Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, to Him belong the endowments and proper commendations. May Allah increase the honor of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, raise his rank, and protect his nation from what he fears for it.
There are signs that appear before the Day of Judgment. These signs were cited in the Qur’an and the hadith of the Prophet. There are small signs and there are ten major signs.
SMALL SIGNS OF THE COMING OF THE DAY OF JUDGMENT
Let it be known that our Prophet (sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam) was in a session with some of his Companions and told them a lot of things that would occur before the Day of Judgment. Muslim narrated this in his book “As-Sahih” from the Companion Hudhayfah Ibnul-Yaman and others.
Among the small signs of the coming of the Judgment Day that the Prophet cited is that killing unjustly would be spread widely. A person would be killed without knowing why he was killed, and the killer does not know why he is killing that person.
In regards to that time, the Prophet stated a hadith about the merit of the person who is steadfast to perform the obligations at such a time. The Prophet said that the person who performed the obligations, the actions of worship, when the killing unjustly would be widely spread on Earth, would have the status of the person who immigrated to the Prophet, when the immigration was an obligation on the person able to do so (before the opening of Makkah).
Our Prophet said, “A part of my nation shall stay steadfast to the truth in an apparent way and no one can harm them (in a way that makes their call disappear) until the Day of Judgment.” The Prophet did not say “until the last moment before the Day of Judgment.” So, we know that as long as the Nation of Prophet Muhammad exists, there will always be people of his nation steadfast to the truth and no one can cancel their call. At one point all the Muslims will die, after which only blasphemers will be on the Earth. Then the Day of Judgment will occur. All the Muslims die after Prophet Jesus dies.
Also, among the small signs are that fornication and adultery, along with open drinking of alcohol, will be widely spread.
Muslim narrated from the Prophet, “This Religion of Islam started as a stranger among the people. At one point of time it will again be like a stranger.” This has already occurred. We are living in that time. This means that the one who adheres to applying the rules of the Religion will face great hardships among the people. This is the case nowadays, just as the Prophet said.
THE GUIDED ONE IS COMING
Among the small signs is the appearance of Al-Mahdiyy (The Guided) who is Muhammad the son of ^Abdullah. He is a pious, just person, from the lineage of the Prophet, who will enforce the rules of Islam.
Abu Dawud related that our Prophet said, “The Day of Judgment will not occur until a person from my family appears. He will have the same name as mine and his father’s name will be the same name as my father’s name. He will spread justice on Earth just as injustice would be spread on Earth before his appearance.” This hadith is narrated in a number of books of Hadith. It is in the book compiled by Ibn Hibban ‘Sahih’, and Abu Dawud in ‘As-Sunan’ and Al-Hakim in his book ‘Al-Mustadrak’ and others. ^Abdullah Ibn Mas^ud is the Companion who heard the Prophet say this. A lot of Companions narrated hearing about the Mahdiyy from the Prophet.
Other minor signs of the Day of Judgment cited by the Prophet are that the Euphrates River will change its course, so a big amount of gold will appear. Because of this, the people will fight each other severely to get that gold, to a point that 99% among those who fight for that gold will be killed.
Also among the minor signs is that the believers will face very great hardships, to a point that a believer will pass by a grave of his Muslim brother and will wish that he were the dead person in the grave. Muslim narrated this from the Prophet.
Another minor sign is that some whole mountains would be removed from their places.
Another small sign is that several people will claim the status of Prophethood falsely. It is narrated that our Prophet said that thirty people would falsely claim Prophethood after him. This means at least thirty.
A GREAT BATTLE TO COME
Our Prophet told us about a great battle that would take place between the Muslims and some people of the West before the coming forth of the Dajjal (a man claiming to be God). Al-Mahdiyy will be the leader of the Muslims.
This battle will last for four days. The enemies of the Muslims will gather a very big army to fight the Muslims. In the first day some of the Muslims will retreat. At that, a part of the Muslims will make an oath that they would fight and never retreat. They will fight the rest of the day, until the night. Then the two armies will separate, the one from the other, during the night. Most of the Muslims who fight will die.
On the second day another group of Muslims will do the same thing. Also, almost all of those Muslims will die. On the third day, also a third group of Muslims will do the same thing: fight and most of them are killed.
On the fourth day, all the rest of the Muslims in the army will fight the enemy, all of them at the same time. On that fourth day, by the Will of God, the Muslims will be victorious and the enemy defeated. A lot among the Westerners will be killed, to the point that their dead bodies would cover a very large area.
In the battle, the Muslims will lose many people, to a point that if one hundred persons go back to one grandfather, 99 of them will be killed, and one will survive.
While they are in that situation, the news of the Dajjal (Imposter) will come to them. The Muslims will choose ten knights among them to check the roads, as scouts. The Prophet said that he knew about these ten knights. He knew their names, the names of their fathers, and even the color of their horses. The Prophet praised these knights highly, saying that they would be among the best knights on Earth at that time.
These are only some of the small signs that the Prophet cited of the coming of the Day of Judgment.
THE TEN MAJOR SIGNS OF THE COMING OF THE DAY OF JUDGMENT
THE IMPOSTER
The first of the ten major signs of the Day of Judgment is the appearance of Ad-Dajjal (the Imposter). He is a human that is alive now. He was even alive when the Prophet lived. He was found, during the time of the Prophet, chained up on an island.
This imposter will come forth and proclaim that he is God. Many people will follow him. He will travel all over the Earth, but will not enter Makkah or Madinah. Ad-Dajjal will have two rivers, one that appears to be cool water and one that appears to be fire. The one that he throws into the river of fire will really go to Paradise.
