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SIGNS OF THE LAST DAY IN THE QUR'AN
What are they awaiting but for the Hour to come
upon them suddenly? Its signs have already come. What good will their
Reminder be to them when it does arrive? (Surah Muhammad: 18)
From this verse we learn that in the Qur'an Allah describes signs that announce the coming of the Last Day. In order to understand the signs of this 'great announcement' we must reflect upon these verses. Otherwise, as indicated in the verse , one’s thinking will be of no use when the Last Day is suddenly upon people.
The Hour is near
Allah reveals in the Qur'an that there can be no doubt that the Last
Day is near.
And the Hour is coming without any doubt ... (Surat
al-Hajj: 7)
We did not create the heavens and earth and everything
between them, except with truth. The Hour is certainly coming. (Surat
al-Hijr: 85)
There may be some who think that the message of the Qur'an concerning the Last Day was revealed more than 1400 years ago and that this is a long time compared to the length of a human life. But here, it is a question of the end of the world, the Sun and the stars, in short, of everything. When we consider that the universe is billions of years old, fourteen centuries is a very short period of time.
The supremacy of the morality of Islam in the world
Allah announces that those who serve Him purely, without associating
any of His creatures as so-called divinities besides Him, and do good works to win
His favor, will be endowed with power and authority.
Allah has promised those of you who believe and
do right actions that He will make them successors in the land as He made
those before them successors, and will firmly establish for them their
religion with which He is pleased and give them, in place of their fear,
security. 'They worship Me, not associating anything with Me.' Any who
are unbelievers after that, such people are deviators. (Surat an-Nur:
55)
In a number of verses, it is also said that it is a Divine law that those servants who are faithful and live the true religious moral values in their hearts will be made the inheritors of the world:
We wrote down in the Psalms, after the Reminder
came: 'It is My righteous servants who will inherit the earth.' (Surat
al-Anbiya': 105)
We will leave you the land to live in after them.
That is the reward of those who fear My station and fear My threat. (Surah
Ibrahim: 14)
Allah will surely keep His promises. The high morality that will conquer perverse philosophies, distorted ideologies and false religious understanding is Islamic morality. The unbelievers and pagans cannot prevent this from happening.
The splitting of the Moon
The 54th Surah of the Qur'an is called 'Surat al-Qamar.' In English qamar means Moon. In several instances in this Surah, Allah tells about the destruction that befell Ad, Thamud, the peoples of the Prophets Noah (as) and Lot (as), and Pharaoh, because they rejected the warnings of the prophets. At the same time, there is a very important message stated in the first verse, concerning the Last Day.
The Hour has drawn near and the Moon has split.
(Surat al-Qamar: 1)
The word 'split' used in this verse is the Arabic shaqqa, which in Arabic has various meanings. In some commentaries on the Qur'an, the meaning 'split' is preferred. But shaqqa in Arabic can also mean 'plowing' or 'digging' the earth.
As an example of the first usage, we can refer to the 26th verse of Surat al-Abasa:
We pour down plentiful water, then split the earth
into furrows. Then We make grain grow in it, and grapes and herbs and
olives and dates. (Surah 'Abasa: 25-29)
It can be clearly seen that the meaning of shaqqa here is not to 'split.'
It means to plough the earth in order to grow various plants.
If we went back to the year 1969, we would see one of the great wonders of the Qur'an. The experiments carried out on the surface of the Moon on July 20, 1969, may be hinting at the fulfillment of news given 1,400 years ago in Surat al-Qamar. On that date, American astronauts set foot on the Moon. Digging at the lunar soil they carried out scientific experiments and collected samples of stones and soil. It is surely very interesting that these developments are in complete agreement with the statements in the verse.
Along with this, also in October 2009, there has been a development which points out to this event mentioned in the verse. NASA, who has been carrying on searches on the Moon for finding water, bombed the Moon and with the effect of this strike, a dust cloud weighing 350 tons formed. That means, the surface of the Moon split for another time. As Allah reveals in the Qur'an, the Moon is split when the time of the "Hour," the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as), the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as), the appearance of Dabbat al-Ardh approached. As is seen, this verse refers to these events besides the miracle of the splitting of the Moon, vouchsafed by Allah to our Prophet (saas).
