Class 4 – The Major Signs of the Hour

There are major signs which will indicate that the Hour is at hand. When they appear, the Hour will be close behind them. Muslim narrated on the authority of Hudhayfah ibn Usayd al-Ghifaari: “The

Prophet ﷺ looked at us whilst we were discussing something. He said, ‘What are you talking about?’ They said, ‘We are talking about the Hour.’ He said, ‘It will not come until you see ten signs ahead of it.’

He mentioned the smoke, the Dajjaal (Pseudo-Christ), the Beast, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent of ‘Eesa (Jesus) ibn Maryam, Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj, and three landslides, one in the east, one in the west and one in the Arabian Peninsula, and the last sign is a fire which will emerge from Yemen and drive the people to their place of gathering. ” (Muslim)

The major signs will come one after the other; hardly any time will elapse between one and the next. The way they will follow one after another will be like what happens when a necklace breaks and the beads fall one after another; the first bead falls and the others follow it straight away. Al-Haakim narrated with a ~a~ee~ isnad that Anas ibn Maalik (R.A) reported: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The signs are like beads next to one another on a string. When the string breaks they follow one another. ” (Classed as Sahih by Albani)

After the Dajjaal emerges, ‘Eesa (Jesus) will descend and kill the Dajjaal, then Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj (Gog and Magog) will emerge during the time of’ Eesa, and Allah will destroy them during his time. The sequence of events up to this point is clear.

With regard to the remaining signs, the exact sequence is not quite clear. The sun will rise from the west, the Beast of the earth will emerge and the fire will emerge which will gather the people together. These things will certainly happen after the emergence of the Dajjaal, the descent of ‘Eesa (Jesus) and the emergence of Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj (Gog and Magog), but which of them will precede the other? I mean the rising of the sun from the west, the emergence of the Beast and the fire gathering the people together.

The hadith narrated by Muslim from Hudhayfah clearly states that the fire from Yemen which will gather the people together will be the last of the signs.

So there remain six signs – the rising of the sun from the west, the emergence of the Beast, the smoke, and three landslides, one in the east, one in the west and the third in the Arabian Peninsula. What is most apparent from the reports is that the emergence of the Dajjaal will be the first of the major signs, which indicates that the regular state of affairs in most of the earth will be changed. That will end with the death of ‘Eesa ibn Maryam. The rising of the sun from the west will be the first of the signs which indicate that the state of affairs in the heavens will be changed. That will end with the onset of the Hour. Perhaps the emergence of the Beast will occur on that day on which the sun rises from the west. ” (Fath Al Bari)

“Al-Haak:im Abu ‘Abdullah said: it seems that the rising of the sun from the west will happen before the emergence of the Beast, then the Beast will emerge on that day or soon afterwards.” (Fath Al Bari)

With regard to the rest of the signs, the three landslides and the smoke, we do not know their place in the sequence of the major signs. We have not seen anything in the Sahih texts to describe that. Allah knows best.

Fitnat ad-Dajjaal (the Tribulation of the Dajjaal)
Linguistically, Dajjaal is derived from the word dajl, which means lying and impostering. Religiously, it refers to a man who is an imposter and who will appear during the Last Days, claiming lordship.

His emergence is established in the Sunnah as well as the Ijmaa’ (consensus). The Prophet ﷺ said: “Say: ‘O Allaah, verily I seek refuge in you from the punishment of the Hellfire, and I seek refuge in you from the punishment of the grave, and I seek refuge in you from the trial of Maseeh Ad-Dajjaal. And I seek refuge in you from the trial of life and death.” (Muslim)

“The Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would seek refuge from him during prayer” (Bukhari) and the Muslims have agreed upon his emergence.

His story: He will emerge from a road in an area between Shaam and ‘Iraaq and will begin to call the people to worship him. A majority of the people that will follow him will be from the Jews, women and bedouins. Seventy-thousand Jews from Asfahaan (in present-day Iran) will follow him and he will travel throughout the entire earth, just as the wind blows rain in all directions, except for Makkah and Madeenah, for he will be prevented from entering them.

The length of his stay will be forty days. One day will be like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week and the rest of the days will be as normal. He is one-eyed (i.e. one eye is good and the other is defective) and between his two eyes will be written KA FA RA ( Arabic letters i.e. kaafir or disbeliever). Only the believers will be able to read it. He will bring about great trials, some of which are that he will command the heavens and it will rain and he will command the earth and it will produce vegetation. He will have with him a Garden and a Fire. However, his garden will be a fire, and his fire will be a garden.

