ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE - QUESTION AND ANSWERS RELATED TO ISLAM

The signs and portents of the Day of Resurrection can be divided into lesser and greater signs. The lesser signs, for the most part, will occur a long time before the Resurrection begins. Some of them have happened and ended � although they may be repeated � and some of them have appeared and are ongoing. Some have not yet happened, but they will happen as the truthful one (the Prophet) (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has told us.

The lesser and major signs of the Hour are many, and are mentioned in many saheeh ahaadeeth. Following is a brief summary of the signs are:

Past Signs

3) A form of death which will kill thousands of Muslims. (Understood to refer to the plague of Amwas during the caliphate of �Umar ibn al-Khattab.)

4) A major fighting in Madinah (understood to refer to the battle of al-Harrah during the caliphate of Yazid, 63 AH).

8) A war between the Muslims and a reddish people with small eyes, wearing sandals made of hair (understood to refer to the Mongol Tatar invasion of the Islamic lands.)

9) A peace agreement between the Muslims and non-Muslims from the yellow race (Chinese, Mongols, etc.)

Present Signs

11. Naked, destitute, barefoot shepherds will compete in building tall buildings.

14. Knowledge will be taken away (by the death of people of knowledge), and ignorance will prevail.

15. Widespread drinking of alcohol. The prevalence of musical instruments. Tribulations (fitnahs) will prevail.

22. Trustworthiness will be lost, i.e. People will distrust one who is trustworthy, and trust one who is treacherous.

23. When any gain is shared out only among the rich, with no benefit to the poor; when a trust becomes a means of making a profit.

26. Knowledge will be in the hands of the lowest of you, and power passes into the hands of the least of you. Authority will be given to those who do not deserve it.

27. Trade will become so widespread that a woman will help her husband in business.

28. Family ties will be cut; the giving of false witness will be common, while truthful witness will be rare.

29. People will gather for prayer, but will be unable to find an imam to lead them.

30. The number of men will decrease, whilst the number of women will increase, until for every man there are 50 women.

31. The buttocks of the women of the tribe of Daws will again sway in circumambulation (tawaf) around the idol Dhul-Khulsah.

32. The Euphrates will reveal a treasure of gold, and many will die fighting over it, each one hoping to be the one who gains
the treasure.

33. The Romans (Europeans) will come to a place called A�maq or Wabiq, and an army of the best people will go forth from Madinah to face them.

34. A major war between the Muslims (including Jews and Christians who truly believe in Jesus after his return) led by the Imam Mahdi, and the Jews plus other non-Muslims led by the Antichrist.

36. Only the worst people will be left; they will not know any good or forbid any evil. The worst of the people are those upon whom the Hour will come while they are still alive, and those who turn graves into mosques.

37. When paying Zakaat becomes a burden; when a man obeys his wife and disobeys his mother; and treats his friend kindly whilst shunning his father.

38. Wealth will increase, so that a wealthy man will worry lest no-one accept his Zakaat, and when he offers it to anyone, that person will say, "I am not in need of it."

40. There will be no-one who knows what fasting, prayer, charity and rituals are. The Quran will disappear in one night, and no Ayah will be left on earth.

43. Jesus will break the cross and kill the swine, i.e. destroy the false Christianity.

44. The Antichrist (al-masih al-dajjal, the false Christ) will appear, with all his tools of deception, and be an immense trial. He will be followed by 70,000 Jews from Isfahan (present-day Iran).

45. The Dajjaal will appear at the end of time, when religion is taken lightly. He will have forty days in which to travel throughout the earth. One of these days will be like a year, another will be like a month, a third will be like a week, and the rest will be like normal days.

46. Jesus will kill the Antichrist at the gate of Ludd (Lod in present-day Israel, site of an airport and a major Israeli military base).

47. A time of great peace and serenity during and after the remaining lifetime of Jesus.

46. Peace will prevail and people will use their swords as sickles. Every harmful beast will be made harmless; the sky will send down rain in abundance, and the earth will bring forth its blessings. A child will play with a fox and not come to any harm; a wolf will graze with sheep and a lion with cattle, without harming them.

47. Gog and Magog will appear from all directions, eating and drinking everything they find.

48. The emergence of the Beast from the Earth, carrying the Staff of Moses and the Seal of Solomon, who will speak to the people, telling them they did not believe with certainty in the Divine Signs.

49. Three major armies will sink into the earth: one in the east, one in the west, one in Arabia.

50. There is no-one left on the earth saying, "Allah, Allah" or "There is no god except Allah."

51. A man will wake up as a believer, and be a kafir (unbeliever) by nightfall. People will sell their religion for a small amount of worldly goods.

52. There will come a tribulation during which one who sits will be better than one who stands, one who stands will be better than one who walks, and one who walks will be better than one who runs.

53. Among my Ummah, some will be swallowed up by the earth, some bombarded with stones, and some transformed into animals.

56. The Hour will not come until a man passes by someone's grave and says, 'Would that I were in his place!

57. Hour will not come until wild animals talk to men, and a man speaks to his whip or his shoe, and his thigh will tell him about what happened to his family after he left."

58. The Hour will not come until time passes so quickly that a year will be like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour, and an hour like the time it takes for a palm-leaf to burn.'

59. The Hour will not come until Allah takes away the best people on earth; only the worst people will be left; they will not know any good or forbid any evil.

60. The Hour will not come until the following events have come to pass: two large groups will fight the another, and there will be many casualties; they will both be following the same religious teaching.

61. The Hour will come suddenly: when a man has milked his she-camel and taken away the milk, but he will not have time to drink it; before a man repairing a tank for his livestock will be able to put water in it for his animals; and before a man who has raised a morsel of food to his mouth will be able to eat it.

63. Eventually the Day of Judgment is established upon the worst of the people, who copulate like donkeys in public.

64. The first of the signs (of the Hour) to appear will be the rising of the sun from the West and the appearance of the Beast before the people in the forenoon. Whichever of these two events happens first, the other will follow immediately.

66. A fire which will emerge from Yemen and drive the people to their place of gathering

67. The blowing in the Trumpet by the Angel Israfil, upon which everyone will faint except as Allah wills.

There is no saheeh text which states the order in which these signs will occur, rather the order of some of them is to be understood from the context of the texts.

Ayaat and Ahaadeeth about the Hour

�� My Lord! Increase me in knowledge!" � (Taha 20:114)

DIVISIONS WITHIN THE MAIN RELIGIOUS GROUPS

EVILS BEFALLING MUSLIM UMMAH DURING THE LAST DAYS

THE APPEARANCE OF GOG AND MAGOG

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE KA'BAH

THE EMERGENCE OF THE BEAST

THE RISING OF THE SUN FROM THE WEST

THE SMOKE WHICH WILL APPEAR AT THE END OF TIME

"They ask you (O Muhammad sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) about the Hour, - when will be its appointed time? (42) You have no knowledge to say anything about it (43) To your Lord belongs (the knowledge of) the term thereof? (44) You (O Muhammad sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) are only a warner for those who fear it (45) The Day they see it, (it will be) as if they had not tarried (in this world) except an afternoon or a morning." (An-Nazi'aat 79:42-46)

�They ask thee about the (final) Hour - when will be its appointed time? Say: "The knowledge thereof is with my Lord (alone): None but He can reveal as to when it will occur. Heavy were its burden through the heavens and the earth. Only, all of a sudden will it come to you." They ask thee as if thou Wert eager in search thereof: Say: "The knowledge thereof is with Allah (alone), but most men know not" (Al-A�raaf 7:187)

There are many Ayaat and Ahaadeeth concerning this subject: Allah said:

"The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft asunder." (Al-Qamar 54:1)

The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, whilst pointing with his index and middle fingers, "The time of my advent and the Hour are like these two fingers." [1]

"Draws near for mankind their reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness." (Al-Anbiyaa' 21:1)

"The Event (the Hour or the punishment of disbelievers and polytheists or the Islamic laws or commandments), ordained by Allah will come to pass, so seek not to hasten it. Glorified and Exalted be He above all that they associate as partners with Him." (An-Nahl 16:1)

"Those who believe not therein seek to hasten it, while those who believe are fearful of it, and know that it is the very truth. Verily, those who dispute concerning the Hour are certainly in error far away." (Ash- Shooraa 42:18)

�On the day when the first trump resoundeth (6) And the second followeth " (An-Naziaat 79:6 - 7)

In Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, there is a Hadeeth which states that a Bedouin asked the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) about the Hour. He (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, "It will surely come to pass. What have you prepared for it?" The man said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have not prepared much in the way of prayer and good works, but I love Allah and His Messenger." The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, "You will be with those you love."

The Muslims had never rejoiced as much they did when they heard this Hadeeth. [2]

Some Ahaadeeth report that the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) was asked about the Hour. He looked towards a young boy and said, "If he lives, he will not grow very old before he sees your Last Hour coming to you." [3]

By this he meant their death and entering the Hereafter, because everyone who dies enters the Hereafter; some people say that when a person has died, his judgment has begun. This Hadeeth with this meaning is "correct" (Saheeh).

Some heretics comment on this Hadeeth and give it an incorrect meaning. The exact timing of the Great Hour (as-Saa'at al-'Uzmaa) is something which Allah alone knows and which He has not revealed to anyone, as is clear from the Hadeeth in which the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said: "There are five things which nobody knows except Allah;" then he recited, "Verily, Allah! With Him (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. �Verily, Allah is All Knower, All Aware (of things)." (Luqman 31:34] [4]

When Gabriel (Jibreel) (alayhi-salaam) came to the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) in the guise of a Bedouin, he asked him about Islaam, Eemaan (faith) and Ihsaan (excellence of faith); and the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) answered his questions. But when he asked him about the Hour, he said: "The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner." Jibreel said, "Tell me about its signs." Then the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) described them, as we shall see later when we quote this Hadeeth and others in full.

Hudhayfah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) stood up one day to speak to us, and told us everything that was going to happen until the Hour, and left nothing unsaid. Some of the listeners learnt it by heart, and some forgot it; these friends of mine learnt it. I do not remember it completely, but sometimes it springs to mind, just as one might remember and recognise the face of a man whom one had forgotten, when one sees him." [Abu Daawood, Muslim] [5]

Imaam Ahmad reported via Abu Nudrah that Abu Sa'eed said: "One day the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) led us in praying the afternoon prayer (Salaat al-'Asr). Then he stood and addressed us until sunset. He mentioned everything that was to happen until the Day of Resurrection, and left nothing unsaid. Some of us remembered it, and some of us forgot it. One of the things he said was: 'O people, this world is full of attractive temptations. Allah has appointed you as vicegerents (Khaleefah) in this world, and He will see how you will act. So guard yourselves against the temptations of this world and of women.'

Towards the end of this speech, he said, 'The sun is about to set, and what remains of this world, compared to what has passed, is like what remains of this day compared to what has passed.' [6]"

'Alee ibn Zayd ibn Jad'an al-Timi narrated some Gharib and Munkar Ahaadeeth - which could bring into question the validity of this Hadeeth. But there are some reports which are similar to this Hadeeth, and whichwere transmitted with different isnaads. Part of this Hadeeth is in Saheeh Muslim, through Abu Nudrah on the authority of Abu Sa'eed. This Hadeeth refers to something which is beyond any doubt: what remains of this world, compared to what has passed, is very little. In spite of that, no one can know exactly how much time is left except Allah, and no-one can know exactly how much time has passed, except Allah.

Footnotes

[4] Bukhaaree, Kitaab at-Tafsir, commentary on Luqman 31:34. A longer Hadeeth is narrated by Muslim in Kitaab al-Eemaan.

[5] Muslim, Kitaab al-Fitan wa Ashraaat al-Sa'ah; Abu Daawood, Kitaab al-Fitan wa'l-Malahim.

Checker's Note: Da`eef, al-Musnad (3/61) [or 2/61 as stated in the book??], at-Tirmidhee and al-Hakim (4/505). Da`eef due to `Alee ibn Zayd ibn Jad'an. al-Mishkat: 5145 of al-Albaanee. Parts of the complete speech are authentic, see Ibn Kathir's comments.

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said: "People used to ask the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) about good things, but I used to ask him about bad things because I was afraid that they might overtake me. I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, we were lost in ignorance (Jahiliyyah) and evil, then Allah brought this good (i.e. Islam). Will some evil come after this good thing?' He said, 'Yes' I asked, 'And will some good come after that evil?' He said, 'Yes, but it will be tainted with some evil' I asked, 'How will it be tainted?' He said, 'There will be some people who will lead others on a path different from mine. You will see good and bad in them." I asked, 'Will some evil come after that good?' He said, 'Some people will be standing and calling at the gates of Hell; whoever responds to their call, they will throw him into the Fire.' I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, describe them for us.' He said, 'They will be from our own people, and will speak our language.' I asked, 'What do you advise me to do if I should live to see that?' He said, 'Stick to the main body (jamaa'ah) of the Muslims and their leader (Imaam). I asked, What if there is no main body and no leader?' He said 'Isolate yourself from all of these sects, even if you have to eat the roots of trees until death overcomes you while you are in that state.' [1]"

'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ood said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Islam began as something strange, and it will revert to being strange as it was in the beginning, so good tidings for the strangers.' Someone asked, 'Who are the strangers?' He said, 'The ones who break away from their people (literally, 'tribes') for the sake of Islam.'" This Hadeeth was narrated by Ibn Majah on the authority of Anas and Abu Hurairah. [2]

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Jews have split into seventy-one sects, and my Ummah will divide into seventy-three." [1]

'Awf ibn Malik reported that the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Jews split into seventy-one sects: one will enter Paradise and seventy will enter Hell. The Christians split into seventy-two sects: seventy-one will enter Hell and one will enter Paradise. By Him in Whose hand is my soul, my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects: one will enter Paradise and seventy-two will enter Hell." Someone asked, "O Messenger of Allah, who will they be?" He replied, "The main body of the Muslims (al-Jamaa'ah)."

'Awf ibn Malik is the only one who reported this Hadeeth, and its isnaad is acceptable. [2]

Anas ibn Malik said: "I shall tell you a Hadeeth which I heard from the Messenger of Allah, and which no-one will tell you after me. I heard him say, 'Among the signs of the Hour will be the disappearance of knowledge and the appearance of ignorance. Adultery will be prevalent and the drinking of wine will be common. The number of men will decrease and the number of women will increase until there will be fifty women to be looked after by one man.'" This Hadeeth was reported in the two Saheehs from the Hadeeth of 'Abd Rabbihi. [3]

'Abd Allah said : "The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Just before the Hour, there will be days in which knowledge will disappear and ignorance will appear, and there will be much killing.'" [Ibn Maajah; also narrated by Bukhaaree and Muslim, from the Hadeeth of al-A'mash] [4]

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Islaam will become worn out like clothes are, until there will be no-one who knows what fasting, prayer, charity and rituals are. The Qur'aan will disappear in one night, and no Ayah will be left on earth. Some groups of old people will be left who will say, 'We heard our fathers saying La ilaha illa Allah, so we repeated it.' Silah asked Hudhayfah, "What will saying La ilaha illa Allah do for them when they do not know what prayer, fasting, ritual and charity are?" Hudhayfah ignored him; then Silah repeated his question three times, and each time Hudayfah ignored him. Finally he answered, "O Silah, it will save them from Hell", and said it three times. [Ibn Maajah] [5]

This indicates that in the last days, knowledge will be taken from the people, and even the Qur'aan will disappear from the Mushafs and from people's hearts. People will be left without knowledge. Only the old people will tell them that they used to hear people saying La ilaha illa Allah; and they will repeat it to feel close to Allah, so it will give them some blessing, even if they do not have any good deeds or beneficial knowledge. Knowledge will be taken away from men and ignorance will increase during the last days, and their ignorance and misguidance will increase until the end, as in the Hadeeth of the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam): "The Hour will not come upon anyone who says, 'Allah, Allah'; it will only come upon the most evil of men." [6]

Footnotes

Checker's Note: Saheeh, Saheeh Ibn Maajah: 3225

[2] Abu Daawood, Kitaab as-Sunnah, (Hadeeth 4572, 4573), 12/1340-2.

"The main body of the Muslims (al-Jamaa'ah)" means the people of the Qur'aan, Hadeeth, Fiqh and other sciences, who have agreed to follow the Traditions of the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) in all circumstances without introducing any changes or imposing their own confused ideas.

Checker's Note: Saheeh, Saheeh al-Jami as-Sagheer: 1082, the narration of `Awf ibn Malik is also reported by Ibn Maajah (no. 4992), Ibn Abee `Asim in as-Sunnah (no. 63) and al-Lalikai in Sharh us-Sunnah (no. 1492).

[3] A similar Hadeeth was narated by al-Bukhaaree in Kitaab al-'Ilm, 1/30,31; and by Muslim.

[6]The first part of it was related by Muslim in Kitab al-Eemaan, 1/91, and the second part in Kitab al-Fitan wa Ashraat al-Sa'ah, 8/208.

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) came to us and said, 'O Muhaajiroon, (emigrants from Makkah to al-Madinah) you may be afflicted by five things; God forbid that you should live to see them. If fornication should become widespread, you should realise that this has never happened without new diseases befalling the people which their forebears never suffered. If people should begin to cheat in weighing out goods, you should realise that this has never happened without drought and famine befalling the people, and their rulers oppressing them. If people should withhold Zakaat, you should realise that this has never happened without the rain being stopped from falling; and were it not for the animals' sake, it would never rain again. If people should break their covenant with Allah and His Messenger, you should realise that his has never happened without Allah sending an enemy against them to take some of their possessions by force. If the leaders do not govern according to the Book of Allah, you should realise that this has never happened without Allah making them into groups and making them fight one another.'" [Ibn Maajah] [1]

'Alee ibn Abee Taalib said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: 'If my Ummah bears fifteen traits, tribulation will befall it.' Someone asked, 'What are they, O Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'When any gain is shared out only among the rich, with no benefit to the poor; when a trust becomes a means of making a profit; when paying Zakaat becomes a burden; when a man obeys his wife and disobeys his mother; and treats his friend kindly whilst shunning his father; when voices are raised in the mosques; when the leader of a people is the worst of them; when people treat a man with respect because they fear some evil he may do; when much wine is drunk; when men wear silk; when female singers and musical instruments become popular; when the last ones of this Ummah curse the first ones - then let them expect a red wind, or the earth to swallow them, or to be transformed into animals.'" [Tirmidhee] [2]

'Alee ibn Abee Taalib said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) led us in praying Salaat al-Fajr (the morning prayer). When he had finished, a man called to him: 'When will the Hour be? The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) reprimanded him and said 'Be quiet!' After a while he raised his eyes to the sky and said, 'Glorified be the One Who raised it and is taking care of it.' Then he lowered his gaze to the earth and said, 'Glory be to the One Who has outspread it and has created it.' Then the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Where is the one who asked me about the Hour?' The man knelt down and said, 'I asked you.' The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Hour will come when leaders are oppressors, when people believe in the stars and reject al-Qadar (the Divine Decree of destiny) when a trust becomes a way of making a profit, when people give to charity (Sadaqah) reluctantly, when adultery becomes widespread - when this happens, then your people will perish.'" [3]

'Imran ibn Husayn said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Some people of this Ummah will be swallowed up by the earth, some will be transformed into animals, and some will be bombarded with stones.' One of the Muslims asked, 'When will that be, O Messenger of Allaah?' He said, 'When singers and musical instruments will become popular, and much wine will be drunk.'" [4]

Checker's Note: al-Haythami, says, "al-Bazzar reports it and it contains narrators I do not know." We do not know the status of the hadeeth as no muhaddith (as far as we know) has given a definite verdict.

The Greater Signs of the Hour

After the lesser signs of the Hour appear and increase, mankind will have reached a stage of great suffering. Then the awaited Mahdee will appear; he is the first of the greater, and clear, signs of the Hour. There will be no doubt about his existence, but this will only be clear to the knowledgeable people. The Mahdee will rule until the False Messiah (al-Maseeh ad-Dajjaal) appears, who will spread oppression and corruption. The only ones who will know him well and avoid his evil will be those who have great knowledge and Eemaan (faith).

The false Messiah will remain for a while, destroying mankind completely, and the earth will witness the greatest Fitnah (tribulation) in its history. Then the Messiah Jesus (alayhi salam) will descend, bringing justice from heaven. He will kill the Dajjaal, and there will be years of safety and security.

Then the appearance of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj (Gog and Magog) will take mankind by surprise, and corruption will overtake them again. In answer to Jesus' faithful prayer to Allah (subhanahu wa ta'aala), they will die, and safety, security, justice and stability will return. This state of affairs will continue for some years, until the death of Jesus. The Ulamaa differ concerning the order in which the other greater signs of the Hour will come about. They are:

� The Trumpet will be sounded: at the first sound everyone will feel terror; at the second sound all will be struck down; at the last sound all will be resurrected.

