Well, to tie in back into the "end-times", what do you believe are the signs and any other things that have to happen for the coming of the Mahdi and Jesus?
There are different scenarios.
To show what I mean by conditional Prophecy.
Let's look at one of the prophecies of Mohammad (s) of Imam Hussain (a) being killed. Imam Hussain (a) for example, his martyrdom being the martyrdom of all martyrdoms was a conditional prophecy. It means if the warnings of Quran are not acted upon, and people fail to heed it's warnings, then this is one of the consequences.
But you know there is a hadith that it was written Imam Hussain (a) would be victorious, but it was erased by God. This is found in Al-Kafi. So at a point, Angels (a) even didn't know the people of Kufa would betray Imam Hussain (a). God wrote it not to deceive, but that it appeared to him that Imam Hussain (a) would be victorious.
So then with Hussain (a) being killed, that means some of the warnings in Quran with respect to the past deviations, are not payed attention to.
So let's skip down to the disappearance of Imam Mahdi (a) as it was prophesized, but Imam Hassan Al-Askari (a) (his father) in fact, tried to gather an army, to overthrow the tyrants of his time. If he was successful, and it was close, than perhaps the Ghayba was avoidable.
There are prophecies that most of the Arabs for example will be against Imam Mahdi (a). Is this a destiny, or is conditional? To me it's conditional.
The scariest of all Prophecies of the Mahdi (a) arrival is the following:
مَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۗ وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا | Whoever is guided is guided only for [the good of] his own soul, and whoever goes astray, goes astray only to its detriment. No bearer shall bear another’s burden. We do not punish until We have sent a Messenger. | Al-Israa : 15
وَإِذَا أَرَدْنَا أَنْ نُهْلِكَ قَرْيَةً أَمَرْنَا مُتْرَفِيهَا فَفَسَقُوا فِيهَا فَحَقَّ عَلَيْهَا الْقَوْلُ فَدَمَّرْنَاهَا تَدْمِيرًا | And when We desire to destroy a town We command its affluent ones [to obey Allah]. But they commit transgression in it, and so the word becomes due against it, and We destroy it utterly. | Al-Israa : 16
وَإِنْ مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا نَحْنُ مُهْلِكُوهَا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُوهَا عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا ۚ كَانَ ذَٰلِكَ فِي الْكِتَابِ مَسْطُورًا | There is not a town but We will destroy it before the Day of Resurrection, or punish it with a severe punishment. That has been written in the Book. | Al-Israa : 58
So far all destructions of rejecting Messengers were local to that place. But with the arrival of the Mahdi (a), it will be universal. All cities will be under trial with the Mahdi (a) and he is a Messenger sent to all.
This prophecy might look like it must happen, but if you recite the Quran, most of the Quran is trying to wake up humanity so it's avoided. That this inevitable event if we walk all the warnings be avoided.
Some of the hadiths talk about technology that before Imam Mahdi (a) comes that people would be able to communicate to each other from far distance. That people from the other side of the world would be able to talk with people living in the opposite. Today this is possible by internet and phones and the technology. Does this mean we are soon. No that, would be example of a hadith, which says "The Mahdi won't come until....", so it means this has to happen before he comes.
There are a lot of these hadiths. One of them is about Qum (a city in Iran). The hadiths talk also about the man from Qum rising. Some people believe that was Khomeini. Some of the hadiths talk about how the wisdom and proof would be established all from Qum rising and spreading it to the world before the the Mahdi (a) comes. That when Imam Mahdi (a) comes, the wisdom has already been widely spread.
But hadiths I can't know for certain. What appears to me, Quran has different scenarios. So even the internet tech prophecy was conditional type that if it was prolonged time and people didn't prepare for the Mahdi (a) fast enough, which is one of the prophecies of Quran.
Another prophecy is that the Quran would be misinterpreted severely and abandoned by people over all. I see this today. And that people would argue with the Mahdi (a) about the interpretation when it comes, and I see people are hard wired to argue about Quran with falsehood and with influence of the dark sorcery not making them see.
But all these are conditional Prophecies. If they were hard written, then how can people be condemned for killing Imam Hussain (a) or betraying him? How can the Imams (a) have had hope of revolution which many hadiths show they did?
So I would say different prophecies contradict each other often, but they might be all true hadiths, just different scenarios.
