The Signs Before the Day of Judgement – By Ibn Kathir
The Descent of Jesus at the End of Time
‘Abdullâh ibn ‘Amr said, “The Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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 – ’alayhis salâm -, 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 Abûndance, 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)
Abû Hurayrah said, “The Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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 Abûndance, 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)
Abû Hurayrah said, “The Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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 Abûndance 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.’ “
Abû Hurayrah 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 Judgement he will be a witness against them …” (Al-Nisa 4:159) (al-Bukhârî, Muslim)
Abû Hurayrah reported that the Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam – said, “The Prophets are like brothers; they have different mothers but their religion is one. I am 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 – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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'” (Ahmad, Ibn Majah)
DESCRIPTION OF THE MESSIAH JESUS SON OF MARY, MESSENGER OF Allah
Abû Hurayrah said, “The Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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’” (al-Bukhârî, Muslim)
The Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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). (al-Bukhârî)
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. Abû Hurayrah reported that the Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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’Allâh.’ 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 – ’alayhis salâm -, there was a king called Dhu’l-Qarnayn. He performed Tawaf around the Ka’bah with Abraham – ’alayhis salâm – 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.” ‘Abdullâh ibn ‘Amr said, “I heard the Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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 ‘Abdullâh ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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.” (Abû Dâwûd, in the chapter on the prohibition of provoking the Abyssinians)
Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that the Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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 – sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam – said, “The Hour will not come until a man from Qahtan appears and rules the people.” (Muslim; similar Hadîth in al-Bukhârî) 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. Abû Hurayrah said, “The Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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 – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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.”
Madînah WILL REMAIN INHABITED AT THE TIME OF THE DAJJAL
It has been proven in the Saheeh Ahadîth, as already stated, that the Dajjal will not be able to enter Makkah and Madînah, and that there will be angels at the gates of Makkah to ward him off and prevent him from entering. It was reported from Abû Hurayrah that the Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam – said, “Neither the Dajjal nor plague will be able to enter Madînah.” As mentioned above, the Dajjal will camp outside Madînah, 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 – sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam – said, “Verily it (Madînah) is good; its evil will be eliminated and its goodness will be obvious.”
Allah – subhânahu wa Ta’âla – 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)
Madînah 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 – sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam – say, ‘A rider will go around Madînah 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.
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 – subhânahu wa Ta’âla – 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 Signs…” (al-Naml 27:82 – latter part of the Ayah).
Ibn Jarir reported this from ‘Alî 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 Hadîth of Hudhayfah ibn Usayd, in which the Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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.”
Abû Hurayrah said: “The Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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 – sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam – took me to a place in the desert, near Makkah. It was a dry piece of land surrounded by sand. The Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam – said, ‘The Beast will emerge from this place. It was a very small area.’ ” (Ibn Majah)
It was reported from Abû Hurayrah that the Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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.)
‘Abdullâh ibn ‘Amr said, “I memorised a Hadîth from the Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam – which I have not forgotten since. I heard the Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi 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 – ’alayhis salâm, 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.