The Mahdee will come at the end of time; he is one of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs and Imaams. He is not the Mahdee who is expected by the Shee'ah, who they claim will appear from a tunnel in Saamarraa. This claim of theirs has no basis in reality nor in any reliable source. They allege that his name is Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Askaree, and that he went into the tunnel when he was five years old.

The matter we intend to discuss has been proven by Ahaadeeth narrated from the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam): that the Mahdee will appear at the end of time. I believe that he will appear before Jesus the son of Mary comes down, as the Ahaadeeth indicate.

Hajjaaj said that he heard Alee say: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, "Even if there were only one day left for the world, Allah would send a man from among us to fill the world with justice, just as it had been filled with oppression and justice." [Ahmad] [1]

Alee said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, "The Mahdee is one of us, from among the people of my household. In one night Allah will inspire him and prepare him to carry out his task successfully." [Ahmad and Ibn Maajah] [2]

Alee said, whilst looking at his son al-Hasan: This son of mine is a Sayyid (master), as the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) named him. Among his descendants there will be man named after your Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam). He will resemble him in behaviour but not in looks. Then he told them the report which mentions that the earth will be filled with justice. [Abu Daawood] [3]

Abu Daawood devoted a chapter of his Sunan to the subject of the Mahdee. At the beginning of this chapter he quoted the Hadeeth of Jaabir ibn Samrah, in which the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said: "This religion will remain steadfast until twelve caliphs have ruled over you." (According to another report he said, "This religion will remain strong until twelve caliphs have ruled over you.") Jaabir said, "The people cheered and shouted Allahu Akbar! Then the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) whispered something. I asked my father 'What did he say?' My father said, 'He said, All of them will be from Quraysh.'"

Another report says that when the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) returned to his house, Quraysh came to him and asked, "What will happen after that?" He said, "Then there will be tribulation and killing." [4]

Abu Dawood reported a Hadeeth from Abd Allah ibn Masood: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, "If there were only one day left for the world, that day would be lengthened until a man from among my descendants or from among the people of my household, was sent; his name will be the same as my name, and his fathers name will be the same as my fathers name. He will fill the earth with justice and fairness, just as it will have been filled with injustice and oppression. The world will not end until a man of my household, whose name is the same as mine, holds sway." [5]

Abd Allah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'A man from my household, whose name is like mine, will take power.'" [Tirmidhee] [6]

In another report, from Abu Hurairah, the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said: "If there were only one day left for this world, Allah would lengthen it until he took power." [7]

Aboo Sa'eed said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Mahdee will be one of my descendants; he will have a high forehead and a hooked nose. He will fill the earth with justice and fairness just as it was filled with injustice and oppression, and he will rule for seven years.'" [Abu Daawood] [8]

Umm Salamah said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) say,'The Mahdee will be one of my descendants, from the children of Faatimah.'" [Abu Daawood] [9]

Umm Salamah reported that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "People will begin to differ after the death of a Khaleefah. A man from the people of Madinah will flee to Makkah. Some of the people of Makkah will come to him and drag him out against his will; they will swear allegiance to him between al-Rukn and al-Maqam. An army will be sent against him from Syria; it will be swallowed up in the desert between Makkah and Madinah. When the people see this, groups of people from Syria and Iraq will come and swear allegiance to him. Then a man from Quraysh whose mother is from Kalb will appear and send an army against them, and will defeat them; this will be known as the Battle of Kalb. Whoever does not witness the spoils of this battle will miss much! The Mahdee will distribute the wealth, and will rule the people according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam). Then he will die, and the Muslims will pray for him." [Abu Daawood] [10]

Alee said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'A man named al-Haarith ibn Hirath will come from Transoxania. His army will be led by a man named Mansoor. He will pave the way for and establish the government of the family of Muhammad, just as Quraysh established the government of the Messenger of Allah. Every believer will be obliged to support him.'" [Abu Daawood] [11]

Abd Allah ibn al-Haarith ibn Juz' al-Zubaydee said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'A people will come out of the East who will pave the way for the Mahdee.'" [Ibn Maajah] [12]

Abd Allah said: "Whilst we were with the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam), some young men from Banu Hashim approached us. When the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) saw them, his eyes filled with tears and the colour of his face changed. I said, 'We can see something has changed in your face, and it upsets us.' The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'We are the people of a Household for whom Allah has chosen the Hereafter rather than this world. The people of my Household (Ahl al-Bayt) will suffer a great deal after my death, and will be persecuted until a people carrying black banners will come out of the east. They will instruct the people to do good, but the people will refuse; they will fight until they are victorious, and the people do as they asked, but they will not accept it from them until they hand over power to a man from my household. Then the earth will be filled with fairness, just as it had been filled with injustice. If any of you live to see this, you should go to him even if you have to crawl across ice.'" [13]

This text refers to the rule of the Abbasids, as we have mentioned above in the text referring to the beginningof their rule in 132 AH. It also indicates that the Mahdee will appear after the Abbasids, and that he will be one of the Ahl al-Bayt, a descendant of Faatimah, the daughter of the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam), through Hasan, not Husayn, as mentioned in the Hadeeth from Alee ibn Abee Taalib; and Allah knows best. [14]

Thwaban said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: 'Three men will be killed at the place where your treasure is. Each of them will be the son of a Khaleefah, and none of them will get hold of the treasure. Then the black banners will come out of the East, and they will slaughter you in a way which has never been seen before.' Then he said something which I do not remember; then, 'If you see him, go and give him your allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice, because he is the Khaleefah of Allah, the Mahdee.'" [Ibn Maajah] [15]

The treasure referred to in this text is the treasure of the Ka'bah. Towards the end of time, three of the sons of the Khaleefahs will fight to get hold of it, until the Mahdee appears. He will appear from the East, not from the tunnel of Saamarraa, as the Shee'ah claim; they believe that he is in this tunnel now, and they are waiting for him to emerge at the end of time. There is no evidence for it in any book or Saheeh tradition, and there is no benefit in believing this. The truth of the matter is that the Mahdee whose coming is promised at the end of time will appear from the East, and people will swear allegiance to him at the Ka'bah, as some Ahaadeeth indicate. At the time of the Mahdee, there will be peace and prosperity, with abundant crops and wealth, strong rulers, and Islam will be well established.

Aboo Sa'eed said: "By Allah every ruler we have had has been worse than the previous one, and every year has been worse than the year before, but I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say, 'Among your rulers will be one who will give out wealth freely, without counting it. A man will come and ask him for money, and he will say, "Take"; the man will spread his cloak out and the ruler will pour money into it.' The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) spread out a thick cloak he had been wearing, to demonstrate the mans actions; then he gathered it up by its corners and said, 'Then the man will take it and leave.'" [Ahmad] [16]

Footnotes

Checker's Note: Saheeh Saheeh al-Jami as-Sagheer: 6735. It has been mistranslated slightly, it should be "In one night, Allah will prepare him," the mention of inspiration and the carrying out of the task is explanatory.

Checker's Note: Da`eef Munqati' (chain of narration is broken), al- Mishkat, 1st checking: 5462.

[4] Checker's Note: "... returned to his house" is a da`eef addition. The rest of the hadeeth is saheeh.

Checker's Note: Da`eef Munkar (the isnaad is weak and moreover the meaning is wrong). In this case, the mention of "Khaleefah of Allah" is munkar because Allah cannot have a successor or vicegerent in His absence, Silsilatul Ahaadeeth ad-Da`eefah: 85.

Zaynab bint Jahsh said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) got up from his sleep; his face was flushed and he said, 'There is no god but Allah. Woe to the Arabs, for a great evil which is nearly approaching them. Today a gap has been made in the wall of Gog and Magog like this (Sufyan illustrated this by forming the number of 90 or 100 with his fingers).' Someone asked, 'Shall we be destroyed even though there are righteous people among us?' The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Yes, if evil increases.'" [Bukhaaree] [1]

Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) Said: "One night the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) got up and said, 'SubhanAllaah! How many tribulations have come down tonight, and how many treasures have been disclosed! Go and wake the dwellers of these apartments (i.e. his wives) for prayer. A well-dressed soul in this world may be naked in the Hereafter.'" [Bukhaaree] [2]

Usamah ibn Zayd said: "Once the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) stood over one of the battlements of al-Madinah and asked the people, 'Do you see what I see?' They said, 'No.' He said, 'I see afflictions falling upon your houses as rain drops fall.'" [Bukhaaree and Muslim] [3]

Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Time will pass rapidly, knowledge will decrease, miserliness will become widespread in peoples hearts, afflictions will appear, and there will be much Harj.' The people asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, what is Harj?' He said, 'Killing, killing!'" [Bukhaaree] [4]

Al-Zubayr ibn Adee narrated: "We went to Anas ibn Malik and complained about the wrong we were suffering at the hands of al-Hajjaaj. Anas ibn Malik said, 'Be patient, "For no time will come but that the time following it will be worse, until you meet your Lord." I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say that.'" [Bukhaaree]

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'There will come a time of afflictions when one who sits will be better than one who stands; one who stands will be better than one who walks; and one who walks will be better than one who runs. Whoever exposes himself to these afflictions, they will destroy him. So whoever can find a place of protection or refuge from them, should take shelter in it.'" [Bukhaaree and Muslim] [5]

Hudhayfah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) told us two Hadeeth, one of which I have seen fulfilled, and I am waiting for the fulfilment of the other. The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) told us that honesty came down into mens hearts (from Allah); then they learnt it from the Qur'aan, and then from the Sunnah. The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) told us that honesty would be taken away. He said, 'Man will be overtaken by sleep, during which honesty will be taken away from his heart, and only its trace will remain, like traces of a dark spot. Then man will be overtaken by slumber again, during which honesty will decrease still further, until its trace will resemble a blister such as is caused when an ember is dropped onto ones foot: it swells, but there is nothing inside. People will be carrying on with their trade, but there will hardly be any trustworthy persons. People will say, There is an honest man in such and such a tribe. Later they will say about some man, What a wise, polite and strong man he is! - although he will not have faith even the size of a mustard-seed in his heart.' Indeed, there came a time when I did not mind dealing with any one of you, for if he were a Muslim his Islam would compel him to pay whatever he owed me, and if he were a Christian, the Muslim official would compel him to pay it. But now I do not deal with anyone except so-and-so and so-and-so." [Bukhaaree] [6]

Ibn Umar said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) stood beside the pulpit, facing the east, and said, 'Afflictions will verily emerge from here, where the top of Satans head will appear.'" [Bukhaaree] [7]

Abu Hurairah said that he had heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say: "The Hour will not come until a man passes by someone's grave and says, 'Would that I were in his place!'" [Bukhaaree] [8]

Abu Hurairah said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say, 'The Hour will not come until the buttocks of the women of Daws move whist going around Dhoo l-Khalasah.'" Dhoo l-Khalasah was an idol worshipped by the tribe of Daws during the Jaahiliyyah. [Hadeeth from Bukhaaree] [9]

Abu Hurairah also said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Euphrates will disclose a golden treasure. Whoever is present at that time should not take anything of it.'" [10]

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Hour will not come before the Euphrates uncovers a mountain of gold, for which people will fight. Ninety-nine out of every hundred will die, but every one among them will say that perhaps he will be the one who will survive (and thus possess the gold).'" [Muslim] [11]

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Hour will not come until the following events have come to pass: two large groups will fight the another, and there will be many casualties; they will both be following the same religious teaching.

Nearly thirty Dajjaals will appear, each of them falsely claiming to be a Messenger from Allah.

Knowledge will disappear, earthquakes will increase, time will pass quickly, afflictions will appear, and Harj (ie killing) will increase.

Wealth will increase, so that a wealthy man will worry lest no-one accept his Zakaat, and when he offers it to anyone, that person will say, "I am not in need of it."

People will compete in constructing high buildings. When a man passes by someone�s grave, he will say, "Would that I were in his place!"

The sun will rise from the west; when it rises and the people see it, they will believe, but, "�No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before, nor earned righteousness through its faith..." (Al-An'aam 6:158)

"The Hour will come suddenly: when a man has milked his she-camel and taken away the milk, but he will not have time to drink it; before a man repairing a tank for his livestock will be able to put water in it for his animals; and before a man who has raised a morsel of food to his mouth will be able to eat it." [Bukhaaree] [12]

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said: "Of all the people, I know most about every tribulation which is going to happen between now and the Hour. This is not because the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) told me something in confidence which he did not tell anyone else; it is because I was present among a group of people to whom he spoke about the tribulations (al-Fitan). The Prophet (al- Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) mentioned three tribulations which would hardly spare anybody, and some which would be like storms in summer; some would be great and some would be small. Everyone who was present at that gathering has passed away, except me." [Muslim] [13]

Abu Hurairah said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say, "If you live for a while, you will see people go out under the wrath of Allah and come back under His curse, and they will have in their hands whips like the tail of an ox.'" [Ahmad, Muslim] [14]

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'There are two types among the people of Hell whom I have not yet seen. The first are people who have whips like the tails of oxen, with which they beat people, and the second are women who are naked in spite of being dressed; they will be led astray and will lead others astray, and their heads will look like camels humps. These women will not enter Paradise; they will not even experience the faintest scent of it, even though the fragrance of Paradise can be perceived from such a great distance.'" [15]

Anas ibn Malik said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) was asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, (what will happen) when we stop enjoining good and forbidding evil?' He said, 'When what happened to the Israelites happens among you: when fornication becomes widespread among your leaders, knowledge is in the hands of the lowest of you, and power passes into the hands of the least of you.'" [Ibn Maajah] [16]

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Woe to the Arabs from the great evil which is nearly approaching them: it will be like patches of dark night. A man will wake up as a believer, and be a kafir (unbeliever) by nightfall. People will sell their religion for a small amount of worldly goods. The one who clings to his religion on that day will be as one who is grasping an ember - or thorns.'" [Ahmad] [17]

Abu Hurairah said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) saying to Thawbaan, 'O Thawban, what will you do when the nations call one another to invade you as people call one another to come and eat from one bowl?' Thawbaan said, 'May my father and my mother be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah! Is it because we are so few?' The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'No, on that day you (Muslims) will be many, but Allah will put weakness (wahn) in your hearts.' The people asked, 'What is that weakness, O Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'It is love for this world and dislike of fighting.'" [Ahmad] [18]

The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "There will be a tribulation in which one who is sleeping will be better than one who is lying down, one who is lying will be better than one who is sitting, one who is sitting will be better than one who is standing, one who is standing will be better than one who is walking, one who is walking will be better than one who is riding, and one who is riding will be better than one who is running; all of their dead will be in Hell." The Companion of the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) who narrated this Hadeeth said, "O Messenger of Allah, when will that be?" He said, "That will be the days of Harj." He asked, "When will the days of Harj be?" The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, "When a man will not trust the person to whom he is speaking." The Companion asked, "What do you advise me to do if I live to see that?" He said, "Restrain yourself, and go back to your place of residence." The Companion then asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what should I do if someone enters my neighbourhood to attack me?" He said, "Go into your house." The Companion asked, "What if he enters my house?" He said, "Go into the place where you pray and do this - and he folded his arms, - and say 'My Lord is Allah', until you die." [19]

Abu Bakrah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'There will be a tribulation during which one who is lying down will be better than one who is sitting, one who is sitting will be better than one who is standing, one who is standing will be better than one who is walking, and one who is walking will be better than one who is running.' Someone asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, what do you advise me to do?' He said, 'Whoever has camels, let him stay with them, and whoever has land, let him stay in his land.' Someone asked, 'What about someone who does not have anything like that?' He said, 'Then let him take his sword and strike its edge against a stone, then go as far away as possible.'" [Abu Daawood; similar Hadeeth in Muslim] [20]

At the time of the Fitnah of Uthmaan ibn Affaan's Khilaafah (Caliphate), Sa'd ibn Abee Waqqaas said: "I bear witness that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said,'There will come a tribulation during which one who sits will be better than one who stands, one who stands will be better than one who walks, and one who walks will be better than one who runs.' Someone asked, 'What do you advise if someone enters my house to kill me?' He said, 'Be like the son of Adam (i.e. resign yourself).'" [Muslim, Tirmidhee] [21]

Abu Moosaa al-Asharee said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Before the Hour comes, there will be a tribulation like patches of dark night. A man will get up a believer and go to sleep a kaafir, or will go to sleep a believer and get up a kaafir. The one who sits will be better than one who stands, and one who walks will be better than one who runs. Break your bows, cut their strings, and strike your swords against stones. If someone comes to kill any of you, then be like the better of the twos ons of Adam.'" [Abu Daawood] [22]

Abu Dharr said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) was riding a donkey and sat me behind him. He said, 'O Abu Dharr, if the people were suffering from such severe hunger that you could not even get up from your bed to go to the mosque, what would you do?' I said, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said, 'Be decent and restrain yourself.' Then he said, 'O Abu Dharr, if the people were suffering from severe death (i.e. if a man were worth no more than a grave), what would you do? If the people were killing one another, until Hajarat al-Zayt (an area of Madinah) were submerged in blood, what would you do?' I said, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said, 'Stay in your house and lock the door.' I asked, 'What if I am not left alone?' He said, 'Then be one of them.' I said, 'Should I take up my sword?' He said, 'If you did that, you would be joining them in their activities. No - if you fear that the brightness of the shining sword will disturb you, then cover your face with part of your clothing, and let him carry his own sin and your sin.'" [Ahmad] [23]

Abd Allah ibn Amr said: "We were on a journey with the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam)...When the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam)'s caller called for prayer, I went there. The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) was addressing the people, saying: "O people, it has been the duty of every Prophet before me to guide his people to whatever he knew was good for them, and to warn them against whatever he knew was bad for them, but this Ummah has its time of peace and security at the beginning; at the end of its existence it will suffer trials and tribulations, one after the other.

Tribulation will come, and the believer will say, "This will finish me", but it will pass. Another tribulation will come, and he will say, "This is it", but it will pass, and a third will come and go likewise. Whoever wishes to be rescued from Hell, and enter Paradise, let him die believing in Allah and the Last Day, and treat the people as he himself wishes to be treated. If anyone gives allegiance to an Imaam, then let him obey him if he can (or on one occasion he said: as much as you can).'"

Abd al-Rahman (one of the narrators of this Hadeeth) said: "When I heard that, I put my head between my knees and said, 'But your cousin Mu'aawiyah is ordering us to squander our wealth among ourselves in vanity, and to kill each other, although Allah has said:

"O you who believe! Squander not your wealth among yourselves in vanity..." ' (An-Nisaa 4:29)

Abd Allah (another narrator) put his head in his hands and paused a while, then he raised his head and said: "Obey him in that which is obedience to Allah and disobey that which is disobedience to Allah." I asked him, "Did you hear that from the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam)?" He said, "Yes, I heard it with my ears and understood it in my heart." [Ahmad, Abu Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, Ibn Maajah] [24]

Abd Allah ibn Amr said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say, 'If you see my Ummah fearing a tyrant so much that they dare not tell him that he is a tyrant, then there will be no hope for them.'"

The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "Among my Ummah, some will be swallowed up by the earth, some bombarded with stones, and some transformed into animals." [Ahmad] [25]

Footnotes

[3] Bukhaaree, Kitaab al-Fitan, 9/60; Muslim, Baab Nuzuul al-Fitan ka-Mawaaqi' al-Qatar, 8/168.

Daws: a tribe in Yemen; Dhoo l-Khalasah: a house full of idols - it is so called because they believed that whoever worshipped it or went around it would be purified (khallasa). This Hadeeth means that the tribe of Daws will become apostates from Islam and will go back to idol worshipping; even their women will exert themselves in worshipping the idol and running around it, so that their flesh will quiver.

[16] Ibn Maajah narrated a similar Hadeeth in Kitaab al-Fitan (Hadeeth 4015), 2/1331. Ahmad, Musnad, 3/187.

Checker's Note: Saheeh. Weak isnaad but supported by other narrations similar in meaning. Musnad Imaam Ahmad, checking by Ahmad Shakir: 2/390.

Checker's Note: Saheeh, Silsilatul Ahadeeth as-Saheehah: 958. Wording should be "dislike of death".

Checker's Note: Saheeh. Musnad Imaam Ahmad, checking by Ahmad Shakir: [??] Ahmad's narration contains an unnamed narrator who is named in the narration of Abdur Razzaaq, no. 20727 and al-Hakim, 4/320, and he is reliable.

[21] Tirmidhee, Abwaab al-Fitan, (Hadeeth 2290), 6/436, 438. Ahmad, Musnad, 1/185.

Checker's Note: Saheeh, al-Irwa, no. 2451 of Shaykh al-Albanee. It is saheeh but has not been reported by Muslim, as main text states.

[23] Ahmad, Musnad, 5/149; similar Hadeeth in Abu Daawood, Abwaab al-Fitan wa'l-Malaahim, (Hadeeth 4241), 11-340, 343.

Kitaab al-Bay'ah (shorter version), 7-152,153. Abu Daawood, Kitab al-Fitan (shorted version), Hadeeth 4429, 11-319.

