Why Muslims Should Not Fear Apocalypse
‘God is the Knower of the future, He does not permit anyone to unveil such knowledge’
Qu’ran 72:27
In the 17th century, a sect of called the Old Believers existed in Russia. Between the year 1669 and 1690, something happened to this sect. Twenty-thousand members burned themselves to death. Why? They believed that the world was coming to an end and they engaged in this self-immolation to ‘escape’ the punishment of Dajjal (the Anti-Christ).
In the year 1978, almost a thousand people led by Jim Jones, leader of the Peoples Temple drank cyanide-laced juice as they believed the end of the world was imminent. And recently in the United States, an old priest by the name Harold Camping declared that the world would come to an inglorious end on the 21st of May, 2011. The day has come and gone and the prophet of doom is nowhere to be found.
These illustrations, which are relatively few, have been made to show the futility of man’s attempt in trying to reveal when the world will expire. As Muslims, we are the best of mankind to be raised and Islam has not left anything in our lives untouched, including how our planet will come to an end. Thus, there is absolutely no reason for any Muslim to panic or become unnecessarily frightened when another ‘prophecy’ about the world’s ending is announced –be sure that another ‘prediction’ will soon be made.
[pullquote_left]There is absolutely no reason for any Muslim to panic when another ‘prophecy’ about the world’s ending is announced –be sure that another ‘prediction’ will soon be made.[/pullquote_left]The Holy Prophet (SAW) has made this issue very clear and he has stated that although no human being knows the exact time that the world will be destroyed, there are certain signs that will occur before there will be apocalypse. These are referred to as the signs of the Last Days and they have been carefully recorded in the hadiths (sayings and traditions) of the Holy Prophet (SAW). It is imperative to state at this point that an unshakeable belief in the Last Day of Judgment (Yaomul Qiyamah) is an integral part of a true believer. In one of his hadiths and in verses of the Qu’ran, Muslims know that there are ten major signs that will be seen before the world as we know it will come to an end.
The first of these signs is the appearance of the False Messiah (Dajjal or the Anti-Christ) and the second of these signs will be the coming of Prophet Isa (AS) (Jesus Christ). The third, fourth and fifth signs will be three earthquakes/landslides; one will be recorded in the west, one in the east and the third one will occur in the Arabian Peninsula. The release of the destructive tribes of Ya’juj and Ma’juj (also known as Gog and Magog) will be the sixth sign. The appearance of the Smoke will be the seventh sign and Allah (SWT) mentions this in the Qu’ran:
‘Then wait for the day when the sky brings a visible smoke’
Qu’ran 44:10
Instead of rising in the east, the sun will rise in the west, and that will be the eighth sign. Coming of the Beast and the great Fire which will drive the people to a gathering place will be the last two signs. So far, it appears that none of these signs have happened as none as been detected yet, and only Allah (SWT) knows the exact timing of these great events, some of which will have cataclysmic effects on the globe and humanity.
However, apart from these ten major signs, there are some other minor signs, and many of these have clearly occurred. These include the demise of the Holy Prophet (SAW), the rise of false prophets which happens to be quite prevalent in this age, loss of trust as we now use codes and passwords to protect all that is ours, from bank accounts to computer files and this is simply due to widespread loss of trust. Rampant fornication and adultery is also one of such signs mentioned by the Messenger (SAW). We all know how true this is but it will interest you to know that recently, the government of Mexico passed a law that makes adultery legal and many European nations such as the Netherlands have also legalized same sex marriage. These are just some of the minor signs and they have not only come to pass, we are living witnesses.
[pullquote_right]Signs of the Last Day: loss of trust, rampant fornication & adultery.[/pullquote_right]As Muslims living in a trying time like this, what we need to do is to stick to the teachings of the Qu’ran and the teachings of the Holy Prophet (SAW) more than ever since no one knows when the major signs will occur. Brotherhood is now very vital and it will assist in overcoming the numerous challenges Muslims are now facing all over the globe. May Almighty Allah (SWT) in His Infinite Mercy guide and protect us during this era (and future) of tribulations.
Adebayo Ahmed Adebola
Adebayo Ahmed Adebola is a 23-year-old Nigerian writer, editor and motivational speaker. A recipient of the 2009 CHD/Ford Foundation Essay Writing Prize, he is passionate about learning about his deen and spreading the knowledge.
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