The signs described by the Prophet (saas) are occurring
one after the other
In the hadiths that have come down to us from the Prophet (saas), news
is given concerning the End Times and the Golden Age of Islam. When we
compare these signs with the events that are taking place in our time,
we can see many indications that we are living through the End Times and
which also herald the arrival of the Golden Age of Islam.
The hadiths in the coming sections of this book contain such information
given by the Prophet (saas) in this regard.
One very significant evidence proving that these hadiths are authentic, trustworthy and correct, is that all these signs referred to in the hadiths have taken place one after the other in the last 30 years since Hijri 1400. The realization of the incidents mentioned in these hadiths confirms the authenticity of these hadiths , as
also expressed by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi .1
Some of the signs related in the hadiths were observable in some part
of the world in any period during the 1400 year history of Islam, but
that would not have proven that that period was the End Times. For
a certain period to be called the End Times, all the signs of the Last
Day must be observed to be occurrence in that same period. This is expressed
in a hadith:
Signs following one another like the pieces of a necklace
falling one after the other when its string is cut. (Tirmidhi)
In the hadiths, the beginning of the End Times is described as when discord
grows, and war and conflict are on the increase, when there is disorder and
moral degeneration rears its head and people turn away from the morality
of religion. At the time in question, natural disasters will occur all
over the world, poverty will reach unseen levels, there will be a large
increase in the crime rate, and murder and brutality everywhere. Yet this
will be only the first stage. During the second phase, Allah will rescue
mankind from this disorder and replace it with a blessed existence full of
plenty, peace and security.
Wars and anarchy
Allah's Messenger (saas) said: 'The Harj (will increase).' They
asked, 'What is the Harj?' He replied, '(It is) killing (murdering), (it
is) murdering (killing).' (Bukhari)
The Hour will come when violence, bloodshed, and anarchy become
common. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Muntakhab Kanzul Ummaal)
The world will not come to an end until a day would come to the
people on which there will be general massacre and bloodshed. (Muslim)
If we look at the last fourteen centuries, we see that wars were regional
before the twentieth century. However, wars that affected everyone in
the world, political systems, entire economies and social structures,
have happened only comparatively recently, in the two world wars. In World
War I, more than 20 million died; in World War II, the toll was more than
50 million. At the same time, World War II is acknowledged to have been
the bloodiest, the greatest and the most destructive war in history.
The conflicts that occurred after World War II-the Cold War, the Korean
War, the Vietnam War, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the Gulf War-are
among the most critical events of our time. Likewise, regional wars, conflicts
and civil wars, have caused destruction in many parts of the world. In
places such as Bosnia, Palestine, Chechnya, Afghanistan, Kashmir and many
others, problems continue to afflict humanity.
Another instance of a type of disorder that concerns human beings as much
as war is organized international terror. As authorities on the subject
also agree, acts of terror have multiplied in the latter half of the twentieth
century. Indeed, it is even possible to say that terror is a phenomenon
particular to the twentieth century.2 Organizations
devoted to racism, communism and similar ideologies, or with nationalistic
aims, have engaged in acts of brutality with the help of the developing
technology. Within the world's recent history, acts of terror have, time
and again, fomented disorder. Much blood has been shed and countless innocent
people have been maimed or killed.
The destruction of great cities: wars and disasters
Great cities will be ruined and it will be as if they had not existed
the day before. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir
al-Zaman)
The ruin of great cities spoken of in this hadith brings to mind the
destruction that now arises from war and various natural disasters. Recently
developed nuclear weapons, aircraft, bombs, missiles, and other modern
weapons, have caused untold destruction. These terrible weapons have brought
about a degree of destruction never before seen. Indeed, the great cities
targeted are most affected by this destruction. The incomparable destruction
of the Second World War is an example of this. With the use of the atom
bomb in world's greatest war, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were completely destroyed.
