The Signs of the Last Day in the Qur'an

The Hour is Near

Most people know at least something about the Last Day. Almost everyone has heard one thing or another about the horror of the Hour. Nevertheless, most tend to have the same reaction to it as they do to other matters of vital importance, that is, they do not want to speak or even think about it. They try very hard not trying to think about the terror they will experience on the Last Day. They cannot bear the reminders of the Last Day found in a news report of a terrible accident or a film report about some disaster. They avoid thinking about the fact that that day will certainly come. They do not want to listen to others who talk about that great day, or to read author's works about it. These are some of the ways that people have developed in order to escape the dread of thinking about the reality of the Last Day.

Many do not seriously believe that the Hour is coming. We are presented with an example of this in a verse of Surat al-Kahf, about the wealthy owner of a rich vineyard:

The above verse reveals the true mentality of someone who professes to believe in Allah but avoids thinking about the reality of the Last Day and puts forward claims that do not conform with some verses of the Qur'an. In another verse Allah reveals the doubt and uncertainty that engulfs unbelievers in regards to the time of the end:

Some people entirely deny that the Last Day is coming. Those who have this opinion are mentioned in the Qur'an as follows:

The sources that can guide us on the way and show us the truth are the Qur'an and the hadiths. When we look at these sources, we learn an obvious fact. Those who deceive themselves about the Last Day commit a grave error, because Allah reveals in the Qur'an that there can be no doubt that the Last Day is near.

There may be some who think that the message of the Qur'an concerning the Last Day was revealed more that 1400 years ago and that this is a long time compared to the length of a human life. But here, it is a question of the end of the world, the sun and the stars, in short, of everything. When we consider that the universe is billions of years old, fourteen centuries is a very short period of time.

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi has referred to this matter with an erudite comparison:

In the Qur'an Allah says that, "The Hour has drawn nigh. " (Surat al-Qamar: 1) That is, the Last Day is near. It still not having come after a thousand or this many years does not injure its closeness. Because, the Last Day is the appointed hour of the world, and in relation to the life of the world one or two thousand years are like one or two minutes in relation to a year. The Hour of the Last Day is not only the appointed hour of mankind that it should be related to it and seen as distant.1

The Proclaiming of the Moral Teaching of the Qur'an to the Whole World

In the Qur'an, we repeatedly find the phrase "Allah's sunnah (pattern, practice)." This is an expression that means Allah's way, or Allah's laws. According to the Qur'an, these laws are valid forever. In a verse Allah says the following:

One such unchanging Divine law is that, before their annihilation, societies are warned by prophets and messengers, and sometimes by holy scriptures. Allah reveals this fact in these words:

Throughout history, Allah has sent a messenger to every society that has become corrupted and informed them of the truth. Yet, those who persisted in their wickedness perished after having fulfilled the time allotted to them, and became an example for succeeding generations. When we consider this law of Allah, a number of important mysteries are revealed to us.

The Last Day is the final calamity to fall upon the world. The Qur'an is the last Divine book sent to advise humanity, whose guide it will remain until the end of the world. As Allah reveals in the Qur'an "… It is simply a reminder to all beings." (Surat al-An'am: 90) Those who think that the Qur'an speaks only to one particular time or place are seriously mistaken, because the Qur'an is a general invitation to all "worlds."

Since the time of our Prophet (saas), the truth of the Qur'an has been communicated to the entire world. By means of the technological developments Allah created in our present age, the commands of the Qur'an can be proclaimed to the whole of humanity. Today, science, education, communication and transportation are about to reach the final point of their development. By means of computer and Internet technology in particular, people in distant parts of the world can instantly share information and establish communications. The revolution in science and technology has united all the nations of the world; expressions like "globalization" and "world citizenship" have been added to our stock of vocabulary. In short, all the obstacles preventing the unity of people throughout the whole world are being quickly removed.

In the light of these facts, it can be easily said that in our "information age," Allah has put all kinds of technological developments at our disposal. It is the responsibility of Muslims to make the best use of these possibilities that Allah has offered, and to invite people from all walks of life to accept the moral teaching of the Qur'an.

Messengers

We have mentioned the unchanging laws that have been established by Allah since the foundation of the world. One such Divine law is that Allah will not punish a society for which He has not sent a messenger. This promise is expressed in the following verses:

These verses show that Allah sends messengers to major cities to warn the people. These messengers announce Allah's commands, but the unbelievers from the societies of every age have mocked them, accused them of being liars, frauds or madmen, and subjected them to every kind of slander. Allah destroys societies that continue to live in wickedness and immorality through some great disaster, at a time when they least expect it. The destruction of the people of the Prophets Noah (as) and Lot (as), Ad, Thamud and others mentioned in the Qur'an are examples of this form of annihilation.