Checker's Note: Da`eef, Silsilatul Ahadeeth ad-Da`eefah: 1264. Its isnaad contains the `an`anah of Abu Zubair, but its last part ("Among my Ummah ...") is supported. See Silsilatul Ahadeeth as-Saheehah: 1787

'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr said: "I went to the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) one day whilst he was performing Wudoo' (ablution) slowly and carefully. He raised his head, looked at me and said, 'Six things will happen to this Ummah: the death of your Prophet - 'and when I heard that I was aghast,' - this is the first. The second is that your wealth will increase so much that if a man were given ten thousand, he would still not be content with it. The third is that tribulation will enter the house of every one of you. The fourth is that sudden death will be widespread. The fifth is a peace-treaty between you and the Romans: they will gather troops against you for nine months - like a woman's period of childbearing - then they will be the first to break the treaty. The sixth is the conquest of a city.' I asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, which city?' He said, 'Constantinople.' " [Ahmad] [1]

Abu Hurayrah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the West, the smoke, the Dajjaal, the beast, the (death) of one of you, or general tribulation.' " [Ahmad, Muslim] [2]

Hudhayfah ibn 'Ubayd said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) came upon us whilst, we were busy in discussion. He asked us, 'What are you talking about?' We said, 'We are discussing the Hour.' He said, 'It will not come until you see ten signs: the smoke, the Dajjaal, the beast, the sun rising from the West, the descent of Jesus son of Mary, Gog and Magog, and three land-slides - one in the East, one in the West, and one in Arabia, at the end of which fire will burst forth from the direction of Aden (Yemen) and drive people to the place of their final assembly.' " [Ahmad] [3]

Footnotes

After the battle with the Romans, which ended with the conquest of Constantinople, the Dajjaal will appear, and Jesus son of Mary will descend from Heaven to the earth, to the white minaret in the east of Damascus, at the time of Salaat al-Fajr (the morning prayer), as we shall see in the Saheeh Traditions.

Dhoo Mukhammar said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'You will make a peace-treaty with the Romans, and together you will invade an enemy beyond Rome. You will be victorious and take much booty. Then you will camp in a hilly pasture; one of the Roman men will come and raise a cross and say "Victory to the Cross", so one of the Muslims will come and kill him. Then the Romans will break the treaty, and there will be a battle. They will gather an army against you and come against you with eighty banners, each banner followed by 10,000 men.' " [Ahmad, Abu Daawood, Ibn Maajah] [1]

Yusayr ibn Jaabir said: "Once there was a red storm in Kufah. A man came who had nothing to say except, 'O 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ood, has the Hour come?' 'Abd Allah was sitting reclining against something, and said, 'The Hour will not come until people will not divide inheritance, nor rejoice over booty.' Pointing towards Syria, he said, 'An enemy will gather forces against the Muslims and the Muslims will gather forces against them.' I asked, 'Do you mean the Romans?' He said, 'Yes. At that time there will be very heavy fighting. The Muslims will prepare a detachment to fight to the death; they will not return unless they are victorious. They will fight until night intervenes. Both sides will return without being victorious; then many will be killed on both sides. On the fourth day, the Muslims who are left will return to the fight, and Allah will cause the enemy to be routed. There will be a battle the like of which has never been seen, so that even if a bird were to pass their ranks, it would fall down dead before it reached the end of them. Out of a family of one hundred, only one man will survive, so how could he enjoy the booty or divide any inheritance? While they are in this state, they will hear of an even worse calamity. A cry will reach them: "The Dajjaal has taken your place among your offspring." So they will throw away whatever is in their hands and go forward, sending 10 horsemen as a scouting party. The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'I know their names, and the names of their fathers, and the colours of their horses. They will be the best horsemen on the face of the earth on that day.' " [Ahmad, Muslim] [2]

Abu Hurayrah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Hour will not come until the Romans camp at al-A'mash or Dabeeq. An army, composed of the best people on earth at that time, will come out from Madinah to meet them. When they have arranged themselves in ranks, the Romans will say, 'Do not stand between us and those who took prisoners from amongst us. Let us fight with them.' The Muslims will say, 'No, by Allah, we will never stand aside from you and our brothers.' Then they will fight. One-third will runaway, and Allah will never forgive them. One-third will be killed, and they will be the best of martyrs in Allah's sight. One-third, who will never be subjected to trials or tribulations, will win, and will conquer Constantinople. Whilst they are sharing out the booty, after hanging their swords on the olive-trees, Satan will shout to them that the Dajjaal has taken their place among their families. When they come to Syria, the Dajjaal will appear, while they are preparing for battle and drawing up the ranks. When the time for prayer comes, Jesus the son of Mary will descend and lead them in prayer. When the enemy of Allah (i.e. the Dajjaal) sees him, he will start to dissolve like salt in water, but Allah will kill him.' " [Muslim] [3]

The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Hour will not come until the furthest border of the Muslims will be in Bulaa." Then he said, "O 'Alee!" 'Alee said, "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you!" The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, "You will fight the Romans, and those who come after you will fight them, until the best people among the Muslims, the people of al-Hijaaz, will go out to fight them, fearing nothing but Allah. They will conquer Constantinople with Tasbeeh and Takbeer (saying "Subhaan Allah" and "Allahu Akbar"), and they will obtain booty the like of which has never been seen - they will share it out by scooping it up with their shields. Someone will come and say, 'The Dajjaal has appeared in your land', but he will be lying. Anyone who takes notice of him will regret it, and anyone who ignores him will regret it." [Ibn Maajah] [4]

Naafi' ibn 'Utbah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'You will attack Arabia, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will attack Persia, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will attack Rome, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will attack the Dajjaal, and Allah will enable you to conquer him.' " [Muslim] [5]

When Mustawrid al-Qurashee was sitting with 'Amr ibn al-'Aas, he said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say, 'The Hour will come when the Romans will be in the majority.' 'Amr asked him, "What are you saying?" He said, "I am repeating that which I heard from the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam)." 'Amr said, "If you say this, it is true, because they have four good characteristics: they are the most able to cope with tribulation, the quickest to recover after disaster and to return to the fight after disaster, and are the best as far as treating the poor, weak and orphans is concerned. They have a fifth characteristic which is very good; they do not allow themselves to be oppressed by their kings." [6]

The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "You will fight the Romans, and Believers from the Hijaaz will fight them after you, until Allah enables them to conquer Constantinople and Rome with Tasbeeh and Takbeer ("Subhaan Allah" and "Allahu Akbar"). Its fortifications will collapse, and they will obtain booty the like of which has never been seen, so that they will share it out by scooping it up with their shields. Then someone will cry, 'O Muslims! The Dajjaal is in your country, with your families', and the people will leave the wealth. Anyone who takes notice will regret it and anyone who ignores it will regret it. They will ask, 'Who shouted?' but they will not know who he is. They will say, 'Send a vanguard to Ilyaa.' If the Dajjaal has appeared, you will hear about his deeds.' So they will go and see, and if they see that everything is normal, they will say, 'No-one would give a shout like that for no reason, so let us go together to Ilyaa'.' If we find the Dajjaal there we will fight him together, until Allah decides between us and him. If we do not find the Dajjaal, we will go back to our country and our families.' " [7]

Mu'aadh ibn Jabal said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The building of Bayt al-Maqdis (in Jerusalem) will be followed by the destruction of Yathrib (Madeenah), which will be followed by the conquest of Constantinople, which will be followed by the appearance of the Dajjaal.' Then he put his hand on the thigh or the shoulder of the one with whom he was speaking (i.e. Mu'aadh), and said, 'This is as true as the fact that you are here (or as true as you are sitting here).' " [8]

This does not mean that Madeenah will be destroyed completely before the appearance of the Day, but that will happen at the end of time, as we shall see in some authentic Ahaadeeth. But the building of Bayt al-Maqdis will be the cause of the destruction of Madeenah, as it was proven in the Hadeeth that the Dajjaal will not be able to enter Madinah. He will be prevented from doing so because it is surrounded by angles bearing unsheathed swords. [9]

Abu Hurayrah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said about Madeenah: 'Neither plague nor the Dajjaal can enter it.' " [Bukhaaree] [10]

4271), 11/397/399. Ibn Maajah, Kitab al-Fitan (Hadeeth 4089), 2/1369. Ahmad, Musnad, 9104.

Al-A'mash is a place outside the city, and Dabeeq is a market-place in the city. "The city" refers to Aleppo (some say Damascus).

The one who believes the liar will regret it, because he will find that the Dajjaal is not there. The one who does not believe him will regret it because the Dajjaal will appear soon afterwards.

Checker's Note: Fabricated. The reason is Kathir ibn `Abdillah, who is declared a liar by Abu Daawood and Shaafi'ee. He narrates a fabricated collection of hadeeth.

Checker's Note: Fabricated. Same reasons as the previous one. Reported by al-Bazzar, Kashful Astar bi Zawa'id al-Bazzar of al-Haythamee: 3386.

The Appearance of the Dajjaal

First of all, we will quote the reports which mention the liars and "dajjaals" who will precede the coming of the Dajjaal, or Antichrist, who will be the last of them; may Allah curse them and punish them with Hell-fire.

Jaabir ibn Samurah said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say, 'Just before the Hour, there will be many liars.' " Jaabir said, "Be on your guard against them." [Muslim] [1]

Jaabir said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say, 'Just before the Hour there will be many liars; among them is the one in al-Yamamah, the 'Ansi in San'a', the one in Himyar, and the Dajjaal. This will be the greatest fitnah.' " [Ahmad] [2]

Abu Hurayrah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Hour will not come ... until nearly 30 "dajjaals" (liars) appear, each one claiming to be a messenger from Allah.' " [Bukhaaree and Muslim] [3]

Abu Hurayrah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Hour will not come until 30 "dajjaals" appear, each of them claiming to be a messenger from Allah, wealth increases, tribulations appear and al-Harj increases.' Someone asked, 'What is al-Harj?' He said, 'Killing, killing.' " [Ahmad] [4]

Abu Hurayrah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Hour will not come until 30 "dajjaals" appear, all of them lying about Allah and His Messenger.' " [Abu Daawood] [5]

Abu Hurayrah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Just before the Hour, there will be thirty "dajjaals", each of whom will say, I am a Prophet.' " [Ahmad] [6]

Abu Hurayrah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'There will be "dajjaals" and liars among my Ummah. They will tell you something new, which neither you nor your forefathers have heard. Be on your guard against them, and do not let them lead you astray.' " [Ahmad] [7]

Thawbaan said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'There will be thirty liars among my Ummah. Each one will claim that he is a prophet; but I am the last of the Prophets (Seal of the Prophets), and there will be no Prophet after me.' " [Ahmad] [8]

The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "Verily before the Day of Resurrection there will appear the Dajjaal, and thirty or more liars." [Ahmad] [9]

Ibn 'Umar said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say, 'Among my Ummah there will be more than seventy callers, each of whom will be calling people to Hell-fire. If I wished, I could tell you their names and tribes.' " [10]

Abu Bakrah said: "The people spoke a great deal against Musaylimah before the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said anything about him. Then the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) got up to give a speech and said: '...as for this man about whom you have spoken so much - he is one of the thirty liars who will appear before the Hour, and there is no town which will not feel the fear of the Antichrist.' " [Ahmad] [11]

In another version of this report, the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wasallam) said: "He is one of the thirty liars who will appear before the Dajjaal. There is no town which will escape the fear of the Dajjaal, apart from Madeenah. At that time there will be two angels at every entrance of Madeenah, warding off the fear of the Antichrist." [12]

Anas ibn Malik said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The time of the Dajjaal will be years of confusion. People will believe a liar, and disbelieve one who tells the truth. People will distrust one who is trustworthy, and trust one who is treacherous; and the Ruwaybidah will have a say.' Someone asked, 'Who are the Ruwaybidah?' He said, 'Those who rebel against Allah and will have a say in general affairs.' " [Ahmad] [13]

Checker's Note: Ahmad's isnaad contains Ibn Lahi'ah who reports by way of `an, as does Abu Zubair. Al-Bazzar's isnaad contains `Abdur-Rahman ibn Maghra and Mujaahid ibn Sa`eed. Majma' az-Zawaid of al-Haythamee: 7/335. The status of the hadeeth is unknown as no muhaddith, as far as we know, has given a definite verdict.

Checker's Note: Hasan, Silsilatul Ahadeeth as-Saheehah: 1683, Musnad Imaam Ahmad, checking by Ahmad Shakir: 5694.

Checker's Note: Saheeh, Musnad Imaam Ahmad, checking by Ahmad Shakir: 5/41. It is part of no. 10 above, which is not given in full in the book.

Checker's Note: Saheeh. Its isnaad is hasan and is further supported, Silsilatul Ahadeeth as-Saheehah: 1887, Kashful Astar bi Zawa'id al- Bazzar of al-Haythamee: 3373.

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said: "'Umar ibn al-Khattab went along with the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) and a group of people to Ibn Sayyaad, and found him playing with some children near the battlement of Banoo Maghaalah. At that time Ibn Sayyaad was on the threshold of adolescence; he did not realise that anybody was near until the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) struck him on the back. The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said to him: 'Do you bear witness than I am the Messenger of Allaah?' Ibn Sayyaad looked at him and said, 'I bear witness that you are the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) of the unlettered.' Then Ibn Sayyaad said to the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam), 'Do you bear witness that I am the Messenger of Allah?' The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) dismissed this and said, 'I believe in Allah and His Messengers.' Then the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) asked him, 'What do you see?' Ibn Sayyaad said, 'Sometimes a truthful person comes to me, and sometimes a liar.' The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said to him, 'You are confused', then he said, 'I am hiding something from you.' Ibn Sayyaad said, 'It is Dukh.' The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Silence! You will not be able to go beyond your rank.' 'Umar ibn al-Khattab said, 'O Messenger of Allaah, shall I cut off his head?' The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'If he is (the Dajjaal) you will not be able to overpower him, and if he is not, then killing will not do you any good.' "

Saleem ibn 'Abd Allah said: "I heard 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar say, 'After that, the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) and Ubayy ibn Ka'b went along to the palm trees where Ibn Sayyaad was. The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) started to hide behind a tree, with the intention of hearing something from Ibn Sayyaad before Ibn Sayyaad saw him. The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) saw him lying on a bed, murmuring beneath a blanket. Ibn Sayyaad's mother saw the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) hiding behind a tree, and said to her son, "O Saf (Ibn Sayyaad's first name), here is Muhammad!" Ibn Sayyad jumped up, and the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, "If you had left him alone, he would have explained himself." "Saleem said, "Abd Allah ibn'Umar said, The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) stood up to address the people. He praised Allah as He deserved to be praised, then he spoke about the Dajjaal: 'I warn you against him; there is no Prophet who has not warned his people against him, even Noah warned his people against him. But I will tell you something which no other Prophet has told his people. You must know that the Dajjaal is one eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed.' "

Ibn Shihaab said: "'Umar ibn Thaabit al-Ansaaree told me that some of the Companions of the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) told him that on the day when he warned the people about the Dajjaal, the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: 'There will be written between his eyes the word Kaafir (unbeliever). Everyone who resents his bad deeds - or every believer - will be able to read it.' He also said, 'You must know that no one of you will be able to see his Lord until he dies.' " [Muslim, Bukhaaree] [1]

Ibn 'Umar said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) mentioned the Dajjaal to the people. He said, 'Allah is not one-eyed, but the Dajjaal is blind in his right eye, and his eye is like a floating grape.' " [Muslim] [2]

Anas ibn Malik said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'There has never been a Prophet who did not warn his people against that one-eyed liar. Verily he is one-eyed and your Lord is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the letter Kaf, Fa, Ra (Kaafir).' " [Muslim, Bukhaaree] [3]

Hudhayfah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'I know more about the powers which the Dajjaal will have than he will know himself. He will have two flowing rivers: one will appear to be pure water, and the other will appear to be flaming fire. Whosoever lives to see that, let him choose the river which seems to be fire, then let him close his eyes, lower his head and drink from it, for it will be cold water. The Dajjaal will be one eyed; the place where one eye should be will be covered by a piece of skin. On his forehead will be written the word Kaafir, and every believer, whether literate or illiterate, will be able to read it.' " [Muslim] [4]

Abu Hurayrah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Shall I tell you something about the Dajjaal which no Prophet has ever told his people before me? The Dajjaal is one-eyed and will bring with him something which will resemble Paradise and Hell; but that which he calls Paradise will in fact be Hell. I warn you against him as Noah warned his people against him.' " [Bukhaaree, Muslim] [5]

Muhammad ibn Munkadir said: "I saw Jaabir ibn 'Abd Allah swearing by Allah that Ibn Sayyaad was the Dajjaal, so I asked him, 'Do you swear by Allah?' He said, 'I heard 'Umar swear to that effect in the presence of the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam), and the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) did not disapprove of it.' " [6]

Some 'ulamaa' (scholars) say that some of the Sahaabah (Companions of the Prophet) believed Ibn Sayyaad to be the greater Dajjaal, but that is not the case: Ibn Sayyaad was a lesser dajjal. Ibn Sayyaad travelled between Makkah and Madeenah with Abu Sa'eed, and complained to him about the way that people were saying that he was the Dajjaal. Then he said to Abu Sa'eed, "Did not the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say that the Dajjaal would not enter Madinah? I was born there. Did not he say that he would not have any children? - I have children. Did not he say that he would be a Kaafir? - I have embraced Islam. Of all the people, I know the most about him: I know where he is now. If I were given the opportunity to be in his place, I would not resent it.' " [Bukhaaree, Muslim]

There are many Ahaadeeth about Ibn Sayyaad, some of which are not clear as to whether he was the Dajjaal or not. We shall see Ahaadeeth which indicates that the Dajjaal is not Ibn Sayyaad, as in the Hadeeth of Faatimah Bint Qays al-Fahriyyah, although this does not mean that he was not one of the lesser Dajjaal; but Allah knows best.

Footnotes

Ibn Sayyaad's [or Ibn Sa'eed's] first name was Saaf. He had some characteristics similar to those ascribed to the Dajjaal. When he was young, he was like a Kaahin (soothsayer) - sometimes he spoke the truth, sometimes he lied. When he grew up, he embraced Islam and displayed some good characteristics, but later he changed, and it was said that his behaviour might indicate that he was the Dajjaal. But the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) had not received any Wahy (revelation) to that effect, so he told 'Umar: "If he is [the Dajjaal] you will not be able to overpower him."

Banoo Maghaalah: if you stand facing the Masjid al-Nabawee, (the Prophet's Mosque in Madeenah), everything on your right is the territory of Banoo Maghaalah.

Dukh: i.e. al-Dukhaan (smoke). The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) was thinking of the Aayah, "Then wait you for the Day when the sky will bring forth a visible smoke." [Ad-Dukhaan 44:10] "� with the intention of hearing something�" in other words, the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) wanted to eavesdrop on Ibn Sayyaad so that he and his companions could find out whether he was a soothsayer (kaahin) or a sorcerer.

"if you had left him alone, he would have had explained himself": i.e., if his mother had not told him that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) was there, then the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) would have found out what he was - a soothsayer or a sorcerer.

"His eye is like a floating grape" - this means that, his eye will protrude and there will be some kind of brightness in it.

"On his forehead will be written the letters Kaaf, Faa', Raa' " � this indicates that he will call people to Kufr, not the right path, so we must avoid him. The fact that Muslims will be able to identify him as a Kaafir is a great blessing from Allah to this Ummah.

'Aamir ibn Sharaaheel Sha'bi Sha'b Hamdaan reported that he askedFaatimah bint Qays, the sister of Dahhaak ibn Qays,who was one of the first Muhaajiraat, "Tell me a Hadeeth which you heard directly from the Prophet (salAllahu'alayhe wa sallam) with no narrator in between." She said, "I can tell you if you like." He said, "Yes, please tell me." She said,"I married Ibn al-Mugheerah, who was one of the best of the youth of Quraysh in those days. But he fell in the first Jihaad on the side of the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam).

"When I became a widow, 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn 'Awf, one of the companions of the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) sent me a proposal of marriage. The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) also sent me a proposal of marriage on behalf of his freedman Usaamah ibn Zayd. I had been told that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) had said, 'He who loves me should also love Usaamah.' When the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) spoke to me, I said, 'It is up to you: marry me to whomever you wish.'

"The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Go and stay with Umm Shareek.' Umm Shareek was a rich Ansaaree (Muslim originally from Madeenah) woman, who spent much in the way of Allah and entertained many guests. I said, 'I will do as you wish.' Then he said, 'Don't go. Umm Shareek has many guests, and I would not like it if your head or leg were to become uncovered accidentally and people saw something you would not wish them to see. It is better if you go and stay with your cousin 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn Umm Maktoom' (Abd Allah was of the Banoo Fihr of Quraysh, the same tribe as that to which Faatimah belonged).