The Prophet ﷺ warned of him by saying: “Whosoever hears of him, then let him distance himself from him. And whosoever has him reach him, then let him recite the opening verses of Surah Kahf upon him” – or – “…let him recite the opening verses of Surah Kahf.” (Muslim)

The state of the Muslims at the time when the Dajjaal will emerge Just before the Dajjaal emerges, the Muslims will have a high status and great power. It seems that his emergence will be for the purpose of putting an end to that power. At that time, there will be a peace treaty between the Muslims and the Romans; they will attack a common enemy and defeat them, then war will break out between the Muslims and the crusaders. In Sunan Abi Dawood it is narrated that Dhu Makhbar related: “I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say,

‘You will make a peace treaty with the Romans, and you and they will attack a common enemy. You will be victorious and will take booty, then you will return safely, until you camp in Marj Dhi Talool. Then one of the Christians will raise the cross and say, ‘The cross has attained victory.’ One of the Muslims will become angry and will break it (the cross). At that point the Romans will break the treaty and start preparing for the great battle.” Some added: “The Muslims will run for their weapons and they will fight, and Allah will honour that group with martyrdom. ” (Classed as Sahih by Albani)

So you can see how powerful the Muslims will be at that time. They will fight, be victorious, collect booty and return safely. You can see how strong their adherence to their religion will be, for when that crusader raises the cross and claims that the victory which the Muslims helped to achieve was a victory for the cross, a Muslim will be moved by his protective jealousy towards his religion to get up and break the cross. The group of Muslims in that place will run for their weapons and will fight the Romans – despite the fact that they will be few in number in that place. The Messenger ﷺ testified that they would be martyrs and that Allah would honour them with martyrdom. That betrayal of the Romans, and the subsequent events, will be the cause of that great battle.

The great battle and the conquest of Constantinople A great battle will take place between the Muslims and the crusaders. The ahadeeth indicate that the Romans will be the greatest in number at the end of time. In Musnad Ahmad and Muslim it is narrated from Al-Mustawrid that the Messenger said: “The Hour will come when the Romans are greatest in number.” Saheeh al-Jaami’ a~-$agheer, 3/51

The cause of this battle will be the one referred to in the hadith quoted above. More than one hadith describes this battle and its horrors, how the Muslims will be patient during this battle, then they will achieve victory over their enemies. It should be noted that among the Muslim ranks will be large numbers of Christians who will embrace Islam and become good Muslims.

There will be such fighting the like of which will never be seen (or has never been seen), such that if a bird were to pass by their flanks, it would not reach the end of them before falling down dead. Out of one hundred related persons, only one man will be left alive. So what joy will there be in the spoils of war, and what inheritance will be divided?

Drought and famine before the emergence of the Dajjaal The people will be subjected to a severe test just before the Dajjaal appears. The sky will withhold its rain and the earth will withhold its vegetation.

The Dajjaal The Dajjaal will claim to be divine, and he will produce extraordinary feats to propagate his falsehood. A man will come thinking that he will not be deceived and that his falsehood will have no effect on him, but when he sees his extraordinary feats he will follow him apart from the firm believers who will know for sure that he is an imposter and that the attributes of divinity are not present in him. He is a poor, incapable human being, despite the extraordinary feats that he performs. He eats, drinks and sleeps; he urinates and defecates. How can one who is such be a god worthy to be worshipped, or the lord of creation when he is in need of it?

The powers he will have:

• He will be able to travel rapidly throughout the earth
• He will seek the help of the shayaateen
• Inanimate objects and animals will respond to his commands
• It will appear to people that he killed a young man then brought him back to life – although it will not be the case.

His paradise and his fire One of the things with which the Dajjaal will confuse the people will be the fact that he will have with him things that look like a paradise and a Hell and things that look like a river of water and a river of fire. These things will not be as they seem to the people, for that which they think is fire will be cool water, and that which they think is cool water will be fire.

Undoubtedly the Dajjaal will seek the help of the shayaateen. It is known that the shayaa{een do not serve anyone except the one who is the most untruthful and misguided, and who is enslaved to something other than Allah.

His followers The Messenger ﷺ said: “Most of the followers of the Dajjaal will be Jews and women.” (Ahmad)

He will not be able to enter Makkah & Madinah The Dajjaal will head for Madeenah, but he will not be able to enter it, because Allah has protected Makkah and Madeenah against the Dajjaal and the plague, and He has appointed His angels to guard them.

How to save oneself from the Dajjaal In the saheeh ahaadeeth it says: “Whoever memorizes ten verses of Soorat al-Kahf will be protected from the tribulation of the Dajjaal. ” Some reports mention the first ten verses of Soorat alKahf and some mention the last ten verses.

The Descent of ‘Eesaa Ibn Maryam
The Prophet ﷺ said: “I swear by Allaah, ‘Eesaa Ibn Maryam will indeed descend judging (mankind)
with justice.” This hadeeth is agreed upon.

The Muslims have unanimously agreed upon his descent. He will descend by the white minaret in the east of Damascus, placing his hands upon the wings of two angels. Then it will not be possible for a disbeliever to perceive the scent of his breath, except that he will die. And his breath will extend as far his eyesight extends. He will search for the Dajjaal until he reaches him by the gate of Ludd, where he will kill him. He will break the cross and abolish the jizyah (taxation collected from subjected disbelievers). And the prostration (of worship) will be only one – for Allaah the Lord of the universe. He will also perform Hajj and ‘Umrah. All of this is confirmed in Saheeh Muslim and some of it in both Saheehs.

