ummtaalib

The Gift of Gratitude On one occasion, after Nabi Ismaeel Alayhis salaam had married, Nabi Ebrahim Alayhis salaam came to visit him in Makkah Mukarramah. On arriving at his home, however, he did not meet Ismaeel Alayhis salaam as he was out, and instead met his wife. As she had never met Ebrahim Alayhis salaam before, she did not recognize him. Ebrahim Alayhis salaam asked her where Ismaeel Alayhis salaam was to which she replied, “He has gone to find sustenance for us (i.e. he has gone out to hunt).” Ebrahim Alayhis salaam next asked her regarding their condition and state. She replied by complaining and mentioning, “We are in a bad condition. We are undergoing constraints and poverty.” Ebrahim Alayhis salaam then said to her, “When your husband arrives, convey my salaam to him, and tell him to change his doorstep.” When Ismaeel Alayhis salaam later returned, he perceived that someone had visited, and thus asked his wife, “Did anyone come?” She replied, “Yes, an old man with such-and-such an appearance arrived. He asked me where you were, and so I told him that you were out. He asked me regarding our condition, and so I told him that we are in difficulty and hardship.” Ismaeel Alayhis salaam asked her, “Did he give you any message?” She replied, “Yes, he told me to convey salaam to you, and to tell you to change your doorstep.” Ismaeel Alayhis salaam responded, “That was my father, Ebrahim Alayhis salaam. He has instructed me to separate from you.” (Ebrahim Alayhis salaam was actually referring to the wife of Ismaeel Alayhis salaam when he used the term ‘doorstep’.) After some time had passed, Ismaeel Alayhis salaam remarried. When Ebrahim Alayhis salaam came to visit him after he remarried, he was again out of the home. Hence, Ebrahim Alayhis salaam met his wife who did not recognize him. Ebrahim Alayhis salaam asked her where Ismaeel Alayhis salaam was to which she answered, “He has gone to search for sustenance for us.” Ebrahim Alayhis salaam next asked her regarding their condition. She praised Allah Ta‘ala and replied, “We are in a good condition, enjoying prosperity.” Ebrahim Alayhis salaam then said to her, “When your husband arrives, convey my salaam to him, and tell him to keep and look after his doorstep.” When Nabi Ismaeel Alayhis salaam later returned, he perceived that someone had visited, and thus asked his wife, “Did anyone come?” She replied in the affirmative and informed Ismaeel Alayhis salaam of what had transpired, together with conveying to him the salaam and the message of Ebrahim Alayhis salaam. Ismaeel Alayhis salaam responded, “That was my father, and you are the ‘doorstep’ to which he referred. He has instructed me to keep you as my wife and look after you.” (Bukhaari #3364) NB: The doorstep acts as a form of protection for the door and the home. Similarly, the woman of the home is a form of protection for the home, as she guards the home in the absence of the husband. Furthermore, the wife always remains at home (in the ideal situation) just as the doorstep never moves and always remains in one place. For this reason, the word ‘doorstep’ was used to refer to the woman of the home. (Fathul Baari vol. 6, pg. 499 and Al-Kautharul Jaari vol. 6, pg. 261) Lessons: 1. The first wife and second wife of Ismaeel Alayhis salaam had lived in the same home and had both experienced the same conditions of hardship. However, there was a great difference between the two wives. The first wife had the bad qualities of ingratitude and complaining, and hence she was deprived of remaining in the marriage of Ismaeel Alayhis salaam. The second wife was blessed with the qualities of gratitude for the favours they enjoyed, patience over their hardships, and contentmentwith the little that they had, and so she was honoured to remain the wife of Ismaeel Alayhis salaam. 2. The importance of the wife remaining grateful to her husband and abstaining from complaining can be clearly understood from the hadeeth in which Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam warned the women of this Ummah that one of the main causes for them entering Jahannum is their excessive complaining and lack of appreciation for the favours and kindness of the husband.(Muslim #2048) In another hadeeth, Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam described those women who do not have the quality of appreciation saying, “If you treat such a woman kindly for your entire life, and she thereafter sees something from you (that she dislikes), she will say, ‘I never saw any good from you!’ (i.e. on account of one unhappy experience, she will immediately forget the lifetime of good that you showed her and will immediately complain.)” (Bukhaari #29) 3. Ismaeel Alayhis salaam heeded the advice of his father, Ebrahim Alayhis salaam regarding his wife. Similarly, we should ensure that we consult and follow the advice of our parents and elders when choosing a spouse. uswatulmuslimah.co.za

Why is there Suffering in the World? Q. I have a question regarding sufferings. People in general suffer, some a lot some not at all regardless of their religion. What is the reason behind these sufferings? Is it sins? In so many books it is said Allah is most merciful most kind and most loving yet we don’t see his love and mercy. My question is what is the reason and how do we make it stop? A. The first thing to understand is that this world is only the stepping stone to our true abode which is the hereafter. This world is our place for trial and examination. In this world we understand that the higher the qualification, the harder the exam. Our test in this world is not for qualifications or for degrees. It is for eternal life in gardens of paradise. It is for the supreme success. How can such a test be easy? Study the life of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam and you will find that no one went through greater tests and trials than him. Did Allah not have mercy on him? In the Quran, Allah tells us, “Indeed Allah has purchased your lives and wealth in exchange for Jannah.” This means that everything we are and everything we have is at the ready to be sacrificed in the attainment of Jannah. You may have come across children, whose parents have given them everything, yet their ingratitude is of a level that they say, “My parents have done nothing for me.” The child sees only the negative and his eyes have become blind to the many sacrifices and privileges his parents have afforded him. It is similar when we say that we do not see Allah’s mercy. In the Qur’aan, Allah tells us, “If Allah had to punish man in accordance to his sins, then not a creature would be left living on the earth (due to the punishment due).” It is Allah’s mercy that he affords the creation grace. It is Allah’s mercy that despite our sins, we may eat and drink and breath. The Nabi of Allah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam informed us, “The first favour of Allah that we will be questioned about on the Day of Judgement will be, “Have I not given you a sound body and quenched your thirst with cold water?” These are great favours of Allah upon us but how many of the creation are thankful. There is another aspect that we must consider. Allah has created this world as a place of means, a place of cause and effect and, by and large, Allah allows it to run its own course. A person who wants to do good is able to do good. A person who wants to do evil is able to do evil. The judgement and consequence is not in this world but in the hereafter. When people cause suffering and when greed and hatred cause war, genocide, looting and rape, do we blame Allah? No, the blame is on the wrongdoers. When governments usurp their countries wealth and leave the population in want and desperation, the blame is on them. Allah Ta’ala asks us in the Qur’an, “Why would Allah punish you if you are grateful and believing?” If the Ummah will en masse turn to Allah, then Allah will divinely intervene to change their condition for the better. But if they continue to live as they please then Allah will leave them to their own devices. And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best Mufti Moosa Salie Confirmation: Mufti Ismaeel Bassa (The answer hereby given is specifically based on the question asked and should be read together with the question asked. Islamic rulings on this Q&A newsletter are answered in accordance to the Hanafi Fiqh unless otherwise stated.) Fatwa Department Jamiatul Ulama (KZN)

The stages of the nafs: Nafs al ammara part 1 From Ashrafiya . Shaikh Abdul Ghani at Tarablusi al Khalwati (Allah have mercy on him) said, ‘It is your lower self (nafs) that veils you from Allah. The scholars of Reality (al haqiqa) have mentioned seven stages of the nafs according to its changing states, the ammara, lawamah, mulhema, mutmainah, radhiya, mardhiya and kamilah.’ Following is a summary of Shaikh’s discussion. 1. The inciting nafs (nafs-i-ammara) إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلاَّ مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّيَ‎ Surely, man’s inner self often incites to evil, unless my Lord shows mercy.”[12:53] In its primitive stage the nafs incites us to commit evil: this is the corrupt nafs as the lower self, the base instincts. Its characteristics include; stinginess, greed, envy, ignorance, arrogance, lust, anger, heedlessness, coveting, mad manners, involvement in useless, making others’ fun, having malice for them and harming them with speech or hand. It becomes the instrument of Satan’s seduction (to sin). It the most lethal enemy. Therefore extreme caution is needed in not listening to its insolent commands. In Prophetic saying the struggle against it has been mentioned as highest level of righteous effort (jihad al akbar). Being steadfast on the commandments of Shariah is essential. Keeping constant vigilance (muhasba) is required. It is imperative to have extreme humility and engagement in supererogatory deeds. This is facilitated by giving up (after consultation with Shaikh) the excessive permissible pleasures and all useless activities. By routinely crying in front of Allah asking for help and making remembrance of Allah as instructed by the Shaikh. ‘Never leave supplication because of being depressed and frustrated (by frequent slips) or lose hope by considering the goal to be unrealistic. This will severe the determination altogether.’ If one persists then Allah will spiritually enlighten the heart of the seeker that will make it possible to see the diseases that inflicts the nafs. Then comes the second stage. The stages of the nafs: Nafs al Lawwamah / part 2 The Self-reproaching nafs لا أقسم بيوم القيامة ولا أقسم بالنفس اللوامة [75:1] I swear by the Day of Resurrection, [75:2] and I swear by the self-reproaching conscience, (that Resurrection is a reality.) This is the stage where the conscience is awakened and the self reproaches one for listening to one’s ego. That is, in committing the evil acts or omitting the virtuous or doing them in a sloppy manner. Its characteristics include; reproaching, greed, coveting, self praise, show-off, cruelty, back-bitting, lying and heedlessness, love of fame and status. In sharing many characteristics of nafs al ammarah it maintains the ability to differentiate between the good and evil. However, it is not proficient, as yet, to fully follow the good commands and abstain from sinful. Moreover, if it does do some good acts it develops desires of self-praise (ujub) or showing-off or expecting praise from others. In this stage it is imperative that he acknowledges and exposes these blame worthy desires to his fellow-brethren (as per the instruction of his Shaikh). Otherwise these blame-worthy morals will cut-off his journey on this path. It is essential that in this phase he makes excessive remembrance of Allah and exerts in the struggle (to do good and abstain from evil). Here he is inflicted will excessive abstract, useless ideas, and random, bizarre thoughts. He has to fight them off with assistance of excessive remembrance of Allah and supplications, asking Allah for assistance in doing so effectively. If he does so, he passes to the third stage. The stages of nafs: Nafs e mulhimah / part 3 The Inspired Nafs Allah Almighty says, (9)ونفس وما سواها ( 7 ) فألهمها فجورها وتقواها ( 8 ) قد أفلح من زكاها [91:7] and by the soul, and the One who made it well, [91:8] then inspired it with its (instincts of) evil and piety, [91:9] success is really attained by him who purifies it, In this stage of development the nafs is gifted with the ability to distinguish between good and evil. Moreover,the performance of good actions and abstinence from evil is facilitated for him by the Grace of Allah. This Grace is manifested as immense desire to please Allah. And at this stage nafs remains drowned in intense love of Allah (‘ishq illahi). This is possible by following the recommendations of the Shaikh and excessive remembrance of Allah as instructed by him. In fact it is mandatory (wajib) to follow the recommendations of the Shaikh at this stage to be successful. This is both a phenomenal and a challenging stage. Any heedlessness here will pull the nafs to its initial stage. (May Allah protect us all from this disaster. Amin!) Its characteristics include; self restraint (hilm), philanthropy, contentment, humility, repentance, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, maintaining a good opinion about others, acceptance of others’ excuses, etc. In addition to the excessive remembrance of Allah and following the instructions of Shaikh meticulously one has to repeatedly remind himself of meeting Allah and His perfections. He has to be vigilant in following the Shariah and be compliant to his daily wird. He must efface his ego by purposefully doing permissible humble actions. Here the individual observes that everything is from Allah (tawhid e afa’li). He abandons all criticism. He cries often and is deeply effected by the crying of others. He withdraws from all the creation and finds solace with Allah. He is attracted to beautiful audition. In short this stage is marked by intense love, lofty desires and high aspirations to please Allah.

Is it Proper to Refer to a Scholar as “Mawlānā” ? By Mufti Waseem Khan Edited by IlmGate Question: I heard that the word Mawlānā means master and that you cannot address anyone with that title as Mawlānā. Can you please clarify? Answer: The word Mawlānā is an Arabic word which is combined of two words namely Mawlā and nā – Mawlānā. It is not one word as some would think, but in reality it is two words as I have mentioned. As such, the permissibility or impermissibility of the usage of the word Mawlānā can only be seen when one looks at the two parts of this word with respect to its meaning and usage in the Arabic Language. Nā in the Arabic language is a pronoun which is used for possession when connected with a noun. Hence if you want to say ‘our book’ (in Arabic) you would say kitābunā – kitābu and nā. Similarly if you want to say ‘our pen’, you would say qalamunā – qalamu and nā. Therefore the word nā simply means ‘our’ in Arabic. As far as the word Mawlā is concerned, it is used in many different ways due to its varying meanings. In the book Mu’jam Lughat al-Fuqahā’ (Dictionary of Islamic legal terminology) written by Dr. Muhammad Rawwas (contributor to the encyclopedia of Islamic law and professor of Islamic Institutions) and Dr. Hamid Sadiq (Professor of Terminology and Dictionaries) it is written: The word Mawlā conveys many different meanings. Some of which are: 1. Master 2. Leader 3. The one who has freed a slave 4. The slave who has been freed 5. A slave 6. Sovereign 7. A patron 8. A client The Hans Wehr Arabic Dictionary has also given similar meanings. It states that Mawlā means master, lord, protector, patron, client, charge, friend, companion, and associate. It also states that al-Mawlā is used to say the lord, God, and the words Mawlāya (ya means ‘my’ in Arabic) and Mawlānā are forms of address to a sovereign. Similarly in the book Mu’jam al-Mustalahāt al-Dīniyah (a dictionary of religious terms) written by Dr. Abdullah Ibn Ashy Al-Maliki and Dr. Abdul Lateef Sheikh Ibrahim, it is mentioned that Mawlā means ‘a protector’ or ‘a guardian’. Based on these meanings, it shows that when the pronoun nā (our) is attached to the word Mawlā, it would have many different meanings such as: ‘our master’, ‘our leader’, ‘our slave’, ‘our freed slave’, ‘our master who freed the slave’, ‘our patron’, ‘our client’. It is therefore very clear that a master can address his slave as Mawlānā meaning ‘our slave’. Likewise a slave can address his master as Mawlānā meaning ‘our master’. In the same manner, people can address their leader as Mawlānā meaning ‘our leader’. In this manner all the above meanings can be used in the word Mawlā when connected to the pronoun nā. This is very clear and accepted in the Arabic Language. Additionally, the word Mawlā has been used in a tremendous amount of traditions where it sometimes referred to a slave and at times referred to a master and also to the one who freed the slave. While narrating the sanad (chain of narrators) for different Hadiths, Imams Bukhari, Muslim and all scholars of Hadith referred to certain narrators as the Mawlā of others. For example, sometimes Imam Bukhari would introduce Kurayb as the Mawlā of Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه. He would also introduce Nafi’ as the Mawlā of Ibn Umar رضي الله عنه and would refer to Humran as the Mawlā of Uthman رضي الله عنه. There are hundreds of such examples in the books of Hadith. Additionally, the Qur’an has also used the word Mawlā for different meanings. It has been used singly and has also been used combined with other pronouns. [Amongst] these verses is Surat Al-Hajj, verse 78: And hold fast to Allah. He is Mawlā kum [your Patron, Lord]. What an excellent Mawlā [Patron, Lord] and what an excellent helper. Here the word has been used connected to a pronoun in the first case i.e. Mawlā kum (kum means ‘your’) and in the second case it has been used singly. In both cases, it is used to refer to Allah as being the Patron, the Lord. Similar usages have been given in other verses such as Surat Anfāl’s verse 40, Surat Āle Imrān’s verse 150, Surat Tahrīm’s verse 2, etc. In these verses, the word Mawlā has been used to mean ‘lord’, ‘patron’ and refers to Allah since He is the real Patron, the Lord and the real Governor of our affairs. Along with this, the word Mawlā has been used for several other meanings in the Holy Qur’an. For example Surat Dukhān’s verse 41 states: “The Day when no Mawlā (friend, protector, leader, etc) can avail another Mawlā in anything and no help can they receive.” In this verse, Mawlā does not refer to Allah Our Creator, but it refers to human beings. Similarly, Surat Hadīd verse 15 states: “This Day no ransom shall be accepted from you, nor of those who rejected Allah. Your abode is the fire, that is your Mawlā (place, destination) and an evil refuge it is.” In this verse, the word Mawlā has the meaning of ‘a place’ or ‘a destination’. Taking this meaning into consideration, if we were to attach the pronoun nā to this word and say Mawlā-nā, it would mean our place or our destination. It is therefore evident in the Qur’an itself that this word does not only mean master. In two places of the Holy Qur’an, the word Mawlā attached to the pronoun nā has been used and they both refer to Allah. In Surat Baqarah verse 286, it states: “And blot out our sins and grant us forgiveness and have mercy on us. You are Mawlā-nā (our Protector, Master).” In the above verse, the word Mawlā has the meaning of master and protector and our true and real protector and master is only Allah, hence the use of the word Mawlānā for Allah. Secondly in Surat Tawbah verse 51, it states, “Say nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us. He is Mawlā-nā (our protector) and on Allah let the believers put their trust.” Here again the word Mawlā conveys the meaning ‘protector’ and when used with the pronoun nā, it means our protector. Since Allah is our protector, it is used to refer to him in the above verse. It should be noted that the real issue is not with the word Mawlānā. Instead, it is with the usage of the word Mawlā, since the word nā is a pronoun which can be used for anyone. In this manner, the words Mawlā-hum’ (their Lord), Mawlā-kum (your Lord) and Mawlā–hu (his protector) have all been used in the Holy Qur’an to refer to Allah. In each of the above, a different pronoun was used with the word Mawla and when combined together were all used to refer to Allah. As such, it can be seen that the permissibility or impermissibility of the usage of the word Mawlānā is not based upon the word Mawlānā alone but instead it is based totally upon the usage of the word Mawlā. In some passages of the Holy Qur’an and traditions, as well as the books of Fiqh, it is evident that the word Mawlā has been used to convey many different meanings and is not confined with the meaning of ‘Protector’ and ‘Master’. In Surat Tahrīm verse 4, it states: “But if you back up each other against him, truly Allah is his Protector (Mawlā) and Jibreel عليه السلام and the righteous ones from among those who believe.” In this verse it is clear that Allah has used the word Mawlā (protector) for Himself, Angel Jibreel عليه السلام, and the righteous servants. In other words, the verse means that truly Allah is the Mawlā (protector) of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, Jibreel عليه السلام is also his Mawlā (protector) and the righteous believers are also his Mawlā (protector). The summary of this entire explanation is that in the Arabic language, the word Mawlā has been used for many different meanings. As such, whenever it is used singly or combined with another word or pronoun, one must look to see which of its meaning is used. From the given meanings, it is clear that it can also mean ‘a leader’, hence using it with the pronoun nā by saying Mawlānā would be allowed to refer to someone as ‘our leader’. It is also important for one to understand that during the course of Islamic history, many words bearing respect and authority have been used by great scholars to refer to a person with great learning ability. One would therefore find the words Muhaddith (traditionist), Mufassir (commentator), Faqīh (jurist), Shaykh al-Islam (the sheikh, leader of Islam) etc being used to describe the status of a particular scholar of Islam. Although these names were not found to be used during the time of the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, they were all acceptable to all scholars since they were in no violation of any Islamic teaching. In the same manner, other words became prevalent among the Muslims living in different cities of the Islamic world. Words such as Mullah, ‘Allāma, Shaykh, Muftī, Mawlānā, Mawlawī etc. all became prevalent in different cities and were used to describe a person of great Islamic learning and authority. These words gained the wide acceptance of the general scholars and were not considered as being impermissible to use, since there was no meaning in any of the above words which could make its usage impermissible in the Shari’ah. Of late, the word Doctor (Daktūr) has also come into use in many Arab countries. Although this word has never been used by the al-Salaf al-Sālihīn (Pious Predecessors), all the Islamic scholars have given an allowance for its usage. And Allah knows best. Mufti Waseem Khan (Principal of Darul Uloom Trinidad & Tobago) Courtesy of Darul Uloom Trinidad & Tobago

