a reformer?
These religions arose in different eras. Their founders never met; their communities developed independently. Yet they all share the same prophecy.
Is this a coincidence or a sign of something deeper?
Many scholars argue that this shared expectation points toward a profound truth: The unity of God and the continuity of divine guidance.
For example, if teachers in different schools give the same assignment, it suggests they follow the same curriculum.
Likewise, if different religions give the same prophecy, it suggests they originate from the same divine source.
Why has no religion declared that the Reformer has come?
This question weighs heavily on many minds today, especially among young people. They wonder: Are billions of prayers going unanswered? Has God become silent?
History offers a very different perspective.
Every prophet – without exception – was rejected by the majority of his people at first. Whether it was Noahas, Mosesas, Jesusas, or the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, the pattern is unmistakable: Rejection comes first. Acceptance comes later. This is the rhythm of religious history.
Humanity has always struggled to recognise divine reformers in their own time. The message arrives quietly. The world is preoccupied. Hearts are distracted. And only later – sometimes generations later – do people realise what they overlooked.
Mutual signs of the awaited Reformer across religions
Despite their differences, the world’s major religions describe strikingly similar signs for the coming of the Reformer. These shared themes form a remarkable pattern.
1. A time of global spiritual darkness
● Hinduism: Kaliyuga, the age of darkness. (Bhagavata Purana 12:2)
● Buddhism: Decline of the Dharma. (Anguttara Nikaya 5.79)
● Judaism: A famine “of hearing the word of the Lord” (Amos 8:11)
● Christianity: “The love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)
● Islam: Faith rising to the Pleiades (Sahih al-Bukhari, 4897)
● Sikhism: Kaljug overpowering Dharam (Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 145)
2. A peaceful, non‑violent reformer
● Buddhism: Metteyya spreads compassion (Digha Nikaya 26)
● Christianity: Jesus returns as the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6)
● Islam: The Messiah “will end religious wars” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2476)
● Hinduism: Kalki restores dharma (Vishnu Purana Book 4, Chapter 24)
● Sikhism: The Reformer revives righteousness (Guru Granth Sahib , Ang 145)
3. A global age of knowledge and communication
● Christianity: “Knowledge shall increase.” (Daniel 12:4)
● Islam: “And when the she-camels, tenmonth pregnant, are abandoned.” This symbolises new transport (Surah al-Takwir, Ch.81: V.5)
● Buddhism: Metteyya appears when the world is interconnected (Digha Nikaya 26)
● Hinduism: Kalki appears when society is transformed (Vishnu Purana Book 4, Chapter 24)
4. Heavenly Signs
● Christianity: Signs in the sun and moon (Luke 21:25)
● Islam: Solar and lunar eclipses in Ramadan (Sunan al-Daraqutni)
● Hinduism: Astronomical signs marking the end of Kaliyuga (Vishnu Purana, Book 4, Chapter 24)
● Sikhism: Signs in the heavens before the Reformer (Dasam Granth)
5. A Universal Mission
● Judaism: “All nations shall flow unto it” (Isaiah 2:2)
● Christianity: The Gospel reaches “the ends of the earth” (Matthew 24:14)
● Islam: The Messiah and Mahdi unite the world (Ibn Majah, 4082)
● Buddhism: Metteyya guides all humanity (Digha Nikaya))
● Hinduism: Kalki restores righteousness across the world (Vishnu Purana Book 4, Chapter 24)
● Sikhism: The Reformer revives Dharam for all peoples (Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 1349)
The Ahmadiyya Muslim perspective
While interpretations differ across the Muslim world, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes that God has already fulfilled His promise.
According to this belief, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian (1835-1908) claimed to be the very Reformer awaited by all religions, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi.
He taught that the Reformer of the Latter Days would not come with violence or political power, but with prayer, moral transformation and peaceful dialogue.
How the mutual signs were fulfilled in Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
1. He appeared during a global age of spiritual darkness: The 19th century witnessed moral decay, atheism, colonialism and religious fragmentation, matching the universal prophecies of decline.
2. His mission was entirely peaceful: Historical records show that the Promised Messiahas explicitly defined his mission as peaceful. He stated:
“O Muslim scholars and Maulavis! Listen to me. The awaited Messiah has arrived and orders you to abstain from religious wars.” (The British Government and Jihad, p. 10)
He further expressed this teaching in poetic form:
“Perish the thought, O friends, of striving with sword; War and killing is now forbidden in religion.
“The Messiah has come now who is the leader in Faith; It is now the end of all the fighting for religion.
“Now the light of God descends from the heavens; The religious decree for fighting is now absurd.
“He is an enemy of God who now fights with the sword; He denies the Prophet if he holds such a belief.
“Why do you leave the Tradition of the Prophet? Whoso leaves it – you leave that wretched one.” (Precious Pearls [English translation of Durr-e-Sameen, 2008], p. 58; Appendix to Tohfa-e-Golarvia [1902], p. 26)
3. He appeared at the dawn of global communication: The Promised Messiahas lived at a time when printing, railways and telegraphy connected humanity in unprecedented ways – fulfilling the Quranic vision:
وَاِذَا النُّفُوۡسُ زُوِّجَتۡ
“And when the people are brought together.” (Surah al-Takwir, Ch.81: V.8)
4. The heavenly signs appeared: “For our Mahdi there are two signs which have never occurred since God created the heavens and the earth: the moon will be eclipsed on the first of its nights in Ramadan, and the sun will be eclipsed in the middle of it.” (Sunan al-Daraqutni, Kitab al-Eidain, Hadith 1795)
The solar and lunar eclipses of 1894-1895 fulfilled the prophecy recorded in Sunan al-Daraqutni with remarkable precision – first in the Eastern Hemisphere during Ramadan 1894, and then again in the Western Hemisphere in 1895. No previous claimant in history ever witnessed this dual heavenly sign in both halves of the world.
5. His mission was universal: As Islam is a religion for all of humanity, it follows naturally that the reformer promised by the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa would also be sent for all mankind.
The Promised Messiahas affirmed this universal mission when he wrote:
“Verily, I am among those whom Allah has granted the lights of the Furqan [the Holy Quran], and who has been bestowed with the most profound knowledge of the Quran. Thus, He illumined my heart, and I discovered its guidance as do the men of God. Then, my Lord sent me to convey His message to humanity, and granted me manifest Signs so that I might call mankind towards His religion. Blessed are those who accept me, who remember death, seek signs, and after their observation come to believe.” (The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam, p. 511)
A shared hope for humanity
Whether one accepts the Ahmadiyya belief or not, the broader message remains universal: Humanity is united in its longing for justice, peace and spiritual renewal.
Every religion, in its own language and tradition, expresses this hope through the promise of a reformer. Perhaps these shared prophecies are not only a sign of one God, but also a reminder that humanity’s future depends on recognising truth wherever and whenever God chooses to reveal it.
The signs are universal. The hope is universal. Maybe the answer was meant to be universal as well.