The Four Horsemen of Revelation: An Islamic–Historical Hermeneutic Reading

This study advances a prophetic–historical interpretation of Revelation 6, arguing that the four horsemen symbolize a coherent sequence of historical phases culminating in the rise and expansion of Islam. Treating Revelation as future-oriented apocalyptic prophecy, the paper contends that the seals disclose real historical processes rather than abstract allegory or exclusively Roman-era events. Through a comparative hermeneutic integrating biblical exegesis, early Islamic history, and the late antique context, the white, red, black, and pale horses are correlated respectively with the prophetic mission of Muḥammad, the Wars of Apostasy, the famine and just governance under ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, and the period of civil strife, mass death, and imperial expansion following the First Fitna. The study proposes a disciplined model for assessing prophetic fulfillment that preserves both symbolic integrity and historical referent.