Proof for the Signs of Qiyaamah

Q: Imaan-36: Did Rasulullaah SAW. mention the signs of Qiyaamah? If he did, then which signs did he mention? Please clarify the matter because we have few people who do not accept this.

Answer:? Just as there are signs to indicate the time when any great and important thing comes to an end, in the same way there will be certain signs to indicate when the world will come to an end. The Ahadeeth have mentioned these signs, as will be quoted. It is necessary for us to believe in these.
These signs are of two types, (1) the minor signs and (2) the major signs. All the signs that take place up to the coming of Hadhrat Mahdi are classified as minor signs while those to come after him and before the blowing of the trumpet are regarded as the major signs. Qiyaamah already begins with these major signs. We will now cite the minor and major signs.

It should be note that those signs that are within a person's ability are all acts of sin and are mentioned so that people refrain from them. One must therefore repent from one's sins, rectify one's life and do one's best to stay away from involving oneself in the signs Rasulullaah SAW. has stated. Remember that the signs Rasulullaah SAW. mentioned hundreds of years ago will unfold exactly as he had mentioned them and these we are actually seeing before our eyes. This is ample proof of the truthfulness of Rasulullaah SAW.

Hadhrat Anas RADI. reports that Rasulullaah SAW. said, "Amongst the signs of the Final Hour will be that knowledge will be lifted (by the demise of people of knowledge), ignorance will flourish, fornication will be rife, drinking of liquor will be rampant and women will number so much more than men that one man will have to care for fifty women.

In his famous book Aqaa'idul Islaam, Allaama Abu Muhammad Abdul Haqq Haqqaani RAH. has quoted from Bukhaari and Muslim a hadith of Hadhrat Anas RADI. in which Rasulullaah SAW. mentions the following sign of Qiyaamah: Knowledge will be lifted (by the demise of people of knowledge), ignorance will flourish, fornication will be rife, drinking of liquor will be rampant and women will number so much more than men that one man will have to care for twenty women.

Hadhrat Jaabir RADI. reports from Rasulullaah SAW. that another sign will be that large number of liars will be prevalent. A narration of Bukhaari from Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah RADI. states that there will come a time when important posts will be entrusted to unworthy people. Another narration of Muslim from Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah RADI. mentions that at that time the world will be so much filled with tragedies and calamities that people will wish they were dead. A narration of Tirmidhi also from Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah RADI. tells us that amongst the signs will be that:

> leaders will regard booty to be their personal wealth
> people will regard trusts placed with them to be booty
> zakaah will be treated like a tax
> knowledge of Deen will be studied for worldly motives
> men will obey their wives rather than their mothers
> they will be more attached to their friends than to their fathers
> people will make noise and shout in the Masaajid
> sinners will be the leaders of people
> unworthy people will assume positions of authority
> people will be honoured for fear of the harm they can cause
> music will be in every commonplacedrinking of liquor will be widespread
> the latter generations of the Ummah will curse the former generations

Rasulullaah SAW. then said that when these things happen, people should then wait for severe hurricanes with red winds, earthquakes. Stones raining from the sky, people sinking into the ground and being transfigured...
Shah Rafi'ud Deen Muhaddith Dehlawi RAH. has quoted a Hadith from hadhrat Ali RADI. concerning the minor signs of Qiyaamah. In the Hadith, Rasulullaah SAW. mentions the following signs:

> when leaders will regard the income of the state to be their personal wealth
> when zakaah will be treated like a tax
> when people will regard trusts placed with them to be booty (permissible for them to use as they please)
> when men will obey their wives rather than their mothers
> when children will disobey their parents and keep immoral people as friends
> when knowledge of Deen will be studied for worldly motives
> when the worst people of nations will become their leaders
> when unworthy people will assume positions of authority
> when people will be honoured for fear of the harm they can cause
> when the drinking of liquor will be widespread
> when music, dancing and instruments of entertainment will be in every commonplace
> when fornication and adultery will be rampant
> when the latter generations of the Ummah will curse the former generations

Rasulullaah SAW. then said that when these things happen, people should then wait for severe hurricanes with red winds and other forms of punishment such as earthquakes, stones raining from the sky and people sinking into the ground and being transfigured.