Renewing Expressions of Grief Q. Is it permissible for family members of a deceased to post tributes and statuses expressing grief to the one who has passed on? Yes it makes the person feel better as they express how they feel but this sometimes continues for years after the person has passed away reigniting that atmosphere of mourning and grief etc. A. The time period to offer condolences is up to 3 days after the death of a person, unless a person is out of town. Such a person may offer condolences at a later time. Once a person has offered condolences once, then it should not be repeated. Renewing grief is against Islamic teachings. There is a reason why the mourning period is restricted to three days. Islam is not a religion of mourning. Mourning is a human requirement for a time but to perpetuate it is to make life gloomy, miserable and depressing. This is against Islamic spirit and teachings. The practice of continuing to post tributes and statuses expressing grief is against Islamic teachings and should be abandoned. (Hindiyyah Vol. 1 page 167) And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best Mufti Moosa Salie Confirmation: Mufti Ismaeel Bassa (The answer hereby given is specifically based on the question asked and should be read together with the question asked. Islamic rulings on this Q&A newsletter are answered in accordance to the Hanafi Fiqh unless otherwise stated.) Fatwa Department Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) Council of Muslim Theologians

The Hour will not come until… IT was reported from Abu Sa’id al-Khudri that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “Thunderbolts will increase so much as the Hour approaches that when a man comes to a people, he will ask, ‘Who amongst you was struck by a thunderbolt this morning?’ and they will say, ‘So-and-so and so-and-so was struck’.” (Ahmad) Heavy rain before the Day of Resurrection. It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The hour will not come until there has been rain which will destroy all dwellings except tents.” We have already mentioned many Ahadith about the signs of the Hour. Now we will turn our attention to some Ahadith which could indicate that the Hour is close at hand. It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said: “The Hour will not come until the following events have come to pass: people will compete with one another in constructing high buildings; two big groups will fight one another, and there will be many casualties – they will both be following the same religious teaching; earthquakes will increase; time will pass quickly; afflictions and killing will increase; nearly thirty dajjals will appear, each of them claiming to be a messenger from Allah; a man will pass by a grave and say, ‘Would that I were in your place’; the sun will rise from the West; when it rises and the people see it, they will all believe, but that will be the time when ‘No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before’ (al-An’am 6:158); and a wealthy man will worry lest no-one accept his Zakat.” (Bukhari, Muslim). It was reported from Anas that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said: “Among the signs of the Hour are the following: knowledge will decrease and ignorance will prevail; fornication and the drinking of wine will be common; the number of men will decrease and the number of women will increase, until one man will look after fifty women.” (Bukhari.) ‘A’ishah said, “I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) say, ‘Day and night will not pass away until people begin to worship Lat and ‘Uzza’ (two goddesses of pre-Islamic Arabic). I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I thought that when Allah revealed the Ayah “It is He Who has sent His Apostle with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim over all religion, even though the Pagans may detest (it)” (al-Tawbah 9:33), it implied that (this promise) would be fulfilled’. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘It will happen as Allah wishes. Then Allah will send a pleasant breeze, which will take everyone who has as much faith as a grain of mustard-seed in his heart. Only those with no goodness in them will be left, and they will revert to the religion of their forefathers’.” (Muslim) It was from Abu Hurairah that one day, while the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) was sitting with the people, a Bedouin came to him and asked him about Iman and Islam ‘ then he asked, “O Messenger of Allah, when will the Hour be?” He said, “The one who is asked about it does not know more than the one who asks, but I tell you about its signs. When a slave gives birth to her mistress, and when the bare-footed and naked become the chiefs of the people – these are among the signs of the Hour. There are five things which no-one knows except Allah.” Then he recited: “Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with God (alone). It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does anyone know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: nor does anyone know in what land he is to die. Verily God is All-Knowing, All Aware.” (Luqman 31:34). Then the man went away, and the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “Call him back to me,” but when the people went to call him, they could not see anything. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “That was Gabriel, who came to teach the people their religion.” (Bukhari, Muslim). “The bare-footed and naked paupers will compete with one another in constructing high buildings” means that they will become the chiefs of people. They will become rich, and their only concern will be to compete in constructing high buildings. This is as in the Hadith we shall see later: “The Hour will not come until the happiest people in the world will be the depraved sons of the depraved.” It was reported from Abu Sa’id that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said: “The Hour will not come until the time when a man will leave his home, and his shoes or whip or stick will tell what is happening to his family.” (Ahmad). It was reported from Abu Sa’id that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said: “By Him in Whose hand is my soul, the Hour will not come until wild animals talk to men, and a man speaks to his whip or his shoe, and his thigh will tell him about what happened to his family after he left.” Anas said, “We were discussing the fact that the Hour would not come until there is no rain, the earth does not produce crops, and fifty women will be cared for by one man; and if a woman passes by a man, he will look at her and say, ‘This woman once had a husband’.” (Ahmad.) Abu Hurairah said: “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said: ‘The Hour will not come until time passes so quickly that a year will be like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour, and an hour like the time it takes for a palm-leaf to burn’.” (Ahmad.) Abu Hurairah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said: ‘The world will not pass away until the one who enjoys it the most is the depraved son of the depraved’.” (Ahmad.) Abu Hurairah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘Before the Hour comes, there will be years of deceit, in which a truthful person will be disbelieved and a liar will be believed; and the insignificant will have a say’.” (Ahmad) Abu Hurairah said: “I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) say: ‘The Hour will not come until the sheep with horns no longer fights the sheep without horns’.” (Ahmad.) It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Hour will not come until wealth increases so much that a wealthy man will be worried lest no-one accept his Sadaqah: tribulations will appear; and there will be much Harj.” The people asked, “What is Harj”, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Killing, killing” (Ahmad.) It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “By Him Who sent me with the Truth, this earth will not pass away until people are afflicted with landslides, are pelted with stones, and are transformed into animals.” The people asked, “When will that be, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “When you see women riding in the saddle, when singers are common, when bearing false witness becomes widespread, and when men lie with men and women with women”. Tariq ibn Shihab said, “We were sitting with ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud, when a man came and told us that the time for prayer had come. So we got up and went to the mosque. After the prayer, a man came to ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud and said, ‘As-salam ‘alayka (Peace be upon you), O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman’. ‘Abd Allah answered, ‘Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth’. When we went back, we asked one another, ‘Did you hear the answer he gave? Who is going to ask him about it? I said, ‘I will ask him’; so I asked him when he came out. He narrated from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam): ‘Before the Hour comes, there will be a special greeting for the people of distinction; trade will become so widespread that a woman will help her husband in business; family ties will be cut; the giving of false witness will be common, while truthful witness will be rare; and writing will be widespread.” (Ahmad.) DESCRIPTION OF THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE ALIVE AT THE END OF TIME It was reported from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Hour will not come until Allah takes away the best people on earth; only the worst people will be left; they will not know any good or forbid any evil.” (Ahmad.) ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud said, “I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) say: Eloquence can be bewitching; the worst of the people are those upon whom the Hour will come while they are still alive, and those who turn graves into mosques’.” (Ahmad.) It was reported from Anas that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Hour will not come until no-one on earth says ‘La ilaha illa Allah’.” (Ahmad.) It was also reported from Anas that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said: “The Hour will not come until no-one on earth says, ‘Allah, Allah’.” (Ahmad.) There are two suggestions as to the meaning of the phrase, “until no-one on earth says ‘Allah, Allah'”: 1. It could mean that no-one will forbid evil, or try to correct another if he sees him doing something wrong. We have already come across this in the Hadith of ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr: “Only the worst people will be left; they will not know any good or forbid any evil.” 2. It could mean that Allah will no longer be mentioned, and His Name will not be known; this will be part of the prevalent corruption and Kufr, as in the previous Hadith, “Until no-one on earth says ‘La ilaha illa Allah’.” ‘A’ishah said. “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) came in, saying ‘O ‘A’ishah, your people will be the first of my Ummah to join me. When he sat down, I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, may I be sacrificed for you! When you came in, you were saying something which scared me. He asked, ‘What was that?’ I said, ‘You said that my people would be the first of your Ummah to join you.’ He said, ‘Yes’ I asked, ‘Why is that? He said, ‘Death will be widespread among them, and their relatives will be jealous of them.’I said, ‘How will people be after that?’ He said, ‘Like locusts: the strong will devour the weak, until the Hour comes.'” (Ahmad.) ‘Alba’al-Salami said, “I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) say: ‘The Hour will only come upon the worst of the people’.” (Ahmad.) Wassalam, Faraz Rabbani Qibla.com

The emergence of the beast AMONG the signs of the Hour will be the emergence of a beast from the earth. It will be very strange in appearance, and extremely huge; one cannot even imagine what it will look like. It will emerge from the earth and shake the dust from its head. It will have with it the ring of Solomon and the rod of Moses. People will be terrified of it and will try to run away, but they will not be able to escape, because such will be the decree of Allah. It will destroy the nose of every unbeliever with the rod, and write the word “Kafir” on his forehead; it will adorn the face of every believer and write the word “Mu’min” (true believer) on his forehead, and it will speak to people. Allah SWT said: “And when the Word is fulfilled against them (the unjust), We shall produce from the earth a Beast to (face) them: it will speak to them,'” (al-Naml 27.82) Ibn ‘Abbas, al-Hasan and Qutadah said that “It will speak to them” (tukallimuhum) means that it will address them. Ibn Jarir suggested that it means that the Beast will address them with the words “‘for that mankind did not believe with assurance in Our Sings” (al-Naml 27:82 – latter part of the Ayah). Ibn Jarir reported this from ‘Ali and ‘Ata’ It was reported from Ibn ‘Abbas that tukallimuhum means that the Beast will cut them, i e, it will write the word “Kafir” on the forehead of the unbeliever. It was also reported from Ibn ‘Abbas that he will both address them and cut them; this suggestion incorporates both of the previous suggestions; and Allah knows best. We have already mentioned the Hadith of Hudhayfah ibn Usayd, in which the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) is reported to have said, “The Hour will not come until you see ten signs: the smoke; the Dajjal; the Beast; the sun rising from the West; the descent of Jesus son of Mary; Gog and Magog; and three landslides – one in the East, one in the West, and one in Arabia, at the end of which fire will burst forth from the direction of Aden (Yemen) and drive people to the place of their final assembly.” Abu Hurairah said: “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the West, the smoke, the Dajjal, the Beast, the (death) of one of you or general tribulation.” (Muslim.) Baridah said: “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) took me to a place in the desert, near Makkah. It was a dry piece of land surrounded by sand. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘The Beast will emerge from this place. It was a very small area.” (Ibn Majah.) It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Beast of the Earth will emerge, and will have with it the rod of Moses and the ring of Solomon.” It was also reported that he said, “(The Beast) will destroy the noses of the unbelievers with the ring, – so that people seated around one table will begin to address one another with the words “O Believer!” or “O Unbeliever!” (i e, everyone’s status will become clear). (Ibn Majah.) ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr said, “I memorised a Hadith from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) which I have not forgotten since. I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) say, ‘The first of the signs (of the Hour) to appear will be the rising of the sun from the West and the appearance of the Best before the people in the forenoon. Whichever of these two events happens first, the other will follow immediately.'” (Muslim). That is to say, these will be the first extraordinary signs. The Dajjal, the descent of Jesus (alayhe salam), the emergence of Gog and Magog, are less unusual in that they are all human beings. But the emergence of the Beast, whose form will be very strange, its addressing the people and classifying them according to their faith or unbelief, is something truly extraordinary. This is the first of the earthly signs, as the rising of the sun from the West is the first of the heavenly signs. THE RISING OF THE SUN FROM THE WEST ALLAH SWT says: “Are they waiting to see if the angels come to them, or thy Lord (Himself), or certain of the Signs of thy Lord? The day that certaof thesigns of thy Lord do come, no good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith. Say: ‘Wait ye: we too are waiting'” (al-Anam 6:158.) It was reported from Abu Sa’id al-Khudri that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) explained, “The day that certain of the Signs of thy Lord do come, no good will it do to a soul to believe in them then”, referring to the rising of the sun from the West. (Ahmad.) Abu Hurairah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘The Hour will not come until the sun rises from the West. When the people see it, whoever is living on earth will believe, but that will be the time when – No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before'” (Bukhari.) It was also reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Hour will not come until the sun rises from the West. When it rises and the people see it, they will all believe. But that will be the time when ‘No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then'” (Bukhari.) It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “There are three things which, if they appear, ‘No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith’ They are: the rising of the sun from the West, the Dajjal, and the Beast of the Earth.” (Ahmad, Muslim, Tirmidhi.) Abu Dharr said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) asked me, ‘Do you know where the sun goes when it sets? I said, ‘I do not know’He said, ‘It travels until it prostrates itself beneath the Throne, and asks for permission to rise again. But a time will come when it will be told, ‘Go back whence you came.’ That will be the time when ‘No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith'” (Bukhari.) ‘Amr ibn Jarir said, “Three Muslims were sitting with Marwan in Madinah, and heard him say, whilst talking about the Signs of the Hour, that the first of them would be the appearance of the Dajjal. The three went to ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr, and told him what they had heard Marwan say concerning the Signs. ‘Abd Allah said, ‘Marwan has not said much. I memorised a Hadith like that from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) which I have not forgotten since. I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) say: The first of the signs will be the rising of the sun from the West, and the emergence of the Beast in the forenoon. Whichever of the two comes first, the other will follow immediately'” “The ‘Abd Allah, who was widely-read, said, ‘I think that the first to happen will be the rising of the sun from the West. Every time it sets, it goes beneath the Throne, prostrates itself, and seeks permission to rise again. A time will come when three times it will seek permission and will receive no reply, until, when part of the night has passed and it realises that even if it were given permission, it would not be able to rise on time, it will say: “O my Lord, how far the rising-point is from me! What can I do for the people now?” Then it will seek permission to go back, and it will be told: ‘Rise from where you are now’ – and it will rise from the West'” Then ‘Abd Allah recited the Ayah: “No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith.” (Ahmad.) Some scholars interpret “the rising of the sun from the West” as meaning that Islam will appear in the West, as strong as it was in the beginning, and that the people of the West will carry the flag of Islam. THE SMOKE WHICH WILL APPEAR AT THE END OF TIME MASRUQ said: “While a man was giving a speech among the people of Kindah, he said, ‘There will be smoke on the Day of Resurrection which will deprive the hypocrites of their hearing and sight, but the believers will only suffer something like a cold’ We were terrified, so we went to Ibn Masud, who was reclining. When he heard about this, he became angry and sat up, and said: ‘O people, whoever knows a thing, let him say it; but whoever does not know, let him say, “Allah knows best.” It is a part of knowledge, when one does not know something, to say “Allah knows best.” Allah SWT said to His Prophet Mohammad (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam): “Say: ‘No reward do I ask of you for this (Qur’an), nor am I a pretender'” (Sad 38:86.) “Quraysh were being slow in embracing Islam, so the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) prayed against them, saying, ‘O Allah, help me against them by sending seven years of famine like those of Joseph.’ They were afflicted by a year of famine in which they were destroyed, and ate dead animals and bones. They began to see something like smoke between the sky and the earth. Abu Sufyan came and said, ‘O Mohammad! You came to command us to keep good relations with our relatives, and your people have perished, so pray that Allah may relieve them'” The Ibn Mas’ud recited, “Then watch thou for the Day that the sky will bring forth a kind of smoke (or mist) plainly visible, Enveloping the people: this will be a Penalty Grievous. (They will say:) ‘Our Lord! Remove the Penalty from us, for we do truly believe! How shall the Message be (effectual) for them, seeing that an Apostle explaining things clearly has (already) come to them? Yet they return away from him and say: ‘Tutored (by others), a man possessed! We shall indeed remove the Penalty for a while, (but) truly ye will revert (to your ways).” (al-Dukhan 44:10-15) Ibn Maud asked: “Will their punishment in the Hereafter be removed so they can go back to their Kufr?” Allah SWT said: “One day We shall seize you with a mighty onslaught: We will indeed (then) exact Retribution!” (al-Dukhan 44:16) “…and soon will come the inevitable (punishment)!” (al-Furqan 25:77) These Ayat refer to the Day (Battle) of Badr. Allah SWT said: “Alif-Lam-Mim. The Romans (Byzantines) have been defeated – in a land close by; but they, (even) after (this) defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious – within a few years'” (al-Rum 30: 1-3) (Bukhari.) This speaker’s suggestion – that the idea that the smoke would be on the Day or Resurrection was not a good one – made Ibn Masud react angrily. But the smoke will appear before the Day of Resurrection; it will be one of the signs, which are: the Beast, the Dajjal, the Smoke, and Gog and Magog, as the Ahadith narrated from Abu Sarihah, Abu Hurairah and other Sahabah indicate. As mentioned in the Sahih Ahadith, the fire which will appear before the Day of Resurrection will burst forth from the direction of Aden, and drive the people to the place of their final assembly. It will move with them and halt with them, and will devour any who lag behind.