As a result of heavy bombing, European capitals and other important cities
suffered a great amount of damage.
Hiroshima |
In the last few years, hurricanes, storms, typhoons and other such disasters
have had a destructive effect on the American continent as well as in
several other places in the world. In addition, floods have caused mudslides,
which have engulfed certain centers of population. Furthermore, earthquakes,
volcanoes and tidal waves have also caused great devastation. Therefore,
all this destruction brought upon the great cities by these calamities
is an important sign in each case.
Earthquakes
The Hour (Last Day) will not be established until ... earthquakes
will be very frequent. (Bukhari)
There are two great events before the day of Judgment... and
then years of earthquakes. (Narrated by Umm Salama r.a ., Ramuz al-Ahadith, 187/2)
In the last few years, major earthquakes have occurred repeatedly and
are among the foremost fears of people around the world. If we look at
the data collected by the American National Earthquake Information Center
for 1999, we find that 20,832 earthquakes happened somewhere in the world.
As a result, an estimated 22,711 persons lost their lives.3
When the figures of the past are examined, we see that the number of earthquakes was very few. According to US Geological Survey (USGS) reports, the number of earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater that took place during the four hundred years between 1955 and 1975 was only 110. According to the data of the same institution, within only the 23 years between 1980 and 2003, the number of earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.5 or more was 1685.4
Poverty
The poor will grow in number. (Al-Sharani, Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 455)
Gains will be shared out only among the rich, with
no benefit to the poor. (Tirmidhi)
Obviously, that period indicated by the Prophet (saas) describes conditions
in our day. If we look at past centuries, we see that the difficulties
and anxiety brought about by drought, war and other calamities were temporary
and limited to a particular region. However, today, the poverty and difficulty
of earning a living are permanent and endemic.
In the world today, poverty has reached grave proportions. The last report
by UNICEF stated that one in four people of the world's population lives
in 'unimaginable suffering and want.'5 1.3
billion of the world's people survive on less than $1 a day. Three billion
people in the world today struggle to survive on $2 a day.
6 Approximately 1.3 billion people lack safe water.
2.6 billion people are without access to adequate sanitation.7
The collapse of moral values
The Hour will come when adultery becomes widespread. (Al-Haythami,
Kitab al-Fitan)
The Last Hour will not be established until they (wicked people)
commit adultery on the roads (public ways). (Ibn Hibban and Bazzar)
Men will imitate women; and women will imitate men. (Allama Jalaluddin
Suyuti, Durre-Mansoor)
People will indulge in homosexuality and lesbianism. (Al-Muttaqi
al-Hindi, Muntakhab Kanzul Ummaal)
There will be prevalence of open illegal intercourse. (Bukhari)
The Hour (Last Day) will not be established until ... murders will increase. (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 109)
In our day, there is a great danger that threatens the world's social
fabric. In the same way as a virus kills the human body, this danger brings
about subtle social collapse. This danger is the degradation of those
moral values that help to maintain a healthy society. Homosexuality, prostitution,
pre-marital and extra-marital sex, sexual misdemeanors, pornography, sexual
harassment and the increase of sex-related illnesses, are a number of
important indications of the collapse of moral values.
Hadiths on the rejection of the true religion and the
moral values of the Qur'an
Near the establishment of the Hour there will be days during which
(religious) knowledge will be taken away (vanish) and general ignorance
will spread... (Bukhari)
There will be a little black trial which will not fail
to afflict everyone of this community and then when people think it is
finished it will start all over again. During it a man may be a believer
in the morning and an unbeliever in the evening. (Abu Dawud)
There will be a time when people will recite the Qur’an, but it will not go further than their throats [into their hearts ]. (Muhammet Sevgili-Hasan Akdag, Son Zamanlarla ilgili Hadisler [Hadiths about the End Times], p. 61)
Before the Last Hour there will be commotions like pieces of a
dark night in which a man will be a believer in the morning and an infidel
in the evening, or a believer in the evening and infidel in the morning.
