At the time of Imam al-Mahdi, there will be no enmity or hostility. Instead, there will be love and friendship:
ولو قد قام قائمنا … لذهبت الشحناء من قلوب العباد واسطالحت السباع والبهائم …
“When our Qa’im (twelfth imam) will come, hostility will leave the hearts of people; even wild and domestic animals will not be enemies of one another. A woman will be able to walk from Iraq to Syria carrying jewelry, and no one will harass or attack her.” [1]
This seems strange. If there is no hostility between animals, then what would the carnivorous animals eat? According to some scholars, this is a metaphor to indicate the complete safety to such an extent that even animals will feel safe.
Another way it can be understood is that as wild animals understandably need food, and this is provided when other animals are killed; however, it may be that the provision of food will occur without enmity and greed. In other words, they may be provided with food but not more than they require, so this would create a sense of safety. Or perhaps there will be a substitute food for them, without them needing to kill other animals. In any case, the conclusion we can draw from the hadith is that there will be utmost safety.
Other hadiths in this regard affirm that the roads will become very safe and there will be no thieves, terrorists, or any attacks on travelers. For example, one hadiths reads as follows:
وتخرج العجوزة الضعيفة من المشرق تريد المغرب لا يؤذيها أحد
“An elderly woman will be able to move from east to west, and no one will annoy her.” [2]
God has promised this in the Qur’an:
وَعَدَ اللَّـهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا ۚ يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا
God has promised those of you who have faith and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors in the earth, just as He made those who were before them successors, and He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and that He will surely change their state to security after their fear, while they worship Me, not ascribing any partners to Me. (24:55)
Reference:
[1] – Tuhaf ul-Uqul, Page 115
[2] – Bihar ul-Anwar, vol. 55, page 355
The Globe Before and After the Advent of Imam Mahdi/ Mohammad Ali Shomali
