Allah The Almighty says:
“They ask you, (O Muhammad), about the Hour: when is its arrival? In what (position) are you that you should mention it? To your Lord is its finality! You are only a warner for those who fear it. It will be, on the Day they see it, as though they had not remained [in the world] except for an afternoon or a morning thereof.
[Al-Qur’an]
The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said pointing with his index and middle fingers,
“The time of my advent and the Hour are like these two fingers.”
In another report, He said,
“The Hour almost came before me.” This indicates how close we are, relatively speaking, to the Day of Judgement.
In Sahih Bukhari, there is a hadith which states that a Bedouin asked the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) about the Hour. He 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 said, “You will be with those you love.” The Muslims had never rejoiced as much they did when they heard this Hadith.
Furthermore, the signs of Qiyamah can be divided into three categories:
- The signs that have elapsed.
- Presently occurring (Minor signs).
- Still to occur (Major signs).
There are many signs of the approaching Day of Judgement that have already passed. Some of those are stated below:
- Birth and demise of the Prophet (peace be upon him). [Bukhari, Jami Al-Sagir]
- Muslims conquering Bait Al-Muqaddas. (Bukhari)
- The Plague of Unwas (a city in Palestine). (Fath Al-Bari)
- Emergence of false prophets. (Bukhari)
- A massive fire ignited in the Hejaz region which will reach Basra, Iraq. (Bukhari)
The signs that are presently occurring are referred to in Ahadith as Alamaat Sughra (minor signs).
Abu Huraira (may Allah be please with him) narrates that Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) is reported to have said,
“When Amanat (trust) is misused then, wait for Qiyamah (Qiyamah is near) someone inquired how will trust be misused! He (peace be upon him) replied when the command (of affairs) is handed over to the wrong people”.
[Fath Al-Bari]
Anas (may Allah be please with him) narrates that Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) is reported to have said;
“Verily, amongst the signs of Qiyamah is; knowledge will be snatched away, ignorance will become widespread, alcohol will be extensively used and Zina (adultery) will become common”.
[Fath Al-Bari]
Abu Musa (may Allah be please with him) narrates that Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) is reported to have said
“At the approach of Qiyamah, knowledge will be uplifted, ignorance will become widespread and Harj (killing) will become rampant”.
[Fath Al-Bari]
Hafiz Ibnu Hajar (may Allah bless him) explains the above Hadith saying,
“At the manifestation of Fitna (turmoil, chaos, and corruptions) killing and murder will become rampant then Imam Mahdi will appear and cause peace to prevail.
[Fath Al-Bari]
The minor signs are:
- Loss of trust (from the hearts of people). [Bukhari]
- Loss of knowledge and rampant ignorance. [Bukhari]
- Adultery (Zina) will become common. [Bukhari]
- Interest (Riba) being widespread. [Tabrani]
- Appearance of musical instruments. [Ibn Majah]
- Extensive use of alcohol. [Muslim]
- Competing with each other in the decoration of mosques. [Ahmad]
- Competing with each other in building (the houses, buildings, etc.) [Bukhari]
- Abundance of killing. [Muslim]
- Contrition in/of time. [Bukhari]
- Extensive immorality, break of family relations, and evil character among neighbours. [Ahmad]
- The use of black dye by men. [Ahmad]
- Widespread miserliness. [Tabrani]
- Abundance of earthquakes. [Bukhari]
- Extensive trade/business until a woman would accompany/join her husband in trade and business [Ahmad].
- Removal of the pious (by Allah Almighty). [Ahmad]
- Salam (to say Assalamu Alaykum) will be made by a person only to those whom he knows. [Ahmad]
- Ilm (knowledge) will be sought from young (Assaghir). [Jami As-Saghir]
- Women would be clothed yet naked (due to their style of clothing). [Ahmad]
- Presence of lairs. [Muslim]
- False oaths will be taken. [Ahmad]
- Abundance of women in comparison to men. [Bukhari]
- Unexpected and sudden deaths. [Tabrani]
It is evident from the above that all the minor signs of the Hour have already appeared and it’s only the major signs of Qiyamat that are awaited. The arrival of Imam Mahdi (May Allah bless him) is one of the major signs of the Day of Judgement. At the time of his appearance, it will be known to the Muslims. However, the exact time of his appearance is unknown. At the time of his recognition, the Iman (faith) of a believer must be strong enough to face the trials and tribulations that will be apparent at that time.
Therefore, it is the duty of every Muslim to prepare spiritually and physically for his death by performing good actions and perchance if one witness’s the era of Imam Mahdi, he would be fully prepared.
Allama Shams Al-Haqq Al-Azem Abadi (May Allah bless him) states in his commentary “A’wn Al-M’abud,”
“At the end of time a person will appear who will belong to the progeny of Prophet Muhammed (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). He will assist the Deen of Allah Almighty and let justice prevail, the Muslims will accept him as their viceroy and follow his commands, his name will be Mahdi. The coming of Dajjal (Antichrist) and all other signs of Qiyamah will precede his manifestation until Essa (Jesus) (Blessings upon him) will descend from the heavens, he will kill Dajjal, and Imam Mahdi will assist him.”.
[A’wn Al-Ma’bud]
Ummu Salamah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported that Prophet Muhammed (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is reported to have said:
“Imam Mahdi will arise from Madina fleeing to Makkah. The people of Makkah will then pledge allegiance to him between Hajar Al-Aswad and Maqam-e-Ibrahim (and accept him as their leader). At this time an army from Shaam will be sent to attack him but when they will be at Bayda, which is between Makkah and Madina, they will be swallowed into the ground. The people seeing this (the army being swallowed, they will confirm him as being their leader). Thereafter, the Abdals (those whom Allah Almighty will use to uplift his Deen) of Shaam and a group (A’saib) of people from them will then approach him and pledge allegiance to him (Imam Mahdi) between Hajar Al-Aswad and Maqam-e-Ibrahim. Meanwhile, a person from the Quraysh belonging to the Kalbi tribe will then send an army to attack him (Imam Mahdi) and his followers. His (Imam Mahdi’s) army will defeat them … Imam Mahdi will then live among the Muslims for seven years, he will work and establish the sunnah of Nabi(sallallahu alaihi wasallam) (among mankind) and Islam will again be universal. He will thereafter die and the Muslims will perform his Janazah (funeral prayer).”
[A’wn Al-Ma’bud]
In regards to what has been said above, it should be understood that Qiyamah is inevitable. To worry about when it will occur or where it will occur is trivial. The major issue is what have we actually prepared for it!
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