(Abu Dawud)
A time will come when a man will not care about how he gets things,
whether lawful or unlawful. (Bukhari)
The Last Hour will not be established until there will remain those
people who will neither be aware of the virtues and never prevent the
vices. (Ahmad)
The Last Hour will not come before Allah takes His religion away
from the people of the earth, leaving no one in it but heathens who do
not recognise right or object to wrong. (Reported by Abdullah ibn 'Amr
ibn al-'As)
The emergence of false prophets
The Hour will not be established until about thirty liars appear, and each one of them will claim that he is Allah's Apostle… (Muslim, Kitab al-Fitan p. 43; Sunan Abu Dawud)
Experts have noted that there has been a proliferation of so-called messiahs that began to appear in the 1970s and which has since increased substantially.
The Prophet Jesus' (as) return to earth
Allah did not allow the unbelievers to martyr the Prophet Jesus (as), but took him up into His Own Presence, and announced the good news to humanity that he will return to Earth in the End Times. In the Qur'an He provides information about the Prophet Jesus’ (as) return in several instances:
• He says in one verse that the unbelievers who set a trap to martyr the Prophet Jesus (as) did not succeed :
(And We cursed them) for their saying, 'We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Messenger of Allah.' They did not kill
him and they did not crucify him but it was made to seem so to them. Those
who argue about him are in doubt about it. They have no real knowledge
of it, just conjecture. But they certainly did not kill him. (Surat an-Nisa':
157)
• In another verse Allah says that the Prophet Jesus (as) did not die, but was taken from the human sphere into the Presence of Allah :
Allah raised him up to Himself. Allah is Almighty,
All-Wise. (Surat an-Nisa': 158)
• In the 55th verse of Surah Al 'Imran, we learn that Allah will place the people who follow the Prophet Jesus (as) above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. It is an historical fact that, 2000 years ago, the Prophet Jesus’ (as) disciples had no political power. Christians who lived between that period and our own have believed a number of false doctrines, the chief of which is the doctrine of the Trinity. Therefore, as is evident, they will not be able to be referred to as followers of the Prophet Jesus (as), because, as Allah says in several places in the Qur'an, those who believe in the Trinity have slipped into denial. In such a case, in the time before the Hour, the true followers of the Prophet Jesus (as) will overcome the unbelievers and become the manifestation of the Divine promise contained in Surah Al 'Imran. Surely, this blessed group will be made known when the Prophet Jesus (as) returns again to earth.
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• Again, it is stated in the Qur'an that all the People of the Book will believe in the Prophet Jesus (as) before he dies :
There is not one of the People of the Book who will not believe in him ( Jesus) before he dies; and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them. (Surat an-Nisa': 159)
We learn clearly from this verse that there are three Divine promises that have not yet been realized concerning the Prophet Jesus (as). First, like every other human being, the Prophet Jesus (as) will die. Second, all the People of the Book will see him in bodily form and will obey him while he is alive. There is no doubt that these two predictions will be fulfilled when the Prophet Jesus (as) comes again before the Last Day. The third prediction about the Prophet Jesus’ (as) bearing witness against the People of the Book will be fulfilled on the Last Day.
• In another verse in Surah Maryam , Allah reveals that the Prophet Jesus (as ) will return to Earth in the End Times that we are living in:
Peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day
I die and the day I am raised up again alive. (Surah Maryam: 33)
When we examine this verse together with the 55th verse of Surah Al 'Imran, we can recognize a very important fact. In the verse in Surah Al 'Imran Allah speaks about the Prophet Jesus’ (as) being raised to the Presence of Allah. In this verse, no information is given as to whether the Prophet Jesus (as) died or not. But in the 33rd verse of Surah Maryam, the Prophet Jesus’ (as) death is referred to. This second death is possible only if he came to earth again and died after living here for some time. (Allah knows the truth.)