The descent of Jesus at the end of time Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘The Dajjal will appear in my Ummah, and will remain for forty – “I cannot say whether he meant forty days, forty months or forty years.” Then Allah will send Jesus (alayhe salam), the son of Mary, who will resemble ‘Urwah ibn Mas’ud. He will chase the Dajjal and kill him. Then the people will live for seven years during which there will be no enmity between any two persons. Then Allah will send a cold wind from the direction of Syria, which will take the soul of everyone who has the slightest speck of good or faith in his heart. Even if one of you were to enter the heart of a mountain, the wind would reach him there and take his soul. “Only the most wicked people will be left; they will be as careless as birds, with the characteristics of beasts, and will have no concern for right and wrong. Satan will come to them in the form of man and will say, “Don’t you respond?” They will say, “What do you order us to do?” He will order them to worship idols, and in spite of that they will have sustenance in abundance, and lead comfortable lives. “Then the Trumpet will be blown, and everyone will tilt their heads to hear it. The first one to hear it will be a man busy repairing a trough for his camels. He and everyone else will be struck down. Then Allah will send (or send down) rain like dew, and the bodies of the people (ie the dead) will grow out of it. Then the trumpet will be sounded again, and the people will get up and look around. Then it will be said, “O people, go to your Lord and account for yourselves.” It will be said, “Bring out the people of Hell,” and it will be asked, “How many are there?” – the answer will come: “Nine hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand.” On that day a child will grow old and the shin will be laid bare.” (Al-Qalam 68:42) (Muslim) Abu Hurairah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘The son of Mary will come down as a just leader. He will break the cross, and kill the pigs. Peace will prevail and people will use their swords as sickles. Every harmful beast will be made harmless; the sky will send down rain in abundance, and the earth will bring forth its blessings. A child will play with a fox and not come to any harm; a wolf will graze with sheep and a lion with cattle, without harming them.” (Ahmad) Abu Hurairah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘By Him in Whose hand is my soul, surely the son of Mary will come down among you as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the pigs and abolish the Jizyah. Wealth will be in such abundance that no-one will care about it, and a single prostration in prayer will be better than the world and all that is in it.” Abu Hurairah said, ‘If you wish, recite the Ayah: “And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment he will be a witness against them …” (Al-Nisa 4:159) (Bukhari, Muslim) Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Prophets are like brothers; they have different mothers but their religion is one.Iam the closest of all the people to Jesus son of Mary, because there is no other Prophet between him and myself. He will come again, and when you see him, you will recognise him. He is of medium height and his colouring is reddish-white. He will be wearing two garments, and his hair will look wet. He will break the cross, kill the pigs, abolish the Jizyah and call the people to Islam. During his time, Allah will end every religion and sect other than Islam, and will destroy the Dajjal. Then peace and security will prevail on earth, so that lions will graze with camels, tigers with cattle, and wolves with sheep; children will be able to play with snakes without coming to any harm. Jesus will remain for forty years, then die, and the Muslims will pray for him.” (Ahmad) Ibn Masud reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “On the night of the Isra (night journey), I met my father Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and they discussed the Hour. The matter was referred first to Abraham, then to Moses, and both said, ‘I have no knowledge of it. Then it was referred to Jesus, who said, ‘No-one knows about its timing except Allah; what my Lord told me was that the Dajjal will appear, and when he sees me he will begin to melt like lead. Allah will destroy him when he sees me. The Muslims will fight against the Kafirs, and even the trees and rocks will say, “O Muslim, there is a Kafir hiding beneath me – come and kill him!” Allah will destroy the Kafirs, and the people will return to their own lands. Then Gog and Magog will appear from all directions, eating and drinking everything they find. The people will complain to me, so I will pray to Allah and He will destroy them, so that the earth will be filled with their stench. Allah will send rain which will wash their bodies into the sea. My Lord has told me that when that happens, the Hour will be very close, like a pregnant woman whose time is due, but her family do not know exactly when she will deliver'” (Ahma, Ibn Majah) DESCRIPTION OF THE MESSIAH JESUS SON OF MARY, MESSENGER OF ALLAH Abu Hurairah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘On the night of the Isra’ (miraculous journey to Jerusalem) I met Moses – he was a slim man with wavy hair, and looked like a man from the Shanu’ah tribe. I also met Jesus – he was of medium height and of a red complexion, as if he had just come out of the bath'” (Bukhari, Muslim) The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “Whilst I was asleep, I saw myself (in a dream) making Tawaf around the Ka’bah. I saw a brown-skinned man, with straight hair, being supported by two men, and with water dripping from his head. I said, ‘Who is this?’ They said, ‘The son of Mary’I turned around and saw a fat, ruddy man, with curly hair, who was blind in his right eye; his eye looked like a floating grape. I asked, ‘Who is this?’ They said, ‘The Dajjal’ The one who most resembles him is Ibn Qatan.” Al-Zuhri explained: Ibn Qatan was a man from Khuzaah who died during the Jahiliyyah (before the coming of Islam). (Bukhari) THE APPEARANCE OF GOG AND MAGOG They (two tribes or peoples) will appear at the time of Jesus son of Mary, after the Dajjal. Allah will destroy them all in one night, in response to the supplication of Jesus. Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “Every day, Gog and Magog are trying to dig a way out through the barrier. When they begin to see sunlight through it, the one who is in charge of them says, ‘Go back; you can carry on digging tomorrow,’ and when they come back, the barrier is stronger than it was before. This will continue until their time comes and Allah wishes to send them forth. They will dig until they begin to see sunlight, then the one who is in charge of them will say, ‘Go back; you can carry on digging tomorrow, insha’Allah.’ In this case he will make an exception by saying insha’ Allah, thus relating the matter to the Will of Allah. They will return on the following day, and find the hole as they left it. They will carry on digging and come out against the people. They will drink all the water, and the people will entrench themselves in their fortresses. Gog and Magog will fire their arrows into the sky, and they will fall back to earth with something like blood on them. Gog and Magog will say, ‘We have defeated the people of earth, and overcome the people of heaven. Then Allah will send a kind of worm in the napes of their necks, and they will be killed by it’ ‘By Him in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the beasts of the earth will become fat.'” Gog and Magog are two groups of Turks, descended from Yafith (Japheth), the father of the Turks, one of the sons of Noah. At the time of Abraham (alayhe salam), there was a king called Dhu’l-Qarnayn. He performed Tawaf around the Ka’bah with Abraham (alayhe salam) when he first built it; he believed and followed him. Dhu’l-Qarnayn was a good man and a great king; Allah gave him great power and he ruled the east and west. He held sway over all kings and countries, and travelled far and wide in both east and west. He travelled eastwards until he reached a pass between two mountains, through which people were coming out. They did not understand anything, because they were so isolated; they were Gog and Magog. They were spreading corruption through the earth, and harming the people, so the people sought help from Dhu’l-Qarnayn. They asked him to build a barrier between them and Gog and Magog. He asked them to help him to build it, so together they built a barrier by mixing iron, copper and tar. Thus Dhu’ -Qarnayn restrained Gog and Magog behind the barrier. They tried to penetrate the barrier, or to climb over it, but to no avail. They could not succeed because the barrier is so huge and smooth. They began to dig, and they have been digging for centuries; they will continue to do so until the time when Allah decrees that they come out. At that time the barrier will collapse, and Gog and Magog will rush out in all directions, spreading corruption, uprooting plants, killing people. When Jesus (AS) prays against them, Allah will send a kind of worm in the napes of their necks, and they will be killed by it. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE KA’BAH At the end of time, Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn, who will come from Abyssinia (al-Habash), will destroy the Ka’bah in order to steal its treasure and Kiswah (cloth covering). The Ka’bah is the ancient building which was built by Abraham, and whose foundations were laid by Adam. As Tafsir (interpretation) of the Ayah “Until the Gog and Magog (people) are let through (their barrier)'” (al-Anbiya 21:96), it was reported from Ka’b al-Ahbar that Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn will first emerge at the time of Jesus, son of Mary. Allah will send Jesus at the head of a vanguard of between seven and eight hundred. While they are marching towards Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn, Allah will send a breeze from the direction of Yemen, which will take the soul of every believer. Only the worst of people will be left, and they will begin to copulate like animals. Ka’b said: “At that time, the Hour will be close at hand.” ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr said, “I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) say, Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn from Abyssinia will destroy the Ka’bah and steal its treasure and Kiswah. It is as if I could see him now: he is bald-headed and has a distortion in his wrists. He will strike the Ka’bah with his spade and pick-axe’.” (Ahmad) It was reported from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “Leave the Abyssinians alone so long as they do not disturb you, for no-one will recover the treasure of the Ka’bah except Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn from Abyssinia.” (Abu Dawud, in the chapter on the prohibition of provoking the Abyssinians) Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “It is as if I can see him now: he is black and his legs are widely spaced. He will destroy the Ka’bah stone by stone.” (Ahmad) The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Hour will not come until a man from Qahtan appears and rules the people.” (Muslim; similar Hadith in Bukhari) This man could be Dhu’l-Suwayq, someone else, because this man comes from Qahtan, while other reports say that Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn comes from Abyssinia; and Allah knows best. Abu Hurairah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘Day and night will not come to an end until a freed man called Jahjah holds sway'” (Ahmad) This could be the name of Dhul-Suwayqatayn from Abyssinia; and Allah knows best. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab reported that he heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) say: “The people of Makkah will leave, and only a few people will pass through it. Then it will be resettled and rebuilt; then the people will leave it again, and no-one will ever return.” MADINAH WILL REMAIN INHABITED AT THE TIME OF THE DAJJAL It has been proven in the Sahih Ahadith, as already stated, that the Dajjal will not be able to enter Makkah and Madinah, and that there will be angels at the gates of Makkah to ward him off and prevent him from entering. It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “Neither the Dajjal nor plague will be able to enter Madinah.” As mentioned above, the Dajjal will camp outside Madinah, and it will be shaken by three tremors. Every hypocrite and sinner will go out to join the Dajjal, and every believer and Muslim will stay. That day will be called the Day of Purification (Yawm al-Khalas). Most of those who go out to join the Dajjal will be women. As the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “Verily it (Madinah) is good; its evil will be eliminated and its goodness will be obvious.” Allah SWT said: “Women impure are for men impure, and men impure for women impure, and women of purity are for men of purity, and men of purity are for women of purity'” (Al-Nur 24-26) Madinah will remain inhabited during the days of the Dajjal, and during the time of Jesus son of Mary (AS), until he dies and is buried there. Then it will be destroyed. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said, “I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) say, ‘A rider will go around Madinah and say, There used to be many Muslims here'” (Ahmad) FOOTNOTE: *Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn: al-Suwayqatayn is the diminutive of al-Saqayn (legs); his legs are described as being “small” because they are thin. Thin legs are, in general, a characteristic of the Sudanese and people of the Horn of Africa.

A test for people at the end of time THE HADITH OF AL-MUGHIRAH IBN SHU’BAH Al-Mughirah ibn Shubah said, “No-one asked the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) more questions about the Dajjal than I did. He said, ‘You should not worry about him, because he will not be able to harm you. I said, ‘But they say that he will have much food and water! He said, ‘He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah to have all that.” (Muslim.) Al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah said, “No-one asked the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) more questions about the Dajjal than I did.” One of the narrators said, “What did you ask him?” Al-Mughirah said, “I said, ‘They say that the Dajjal will have a mountain of bread and meat, and a river of water. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah to have all that.” (Muslim.) >From these Ahadith, we can see that Allah will test His servants with the Dajjal and by the miracles which he will be permitted to perform: as we have already mentioned, the Dajjal will order the sky to rain for those who accept him, and will order the earth to bring forth its fruits so that they and their livestock will eat of it, and their flocks will return fat and with their udders full of milk. Those who reject the Dajjal and refuse to believe in him will suffer drought and famine; people and livestock will die, and wealth and supplies of food will be depleted. People will follow the Dajjal like swarms of bees, and he will kill a young man and bring him back to life. This is not a kind of magic; it will be something real with which Allah will test His servants at the end of time. Many will be led astray, and many will be guided by it. Those who doubt will disbelieve, but those who believe will be strengthened in their faith. Al-Qadi ‘Iyad and others interpreted the phrase “He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah to have all that” as meaning that the Dajjal is too insignificant to have anything that could lead the true believers astray, because he is obviously evil and corrupt. Even if he brings great terror, the word Kafir will be clearly written between his eyes; one report explains that it will be written “Kaf, Fa, Ra,” from which we can understand that it will be written perceptibly, not abstractly, as some people say. One of his eyes will be blind, protruding and repulsive; this is the meaning of the Hadith: “…as if it were a grape floating on the surface of the water.” Other reports say that it is “dull, with no light in it,” or “like white spittle on a wall,” i e, it will look ugly. Some reports say that it is his right eye which will be blind; others say that it is his left eye. He could be partly blind in both eyes, or there could be a fault in both eyes. This interpretation could be supported by the Hadith narrated by al-Tabarani, in which he reports that Ibn ‘Abbas said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Dajjal is curly-haired and white-skinned. His head is like the branch of a tree; his left eye is blind, and the other eye looks like a floating grape. ” One may ask: if the Dajjal is going to cause such widespread evil and his claim to be a”lord” will be so widely believed – even though he is obviously a liar, and all the Prophets have warned against him – why does the Quran not mention him by name and warn us against his lies and stubbornness? The answer is:- 1. The Dajjal was referred to in the Ayah: “… The day that certain of the signs of thy Lord do come, no good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its Faith…” (al-Anam 6:158) Abu Hurairah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘There are three things which, when they appear, no good will it do a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its Faith. They are: The Dajjal, the Beast, and the rising of the sun from the west.” 2. Jesus son of Mary will descend from Heaven and kill the Dajjal, as we have already mentioned. The descent of Jesus is mentioned in the Ayat: “That they said (in boast), ‘We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Apostle of Allah; – but they killed him not nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:- Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is exalted in Power, Wise;- And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment, he will be a witness against them.” (al-Nisa 4:157-9) We think that the Tafsir (interpretation) of this Ayah is that the pronoun in “before his death” (qabla mawtihi) refers to Jesus; i e, he will descend and the People of the Book who differed concerning him will believe in him. The Christians claimed that he was divine, while the Jews made a slanderous accusation, i e that he was born from adultery. When Jesus descends before the Day of Judgment, he will correct all these differences and lies. On this basis, the reference to the descent of the Messiah Jesus son of Mary also includes a reference to the Dajjal (false Mesor Antichrist), who is the opposite of the true Messiah, because sometimes the Arabs refer to one of two opposites and not the other, but mean both. 3. The Dajjal is not mentioned by name in the Quran because he is so insignificant: he claims to be divine, but he is merely a human being. His affairs are too contemptible to be mentioned in the Quran. But the Prophets, out of loyalty to Allah, warned their people about the Dajjal and the tribulations and misguiding miracles he would bring. It is enough for us to know the reports of the Prophets and the many reports from the Prophet Mohammad (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam). One could argue that Allah has mentioned Pharaoh and his false claims, such as “I am your Lord, Most High” (al-Naziat 79:24) and “O Chiefs! No god do I know for you but myself …” (al-Qasas 28:38), in the Quran. This can be explained by the fact that Pharaoh and his deeds are in the past, and his lies are clear to every believer. But the Dajjal is yet to come, in the future; it will be a Fitnah and a test for all people. So the Dajjal is not mentioned in the Qur’an because he is contemptible; and the fact that he is not mentioned means that it will be a great test. The facts about the Dajjal and his lies are obvious and do not need further emphasis. This is often the case when something is very clear. For example, when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) was terminally ill, he wanted to write a document confirming that Abu Bakr would be the Khalifah after him. Then he abandoned this idea, and said, “Allah and the believers will not accept anyone other than Abu Bakr.” He decided not to write the document because he knew of Abu Bakr’s high standing among the Sahabah (Companions) and was sure that they would not choose anyone else. Similarly, the facts about the Dajjal are so clear that they did not need to be mentioned in the Qur’an. Allah did not mention the Dajjal in the Quran because He (subhanahu wa ta’ala) knew that the Dajjal would not be able to lead His true servants astray; he would only increase their faith, their submission to Allah and His Messenger, their belief in the Truth, and their rejection of falsehood. For this reason the believer whom the Dajjal overpowers will say, when he revives him, “By Allah, it has only increased my understanding that you are the one-eyed liar about whom the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) spoke.” MORE AHADITH ABOUT THE DAJJAL The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Dajjal will emerge in a land in the east called Khurasan. His followers will be people with faces like hammered shields.” Asma’ bint Yazid al-Ansariyyah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘During the three years just before the Dajjal comes, there will be one year when the sky will withhold one third of its rain and the earth one-third of its fruits. In the second year the sky will withhold two-thirds of its rain, and the earth two-thirds of its fruits. In the third year the sky will withhold all of its rain, and the earth all of its fruits, and all the animals will die. It will be the greatest tribulation: the Dajjal will bring a Bedouin and say to him, “What if I bring your camels to life for you? Will you agree that I am your lord?” The Bedouin will say “Yes.” So devils will assume the forms of his camels, with the fullest udders and the highest humps. Then he will bring a man whose father and brother have died, and will ask him, “What do you think if I bring your father and brother back to life? Will you agree that I am your lord?” The man will say “Yes,” so the devils will assume the forms of his father and brother. Then the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) went out for something, and then returned. The people were very concerned about what he had told them. He stood in the doorway and asked, ‘What is wrong, Asma’? I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, you have terrified us with what you said about the Dajjal. He said, ‘He will certainly appear. If I am still alive, I will contend with him on your behalf; otherwise Allah will take care of every Muslim on my behalf. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, we do not bake our dough until we are hungry, so how will it be for the believers at that time? The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘The glorification of Allah which suffices the people of Heaven will be sufficient for them.” Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘The Hour will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them. When a Jew hides behind a rock or a tree, it will say, “O Muslim, O servant of Allah! There is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!” All the trees will do this except the box-thorn (al-Gharqad), because it is the tree of the Jews.” (Ahmad.) PROTECTION AGAINST THE DAJJAL 1. Seeking refuge with Allah from his tribulation. It is proven in the Sahih (authentic) Ahadith that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) used to seek refuge with Allah from the tribulation of the Dajjal in his prayers, and that he commanded his Ummah to do likewise: Allahumma inna naudhu bika min ‘adhabi jahannam, wa min ‘adhabi ‘l-qabr, wa min fitnati ‘l-mahya’i wa’l-mamat, wa min fitnati’ l-masihi ‘d-dajjal.” “O Allah! We seek refuge with You from the punishment of Hell, from the punishment of the grave, from the tribulations of life and death, and from the tribulation of the False Messiah (Dajjal).” This Hadith was narrated by many Sahabah, including Anas. Abu Hurairah, ‘A’ishah, Ibn ‘Abbas, and Sa’d. 2. Memorising certain Ayat from Surat al-Kahf. Al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi said, “Seeking refuge with Allah from the Dajjal is mentioned in many Mutawatir Ahadith (those with numerous lines of narrators). One way of doing this is to memorise ten Ayat from Surat al-Kahf.” Abul-Dira reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “Whoever memorises the first ten Ayat of Surat al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjal.” (Abu Dawud.) 3. Keeping away from the Dajjal One way to be protected from the tribulation of the Dajjal is to live in Madinah or Makkah. Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “There are angels standing at the gates of Madinah; neither plague nor the Dajjal can enter it.” (Bukhari, Muslim.) Abu Bakr reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The terror caused by the Dajjal will not enter Madinah. At that time it will have seven gates; there will be two angels guarding every gate.” (Bukhari.) Anas said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘The Dajjal will come to Madinah, and he will find angles guarding it. Neither plague nor the Dajjal will enter it, in sha Allah.” (Tirmidhi, Bukhari.) It has been proven in the Sahih Ahadith that the Dajjal will not enter Makkah or Madinah, because the angels will prevent him from entering these two places which are sanctuaries and are safe from him. When he camps at the salt-marsh (Sabkhah) of Madinah, it will be shaken by three tremors – either physically or metaphorically – and every hypocrite will go out to join the Dajjal. On that day, Madinah will be cleansed of its dross and will be refined and purified; and Allah knows best. THE LIFE AND DEEDS OF THE DAJJAL The Dajjal will be a man, created by Allah to be a test for people at the end of time. Many will be led astray through him, and many will be guided through him; only the sinful will be led astray. Al-Hafiz Ibn ‘Ali al-Abar wrote in his book of history (al-Tarikh) that the Dajjal’s Kunyah (nickname or paternal title) would be Abu Yusuf. Abu Bakrah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Dajjal’s parents will remain childless for thirty years, then a one-eyed child will be born to them. He will be very bad and will cause a great deal of trouble. When he sleeps, his eyes will be closed but his heart (or mind) will still be active. Then he described his parents: ‘His father will be a tall and bulky man, with a long nose like a beak; his mother will be a huge, heavy-breasted woman.” Abu Bakrah said, “We heard that a child had been born to some of the Jews in Madinah. Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awam and I went see his pa, and found that they matched the description given by the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam). We saw the boy lying in the sun, covered with a blanket, murmuring to himself. We asked his parents about him, and they said, ‘We remained childless for thirty years, then this one-eyed boy was born to us. He is very bad and causes a great deal of trouble. When we went out, we passed the boy. He asked us, ‘What were you doing?.We said, ‘Did you hear us?. He said, ‘Yes; when I sleep, my eyes are closed but my heart (mind) is still active. That boy was Ibn Sayyad.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi; this Hadith is not very strong.) As we have already seen in the Sahih Ahadith, Malik and others think that Ibn Sayyad was not the Dajjal; he was one of a number of “lesser dajjals.” Later he repented and embraced Islam; Allah knows best his heart and deeds. The “greater” Dajjal is the one mentioned in the Hadith of Fatimah bint Qays, which she narrated from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam), from Tamim al-Dari, and which includes the story of the Jassasah. The Dajjal will be permitted to appear at the end of time, after the Muslims have conquered a Roman city called Constantinople. He will first appear in Isfahan, in an area known as the Jewish quarter (al-Yahudiyyah). He will be followed by seventy thousand Jews from that area, all of them armed. Seventy thousand Tatars and many people from Khurasan will also follow him. At first he will appear as a tyrannical king, then he will claim to be a prophet, then a lord. Only the most ignorant of men will follow him; the righteous and those guided by Allah will reject him. He will start to conquer the world country by country, fortress by fortress, region by region, town by town; no place will remain unscathed except Makkah and Madinah. The length of his stay on earth will be forty days: one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of the days like normal days, i e his stay will be approximately one year and two and a half months. Allah will grant him many miracles, through which whoever He wills will be astray, and the faith of the believers will be strengthened. The descent of Jesus son of Mary, the true Messiah, will happen at the time of the Dajjal, the false messiah. He will descend to the minaret in the east of Damascus. The believers and true servants of Allah will gather to support him, and the Messiah Jesus son of Mary will lead them against the Dajjal, who at that time will be heading for Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). He will catch up with him at ‘Aqabah ‘Afiq. The Dajjal will run away from him, but Jesus will catch up with him at the gate of Ludd, and will kill him with his spear just as he is entering it. He will say to him, “I have to deal you a blow; you cannot escape.” When the Dajjal faces him, he will begin to dissolve like salt in water. So Jesus will kill him with his spear at the gate of Ludd, and he will die there, as many Sahih Ahadith indicate. Majma ibn Jariyah is reported to have said, “I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) saying, ‘The son of Mary will kill the Dajjal at the gate of Ludd.” (Tirmidhi.) FOOTNOTE: “When he (Dajjal) sleeps, his eyes will be closed but his heart (or mind) will still be active” – means that his evil ideas will still come to him even while he is asleep.