In the Qur'an, Allah reveals why He has sent prophets: to announce the good news to societies, to provide an important opportunity for their people to abandon their false beliefs, and live their lives according to Allah's religion and high morality, and to warn people so that they will have no excuse to offer on the Last Day for not having heeded the warnings made to them. In a verse, these goals are stated as such:

As Allah reveals in verse 40 of Surat al-Azhab, the Prophet Muhammad (saas) is the last Prophet. The Prophet Muhammad (saas) is "… the Messenger of Allah and the Final Seal of the Prophets… " (Surat al-Azhab: 40) In other words, through the mediation of the Prophet Muhammad (saas), the series of Allah's revelations to humanity have been completed. In spite of this, the responsibility for communicating and reminding people of the Qur'an delivered by the Prophet (saas) lies with every Muslim until the end of the world.

The Supremacy of the Morality of Islam in the World

One of the constant themes of the Qur'an is that of the people that Allah has destroyed, because of their wickedness and rebellion, and the example to be taken from them. Certainly, there is a great similarity between those mentioned societies of the past and some societies of our present time. In our day, there are some people whose attitude and way of life surpasses even the sexual perversion of the people of the Prophet Lot (as), the deceitfulness of the people of Madyan, the arrogance and mocking of the people of the Prophet Noah (as), the rebelliousness and wickedness of the people of Thamud, the ungratefulness of the people of Iram, as with the comportment of various other societies that have been destroyed. The evident reason for all this moral degeneration is that people have forgotten Allah and the purpose of their creation.

The murder, social injustice, treachery, deceit and moral degeneration in the age we live in have even driven some people to despair. But, it must not be forgotten that the Qur'an commands us not to despair of the help of Allah. Despair and despondency are not acceptable modes of thought for believers. Allah announces that those who serve Him purely, without associating any of His creatures as divinities besides Him, and do good works to win His favor, will be endowed with power and authority.

In a number of verses, Allah reveals that it is a Divine law that those servants who are faithful and live the true religion in their hearts will be made the inheritors of the world:

Together with the good news announced in the verses above, Allah has made a very important promise to believers. He reveals in the Qur'an that the religion of Islam was sent to humanity to be superior to all religions.

There is no doubt that Allah will keep His promises. The high morality that will conquer perverse philosophies, distorted ideologies and false religious understanding is Islamic morality. As Allah reveals in the verses quoted above the unbelievers and pagans cannot prevent these glad tidings from happening.

This period, in which Islamic morality will be established, will be in every way a time of love, self-sacrifice, generosity, honesty, social justice, security and personal well-being. This period has been called the Golden Age because of its similarity to depictions of Paradise, but, so far, such an age has never yet existed. This blessed age will precede the Last Day; and is now awaiting that time in which Allah has determined it will come.

'The Prophet Jesus' (as) Return to Earth

The Prophet Jesus (as) is a prophet chosen by Allah. He is one of the most talked-about prophets in the history of the world. Thanks be to Allah that there is a source in which we can verify what is true and false out of that which has been said of him. That source is the Qur'an, the only Holy Book that has been preserved as it is, under the protection of Allah.

When we refer to the Qur'an to discover the real truth about the Prophet Jesus (as), we see that:

Allah did not allow the unbelievers to kill the Prophet Jesus (as), but took him up into His Presence, and announced the good news to humanity that he will come back again. In the Qur'an Allah reveals the following information about the return of the Prophet Jesus (as) in several instances:

In one verse Allah reveals that the unbelievers who set a trap to kill the Prophet Jesus (as) did not succeed;

Another verse in which Allah reveals that the Prophet Jesus (as) did not die, but was taken from the human sphere into the Presence of Allah is as follows:

In the 55th verse of Surah Al 'Imran, we learn that Allah will place the people who follow the Prophet Jesus (as) above those who disbelieve until the Last Day. It is an historical fact that, 2000 years ago, the disciples of the Prophet Jesus (as) had no political power. Christians who lived between that period and our own have believed a number of false doctrines, the chief of which is the doctrine of the Trinity. Therefore, as is evident, that they will not be able to be referred to as followers of the Prophet Jesus (as), because, as Allah reveals in several places in the Qur'an, those who believe in the Trinity have slipped into denial. In such a case, in the time before the Hour, the true followers of the Prophet Jesus (as) will overcome the unbelievers and become the manifestation of the Divine promise contained in Surah Al 'Imran. Surely, this blessed group will be made known when the Prophet Jesus (as) returns again to earth.