"So I went to stay with him, and when I had completed my 'Iddah (period of waiting), I heard the Prophet's (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) announcer calling for congregational prayer. I went out to the mosque, and prayed behind the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam). I was in the women's row, which was at the back of the congregation. When the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) had finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit, smiling, and said, 'Everyone should stay in his place.' Then he said, 'Do you know why I had asked you to assemble?' The people said, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.'

"He said, 'By Allah, I have not gathered you here to give you an exhortation or a warning. I have kept you here because Tameem ad- Daaree, a Christian man who has come and embraced Islam, told me something which agrees with that which I have told you about the Dajjaal. He told me that he had sailed in a ship with thirty men from Banoo Lakhm and Banoo Judhaam. The waves had tossed them about for a month, then they were brought near to an island, at the time of sunset. They landed on the island, and were met by a beast who was so hairy that they could not tell its front from its back. They said, "Woe to you! What are you?" It said, "I am al-Jassaasah." They said, "What is al-Jassaasah?" It said, "O people, go to this man in the monastery, for he is very eager to know about you."

Tameem said that when it named a person to us, we were afraid lest it be a devil. "Tamim said, 'We quickly went to the monastery. There we found a huge man with his hands tied up to his neck and with iron shackles between his legs up to the ankles. We said, "Woe to you, who are you?" He said, "You will soon know about me. Tell me who you are." We said, "We are people from Arabia. We sailed in a ship, but the waves have been tossing us about for a month, and they brought us to your island, where we met a beast who was so hairy that we could not tell its front from its back. We said to it, "Woe to you! What are you?" and it said, "I am al-Jassaasah."

We asked, "Whatis al-Jassaasah?" and it told us, "Go to this man in the monastery, for he is very eager to know about you." So we came to you quickly, fearing that it might be a devil.' "The man said, 'Tell me about the date-palms of Baysaan.' We said, 'What do you want to know about them?' He said, 'I want to know whether these trees bear fruit or not.' We said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Soon they will not bear fruit.' Then he said, 'Tell me about the lake of at-Tabariyyah [Tiberias, in Palestine].' We said, 'What do you want to know about it?' He asked, 'Is there water in it?' We said, 'There is plenty of water in it.' He said, 'Soon it will become dry.' Then he said, 'Tell me about the spring of Zughar.' We said, 'What do you want to know about it?' He said, 'Is there water in it, and does it irrigate the land?' We said, 'Yes, there is plenty of water in it, and the people use it to irrigate the land.' "Then he said, 'Tell me about the unlettered Prophet - what has he done?' We said, 'He has left Makkah and settled in Yathrib.' He asked, 'Do the Arabs fight against him?' We said, 'Yes.' He said, 'How does he deal with them?' So we told him that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) had overcome the Arabs around him and that they had followed him. He asked, 'Has it really happened?' We said, 'Yes.' He said, 'It is better for them if they follow him.

Now I will tell you about myself. I am the Dajjaal. I will soon be permitted to leave this place: I will emerge and travel about the earth. In forty nights I will pass through every town, except Makkah and Madeenah, for these have been forbidden to me. Every time I try to enter either of them, I will be met by an angel bearing an unsheathed sword, who will prevent me from entering. There will be angels guarding them at every passage leading to them.'

Faatimah said, "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam), striking the pulpit with his staff, said: 'This is Tayyibah, this is Tayyibah, this is Tayyibah, [i.e. Madeenah]. Have I not told you something like this?' The people said, 'Yes.' He said, 'I liked the account given to me by Tameem because it agrees with that which I have told you about the Dajjaal, and about Makkah and Madeenah. Indeed he is in the Syrian sea or the Yemen sea. No, on the contrary, he is in the East, he is in the East, he is in the East' and he pointed towards the East. Faatimah said: I memorized this from the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam)." [Muslim] [1]

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'While I was asleep, I saw myself in a dream performing Tawaaf (circumambulation) around the Ka'bah. I saw a ruddy man with lank hair and water dripping from his head. I said, "Who is he?" and they said, "The son of Mary." Then I turned around and saw another man with a huge body, red complexion, curly hair and one eye. His other eye looked like a floating grape. They said, "This is the Dajjaal." The one who most resembles him is Ibn Qatan, a man from the tribe of al-Khuzaa'ah'.� [Bukhaaree, Muslim] [2]

Jaabir ibn 'Abd Allah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Dajjaal will appear at the end of time, when religion is taken lightly. He will have forty days in which to travel throughout the earth. One of these days will be like a year, another will be like a month, a third will be like a week, and the rest will be like normal days. He will be riding a donkey; the width between its ears will be forty cubits. He will say to the people: "I am your lord." He is one-eyed, but your Lord is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the word Kaafir, and every believer, literate or illiterate, will be able to read it. He will go everywhere except Makkah and Madeenah, which Allah has forbidden to him; angels stand at their gates. He will have a mountain of bread, and the people will face hardship, except for those who follow him. He will have two rivers, and I know what is in them.

He will call one Paradise and one Hell. Whoever enters the one he calls Paradise will find that it is Hell, and whoever enters the one he calls Hell will find that it is Paradise. Allah will send with him devils who will speak to the people. He will bring a great tribulation; he will issue a command to the sky and it will seem to the people as if it is raining. Then he will appear to kill someone and bring him back to life. After that he will no longer have this power. The people will say, "Can anybody do something like this except the Lord?" The Muslims will flee to Jabal al-Dukhaan in Syria, and the Dajjaal will come and besiege them. The siege will intensify and they will suffer great hardship. Then Jesus son of Mary will descend, and will call the people at dawn: "O people, what prevented you from coming out to fight this evil liar?" They will answer, "He is a Jinn." Then they will go out, and find Jesus son of Mary. The time for prayer will come, and the Muslims will call on Jesus to lead the prayer, but he will say, "Let your Imaam lead the prayer." Their Imaam will lead them in praying Salaat al-Subh (Morning prayer), then they will go out to fight the Dajjaal. When the liar sees Jesus, he will dissolve like salt in water. Jesus will go to him and kill him, and he will not let anyone who followed him live.'" [Ahmad] [3]

Footnotes

Al-Jassaasah is so called because he spies on behalf of the Dajjaal (from jassa - to try to gain information, to spy out, etc.).

Checker's Note: Da`eef. Silsilatul Ahaadieeh ad-Da`eefah: 1969. It contains the `an`anah of Abu Zubair. Parts are found in authentic narrations. Refer to Dajjaal section in Saheeh Muslim.

The Hadeeth of Al-Nuwas Ibn Sam'an Al-Kilabi

Al-Nuwas ibn Saman said: "One morning the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) spoke about the Dajjaal. Sometimes he described him as insignificant, and sometimes he described him as so dangerous that we thought he was in the clump of date-palms nearby. When we went to him later on, he noticed that fear in our faces, and asked, 'What is the matter with you?' We said, 'O Messenger of Allah, this morning you spoke of the Dajjaal; sometimes you described him as insignificant, and sometimes you described him as being so dangerous that we thought he was in the clump of date-palms nearby.

"The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'I fear for you in other matters besides the Dajjaal. If he appears whilst I am among you, I will contend with him on your behalf. But if he appears while I am not among you, then each man must contend with him on his own behalf, and Allah will take care of every Muslim on my behalf. The Dajjaal will be a young man, with short, curly hair, and one eye floating. I would liken him to 'Abd al-Uzzaa ibn Qatan. Whoever amongst you lives to see him should recite the opening Ayaat of Surat al-Kahf. He will appear on the way between Syria and Iraq, and will create disaster left and right. O servants of Allah, adhere to the Path of Truth.' "

"We said, 'O Messenger of Allah, for the day which is like a year, will one days prayers be sufficient?' He said, 'No, you must make an estimate of the time, and then observe the prayers.' " "We asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, how quickly will he walk upon the earth?' He said, 'Like a cloud driven by the wind. He will come to the people and call them (to a false religion), and they will believe in him and respond to him. He will issue a command to the sky, and it will rain; and to the earth, and it will produce crops. After grazing on these crops, their animals will return with their udders full of milk and their flanks stretched.

Then he will come to another people and will call them (to a false religion), but they will reject his call. He will depart from them; they will suffer famine and will possess nothing in the form of wealth. Then he will pass through the wasteland and will say, Bring forth your treasures, and the treasures will come forth, like swarms of bees. Then he will call a man brimming with youth; he will strike him with a sword and cut him in two, then place the two pieces at the distance between an archer and his target. Then he will call him, and the young man will come running and aughing.' "

"At that point, Allah will send the Messiah, son of Mary, and he will descend to the white minaret in the east of Damascus, wearing two garments dyed with saffron, placing his hands on the wings of two

angels. When he lowers his head, beads of perspiration will fall from it, and when he raises his head, beads like pearls will scatter from it. Every Kaafir who smells his fragrance will die, and his breath will reach as far as he can see. He will search for the Dajjaal until he finds him at the gate of Ludd, where he will kill him."

"Then a people whom Allah has protected will come to Jesus son of Mary, and he will wipe their faces (i.e. wipe the traces of hardship from their faces) and tell them of their status in Paradise. At that time Allah will reveal to Jesus: "I have brought forth some of My servants whom no one will be able to fight. Take My servants safely to at-Toor."

"Then Allah will send Gog and Magog, and they will swarm down from every slope. The first of them will pass by the Lake of Tiberias, and will drink some of its water; the last of them will pass by it and say, "There used to be water here." Jesus, the Prophet of Allah, and his Companions will be besieged until a bull's head will be dearer to them than one hundred dinars are to you nowadays."

"Then Jesus and his Companions will pray to Allah, and He will send insects who will bite the people of Gog and Magog on their necks, so that in the morning they will all perish as one. Then Jesus and his Companions will come down and will not find any nook or cranny on earth which is free from their putrid stench. Jesus and his Companions will again pray to Allah, Who will send birds like the necks of camels; they will seize the bodies of Gog and Magog and throw them wherever Allah wills. Then Allah will send rain which no house or tent will be able to keep out, and the earth will be cleansed, until it will look like a mirror. Then the earth will be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing.

On that day, a group of people will be able to eat from a single pomegranate and seek shelter under its skin (i.e. the fruit would be so big). A milch camel will give so much milk that a whole party will be able to drink from it; a cow will give so much milk that a whole tribe will be able to drink from it; and a milch-sheep will give so much milk that a whole family will be able to drink from it. At that time, Allah will send a pleasant wind which will soothe them even under their armpits, and will take the soul of every Muslim. Only the most wicked people will be left, and they will fornicate like asses; then the Last Hour will come upon them." [Muslim] [1]

Footnote

Ludd: the biblical Lydda, now known as Lod, site of the zionist state's major airport Hadeeth narrated from Abu Umaamah Al-Baahilee

Abu Umaamah al-Baahilee said,"The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) delivered a speech to us, most of which dealt with the Dajjaal and warned us against him. He said,'No tribulation on earth since the creation of Adam will be worse than the tribulation of the Dajjaal. Allah has never sent a Prophet who did not warn his Ummah against the Dajjaal. I am the last of the Prophets, and you are the last Ummah. The Dajjaal is emerging among you and it is inevitable. If he appears while I am still among you, I will contend with him on behalf of every Muslim. But if he appears after I am gone, then every person must contend with him on his own behalf. He will appear on the way between Syria and Iraq, and will spread disaster right and left. O servants of Allah adhere to the path of Truth. I shall describe him for you in a way that no Prophet has ever done before. He will start by saying that he is a Prophet, but there will be no Prophet after me. Then he will say, "I am your Lord," but you will never see your Lord until you die. The Dajjaal is one-eyed, but your Lord, glorified be He is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the word Kaafir, which every Muslim, literate or illiterate, will be able to read. Among that which he will bring will be the Paradise and Hell he will offer; but that which he calls Hell will be Paradise, and that which he calls Paradise will be Hell. Whoever enters his Hell, let him seek refuge with Allah and recite the opening Ayaat of Surat ul-Kahf, and it will become cool and peaceful for him, as the fire became cool and peaceful for Abraham.

"He will say to a Bedouin, What do you think if I bring your father and mother back to life for you? Will you bear witness that I am your lord?

The Bedouin will say Yes, so two devils will assume the appearance of his father and mother, and will say, "O my son, follow him for he is your lord."

"He will be given power over one person, whom he will kill and cut in two with a saw. Then he will say, Look at this slave of mine, now I will resurrect him, but he will still claim that he has a Lord other than me.

Allah will resurrect him, and this evil man (the Dajjaal) will say to him, Who is your Lord? The man will answer, 'My Lord is Allah, and you are the enemy of Allah. You are the Dajjaal. By Allah, I have never been more sure of this than I am today.' "

Aboo Sa'eed said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'That man will have the highest status among my Ummah in Paradise.' "Abu Sa'eed said: "By Allah, we never thought that that man would be any other than 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, until he passed away." Al-Muhaaribee said: "Then we referred to the Hadeeth of Abu Raafi'ee, which said, 'Part of his Fitnah will be the fact that he will pass through an area whose people will deny him, and none of their livestock will remain alive. Then he will pass through a second area whose people will believe in him; he will order the sky to rain and the earth to bring forth crops, and their flocks will return from grazing fatter than they have ever been, with their flanks stretched, their udders full. He will pass through every place on earth � except Makkah and Madeenah, which he will never enter, for there are angels guarding every gate of them with unsheathed swords - until he reaches al-Zareeb al-Ahmar and camps at the edge of the salt-marsh. Madeenah will be shaken by three tremors, after which every Munaafiq (hypocrite) will leave it, and it will be cleansed of evil, as iron is cleansed of dross. That day will be called Yawm al-Khalaas (The Day of Purification).' "

Umm Shareek bint Abee'l-'Akr said: "O Messenger of Allah, where will the Arabs be at that time?" He said,"At that time they will be few; most of them will be in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), and their Imaam will be a righteous man. Whilst their Imaam is going forward to lead the people in praying Salaat al-Subh (the morning prayer), Jesus son of Mary will descend. The Imaam will step back, to let Jesus lead the people in prayer, but Jesus will place his hand between the man's shoulders and say, 'Go forward and lead the prayer, for the Iqaamah was made for you.' So the Imaam will lead the people in prayer, and afterwards Jesus (alayhi-salam) will say, 'Open the gate.' The gate will be opened, and behind it will be the Dajjaal and a thousand Jews, each of them bearing a sword and shield. When the Dajjaal sees Jesus, he will begin to dissolve like salt in water, and will run away. Jesus will say, 'You will remain alive until I strike you with my sword.' He will catch up with him at the eastern gate of Ludd and will kill him. The Jews will be deflated with the help of Allah. There will be no place for them to hide; they will not be able to hide behind any stone, wall, animal or tree - except the boxthorn (al-Gharqarah) - without it saying, 'O Muslim servant of Allah! here is a Jew, come and kill him!'

" The Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, "The time of the Dajjaal will be forty years; one year like half a year, one year like a month, and one month like a week. The rest of his days will pass so quickly that if one of you were at one of the gates of Madeenah, he would not reach the other gate before evening fell." Someone asked,

"O Messenger of Allah, how will we pray in those shorter days?" He said, "Workout the times of prayer in the same way that you do in these longer days, and then pray."

The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, "Jesus son of Mary will be a just administrator and leader of my Ummah. He will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizyah (tax on non-Muslims). He will not collect the Sadaqah, so he will not collect sheep and camels. Mutual enmity and hatred will disappear. Every harmful animal will be made harmless, so that a small boy will be able to put his hand into a snakes mouth without being harmed, a small girl will be able to make a lion run away from her, and a wolf will go among sheep as if he were a sheep dog.

The earth will be filled with peace as a container is filled with water. People will be in complete agreement, and only Allah will be worshipped. Wars will cease, and the authority of Quraysh will be taken away. The earth will be like a silver basin, and will produce fruits so abundantly that a group of people will gather to eat a bunch of grapes or one pomegranate and will be satisfied. A bull will be worth so much money, but a horse will be worth only a few dirhams."

Someone asked, "O Messenger of Allah, why will a horse be so cheap?" He said, "Because it will never be ridden in war." He was asked, "Why will the bull be so expensive?" He said, "Because it will plough the earth.

For three years before the Dajjaal emerges, the people will suffer severe hunger. In the first year, Allah will order the sky to withhold a third of its rain, and the earth to withhold two-thirds of its fruits. In the third year, He will order the sky to withhold all of its rain, and the earth to withhold all of its fruits, so that nothing green will grow. Every cloven-hoofed creature will die except for whatever Allah wills." Someone asked, "How will the people live at that time?" He said, "By saying Laa ilaaha illaa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Subhaan Allah and Al-Hamdu-lillaah. This will be like food for them." [1]

The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Dajjaal will come forth, and one of the Believers will go towards him. The armed men of the Dajjaal will ask him, 'Where are you going?' He will say, 'I am going to this one who has come forth.' They will say, 'Kill him!' Then some of them will say to the others, 'Hasn't your lord [ie the Dajjaal] forbidden you to kill anyone without his permission?' So they will take him to the Dajjaal, and when the Believer sees him, he will say, 'O People, this is the Dajjaal whom the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) told us about.' Then the Dajjaal will order them to seize him and wound him in the head; they will inflict blows all over, even in his back and stomach. The Dajjaal will ask him, 'Don't you believe in me?' He will say, 'You are a false Messiah.' The Dajjaal will order that he be sawn in two from the parting of his hair to his legs; then he will walk between the two pieces. Then he will say 'Stand!' and the man will stand up. The Dajjaal will say to him, 'Don't you believe in me?' The believer will say, 'It has only increased my understanding that you are the Dajjaal.' Then he will say, 'O people! he will not treat anyone else in such a manner after me.'

The Dajjaal will seize him to slaughter him, but the space between his neck and collar-bone will be turned into copper, and the Dajjaal will not be able to do anything to him. He will take the man by his arms and legs and throw him away; the people will believe that he has been thrown into Hell, whereas in fact he will have been thrown into Paradise." The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, "He will be the greatest of martyrs in the sight of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds." [Muslim] [2]

Footnotes

"He will not collect the Sadaqah" (i.e. Zakaat) - because there will be so much wealth, and no-one will be in need of Sadaqah.

The Hadeeth of Al-Mugheerah Ibn Shu'bah

Al-Mugheerah ibn Shu'bah said: "No-one asked the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) more questions about the Dajjaal than I did. He said, 'You should not worry about him, because he will not be able to harm you.' I said, 'But they say that he will have much food and water!' He said, 'He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah to have all that.' " [Muslim]

Al-Mugheerah ibn Shu'bah said: "No-one asked the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) more questions about the Dajjaal than I did." One of the narrators said, "What did you ask him?" Al-Mugheerah said, "I said, 'They say that the Dajjaal will have a mountain of bread and meat, and a river of water. The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah to have all that.' " [Muslim]

From these Ahaadeeth, we can see that Allah will test His servants with the Dajjaal and by the miracles which he will be permitted to perform: as we have already mentioned, the Dajjaal will order the sky to rain for those who accept him, and will order the earth to bring forth its fruits so that they and their livestock will eat of it, and their flocks will return fat and with their udders full of milk. Those who reject the Dajjaal and refuse to believe in him will suffer drought and famine; people and livestock will die, and wealth and supplies of food will be depleted. People will follow the Dajjaal like swarms of bees, and he will kill a young man and bring him back to life. This is not a kind of magic; it will be something real with which Allah will test His servants at the end of time. Many will be led astray, and many will be guided by it. Those who doubt will disbelieve, but those who believe will be strengthened in their faith.

Al-Qaadi 'Iyaad and others interpreted the phrase "He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah to have all that" as meaning that the Dajjaal is too insignificant to have anything that could lead the true believers astray, because he is obviously evil and corrupt. Even if he brings great terror, the word Kaafir will be clearly written between his eyes; one report explains that it will be written "Kaaf, Faa, Raa," from which we can understand that it will be written perceptibly, not abstractly, as some people say.

One of his eyes will be blind, protruding and repulsive; this is the meaning of the Hadeeth: "...as if it were a grape floating on the surface of the water." Other reports say that it is "dull, with no light in it," or "like white spittle on a wall," i.e. it will look ugly. Some reports say that it is his right eye which will be blind; others say that it is his left eye. He could be partly blind in both eyes, or there could be a fault in both eyes. This interpretation could be supported by the Hadeeth narrated by at-Tabaraanee, in which he reports that Ibn 'Abbaas said, "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Dajjaal is curly haired and white-skinned. His head is like the branch of a tree; his left eye is blind, and the other eye looks like a floating grape.' "

One may ask: if the Dajjaal is going to cause such widespread evil and his claim to be a "lord" will be so widely believed - even though he is obviously a liar, and all the Prophet's have warned against him � why does the Qur'aan not mention him by name and warn us against his lies and stubbornness?