Appearance of Dajjal First of all, we will quote the reports which mention the liars and “dajjals” who will precede the coming off the Dajjal, or Antichrist, who will be the last of them; may Allah curse them and punish them with Hell-fire. Jabir ibn Samurah said, “I heard the Prophet say, ‘Just before the Hour there will be many liars.'” Jabir said, “Be on your guard against them.” (Muslim). Jabir said, “I heard the Prophet say, ‘Just before the Hour there will be many liars; among them is the one in al-Yamamah, the ‘Ansi in San’a’, the one in Himyar, and the Dajjal. This will be the greatest fitnah.”’ (Ahmad.) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, “The Hour will not come … until nearly 30 “dajjals” (liars) appear, each one claiming to be a messenger from Allah.'” (Bukhari Muslim.) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘The Hour will not come until 30 “dajjals” appear, each of them claiming to be a messenger from Allah, wealth increases, tribulations appear and al-Harj increases.'” Someone asked, ‘What is al-Harj?’ He said, ‘Killing, killing.’ (Ahmad.) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘The Hour will not come until 30 “dajjals” appear, all of them lying about Allah and His Messenger.” (Abu Dawud.) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘Just before the Hour, there will be 30 “dajjals”, each of whom will say, I am a Prophet.'” (Ahmad.) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘There will be “dajjals” and liars among my Ummah. They will tell you something new, which neither you nor your forefathers have heard. Be on your guard against them, and do not let them lead you astray.'” (Ahmad.) Thawban said, “The Prophet said, ‘There will be 30 liars among my Ummah. Each one will claim that he is a prophet; but I am the last of the Prophets (Seal of the Prophets), and there will be no Prophet after me.'” (Ahmad.) The Prophet said, “Verily before the Day of Resurrection there will appear the Dajjal, and 30 or more liars.” (Ahmad.) Ibn ‘Umar said, “I heard the Prophet say, ‘Among my Ummah there will be more than 70 callers, each of whom will be calling people to Hell-fire. If I wished, I could tell you their names and tribes.'” Abu Bakrah said, “The people spoke a great deal against Musaylimah before the Prophet said anything about him. Then the Prophet got up to give a speech and said: ‘…as for this man about whom you have spoken so much – he is one of the 30 liars who will appear before the Hour, and there is no town which will not feel the fear of the Antichrist.'” (Ahmad.) In another version of this report, the Prophet said, “He is one of the 30 liars who will appear before the Dajjal. There is no town which will escape the fear of the Djjal, apart from Madinah. At that time there will be two angels at every entrance of Madinah, warding off the fear of the Antichrist.” Anas ibn Malik said, “The Prophet said, ‘The time of the Dajjal will be years of confusion. People will believe a liar, and disbelieve one who tells the truth. People will distrust one who is trustworthy, and trust one who is treacherous; and the Ruwaybidah will have a say.’ Someone asked, ‘Who are the Ruwaybidah?’ He said, ‘Those who rebel against Allah and will have a say in general affairs.'” (Ahmad.) Ahadith about the Dajjal ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar said, “‘Umar ibn al-Khattab went along with the Prophet and a group of people to Ibn Sayyad, and found him playing with some children near the battlement of Banu Maghalah. At that time Ibn Sayyad was on the threshold of adolescence; he did not realise that anybody was near until the Prophet struck him on the back. The Prophet (S) said to him: ‘Do you bear witness than I am the Messenger of Allah?’ Ibn Sayyad looked at him and said, ‘I bear witness that you are the Prophet of the unlettered.’ Then Ibn Sayyad said to the Prophet, ‘Do you bear witness that I am the Messenger of Allah?’ The Prophet dismissed this and said, ‘I believe in Allah and His Messengers.’ Then the Prophet asked him, ‘What do you see?’ Ibn Sayyad said, ‘Sometimes a truthful person comes to me, and sometimes a liar.’ The Prophet said to him, ‘You are confused’, then he said, ‘I ahiding something from you.’ Ibn Sayyad said, ‘It is Dukh.’ The Prophet said, ‘Silence! You will not be able to go beyond your rank.’ ‘Omar ibn al-Khattab said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, shall I cut off his head?’ The Prophet said, ‘If he is (the Dajjal) you will not be able to overpower him, and if he is not, then killing will not do you any good.'” Salim ibn ‘Abd Allah said, “I heard ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Omar say, ‘After that, the Prophet and Ubayy ibn Ka’b went along to the palm trees where Ibn Sayyad was. The Prophet started to hide behind a tree, with the intention of hearing something from Ibn Sayyad before Ibn Sayyad saw him. The Prophet saw him lying on a bed, murmuring beneath a blanket. Ibn Sayyad’s mother saw the Prophet hiding behind a tree, and said to her son, “O Saf (Ibn Sayyad’s first name), here is Mohammad!” Ibn Sayyad jumped up, and the Prophet said, “If you had left him alone, he would have explained himself.” Salim said, “Abd Allah ibn ‘Omar said, The Prophet stood up to address the people. He praised Allah as He deserved to be praised, then he spoke about the Dajjal: ‘I warn you against him; there is no Prophet who has not warned his people against him ? even Noah warned his people against him. But I will tell you something which no other Prophet has told his people. You must know that the Dajjal is one-eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed.'” Ibn Shihab said: “‘Omar ibn Thabit al-Ansari told me that some of the Companions of the Prophet told him that on the day when he warned the people about the Dajjal, the Prophet said: “There will be written between his eyes the word Kafir (unbeliever). Everyone who resents his bad deeds – or every believer- will be able to read it.” He also said, “You must know that no one of you will be able to see his Lord until he dies.'” (Muslim, Bukhari). Ibn ‘Omar said, “The Prophet mentioned the Dajjal to the people. He said, “Allah is not one-eyed, but the Dajjal is blind in his right eye, and his eye is like a floating grape.'” (Muslim) Anas ibn Malik said, “The Prophet said, ‘there has never been a Prophet who did not warn his people against that one-eyed liar. Verily he is one-eyed and your Lord is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the letter Kaf, Fa, Ra (Kafir).'” (Muslim, Bukhari) Hudhayfah said, “The Prophet said, ‘I know more about the powers which the Dajjal will have than he will know himself. He will have two flowing rivers: one will appear to be pure water, and the other will appear to be flaming fire. Whosoever lives to see that, let him choose the river which seems to be fire, then let him close his eyes, lower his head and drink from it, for it will be cold water. The Dajjal will be one-eyed; the place where one eye should be will be covered by a piece of skin. On his forehead will be written the word Kafir, and every believer, whether literate or illiterate, will be able to read it.'” (Muslim) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘Shall I tell you something about the Dajjal which no Prophet has ever told his people before me? The Dajjal is one-eyed and will bring with him something which will resemble Paradise and Hell; but that which he calls Paradise will in fact be Hell. I warn you against him as Noah warned his people against him.'” (Bukhari, Muslim) Mohammad ibn Munkadir said: “I saw Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah swearing by Allah that Ibn Sayyad was the Dajjal, so I asked him, ‘Do you swear by Allah?’ He said, ‘I heard ‘Omar swear to that effect in the presence of the Prophet, and the Prophet did not disapprove of it.'” Some ‘ulama’ (scholars) say that some of the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) believed Ibn Sayyad to be the greater Dajjal, but that is not the case: Ibn Sayyad was a lesser dajjal. Ibn Sayyad travelled between Makkah and Madinah with Abu Sa’id, and complained to him about the way that people were saying that he was the Dajjal. Then he said to Abu Sa’id, “Did not the Prophet say that the Dajjal would not enter Madinah? I was born there. Did not he say that he would not have any children? – I have children. Did not he say that he would be a Kafir? – I have embraced Islam. Of all the people, I know the most about him: I know where he is now. If I were given the opportunity to be in his place, I would not resent it.'” (Bukhari, Muslim) There are many Ahadith about Ibn Sayyad, some of which are not clear as to whether he was the Dajjal or not. We shall see Ahadith which indicates that the Dajjal is not Ibn Sayyad, as in the Hadith of Fatimah Bint Qays al-Fahriyyah, although this does not mean that he was not one of the lesser Dajjal; but Allah knows best. THE HADITH OF FATIMAH BINT QAYS: ‘Amir ibn Sharahil Sha’bi Sha’b Hamdan reported that he asked Fatimah bint Qays, the sister of Dahhak ibn Qays, who was one of the first Muhajirat, “Tell me a Hadith which you heard directly from the Prophet with no narrator in between.” She said, “I can tell you if you like.” He said, ‘Yes, please tell me,” she said, “I married Ibn al-Mughirah, who was one of the best of the youth of Quraysh in those days. But he fell in the first Jihad on the side of the Prophet. “When I became a widow, ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, one of the companions of the Prophet sent me a proposal of marriage. The Prophet also sent me a proposal of marriage on behalf of his freedman Usamah ibn Zayd. I had been told that the Prophet had said, ‘He who loves me should also love Usamah.’ When the Prophet spoke to me, I said, ‘It is up to you: marry me to whomever you wish.’ “The Prophet said, ‘Go and stay with Umm Sharik.’ Umm Sharik was a rich Ansari (Muslim originally from Madinah) woman, who spent much in the way of Allah and entertained many guests. I said, ‘I will do as you wish.’ Then he said, ‘Don’t go. Umm Sharik has many guests, and I would not like it if your head or leg were to become uncovered accidentally and people saw something you would not wish them to see. It is better if you go and stay with your cousin ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn Umm Maktum’ (Abd Allah was of the Banu Fihr of Quraysh, the same tribe as that to which Fatima belonged). “So I went to stay with him, and when I had completed my ‘Iddah (perio of waiting), I heard the Prophet’s announer calling for congregational prayer. I went out to the mosque, and prayed behind the Prophet. I was in the women’s row, which was at the back of the congregation. When the Prophet had finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit, smiling, and said, ‘Everyone should stay in his place.’ Then he said, ‘Do you know why I had asked you to assemble?’ The people said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ “He said, ‘By Allah, I have not gathered you here to give you an exhortation or a warning. I have kept you here because Tamim al-Dari, a Christian man who has come and embraced Islam, told me something which agrees with that which I have told you about the Dajjal. He told me that he had sailed in a ship with 30 men from Banu Lakhm and Banu Judham. The waves had tossed them about for a month, then they were brought near to an island, at the time of sunset. They landed on the island, and were met by a beast who was so hairy that they could not tell its front from its back. They said, “Woe to you! What are you?” It said, “I am al-Jassasah.” They said, “What is al-Jassasah?” It said, “O people, go to this man in the monastery, for he is very eager to know about you.” Tamim said that when it named a person to us, we were afraid lest it be a devil. “Tamim said, ‘We quickly went to the monastery. There we found a huge man with his hands tied up to his neck and with iron shackles between his legs up to the ankles. We said, “Woe to you, who are you?” He said, “You will soon know about me. Tell me who you are.” We said, “We are people from Arabia. We sailed in a ship, but the waves have been tossing us about for a month, and they brought us to your island, where we met a beast who was so hairy that we could not tell its front from its back. We said to it, “Woe to you! What are you? and it said , “I am al-Jassasah.” We asked, “What is al-Jassasah?” and it told us, “Go to this man in the monastery, for he isvery eager to know about you.” So we came to you quickly, fearinthat it might be a devil.’ “The man said, “Tell me about the date-palms of Baysan.’ We said, ‘What do you want to know about them?” He said, ‘I want to know whether these trees bear fruit or not.’ We said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Soon they will not bear fruit.’ Then he said, “Tell me about the lake of al-Tabariyyah [Tiberias, in Palestine].’ We said, ‘What do you want to know about it?” He asked, ‘Is there water in it?’ We said, ‘There is plenty of water in it.’ He said, ‘Soon it will become dry.’ Then he said, ‘Tell me about the spring of Zughar.’ We said, ‘What do you want to know about it?’ He said, ‘Is there water in it, and does it irrigate the land?” We said, ‘Yes, there is plenty of water in it, and the people use it to irrigate the land.’ “Then he said, “Tell me about the unlettered Prophet ‘ what has he done?’ We said, ‘He has left Makkah and settled in Yathrib.’ He asked, ‘Do the Arabs fight against him?’ We said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘How does he deal with them?’ So we told him that the Prophet had overcome the Arabs around him and that they had followed him. He asked, ‘Has it really happened?’ We said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘It is better for them if they follow him. Now I will tell you about myself. I am the Dajjal. I will soon be permitted to leave this place: I will emerge and travel about the earth. In 40 nights I will pass through every town, except Makkah and Madinah, for these have been forbidden to me. Every time I try to enter either of them, I will be met by an angel bearing an unsheathed sword, who will prevent me from entering. There will be angels guarding them at every passage leading to them.’ Fatimah said, “The Prophet striking the pulpit with his staff, said: ‘This is Tayyibah, this is Tayyibah, this is Tayyibah, [ie Madinah]. Have I not told you something like this?’ The people said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘I liked the account given to me by Tamim because it agrees with that which I have told you about the Dajjal, and about Makkah and Madinah. Indeed he is in the Syrian sea or the Yemen sea. No, on the contrary, he is in the East, he is in the East, he is in the East’ and he pointed towards the East. Fatimah said: I memorised this from the Prophet.” (Muslim). ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar said, “The Prophet (S) said, ‘While I was asleep, I saw myself a dream performing Tawaf (circumambulation) around the Ka’bah. I saw a ruddy man with lank hair and water dripping from his head. I said, ‘Who is he?” and they said, “The son of Mary.” Then I turned around and saw another man with a huge body, red complexion, curly hair and one eye. His other eye looked like a floating grape. They said, “This is the Dajjal.” The one who most resembles him is Ibn Qatan, a man from the tribe of al-Khuza’ah’.” (Bukhari, Muslim). Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah said, “The Prophet said, ‘The Dajjal will appear at the end of time, when religion is taken lightly. He will have 40 days in which to travel throughout the earth. One of these days will be like a year, another will be like a month, a third will be like a week, and the rest will be like normal days. He will be riding a donkey; the width between its ears will be 40 cubits. He will say to the people: “I am your lord.” He is one-eyed, but your Lord is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the word Kafir, and every believer, literate or illiterate, will be able to read it. He will go everywhere except Makkah and Madinah, which Allah has forbidden to him; angels stand at their gates. He will have a mountain of bread, and the people will face hardship, except for those who follow him. He will have two rivers, and I know what is in them. He will call one Paradise and one Hell. Whoever enters the one he calls Paradise will find that it is Hell, and whoever enters the one he calls Hell will find that it is Paradise. Allah will send with him devils who will speak to the people. He will bring a great tribulation; he will issue a command to the sky and it will seem to the people as if it is raining. Then he will appear to kill someone and bring him back to life. After that he will no longer have this power. The people will say, “Can anybody do something like this except the Lord?” The Muslims will flee to Jabal al-Dukhan in Syria, and the Dajjal will come and besiege them. The siege will intensify and they will suffer great hardship. Then Jesus son of Mary will descend, and will call the people at dawn: “O people, what prevented you from coming out to fight this evil liar?” They will answer, “He is a Jinn.” Then they will go out, and find Jesus son of Mary. The time for prayer will come, and the Muslims will call on Jesus to lead the prayer, but he will say, “Let your Imam lead the prayer.” Their Imam will lead them in praying Salat al-Subh (Morning prayer), then they will go out to fight the Dajjal. When the liar sees Jesus, he will dissolve like salt in water. Jesus will go to him and kill him, and he will not let anyone who followed him live’.” (Ahmad). Warnings against the Dajjal THE HADITH OF AL-NUWAS IBN SAM’AN AL-KILABI Al-Nuwas ibn Saman said, “One morning the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) spoke about the Dajjal. Sometimes he described him as insignificant, and sometimes he described him as so dangerous that we thought he was in the clump of date-palms nearby. When we went to him later on, he noticed that fear in our faces, and asked, ‘What is the matter with you? We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, this morning you spoke of the Dajjal; sometimes you described him as insignificant, and sometimes you described him as being so dangerous that we thought he was in the clump of date-palms nearby. “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘I fear for you in other matters besides the Dajjal. If he appears whilst I am among you, I will contend with him on your behalf. But if he appears while I am not among you, then each man must contend with him on his own behalf, and Allah will take care of every Muslim on my behalf. The Dajjal will be a young man, with short, curly hair, and one eye floating. I would liken him to ‘Abd al-Uzza ibn Qatan. Whoever amongst you lives to see him should recite the opening Ayat of Surat al-Kahf. He will appear on the way between Syria and Iraq, and will create disaster left and right. O servants of Allah, adhere to the Path of Truth.” “We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, for the day which is like a year, will one days prayers be sufficient? He said, ‘No, you must make an estimate of the time, and then observe the prayers.” “We asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, how quickly will he walk upon the earth? He said, ‘Like a cloud driven by the wind. He will come to the people and call them (to a false religion), and they will believe in him and respond to him. He will issue a command to the sky, and it will rain; and to the earth, and it will produce crops. After grazing on these crops, their animals will return with their udders full of milk and their flanks stretched. Then he will come to another people and will call them (to a false religion), but they will reject his call. He will depart from them; they will suffer famine and will possess nothing in the form of wealth. Then he will pass through the wasteland and will say, ‘Bring forth your treasures, and the treasures will come forth, like swarms of bees. Then he will call a man brimming with youth; he will strike him with a sword and cut him in two, then place the two pieces at the distance between an archer and his target. Then he will call him, and the young man will come running and laughing.” “At that point, Allah will send the Messiah, son of Mary, and he will descend to the white minaret in the east of Damascus, wearing two garments dyed with saffron, placing his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, beads of perspiration will fall from it, and when he raises his head, beads like pearls will scatter from it. Every Kafir who smells his fragrance will die, and his breath will reach as far as he can see. He will search for the Dajjal until he finds him at the gate of Ludd*, where he will kill him.” “Then a people whom Allah has protected will come to Jesus son of Mary, and he will wipe their faces (ie wipe the traces of hardship from their faces) and tell them of their status in Paradise. At that time Allah will reveal to Jesus: “I have brought forth some of My servants whom no-one will be able to fight. Take My servants safely to al-Tur.” “Then Allah will send Gog and Magog, and they will swarm down from every slope. The first of them will pass by the Lake of Tiberias, and will drink some of its water; the last of them will pass by it and say, “There used to be water here.” Jesus, the Prophet of Allah, and his Companions will be besieged until a bull’s head will be dearer to them than one hundred dinars are to you nowadays.” “Then Jesus and his Companions will pray to Allah, and He will send insects who will bite the people of Gog and Magog on their necks, so that in the morning they will all perish as one. Then Jesus and his Companions will come down and will not find any nook or cranny on earth which is free from their putrid stench. Jesus and his Companions will again pray to Allah, Who will send birds like the necks of camels; they will seize the bodies of Gog and Magog and throw them wherever Allah wills. Then Allah will send rain which no house or tent will be able to keep out, and the earth will be cleansed, until it will look like a mirror. Then the earth will be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing. On that day, a group of people will be able to eat from a single pomegranate and seek shelter under its skin (ie the fruit would be so big). A milch camel will give so much milk that a whole party will be able to drink from it; a cow will give so much milk that a whole tribe will be able to drink from it; and a milch-sheep will give so much milk that a whole family will be able to drink from it. At that time, Allah will send a pleasant wind which will soothe them even under their armpits, and will take the soul of every Muslim. Only the most wicked people will be left, and they will fornicate like asses; then the Last Hour will come upon them.” (Muslim) A HADITH NARRATED FROM ABU UMAMAH AL-BAHILI ABU Umamah al-Bahili said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) delivered a speech to us, most of which dealt with the Dajjal and warned us against him. He said, ‘No tribulation on earth since the creation of Adam will be worse than the tribulation of the Dajjal. Allah has never sent a Prophet who did not warn his Ummah against the Dajjal. I am the last of the Prophets, and you are the last Ummah. The Dajjal is emerging among you and it is inevitable. If he appears while I am still among you, I will contend with him on behalf of every Muslim. But if he appears after I am gone, then every person must contend with him on his own behalf. He will appear on the way between Syria and Iraq, and will spread disaster right and left. O servants of Allah adhere to the path of Truth. I shall describe him for you in a way that no Prophet has ever done before. He will start by saying that he is a Prophet, but there will be no Prophet after me. Then he will say, “I am your Lord,” but you will never see your Lord until you die. The Dajjal is one-eyed, but your Lord, glorified be He, is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the word Kafir, which every Muslim, literate or illiterate, will be able to read. Among the trhewill bring will be the Paradise and Hell he will offer; but that which he calls Hell will be Paradise, and that which he calls Paradise will be Hell. Whoever enters his Hell, let him seek refuge with Allah and recite the opening Ayat of Surat al-Kahf, and it will become cool and peaceful for him, as the fire became cool and peaceful for Abraham. “He will say to a Bedouin, What do you think if I bring your father and mother back to life for you? Will you bear witness that I am your lord? The Bedouin will say Yes, so two devils will assume the appearance of his father and mother, and will say, “O my son, follow him for he is your lord.” “He will be given power over one person, whom he will kill and cut in two with a saw. Then he will say, ‘Look at this slave of mine, now I will resurrect him, but he will still claim that he has a Lord other than me. Allah will resurrect him, and this evil man (the Dajjal) will say to him, ‘Who is your Lord? The man will answer, ‘My Lord is Allah, and you are the enemy of Allah. You are the Dajjal. By Allah, I have never been more sure of this than I am today.” Abu Said said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘That man will have the highest status among my Ummah in Paradise.” Abu Said said, “By Allah, we never thought that that man would be any other than ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, until he passed away.” Al-Muharibi said: “Then we referred to the Hadith of Abu Rafii, which said, ‘Part of his Fitnah will be the fact that he will pass through an area whose people will deny him, and none of their livestock will remain alive. Then he will pass through a second area whose people will believe in him; he will order the sky to rain and the earth to bring forth crops, and their flocks will return from grazing fatter than they have ever been, with their flanks stretched, their udders full. He will pass through every place on earth – except Makkah and Madinah, which he will never enter, for there are angels guarding every gate of them with unsheathed swords – until he reaches al-Zarib al-Ahmar and camps at the edge of the salt-marsh. Madinah will be shaken by three tremors, after which every Munafiq (hypocrite) will leave it, and it will be cleansed of evil, as iron is cleansed of dross. That day will be called Yawm al-Khalas (The Day of Purification).” Umm Sharik bint Abil-Akr said, “O Messenger of Allah, where will the Arabs be at that time?” He said, “At that time they will be few; most of them will be in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), and their Imam will be a righteous man. Whilst their Imam is going forward to lead the people in praying Salat al-Subh (the morning prayer), Jesus son of Mary will descend. The Imam will step back, to let Jesus lead the people in prayer, but Jesus will place his hand between the mans shoulders and say, ‘Go forward and lead the prayer, for the Iqamah was made for you. So the Imam will lead the people in prayer, and afterwards Jesus (alayhe salam) will say, ‘Open the gate. The gate will be opened, and behind it will be the Dajjal and a thousand Jews, each of them bearing a sword and shield. When the Dajjal sees Jesus, he will begin to dissolve like salt in water, and will run away. Jesus will say, ‘You will remain alive until I strike you with my sword. He will catch up with him at the eastern gate of Ludd* and will kill him. The Jews will be deflated with the help of Allah. There will be no place for them to hide; they will not be able to hide behind any stone, wall, animal or tree – except the boxthorn (al-Gharqarah) – without saying, ‘O Muslim servant of Allah! here is a Jew, come and kill him!” The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The time of the Dajjal will be forty years; one year like half a year, one year like a month, and one month like a week. The rest of his days will pass so quickly that if one of you were at one of the gates of Madinah, he would not reach the other gate before evening fell.” Someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how will we pray in those shorter days?” He said, “Work out the times of prayer in the same way that you do in these longer days, and then pray.” The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “Jesus son of Mary will be a just administrator and leader of my Ummah. He will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizyah (tax on non-Muslims). He will not collect the Sadaqah,* so he will not collect sheep and camels. Mutual enmity and hatred will disappear. Every harmful animal will be made harmless, so that a small boy will be able to put his hand into a snakes mouth without being harmed, a small girl will be able to make a lion run away from her, and a wolf will go among sheep as if he were a sheepdog. The earth will be filled with peace as a container is filled with water. People will be in complete agreement, and only Allah will be worshipped. Wars will cease, and the authority of Quraysh will be taken away. The earth will be like a silver basin, and will produce fruits so abundantly that a group of people will gather to eat a bunch of grapes or one pomegranate and will be satisfied. A bull will be worth so much money, but a horse will be worth only a few dirhams.” Someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, why will a horse be so cheap?” He said, “Because it will never be ridden in war.” He was asked, “Why will the bull be so expensive?” He said, “Because it will plough the earth. For three years before the Dajjal emerges, the people will suffer severe hunger. In the first year, Allah will order the sky to withhold a third of its rain, and the earth to withhold two-thirds of its fruits. In the third year, He will order the sky to withhold all of its rain, and the earth to withhold all of its fruits, so that nothing green will grow. Every cloven-hoofed creature will die except for whatever Allah wills.” Someone asked, “How will the people live at that time?” He said, “By saying La ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Subhan Allah and Al-Hamdu-lillah. This will be like food for them.” The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Dajjal will come forth, and one of the Believers will go towards him. The armed men of the Dajjal will ask him, ‘Where are you going? He will say, ‘I am going to this one who has come forth. They will say, ‘Kill him! Then some of them will say to the others, ‘Hasnt your lord [ie the Dajjal] forbidden you to kill anyone without his permission?” So they will take him to the Dajjal, and when the Believer sees him, he will say, ‘O People, this is the Dajjal whom the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) told us about. Then the Dajjal will order them to seize him and wound him in the head; they will inflict blows all over, even in his back and stomach. The Dajjal will ask him, ‘Dont you believe in me? He will say, ‘You are a false Messiah. The Dajjal will order that he be sawn in two from the parting of his hair to his legs; then he will walk between the two pieces. Then he will say ‘Stand! and the man will stand up. The Dajjal will say to him, ‘Dont you believe in me? The believer will say, ‘It has only increased my understanding that you are the Dajjal. Then he will say, ‘O people! he will not treat anyone else in such a manner after me. The Dajjal will seize him to slaughter him, but the space between his neck and collar-bone will be turned into copper, and the Dajjal will not be able to do anything to him. He will take the man by his arms and legs and throw him away; the people will believe that he has been thrown into Hell, whereas in fact he will have been thrown into Paradise.” The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “He will be the greatest of martyrs in the sight of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.” (Muslim). To be continued Insha Allah FOOTNOTES: *Ludd: the biblical Lydda, now known as Lod, site of the zionist states major airport. * “He will break the cross and kill pigs”, ie Christianity will be annulled. “He will not collect the Sadaqah (ie Zakat) – because there will be so much wealth, and no-one will be in need of Sadaqah.

