The Last Day & its Signs


Some of the Minor Signs of the Last Day prophesied by Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم have already begun, such as the construction of sky-scrapers by formerly poor shepherds, an increase in Earthquakes, new sexually-transmitted diseases, drunkenness and promiscuity, more bloodshed and others are yet to happen.

"When you see the slave woman giving birth to her mistress or her master, and you see the keepers of sheep competing in building lofty structures, and you see the barefoot, hungry and dependent becoming leaders of people, these are among the signs and portents of the Hour." Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه said, "O Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم , who are the keepers of sheep and barefoot, hungry and dependent?" He said, "The Arabs." (Hadith)

"Soon the Nations will call one another to attack you, as diners call on one another (e.g. to take choice bits of food) to the platter..." (Hadith)

"At the end of time there will be landslides, stones from heaven and transformation into animals, when musical instruments and female singers become widespread, and alcohol is permitted." (Hadith)

"If fornication should become widespread, you should realize that this has never happened without new diseases befalling the people, which their forebearers never suffered." (Hadith)

Some of the Major Signs prophesied by Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم have occurred, and others are yet to happen such as the physical rising of the sun from the West, the appearance of the Antichrist (Massih ad-Dajjal), the second coming of Jesus, the warring Gog and Magog hordes, and the whole world becoming Muslim.

"It (the Hour) will not come until you see ten signs before it, and (with regards to the Hour) he made a mention of the Smoke, the (Antichrist) Dajjal, the Beast, the rising of the sun from the West, the descent of Jesus son of Mary (a), the hordes of Gog and Magog, and land-slidings in three places, one in the East, one in the West and one in Arabia at the end of which fire would burn forth from the Yemen, and would drive people to the place of their assembly." (Hadith)

Only God Knows when the Hour will be established. Enormous terrors will happen on the Last Day, the Day that everything perishes including the Heavens and the Earth, except Allah.

They ask you about the Hour (Day of Resurrection): "When will be its appointed time?" Say: "The knowledge thereof is with my Lord (Alone). None can reveal its time but He. Heavy is its burden through the Heavens and the Earth. It shall not come upon you except all of a sudden." (Quran 7:187)

And (remember) the Day when We shall roll up the Heavens like a scroll rolled up for books. As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise binding upon us. Truly, We shall do it. (Quran 21:104)

Everything will perish save His (Allah's) Face. (Quran 29:88)

God will bring us all back to life after we die on Earth and gather us for Questioning and Judgment for our reckoning on the Last Day. God will give us our records, some will receive them in their right hands (and go to Heaven) while others will receive them in their left hands or behind their backs (and go to Hell).

Thereof (the Earth) We created you, and into it We shall return you, and from it We shall Resurrect you once again. (Quran 20:55)

That is a Day whereon Mankind will be gathered together, and that is a Day when all (the dwellers of the Heaven and the Earth) will be present. (Quran 11:103)

"The son of Adam (man) will not be released from his Lord's presence on the Day of Resurrection until he has been questioned about five things: his life and how he spent it, his youth and how he used it, his wealth and how he earned it and spent it, and what he did with the knowledge he gained." (Hadith)

Then as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand, he surely will receive an easy reckoning, and will return to his family in joy! But whosoever is given his Record behind his back, he will invoke for his destruction, and he shall enter a Blazing Fire and made to taste its burning. (Quran 84:7-12)

He (God) cannot be questioned for what He does, but they will be questioned. (Quran 21:23)

Surely, Allah wrongs not even the weight of an atom. (Quran 4:40)

God will come with rows of Angels. Heaven and Hell will be brought near and the Day will last for 50,000 years for terrified disbelievers but pass rapidly for hopeful believers.

Verily, when the Earth is ground into powder. And your Lord comes with Angels in rows. And Hell will be brought near that Day. On that Day will man remember, but how will that remembrance (then) avail him? He will say, "Alas! If only I had sent forward (good deeds) for (this) my life!" (Quran 89:21-24)

And when Paradise will be brought near. (Quran 81:13)

Then (when mankind is Resurrected from their graves), you shall see they eyes of the disbelievers fixedly staring in horror (Quran 21:97)

The Greatest Terror (on the Day of Resurrection) will not grieve them (the believers) (Quran 21:103)

"If any owner of gold or silver does not pay what is due on him, when the Day of Resurrection would come, plates of fire would be beaten out for him; these would then be heated in the fire of Hell and his sides, his forehead and his back would be cauterized with them. Whenever these cool down, (the process is) repeated during a day the extent (for him) of which would be fifty thousand years, until judgment is pronounced among servants, and he sees whether his path is to take him to Paradise or to Hell." (Hadith)

A measuring scale (mizaan) will be set up and our good deeds will be weighed against our bad deeds.