Ad-Dajjal will point to the sky and say rain, and the sky will rain. God creates this rain, but some will follow him in his saying that he is God. Ad-Dajjal will split a believing man in half and tell the two halves to come together and they will. Ad-Dajjal will ask that believing man if he now follows him and the believing man will say that he is surer that he is Ad-Dajjal. Then Ad-Dajjal will kill that believing man; he will die as a great martyr.
PROPHET JESUS WILL COME BACK TO EARTH
The second great sign is the descent of Prophet Jesus from the sky. Prophet Jesus will come down at Damascus, Syria. The Mahdiyy will be preparing to lead the believers in prayer. The Mahdiyy will ask Prophet Jesus to lead the prayer, but Prophet Jesus will tell him to lead that prayer, and he will follow. That is to indicate that Prophet Jesus did not come with a new set of laws. Then after that Prophet Jesus will lead the prayers.
Remember, Prophet Muhammad is the last Prophet. Jesus was born before Prophet Muhammad. Also Prophet Muhammad received a new Holy Book, after Prophet Jesus received a Holy Book. Just because Prophet Jesus will die after Prophet Muhammad, does not make Prophet Jesus the last Prophet. Prophet Muhammad is the last Prophet, and the Book he received has the rules that Prophet Jesus will follow when Prophet Jesus comes back to Earth.
Prophet Jesus will kill the Dajjal. Prophet Jesus will marry and have children and live for 40 years on Earth. Then he will die. During his time on Earth a great peace will occur with all the people being Muslim. Then, Prophet Jesus will die and be buried next to Prophet Muhammad, in Madinah. After the death of Prophet Jesus, at one point all the other Muslims on Earth will die. Then only blasphemers will be on the Earth.
THE APPEARANCE OF GOG AND MAGOG
The third is the appearance of Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog). They are blasphemous people, humans from Prophet Adam, who exist now. They are extremely numerous. God put them in a place in this Earth unknown to us. It is a concealed place. A great waliyy, Dhul-Qarnayn built a wall to prevent them from harming the other people. This is cited in Suratul-Kahf in the Qur’an.
Before the Day of Judgment they will make a hole in that wall. Then they will come out on to Earth. They will cause a lot of tribulations for the other people on Earth. They are so numerous that they will come to a lake and drink the whole lake, leaving it dry. Prophet Jesus will take the believers to Mt. Tur (Sinai) protecting them from Ya’juj and Ma’juj. Then God will make a worm enter the necks of Ya’juj and Ma’juj. They all will die. The Earth will smell from all their rotting bodies. Then God will make all their bodies go into the sea and the smell will leave.
THE SUN WILL RISE FROM THE WEST, AND AN ANIMAL WILL APPEAR
Another of the ten signs is the rising of the sun from the west instead of the east. It will happen one day. On that same day ‘Dabbatul-Ard’ (the animal of the Earth) will appear. This animal will put a mark on the believers and a different mark on the blasphemers. When these two signs occur, the gate of repentance will be closed, after which no repentance will be accepted. Belief will not be accepted from any blasphemous person, and repentance of a sin will not be accepted from any sinner.
A FOG
Another of the ten signs is a fog. A fog will spread on Earth. The blasphemers will feel very disturbed and would feel himself suffocating. However they will not be killed from this fog. The believer would not be harmed a lot from this fog. The believers will just have the feeling similar to having a cold.
THREE-EARTH SPLITS
Three of the ten signs are three-Earth splits. In three separate places, the Earth would split and go down. One will be in the East, one in the West, and the third in the Arabian Peninsula. (East means east of the Arabian Peninsula, and west means west of the Arabian Peninsula). There is not a long period of time between these three splits.
A SPREADING FIRE
Another of the ten signs is a fire that will spread slowly. It will start in ^Adan, a city in Yemen. This fire will spread slowly, not fast like the wind. People will escape from this fire to the Western areas, meaning west of the Arabian Peninsula.
One hundred years before the horn is blown for the first time, all the believers will die. God will send a good breeze that will take their souls and cause their death.
After all of these 10 signs occur, Angel Israfil will blow the horn for the first time. He will blow very strongly into that horn. All the people alive on Earth at that time will be blasphemers. They will be very afraid from this blow. The first one to hear that blow will be a person fixing the basin for his camels to drink. Due to the strength of that blow, the hearts of those blasphemers will rupture and all will die. All the living jinn will die also. All those who had already died will faint, except the souls of the martyrs in Paradise. Concerning Prophet Moses, Prophet Muhammad told us that God gave the mountain the power to see God, and the mountain totally crumbled. When Moses saw that he fainted. Hence, the Prophet said that he did not know whether or not Moses would faint when the horn will be blown the first time.
Among the things that occur before that first blow is that people will not inhabit Al-Madinah. Only animals will be there. An unjust ruler from Abyssinia will destroy the Ka^bah to take a treasure from underneath it. These things occur after all the Muslims on the Earth die. As long as this nation (followers of Prophet Muhammad) is on Earth, belief will remain in Al-Madinah. Pious people will be living in Al-Madinah, as our Prophet told us.
Also our Prophet told us that there was a great merit in the land of Ash-Sham. He said that angels cover these countries with their wings. This means that the Religion of Islam will always be practiced in that land despite hardships and calamities. This takes place until all the Muslims on Earth die.
Forty years after the first blow, God will resurrect Angel Israfil. He will blow the horn a second time, after which all the people will be resurrected.
God will send a rain on the Earth. The people will be resurrected, just as the plants come out of the earth when it rains.
