The 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-Maseeh ad-Dajjaal) 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 Eemaan (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 (a.s.) will descend, bringing justice from heaven. He will kill the Dajjaal, and there will be years of safety and security. Then the appearance of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj (Gog and Magog) will take mankind by surprise, and corruption will overtake them again. In answer to Jesus' faithful prayer to Allaah (s.w.t.), 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 Ulamaa differ concerning the order in which the other greater signs of the Hour will come about. They are:
• The destruction of the Ka'bah 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 Qur'aan 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.
(from The Signs Before The Day of Judgement by Ibn Kathir)
Imam Mahdi, The Dajjal, Prophet Isa (Jesus) pbuh, Yajooj and Majooj
Please see:
Imam Mahdi, The Dajjal, Prophet Isa (Jesus pbuh) and Yajooj and Majooj (Gog and Magog)
Hadith regarding the sighting of the Dajjal
After Gog and Magog what?
Jesus Christ (as) will live on after the death of Yajooj-Majooj. He will die afterwards and be buried alongside the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) His Khalifah or successor will rule with great justice and piety. Several rulers will follow and slowly and gradually corruption and evil will creep in again.
Atheism and ignorance will prevail the earth again. (adapted from 'Islam, Jesus, Mehdi, Qadyanis and Doomsday' by Prof. Mohammad Abdullah)
Three Major Landslides or Swallowing of the Earth
Huthafah ibn Asad (r.a.) said, "The Prophet (s.a.w.), came over us as we were studying among ourselves (knowledge pertaining to) the Hour. He said, 'What are you discussing?' We said, 'We are mentioning (affairs pertaining to) the Hour.' He said, 'Indeed it will not come until you see ten signs: The smoke, the Dajjaal, the beast, the rising of the sun from the West, the descending of 'Eesa ibn Maryam, Yajooj and Majooj, three Khusoof (plural of Khasf, the swallowing of the earth and all that is on it) — the Khasf of the East, the Khasf of the West, and the Khasf of the Arabian Peninsula — and the last of them is a fire that will emerge from the East and that will steer people to their place of gathering." (Ahmad)
Here is another hadith mentioning Khasf:
Abdullah ibn 'Amr (r.a.) related that he heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) say, "When you see that my nation dreads saying to the oppressor, 'Indeed you are an oppressor,' then they have taken their leave (i.e. their existence and non-existence amounts to the same thing)." (Ahmad)
And the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said, "There will be Qadfh (heavy winds with stones flying), Khasf (swallowing of the earth with those on it), and Maskh (transformation of people into animals)."
The Smoke That Will Occur Before The Day Of Resurrection
Allah s.w.t. said:
"Then wait you for the Day when the sky will bring forth a visible smoke. Covering the people, this is a painful torment. (They will say): "Our Lord! Remove the torment from us, really we shall become believers!" How can there be for them an admonition (at the time when the torment has reached them), when a Messenger explaining things clearly has already come to them. Then they had turned away from (Messenger Muhammad ) and said: "One (Muhammad s.a.w.) taught (by a human being), a madman!" Verily, We shall remove the torment for a while. Verily! You will revert. On the Day when We shall seize you with the greatest grasp. Verily, We will exact retribution." (Qur'an 44:10-16.)
The apparent meaning of the Qur'an indicates the existence of Smoke from the sky that will envelop and cover the people. According to a hadith, a thick fog or smoke will envelope the skies for 40 days. Believers will develop a cold and the infidels will lapse into unconsciousness. After a while, the skies will clear up.
The Night of Three Nights and the Rising of the Sun in the West
Allah (s.w.t.) says in the Holy Qur'an
"Do they then wait for anything other than that the angels should come to them, or that your Lord should come, or that some of the Signs of your Lord should come (i.e. portents of the Hour e.g., arising of the sun from the west! The day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his Faith. Say: "Wait you! We (too) are waiting" (Qur'an 6:158)
Abu Hurairah (r.a) related that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said, "The Hour will not arrive until the sun rises from its West. When it rises (from its west) and when the people will see it, they will all believe, and that is when no good will it do to a person to believe then (if he believed not before)." The Prophet then recited the above mentioned Verse. (Bukhari) Muslim related the same, but through a different chain.