Signs and portents “ABD Allah ibn ‘Amr said, “I went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) one day whilst he was performing Wudu’ (ablution) slowly and carefully. He raised his head, looked at me and said, ‘Six things will happen to this Ummah: the death of your Prophet – ‘and when I heard that I was aghast,’ – this is the first. The second is that your wealth will increase so much that if a man were given ten thousand, he would still not be content with it. The third is that tribulation will enter the house of every one of you. The fourth is that sudden death will be widesprea. The fifth is a peace-treaty between you and the Romans: they will gather troops against you for nine months – like a woman’s period of childbearing – then they will be the first to break the treaty. The sixth is the conquest of a city.’ I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, which city?’ He said, ‘Constantinople.” (Ahmad.) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the West, the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast, the (death) of one of you, or general tribulation.” (Ahmad, Muslim.) Hudhayfah ibn ‘Ubayd said, “The Prophet came upon us whilst, we were busy in discussion He asked us, ‘What are you talking about?’ We said, ‘We are discussing the Hour.’ He said, ‘It will not come until you see ten signs: the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast, the sun rising from the West, the descent of Jesus son of Mary, Gog and Magog, and three land-slides – one in the East, one in the West, and one in Arabia, at the end of which fire will burst forth from the direction of Aden (Yemen) and drive people to the place of their final assembly.’ ” (Ahmad.) THE BATTLE WITH THE ROMANS: After the battle with the Romans, which ended with the conquest of Constantinople, the Dajjal will appear, and Jesus son of Mary will descend from Heaven to the earth, to the white minaret in the east of Damascus, at the time of Salat al-Fajr (the morning prayer), as we shall see in the Sahih Traditions. Dhu Mukhammar said, “The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘You will make a peace-treaty with the Romans, and together you will invade an enemy beyond Rome. You will be victorious and take much booty. Then you will camp in a hilly pasture; one of the Roman men will come and raise a cross and say “Victory to the Cross”, so one of the Muslims will come and kill him. Then the Romans will break the treaty, and there will be a battle. They will gather an army against you and come against you with eighty banners, each banner followed by 10,000 men.’ ” (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah.) Yusayr ibn Jabir said, “Once there was a red storm in Kufah. A man came who had nothing to say except, ‘O ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud, has the Hour come?” ‘Abd Allah was sitting reclining against something, and said, ‘The Hour will not come until people will not divide inheritance, nor rejoice over booty.’ Pointing towards Syria, he said. ‘An enemy will gather forces against the Muslims and the Muslims will gather forces against them.’ I asked, ‘Do you mean the Romans?’ He said, ‘Yes. At that time there will be very heavy fighting. The Muslims will prepare a detachment to fight to the death; they will not return unless they are victorious. They will fight until night intervenes. Both sides will return without being victorious; then many will be killed on both sides. On the fourth day, the Muslims who are left will return to the fight, and Allah will cause the enemy to be routed. There will be a battle the like of which has never been seen, so that even if a bird were to pass their ranks, it would fall down dead before it reached the end of them. Out of a family of one hundred, only one man will survive, so how could he enjoy the booty or divide any inheritance? While they are in this state, they will hear of an even worse calamity. A cry will reach them: “The Dajjal has taken your place among your offspring.” So they will throw away whatever is in their hands and go forward, sending 10 horsemen as a scouting party. The Prophet said, ‘I know their names, and the names of their fathers, and the colours of their horses. They will be the best horsemen on the face of the earth on that day.’ ” (Ahmad, Muslim). Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘The Hour will not come until the Romans camp at al-A’mash or Dabiq. An army, composed of the best people on earth at that time, will come out from Madinah to meet them. When they have arranged themselves in ranks, the Romans will say, ‘Do not stand between us and those who took prisoners from amongst us. Let us fight with them.’ One-third will run away, and Allah will never forgive them. One-third will be killed, and they will be the best of martyrs in Allah’s sight. One-third, who will never be subjected to trials or tribulations, will win, and will conquer Constantinople. Whilst they are sharing out the booty, after hanging their swords on the olive-trees, Satan will shout to them that the Dajjal has taken their place among their families. When they come to Syria, the Dajjal will appear, while they are preparing for battle and drawing up the ranks. When the time for prayer comes, Jesus the son of Mary will descend and lead them in prayer. When the enemy of Allah (i.e. the Dajjal) sees him, he will start to dissolve like salt in water, but Allah will kill him.’ ” (Muslim.) The Prophet said, “The Hour will not come until the furthest border of the Muslims will be in Bula.” Then he said, “O ‘Ali!” ‘Ali said, “May my father and mother be sacrificed for you!” The Prophet said, “You will fight the Romans, and those who come after you will fight them, until the best people among the Muslims, the people of al-Hijaz, will go out to fight them, fearing nothing but Allah. They will conquer Constantinople with Tasbih and Takbir (saying “Subhan Allah” and “Allahu Akbar”), and they will obtain booty the like of which has never been seen – they will share it out by scooping it up with their sheilds. Someone will come and say, ‘The Dajjal has appeared in your land’, but he will be lying. Anyone who takes notice of him will regret it, and anyone who ignores him will regret it.” (Ibn Majah.) Nafi’ ibn ‘Utbah said, “The Prophet said, ‘You will attack Arabia, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will attack Persia, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will attack Rome, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will attack the Dajjal, and Allah will enable you to conquer him.’ ” (Muslim) When Mustawrid al-Qurashi was sitting with ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, he said, “I heard the Prophet say, ‘The Hour will come when the Romans will be in the majority.’ ‘Amr asked him, “What are you saying?” He said, “I am repeating that which I heard from the Prophet.” ‘Amr said, “If you say this, it is true, because they have four good characteristics: they are the most able to cope with tribulation, the quickest to recover after disaster and to return to the fight after disaster, and are the best as far as treating the poor, weak and orphans is concerned. They have a fifth characteristic which is very good; they do not allow themselves to be oppressed by their kings.” The Prophet said, “You will fight the Romans, and Believers from the Hijaz will fight them after you, until Allah enables them to conquer Constantinople and Rome with Tasbih and Takbir (“Subhan Allah” and “Allahu Akbar”). Its fortifications will collapse, and they will obtain booty the like of which has never been seen, so that they will share it out by scooping it up with their shields. Then someone will cry, ‘O Muslims! the Dajjal is in your country, with your families’, and the people will leave the wealth. Anyone who takes notice will regret it and anyone who ignores it will regret it. They will ask, ‘Who shouted?’ but they will not know who he is. They will say, you will hear about his deeds.’ So they will go and see, and if they see that everything is normal, they will say, ‘No-one would give a shout like that for no reason, so let us go together to Ilya’.’ If we find the Dajjal there we will fight him together, until Allah decides between us and him. If we do not find the Dajjal, we will go back to our country and our families.’ ” Mu’adh ibn Jabal said, “The Prophet said, ‘The building of Bayt al-Maqdis (in Jerusalem) will be followed by the destruction of Yathrib (Madinah), which will be followed by the conquest of Constantinople, which will be followed by the appearance of the Dajjal.’ Then he put his hand on the thigh or the shoulder of the one with whom he was speaking (i.e. Mu’adh), and said, ‘This is as true as the fact that you are here (or as true as you are sitting here).’ ” This does not mean that Madinah will be destroyed completely before the appearance ofthe Daj, but that will happen at the end of time, as we shall see in some authentic Ahadith. But the building of Bayt al-Maqdis will be the cause of the destruction of Madinah, as it was proven in the Hadith that the Dajjal will not be able to enter Madinah. He will be prevented from doing so because it is surrounded by angles bearing unsheathed swords. Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said about Madinah: ‘Neither plague nor the Dajjal can enter it.’ ” (Bukhari.)