The answer is:- The Dajjaal was referred to in the Ayah: "...The day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his Faith..." (Al-An'aam 6:158)

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'There are three things which, when they appear, no good will it do a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its Faith. They are: The Dajjaal, the Beast, and the rising of the sun from the west.' "

Jesus son of Mary will descend from Heaven and kill the Dajjaal, as we have already mentioned. The descent of Jesus is mentioned in the Ayaat:

"And because of their saying (in boast), "We killed Messiah 'Eesaa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Alla\ah," - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of 'Eesaa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man), and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not (157) [i.e. 'Eesaa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary) alayhi-salam]: But Allah raised him ['Eesaa (Jesus)] up (with his body and soul) unto Himself (and he alayhi-salam is in the heavens). And Allah is Ever All Powerful, All Wise. (158) And there is none of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), but must believe in him ['Eesaa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), as only a Messenger of Allah and a human being], before his ['Eesaa (Jesus) alayhi-salam or a Jew's or a Christian's] death (at the time of the appearance of the angel of death). And on the Day of Resurrection, he ['Eesaa (Jesus)] will be a witness against them." (An-Nisaa' 4:157-59)

We think that the Tafseer (interpretation) of this Aayah is that the pronoun in "before his death" (qabla mawtihi) refers to Jesus; i.e, he will descend and the People of the Book who differed concerning him will believe in him. The Christians claimed that he was divine, while the Jews made a slanderous accusation, i.e. that he was born from adultery. When Jesus descends before the Day of Judgment, he will correct all these differences and lies. On this basis, the reference to the descent of the Messiah Jesus son of Mary also includes a reference to the Dajjaal (false Mesor Antichrist), who is the opposite of the true Messiah, because sometimes the Arabs refer to one of two opposites and not the other, but mean both.

The Dajjaal is not mentioned by name in the Qur'aan because he is so insignificant: he claims to be divine, but he is merely a human being. His affairs are too contemptible to be mentioned in the Qur'aan. But the Prophet's, out of loyalty to Allah, warned their people about the Dajjaal and the tribulations and misguiding miracles he would bring. It is enough for us to know the reports of the Prophet's and the many reports from the Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam).

One could argue that Allah has mentioned Pharaoh and his false claims, such as: "I am your lord, most high" (An-Nazi'aat 79:24) and "O chiefs! I know not that you have an ilaah (a god) other than me..." (Al-Qasas 28:38)

This can be explained by the fact that Pharaoh and his deeds are in the past, and his lies are clear to every believer. But the Dajjaal is yet to come, in the future; it will be a Fitnah and a test for all people. So the Dajjaal is not mentioned in the Qur'aan because he is contemptible; and the fact that he is not mentioned means that it will be a great test. The facts about the Dajjaal and his lies are obvious and do not need further emphasis. This is often the case when something is very clear.

For example, when the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) was terminally ill, he wanted to write a document confirming that Abu Bakr would be the Khaleefah after him. Then he abandoned this idea, and said, "Allah and the believers will not accept anyone other than Abu Bakr."

He decided not to write the document because he knew of Abu Bakr's high standing among the Sahaabah (Companions) and was sure that they would not choose anyone else. Similarly, the facts about the Dajjaal are so clear that they did not need to be mentioned in the Qur'aan. Allah did not mention the Dajjaal in the Qur'aan because He (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) knew that the Dajjaal would not be able to lead His true servants astray; he would only increase their faith, their submission to Allah and His Messenger, their belief in the Truth, and their rejection of falsehood. For this reason the believer whom the Dajjaal overpowers will say, when he revives him, "By Allah, it has only increased my understanding that you are the one eyed liar about whom the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) spoke."

More Ahaadeeth about the Dajjaal

The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Dajjaal will emerge in a land in the east called Khurasan. His followers will be people with faces like hammered shields." [1]

Asmaa' bint Yazeed al-Ansaariyyah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'During the three years just before the Dajjaal comes, there will be one year when the sky will withhold one third of its rain and the earth one-third of its fruits. In the second year the sky will withhold two-thirds of its rain, and the earth twothirds of its fruits. In the third year the sky will withhold all of its rain, and the earth all of its fruits, and all the animals will die. It will be the greatest tribulation: the Dajjaal will bring a Bedouin and say to him, "What if I bring your camels to life for you? Will you agree that I am your lord?" The Bedouin will say "Yes." So devils will assume the forms of his camels, with the fullest udders and the highest humps. Then he will bring a man whose father and brother have died, and will ask him, "What do you think if I bring your father and brother back to life? Will you agree that I am your lord?" The man will say "Yes," so the devils will assume the forms of his father and brother.' Then the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) went out for something, and then returned. The people were very concerned about what he had told them. He stood in the doorway and asked, 'What is wrong, Asma'? I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, you have terrified us with what you said about the Dajjaal.' He said, 'He will certainly appear. If I am still alive, I will contend with him on your behalf; otherwise Allah will take care of every Muslim on my behalf.' I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, we do not bake our dough until we are hungry, so how will it be for the believers at that time?' The Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The glorification of Allah which suffices the people of Heaven will be sufficient for them.' " [2]

Abu Hurairah (radi-Allahu 'anhu) said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Hour will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them. When a Jew hides behind a rock or a tree, it will say, "O Muslim, O servant of Allah! There is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!" All the trees will do this except the box-thorn (al-Gharqad), because it is the tree of the Jews.' " [Ahmad] [3]

Footnotes

[1] Tirmidhee Abwaab al-Fitan, Hadeeth 2338, 6/465. Ibn Maajah, Kitaab al-Fitan, Hadeeth 4072, 1354, 2/1353, 1354. Ahmad, Musnad 1/7.

Checker's Note: Da`eef, al-Mishkat, 1st checking: 5491. Its isnaad contains Sharh ibn Hawshab, who is weak.

Protection Against The Dajjaal

It is proven in the Saheeh (authentic) Ahaadeeth that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) used to seek refuge with Allah from the tribulation of the Dajjaal in his prayers, and that he commanded his Ummah to dol ikewise:

"Allahumma innaa na'oodhu bika min 'adhaabi jahannam, wa min 'adhaabi 'l-qabr, wa min fitnatee 'l-mahyaa'i wa'l-mamaat, wa min fitnatee' l-maseehi 'd-dajjaal."

"O Allah! We seek refuge with You from the punishment of Hell, from the punishment of the grave, from the tribulations of life and death, and from the tribulation of the False Messiah (Dajjaal)." [1]

This Hadeeth was narrated by many Sahabah, including Anas, Abu Hurairah, 'Aa'ishah, Ibn 'Abbaas, and Sa'd (radi-Allahu'anhum).

Al-Haafidh ad-Dhahabee said: "Seeking refuge with Allah from the Dajjaal is mentioned in many Mutawaatir Ahaadeeth (those with numerous lines of narrators). One way of doing this is to memorise ten Ayaat from Surat al-Kahf."

Abul-Diraa reported that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, "Whoever memorises the first ten Aayaat of Surat al-Kahf will be

One way to be protected from the tribulation of the Dajjaal is to live in Madeenah or Makkah. Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) Said: "There are angels standing at the gates of Madeenah; neither plague nor the Dajjaal can enter it." [Bukhaaree, Muslim]

Abu Bakr reported that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The terror caused by the Dajjaal will not enter Madeenah. At that time it will have seven gates; there will be two angels guarding every gate." [Bukhaaree] [3]

Anas said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Dajjaal will come to Madeenah, and he will find angels guarding it. Neither plague nor the Dajjaal will enter it, inshaa-Allah.'" [Tirmidhee, Bukhaaree]

It has been proven in the Saheeh Ahaadeeth that the Dajjaal will not enter Makkah or Madeenah, because the angels will prevent him from entering these two places which are sanctuaries and are safe from him. When he camps at the salt-marsh (Sabkhah) of Madeenah, it will be shaken by three tremors - either physically or metaphorically - and every hypocrite will go out to join the Dajjaal. On that day, Madeenah will be cleansed of its dross and will be refined and purified; and Allah knows best.

Footnotes

The Life And Deeds Of The Dajjaal

The Dajjaal will be a man, created by Allah to be a test for people at the end of time. Many will be led astray through him, and many will be guided through him; only the sinful will be led astray.

Al-Haafidh Ibn 'Alee al-Aabaar wrote in his book of history (at-Taareekh) that the Dajjaal's Kunyah (nickname or paternal title) would be Abu Yoosuf. [1]

Abu Bakrah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Dajjaal's parents will remain childless for thirty years, then a one-eyed child will be born to them. He will be very bad and will cause a great deal of trouble. When he sleeps, his eyes will be closed but his heart (or mind) will still be active.' Then he described his parents: 'His father will be a tall and bulky man, with a long nose like a beak; his mother will be a huge, heavy-breasted woman.' " [2]

Abu Bakrah said, "We heard that a child had been born to some of the Jews in Madeenah. Az-Zubayr ibn al-'Awaam and I went see his parents, and found that they matched the description given by the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam). We saw the boy lying in the sun, covered with a blanket, murmuring to himself. We asked his parents about him, and they said, 'We remained childless for thirty years, then this one-eyed boy was born to us. He is very bad and causes a great deal of trouble.' When we went out, we passed the boy. He asked us, 'What were you doing?' We said, 'Did you hear us?' He said, 'Yes; when I sleep, my eyes are closed but my heart (mind) is still active.' That boy was Ibn Sayyaad." [Ahmad, Tirmidhee; this Hadeeth is not very strong] [3]

As we have already seen in the Saheeh Ahaadeeth, Maalik and others think that Ibn Sayyaad was not the Dajjaal; he was one of a number of "lesser dajjaals." Later he repented and embraced Islam; Allah knows best his heart and deeds.

The "greater" Dajjaal is the one mentioned in the Hadeeth of Faatimah bint Qays, which she narrated from the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam), from Tameem ad-Daaree, and which includes the story of the Jassaasah. The Dajjaal will be permitted to appear at the end of time, after the Muslims have conquered a Roman city called Constantinople. He will first appear in Isfahaan, in an area known as the Jewish quarter (al-Yahoodiyyah). He will be followed by seventy thousand Jews from that area, all of them armed. Seventy thousand Tatars and many people from Khuraasaan will also follow him. At first he will appear as a tyrannical king, then he will claim to be a prophet, then a lord. Only the most ignorant of men will follow him; the righteous and those guided by Allah will reject him. He will start to conquer the world country by country, fortress by fortress, region by region, town by town; no place will remain unscathed except Makkah and Madeenah. The length of his stay on earth will be forty days: one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of the days like normal days, i.e. his stay will be approximately one year and two and a half months. Allah will grant him many miracles, through which whoever He wills will be astray, and the faith of the believers will be strengthened. The descent of Jesus son of Mary, the true Messiah, will happen at the time of the Dajjaal, the false messiah. He will descend to the minaret in the east of Damascus. The believers and true servants of Allah will gather to support him, and the Messiah Jesus son of Mary will lead them against the Dajjaal, who at that time will be heading for Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). He will catch up with him at 'Aqabah 'Afeeq. The Dajjaal will runaway from him, but Jesus will catch up with him at the gate of Ludd, and will kill him with his spear just as he is entering it. He will say to him, "I have to deal you a blow; you cannot escape." When the Dajjaal faces him, he will begin to dissolve like salt in water. So Jesus will kill him with his spear at the gate of Ludd, and he will die there, as many Saheeh Ahaadeeth indicate.

Majma' ibn Jaariyah is reported to have said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) saying, 'The son of Mary will kill the Dajjaal at the gate of Ludd.' " [Tirmidhee] [4]

[1] Checker's Note: Reported as the saying of ash-Sha'bi. The reporter, Mujaahid ibn Sa'eed is weak.

Musnad, 5/40. "When he sleeps, his eyes will be closed but his heart (or mind) will still be active" - means that his evil ideas will still come to him even while heis asleep.

The Descent of Jesus at the End of Time

Abd Allah ibn 'Amr said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Dajjaal will appear in my Ummah, and will remain for forty - "I cannot say whether he meant forty days, forty months or forty years." - Then Allah will send Jesus (alayhi-salam), the son of Mary, who will resemble 'Urwah ibn Mas'ood. He will chase the Dajjaal and kill him. Then the people will live for seven years during which there will be no enmity between any two persons. Then Allah will send a cold wind from the direction of Syria, which will take the soul of everyone who has the slightest speck of good or faith in his heart. Even if one of you were to enter the heart of a mountain, the wind would reach him there and take his soul. Only the most wicked people will be left; they will be as careless as birds, with the characteristics of beasts, and will have no concern for right and wrong.

Satan will come to them in the form of man and will say, "Don't you respond?" They will say, "What do you order us to do?" He will order them to worship idols, and in spite of that they will have sustenance in abundance, and lead comfortable lives.

"Then the Trumpet will be blown, and everyone will tilt their heads to hear it. The first one to hear it will be a man busy repairing a trough for his camels. He and everyone else will be struck down. Then Allah will send (or send down) rain like dew, and the bodies of the people (i.e. the dead) will grow out of it. Then the trumpet will be sounded again, and the people will get up and look around. Then it will be said, "O people, go to your Lord and account for yourselves." It will be said, "Bring out the people of Hell," and it will be asked, "How many are there?" - the answer will come: "Nine hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand." [Muslim] [1]

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The son of Mary will come down as a just leader. He will break the cross, and kill the pigs. Peace will prevail and people will use their swords as sickles. Every harmful beast will be made harmless; the sky will send down rain in abundance, and the earth will bring forth its blessings. A child will play with a fox and not come to any harm; a wolf will graze with sheep and a lion with cattle, without harming them.' " [Ahmad] [2]

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'By Him in Whose hand is my soul, surely the son of Mary will come down among you as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the pigs and abolish the Jizyah. Wealth will be in such abundance that no-one will care about it, and a single prostration in prayer will be better than the world and all that is in it.' Abu Hurairah said: 'If you wish, recite the Aayah: "And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgement he will be a witness against them." (An-Nisaa' 4:159) [Bukhaaree, Muslim] [3]

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Prophets are like brothers; they have different mothers but their religion is one. I am the closest of all the people to Jesus son of Mary, because there is no other Prophet between him and myself. He will come again, and when you see him, you will recognise him. He is of medium height and his colouring is reddish-white. He will be wearing two garments, and his hair will look wet. He will break the cross, kill the pigs, abolish the Jizyah and call the people to Islam. During his time, Allah will end every religion and sect other than Islam, and will destroy the Dajjaal. Then peace and security will prevail on earth, so that lions will graze with camels, tigers with cattle, and wolves with sheep; children will be able to play with snakes without coming to any harm. Jesus will remain for forty years, then die, and the Muslims will pray for him." [Ahmad] [4]

Ibn Masood reported that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) Said: "On the night of the Israa' (night journey), I met my father Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and they discussed the Hour. The matter was referred first to Abraham, then to Moses, and both said, 'I have no knowledge of it.' Then it was referred to Jesus, who said, 'No-one knows about its timing except Allah; what my Lord told me was that the Dajjaal will appear, and when he sees me he will begin to melt like lead. Allah will destroy him when he sees me. The Muslims will fight against the Kaafirs, and even the trees and rocks will say, "O Muslim, there is a Kaafir hiding beneath me - come and kill him!" Allah will destroy the Kaafirs, and the people will return to their own lands. Then Gog and Magog will appear from all directions, eating and drinking everything they find. The people will complain to me, so I will pray to Allah and He will destroy them, so that the earth will be filled with their stench. Allah will send rain which will wash their bodies into the sea. My Lord has told me that when that happens, the Hour will be very close, like a pregnant woman whose time is due, but her family do not know exactly when she will deliver.' " [Ahmad, Ibn Maajah] [5]

Footnotes

Checker's Note: The Tabi'e is Ziyad ibn Sa'd, who is mentioned by Ibn Hibban in ath-Thiqat al-Bukhari and Abu Hatim did not speak for nor against him. Ibn Kathir says the report is good and strong.

[5] Ahmad, Musnad, 1/375. Similar Hadeeth in Ibn Maajah, Kitaab al-Fitan (Hadeeth 4081), 2/1365, 1366.

Checker's Note: Da`eef, Da`eef al-Jami as-Sagheer: 4709. See Saheeh Muslim translation, no. 6924

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'On the night of the Israa' (miraculous journey to Jerusalem) I met Moses - he was a slim man with wavy hair, and looked like a man from the Shanoo'ah tribe. I also met Jesus - he was of medium height and of a red complexion, as if he had just come out of the bath' " [Bukhaaree, Muslim] [1]

The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "Whilst I was asleep, I saw myself (in a dream) making Tawaaf around the Ka'bah. I saw a brown-skinned man, with straight hair, being supported by two men, and with water dripping from his head. I said, 'Who is this?' They said, 'The son of Mary'.

I turned around and saw a fat, ruddy man, with curly hair, who was blind in his right eye; his eye looked like a floating grape. I asked, 'Who is this?' They said, 'The Dajjaal.' The one who most resembles him is Ibn Qatan."

Az-Zuhri explained: Ibn Qatan was a man from Khuzaa'ah who died during the Jaahiliyyah (before the coming of Islaam). [Bukhaaree] [2]

Footnotes

They (two tribes or peoples) will appear at the time of Jesus son of Mary, after the Dajjaal. Allah will destroy them all in one night, in response to the supplication of Jesus.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) Said: "Everyday, Gog and Magog are trying to dig a way out through the barrier. When they begin to see sunlight through it, the one who is in charge of them says, 'Go back; you can carry on digging tomorrow,' and when they come back, the barrier is stronger than it was before. This will continue until their time comes and Allah wishes to send them forth. They will dig until they begin to see sunlight, then the one who is in charge of them will say, 'Go back; you can carry on digging tomorrow, inshaa'-Allah.' In this case he will make an exception by saying inshaa'-Allah, thus relating the matter to the Will of Allah. They will return on the following day, and find the hole as they left it. They will carry on digging and come out against the people. They will drink all the water, and the people will entrench themselves in their fortresses. Gog and Magog will fire their arrows into the sky, and they will fall back to earth with something like blood on them. Gog and Magog will say, 'We have defeated the people of earth, and overcome the people of heaven.' Then Allah will send a kind of worm in the napes of their necks, and they will be killed by it...' 'By Him in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the beasts of the earth will become fat.' " [1]

Gog and Magog are two groups of Turks, descended from Yaafith (Japheth), the father of the Turks, one of the sons of Noah. At the time of Abraham (alayhi-salam), there was a king called Dhu'l-Qarnayn. He performed Tawaaf around the Ka'bah with Abraham (alayhi-salam) when he first built it; he believed and followed him. Dhu'l-Qarnayn was a good man and a great king; Allah gave him great power and he ruled the east and west. He held sway over all kings and countries, and travelled far and wide in both east and west.

He travelled eastwards until he reached a pass between two mountains, through which people were coming out. They did not understand anything, because they were so isolated; they were Gog and Magog. They were spreading corruption through the earth, and harming the people, so the people sought help from Dhu'l-Qarnayn. They asked him to build a barrier between them and Gog and Magog. He asked them to help him to build it, so together they built a barrier by mixing iron, copper and tar. Thus Dhu'l-Qarnayn restrained Gog and Magog behind the barrier. They tried to penetrate the barrier, or to climb over it, but to no avail. They could not succeed because the barrier is so huge and smooth. They began to dig, and they have been digging for centuries; they will continue to do so until the time when Allah decrees that they come out. At that time the barrier will collapse, and Gog and Magog will rush out in all directions, spreading corruption, uprooting plants, killing people. When Jesus (alayhi-salam) prays against them, Allah will send a kind of worm in the napes of their necks, and they will be killed by it.

Footnotes

[1] Tirmidhee, Abwaab al-Tafsir: Soorat al-Kahf (Hadeeth 5160), 8/597-99. Ibn Maajah, Kitaab al-Fitan, (Hadeeth 4080), 2/1364. Ahmad, Musnad, 2/510, 511.

The destruction of the Ka'bah

At the end of time, Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn, who will come from Abyssinia (al-Habash), will destroy the Ka'bah in order to steal its treasure and Kiswah (cloth covering). The Ka'bah is the ancient building which was built by Abraham, and whose foundations were laid by Adam.

As Tafseer (interpretation) of the Aayah "Until the Gog and Magog (people) are let through (their barrier)�" (Al-Anbiyaa' 21:96), it was reported from Ka'b al-Ahbar that Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn will first emerge at the time of Jesus, son of Mary. Allah will send Jesus at the head of a vanguard of between seven and eight hundred. While they are marching towards Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn, Allah will send a breeze from the direction of Yemen, which will take the soul of every believer. Only the worst of people will be left, and they will begin to copulate like animals. Ka'b said: "At that time, the Hour will be close at hand." [1]

'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say, 'Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn from Abyssinia will destroy the Ka'bah and steal its treasure and Kiswah. It is as if I could see him now: he is bald-headed and has a distortion in his wrists. He will strike the Ka'bah with his spade and pick-axe.' " [Ahmad] [2]

It was reported from 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar that the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said: "Leave the Abyssinians alone so long as they do not disturb you, for none will recover the treasure of the Ka'bah except Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn from Abyssinia." [Abu Daawood, in the chapter on the prohibition of provoking the Abyssinians] [3]

Ibn 'Abbas narrated that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "It is as if I can see him now: he is black and his legs are widely spaced. He will destroy the Ka'bah stone by stone." [Ahmad] [4]

The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Hour will not come until a man from Qahtaan appears and rules the people." [Muslim; similar Hadeeth in Bukhaaree]

This man could be Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn, or someone else, because this man comes from Qahtaan, while other reports say that Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn comes from Abyssinia; and Allah knows best.