• Again, in the Qur'an Allah states that all the People of the Book will believe in the Prophet Jesus (as) before he dies.

We learn clearly from this verse that there are three Divine promises that have not yet been realized concerning the Prophet Jesus (as). First, like every other human being, the Prophet Jesus (as) will die. Second, all the People of the Book will see him in bodily form and will obey him while he is alive. There is no doubt that these two predictions will be fulfilled when the Prophet Jesus (as) comes again before the Last Day. The third prediction about the Prophet Jesus' (as) bearing witness against the People of the Book will be fulfilled on the Last Day.

• In another verse in Surah Maryam, Allah reveals that the Prophet Jesus (as) will return to Earth in the End Times that we are living in.

When we examine this verse together with the 55th verse of Surah Al 'Imran, we can recognize a very important fact. In the verse in Surah Al 'Imran Allah speaks about the Prophet Jesus' (as) being raised to the Presence of Allah. In this verse, no information is given as to whether the Prophet Jesus (as) died or not. But in the 33rd verse of Surah Maryam, the Prophet Jesus' (as) death is referred to. This second death is possible only if the Prophet Jesus (as) came to earth again and died after living here for some time. (Allah knows the truth.)

• Another verse that alludes to the Prophet Jesus' (as) return to earth reads:

To understand the reference to the "Book" mentioned in this verse, we must look at other verses in the Qur'an that are relevant to this subject: if the Book is stated in one verse together with the Torah and the Gospel, then it must mean the Qur'an. We know that the Prophet Jesus (as) knew the Torah and the Gospel during his lifetime, that is, approximately 2000 years ago. Clearly, it will be the Qur'an that he will learn when he comes to earth again.

In verse 59 of Surah Al 'Imran, Allah reveals a very significant knowledge; "The likeness of Jesus in Allah's Sight is the same as Adam…" In this verse we can see there must be a number of similarities between the two prophets. As we know, both the Prophets Adam (as) and Jesus (as) had no father, but we may draw a further similarity from the above verse, between the Prophet Adam's (as) descending to earth from Paradise and the Prophet Jesus' (as) descent from Allah's Presence in the End Times.

Allah reveals in the Qur'an the following information about the Prophet Jesus (as):

We know that the Prophet Jesus (as) lived six centuries before the Qur'an was revealed. Therefore, this verse must refer, not to his first life, but to his coming again during the End Times. Both the Christian and the Islamic world are eagerly awaiting the Prophet Jesus' (as) second coming. This blessed guest's honored presence on the earth will be the important sign of the Last Day.

Further evidence of the second coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) can be found in the use of the word wakahlan in Surah Maida, 110 and Surah Al 'Imran 46. In these verses, we are revealed these commands:

This word occurs only in these two verses and only in reference to the Prophet Jesus (as). The word is used to describe the Prophet Jesus' (as) more mature age. The word refers to the age between 30 and 50, that is, to the end of youth and the beginning of old age. Islamic scholars are agreed in translating this word to refer to a period after the age of 35.

Islamic scholars rely on a tradition related by Ibn Abbas to the effect that the Prophet Jesus (as) was raised to the Presence of Allah when he was young, that is, at the beginning of his 30's, and that when he comes to earth again, he will have 40 years left to live. The Prophet Jesus (as) will progress into his old age after he has returned to earth, so this verse may be said to be a proof of the Prophet Jesus' (as) second coming to earth.2

As mentioned, when we closely examine the Qur'an, we see that this word is used only in reference to the Prophet Jesus (as). All prophets have spoken to people and invited them to accept religion. All of them communicated their message when they were of mature age. But, the Qur'an says nothing similar about any other prophet. This word is used only for the Prophet Jesus (as), and is used to define a miraculous situation. The phrases "in the cradle" and "having grown older" refer to two great miraculous phases of his life.

