In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

SIGNS OF THE LAST HOUR (THE DOOMDAY)

 

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord and the Cherisher of the Universe. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our beloved prophet Muhammad (PBUH), his household, companions and followers of the right guidance till the Day of Judgment. Allah, the Exalted, says in the Holy Qur'an:

“By (the Token of) time (through the Ages). Verily Man is in loss. Except such as have faith and do righteous deeds and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth and of Patience and Constancy.” Q103:1-3. 

“Verily, We have indeed created man in the best of molds. Then do We abase him (to be) the lowest of the low (disbeliveers will be humiliated and burnt in Hell fire). Except such as believe and do righteous deeds: for they shall have a reward unfailing. Then what causes you to deny the Judgment (to come)?  Is not Allah the wisest of Judges?” Q95: 4-8.

 

Nobody, angel, prophet, jinn or human being knows the time the world will come to an end. Only Allah, the Exalted, knows. “Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone)…” Q31:34. However, Allah informed His prophets of the signs that will happen before it. One of the signs is that people will leave Allah’s Laws and will make laws for themselves. They will permit and legalize things that Allah has forbidden in the name of freedom and individual rights.  Muslims should not help in advocating for things that are bad. Allah, the Exalted says: “Whoever recommends and helps a good cause becomes a partner therein. And whoever recommends and helps an evil cause shares in its burden; Allah has power over all things.” Q4:85. Below are some of the signs as reported in the ahadith-sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

 

"When the booty is taken in turn, property given in trust is treated as spoil, zakat is looked on as a fine, learning is acquired for other than a religious purpose, a man obeys his wife and disobeys his mother, he brings his friend near and drives his father far off, voices are raised in the mosques, the most wicked member of a tribe becomes its ruler, the most worthless member of a people becomes its leader, a man is honored through fear of the evil he may do, singing-girls and stringed instruments make their appearance, wines are drunk, and the last members of this people curse the first ones, look at that time for a violent wind, an earthquake, being  swallowed up by the earth, metamorphosis, pelting rain, and signs following one another like bits of a necklace falling one after the other when its string is cut." (Tirmidhi 5450)

 

"When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour." It was asked, "How will honesty be lost, O Allah's Apostle?" He said, "When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the Hour." (Bukhari 8.503)

 

"The Hour will not be established" or said: "From among the portents of the Hour is that the religious knowledge will be taken away (by the death of religious Scholars) and general ignorance (of religion) will appear; and the drinking of alcoholic drinks will be very common, and (open) illegal sexual intercourse will prevail, and men will decrease in number while women will increase so much so that, for fifty women there will only be one man to look after them." (Bukhari 8.800A)

 

"The Hour will not be established (1) till two big groups fight each other whereupon there will be a great number of casualties on both sides and they will be following one and the same religious doctrine, (2) till about thirty liars appear, and each one of them will claim that he is Allah's Apostle, (3) till the religious knowledge is taken away (by the death of religious scholars) (4) earthquakes will increase in number (5) time will pass quickly, (6) afflictions will appear, (7) killing will increase, (8) till wealth will be in abundance--so abundant that a wealthy person will worry lest nobody should accept his zakat, and whenever he will present it to someone, that person (to whom it will be offered) will say, 'I am not in need of it,' (9) till the people compete with one another in constructing high buildings, (10) till a man when passing by a grave of someone will say, 'Would that I were in his place,' (11) and till the sun rises from the West. So when the sun will rise and the people will see it (rising from the West) they will all believe (embrace Islam) but that will be the time when: (As Allah says,) 'No good will it do to a soul to believe then, if it believed not before, nor earned good (by deeds of righteousness) through its faith.’(Q6.158)..." (Bukhari  9.237)

 

“Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) came to us all of a sudden as we were (busy in a discussion) He said: What do you discuss about? (The Companions) said: We are discussing about the Last Hour. Thereupon he said: It will not come until you see ten signs before and (in this connection) he made a mention of the smoke, the Anti-Christ, the beast, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent of Jesus son of Mary (Allah be pleased with him), The Gog and Magog, and landslides in three places, one in the east, one in the west and one in Arabia at the end of which fire would burn forth from the Yemen, and would drive people to the place of their assembly. (Muslim 6931)

 

When the sun will rise from the West, the door of forgiveness will be closed. Whoever does not believe before that time is doomed. This is for those who will live to witness the sign.  For us, we need to repent before death comes to us.

 

May Allah count us among the inmates of Paradise. Ameen.

 

Peace be on you.