Abu Dharr (r.a.) said, "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said to me, 'Do you know where this sun goes when it sets?' I said, 'No.' He said, 'It goes and then prostrates underneath the 'Arsh (Throne). Then it asks permission (to rise from the east). The time draws near when it will be said to it, 'Return from whence you came (i.e. rise from the west). And that is when no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his faith. — (Bukhari and Muslim)
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr (r.a.) said, "I memorized from the Messenger of Allah his saying, "Indeed the first of the Signs to come out is the rising of the sun from its west and the coming out of the Beast upon the people in the morning — whichever of the two precedes the other, then the other will follow shortly thereafter." (Muslim, Abu Daawood, and Ibn Maajah)
Even Until The Sun Rises From Its West, There Will Still Be Muslims Who Will Stand In The Night, Worshipping Allah
'Abdullah ibn Abee Aouf (r.a.) related that he heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) say, "There will come upon the people a night that is equivalent to three of these nights of yours. When that happens, those who are praying voluntary prayers will know. One of them will stand and pray his Ahzub (portion that he normally recites), and then he will sleep. Then he will wake up, stand, read his Ahzub, and then sleep (again). While they are upon that state, some people will shout out to one another, saying, "What is this?" Frightened, they will hurry to the Masjids. Upon them the sun will rise until it is in the middle of the sky; it will return and rise from its place of rising. At that juncture no good will it do to a person to believe (if he believed not before)." (Related by Al-Haafiz Abu Bakr ibn Mirdawai, in his Tafseer)
The Emergence of the Beast from the Earth
The next day (after the previous event) while people will be talking about it, there will be an eathquake in mount Safa in Mecca causing a split in the ground, a very strange looking animal (beast) will emerge from the crack (in the ground). 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 Allaah. It will destroy the nose of every unbeliever with the rod, and write the word "Kaafir" 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 (s.w.t.) 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..." [an-Naml (27):82]
Ibn 'Abbaas, al-Hasan and Qataadah (r.a.) said that "It will speak to them" (tukallimuhum) means that it will address them. Ibn Jareer suggested that it means that the Beast will address them with the words "...for that mankind did not believe with assurance in Our Signs..." [an-Naml (27):82 - latter part of the Ayah] Ibn Jareer reported this from 'Alee and 'Ata'. It was reported from Ibn 'Abbaas that tukallimuhum means that the Beast will cut them, i.e., it will write the word "Kaafir" on the forehead of the unbeliever. It was also reported from Ibn 'Abbaas that he will both address them and cut them; this suggestion incorporates both of the previous suggestions; and Allaah knows best.
Bareedah (r.a.) said, "The Prophet (s.a.w.) took me to a place in the desert, near Makkah. It was a dry piece of land surrounded by sand. The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, 'The Beast will emerge from this place.' It was a very small area." (Ibn Maajah)
It was reported from Abu Hurairah (r.a.) that the Prophet (s.a.w.) 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 Maajah)
'Abdullah ibn Buraidah (r.a.) said, "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) took me to a place in the desert, near to Makkah. It was a dry land, and around it was sand. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said, 'The Beast will come out from this place...' Ibn 'Abbaas (r.a.) said, "It is a beast with short, soft hair; it has four legs and will come out from some of the valleys of Tuhaamah." (Related by 'Abdur-Razzaaq Al-Mu'ammir)
'Atiyyah related that 'Abdullah said, "The Beast will come out from the side of As-Safaa, coming out like the running of a horse — three days and two-thirds of it will not have come out." 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr (r.a.) said, "The Beast will come out from underneath a rock. It will face the East, and give out a shriek that will pierce through it. Then it will face the West, and give out a shriek that will pierce through it. Next, it will face Yemen and give out a shriek that will pierce through it. Then it will go from Makkah until it reaches 'Afsaan." It was said to him, "And then what?" He said, "I do not know." It is also related from him that he said, "The Beast will come out from underneath As-Sudoom (Sodom) — i.e. the city of Prophet Lut's (a.s.) people." All of these sayings are in conflict with one another, and Allah (s.w.t.) knows best.