It is a miracle, by the will of Allah, that the Prophet Jesus (as) spoke while he was in the cradle. This was something that had never been seen before, and Allah refers several times in the Qur'an to this miraculous event. Immediately after these words comes the phrase "and speaking to people when fully grown." These words also refer to a miracle. If the words "when fully grown" referred to his former life before he was taken up into the Presence of Allah, the Prophet Jesus' (as) speaking would not have been a miracle. And since it was not a miracle, it would not have been used after the speaking in the cradle or in the same way as this miraculous situation. In that case, an expression such as "from the cradle to when fully grown" would have been used and would have expressed communication lasting from the time the Prophet Jesus (as) began to speak in the cradle to time he was raised up to the Presence of Allah. But, in this verse Allah draws our attention to two great miraculous events. The first is the speaking in the cradle; the other, the Prophet Jesus' (as) speaking in his mature years. Therefore, the expression "when fully grown" refers to a time that would be a miracle. It is the time when the Prophet Jesus (as) will speak to people in his mature age after he has returned again to earth. (And Allah knows the truth.)

In the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) there is information about the Prophet Jesus' (as) second coming. In a few hadiths, this information is given along with other information about what the Prophet Jesus (as) will do while he is in the world. You may read the hadiths relevant to this subject in the chapter of this book entitled, "The Return of the Prophet Jesus (as) After the Emergence of False Prophets." (For more detailed information, please see Harun Yahya, The Prophet Jesus (as) Will Return)

It will be beneficial to remind the reader here of a very important matter: Allah sent the Prophet Muhammad (saas) to humanity as the last prophet. Allah revealed the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad (saas), and holds all people responsible for obeying the Qur'an until the Day of Judgment. The Prophet Jesus (as) will miraculously return to the world in the End Times but, as our Prophet (saas) has said, he will not bring a new religion. The true religion that the Prophet (saas) taught to humanity is Islam and the Prophet Jesus (as) will be subject to the Qur'an when he comes to the earth again.

According to the hadiths of our Prophet (saas), Hazrat Mahdi (as) will also appear in the End Times and, together with the Prophet Jesus (as), will cause the moral values of Islam to rule the world. Through these two holy individuals, all oppression and injustice in the world will come to an end, and justice, peace, love, calm and security will settle across the Earth.

The Prophet Jesus (as) And Hazrat Mahdi (as) will Appear in This Century

Works by great and esteemed scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah, including Sunan Abu-Dawud and Maktubat of Imam Rabbani, explicitly state that Allah sends an individual every century in order to revive and rid religious morals of any innovations:

Allah will raise for this community at the beginning of EVERY HUNDRED YEARS the one who will renovate its religion for it. (Sunan Abu Dawud, 5/100)

One hadith handed down from our Prophet (saas) states that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear in 1400 in the words:

People will gather around Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the year 1400. (Risalat al-Huruj al-Mahdi, p. 108)

The religious moral values of Islam will rule the whole world, as the result of a specific process, in this century, while the system of the dajjal that opposes those values will entirely disappear. But following this period of progression, that will last for approximately 100 years, the world will again find itself in a phase of degeneration, around the 1500s according to the Islamic calendar. In one hadith narrated by many scholars, including Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, a great Ahl al-Sunnah hadith and Islamic jurisprudence scholar, our Prophet (saas) provides important information about the beginning of a calendar in human history by saying that 5600 years had passed up until his own day:

Ahmad Ibn Hanbal transmitted in his 'Ilal:

FIVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED YEARS HAVE PASSED FROM THIS WORLD. (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 89)

Hadiths are narrated from the Prophet (saas) referring to the life span of the world being 7000 years:

Anas Ibn Malik narrates that the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: THE LIFE SPAN OF THE WORLD IS SEVEN DAYS IN THE DAYS OF THE HEREAFTER. Almighty Allah has said: ONE DAY IN THE SIGHT OF YOUR LORD IS LIKE A THOUSAND OF YOUR YEARS. Allah will ASCRIBE THE EQUIVALENT OF GOOD DEEDS OF THE SEVEN THOUSAND YEARS OF THE AGE OF THIS WORLD to the one who meets the need of any of his brothers in the faith on the path of Allah as if he spends his days in fasting and his nights in worship. (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 88)

Narrated from Daqqaq Ibn Zaid al-Juhani:

I told the Messenger of Allah (saas) of a dream I had had. In that dream the Messenger of Allah (saas) was at the top step of a seven-stepped pulpit. He said: THE SEVEN-STEPPED PULPIT YOU SEE IS THE SEVEN THOUSAND YEARS OF AGE OF THIS WORLD. (Al-Burhan fi 'Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 8)

These dates must very definitely not be evaluated as the beginning of human history when the Prophet Adam (as) was sent down to Earth. Just as the hijrat of our Prophet (saas) from Mecca to Medina is considered the beginning of the Islamic calendar, or the birth of the Prophet Jesus (as) of the Christian calendar, and today eras are reckoned from these dates, it appears that this 7000-year period described by the Prophet (saas) may have been given according to the date of an event which was accepted as a landmark during his time.