Imaam Ahmad and Abu Dawood reported that “‘Eesaa will remain for forty years after killing the Dajjaal. Then he will die and the Muslims will pray the funeral prayer (Janaazah) over him.” Al-Bukhaaree mentioned in his At-Tareekh that he will be buried next to the Prophet ﷺ and Allaah knows best.

During his life the as described in the texts, will be something unique in the history of mankind, when people will live in goodness, security and peace, at a time of ease and plenty. They would live the enviable life with all the blessings.

The Emergence of Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj

These are two non-Arab names or (perhaps) they are Arab names derived from Ma’j which means riotous disruption or from Ajeej which means the setting ablaze and kindling of a fire. They are two nations from the tribe of Aadam that are currently in existence, based upon the evidences from the Qur’aan and Sunnah.

Allaah says concerning the story of Dhul-Qarnain: “Until when he reached between two mountains, he found before both of them, a people who scarcely understood a word. They said: ‘O Dhul-Qarnain! Verily, Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between them and us?‘” (Surah Kahf 93-94)

Their emergence, which is one of the signs of the Hour, has not occurred before in the past. However, its first indications were present during the time of the Prophet ﷺ. It is confirmed in the two Saheeh collections that the Prophet ﷺ said: “‘Today a hole has been opened in the barrier of Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj, like this’, and he (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) made a circle with his index finger and thumb.” (Bukhari)

Their story is found in the hadeeth of An-Nuwaas Ibn Sam’aan (radyAllaahu ‘anhu). The Prophet ﷺ said concerning ‘Eesaa Ibn Maryam, after the Dajjaal is killed: “It will be that way, when Allaah will reveal to ‘Eesaa: ‘I have brought forth certain servants of Mine, against whom none will be able to fight. So lead my servants safely to the Mount (Toor).’ And then Allaah will send Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj and they will come swarming down from every slope. The first portion of them will pass by the lake of Tiberias and drink from what is in it. Then the last portion of them will pass by it and say: ‘There was once water here.’ They will continue traveling until they will stop at the mountain of Al-Khamar, which is the mount of Al-Bait-ul-Maqdis. Then they will say: ‘We have killed those on earth, come, let us now kill those in the heavens.’ So they will begin to throw their arrows toward the sky and Allaah will return their arrows back to them, smeared with blood. Then the Prophet of Allaah (‘Eesaa) and his companions will be laid siege (so severely), to the extent that the head of an ox would be better to one of them than one hundred deenars is to one of you today. So the Prophet of Allaah ‘Eesaa and his companions will supplicate to Allaah, and Allaah will send down upon them, insects which will set upon their (i.e. Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj) necks (biting at it). In the morning, they will perish, like one single person. The Prophet of Allaah ‘Eesaa and his companions will then descend (from the Mount) to the ground and they will not find a place the size of a hand span, except that it would be filled with their putrefaction and stench. So the Prophet of Allaah ‘Eesaa and his companions will beseech Allaah and He will send birds, whose necks look like that of bactrian camels, which will throw them (corpses of Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj) wherever Allaah wills.” (Muslim)

The End of Islam, the Removal of the Qur’an and the Death of Good People

After Islam spreads far and wide, encompassing the east and the west, it will become weak once again and evil will become strong. This great religion will be taken away, the Qur’an will be removed and knowledge will vanish. Allah will take (in death) everyone in whose heart is any trace of faith, and after that none will be left but the most evil of creation, upon whom the Hour will come.

The Smoke
Among the major signs which will happen just before the Hour is the smoke. Allah says: “Then wait you for the Day when the sky will bring forth a visible smoke, Covering the people, this is a painful torment” (Qur’an 44: 10-11)

The Emergence of the Beast
Linguistically, the word Ad-Daabbah refers to every creature that moves about the earth. What it means here, is the Beast that Allaah will bring forth, close to the establishment of the Hour. Its emergence is confirmed in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah.

There is nothing mentioned in the Qur’aan or the authentic Sunnah that indicates the place from where this Beast will emerge or its description. These two have only been mentioned in ahaadeeth, of which there is speculation concerning their authenticity. What is apparent from the Qur’aan, however, is that it is a Beast that will warn mankind of the nearness of punishment and destruction, and Allaah knows best.

The Rising of the Sun from the West
Among the clear signs which will point to the onset of the Hour will be the rising of the sun from the west.

Al-Bukhari reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The Hour will not be established until the sun rises from the west. And when it rises and the people see it, they will all believe, and that will be when: ‘No good will it do for a person to believe then, if he believed not before nor earned good (by doing good deeds), through his Faith.’ [Surat-ul-Ana’aam (6): 158]”

The Fire which will Gather the People
The last sign which will appear before the Hour begins will be a fire which will emerge from the bottom of ‘Aden and will drive the people towards their place of gathering. There are difference of opinion about the place of gathering, anyways that is something that Allah knows and doesn’t harm or benefit us, so our main focus should be about taking these as reminders to strengthen our imaan and get better in our practice.

May Allah make us amongst those who are saved by the Fitna of Dajjal and are amongst those who He is pleased with. May Allah by His Mercy make us all inhabitants of Jannah!