Trials and tribulations Zaynab bint Jahsh said, The Prophet (sallallah alayhe wa sallam) got up from his sleep; his face was flushed and he said, There is no god but Allah. Woe to the Arabs, for a great evil which is nearly approaching them. Today a gap has been made in the wall of Gog and Magog like this (Sufyan illustrated this by forming the number of 90 or 100 with his fingers). Someone asked, Shall we be destroyed even though there are righteous people among us? The Prophet said, Yes, if evil increases. (Bukhari). Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet said, One night the Prophet got up and said, Subhan Allah! How many tribulations have come down tonight, and how many treasures have been disclosed! Go and wake the dwellers of these apartments (i e his wives) for prayer. A well-dressed soul in this world may be naked in the Hereafter. (Bukhari.) Usamah ibn Zayd said, Once the Prophet stood over one of the battlements of al-Madinah and asked the people, Do you see what I see? They said, No. He said, I see afflictions falling upon your houses as raindrops fall. (Bukhari, Muslim.) Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) said, The Prophet said, Time will pass rapidly, knowledge will decrease, miserliness will become widespread in peoples hearts, afflictions will appear, and there will be much Harj. The people asked, O Messenger of Allah, what is Harj? He said, Killing, killing! (Bukhari) Al-Zubayr ibn Adi narrated, We went to Anas ibn Malik and complained about the wrong we were suffering at the hands of al-Hajjaj. Anas ibn Malik said, Be patient, For no time will come but that the time following it will be worse, until you meet your Lord. I heard the Prophet say that. (Bukhari.) Abu Hurairah said, The Prophet said, There will come a time of afflictions when one who sits will be better than one who stands; one who stands will be better than one who walks; and one who walks will be better than one who runs. Whoever exposes himself to these afflictions, they will destroy him. So whoever can find a place of protection or refuge from them, should take shelter in it. (Bukhari and Muslim.) Hudhayfah said, The Prophet told us two Hadith, one of which I have seen fulfilled, and I am waiting for the fulfilment of the other. The Prophet told us that honesty came down into mens hearts (from Allah); then they learnt it from the Quran, and then from the Sunnah. The Prophet told us that honesty would be taken away. He said, Man will be overtaken by sleep, during which honesty will be taken away from his heart, and only its trace will remain, like traces of a dark spot. Then man will be overtaken by slumber again, during which honesty will decrease still further, until its trace will resemble a blister such as is caused when an ember is dropped onto ones foot: it swells, but there is nothing inside. People will be carrying on with their trade, but there will hardly be any trustworthy persons. People will say, There is an honest man in such-and-such a tribe. Later they will say about some man, What a wise, polite and strong man he is! – although he will not have faith even the size of a mustard-seed in his heart. Indeed, there came a time when I did not mind dealing with any one of you, for if he were a Muslim his Islam would compel him to pay whatever he owed me, and if he were a Christian, the Muslim official would compel him to pay it. But now I do not deal with anyone except so-and-so and so-and-so. (Bukhari.) Ibn Umar said, The Prophet stood beside the pulpit, facing the east, and said, Afflictions will verily emerge from here, where the top of Satans head will appear. (Bukhari.) Abu Hurairah said that he had heard the Prophet say, The Hour will not come until a man passes by someones grave and says, Would that I were in his place! (Bukhari.) Abu Hurairah said, I heard the Prophet say, The Hour will not come until the buttocks of the women of Daws* move whist going around Dhu l-Khalasah. Dhu l-Khalasah was an idol worshipped by the tribe of Daws during the Jahiliyyah. (Hadith from Bukhari.) Abu Hurairah also said, The Prophet said, The Euphrates will disclose a golden treasure. Whoever is present at that time should not take anything of it. Abu Hurairah said, The Prophet said, The Hour will not come before the Euphrates uncovers a mountain of gold, for which people will fight. Ninety-nine out of every hundred will die, but every one among them will say that perhaps he will be the one who will survive (and thus possess the gold). (Muslim.) Abu Hurairah said, The Prophet said, The Hour will not come until the following events have come to pass: two large groups will fight the another, and there will be many casualties; they will both be following the same religious teaching. Nearly thirty Dajjals will appear, each of them falsely claiming to be a Messenger from Allah. Knowledge will disappear, earthquakes will increase, time will pass quickly, afflictions will appear, and Harj (ie killing) will increase. Wealth will increase, so that a wealthy man will worry lest no-one accept his Zakat, and when he offers it to anyone, that person will say, I am not in need of it. People will compete in constructing high buildings. When a man passes by someones grave, he will say, Would that I were in his place! The sun will rise from the west; when it rises and the people see it, they will believe, but, No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith … (Al-Anam 6:158) The Hour will come suddenly: when a man has milked his she-camel and taken away the milk, but he will not have time to drink it; before a man repairing a tank for his livestock will be able to put water in it for his animals; and before a man who has raised a morsel of food to his mouth will be able to eat it. (Bukhari.) Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said, Of all the people, I know most about every tribulation which is going to happen between now and the Hour. This is not because the Prophet told me something in confidence which he did not tell anyone else; it is because I was present among a group of people to whom he spoke about the tribulations (al-Fitan). The Prophet mentioned three tribulations which would hardly spare anybody, and some which would be like storms in summer; some would be great and some would be small. Everyone who was present at that gathering has passed away, except me. (Muslim.) Abu Hurairah said, I heard the Prophet say, If you live for a while, you will see people go out under the wrath of Allah and come back under His curse, and they will have in their hands whips like the tail of an ox. (Ahmad, Muslim.) Abu Hurairah said, The Prophet said, There are two types among the people of Hell whom I have not yet seen. The first are people who have whips like the tails of oxen, with which they beat people, and the second are women who are naked in spite of being dressed; they will be led astray and will lead others astray, and their heads will look like camels humps. These women will not enter Paradise; they will not even experience the faintest scent of it, even though the fragrance of Paradise can be perceived from such a great distance. Anas ibn Malik said, The Prophet was asked, O Messenger of Allah, (what will happen) when we stop enjoining good and forbidding evil? He said, When what happened to the Israelites happens among you: when fornication becomes widespread among your leaders, knowledge is in the hands of the lowest of you, and power passes into the hands of the least of you. (Ibn Majah.) Abu Hurairah said, The Prophet said, Woe to the Arabs from the great evil which is nearly approaching them: it will be like patches of dark night. A man will wake up as a believer, and be a kafir (unbeliever) by nightfall. People will sell their religion for a small amount of worldly goods. The one who clings to his religion on that day will be as one who is grasping an ember – or thorns. (Ahmad.) Abu Hurairah said, I heard the Prophet saying to Thawban, O Thawban, what will you do when the nations call one another to invade you as people call one another to come and eat from one bowl? Thawban said, May my father and my mother be sacrificed for you. O Messenger of Allah! Is it because we are so few The Prophet said, No, on that day you (Muslims) will be many, but Allah will put weakness (wahn) in your hearts. The people asked, What is that weakness, O Messenger of Allah? He said, It is love for this world and dislike of fighting. (Ahmad.) The Prophet said, There will be a tribulation in which one who is sleeping will be better than one who is lying down, one who is lying will be better than one who is sitting, one who is sitting will be better than on who is standing, one who is standing will be better than one who is walking, one who is walking will be better than one who is riding, and one who is riding will be better than one who is running; all of their dead will be in Hell. The Companion of the Prophet who narrated this Hadith said, O Messenger of Allah, when will that be? He said, That will be the days of Harj. He asked, When will the days of Harj be? The Prophet said, When a man will not trust the person to whom he is speaking. The Companion asked, What do you advise me to do if I live to see that? He said, Restrain yourself, and go back to your place of residence. The Companion then asked, O Messenger of Allah, what should I do if someone enters my neighbourhood to attack me? He said, Go into your house. The Companion asked, What if he enters my house? He said, Go into the place where you pray and do this – and he folded his arms, – and say My Lord is Allah, until you die. Abu Bakrah said, The Prophet said, There will be a tribulation during which one who is lying down will be better than one who is sitting, one who is sitting will be better than one who is standing, one who is standing will be better than one who is walking, and one who is walking will be better than one who is running. Someone asked, O Messenger of Allah, what do you advise me to do? He said, Whoever has camels, let him stay with them, and whoever has land, let him stay in his land. Someone asked, What about someone who does not have anything like that? He said, Then let him take his sword and strike its edge against a stone, then go as far away as possible. (Abu Dawud; similar Hadith in Muslim.) At the time of the Fitnah of Uthman ibn Affans Khilafah (Caliphate), Sad ibn Abi Waqqas said, I bear witness that the Prophet said, There will come a tribulation during which one who sits will be better than one who stands, one who stands will be better than one who walks, and one who walks will be better than one who runs. Someone asked, What do you advise if someone enters my house to kill me? He said, Be like the son of Adam (ie resign yourself). (Muslim, Tirmidhi.) Abu Musa al-Ashari said, The Prophet said, Before the Hour comes, there will be a tribulation like patches of dark night. A man will get up a believer and go to sleep a kafir, or will go to sleep a believer and get up a kafir. The one who sits will be better than one who stands, and one who walks will be better than one who runs. Break your bows, cut their strings, and strike your swords against stones. If someone comes to kill any of you, then be like the better of the two sons of Adam. (Abu Dawud.) Abu Dharr said, The Prophet was riding a donkey and sat me behind him. He said, O Abu Dharr, if the people were suffering from such severe hunger that you could not even get up from your bed to go to the mosque, what would you do? I said, Allah and His Messenger know best. He said, Be decent and restrain yourself. Then he said, O Abu Dharr, if the people were suffering from severe death (i e if a man were worth no more than a grave), what would you do? If the people were killing one another, until Hajarat al-Zayt (an area of Madinah) were submerged in blood, what would you do? I said, Allah and His Messenger know best. He said, Stay in your house and lock the door. I asked, What if I am not left alone? He said, Then be one of them. I said, Should I take up my sword? He said, If you did that, you would be joining them in their activities. No – if you fear that the brightness of the shining sword will disturb you, then cover your face with part of your clothing, and let him carry his own sin and your sin. (Ahmad.) Abd Allah ibn Amr said, We were on a journey with the Prophet … When the Prophets caller called for prayer, I went there. The Prophet was addressing the people, saying: O people, it has been the duty of every Prophet before me to guide his people to whatever he knew was good for them, and to warn them against whatever he knew was bad for them, but this Ummah has its time of peace and security at the beginning; at the end of its existence it will suffer trials and tribulations, one after the other. Tribulation will come, and the believer will say, This will finish me, but it will pass. Another tribulation will come, and he will say, This is it, but it will pass, and a third will come and go likewise. Whoever wishes to be rescued from Hell, and enter Paradise, let him die believing in Allah and the Last Day, and treat the people as he himself wishes to be treated. If anyone gives allegiance to an Imam, then let him obey him if he can (or on one occasion he said: as much as you can). Abd al-Rahman (one of the narrators of this Hadith) said, When I heard that, I put my head between my knees and said, But your cousin Muawiyah is ordering us to squander our wealth among ourselves in vanity, and to kill each other, although Allah has said, O ye who believe! Squander not your wealth among yourselves in vanity … (Al-Nisa 4:29) Abd Allah (another narrator) put his head in his hands and paused awhile, then he raised his head and said, Obey him in that which is obedience to Allah and disobey that which is disobedience to Allah. I asked him, Did you hear that from the Prophet? He said, Yes, I heard it with my ears and understood it in my heart. (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Nasai, Ibn Majah.) Abd Allah ibn Amr said, I heard the Prophet say, If you see my Ummah fearing a tyrant so much that they dare not tell him that he is a tyrant, then there will be no hope for them. The Prophet said, Among my Ummah, some will be swallowed up by the earth, some bombarded with stones, and some transformed into animals. (Ahmad). FOOTNOTE: *Daws: a tribe in Yemen, Dhul-Khalasah: a house full of idols – it is so called because they believed that whoever worshipped it or went around it would be purified (khallasa). This Hadith means that the tribe of Daws will become apostates from Islam and will go back to idol worshipping; even their women will exert themselves in worshipping the idol and running around it, so that their flesh will quiver.

