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Level 6 :: Lesson 8

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Signs of the Day of Judgment (part 1 of 2): The Minor Signs

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Description: An introduction to the signs, both major and minor, of the Day of Judgement and an abridged list of minor signs.

Published on 01 Apr 2013 - Last modified on 01 May 2017

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Objectives

·To understand the signs of the Day of Judgement and to review various signs whilst contemplating Allah’s vast knowledge of His creation.

Arabic Terms

·Al-Qadr - divine decree.

·Masjid - the Arabic term for mosque.

·Sadaqah - voluntary charity.

·Sunnah- The word Sunnah has several meanings depending on the area of study however the meaning is generally accepted to be, whatever was reported that the Prophet said, did, or approved.

·Surah - chapter of the Quran.

·Yom al-Qiyyamah – Literally the Day of Resurrection, also known as the Day of Judgment. Islam teaches that on this Day, all living things will be raised to life again and called in front of Allah for the final judgment.

·Zakah – obligatory charity.

Signs of the Day of Judgment1.jpg Belief in the Day of Judgment (also known as the Day of Resurrection and the Last Day and in Arabic Yom al-Qiyyamah) is one of the six pillars of the Islamic faith. This means that it is a concept that a Muslim is required to believe and understand. Basically Muslims believe that there will come a day when the universe as we know it will be destroyed and the dead will be resurrected to face Allah, the Almighty to be judged according to their deeds in this life. The ultimate goal is to be accepted into a never ending paradise.

And those who believe and do righteous deeds, they are dwellers of Paradise, they dwell therein forever. (Quran 2:82)

Many people wait and look forward to this momentous Day with a mixture of fear and anticipation. Others believe it is something far off that does not concern them and still others look for the signs of the coming of this Day. Surah 21 of the Quran acknowledges the thoughtlessness of many when it begins, “Draws near for humankind their reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness.” (Quran 21:1)

Countless books and articles have been written and videos made of the signs of the Day of Judgment without knowing exactly what to believe and what not to believe. The aim of this and the following lesson is to set out the signs of the Day of Judgment in an informal and easily understood way. Two important points to bear in mind whenever reading or researching about the Day of Judgment are as follows. Firstly, the knowledge of the signs, trials and tribulations associated with the Day of Judgement must be derived from the Quran and the authentic Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. And secondly, nobody knows when the hour[1] will occur. “Verily Allah, with Him (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour…” (Quran 31:34) Humankind is only able to look for the signs.

The Prophet said, “The Hour will come when leaders are oppressors, when people believe in the stars and reject al-Qadr (divine decree)[2], when a trust becomes a way of making a profit, when people give Sadaqah reluctantly, when adultery becomes widespread - when this happens, then your people will perish.“

Minor signs

Minor signs of the Day of Judgment are those signs that may occur a long time before the actual Day. They happen in the course of daily world events, they are numerous and often go pass unnoticed, even occurring repeatedly. Some commentators have estimated that there are more than 100 minor signs of the Day of Judgment. Contemplating the minor signs of the Day of Judgement should serve to remind believers that Allah has foreknowledge of everything that is occurring or will occur in the future. Allah’s knowledge is vast and superior and He is aware of all that we do, see or think. We will list some of the more well-known minor signs and ask you to consider whether or not these signs are happening around you or have happened in the past.

·Time will pass rapidly, good deeds will decrease, miserliness will be thrown (in the hearts of the people), afflictions will appear and there will be much ‘Al-Harj.” They said, “O Allah’s Apostle! What is “Al-Harj?” He said, “Killing! Killing!”

·The common appearance of lewd acts, working to bring about lewd acts, the cutting off of the ties of relationship and the trusting of deceivers.

·The disappearance of knowledge and the appearance of ignorance.

·Wealth will be in abundance; so abundant that a wealthy person will worry lest nobody should accept his Zakah, and whenever he will present it to someone, that person (to whom it will be offered) will say, ‘I am not in need of it.’

·The people compete with one another in constructing high buildings.

·A man when passing by a grave of someone will say, ‘Would that I was in his place’.

·Two parties of Muslims will confront each other and there is a large-scale massacre amongst them and the claim of both of them is the same.

·People will establish ties with strangers and sever relations with their near and dear ones.

·Earthquakes will increase.

·Any gain is shared out only among the rich, with no benefit to the poor.

·A trust becomes a means of making a profit.

·Paying Zakah becomes a burden.

·Men obey their wives and disobey their mothers; and treat their friends kindly whilst shunning their fathers.

·Voices are raised in the mosques.

·The leader of a people is the worst of them.

·People treat a man with respect because they fear some evil he may do.

·The widespread use of alcohol and intoxicants.

·Female singers and musical instruments become popular.[3]

When we look around at the state of the world today it is easy to associate minor signs with the current and past state of world events. The use of alcohol and adultery come to mind easily and require no explanation or undue deliberation. Some signs however do arouse curiosity and contemplation such as the competition to erect tall buildings. You are encouraged to research further to both expand on the list and understand the signs more thoroughly.

In the following lesson we will look at the major signs of the Day of Judgement. These are signs that will occur when that Day is almost upon us and are generally thought to be unusual and of supernatural origin.

Footnotes:

[1] The Hour refers to the exact time that the trumpet will be blown and thus will begin the Last Day.

[2] To learn more about the belief in Divine Decree, please see:
(http://www.newmuslims.com/lessons/30/ )

[3] The list of minor signs derive from the hadiths contained in Bukhari, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, Imam ahmad and At-Tabari. They are in no particular order.

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