Apart from these, many other signs will follow in rapid succession just as the beads of a necklace fall consecutively to the ground when the string breaks Other signs mentioned are:

> playing in the Masaajid
> swearing and making absurd statements when meeting each other rather than greeting with Salaam
> decrease in the knowledge of Deen
> regarding lying as a virtue
> disappearance of honesty and trustworthiness from people's hearts
> sinners acquiring the knowledge of Deen
> disappearance of shame and modesty
> the Kuffaar getting together and harming the Muslims from all sides to such an extent that it will be unavoidable
> the appearance of many false religions
> fabrication of Ahadeeth
> the start of many new innovations in Deen (Bid'ah)

Hadhrat Thowbaan RAH. reports from Rasulullaah SAW. that a time will come when the Kuffaar powers will call each other to destroy the Muslims just as people invite each other to partake of a meal. "O Rasulullaah SAW. the Sahabah RADI. asked, "Will we be few in number during that time (because of which they will want to take advantage of us)?" "Not at all Rasulullaah SAW. replied, "In fact, you will be as much as the foam on the sea. However, the Kuffaar will have no fear for you because you will have weakness in your hearts." "What is this weakness?" someone asked Rasulullaah SAW. replied, "Love for this world and dislike for death. Hadhrat Anas RADI. narrates that Rasulullaah SAW. said, "Qiyaamah will not come until time shortens and a year becomes like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day and a day like an hour and an hour like the flash of a flame.

Khateeb RAH. has reported a narration stating that Hadhrat Umar RADI. once dispatched Hadhrat Nadhla bin Mu'aawiya RADI. with an expedition to Qaadisiyyah. When the time for Asar arrived, Hadhrat Nadhla RADI. stood up to call out the Adhaan. However, when he said, "Allaahu Akbar! Allaahu Akbar!" a voice immediately came from the mountain saying, "O Nadhla! You have exalted the name of an Exalted Being." When Hadhrat Nadhla RADI. then called out "l testify that Muhammad SAW. is the Rasul of Allaah", the voice said, "The one who warned and gave good news is the same Nabi SAW. about whose coming Isa bin Maryam Aly. gave glade tidings. It is upon his Ummah that Qiyaamah will take place."

When Hadhrat Nadhla RADI. then called out, "Come to salaah" the voice said, "Congratulations to the one who goes towards it and is regular with it When Hadhrat Nadhla RADI. called out, "Come to success", the voice said "Success will be the lot of the one who believes in what Muhammad SAW. said about this being the factor to keep the Ummah in existence." When Hadhrat Nadhla RADI. ended the Adhaan with "Allaahu Akbar! Allaahu Akbar! the voice remarked, "You have displayed great sincerity, O Nadhla Allaah has therefore forbidden Jahannam from you."

When the Adhaan was over, all the Muslims turned to the mountain and said, "Who are you? May Allaah have mercy on you. Are you an angel, a Jinn or an unseen announcer? You have made us hear your voice, so now show us what you look like. We are the delegation of Allaah and His Rasool SAW. and have been sent by Umar bin Khatt aab)

The mountain then cleaved open and an old white-bearded man emerged wearing two woollen garments. When he greeted with As Salaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh", the Muslims replied by saying, "Wa Alaykumus Salaam wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh. Who are you? May Allaah have mercy on you." He replied saying, "I am Zarnab the son of yartamla. I am the follower of the Allaah's righteous servant Isa bin Maryam Aly. He put me to stay in this mountain and made du'aa that Allaah grant me a long life until the time that he descends from the heavens, kills all pigs, breaks the cross and exonerates himself from the forbidden things that the Christians have made lawful. Since I have not had the opportunity to meet Muhammad SAW. do convey my greetings to Umar RADI. and tell him to Practice moderation because the time is nigh. Inform him about the events I will describe to you and tell him that when these become apparent in the Ummah of Muhammad SAW. then the only thing to do is run away. (They are:

1. When men gratify themselves with men and women with women
2. when people will attribute their lineages to families and masters that are not their own
3. adults will not have mercy on youngsters
4. people will stop doing good and will not even encourage it, while at the same time, they will not stop evil
5. knowledge (of Deen) will be acquired only to earn money
6. rain will stop falling
7. children will be filled from head to toe in rage
8. high rise building will be constructed
9. Qur'aans will be decorated with gold and silver plating
10. houses will be built very strong
11. people will follow the dictates of their whims
12. Deen will be sold for worldly gains
13. killing and severing family ties will be regarded to be trivial matters
14. governments will be bought and sold
15. interest will be commonplace
16. wealth will be the basis of honour
17. a man will leave his house and someone better than him will stand up for him and greet him
18. women will ride on saddles" (nowadays they not only sit without Purdah beside their husbands on scooters, but they actually ride them by themselves)

After saying this, Zarnab the son of Yartamla disappeared without trace. Hadhrat Nadhla RADI. wrote about this to Hadhrat Sa'd bin Abi Waqqaas RADI. who in turn wrote about it to Hadhrat Umar RADI.

Hadhrat Umar RADI. wrote back to Hadhrat Sa'd bin Abi Waqqaas RADI. saying, "O Sa'd Would you please take the Muhaajireen and Ansaar with you to the mountain and camp there for awhile. Should you meet with the follower of Hadhrat Isa Aly. please convey my Salaams to him because Rasulullaah SAW. informed me that there is such a person living in a mountain in Iraq." Hadhrat Sa'd RADI. then took forty Muhaajireen and Ansaar and camped by the mountain for forty days. Although they called out the Adhaan five times a day they received no reply at all.
Thus far we have mentioned the minor signs. We will now briefly mention the major signs, as mentioned in Aqaa'idul Islaam. One may refer to Aqaa'idul Islaam, Alaamaate Qiyaamah and the various books of Ahadeeth for more details.
Hadhrat Mahdi will rule with justice and equality. Dajjaal will then make his appearance and spread corruption throughout the earth. Hadhrat Isa' Aly. will then descend from the heavens and kill Dajjaal at Baabul Ludd Thereafter Hadhrat Isa Aly. and Hadhrat Mahdi will travel though the lands and console those who had been harmed by Dajjaal and compensate them for their losses. At that time, all of the earth will be filled with peace and safe! Islaam will spread throughout the world and all kufr and oppression will be eliminated. Hadhrat Mahdi's Khilaafah will last for seven years or eight years, after which he will pass away. Hadhrat Isa Aly. and the Muslims will perform his Janaazah salaah and bury him.

Hadhrat Isa Aly. will then take charge of all affairs and there will be peace all about. However, he will receive revelation telling him to take all the Muslims to Mount Toor because a nation (the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj) will soon be emerging and no nation has the power to fight them. They will then be released and cause chaos and havoc on earth, after which Allaah will destroy them. After the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are destroyed, the earth will again be filled with peace and prosperity to the extent that an entire family will get full eating just one pomegranate or drinking the milk of a single goat.

This will last for seven years, after which Hadhrat Isa Aly. Will pass away and be buried next to Rasulullaah SAW. Thereafter, evil, irreligiousness and Kufr will start to spread slowly throughout the world and a day will come when a smoke will envelope the world. It will cause all Mu'mineen to show the symptoms of a cold and will cause the Kuffaar much difficulty. This smoke will prevail for full forty days.

A narration of Muslim quotes Rasulullaah SAW. as saying, "Qiyaamah will not Dawn until ten signs manifest themselves: (1) the smoke, (2) Daijaal, (3) the creature from the earth, (4) the rising of the sun form the west, (5) the descent of Isa Aly. (6) the emergence of the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj, (7) sinking of the earth in three places, in the east, in the west and in Arabia, (8) at the end of it all, a fire will emerge from Yemen and drive people towards the Plains of resurrection.

It will then occur in the month of Dhul Hijjah that the night after the day of Nahr (10tn) will be extremely long. People will be filled with fear and will start to repent to Allaah and engage in du'aa. The night will last the duration of three nights, after which the sun will emerge from the west. It will rise as high as it usually does at midday and will then return to the west and set. Thereafter, it will rise and set as normal. From the time the sun rises from the west. No person's repentance will be accepted, nor will any person's conversion to Islaam be accepted.

This has been reported in several Ahadeeth. A Hadith of Bukhaari and Muslim from Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah RADI. states that Nabi SAW. said, "Qiyaamah will not come until the sun rises from the west. When it does and People see it, they will accept Imaan, but their Imaan will be of no avail to them."