• Another verse that alludes to the Prophet Jesus’ (as) return to earth reads:
He will teach him ( Jesus) the Book and Wisdom, and
the Torah and the Gospel. (Surah Al 'Imran: 48)
To understand the reference to the 'Book' mentioned in this verse, we must look at other verses in the Qur'an that are relevant to this subject: if the Book is stated in one verse together with the Torah and the Gospel, then it must mean the Qur'an.
We know that the Prophet Jesus (as) knew the Torah and the Gospel during his lifetime, that is, approximately 2000 years ago. Clearly, it will be the Qur'an that he will learn when he comes to earth again.
• In verse 59 of Surah Al 'Imran , Allah reveals a very significant piece of information: 'The likeness of Jesus in Allah's Sight is the same as Adam...' In this verse we can see there must be a number of similarities between the two prophets. As we know, both the Prophet Adam (as) and Jesus (as) had no father, but we may draw a further similarity from the above verse, between the Prophet Adam's (as) descending to earth from Paradise and the Prophet Jesus’ (as) descent from Allah's Presence in the End Times.
• Allah reveals in the Qur'an the following information about the Prophet Jesus (as):
He ( Jesus) is a sign of the Hour. Have no doubt about it. But follow me. This is a straight path. (Surat az-Zukhruf: 61)
We know that the Prophet Jesus (as) lived six centuries before the Qur'an was revealed. Therefore, this verse must refer, not to his first life, but to his coming again during the End Times. Both the Christian and the Islamic world are eagerly awaiting the Prophet Jesus’ (as) second coming. This blessed guest's honored presence on the earth will be the important sign of the Last Day.
• Further evidence of the second coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) can be found in the use of the word wakahlan in Surah Maida 110 and Surah Al 'Imran 46. In these verses, we are revealed these commands:
Remember when Allah said, 'Jesus, son of Mary, remember My blessing to you and to your mother when I reinforced you with
the Purest Spirit so that you could speak to people in the cradle and
when you were fully grown (wakahlan) ...' (Surat al-Ma'ida: 110)
He will speak to people in the cradle, and also
when fully grown (wakahlan), and will be one of the righteous. (Surah
Al 'Imran: 46)
This word occurs only in these two verses and only in reference to the Prophet Jesus (as). The word is used to describe the Prophet Jesus’ (as) more mature age. The word refers to the age between 30 and 50, that is, to the end of youth and the beginning of old age. Islamic scholars are agreed in translating this word to refer to a period after the age of 35.
Islamic scholars rely on a tradition related by Ibn Abbas to the effect that the Prophet Jesus (as) was raised to the Presence of Allah when he was young, that is, at the beginning of his 30s, and that when he comes to earth again, he will have 40 years left to live. The Prophet Jesus (as) will progress into his old age after he has returned to earth, so this verse may be said to be a proof of his second coming to earth.8
The Prophet (saas) told of 'the Prophet Jesus’ (as) second coming
There are a few hadiths from the Prophet (saas) that refer to the second coming of the Prophet Jesus (as). The Islamic scholar Shawkani stated that there are 29 hadiths about the Prophet Jesus’ (as) return, and that the information contained in these hadiths could not have been falsified. (Ibn Majah) (For further details, see, Harun Yahya, The Prophet Jesus (pbuh) Did Not Die)
By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, son of Mary, Jesus, will shortly descend amongst you people (Muslims) as a just ruler. (Bukhari)
The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary (i.e. the Prophet Jesus [as]) descends amongst you as a just ruler. (Bukhari)
The Prophet (saas) tells what the Prophet Jesus (as) will do when he returns:
Jesus (as), son of Mary (as), will descend, rule for 40 years with the book of Allah and my sunnah, and die. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman)
Jesus (as), son of Mary (as), will be a just judge and just ruler (in my community), break and crush the cross [annul the worship of the cross] and kill the pig [inform that eating pork is forbidden]... The earth will be so filled of peace as a vessel is filled with water. The entire world shall recite and follow one and the same Word and none shall be worshipped except Allah. (Ibn Majah)
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