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Day and night will not come to an end until a freed man called Jahjaah holds sway.' " [Ahmad] [5]

This could be the name of Dhul-Suwayqatayn from Abyssinia; and Allah knows best.

'Umar ibn al-Khattab reported that he heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) say: "The people of Makkah will leave, and only a few people will pass through it. Then it will be resettled and rebuilt; then the people will leave it again, and no-one will ever return." [6]

Footnotes

[1] Concerning Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn, see: Bukhaaree: Kitaab al-Hajj, Baab Hadam al-Ka'bah (The Book of Pilgrimage, Chapter of the Destruction of the Ka'bah), 2/183. Muslim, Kitaab al-Fitan wa Ashraat al-Saa'ah, 8/183.

Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn: al-Suwayqatayn is the dimunitive of al-Saaqayn (legs); his legs are described as being "small" because they are thin. Thin legs are, in general, a characteristic of the Sudanese and people of the Horn of Africa.

Checker's Note: Da`eef isnaad. It contains the `an`anah of Abu Zubair. The first part, up to 'treasure' is hasan, Silsilatul Ahadeeth as-Saheehah: 771.

[5] Checker's Note: Saheeh, Ahmad, Muslim and at-Tirmidhee. Silsilatul Ahadeeth as-Saheehah: 7684.

Checker's Note: Da`eef, Da`eef al-Jami as-Sagheer: 3298. Da`eef due to Ibn Lahi'ah and `an`anah of Abu Zubair.

Madeenah will remain inhabited at the time of the Dajjaal. It has been proven in the Saheeh Ahaadeeth, as already stated, that the Dajjaal will not be able to enter Makkah and Madeenah, and that there will be angels at the gates of Makkah to ward him off and prevent him from entering.

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "Neither the Dajjaal nor plague will be able to enter Madeenah."

As mentioned above, the Dajjaal will camp outside Madeenah, and it will be shaken by three tremors. Every hypocrite and sinner will go out to join the Dajjaal, and every believer and Muslim will stay. That day will be called the Day of Purification (Yawm al-Khalaas). Most of those who go out to join the Dajjaal will be women. As the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, "Verily it (Madeenah) is good; its evil will be eliminated and its goodness will be obvious."

Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) said: "Women impure are for men impure, and men impure for women impure, and women of purity are for men of purity, and men of purity are for women of purity..." (An-Noor 24:26)

Madeenah will remain inhabited during the days of the Dajjaal, and during the time of Jesus son of Mary (alayhi-salam), until he dies and is buried there. Then it will be destroyed.

'Umar ibn al-Khattab said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say, 'A rider will go around Madeenah and say, There used to be many Muslims here.' " [Ahmad] [1]

Footnotes

Checker's Note: Da`eef isnaad due to Ibn Lahi'ah and `an`anah of Abu Zubair. The fact that Madinah will be deserted is reported from Abu Hurairah by al-Bukhaaree.

Among the signs of the Hour will be the emergence of a beast from the earth. It will be very strange in appearance, and extremely huge; one cannot even imagine what it will look like. It will emerge from the earth and shake the dust from its head. It will have with it the ring of Solomon and the rod of Moses. People will be terrified of it and will try to run away, but they will not be able to escape, because such will be the decree of Allah. It will destroy the nose of every unbeliever with the rod, and write the word "Kaafir" on his forehead; it will adorn the face of every believer and write the word "Mu'min" (true believer) on his forehead, and it will speak to people.

"And when the Word is fulfilled against them (the unjust), We shall produce from the earth a Beast to (face) them: it will speak to them..." (An-Naml 27:82)

Ibn 'Abbas, al-Hasan and Qataadah said that "It will speak to them" (tukallimuhum) means that it will address them. Ibn Jareer suggested that it means that the Beast will address them with the words "...for that mankind did not believe with assurance in Our Signs" (An-Naml 27:82 - latter part of the Ayah)

Ibn Jareer reported this from 'Alee and 'Ata'. It was reported from Ibn 'Abbaas that tukallimuhum means that the Beast will cut them, i.e., it will write the word "Kaafir" on the forehead of the unbeliever. It was also reported from Ibn 'Abbaas that he will both address them and cut them; this suggestion incorporates both of the previous suggestions; and Allah knows best.

We have already mentioned the Hadeeth of Hudhayfah ibn Usayd, in which the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) is reported to have said: "The Hour will not come until you see ten signs: the smoke; the Dajjaal; the Beast; the sun rising from the West; the descent of Jesus son of Mary; Gog and Magog; and three land-slides - one in the East, one in the West, and one in Arabia, at the end of which fire will burst forth from the direction of Aden (Yemen) and drive people to the place of their final assembly."

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the West, the smoke, the Dajjaal, the Beast, the (death) of one of you or general tribulation.' " [Muslim]

Bareedah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) took me to a place in the desert, near Makkah. It was a dry piece of land surrounded by sand. The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Beast will emerge from this place.' It was a very small area." [Ibn Maajah] [1]

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Beast of the Earth will emerge, and will have with it the rod of Moses and the ring of Solomon."

It was also reported that he said: "(The Beast) will destroy the noses of the unbelievers with the ring, - so that people seated around one table will begin to address one another with the words "O Believer!" or "O Unbeliever!" (i.e., everyone's status will become clear) [Ibn Maajah] [2]

'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr said: "I memorised a Hadeeth from the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) which I have not forgotten since. I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say, 'The first of the signs (of the Hour) to appear will be the rising of the sun from the West and the appearance of the Beast before the people in the forenoon. Whichever of these two events happens first, the other will follow immediately.' " [Muslim] [3]

That is to say, these will be the first extraordinary signs. The Dajjaal, the descent of Jesus (alayhi-salam), the emergence of Gog and Magog, are less unusual in that they are all human beings. But the emergence of the Beast, whose form will be very strange, its addressing the people and classifying them according to their faith or unbelief, is something truly extraordinary. This is the first of the earthly signs, as the rising of the sun from the West is the first of the heavenly signs.

Footnotes

Checker's Note: Da`eef Jiddan (very weak). Ibn Maajah, no. 4067, Da`eef Ibn Maajah: 882.

[2] Similar Hadeeth narrated by Ibn Maajah in Kitaab al-Fitan, (Hadeeth 4061), 2 - 1351, 1352. Ahmad, Musnad, 2 - 295.

The Rising of the Sun from the West

Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says: "Do they then wait for anything other than that the angels should come to them, or that your Lord should come, or that some of the Signs of your Lord should come (i.e. portents of the Hour e.g., arising of the sun from the west)! The day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his Faith. Say: ' Wait you! we (too) are waiting.'" (Al-An'aam 6:158)

It was reported from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree that the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) explained, "The day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a person to believe then...", referring to the rising of the sun from the West. [Ahmad] [1]

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The Hour will not come until the sun rises from the West. When the people see it, whoever is living on earth will believe, but that will be the time when - No good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before then' " [Bukhaaree] [2]

It was also reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Hour will not come until the sun rises from the West. When it rises and the people see it, they will all believe. But that will be the time when 'No good will it do to a person to believe then.' " [Bukhaaree] [3]

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said�: "There are three things which, if they appear, 'No good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his Faith' They are: the rising of the sun from the West, the Dajjaal, and the Beast of the Earth." [Ahmad, Muslim, Tirmidhee] [4]

Abu Dharr said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) asked me, 'Do you know where the sun goes when it sets?' I said, 'I do not know' He said, 'It travels until it prostrates itself beneath the Throne, and asks for permission to rise again. But a time will come when it will be told, 'Go back whence you came.' That will be the time when 'No good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his Faith' " [Bukhaaree] [5]

'Amr ibn Jareer said: "Three Muslims were sitting with Marwaan in Madeenah, and heard him say, whilst talking about the Signs of the Hour, that the first of them would be the appearance of the Dajjaal. The three went to 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr, and told him what they had heard Marwaan say concerning the Signs. 'Abd Allah said, 'Marwan has not said much. I memorised a Hadeeth like that from the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) which I have not forgotten since. I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say: "The first of the signs will be the rising of the sun from the West, and the emergence of the Beast in the forenoon. Whichever of the two comes first, the other will follow immediately" Then 'Abd Allah, who was widely-read, said, "I think that the first to happen will be the rising of the sun from the West.

Every time it sets, it goes beneath the Throne, prostrates itself, and seeks permission to rise again. A time will come when three times it will seek permission and will receive no reply, until, when part of the night has passed and it realises that even if it were given permission, it would not be able to rise on time, it will say: 'O my Lord, how far the rising-point is from me! What can I do for the people now?' Then it will seek permission to go back, and it will be told: 'Rise from where you are now' - and it will rise from the West." Then 'Abd Allah recited the Aayah: "No good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his Faith." [Ahmad] [6]

(http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=1042317&currPageNo=2&query=&search=&term=&supDate=

ARTICLE (April 09 2010): The science of astronomy states that the speed of planet Mars has been decreasing in its course toward the eastern direction in the past few weeks to the level we notice the "waver" between the east and the west and on Wednesday the 30th of July the planet movement stopped going toward the eastern direction.

Then in the months of August and September...Mars changed its course in the opposite direction to the West- and that until the end of September which means the sun will rise now from the west on Mars!! And this weird phenomena of the opposite movement is called "Retrograde Motion" Most scientist state that all the planets will go through the same once at least and our planet Earth is one of them. Planet Earth will move in the opposite direction some day and the sun will rise from the west!!

This might occur soon and we are unaware! The rise of the sun from the west is mentioned in the hadith and this is the major sign of the day of judgment, most if not all, the minor signs have occurred. Wake up. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu �layhi-e-Wasaallam said: "One of the signs of the hour the sun will rise from the west, where no longer tauba (forgiveness) will be granted"

And the strange thing most of our Shariah scholars mentioned that the rise of the sun from the west occurs only once on that day the sun will rise from the west then again from the east and continues until Allah wishes and this is similar to what is happening to Mars it stops, then it changes its course of direction for a short period of time then returns to way once it was.

And Abdullah Bin Amro (Radhi Allaahu anhu) said: I memorised a Hadith I will never forget I heard the Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu �layhi-e-Wasaallam said: The First Aayh to come the rise of the sun from the west. [Ahmad]. And "Allah places HIS hand at night to forgive His morning sinners, and places in the morning to forgive His night sinners until the sun rises from the west" [Muslim].

This piece of news is very important as it brings with it a great sign of warning and remembrance of the coming of a new WORLD - the world of he Hereafter When we show this Hadith that was told 1400 years ago about this miracle, you will see Insha - ALLAAH, a lot will revert to right path...And the Muslims if they see this phenomena happening in Mars who knows maybe it would bring them closer to our CREATOR. May Allah Subhanahoo Wa Ta�aala keep all of us in the right path and provide us with success in this world as well as in the hereafter.

Footnotes

[4] Muslim, Kitaab al-Imaan, 1/96. Tirmidhee, Abwaab al-Tafsir (Hadeeth 5067), 8/449, 450. Ahmad, Musnad, 2/455, 446.

The Smoke which will appear at the End of Time

Masrooq said: "While a man was giving a speech among the people of Kindah, he said, 'There will be smoke on the Day of Resurrection which will deprive the hypocrites of their hearing and sight, but the believers will only suffer something like a cold.' We were terrified, so we went to Ibn Masood, who was reclining. When he heard about this, he became angry and sat up, and said: 'O people, whoever knows a thing, let him say it; but whoever does not know, let him say, "Allah knows best." It is a part of knowledge, when one does not know something, to say "Allah knows best." Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) said to His Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam):

"Say (O Muhammad sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam): 'No wage do I ask of you for this (the Qur'aan), nor am I one of the Mutakallifoon (those who pretend and fabricate things which do not exist).'" (Saad 38:86)

"Quraysh were being slow in embracing Islaam, so the Prophet (sal- Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) prayed against them, saying, 'O Allah, help me against them by sending seven years of famine like those of Joseph.' They were afflicted by a year of famine in which they were destroyed, and ate dead animals and bones. They began to see something like smoke between the sky and the earth. Abu Sufyan came and said, 'O Muhammad! You came to command us to keep good relations with our relatives, and your people have perished, so pray that Allah may relieve them.'" Then Ibn Mas'ood recited:

"Then wait you for the Day when the sky will bring forth a visible smoke (10) Covering the people, this is a painful torment. (11) (They will say): "Our Lord! Remove the torment from us, really we shall become believers!" (12) How can there be for them an admonition (at the time when the torment has reached them), when a Messenger explaining things clearly has already come to them. (13) Then they had turned away from him (Messenger Muhammad sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) and said: "One (Muhammad sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) taught (by a human being), a madman!" (14) Verily, We shall remove the torment for a while. Verily! You will revert." (Ad-Dukhaan 44:10-15)

Ibn Masood asked: "Will their punishment in the Hereafter be removed so they can go back to their Kufr?"

Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) said: "On the Day when We shall seize you with the greatest grasp. Verily, We will exact retribution." (Ad-Dukhaan 44:16)

�... and soon will come the inevitable (punishment)!" (Al-Furqaan 25:77)

These Ayaat refer to the Day (Battle) of Badr. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) said: "Alif Laam Meem (1) The Romans have been defeated (2) In the nearer land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine), and they, after their defeat, will be victorious (3) Within three to nine years." (Ar-Room 30: 1-4) [Bukhaaree] [1]

This speaker's suggestion - that the idea that the smoke would be on the Day or Resurrection was not a good one - made Ibn Masood react angrily. But the smoke will appear before the Day of Resurrection; it will be one of the signs, which are: the Beast, the Dajjaal, the Smoke, and Gog and Magog, as the Ahaadeeth narrated from Abu Sareehah, Abu Hurairah and other Sahaabah indicate.

As mentioned in the Saheeh Ahaadeeth, the fire which will appear before the Day of Resurrection will burst forth from the direction of Aden, and drive the people to the place of their final assembly. It will move with them and halt with them, and will devour any who lag behind.

Footnote

Other Events which will precede the Hour

It was reported from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree that the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said,"Thunderbolts will increase so much as the Hour approaches that when a man comes to a people, he will ask, 'Who amongst you was struck by a thunderbolt this morning?' and they will say, 'So-and-so and so-and-so was struck.' " [Ahmad] [1]

Heavy rain before the Day of Resurrection: It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhewa sallam) said: "The hour will not come until there has been rain which will destroy all dwellings except tents." [2]

We have already mentioned many Ahaadeeth about the signs of the Hour. Now we will turn our attention to some Ahaadeeth which could indicate that the Hour is close at hand.

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Hour will not come until the following events have come to pass: people will compete with one another in constructing high buildings; two big groups will fight one another, and there will be many casualties � they will both be following the same religious teaching; earthquakes will increase; time will pass quickly; afflictions and killing will increase; nearly thirty dajjals will appear, each of them claiming to be a messenger from Allah; a man will pass by a grave and say, 'Would that I were in your place'; the sun will rise from the West; when it rises and the people see it, they will all believe, but that will be the time when ' �No good will it do to a person to believe then, if it believed not before...' (Al-An'aam 6:158) and a wealthy man will worry lest no-one accept his Zakaat." [Bukhaaree, Muslim]

It was reported from Anas that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "Among the signs of the Hour are the following: knowledge will decrease and ignorance will prevail; fornication and the drinking of wine will be common; the number of men will decrease and the number of women will increase, until one man will look after fifty women." [Bukhaaree] [3]

'Aa'ishah said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say, 'Day and night will not pass away until people begin to worship Laat and 'Uzzaa' (two goddesses of pre-Islaamic Arabic). I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I thought that when Allah revealed the Aayah "It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islaam), to make it superior over all religions even though the Mushrikoon (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah) hate (it)" (At-Tawbah 9:33), it implied that (this promise) would be fulfilled.' The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'It will happen as Allah wishes. Then Allah will send a pleasant breeze, which will take everyone who has as much faith as a grain of mustard-seed in his heart. Only those with no goodness in them will be left, and they will revert to the religion of their forefathers.'" [Muslim] [4]

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that one day, while the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) was sitting with the people, a Bedouin came to him and asked him about Eemaan and Islam, then he asked, "O Messenger of Allah, when will the Hour be?" He said, "The one who is asked about it does not know more than the one who asks, but I tell you about its signs. When a slave gives birth to her mistress, and when the bare-footed and naked become the chiefs of the people - these are among the signs of the Hour. There are five things which no-one knows except Allah." Then he recited: "Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with God (alone). It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does anyone know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: nor does anyone know in what land he is to die. Verily God is All-Knowing, All Aware." (Luqman 31:34)

Then the man went away, and the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, "Call him back to me," but when the people went to call him, they could not see anything. The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, "That was Gabriel, who came to teach the people their religion." [Bukhaaree, Muslim] [5]

"The bare-footed and naked paupers will compete with one another in constructing high buildings" means that they will become the chiefs of people. They will become rich, and their only concern will be to compete in constructing high buildings. This is as in the Hadeeth we shall see later: "The Hour will not come until the happiest people in the world will be the depraved sons of the depraved."

It was reported from Abu Sa'eed that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Hour will not come until the time when a man will leave his home, and his shoes or whip or stick will tell what is happening to his family." [Ahmad] [6]

It was reported from Abu Sa'eed that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, the Hour will not come until wild animals talk to men, and a man speaks to his whip or his shoe, and his thigh will tell him about what happened to his family after he left." [7]

Anas said: "We were discussing the fact that the Hour would not come until there is no rain, the earth does not produce crops, and fifty women will be cared for by one man; and if a woman passes by a man, he will look at her and say, 'This woman once had a husband.' " [Ahmad] [8]

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: 'The Hour will not come until time passes so quickly that a year will be like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour, and an hour like the time it takes for a palm-leaf to burn.' " [Ahmad] [9]

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: 'The world will not pass away until the one who enjoys it the most is the depraved son of the depraved.' " [Ahmad] [10]

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said, 'Before the Hour comes, there will be years of deceit, in which a truthful person will be disbelieved and a liar will be believed; and the insignificant will have a say.' " [Ahmad] [11]

Abu Hurairah said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say: 'The Hour will not come until the sheep with horns no longer fights the sheep without horns.' " [Ahmad] [12]

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Hour will not come until wealth increases so much that a wealthy man will be worried lest no-one accept his Sadaqah; knowledge will be taken away; time will pass quickly; tribulations will appear; and there will be much Harj." The people asked, "What is Harj, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Killing, killing." [Ahmad] [13]

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "By Him Who sent me with the Truth, this earth will not pass away until people are afflicted with landslides, are pelted with stones, and are transformed into animals." The people asked, "When will that be, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "When you see women riding in the saddle, when singers are common, when bearing false witness becomes widespread, and when men lie with men and women with women." [14]

Taariq ibn Shihaab said: "We were sitting with 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ood, when a man came and told us that the time for prayer had come. So we got up and went to the mosque... After the prayer, a man came to 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ood and said, 'As-salaam 'alayka (Peace be upon you), O Abu 'Abd ar-Rahmaan'. 'Abd Allah answered, 'Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth.'

When we went back, we asked one another, 'Did you hear the answer he gave? Who is going to ask him about it?' I said, 'I will ask him'; so I asked him when he came out. He narrated from the Prophet (sal-Allahu 'alayhe wa sallam): 'Before the Hour comes, there will be a special greeting for the people of distinction; trade will become so widespread that a woman will help her husband in business; family ties will be cut; the giving of false witness will be common, while truthful witness will be rare; and writing will be widespread.' [Ahmad] [15]

Footnotes

Checker's Note: Saheeh, Musnad Imaam Ahmad, checking by Ahmad Shakir: 7554 and Majma' az-Zawaid of al-Haythamee: 7/331.

[5] Bukhaaree, Kitaab al-Imaan, 1/19; Kitaab at-Tafsir - Soorat Luqmaan, 6/144. Muslim, Kitaab al-Imaan, 1/30, 31.

Checker's Note: Saheeh, reported by Ahmad, Abu Ya'la and al-Bazzar. Majma' az-Zawa'id of al-Haythamee: 7/333 and Kashful Astar bi Zawa'id al-Bazzar of al-Haythamee: 3415.

Checker's Note: Da`eef?? [not quite sure] due to as-Salt ibn Quwaid; an-Nasaa'ee said, "His hadith is munkar."

Checker's Note: Saheeh, Musnad Imaam Ahmad, checking by Ahmad Shakir: 8120, 8121.