And the weighing on that Day (of Resurrection) will be the true (weighing). So as for those whose Scale of good deeds will be heavy, they will be the successful (by entering Paradise). And as for those whose Scale will be light, they are those who will lose their own selves (by entering Hell) because they denied and rejected Our Signs. (Quran 7:8-9)

And We shall set up Balances of Justice on the Day of Resurrection. (Quran 21:47)

"There are two words (expressions) which are dear to (Allah) the Most Gracious, and very easy for the tongue to say, but very heavy in the Balance. They are: "SubhaanAllah wa bi hamdihi and SubhaanAllahil-Azeem" ["Glorified be Allah and be He praised!" and "Glorified be Allah the Most Great!"] (Hadith)

Everyone must pass across the Bridge over Hell (Siraat) made spacious and quick for the believers and narrow and hazardous for the disbelievers.

There is not one of you but will pass over it (Hell) (Quran 19:71)

"...Then the bridge will be set up over Hell, and the intercession will take place, and they will say, 'O Allah, save us, save us!'... (the Bridge over Hell) is the void in which one is likely to slip. In it are hooks and tongs and spikes like the thorns of a plant in Najd called as-Sa'daan. The believers will be able to pass over it in the twinkling of an eye, like lightning or the wind or birds, and like fine horses and camels. Some will escape and be safe, some will be scratched (by the hooks etc.) and let go, and some will be piled up in the Fire of Hell." (Hadith)

The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم will beg forgiveness for the believers and his intercession (Shifa'a) will be accepted by God's Mercy.

And they cannot intercede except for him with whom He (Allah) is pleased with. (Quran 21:28)

"Every Prophet has one supplication that is granted to him, and every Prophet hastened to make that supplication (in this world). But I have postponed my supplication in order to intercede for my Ummah (Muslim peoples) on the Day of Resurrection, and if Allah Wills, it will include every one of my Ummah who dies not associating anything in worship with Allah." (Hadith)

All grievances between people must be sorted out before entry into Heaven where no problems will ever occur for all eternity.

"All the creature's rights will be restored to them on the Day of Resurrection, so much so, that even the hornless sheep (e.g. that was injured by a horned sheep) will settle its scores with the horned sheep." (Hadith)

"Among my umma, the one who is bankrupt is the one who will come on the Day of Resurrection with prayer and fasting and Zakat (to his credit), but he will come having insulted this one, slandered that one, consumed the wealth of this one and shed the blood of that one, and beaten that one. So they will all be given some of his good deeds, and when his good deeds are depleted, before judgment is passed, some of their sins will be taken and cast onto him, then he will be cast into the Fire." (Hadith)

"When the believers have been saved from the Fire, they will be detained at a bridge between Paradise and Hell, where they will settle any scores that existed among them in this world. Then when they have been purified, they will be granted permission to enter Paradise. By the one in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, any one of them will be more familiar with his dwelling in Paradise than he was with his house in this world." (Hadith)

The believers will drink at the Cistern Basin (Hawdh) of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم after which they will never thirst again (and enter Paradise).

"My cistern is as big as a months journey, and its corners are like the same [it is square]. Its water is whiter than milk and its fragrance is better than musk. Its drinking vessels number like the stars in the sky. Whoever drinks from it will never feel thirsty again." (Hadith)

"I will prevent other people from coming to it just as a man prevents camels of other people from coming to his trough... you will have a sign that no other nation has; you will come to me with bright white faces and limbs from the traces of your ablution (for prayer)." (Hadith)

"A group of my Companions [or he said, "a group from my umma"] will come to me on the Day of Resurrection, and they will be pushed away from the Cistern. I will say, 'O Lord! My Companions!' He will say, 'You have no knowledge of what they did after you were gone. They became apostate and turned on their heels... they will be taken away.'" (Hadith)