The day after this, Mount Safa in Makkah will cleave open and a strange creature will emerge from it, which will actually speak to people. This creature from the earth is mentioned in the Qur'aan as well as in the Ahadeeth. Between this event and the blowing of the trumpet will be a duration of a hundred years. Not long after the emergence of the creature, a cold wind will blow from Shaam which will cause all people of Imaan to pass away. In fact, even if a Mu'min is in a deep cave, the wind will reach him there. After this there will be only evil people living on earth, who will not know the meaning of good.

The people from Abyssinia will then dominate the world and rule over it. They will eventually destroy the Kabah and remove the treasures from beneath it. The earth will then be filled with evil and tyranny and like animals, people will openly commit incest with their mothers and sisters. The words will be lifted from the pages of the Qur'aan, no people of Imaan will be left and drought will ravage the people. A fire will then emerge from the south, surround the people and drive them towards Shaam where people will be resurrected on the Day of Qiyaamah. when night falls, the fire will stop in its tracks (for the people to rest) and will again start chasing them at daybreak. When they eventually reach Shaam, the fire will disappear.

A Hadith of Muslim narrated by Hadhrat Hudhayfah bin Usayd Ghifaari RADI. states that the last of the ten final signs of Qiyaamah will be a fire that will drive the people to the place of resurrection. The people will then live here for several years in peace and comfort. Shaytaan will then come to them in human form and say, "Are you people not ashamed of yourselves? "What are you talking about?" they will ask. Shaytaan will say, "You should be worshipping idols." They will then start to worship idols. They will continue receiving sustenance in generous proportions and, according to a narration of Muslim, it will be when there is none to take the name of Allaah that the trumpet will be blown. People will be surprised when they hear a faint sound, but the sound will gradually get louder until it will be louder that thunder. This will cause the people to die. This will take place on a Friday on the 10th of Muharram.

The trumpet is a horn shaped type of a bugle that the angel Hadhrat Israfeel Aly. will blow. This is reported in a narration of Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi. A narration of Muslim states that the first person to hear the trumpet will be a man busy plastering a water hole for his camel. He will fall unconscious when hearing it, after which the same will happen to other people. Allaah says in the Qur'aan: You will also see people in a drunken stupor although they will not be drunk, but (they will be in this condition because they will realise that) Allaah's punishment is severe.

The sound of the trumpet will be so frightening that wild animals will run into the cities and people will run into the wilds. Allaah says, "When wild animals will be gathered together. The animals will all also die, after which the sound will become even more intense and trees and mountains will fly about like wool, as Allaah says, "...und the mountains (which are found in a variety of colours) will (be tossed into the air and) become like coloured (flakes of') wool (as they fly about like flakes of wool tossed through the air).

When the sound becomes even more intense. the stars, moon and sun will shatter and fall and the sky and earth will disintegrate. Allaah says in the Qur'aan. "When (the trumpet will be blown to signal the Day of Qiyaamah,) the sky will tear apart..." Another verse states, "When (this day takes place) the earth will be stretched out (to from a level plain)?..

Allah also says, ?(Do not forget the day of qiyaamah) When the sun is folded (will lose its light). When the stars fall down (and cease to exit). Allah? says, in Surah Haaqa, ?When the trumpet will be blown once (to signal the arrival of the day of Qiyaamah) will take place which is to take place. The sky will be split and become absolutly weak (unable to remain standing)that day?.?

NOTE: Some Ulema state eight things will be exempted from distruction onthis day. They are the Arsh, the Kursi, the Lowhul Mahfoodh, the Pen, Jannah, Jahannam, the trumpet and all souls. The souls will however fall unconscious. Other Ulema maintain that everything besides Allaah will be destroyed, even the things mentioned above. This they derive from the verse: ?Everything shall perish but His Countnance. Allaah also says, ?Only the countnance of your Rabb The Possessor of majesty and benevollence shall remain (forever, without ever perishing). Another verse states: (On the Day of Qiyaamah, when nothing but Allaah will be alive, Allaah will announce,) ?To Allaah, the one, the omnipotent.?

Thereafter, the trumpet will be blown for a second time and everything will come back to life.

And allah knows best what is most correct.

Fatawa Rahimiyyah Vol.1

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