An exploration of a troubling phenomenon: the fast-growing belief in Muslim countries that the end of the world is at hand - and with it the "Great Battle," prophesied by both Sunni and Shi'i tradition, which many believers expect will begin in the Afghan-Pakistani borderlands. It uncovers the role of apocalypse in Islam over the centuries.

Preface to the English-Language Edition Acknowledgments Prologue: The End of the World Draws Nigh Part One: True and False Messiahs of Islam 1. Archeology of the End of the World 2. Grand Masters of the Medieval Apocalypse 3. Avatars of the Mahdi Part Two: Apocalypse Now 4. Dawn of the Fifteenth Century of Islam 5. Pioneers of the Contemporary Apocalypse 6. The Horsemen of Apocalyptic Jihad 7. The Beginning of the End in Iraq 8. The Grand Return of the Shi?i Mahdi 9. Diasporas of the Apocalypse 10. The Armageddon of Jihad Epilogue: Through the Looking Glass--and Beyond Notes A Contemporary Muslim Apocalyptic Bibliography Index

"This brilliantly argued book turns conventional wisdom on its head. The source of Muslim anti-Semitism is more Western hate literature than Islamic scriptural or theological precedents. In stunning detail, etched in lapidary prose, Filiu gauges the scale and scope of resort to Islamic apocalypse, revealing it as a form of anti-globalism, disguised as anti-Semitism, which Muslims, no less than non-Muslims, ignore at their own peril. Apocalypse in Islam is a challenge to all who want to advance a new alliance of civilizations rather than an endless combat of fundamentalisms."—Bruce Lawrence, editor of Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden

"An absolutely fascinating book by an author whose expertise joins the fields of scholarship, diplomacy and culture. Filiu's combination of classical textual analysis with that of contemporary social movements and Arabic-language apocalyptic literature shows both the complexity of Islamist apocalyptic movements and the striking similarities they bear to Christian apocalyptic movements. Certain to be the standard text on this crucial but still poorly understood subject for years to come."—Mark LeVine, author of Heavy Metal Islam

"In this deeply researched and very well translated account of apocalyptic movements in Islam, Filiu, a leading scholar of the Islamic world, delivers a major contribution to scholarship that is both erudite and accessible."—Peter Bergen, author of Holy War, Inc.