Greater signs of the Hour AFTER the lesser signs of the Hour appear and increase, mankind will have reached a stage of great suffering. Then the awaited Mahdi will appear; he is the first of the greater, and clear, signs of the Hour. There will be no doubt about his existence, but this will only be clear to the knowledgeable people. The Mahdi will rule until the False Messiah (al-Masih al-Dajjal) appears, who will spread oppression and corruption. The only ones who will know him well and avoid his evil will be those who have great knowledge and Iman (faith). The false Messiah will remain for a while, destroying mankind completely, and the earth will witness the greatest Fitnah (tribulation) in its history. Then the Messiah Jesus (alayhe sallam) will descend, bringing justice from heaven. He will kill the Dajjal, and there will be years of safety and security. Then the appearance of Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog) will take mankind by surprise, and corruption will overtake them again. In answer to Jesus faithful prayer to Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala), they will die, and safety, security, justice and stability will return. This state of affairs will continue for some years, until the death of Jesus. The Ulama differ concerning the order in which the other greater signs of the Hour will come about. They are: The destruction of the Kabah and the recovery of its treasure. The rising of the sun from the west. The emergence of the Beast from the earth. The smoke. A wind will take the souls of the believers. The Quran will be taken up into heaven. A fire will drive the people to their last gathering place. The Trumpet will be sounded: at the first sound everyone will feel terror; at the second sound all will be struck down; at the last sound all will be resurrected. The Mahdi THE Mahdi will come at the end of time; he is one of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs and Imams. He is not the Mahdi who is expected by the Shiah, who they claim will appear from a tunnel in Samarra. This claim of theirs has no basis in reality nor in any reliable source. They allege that his name is Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Askari, and that he went into the tunnel when he was five years old. The matter we intend to discuss has been proven by Ahadith narrated from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam): that the Mahdi will appear at the end of time. I believe that he will appear before Jesus the son of Mary comes down, as the Ahadith indicate. Hajjaj said that he heard Ali say, The Prophet said, Even if there were only one day left for the world, Allah would send a man from among us to fill the world with justice, just as it had been filled with oppression and justice. (Ahmad). Ali said, The Prophet said, The Mahdi is one of us, from among the people of my household. In one night Allah will inspire him and prepare him to carry out his task successfully. (Ahmad and Ibn Majah.) Ali said, whilst looking at his son al-Hasan, This son of mine is a Sayyid (master), as the Prophet named him. Among his descendants there will be man named after your Prophet. He will resemble him in behaviour but not in looks. Then he told them the report which mentions that the earth will be filled with justice. (Abu Dawud.) Abu Dawud devoted a chapter of his Sunan to the subject of the Mahdi. At the beginning of this chapter he quoted the Hadith of Jabir ibn Samrah, in which the Prophet said, This religion will remain steadfast until twelve caliphs have ruled over you. (According to another report he said, This religion will remain strong until twelve caliphs have ruled over you.) Jabir said, The people cheered and shouted Allahu akbar! Then the Prophet whispered something. I asked my father What did he say? My father said, He said, All of them will be from Quraysh. Another report says that when the Prophet returned to his house, Quraysh came to him and asked, What will happen after that? He said, Then there will be tribulation and killing. Abu Dawud reported a Hadith from Abd Allah ibn Masud: The Prophet said, If there were only one day left for the world, that day would be lengthened until a man from among my descendants or from among the people of my household, was sent; his name will be the same as my name, and his fathers name will be the same as my fathers name. He will fill the earth with justice and fairness, just as it will have been filled with injustice and oppression. The world will not end until a man of my household, whose name is the same as mine, holds away. Abd Allah said, The Prophet said, A man from my household, whose name is like mine, will take power. (Tirmidhi.) In another report, from Abu Hurairah, the Prophet said, If there were only one day left for this world, Allah would lengthen it until he took power. Abu Said said, The Prophet said, The Mahdi will be one of my descendants; he will have a high forehead and a hooked nose. He will fill the earth with justice and fairness just as it was filled with injustice and oppression, and he will rule for seven years. (Abu Dawud.) Umm Salamah reported that the Prophet said, People will begin to differ after the death of a Khalifah. A man from the people of Madinah will flee to Makkah. Some of the people of Makkah will come to him and drag him out against his will; they will swear allegiance to him between al-Rukn and al-Maqam. An army will be sent against him from Syria; it will be swallowed up in the desert between Makkah and Madinah. When the people see this, groups of people from Syria and Iraq will come and swear allegiance to him. Then a man from Quraysh whose mother is from Kalb will appear and send an army against them, and will defeat them; this will be known as the Battle of Kalb. Whoever does not witness the spoils of this battle will miss much! The Mahdi will distribute the wealth, and will rule the people according to the Sunnah of the Prophet. Then he will die, and the Muslims will pray for him. (Abu Dawud.) Ali said, The Prophet said, A man named al-Harith ibn Hirath will come from Transoxania. His army will be led by a man named Mansur. He will pave the way for and establish the government of the family of Muhammad, just as Quraysh established the government of the Messenger of Allah. Every believer will be obliged to support him. (Abu Dawud.) Abd Allah ibn al-Harith ibn Juz al-Zubaydi said, The Prophet said, A people will come out of the East who will pave the way for the Mahdi. (Ibn Majah.) Abd Allah said, Whilst we were with the Prophet, some young men from Banu Hashim approached us. When the Prophet saw them, his eyes filled with tears and the colour of his face changed. I said, We can see something has changed in your face, and it upsets us. The Prophet said, We are the people of a Household for whom Allah has chosen the Hereafter rather than this world. The people of my Household (Ahl al-Bayt) will suffer a great deal after my death, and will be persecuted until a people carrying black banners will come out of the east. They will instruct the people to do good, but the people will refuse; they will fight until they are victorious, and the people do as they asked, but they will not accept it from them until they hand over power to a man from my household. Then the earth will be filled with fairness, just as it had been filled with injustice. If any of you live to see this, you should go to him even if you have to crawl across ice. This text refers to the rule of the Abbasids, as we have mentioned above in the text referring to the beginning of their rule in 132 AH. It also indicates that the Mahdi will appear after the Abbasids, and that he will be one of the Ahl al-Bayt, a descendant of Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet, through Hasan, not Husayn, as mentioned in the Hadith from Ali ibn Abi Talib; and Allah knows best. Thwaban said, The Prophet said, Three men will be killed at the place where your treasure is. Each of them will be the son of a Khalifah, and none of them will get hold of the treasure. Then the black banners will come out of the East, and they will slaughter you in a way which has never been seen before. Then he said something which I do not remember; then, If you see him, go and give him your allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice, because he is the Khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi. (Ibn Majah.) The treasure referred to in this text is the treasure of the Kabah. Towards the end of time, three of the sons of the Khalifahs will fight to get hold of it, until the Mahdi appears. He will appear from the East, not from the tunnel of Samarra, as the Shiah claim; they believe that he is in this tunnel now, and they are waiting for him to emerge at the end of time. There is no evidence for it in any book or Sahih tradition, and there is no benefit in believing this. The truth of the matter is that the Mahdi whose coming is promised at the end of time will appear from the East, and people will swear allegiance to him at the Kabah, as some Ahadith indicate. At the time of the Mahdi, there will be peace and prosperity, with abundant crops and wealth, strong rulers, and Islam will be well-established. Abu Said said, By Allah every ruler we have had has been worse than the previous one, and every year has been worse than the year before, but I heard the Prophet say, Among your rulers will be one who will give out wealth freely, without counting it. A man will come and ask him for money, and he will say Take; the man will spread his cloak out and the ruler will pour money into it. The Prophet spread out a thick cloak he had been wearing, to demonstrate the mans actions; then he gathered it up by its corners and said, Then the man will take it and leave. (Ahmad.)

From Ibn Kathir’s The Signs before the Day of Judgment. Answer: Ayat and Ahadith about the Hour Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) said: “They ask thee about the Hour, ‘When will be its appointed time? Wherein art thou (concerned) with the declaration thereof? With thy Lord is the Limit fixed therefor. Thou art but a Warner for such as fear it. The Day they will see it, (it will be) as if they had tarried but a single evening, or (at most till) the following morn!” (Al-Nazi’at 79: 42-46) “They ask thee about the (final) Hour – when will be its appointed time? Say: ‘The knowledge thereof is with my Lord (alone): none but He can reveal as to when it will occur. Heavy were its burden through the heavens and the earth. Only, all of a sudden will it come to you.’ They ask thee as if thou wert eager in search thereof: say: ‘The knowledge thereof is with Allah (alone), but most men know not.'” (Al-A’raf 7:187) There are many Ayat and Ahadith concerning this subject: Allah said: “The Hour (of Judgment) is nigh, and the moon is cleft asunder.” (Al-Qamar 54:1) The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, whilst 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 Hour. Allah said: “Closer and closer to mankind comes their Reckoning: yet they heed not and they turn away.” (Al-Anbiya’ 21:1) “(Inevitable) cometh (to pass) the Command of Allah: seek, ye not then to hasten it.'” (Al-Nahl 16:1) “Only those wish to hasten it who believe not in it: those who believe hold it in awe, and know that it is the Truth.'” (Al-Shura 42:18) In Sahih al-Bukhari, there is a Hadith which states that a Bedouin asked the Prophet 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. Some Ahadith report that the Prophet was asked about the Hour. He looked towards a young boy and said, “If he lives, he will not grow very old before he sees your Last Hour coming to you.” By this he meant their death and entering the Hereafter, because everyone who dies enters the Hereafter; some people say that when a person has died, his judgment has begun. This Hadith with this meaning is “correct” (Sahih). Some heretics comment on this Hadith and give it an incorrect meaning. The exact timing of the Great Hour (al-Sa’at al’Uzma) is something which Allah alone knows and which He has not revealed to anyone, as is clear from the Hadith in which the Prophet said: “There are five things which nobody knows except Allah;” then he recited, “Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone). It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does anyone know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: Nor does anyone know in what land he is to die. Verily with Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things).” (Laqman 31:34) When Gabriel (Jibreel) (alayhe salam) came to the Prophet in the guise of a Bedouin, he asked him about Islam, Iman (faith) and Ihsan (excellence of faith); and the Prophet answered his questions. But when he asked him about the Hour, he said, “The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner.” Jibreel said, “Tell me about its signs.” Then the Prophet described them, as we shall see later when we quote this Hadith and others in full. Hudhayfah said: “The Prophet stood up one day to speak to us, and told us everything that was going to happen until the Hour, and left nothing unsaid. Some of the listeners learnt it by heart, and some forgot it; these friends of mine learnt it. I do not remember it completely, but sometimes it springs to mind, just as one might remember and recognise the face of a man whom one had forgotten, when one sees him.” (Abu Dawud, Muslim.) Imam Ahmad reported via Abu Nudrah that Abu Sa’id said: “One day the Prophet led us in praying the afternoon prayer (Salat al’Asr). Then he stood and addressed us until sunset. He mentioned everything that was to happen until the Day of Resurrection, and left nothing unsaid. Some of us remembered it, and some of us forgot it. One of the things he said was: ‘O people, this world is full of attractive temptations. Allah has appointed you as vicegerents (Khalifah) in this world, and He will see how you will act. So guard yourselves against the temptations of this world and of women’ Towards the end of this speech, he said, ‘The sun is about to set, and what remains of this world, compared to what has passed, is like what remains of this day compared to what has passed.'” ‘Ali ibn Zayed ibn Jad’an al-Timi narrated some Gharib and Munkar Ahadith – which could bring into question the validity of this Hadith. But there are some reports which are similar to this Hadith, and which were transmitted with different isnads. Part of this Hadith is in SMuslim, through Abu Nudrah on the authority of Abu Sa’id. This Hadith refers to something which is beyond any doubt: what remains of this world, compared to what has passed, is very little. In spite of that, no-one can know exactly how much time is left except Allah, and no-one can know exactly how much time has passed, except Allah. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE FITAN (TRIBULATIONS) Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said, “People used to ask the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) about good things, but I used to ask him about bad things because I was afraid that they might overtake me. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, we were lost in ignorance (Jahiliyyah) and evil, then Allah brought this good (i.e. Islam). Will some evil come after this good thing?’ He said, ‘Yes’ I asked, ‘And will some good come after that evil?’ He said, ‘Yes, but it will be tainted with some evil’ I asked, ‘How will it be tainted?’ He said, ‘There will be some people who will lead others on a path different from mine. You will see good and bad in them. I asked, ‘Will some evil come after that good?’ He said, ‘Some people will be standing and calling at the gates of Hell; whoever responds to their call, they will throw him into the Fire.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, describe them for us.’ He said, ‘They will be from our own people, and will speak our language.’ I asked, ‘What do you advise me to do if I should live to see that?’ He said, ‘Stick to the main body (jama’ah) of the Muslims and their leader (Imam). I asked, What if there is no main body and no leader?’ He said ‘Isolate yourself from all of these sects, even if you have to eat the roots of trees until death overcomes you while you are in that state.'” ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud said: “The Prophet said, ‘Islam began as something strange, and it will revert to being strange as it was in the beginning, so good tidings for the strangers.’ Someone asked, ‘Who are the strangers?’ He said, ‘The ones who break away from their people (literally, ‘tribes’) for the sake of Islam.’ “This Hadith was narrated by Ibn Majah on the authority of Anas and Abu Hurairah. DIVISIONS WITHIN THE MAIN RELIGIOUS GROUPS Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said: “The Jews have split into seventy-one sects, and my Ummah will divide into seventy-three.” ‘Awf ibn Malik reported that the Prophet said: “The Jews split into seventy-one sects: one will enter Paradise and seventy will enter Hell. The Christians split into seventy-two sects: seventy-one will enter Hell and one will enter Paradise. By Him in Whose hand is my soul, my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects: one will enter Paradise and seventy-two will enter Hell.” Someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, who will they be?” He replied, “The main body of the Muslims (al-Jama’ah).” ‘Awf ibn Malik is the only one who reported this Hadith, and its isnad is acceptable. Anas ibn Malik said, “I shall tell you a Hadith which I heard from the Messenger of Allah, and which no-one will tell you after me. I heard him say, ‘Among the signs of the Hour will be the disappearance of knowledge and the appearance of ignorance. Adultery will be prevalent and the drinking of wine will be common. The number of men will decrease and the number of women will increase until there will be fifty women to be looked after by one man.’ ” This Hadith was reported in the two Sahihs from the Hadith of ‘Abd Rabbihi. ‘Abd Allah said, “The Prophet said, ‘Just before the Hour, there will be days in which knowledge will disappear and ignorance will appear, and there will be much killing.’ ” (Ibn Majah; also narrated by Bukhari and Muslim, from the Hadith of al-A’mash.) Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said, “The Prophet said, ‘Islam will become worn out like clothes are, until there will be no-one who knows what fasting, prayer, charity and rituals are. The Qur’an will disappear in one night, and no Ayah will be left on earth. Some groups of old people will be left who will say, ‘We heard our fathers saying La ilaha illa Allah, so we repeated it.’ Silah asked Hudhayfah, “What will saying La ilaha illa Allah do for them when they do not know what prayer, fasting, ritual and charity are?” Hudhayfah ignored him; then Silah repeated his question three times, and each time Hudayfah ignored him. Finally he answered, “O Silah, it will save them from Hell”, and said it three times. (Ibn Majah) This indicates that in the last days, knowledge will be taken from the people, and even the Qur’an will disappear from the Mushafs and from people’s hearts. People will be left without knowledge. Only the old people will tell them that they used to hear people saying La ilaha illa Allah; and they will repeat it to feel close to Allah, so it will give them some blessing, even if they do not have any good deeds or beneficial knowledge. Knowledge will be taken away from men and ignorance will increase during the last days, and their ignorance and misguidance will increase until the end, as in the Hadith of the Prophet: “The Hour will not come upon anyone who says, ‘Allah, Allah’; it will only come upon the most evil of men.” THE EVILS WHICH WILL BEFALL THE MUSLIM UMMAH DURING THE LAST DAYS. ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) came to us and said, ‘O Muhajirun, (emigrants from Makkah to al-Madinah) you may be afflicted by five things; God forbid that you should live to see them. If fornication should become widespread, you should realise that this has never happened without new diseases befalling the people which their forebears never suffered. If people should begin to cheat in weighing out goods, you should realise that this has never happened without drought and famine befalling the people, and their rulers oppressing them. If people should withhold Zakat, you should realise that this has never happened without the rain being stopped from falling; and were it not for the animals’ sake, it would never rain again. If people should break their covenant with Allah and His Messenger, you should realise that his has never happened without Allah sending an enemy against them to take some of their possessions by force. If the leaders do not govern according to the Book of Allah, you should realise that this has never happened without Allah making them into groups and making them fight one another.” (Ibn Majah). ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib said, “The Prophet said: ‘If my Ummah bears fifteen traits, tribulation will befall it.’ Someone asked, ‘What are they, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘When any gain is shared out only among the rich, with no benefit to the poor; when a trust becomes a means of making a profit; when paying Zakat becomes a burden; when a man obeys his wife and disobeys his mother; and treats his friend kindly whilst shunning his father; when voices are raised in the mosques; when the leader of a people is the worst of them; when people treat a man with respect because they fear some evil he may do; when much wine is drunk; when men wear silk; when female singers and musical instruments become popular; when the last ones of this Ummah curse the first ones – then let them expect a red wind, or the earth to swallow them, or to be transformed into animals.'” (Tirmidhi) ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib said, “The Prophet led us in praying Salat al-Fajr (the morning prayer). When he had finished, a man called to him: ‘When will the Hour be? The Prophet reprimanded him and said ‘Be quiet!’ After a while he raised his eyes to the sky and said, ‘Glorified be the One Who raised it and is taking care of it.’ Then he lowered his gaze to the earth and said, ‘Glory be to the One Who has outspread it and has created it.’ Then the Prophet said, ‘Where is the one who asked me about the Hour?’ The man knelt down and said, ‘I asked you.’ The Prophet said, ‘The Hour will come when leaders are oppressors, when people believe in the stars and reject al-Qadar (the Divine Decree of destiny) when a trust becomes a way of making a profit, when people give to charity (Sadaqah) reluctantly, when adultery becomes widespread – when this happens, then your people will perish.'” ‘Imran ibn Husayn said, “The Psaid, ‘Some people othis Ummah will be swallowed up by the earth, some will be transformed into animals, and some will be bombarded with stones.’ One of the Muslims asked, ‘When will that be, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘When singers and musical instruments will become popular, and much wine will be drunk.'” (Narrated by Tirmidhi) [Note: “The main body of the Muslims (al-Jama’ah) means the people of the Qur’an, Hadith, Fiqh and other sciences, who have agreed to follow the Traditions of the Prophet in all circumstances without introducing any changes or imposing their own confused ideas.]

