The New Economic Order; How Imam Mahdi Will Dismantle Global Cartels

The New Economic Order; How Imam Mahdi Will Dismantle Global Cartels

When Global Poverty Reaches the Brink of Explosion

Imagine living in a world where 1% of the population controls more than half of the entire planet’s wealth. Imagine that every night, millions of children go to sleep hungry, while pharmaceutical and food cartels store tons of edibles and medicines in warehouses, withholding them from the market to keep prices high. Imagine that international banks, with their usurious system, have trapped poor nations in an endless cycle of debt, adding to their poverty and misery every day. This bitter picture is not a science fiction film; it is the reality of today’s world. But does this situation have an end? Can the divine promise “He will fill the earth with equity and justice” shatter this satanic economic system? In this article, we will explore one of the most fascinating yet least-addressed dimensions of the Mahdist government: the new economic order and the dismantling of global cartels.

Cartels; The Hidden Empires of Wealth and Corruption

A cartel, in economic terms, is an alliance of independent companies that collude to control prices, limit production, and divide markets. But global cartels go far beyond this simple definition. They are, in fact, shadow governments sitting above official governments, holding the fate of billions in their hands. The oil cartel “OPEC” and “OPEC Plus,” under the influence of the West and major oil companies like ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP, determines oil prices and manipulates the global economy. Pharmaceutical cartels like Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, which made billions during the COVID-19 pandemic, now endanger the lives of millions in poor countries by monopolizing vaccine and drug production.

But perhaps the most dangerous global cartel is the banking and financial cartel. Institutions such as the US Federal Reserve, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), ostensibly established to help developing countries, are in reality instruments of colonial domination over nations’ economies. By imposing austerity measures, privatization, and subsidy cuts, these institutions chain poor countries to debt and plunder their resources. John Perkins, an American economist, reveals in his exposé Confessions of an Economic Hitman how these institutions, in past decades, designed complex economic traps for countries like Ecuador, Panama, and Indonesia, and then overthrew their independent governments through coups or political pressure.

Usury; The Source of All Economic Corruption

At the heart of the arrogant economic system lies a sinister element: usury (riba) . In Islamic culture, usury is not only a major sin but an all-out war against economic justice. God Almighty in the Holy Quran, verse 2:279, declares war against those who engage in usury: “And if you do not desist, then be informed of a war from Allah and His Messenger.” This unprecedented expression indicates the depth of usury’s corruption. The Western banking system is built on usury. Banks, by charging exorbitant interest on loans, transfer wealth from the poor to the rich and widen the class gap. Inflation, which today has the world in its grip, is a direct consequence of the usurious system. The reckless printing of money by central banks to pay interest on debts devalues national currencies and turns the lives of ordinary people into hell.

The Divine Promise; Dismantling All Oppressive Economic Structures

In Islamic traditions, very clear economic characteristics are described for the era of Imam Mahdi’s (AS) advent. The most important is the establishment of complete economic justice. Imam Sadiq (AS) states: “When our Qa’im rises, he will fill the earth with justice and equity, just as it was filled with tyranny and oppression” (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, p. 2). In another narration from Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) in Nahj al-Balagha, it is said: “In the government of Mahdi (AS), even the poorest people will benefit from economic justice, and no one will remain in poverty and need.” This promise is not a distant dream but a definite divine custom.

But how will Imam Mahdi (AS) dismantle these global cartels that have ruled the world for years and establish a new economic order? The answer lies in several key axes:

1. Dismantling the Usurious System and Returning the Economy to Its Innate Nature: The first and most important action of Imam Mahdi (AS) is the complete elimination of usury from all economic transactions. By establishing an economic system based on “mudarabah” (profit-sharing), “partnership,” and “interest-free loans” (qard al-hasanah), he distributes capital throughout society instead of concentrating it in a few large banks. As a result, the class gap disappears, and all people benefit from wealth and prosperity.

2. Breaking the Monopoly of Cartels and Economic Liberalization: Imam Mahdi (AS), relying on his divine power and absolute justice, shatters the monopoly of oil, pharmaceutical, food, and arms cartels. By enacting just laws, he does not allow a specific group to dominate the market and amass wealth at the cost of millions starving.

3. Fair Distribution of Wealth and Establishment of Universal Welfare: In the Mahdist government, all natural resources and public wealth are placed at the disposal of all people as a divine trust. Imam (AS), relying on his divinely-granted knowledge, distributes resources optimally and justly. Barren lands are cultivated, industries serve human welfare, and no human remains in poverty and need. In that era, as Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) said: “The poorest of people will live like the richest.”

4. Reviving the Resistance Economy and Self-Sufficiency of Nations: In the era of the Advent, nations are no longer dependent on global cartels. Every country, relying on domestic capabilities and advanced science, produces its own needs. Consequently, economic dependency—one of the tools of arrogance for dominating nations—is completely eliminated.

Manifestation of the Divine Promise in Verses and Narrations

The Holy Quran in numerous verses refers to the realization of economic justice in the era of the Advent. In verse 21:105, it states: “And We have already written in the Psalms after the mention that the land will be inherited by My righteous servants.” This verse clearly shows that the Mahdist government of justice is the end of the tyrants’ domination and the beginning of the era of welfare and justice for the righteous.

A narration from the Prophet (PBUH) also says: “If only one day remained of the world, Allah would prolong that day until a man from my Ahl al-Bayt rises and fills the earth with justice and equity, just as it was filled with tyranny and oppression” (Musnad Ahmad). This narration is a decisive and definite promise for the dismantling of all oppressive economic structures and the establishment of a new justice-based order.

Our Duty; Active Waiting in the Economic Arena

But what is our duty regarding this great promise? Can we sit idly by and wait for Imam Mahdi (AS) to come and dismantle all global cartels? Never! Active waiting means striving to prepare the ground for the fulfillment of that divine promise. Today, the resistance economy, strengthening domestic production, fighting economic corruption, supporting workers and the weak, and promoting the culture of interest-free loans and mudarabah—all are steps toward preparing society for the Mahdist economic order.

Let us also act as soldiers of Imam Mahdi (AS) in the economic arena, following the example of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) and the companions of Imam Mahdi (AS). By exposing the corruption of global cartels, supporting domestic production, promoting economic justice, and avoiding usury, let us take steps toward the fulfillment of the divine promise. May we be among those who share in the realization of a “just global economy” under his banner.

O Allah, grant us pure and lawful sustenance, and hasten the reappearance of our Master, the Master of the Age (AS).