Checker's Note: Da`eef, related by al-Bazzar and at-Tabaraanee in al-Awsat. It is weak due to Sulaiman ibn Daawood al-Yamami who is

It was reported from 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Hour will not come until Allah takes away the best people on earth; only the worst people will be left; they will not know any good or forbid any evil." [Ahmad] [1]

'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ood said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say: 'Eloquence can be bewitching; the worst of the people are those upon whom the Hour will come while they are still alive, and those who turn graves into mosques.' " [Ahmad] [2]

It was reported from Anas that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Hour will not come until no-one on earth says 'Laa ilaaha illaa Allah.'" [Ahmad] [3]

It was also reported from Anas that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) said: "The Hour will not come until no-one on earth says, 'Allah, Allah.'" [Ahmad] [4]

There are two suggestions as to the meaning of the phrase, "until no-one on earth says 'Allah, Allah'": It could mean that no-one will forbid evil, or try to correct another if he sees him doing something wrong. We have already come across this in the Hadeeth of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr: "Only the worst people will be left; they will not know any good or forbid any evil."

It could mean that Allah will no longer be mentioned, and His Name will not be known; this will be part of the prevalent corruption and Kufr, as in the previous Hadeeth, "Until no-one on earth says 'Laa ilaaha illaa Allah."

'Aa'ishah said: "The Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) came in, saying 'O 'Aa'ishah, your people will be the first of my Ummah to join me.' When he sat down, I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, may I be sacrificed for you! When you came in, you were saying something which scared me.' He asked, 'What was that?' I said, 'You said that my people would be the first of your Ummah to join you.' He said, 'Yes.' I asked, 'Why is that?' He said, 'Death will be widespread among them, and their relatives will be jealous of them.' I said, 'How will people be after that?' He said, 'Like locusts: the strong will devour the weak, until the Hour comes.' " [Ahmad] [5]

'Albaa' al-Salamee said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say: 'The Hour will only come upon the worst of the people.' " [Ahmad] [6]

Footnotes

Checker's Note: Saheeh, Mustadrak of al-Hakim: 4/496. Declared saheeh by al-Hakim and agreed to by adh-Dhahaabee

Many people wonder as to how a person with a scientific and logical temperament, can lend any credence to the belief of life after death. People assume that anyone believing in the hereafter is doing so on the basis of blind belief. My belief in the hereafter is based on a logical argument.

There are more than a thousand verses in the Glorious Qur�an, containing scientific facts (refer my book �Qur�an and Modern Science-Compatible or Incompatible?�). Many facts mentioned in the Qur�an have been discovered in the last few centuries. But science has not advanced to a level where it can confirm every statement of the Qur�an. Suppose 80% of all that is mentioned in the Qur�an has been proved 100% correct. About the remaining 20%, science makes no categorical statement, since it has not advanced to a level, where it can either prove or disprove these statements.

With the limited knowledge that we have, we cannot say for sure whether even a single percentage or a single verse of the Qur�an from this 20% portion is wrong. Thus when 80% of the Qur�an is 100% correct and the remaining 20% is not disproved, logic says that even the 20% portion is correct. The existence of the hereafter, which is mentioned in the Qur�an, falls in the 20% ambiguous portion which my logic says is correct.

3. Concept of peace and human values is useless without the concept of hereafter

Is robbing a good or an evil act? A normal balanced person would say it is evil. How would a person who does not believe in the hereafter convince a powerful and influential criminal that robbing is evil?

Suppose I am the most powerful and influential criminal in the world. At the same time I am an Intelligent and a logical person. I say that robbing is good because it helps me lead a luxurious life. Thus robbing is good for me. If anybody can put forward a single logical argument as to why it is evil for me, I will stop immediately. People usually put forward the following arguments:

Some may say that the person who is robbed will face difficulties. I certainly agree that it is bad for the person who is robbed. But it is good for me. If I rob a thousand dollars, I can enjoy a good meal at a 5 star restaurant.

Some people argue that someday I may be robbed. No one can rob me because I am a very powerful criminal and I have hundreds of bodyguards. I can rob anybody but nobody can rob me. Robbing may be a risky profession for a common man but not for an influential person like me.

Some may say, if you rob, you can be arrested by the police. The police cannot arrest me because I have the police on my payroll. I have the ministers on my payroll. I agree that if a common man robs, he will be arrested and it will be bad for him, but I am an extraordinarily influential and powerful criminal. Give me one logical reason why it is bad for me and I will stop robbing.

Some may say its easy money and not hard-earned money. I agree completely that it is easy money, and that is one of the main reasons why I rob. If a person has the option of earning money the easy as well as the hard way, any logical person would choose the easy way.

Some may say it is against humanity and that a person should care for other human beings. I counter argue by asking as to who wrote this law called �humanity� and why should I follow it? This law may be good for the emotional and sentimental people but I am a logical person and I see no benefit in caring for other human beings.

Some may say that robbing is being selfish. It is true that robbing is a selfish act; but then why should I not be selfish? It helps me enjoy life.

Hence all arguments that attempt to prove that robbing is an evil act are futile. These arguments may satisfy a common man but not a powerful and influential criminal like me. None of the arguments can be defended on the strength of reason and logic. It is no surprise that there are so many criminals in this world. Similarly raping, cheating etc. can be justified as good for a person like me and there is no logical argument that can convince me that these things are bad.

Now let us switch sides. Suppose you are the most powerful and influential criminal in the world, who has the police and the ministers on his payroll. You have army of thugs to protect you. I am a Muslim who will convince you that robbing, raping, cheating, etc. are evil acts. Even if I put forth the same arguments to prove that robbing is evil the criminal will respond the same way as he did earlier.

I agree that the criminal is being logical and all his arguments are true only when he is the most powerful and influential criminal.

Each and every human being desires justice. Even if he does not want justice for others he wants justice for himself. Some people are intoxicated by power and influence and inflict pain and suffering on others. The same people, however, would surely object if some injustice was done to them. The reason such people become insensitive to the suffering of others is that they worship power and influence. Power and influence, they feel, not only allows them to inflict injustice on others but also prevents others from doing likewise to them.

As a Muslim I would convince the criminal about the existence of Almighty God (refer to answer proving the existence of God). This God is more powerful than you and at the same time is also just. The Glorious Qur�an says: �Allah is never unjust in the least degree �� [An-Nissa 4:40]

The criminal, being a logical and scientific person, agrees that God exists, after being presented with scientific facts from the Qur�an. He may argue as to why God, if He is Powerful and Just, does not punish him.

Every person who has suffered injustice, irrespective of financial or social status, almost certainly wants the perpetrator of injustice to be punished. Every normal person would like the robber or the rapist to be taught a lesson. Though a large number of criminals are punished, many even go scot-free. They lead a pleasant, luxurious life, and even enjoy a peaceful existence. If injustice is done to a powerful and influential person, by someone more powerful and more influential than he, even such a person would want that person perpetrators of injustice to be punished.

�He who created Death and life that He may try which of you is best in deed; and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving� [Al-Mulk 67:2]

�Every soul shall have a taste of death: and only on the Day of Judgement shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of life): for the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.� [Aale-Imran 3:185]

Final justice will be meted out on the Day of Judgement. After a person dies, he will be resurrected on the Day of Judgement along with the rest of mankind. It is possible that a person receives part of his punishment in this world. The final reward and punishment will only be in the hereafter. God Almighty may not punish a robber or a rapist in this world but he will surely be held accountable on the Day of Judgement and will be punished in the hereafter i.e. life after death.

police had arrested him, what punishment can the human law give Hitler for justice to prevail? The most they can do is to send Hitler to the gas chamber. But that will only be punishment for the killing of one Jew. What about the remaining five million, nine hundred and ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine Jews?

Allah say in the Glorious Qur�an: �Those who reject Our signs, We shall soon cast into the Fire; as often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the penalty: for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise� [An-Nisa 4:56]

If Allah wishes he can incinerate Hitler six million times in the hereafter in the hellfire.

It is clear that without convincing a person about the hereafter, i.e. life after death, the concept of human values and the good or evil nature of acts is impossible to prove to any person who is doing injustice especially when he is influential and powerful.

What can you tell us about how people will look following the Resurrection? Will people will be wearing clothes or not? Will the animals be resurrected after death or not?

Allah calls the Day of Resurrection the Day of Gathering because Allah will gather His slaves, mankind and the jinn. Allah says:

�Indeed in that (there) is a sure lesson for those who fear the torment of the Hereafter. That is a Day whereon mankind will be gathered together, and that is a Day when all (the dwellers of the heavens and the earth) will be present� [Hood 11:103]

�Say (O Muhammad): (Yes) verily, those of old, and those of later times. (49) All will surely be gathered together for appointed Meeting of a known Day� [Al-Waaqiyah 56:49-50]

�There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Gracious (Allah) as a slave. (93) Verily, He knows each one of them, and has counted them a full counting. (94) And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection (without any helper, or protector or defender)� [Maryam 19:93-95]

�And (remember) the Day We shall cause the mountains to pass away (like clouds of dust), and you will see the earth as a levelled plain, and we shall gather them all together so as to leave not one of them behind� [Al-Kahf 18:47]

Also included in this gathering are the animals. Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah) said:

�As for the animals, they will all be gathered by Allah, as is indicated by the Qur�aan and Sunnah. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

�There is not a moving (living) creature on earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, but are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book, then unto their Lord they (all) shall be gathered� [Al-An�aam 6:38]

�And among His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.) is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and whatever moving (living) creatures He has dispersed in them both. And He is All‑Potent over their assembling (i.e. resurrecting them on the Day of Resurrection after their death, and dispersion of their bodies) whenever He wills� [Ash-Shoora 42:29]

The word idha (translated here as when or whenever) refers to something that will inevitably come to pass. And there are many well known ahaadeeth on this topic. On the Day of Resurrection Allah will gather the animals, and the scores among them will be settled.

Then it will be said to them, �Be dust!� and they will become dust. At that point the kaafir will say, �....Would that I were dust!� (An-Naba� 78:40).

Whoever says that they will not be brought back to life is making a serious mistake, indeed he is misguided or is a kaafir. And Allah knows best.

Ahmad (20534) narrated from Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sitting, and two sheep locked horns, and one of them butted the other and defeated it. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) smiled, and it was said to him, �Why are you smiling, O Messenger of Allah?� He said, �Because of the sheep. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, it will settle its score with the other on the Day of Resurrection.�

Muslim (2582) narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �All rights will be restored on the Day of Resurrection, until even the hornless sheep will settle its score with the one that has horns.�

This clearly indicates that the animals will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection, and that they will be brought back to life like human beings who are accountable, and like children and the insane and those who were not reached by the call of Islam. This is what is indicated by the Qur�aan and Sunnah. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

If something is stated in a shar�i text, and there is no rational or shar�i reason not to interpret it according to what it appears to mean, then it must be taken at face value. The scholars said that it is not a condition of the gathering or the resurrection that there should be reward or punishment. With regard to the hornless sheep settling their scores with those that have horns, this is not the retaliation that comes with accountability, because they are not accountable. Rather it is simply settling the scores. And Allah knows best.

People will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection barefoot, naked and uncircumcised. It was narrated from Ibn �Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �You will be gathered barefoot, naked and uncircumcised.�

Then he recited, �....As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise binding upon Us. Truly, We shall do it [Al-Anbiya� 21:104].

Then he said: �The first one to be clothed on the Day of Resurrection will be Ibraaheem. Some people from among my followers will be taken away towards the left and I will say, �My followers, my followers!� He will say, �They kept turning back on their heels after you left them.� And I will say what the righteous slave said:

�� And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them; and You are a Witness to all things. (This is a great admonition and warning to the Christians of the whole world). [Al-Maa�idah 5:117].

If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily, You, only You, are the All‑Mighty, the All‑Wise� [Al-Maa�idah 5:118].� (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3349)

It was narrated that �Aa�ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: �The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �You will be gathered barefoot, naked and uncircumcised.� I said, �O Messenger of Allah, men and women will be looking at one another?!� He said, �The situation will be so terrible that that will not concern them.� (Bukhaari 6527)

And it was narrated in the hadeeth that people will be resurrected in the clothes in which they died. It was narrated that when Abu Sa�eed al-Khudri was dying, he called for new clothes and put them on, then he said, �I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, �The deceased will be resurrected in the clothes in which he died.�� (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3114; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1671).

This hadeeth may seem to contradict the hadeeth quoted above, which says that they will be resurrected naked. The scholars reconciled between the two reports by noting the following points:

1- That they will be raised in those garments but they will wear out after the resurrection, and when they reach the place of standing they will be naked.

2- They will be raised naked then when the Prophets and Siddeeqs etc have been clothed, everyone else will be clothed in the same kind of clothes as those in which they died.

3- Some of the scholars interpreted this hadeeth as referring to the martyrs (shuhada�), because they are the ones whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded should be buried in the clothes in which they died, so they will be resurrected in their clothes in order to distinguish them from others.

4- What is meant by clothes is righteous deeds, as in the verses (interpretation of the meanings)

�....and the raiment of righteousness, that is better....� [Al-A�raaf 7:26]

What is meant by a person being resurrected according to what he was doing when he died is that if his final action was good, then it will be good (for him) and if it was bad then it will be bad (for him). This is indicated by the hadeeth of Jaabir who said: �I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, �Every person will be resurrected in the manner that he died.�� (Narrated by Muslim, 2878)

And Ibn �Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): �The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �When Allah sends down punishment upon a people, the punishment also befalls those who were among them, then they will be resurrected according to their deeds.�� (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7108).

This is also indicated by the hadeeth of Ibn �Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: �Whilst a man was at �Arafah, he fell from his mount and broke his neck (or it broke his neck). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, �Wash him with water and lotus leaves, and shroud him in two garments, but do not apply perfume or cover his head, for he will be raised on the Day of Resurrection reciting the Talbiyah.�� (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1265).

And it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �Every wound that the Muslim receives for the sake of Allah will appear on the Day of Resurrection as it was at the time when it was inflicted; blood will be flowing from the wound and its color will be that of blood but its smell will be the fragrance of musk.� (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 237).

Hence it is mustahabb to encourage one who is dying to say Laa ilaaha ill-Allah, so that these good words will be his last words in this world and he will be raised saying them on the Day of Resurrection.

The people will be gathered on that Day on another earth, one that is different from this earth, with specific features that are explained in the Sunnah. It was narrated that Sahl ibn Sa�d said: �I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, �The people will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection on reddish white land like a pure loaf of bread (made from pure fine flour).� Sahl or someone else said, �It will have no landmarks for anyone (to make use of).� (Bukhaari, 6521)

�Afra� (translated here as reddish) means white that has a hint of redness; or it was said that it is intensely white; or it was said that it means pure white. A pure loaf of bread means a loaf that is made from pure flour that is unadulterated.

Humans have to die and will be return back in His custody, first in grave and his reward will start from that time. Grave is either a garden of Heaven or a ditch of Hell. Also He is shown daily his final destination.

Narrated Abdullah bin 'Umar: Allah's Apostle said, "When anyone of you dies, he will be shown his destination both in the morning and in the evening, and if he belongs to the people of Paradise, he will be shown his place in Paradise, and if he is from the people of Hell, he will be shown his place in Hell." (Al-Bukhari)

�People ask you concerning the Hour, say: "The knowledge of it is with All�h only. What do you know? It may be that the Hour is near!" (Al-Ahzab 33:63)

The complete list of events and its order is known to Allah only. Anyhow following are some events that will be unfolded as per Quran.

�And the Trumpet will be blown (i.e. the second blowing) and behold! From the graves they will come out quickly to their Lord (51) They will say: "Ah! Woe unto us! Who hath raised us up from our beds of repose?" (A voice will say:) "This is what (Allah) Most Gracious had promised. And true was the word of the messengers!" (52) It will be no more than a single Blast, when lo! they will all be brought up before Us! (53) Then, on that Day, not a soul will be wronged in the least, and ye shall but be repaid the meeds of your past Deeds� (Ya�seen 36:51 - 54)

Then it will be a single (compelling) cry; and behold, they will begin to see (19) They will say, "Ah! Woe to us! This is the Day of Judgment!" (20) (A voice will say,) "This is the Day of Sorting Out, whose truth ye (once) denied!" (As-Saffat 37:19 - 21)

�On the Day of Judgment wilt thou see those who told lies against Allah;- their faces will be turned black; Is there not in Hell an abode for the Haughty?� (Az-Zumar 39 : 60)

��. On the Day of Judgment the whole of the earth will be but His handful, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand: Glory to Him! High is He above the Partners they attribute to Him (67) The Trumpet will (just) be sounded, when all that are in the heavens and on earth will swoon, except such as it will please Allah (to exempt). Then will a second one be sounded, when, behold, they will be standing and looking on! (68) And the Earth will shine with the Glory of its Lord: the Record (of Deeds) will be placed (open); the prophets and the witnesses will be brought forward and a just decision pronounced between them; and they will not be wronged (in the least). (69) And to every soul will be paid in full (the fruit) of its Deeds; and (Allah) knoweth best all that they do. (Az-Zumar 39:67 - 70)

��. On the day when they see that which they are promised (it will seem to them) as though they had tarried but an hour of daylight. A clear message. Shall any be destroyed save evil-living folk?� (Al-Ahqaf 46:35)

They will come forth,- their eyes humbled - from (their) graves, (torpid) like locusts scattered abroad, (7) Hastening, with eyes transfixed, towards the Caller!- "Hard is this Day!", the Unbelievers will say. (Al-Qamar 54:6 - 8)

"And (remember) the Day on which the Trumpet will be blown and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth, will be terrified except him whom All�h will (exempt). And all shall come to Him humbled (87) And you will see the mountains and think them solid, but they shall pass away as the passing away of the clouds. The Work of All�h, Who perfected all things, verily! He is Well-Acquainted with what you do (88) Whoever brings good, he shall have better than it; and they shall be secure from terror on the day (89) And whoever brings evil, these shall be thrown down on their faces into the fire; shall you be rewarded (for) aught except what you did?� (An-Naml 27:87 - 90)

�On the Day that the Hour (of Reckoning) will be established, the transgressors will swear that they tarried not but an hour: thus were they used to being deluded " (Ar � Room 30 : 55)

So on that Day no question will be asked of man or jinn as to his sin, (because they have already been known from their faces either white or black) (Ar-Rehman 55: 39)

"(For) the sinners will be known by their marks: and they will be seized by their forelocks and their feet" (Ar-Rehman 55: 41)

�When the Event inevitable cometh to pass (1) Then will no (soul) entertain falsehood concerning its coming (2) It will bring low (some); (and others) it will exalt (3) When the earth will be shaken with a terrible shake (4) And the mountains will be powdered to dust (5) So that they will become floating dust particles (6) And ye shall be sorted out into three classes (7) Then (there will be) the Companions of the Right Hand;- What will be the Companions of the Right Hand? (8) And the Companions of the Left Hand,- what will be the Companions of the Left Hand? (9) And those Foremost (in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter) (10) These will be those Nearest to Allah� (Al-Waaqiyah 56:1 - 11)

�The Day when the Trumpet will be sounded: that Day, We shall gather the sinful, blear-eyed (with terror) (102) In whispers will they consult each other: "Yet tarried not longer than ten (Days�) (103) We know best what they will say, when their leader most eminent in conduct will say: "Ye tarried not longer than a day!" (Ta�Ha 20:102 - 104)

�On that Day of Dominion will be that of Allah: He will judge between them: so those who believe and work righteous deeds will be in Gardens of Delight (56) And for those who reject Faith and deny our Signs, there will be a humiliating Punishment� (Al-Hajj 22:56 - 57)

�The Day that He assembles you (all) for a Day of Assembly, that will be a Day of mutual loss and gain (among you), and those who believe in Allah and work righteousness,- He will remove from them their ills, and He will admit them to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever: that will be the Supreme Achievement (9) But those who reject Faith and treat Our Signs as falsehoods, they will be Companions of the Fire, to dwell therein for aye: and evil is that Goal� (At-Taghabun 64:9 - 10)

��.Their Light will run forward before them and by their right hands, while they say, "Our Lord! Perfect our Light for us, and grant us Forgiveness: for Thou hast power over all things." (Al-Tahreem 66: 8)

"And he whom All�h guides, he is led aright; but he whom He sends astray for such you will find no Auliy�' (helpers and protectors, etc.), besides Him, and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf, their abode will be Hell; whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire� (Al-Isra 17:97)

�And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection (without any helper, or protector or defender)� (Maryam 19:95)

�On the Day when some faces will be (lit up with) white, and some faces will be (in the gloom of) black: To those whose faces will be black, (will be said): "Did ye reject Faith after accepting it? Taste then the penalty for rejecting Faith" (106) But those whose faces will be (lit with) white,- they will be in (the light of) Allah's mercy: therein to dwell (for ever)� (Aale-Imran 3:106 - 107)

�On the day when it shall come, no soul shall speak except with His permission, then (some) of them shall be unhappy and (others) happy� (105) So as to those who are unhappy, they shall be in the fire; for them shall be sighing and groaning in it (106) Abiding therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord please; surely your Lord is the mighty doer of what He intends� (Hood 11:105 - 107)