The Importance of Making Mashwarah While emphasizing the importance of mashwarah, Hazrat Moulana Muhammad Ilyaas (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned the following: Mashwarah is extremely vital and important. Allah Ta’ala has promised that when you place your reliance on Him and sit to make mashwarah, then before the mashwarah concludes and you depart, you will be blessed with guidance from Allah Ta’ala. (Malfoozaat Hazrat Moulana Muhammad Ilyaas (rahmatullahi) Ihyaauddeen.co.za

MASHWARAH ITS IMPORTANCE IN ISLAM Islam greatly exhorts the practice of Mashwara (mutual]consultation) in all matters of importance.Whether relating to individual issues, matters relating to the home, matters relating to the community or a country, Islam emphasizes the importance and great benefits of Mashwara. This meritorious practice of great benefit is strongly encouraged: 1. by the Quraan Majeed 2. by the Hadith Shareef 3. by the practical example of Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) 4. by the practice of the Sahaabah (Radiyallahu]anhum) and the Pious Elders of all eras MASHWARA AND ISTIKHARAH TWO INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCESS All Muslims must strive to bring alive this vital practice in all facets and matters of their individual and collective lives. Whenever any issue of importance arises; before making any decision, always resort to 1. MASHWARA and 2. ISTIKHARAH We have been informed by the most truthful of men, Sayyidina Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) in one of his gems of wisdom: “He who resorts to Istikharah will not be at a loss; and he who resorts to Mashwara will never regret.” QURANIC VERSES (Relevant Quranic Aayaat regarding the importance of Mashwara:) Aayah 1: “And make Mashwara (consult) with them in affairs (of importance). Then when you have firmly decided, have trust on Allah. Verily Allah loves those who have trust (in Him)”  Lessons from this aayah: 1. Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) was not really in need of the views and consultation of the Sahabah (radiyallahu]anhum), because he was educated and taught directly by Allah (Rabbul]Izzat) via the medium of Wahi. Allah Ta’ala could have guided him to the correct decision even without mutual consultation. Yet we find the Quran has instructed even Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) to resort to Mashwara with his companions. This alone speaks volumes on the importance of Mashwara. 2. What is the reason for Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) consulting and making Mashwara with his companions? In order to emphasize the importance of Mashwara, he practically carried it out and showed them the ways and etiquette of Mashwara. In this manner the importance and method of Mashwara was embedded in the minds of the Sahaba (radiyallahu]anhum) and thus this practice gained prominence and priority in the life of the Sahaba and those that followed their ways. 3. Islam has always advocated the policy of adopting the means first and then trusting upon Allah ] Tawakkul. “Tie the camel first, then trust upon Allah.” This is the true concept of Tawakkul from Quran and Hadith. It is this same principle as far as Mashwara is concerned; first adopt all the means: Consult, collect all the views and deliberate on the issue at hand from all angles, then take the decision and leave the rest to Allah (Rabbul]Izzat) ] thereafter trust on Him alone. 4. Although this aayah is directed to Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) in the first instance, it applies to all Muslims in general by way of implication. By directing Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) firstly towards this command, the emphasis on this matter is trebled in importance. 5. A very important Hukm (directive) of Mashwara is laid out in this aayah ] the final and binding decision lies with the Ameer. The aayah states: “…then when you have decided…” ] this implies that the decision lies with one person alone ] not the entire Shura Body. The Quran does not say “when all of you have decided” or “when the majority of you has decided” etc. This points out the invalidity of the system of democracy or majority rule. Islam espouses the system of Mashwara. Unfortunately Muslims all over the world blindly follow and upkeep the invalid system of democracy in almost all their affairs ] even as far as the affairs of the Masajid is concerned, the entire constitution and voting system is based on the principles of democracy to the letter! What a tragedy! Whereas Muslims should have been administering all their affairs on the basis of Mashwara and more than all the houses of Allah should at least have been administered in the way of the Quraan Majeed i.e. by Mashwara and not by the system of democracy. May Allah open the eyes of the Muslim Ummah to realize their folly. Aayah 2: In praise of the true Mu’mineen ] Believers, Allah (Rabbul]Izzat) extols a unique quality in their lives. What is this quality? It is the quality of Mashwara or Mutual Consultation. Says Allah Ta’ala: “And their affairs are decided upon by Shura between them” This is another glaring aayah of the Qur’an that emphasizes the importance of Shura in the life of a Muslim, whose affairs of life pivot around Mashwara. May Allah grant all Believers this great quality Source

Bid’ah According to the Four Madhhabs The concept of bid’ah has become a means by which the Muslim nation has become divided. There are some who call anything, which did not exist during the time of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi was sallam), bid’ah and label those who adopt some of those practices as people of innovation (bid’ah) or misguidance (dalaalah). The question that must be asked is: “How have the Muslims been dealing with newly introduced matters starting from the time of the Companions (Sahaba) until recent times?” In order to provide an encompassing answer to this question, I gathered the views of the four schools of thought (Madhhabs) in this booklet (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali madhhabs). From each Madhhab, I included statements of some of the famous scholars regarding the meaning and classification of bid’ah (innovation). Henceforth, I include the magnificent research concerning bid’ah of one of the greatest scholars of the 19th century: Al-Imam Abu Al-Hasanat Muhammed Abdul Hayy Al-Laknawi al-Hindi. In his research he demonstrated how the first three blessed generations responded to the newly innovated matters which cropped up during their time. He concludes his research by providing advice on how we should deal with bid’ah in our own time. I believe his advice contains therein a cure for the disease of corrupting the term bid’ah, perhaps inadvertently, to divide the Muslim community. Download: https://ia801500.us.archive.org/0/items/BidahAccordingToTheFourMadhhabs/Bidah according to the four Madhhabs.pdf darultahqiq

Please do not post rulings on the forum which you have "heard". The above is confusing as one enters the state of ihraam before entering the haram Readers please refer to following topic of hajj/umrah resources

Part Twenty The Justice and Compassion of Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) Hazrat Jareer (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) once passed by Hazrat ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) during the period when Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was governor over Kufah. Seeing Hazrat Jareer (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), Hazrat ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) asked him regarding Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). Hazrat Jareer (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) gave the following reply: “I left him in his position of rule as the most noble of people in authority and power, and the person who is least hard-hearted. He is like a devoted mother to his subjects, working for them just as an ant works tirelessly for its colony. He is the person who is most firm against wrong and oppression, and he is among the most beloved of the Quraish to the people.” (Isaabah 3/64) Source: Whatisislam.co.za

Beneficial article on understanding the nafs: and this will answer your question insha-allah: Du'a: اَللّٰهُمَّ اَلْهِمْنِىْ رُشْدِىْ وَاَعِذْنِىْ مِنْ شَرِّ نَفْسِىْ Oh Allah, inspire me with guidance and protect me from the evil of myself ——– اللهم ات نفسي تقواها وزكها انت خير من زكاها انت وليها ومولاها Allahumma Aati Nafsi Taqwaahaa Wa-Zakkihaa, Anta Khayru Man Zakkaahaa, Anta Waliyyuhaa Wa-Mawlaahaa O Allah! Give my soul piety and my conscience purity. You are the Master of my soul and the Guardian of my conscience

please see this post specially the following: Ghussa / Anger Definition: Revenge in the form of erupting or exploding in anger, taken at some slight or personal injury. Danger and consequences: Uncontrolled anger leads to rage, quarrels, hatred, violence and a host of other evils. To be completely devoid of anger is the opposite extreme and manifests as cowardice, which also falls in the category of being despicable. It must be pointed out that anger is an essential instinctive quality. Thus anger developing in an individual is not in his control, but the individual has the option of giving expression to the anger or not. The ideal therefore is anger reacting only to the demands of the shariat.

The Outcome of Ingratitude Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned: So long as a person regards himself unworthy of the favours he enjoys and recognizes the favours to be a sheer grace and bounty from the side of Allah Ta’ala upon him, he will continue to receive from the favours of Allah Ta’ala and he will not be deprived of the Divine Grace. However, as soon as he regards himself to be deserving of the favours of Allah Ta’ala, then this will be regarded as ingratitude and ungratefulness. When one falls into ingratitude, the favours that he is enjoying will be snatched away from him. The outcome of ingratitude is extremely serious. (Malfoozaat Hakeemul Ummat 5/332) Ihyaauddeen.co.za

Guidelines on Preparing a will and testament Islamically Answered by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari Can you please provide me with general guidelines that would help me prepare my last Will and testament according to Islamic law? Answer: In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful, Writing and preparing a Will is undoubtedly very important, especially in non-Muslim countries, insuring that upon death, one’s wealth and assets are distributed according to Shariah. There are a number of Islamic texts, both in the Qur’an and Sunnah, which point to the importance of Will-making, for example: Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “It is not befitting for a Muslim who has something to make a Will of, to remain for two nights without having one’s last Will and testament written and kept ready with one.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no: 2587) The narrator of this Hadith (Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab) stated after hearing this from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace): “I did not let even one night pass by except that my Will would be kept by me.” (Musnad Ahmad, 2/4) Making a Will becomes even more important in non-Muslim countries, such as the United Kingdom and US. The reason being is that, failing to leave a valid written Will can result in the law of the land deciding on how your estate is to be distributed, which obviously will not be in accordance with Shariah (Islamic law). Therefore, it is essential that all Muslims leave a valid written Will. Those who have, as yet, not made a Will should haste and prepare a Will. Writing a Will is not only for old people, rather all those who have reached puberty should quickly get their Will prepared, for there is no guarantee of when one will die. Below are simple and brief guidelines with regards to preparing and writing a Will in the West: The first and foremost aspect worth noticing here is that many Muslims are mistaken in believing that, writing a Will means distributing one’s wealth and estate amongst the inheritors during one’s lifetime. This is incorrect, as making a Will does not mean one must divide one’s wealth amongst the various inheritors in one’s life; rather, one must merely stipulate in the Will that “upon my death, my executors will distribute my wealth according to Shariah”. One may also state that this will be determined by a local Muslim scholar or Mufti, who will be contacted and appointed by my executors upon my death. The reason behind this is that the inheritance portions have been determined and allotted by Allah Most High in the Qur’an. These portions vary according to who is alive at the time of one’s death. Death with leaving parents behind will differ from passing away after the parents have passed away, in that the inheritance portions will be different in both cases. As such, one cannot determine in one’s lifetime as to how much percentage of one’s wealth will be exactly allocated to each individual, for one is unaware who will be alive at the time of one’s death. Even the death of one person can make a big difference in the division and distribution of the estate. The beauty of Shariah is its simplicity and certainty. When you are writing your Islamic Will, you do not have to try and figure out which of your relatives will still be alive when you die in order to make sure that they will receive something. Whoever administers your estate will ascertain (in collaboration with a knowledgeable scholar) which of your relatives are still alive and what fixed shares they are automatically entitled to inherit by applying the criteria of Shariah. Moreover, it is unlawful and invalid to make a bequest (Wasiyya) in favour of an individual who automatically is entitled to receiving a share of the estate, such as one’s spouse, children and parents, etc. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said in his historic sermon (khutba) of his farewell hajj (haj al-Wada’): “Verily Allah has given each rightful person their right, thus there is no bequest in favour of a inheritor.” (Sunan Tirmidhi, no: 2120, narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Umama al-Bahili) The meaning of this Hadith is that Allah Almighty has already fixed and allotted the shares of those who are entitled to inherit from one’s estate. As such, if one was to make a Will in their favour, one will be going against the shares fixed for them in the Qur’an and Sunnah. However, if one wished to make a bequest/Will for a non-relative, or for a charity, then this would be allowed (and rewarded), but only up to a third of one’s total wealth. The remaining two thirds will be left to be distributed amongst the relatives according to the fixed shares prescribed by Allah Most High. If one does not make a bequest of up to one third of the estate, then all of the estate will be divided between the surviving relatives. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) forbade from making a bequest of giving one’s wealth in charity which is more than one third, and regarding a third also, he stated: “And a third is also more (although permissible)”. (Sunan Tirmidhi, no: 2116) The second point to remember here, which is very important, is that one must distinguish between a bequest/Will (wasiyya) and a gift (hiba). Many people fail to differentiate between the two, thus a grave error is committed. What a person gives to another in one’s lifetime is considered a “gift” whilst attributing the giving of something after one’s death is a “bequest or Will (Wasiyya)”. For example, if I give my house to a friend whilst I am alive, then that will be a gift, but if I was to say that my friend will take ownership of my house after I pass away, then that is a bequest. At times, one would like to distribute one’s estate amongst the children whilst one is alive. This will be valid provided it is given as a gift and not a bequest, because to make a bequest (or Will) for a relative who already qualifies to inherit is invalid, as mentioned previously. As such, if one desires to distribute the estate amongst the children whilst one is alive, then it does not have to be in accordance with the Shariah laws of inheritance, for it is merely a gift. However, the question arises as to whether it is necessary to distribute the estate equally between the children? The answer to this is that it is permissible to give the male children twofold of that given to the female children, as it would have been distributed as inheritance. It is also permissible to give all the children, male and female, equal shares. However, to give less than this to the daughters or to completely deprive them of any share, or to be unjust in the distribution of the wealth among the sons, without a valid Shar’i reason, is considered to be blameworthy and sinful. One will be sinful for favouring one child over the other, although the gift will stand as valid. Yes, if there is an Islamically valid reason, such as one child being extremely disobedient or involved in open sinning, it would be permitted to give him/her less. (See: Radd al-Muhtar) A point worth noting here is that Islamically a gift is only valid and complete when the one to whom the gift is given, takes full ownership and possession of the item. Merely, registering it on one’s name is of no consequence in Shariah, hence the gift will be considered invalid. The possession in houses and properties will be established by the giving of keys, removing of furniture, and leaving no obstacles for the one whom the gift is given to come and reside in the property. Many times it is observed that the father only verbally says that this is your house, but he himself resides in the house and it is considered to be his. This will not be a valid gift. A gift is such that if the son was to say to the father: you must move out, he moves out without any hesitation, and it is completely understood to be the son’s house. Thirdly, there is the issue of the husband and wife. If the house is solely owned by the husband, then upon his death, it would be distributed among all the inheritors. Many times it is observed that years pass by after the husband’s death and the inheritance is not distributed. The deceased’s wife and some children keep residing in the house without even thinking about distributing it. This is a grave sin committed by all those who overlook this great injunction of Shariah. If the house was jointly owned by the couple, then in the event of one of the spouse’s death, half of the house will remain in the ownership of the other spouse, and the remaining half will be distributed. Thus, it would be wise for the couple to have joint ownership of the house. This also should be made clear to all the children, for being negligent in this regard brings about disputes and problems. Note that if the inheritors give their consent in their mother or father residing in the house, then this is permissible. However, what is necessary is that the shares are distributed, and then they may give their consent in allowing their mother or father to reside. However, one must be extremely precautious here, for all the inheritors must consent to this from their heart and must not be pressurised into it. If even one inheritor disagrees, his/her share will have to be given to him/her. The fourth point to note with regards to inheritance is that at times the deceased makes a unlawful and invalid bequest, such as saying that, my eldest son will take such and such property, the other such and such, my daughter will take the house, etc. In this case, it will be unlawful (Haram) and a grave sin for the relatives to distribute the inheritance according to the bequest made by the deceased. The estate must be distributed in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah. Finally, one must make sure that one’s Will meets the requirements of the law of the land, for failing to do this may well render one’s Will invalid. So in order to ensure that one’s assets are distributed in accordance with the Shariah after one’s death, one must write a Will, and that “Will” must comply with the requirements of the country one is residing in. Therefore, it is advisable that one seeks the advice of an expert practicing Muslim solicitor. Having understood the above general guidelines regarding Will-making, let us now look at how an Islamic Will is written. Normally when making a Will, one would stipulate the following: Revoking of all previous Wills. Naming the executors of the Will. Payment of funeral and burial expenses. Payment of all debts connected to the servants of Allah: After one’s death, paying off one’s debts is given primary consideration. Thus, one’s leftover wealth will first be utilized in repaying the debts, and then the remainder, if any, will be distributed amongst the inheritors according to the Shariah. Note that this is with regards to debts payable to the servants of Allah (and not with regards to liabilities due by Shariah, such as unpaid Zakat, etc). Also, there is no condition here of it being from only one third of one’s wealth. Payment of any bequest (Wasiyya): This refers to any religious liabilities, such as unpaid Zakat, Fidya for Salat, etc, and also anything that one would like to give in charity. However, the condition here is that this is only permissible from one third of one’s wealth. It is worth remembering here that along with one’s written Will, one should have a separate document stipulating the number of unperformed prayers, missed fasts, unpaid Zakat, unperformed Hajj, any other religious obligations and debts payable to the servants of Allah. One must strive in accomplishing these obligations in one’s life, and make the necessary amendments to the document whenever an obligation is fulfilled. For example: One had 500 unperformed prayers. In such a case one should stipulate this in the document. Thereafter, whenever, a prayer is made up, it should be deducted from the total of 500. This “important” document should be attached with the Will in order to let the relatives know of one’s obligations and liabilities after one’s death. Distribution of the remaining two thirds of one’s estate (or full, if one does not include no. 5) among the inheritors in accordance with Sunni Islamic law, and in consultation with a qualified local scholar or Mufti. Signing of the document by both the Will-maker and the relevant witnesses. Finally, the responsibility of the relatives is that they haste in distributing the estate of the deceased as quick as humanely possible. Being negligent in this regard will be highly sinful. All the inheritors will be jointly responsible for this distribution. Also, when totalling the deceased’s assets, the inheritors must include every big and small item left behind by the deceased at the time he/she passed away, which includes Properties, house, car, financial instruments, cash, gold, silver, clothes, furniture, etc. At times, people overlook small items and give them away in charity without the prior consent of all the inheritors, which is unlawful (haram). The permission and full consent of all the inheritors must be sought before giving away any item to anybody. I hope the above has been helpful in simplifying the laws governing the great responsibility of Will-making and inheritance. May Allah Almighty forgive our shortcomings and keep us steadfast on his Deen, Ameen. And Allah knows best. Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari Darul Iftaa, Leicester, UK Source

Part Nineteen Hazrat Sa‘eed bin Musayyib (rahimahullah) narrates: A certain person was once speaking ill of Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), Hazrat Talhah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and Hazrat Zubair (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). Seeing that this person was speaking ill of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum), Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) immediately tried to stop him saying, “Do not speak ill of my brothers!” However, the person refused to desist. Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) thus stood, performed two rakaats of salaah, and made du‘aa against this person who was speaking ill of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum). Shortly thereafter, a camel arrived, pushing its way through the people. The camel seized this person and trapped him between its chest and the ground, crushing him to death. Hazrat Sa‘eed (rahimahullah) concludes saying, “I then saw the people walking behind Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) saying, ‘Congratulations, O Abu Ishaaq! Your du‘aa was accepted (in defense of the Sahaabah)!’” (Siyar min A’laam min Nubalaa 3/73) Source: Whatisislam.co.za

Ml. Dawood Seedat‏ @ml_dseedat While you plan to become a better believer one day, the angel of death plans to take your soul one day. Act upon your plan before He does