Said Nursi, the renovator of the Islamic 1300s and the greatest one of the last millennium, cited the 1500s as the period of dominion of Islamic moral values. He stated that Muslims would enjoy a time of clear and explicit victory up until then. He said that in the years after that, the rise of the moral values of Islam would come to an end and that the Last Day would break for the unbelievers in the Islamic year 1545. (Allah knows the truth.)

"A group from my community will remain in truth until Allah's command [the Last Day]."

The abjad calculation of the clause "A group from my community..." which is 1542 (2117) implies its (the community's) time of survival. The abjad calculation of the clause "will remain in truth" (when the gemination mark is counted) gives 1506 (2082); it indicates until that date (2082) it will continue its work of enlightenment evidently and obviously, and maybe victoriously; then until 1542 (2117) in secrecy and defeat. The abjad calculation of the clause "until Allah's command" (when the gemination mark is counted) suggests that THE LAST DAY WILL BEFALL the unbeliever in 1545 (2120). (Kastamonu Addendum, p. 33)

The great Sunni scholar al-Barzanji states that the life span of the world will not last until the Islamic 1600, in other words, that the Last Day is expected to come in Islamic 1500s by Allah's leave. (Allah knows the truth.)

THE LIFE OF THIS COMMUNITY WILL EXCEED 1,000 YEARS, YET BE LIMITED TO 1,500 YEARS ... (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 299)

Suyuti's statement made on the basis of the hadith handed down from our Prophet (saas) is as follows:

THE LIFE OF MY COMMUNITY WILL NOT EXCEED 1,500 YEARS. (Suyuti, al-Kasfu an Mujawazati Hazihil Ummah al-Alfu, al-hawi lil Fatawi. 2/248, Tafsir Ruh-ul Bayan. Bursawi 4/262, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Kitab al-'Ilal, p. 89)

As is clear from the hadith of the Prophet (saas) and statements by great Islamic scholars, the Islamic 1400s we are now living in is the age of the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as). The Prophet Jesus (as) will return to earth in this century, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear and the moral values of Islam will rule the world.

The Splitting of the Moon

The 54th Surah of the Qur'an is called "Surat al-Qamar." In English qamar means moon. In several instances, this Surah tells about the destruction that befell the people of the Prophet Noah (as), Ad, Thamud, the people of the Prophet Lot (as) and Pharaoh, because they rejected the warnings of the prophets. At the same time, there is a very important message stated in the first verse, concerning the Last Day.

The word "split" used in this verse is the Arabic shaqqa, which in Arabic it has various meanings. In some commentaries on the Qur'an, the meaning "split" is preferred. But shaqqa in Arabic can also mean "plowing" or "digging" the earth.

As an example of the first usage, we can refer to the 26th verse of Surat al-Abasa:

It can be clearly seen that the meaning of shaqqa here is not to "split." It means to plough the earth in order to grow various plants.

If we went back to the year 1969, we would see one of the great wonders of the Qur'an. The experiments carried out on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969, may be hinting at the fulfilment of news given 1,400 years ago in Surat al-Qamar. On that date, American astronauts set foot on the moon. Digging at the lunar soil they carried out scientific experiments and collected samples of stones and soil. It is surely very interesting that these developments are in complete agreement with the statements in the verse.

Along with this, also in October 2009, there has been a development which points out to this event mentioned in the verse. NASA, who has been carrying on searches on the Moon for finding water, bombed the Moon and with the effect of this strike, a dust cloud weighing 350 tons formed. That means, the surface of the Moon split for another time. As Allah reveals in the Qur'an, the Moon is split when the time of the "Hour," the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as), the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as), the appearance of Dabbat al-Ardh approached. As is seen, this verse refers to these events besides the miracle of the splitting of the Moon, vouchsafed by Allah to our Prophet (saas).

Finally, let us point out that there is a very important warning following these verses. There is a reminder that these signs sent from the Sight of Allah are important opportunities for people to turn from error, and that those who do not heed these warnings will be disappointed when they will be brought back to life on that Day of Judgment which is described in the Qur'an as "something unspeakably terrible":