It is related from Abu Tufail that he said, "The Beast will come out from As-Safaa or Al-Marwaa." (Related by Al-Baihaqee) Abu Maryam related that he heard Abu Hurairah (r.a.) say, "Indeed the Beast has in it every color; between its two horns is the distance of a league for a rider." It is related from 'Alee ibn Abee Taalib (r.a.), that he said, "Indeed it is a beast that has a head. It has short, soft hair as well as hoofs. It also has a tail and a beard. It will come out with the speed of a racing horse for three (days perhaps?) and not even two-thirds of it will have come out." (Related by Ibn Abee Haatim)
(from 'Book of the End' by Ibn Kathir)
The Breeze from the South
There will blow an extremely fresh and fragrant breeze from the south causing a slight pain in the armpits of believers, who will all eventually die (in order of piety: pious ones first, then the sinners) until at last Doomsday will come on infidels only.
In part of a long hadith narrated by An-Nawaas Ibn Sam'aan (r.a.) Allah's Messenger (s.a.w.) said:
".....Allah will send a good wind, which will every believer and every Muslim. The most evil of people will remain, and they will engage in sexual intercourse out in the open as donkeys do: upon them the Hour will come to pass." (Muslim)
The Destruction of the Ka'bah
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr (r.a.) related that he heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) say, "Dhu As-Suwaiqatain, who is from Habasha (Ethiopia), will destroy the Ka'bah; he will steal its jewels and remove from it its covering. It is as if I am looking at him - Usaili'an (one who has a receding hairline or who is bald), Ufaidi'an (having crooked joints). He will strike it with his Masaahiyah (a steel shovel) and his Mai'wal (a huge axe that is used to pierce through rocks)." (Ahmad) This chain is good and strong.
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr (r.a.) related that the Prophet (s.a.w.) said, "Leave Habasha (Ethiopia) alone so long as they leave you alone, for none shall remove the treasure of the Ka'bah except for Dhu As-Suwaiqatain, who is from Habasha." (Abu Daawood)
Ibn 'Abbaas (r.a.) related that the Prophet (s.a.w.) said, "It is as if I am looking at him — (he is) black and bowlegged. He will tear it (i.e. the Ka'bah) down, stone by stone." (Ahmad)
The Great Fire
This is the final sign of the Doomsday. A huge fire will break out in Yemen from which the people will flee and it will follow the closely until they are all driven towards Syria. After this, the fire will disappear. Huthafah ibn Asad (r.a.) said, "The Prophet (s.a.w.), came over us as we were studying among ourselves (knowledge pertaining to) the Hour. He said, 'What are you discussing?' We said, 'We are mentioning (affairs pertaining to) the Hour.' He said, 'Indeed it will not come until you see ten signs: The smoke, the Dajjaal, the beast, the rising of the sun from the West, the descending of 'Eesa ibn Maryam, Yajooj and Majooj, three Khusoof (plural of Khasf, the swallowing of the earth and all that is on it) — the Khasf of the East, the Khasf of the West, and the Khasf of the Arabian Peninsula — and the last of them is a fire that will emerge from the East and that will steer people to their place of gathering." (Ahmad)
The following is related from Ibn Shuraihah Al-Ghaffaaree: "And a fire that will come out from the floor of 'Adan (a famous city in Yemen); it will steer or gather the people; it will spend the night with them wherever they spend the night, and it will be with them in the day wherever they take their day-nap." Sho'bah said, "A man from Abu At-Tufail related this Hadeeth to me from Abu Shuraihah, who did not impute it to the Prophet ."
Narrated Abu Huraira (r.a.): The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, "The people will be gathered in three ways: (The first way will be of) those who will wish or have a hope (for Paradise) and will have a fear (of punishment), (The second batch will be those who will gather) riding two on a camel or three on a camel or ten on a camel. (The third batch) the rest of the people will be urged to gather by the Fire which will accompany them at the time of their afternoon nap and stay with them where they will spend the night, and will be with them in the morning wherever they may be then, and will be with them in the afternoon wherever they may be then." (Bukhari Book #76, Hadith #529)
Abdullah ibn 'Umar (r.a.) said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) say, 'Indeed there will be Hijrah (migration) after Hijrah, people will betake themselves to the place of Ibraaheem's migration. None shall remain on earth except for its most evil inhabitants. Their lands will expel them, and the fire will gather them with the apes and pigs. It will spend the night with them wherever it is they spend the night, and it will spend the day with them wherever it is they take their day nap. And it will eat those who remain behind."' (Ahmad)
to be continued inshaAllah...
see also:
Signs Before The Day of Judgement - Part 1