�Some faces, that Day, will beam (in brightness and beauty) (22) Looking at their Lord (All�h) (23) And (other) faces on that day shall be gloomy (24) Thinking that some calamity was about to fall on them� (Al-Qiyaamah 75:22 - 24)

Some faces that Day will be beaming (38) Laughing, rejoicing (39) And other faces that Day will be dust-stained (40) Blackness will cover them" (Abasa 80:38 - 41)

And when the Graves are turned upside down (4) (Then) shall each soul know what it hath sent forward and (what it hath) kept back� (Al-Infitar 82:4 - 5)

�And on the day when He will gather them as though they had not stayed but an hour of the day, they will know each other. They will perish indeed who called the meeting with Allah to be a lie, and they are not followers of the right direction� (Younus 10:45)

�Friends on that Day will be foes one to another except Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)� (Az-Zukhruf 43:67)

�He will say: "What number of years did ye stay on earth?" (112) They will say: "We stayed a day or part of a day: but ask those who keep account" (113) He will say: "Ye stayed not but a little, if ye had only known!� (Al-Mumenoon 23:112 - 113)

�And the (Hell) Fire will be placed in full view of the erring (91) And it will be said to them: "Where are those (the false gods whom you used to set up as rivals with All�h) that you used to worship� (92) "Instead of All�h? �Can they help you or (even) help themselves?" (93) Then they will be thrown on their faces into the (Fire), They and the Gh�w�n (devils, and those who were in error) (94) And the whole hosts of Ibl�s (Satan) together (95) They will say while contending therein (96) �By All�h, we were truly in a manifest error� (97) �When We held you (false gods) as equals (in worship) with the Lord of the 'Alam�n (mankind, jinns and all that exists)� (98) �And none but the guilty led us astray� (100) �So we have no intercessors� (101) �(Alas!) If we only had a chance to return (to the world), we shall truly be among the believers� (102) Verily! In this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers� (Ash-Shura 26:91 - 103)

�The Unbelievers will be addressed: "Greater was the aversion of Allah to you than (is) your aversion to yourselves, seeing that ye were called to the Faith and ye used to refuse" (10) They (disbelievers on Judgement Day) will say: "Our Lord! You have made us to die twice (i.e. we were dead in the loins of our fathers and dead after our deaths in this world), and You have given us life twice (i.e. life when we were born and life when we are Resurrected)! Now we confess our sins, then is there any way to get out (of the Fire)?" (11) �(It will be said): "This is because, when All�h Alone was invoked (in worship, etc.) you disbelieved, but when partners were joined to Him, you believed! So the judgement is only with All�h, the Most High, the Most Great!" (Al-Ghafir 40:10 - 12)

It will also be said: "This Day We will forget you as ye forgot the meeting of this Day of yours! and your abode is the Fire, and no helpers have ye� (34) "This, because ye used to take the Signs of Allah in jest, and the life of the world deceived you:" �.�. (Al-Jathia 45: 34 - 35)

�And on the Day that the Unbelievers will be placed before the Fire, (It will be said to them): "Ye received your good things in the life of the world, and ye took your pleasure out of them: but today shall ye be recompensed with a Penalty of humiliation: for that ye were arrogant on earth without just cause, and that ye (ever) transgressed" (Al-Ahqaaf 46:20)

And We have made every man's actions to cling to his neck, and We will bring forth to him on the resurrection day a book which he will find wide open: (13) �Read your book. You yourself are sufficient as a reckoner against you this Day� (Al-Isra� 17:13 - 14)

�Then, on the Day of Judgment, He will cover them with shame, and say: "Where are My 'partners' concerning whom ye used to dispute (with the godly)?" Those endued with knowledge will say: "This Day, indeed, are the Unbelievers covered with shame and misery� (An-Nahl 16:27)

�And they will be set before your Lord in (lines as) rows, (and All�h will say): "Now indeed, you have come to Us as We created you the first time. Nay, but you thought that We had appointed no meeting for you (with Us).� (Al-Kahf 18:48)

"One Day He will say, "Call on those whom ye thought to be My partners," and they will call on them, but they will not listen to them; and We shall make for them a place of common perdition (52) And the Sinful shall see the fire and apprehend that they have to fall therein: no means will they find to turn away therefrom� (Al-Kahf 18:52 - 53)

�On the Day when their tongues, their hands, and their legs or feet will bear witness against them as to what they used to do� (An-Noor 24:24)

On that Day will men proceed in companies sorted out, to be shown the deeds that they (had done) (6) Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it (7) And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it� (Az-Zalzala 99:6-8)

�And the Book (of Deeds) will be placed (before you); and thou wilt see the sinful in great terror because of what is (recorded) therein; they will say, "Ah! woe to us! what a Book is this! It leaves out nothing small or great, but takes account thereof!" They will find all that they did, placed before them: And not one will thy Lord treat with injustice� (Al-Kahf 18:49)

At length, when they reach the (Fire), their hearing, their sight, and their skins will bear witness against them, as to (all) their deeds (20) They will say to their skins: "Why bear ye witness against us?" They will say: "Allah hath given us speech, (He) Who giveth speech to everything: He created you for the first time, and unto Him were ye to return� (21) "Ye did not seek to hide yourselves, lest your hearing, your sight, and your skins should bear witness against you! But ye did think that Allah knew not many of the things that ye used to do� (Al-Fussilat 41:20 - 22)

�And they all (mankind) shall appear before All�h (on the Day of Resurrection) then the weak will say to those who were arrogant (chiefs): "Verily, we were following you; can you avail us anything from All�h's Torment?" They will say: "Had All�h guided us, we would have guided you. It makes no difference to us (now) whether we rage, or bear (these torments) with patience, there is no place of refuge for us" (Ibraaheem 14:21)

�And Satan will say when the matter is decided: "It was Allah Who gave you a promise of Truth: I too promised, but I failed in my promise to you. I had no authority over you except to call you but ye listened to me: then reproach not me, but reproach your own souls. I cannot listen to your cries, nor can ye listen to mine. I reject your former act in associating me with Allah. For wrong-doers there must be a grievous penalty" (Ibraaheem 14:22)

�Behold, they will dispute with each other in the Fire! The weak ones (who followed) will say to those who had been arrogant, "We but followed you: Can ye then take (on yourselves) from us some share of the Fire?� (47) Those who had been arrogant will say: "We are all in this (Fire)! Truly, Allah has judged between (his) Servants!" (48) Those in the Fire will say to the Keepers of Hell: "Pray to your Lord to lighten us the Penalty for a day (at least)!" (49) They will say: "Did there not come to you your messengers with Clear Signs?" They will say, "Yes". They will reply, "Then pray (as ye like)! But the prayer of those without Faith is nothing but (futile wandering) in (mazes of) error!" (Al-Ghaafir 40:47 - 50)

�On that Day shall no intercession avail except for those for whom permission has been granted by (Allah) Most Gracious and whose word is acceptable to Him� (Ta�Ha 20:108 - 109)

�Even if the wrong-doers had all that there is on earth, and as much more, (in vain) would they offer it for ransom from the pain of the Penalty on the Day of Judgment: but something will confront them from Allah, which they could never have counted upon (47) And the evils that they earned will appear unto them, and that whereat they used to scoff will surround them� (Az-Zumar 39 : 47 - 48)

This Day shall no ransom be accepted of you, nor of those who rejected Allah." Your abode is the Fire: that is the proper place to claim you: and an evil refuge it is!" (Al-Hadid 57: 13 - 15)

�The balance that day will be true (to nicety): those whose scale (of good) will be heavy, will prosper (8) Those whose scale will be light, will be their souls in perdition, for that they wrongfully treated Our signs� (Al-Araf 7:8- 9)

�On the day when We shall summon all men with their record, whoso is given his book in his right hand - such will read their book and they will not be wronged a shred� (Al-Isra� 17:71)

�There is not one of you but will pass over it (Hell); this is with your Lord; a Decree which must be accomplished (71) But We shall save those who guarded against evil, and We shall leave the wrong-doers therein, (humbled) to their knees� (Maryam 19:71 - 72)

�And We shall set up Balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We to take account� (Al-Anbiya� 21:47)

�This Day, We shall seal up their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their legs will bear witness to what they used to earn� (Yasin 36 : 65)

�And he that will be given his Record in his left hand, will say: "Ah! Would that my Record had not been given to me� (25) "And that I had never realized how my account (stood)� (26) "Ah! Would that (Death) had made an end of me� (27) "Of no profit to me has been my wealth! (28) "My power has perished from me!" (29) (The stern command will say): "Seize ye him, and bind ye him� (30) "And burn ye him in the Blazing Fire" (Al-Haqqa 69:25 - 31)

"That will be a Day when they shall not be able to speak (35) And they will not be permitted to put forth any excuse " (Al-Mursalat 77: 35 - 36)

�.... none can dare to speak with Him (on the Day of Resurrection except after His Leave) (37) On the day when the angels and the Spirit stand arrayed, they speak not, saving him whom the Beneficent alloweth and who speaketh right" (An-Naba 78:37 - 38)

Then, he whose balance (of good deeds) will be (found) heavy (6) Will be in a life of good pleasure and satisfaction (7) But he whose balance (of good deeds) will be (found) light (8) Will have his home in a (bottomless) Pit (9) And what will explain to thee what this is? (10) (It is) a Fire Blazing fiercely� (Al-Qaria 101:6-11)

�Therein will they cry aloud (for assistance): "Our Lord! Bring us out: we shall work righteousness, not the (deeds) we used to do!" - "Did We not give you long enough life so that he that would should receive admonition? and (moreover) the warner came to you. So taste ye (the fruits of your deeds): for the wrong-doers there is no helper" (Fatir 35:37)

They shall have Layers of Fire above them, and Layers (of Fire) below them�.!" (Az-Zumar 39:16)

"The Unbelievers will be led to Hell in crowd: until, when they arrive, there, its gates will be opened. And its keepers will say, "Did not messengers come to you from among yourselves, rehearsing to you the Signs of your Lord, and warning you of the Meeting of This Day of yours?" The answer will be: "True: but the Decree of Punishment has been proved true against the Unbelievers!" (71) (To them) will be said: "Enter ye the gates of Hell, to dwell therein: and evil is (this) Abode of the Arrogant!" (Az-Zumar 39 : 71 - 72)

�And on the Day that the Unbelievers will be placed before the Fire, (they will be asked,) "Is this not the Truth?" they will say, "Yea, by our Lord!" (One will say:) "Then taste ye the Penalty, for that ye were wont to deny (Truth)!" (Al-Ahqaaf 46:34)

The Day when they will be pushed down by force to the Fire of Hell, with a horrible, forceful pushing (13) "This:, it will be said, "Is the Fire,- which ye were wont to deny (14) Is this magic, or do you not see? (At-Tur 52:13 - 15)

"And those who are blessed shall be in the Garden: They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as thy Lord willeth: a gift without break� (Hood 11:108)

"And those who feared their Lord will be led to the Garden in crowds: until behold, they arrive there; its gates will be opened; and its keepers will say: "Peace be upon you! well have ye done! enter ye here, to dwell therein." (73) They will say: "Praise be to Allah, Who has truly fulfilled His Promise to us, and has given us (this) land in heritage: We can dwell in the Garden as we will: how excellent a reward for those who work (righteousness)!" (74) And thou (O� Mohammad) wilt see the angels surrounding the Throne (Divine) on all sides, singing Glory and Praise to their Lord. The Decision between them (at Judgment) will be in (perfect) justice, and the cry (on all sides) will be, "Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!" (Az-Zumar 39 : 73 - 75)

�When the Event inevitable cometh to pass (1) Then will no (soul) entertain falsehood concerning its coming (2) It will bring low (some); (and others) it will exalt (3) When the earth will be shaken with a terrible shake (4) And the mountains will be powdered to dust (5) So that they will become floating dust particles (6) And ye shall be sorted out into three classes (7) Then (there will be) the Companions of the Right Hand;- What will be the Companions of the Right Hand? (8) And the Companions of the Left Hand,- what will be the Companions of the Left Hand? (9) And those Foremost (in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter) (10) These will be those Nearest to Allah� (Al-Waaqiyah 56:1 - 11)

How will the books of people�s deeds be distributed to the people on the Day of Resurrection? How will their deeds be weighed?

When people have been brought to account for their deeds, each person will be given the book that contains the record of all his deeds. The believer will be given his book in his right hand, as a sign of honour. He will be the one who is saved and happy on the Day of Resurrection. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

�Then as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand,(7) He surely, will receive an easy reckoning, (8) And will return to his family in joy!� [Al-Inshiqaaq 84:7-9]

�Then as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand will say: �Here! read my Record! (19) Surely, I did believe that I shall meet my Account!� (20) So he shall be in a life, well‑pleasing. (21) In a lofty Paradise, (22) The fruits in bunches whereof will be low and near at hand. (23) Eat and drink at ease for that which you have sent on before you in days past!� [Al-Haaqqah 69: 19-24]

But the kaafirs, hypocrites and followers of misguidance will be given their books in their left hands, from behind their backs. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

�But whosoever is given his Record behind his back, (10) He will invoke (for his) destruction, (11) And he shall enter a blazing Fire� [Al-Inshiqaaq 84:10-12]

�But as for him who will be given his Record in his left hand, will say: �I wish that I had not been given my Record! (25) And that I had never known how my Account is! (26) Would that it had been my end (death)! (27) My wealth has not availed me; (28) My power (and arguments to defend myself) have gone from me!� (29) (It will be said): �Seize him and fetter him; (30)Then throw him in the blazing Fire. (31) Then fasten him with a chain whereof the length is seventy cubits!� [Al-Haqqah 69:25-32]

�This Our Record speaks about you with truth. Verily, We were recording what you used to do (i.e. Our angels used to record your deeds)....� [Al-Jaathiyah 45:29]

�Read your book. You yourself are sufficient as a reckoner against you this Day� [Al-Isra� 17:14]

The Balance will be set up to weigh people�s deeds. Al-Qurtubi said: �When the Reckoning is completed, then people�s deeds will be weighed, because the weighing has to do with reward and punishment. So it is apt that it should come after the Reckoning. The Reckoning is to evaluate the deeds, and the weighing is to determine the amount of reward or punishment.�

The texts indicate that the Balance is a real Balance, with two pans, in which people�s deeds will be weighed. It is a huge Balance, the size of which is known only to Allah. The scholars differed as to whether it is one Balance in which people�s deeds will be weighed, or whether there are numerous Balances, so that each person will have his own Balance. Those who said that there will be numerous balances quote as evidence the fact that the word appears in plural form in some verses, for example (interpretation of the meaning):

Those who say that it will be one Balance quote as evidence the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): �The Balance will be set up on the Day of Resurrection, and if the heavens and the earth were to be weighed in it, it would be sufficient to carry them. And the angels will say, �O Lord, who is this for?�

Allah will say, �For whomsoever I will from among My slaves.�� (al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 941). They interpret the verse in which the plural form is mentioned as referring to the large number of things to be weighed, namely words, deeds, records and people.

One of the things that indicate that words will also be weighed is the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah, according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �Two words which are light on the tongue but will weigh heavily in the Balance and are beloved to the Most Merciful: Subhaan Allah il-�Azeem, Subhaan Allahi wa bi Hamdihi (Glory be to Allah the Almighty, Glory and praise be to Allah).� (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6406).

The fact that deeds will be weighed is indicated by the saheeh hadeeth narrated from Abu�l-Darda� who said: �I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, �There is nothing that will be placed in the Balance that will weigh more heavily than a good attitude. The one who has a good attitude will attain thereby the status of one who fasts and prays (a great deal).�� (Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 1629)

Another thing that indicates that the books of deeds will be weighed is the hadeeth of al-Bitaaqah from �Abd-Allah ibn �Amr ibn al-�Aas who said, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �Allah will separate a man belonging to my ummah in the presence of all creatures and will spread ninety-nine scrolls for him, each scroll extending as far as the eye can see.

Then He will say, �Do you object to anything in this? Have my scribes who keep note wronged you?� He will say, �No, my Lord.� He will ask him, �Do you have any excuse?� He will say, �No my Lord.� Allah will say, �On the contrary, you have with Us a good deed, and you will not be wronged this Day.�

A slip of paper will then be brought out, on which are the words �Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan �abduhu wa rasooluhu (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger).�

Allah will say, �Bring your weight (i.e., the scrolls).� The man will say, �O Lord, what is this slip of paper in comparison to these scrolls?� And He will reply, �You will not be wronged.� The scrolls will then be put in one side of the Balance and the slip of paper in the other, and the scrolls will become light and the slip of paper heavy, for nothing could compare in weight to the name of Allah.� (Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2127)

One of the things that indicate that people will be weighed is the hadeeth narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �A huge fat man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection, and he will not weigh more before Allah than the wing of a gnat. Recite: �....and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall assign no weight for them� [Al-Kahf 18:105].� (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4729).

It is also indicated by the fact that Ibn Mas�ood was trying to break a siwaak branch from an araak tree and he had thin legs and the wind started to buffet him, so the people laughed at him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, �What are you laughing at?� They said, �O Prophet of Allah, because his legs are so thin.�

He said, �By the One in Whose hand is my soul, they will weigh more heavily in the Balance than Mount Uhud.� Its isnaad was classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Sharh al-Tahhaawiyyah, no. 571, p. 418

We ask Allah to make us weigh heavily in the Balance.

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Religious preachers in my country often mention a bridge which they describe as sharper than the edge of a sword. They claim that everyone will be required to cross it on the Day of Judgment. The pious will pass without difficulty, while the non-believers will fall off it into hell. Please comment.

Allah tells us in the Qur'an that every single person shall come close to hell. He says:

"Everyone of you will come within sight of it: this is with your Lord a decree that must be fulfilled. (71) We shall then save (from hell) those who have been God-fearing: but We shall leave in it the evildoers, on their knees." (Maryyam 19:71-72).

There are several Hadiths which mention "the bridge to hell". While one report mentions that this bridge is as sharp as the edge of a sword, the more authentic ones do not mention that particular aspect. These authentic Hadiths mention that believers will cross it as quickly as a wink, or lighting, or wind, or fast horses. What determines their speed is the quality of their deeds in this world. Those with the best deeds are the first and the fastest to cross it. In a Hadith reported by Abdullah ibn Massoud, the Prophet is quoted as saying:

"They (i.e. believers) are told to save themselves according to their light (which is given them in proportion to their good deeds). Some of them will pass as quickly as a wink, some as wind, some as birds, some as fast horses and some as people running. The last of them is a man who has no more light than the size of his large toes, and who stumbles over the bridge. In one version of this Hadith, this last person is reported to turn to Allah and ask Him why has He made his crossing so slow. Allah will answer him: "It is your deeds that have made you slow." It is needless to say that the non believers will not be able to cross this bridge.

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RTA) The prophet said �Seven people will be shaded by Allah under His Shade on the Day (Day of Resurrection) when there will be no shade except His. They are:

b) A young man who has been brought up in the worship of Allah (i.e. worships Allah alone sincerely from his childhood)

c) A man whose heart is attached to the mosque (who offers the five compulsory congregational prayers in the mosques)

d) Two persons who love each other for the sake of Allah�s sake, and they meet and part in Allah�s cause only.

e) A man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for illegal sexual intercourse with her and says, I fear Allah.

f) A person who practices charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given.

g) A person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes becomes flooded with tears.

Past Signs

Present Signs

Ayaat and Ahaadeeth about the Hour

�� My Lord! Increase me in knowledge!" � (Taha 20:114)

DIVISIONS WITHIN THE MAIN RELIGIOUS GROUPS

EVILS BEFALLING MUSLIM UMMAH DURING THE LAST DAYS

THE APPEARANCE OF GOG AND MAGOG

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE KA'BAH

THE EMERGENCE OF THE BEAST

THE RISING OF THE SUN FROM THE WEST

THE SMOKE WHICH WILL APPEAR AT THE END OF TIME

There are many Ayaat and Ahaadeeth concerning this subject: Allah said:

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Checker's Note: Saheeh, Saheeh Ibn Maajah: 3225

[2] Abu Daawood, Kitaab as-Sunnah, (Hadeeth 4572, 4573), 12/1340-2.

The Greater Signs of the Hour

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The Appearance of the Dajjaal

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The Hadeeth of Al-Nuwas Ibn Sam'an Al-Kilabi

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The Hadeeth of Al-Mugheerah Ibn Shu'bah

More Ahaadeeth about the Dajjaal

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Protection Against The Dajjaal

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The Life And Deeds Of The Dajjaal

The Descent of Jesus at the End of Time

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The destruction of the Ka'bah

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The Rising of the Sun from the West

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The Smoke which will appear at the End of Time

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Other Events which will precede the Hour

Heavy rain before the Day of Resurrection: It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhewa sallam) said: "The hour will not come until there has been rain which will destroy all dwellings except tents." [2]

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