The Final last Hour

Arrival of Final Hour

A moment will come when every living thing will cease to exist. All forms of life will end. Allah subhaana wa ta’aala says, “everything on it will perish.” Everything on the face of the earth will die.

And Allah says: “They await only but a single shout which will seize them while they are disputing.” It will come so suddenly that while people are discussing and disputing, everything will stop. Now there’s no time to advise your family or take care of unfinished business.

Allah says, “Then they will not be able to make bequest, nor will they return to their family.”

It comes so suddenly that RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says in the hadith, “The Hour will arrive when two men are discussing a deal. One man will be selling a piece of cloth to the other, but the Hour will arrive and they will not even have time to wrap up that piece of cloth or sell it. The Hour will come when a man is going back home with fresh milk from his camel, but he will not be able to taste it. And the Hour will arrive when one will raise the food to his mouth, but he will not be able to put it in his mouth.”

As Soor

How will it happen? It will be blown with as-soor. What is as-soor? It is mentioned in the Qur’aan in many places. It is a trumpet or a horn. The Angel Israfeel is holding it.

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saw Israfeel. And this is what RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had to say, “The eyes of the angel are fixed on the throne of Allah, because he is afraid the command will come and he will not have time to turn his sight. So he has fixed his eyes on the arsh, waiting for the command to come. His eyes are like two bright stars.” When RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saw this with his own eyes, he lost any appetite for this world. So he said, “How can I enjoy myself? How can I have any entertainment in this world when the angel has put the horn in his mouth and he has leaned his head forwards, and he has opened up his ears, waiting for the moment when the command will come, so he will blow in the horn?”

When will the Horn be Blown?

On what day will the horn be blown? On Al-Jum’ah. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, “The greatest and the best day the sun has risen over is the day of jum’ah (Friday). In that day, Adam was created. In that day, he entered into Jannah. And in that day, he was driven out of Jannah. And on that day the Hour will occur.” The Hour is the day of judgement.

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says in another hadith, “All of the days were presented to me. So I saw the day of Friday, it looked like a white mirror – very bright and clean – but in the middle there was a dark spot. So I asked what the dark spot was and I was told that it was the Hour.”

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says in another hadith, “The best day the sun has risen over is Friday. On that day, Adam was created. On that day, he came down to earth. On that day, Allah accepted his repentance. On that day, he died. On that day the Hour will occur.” What’s new in this hadith? The rest of the hadith tells the response of the animals. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, “Every animal is worried on the day of jum’ah – from the time of fajr because they know that is when the Hour will occur, except Jinn and humans.” We are the only creation that is asleep and unaware. We are heedless and continue to do everything on Jum’ah as if this Hour is something that will never occur.

The Exceptions

Allah says, “And the trumpet will be blown, and all who are on the earth will swoon away, except him whom Allah wills. Then it will be blown a second time and behold, they will be standing, looking on.” The ayah gives an exception – everyone would die – so who are the exceptions? Some scholars say hoor al-ayn; some say the servants in jannah; some say jibra’eel, mika’eel and israfeel; some say the angels who are carrying the throne; some say the shuhadaa`; and on and on.

AlQurtubi says, “The right opinion is that there is no evidence to support any of this. All of them are possible.” We don’t need to dwell too much on this. What we need to know, we already know – we are not one of those who are excluded. We don’t need to theorize and hypothesize, because we don’t need to know.

This is a very, very important principle in Islam – we should always be practical and know the information that will help us. When a Bedouin came into the masjid and asked the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “When is the Hour?” He came in and interrupted the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam when he was giving a speech. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam kept on going and didn’t give him any attention. The man insisted and asked a second and a third time. By now, the sahabah are upset and want him to calm down. They thought that RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is not responding because he doesn’t like the question. When RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was done with his speech, he said, “Where is the one who was asking about the Hour?” He then asked the Bedouin, “What have you prepared for it?” Why do you want to know? You should know the information that will help you. A lot of times, we waste our times on issues that will not benefit us or add to our good deeds. That is knowledge that does not benefit.

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “O Allah, we want from You knowledge that will benefit us and we seek refuge in You from the knowledge that does not benefit us.”

The man then said, “I did not prepare for it a lot of fasting and prayer, but I have prepared for it with love for Allah and His Messenger.” RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “You will be with the ones that you love.”

How many Times will the Horn be blown?

Some scholars, such as Ibn Hajar and Qurtubi, say that there will be two shouts. One shout that will destroy everything that is living (as sa’aq), and then another shout that will revive everything again (al ba’ath).

Some scholars say that there are three blowings. One is al faza – it will strike fear in all of the hearts. The second is sa’aq and the third is al ba’ath. This is the opinion of Ibn Katheer, Ibn Taymiyyah and some other scholars.

8. The Fire

The final sign of the Day of Judgment is the fire. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, “And in the end, a fire would come out from Yemen, sending the people towards almahshar.” This is a fire that will push all of the people towards the holy land. This fire will continuously follow them until they go to almahshar. People will be running from it. Whoever is left behind, it will burn them. It follows them day and night. It will come out from Yemen.

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam pinpointed the area and said it will come from the basin of ‘Adan. ‘Adan is laying in a crater of a volcano. There are many craters of volcanoes in ‘Adan. ‘Adan is a city of Yemen on the sea. There are a lot of craters in it.

AlMahshar is in shaam. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam pointed towards ashShaam and said, “This is where you would be assembled.” In another hadith in Abu Dawood, RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “There will be hijra after hijra. The best of people of the world will be in the place of the hijra of Ibraheem.” Where is that? Jerusalem, the holy land. What is the first hijra? From Makkah to Madinah. There will be another hijra, which is of the best people of the world, to Jerusalem. The other people who live during that time will be the worse of the people, and that is when the fire will gather them in AshShaam.

AshShaam is the area of Jerusalem, Syria, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. The most holy of it is Jerusalem. There are many ahaadith where RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam praised that place.

In one hadith in Musnad Imam Ahmad, Abu Dardaa` reports that RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, “I was sleeping and I saw a dream where the pillar of the Book [Qur’an] was taken away from me. And i thought it would be taken away from me. So I followed it and saw it placed in AshShaam. In the time of trials and tribulations (fitan), that is where Imaan will be.”

In another hadith in Tabarani, RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, “When I was in the trip of al Israa`, I saw a white pillar like a banner of war taken away from me and I asked the angels, ‘Where are you taking it?’ They said, ‘We are going to take it and place it in AshShaam.’”

Is this assembly of people in AshShaam the assembly of the day of judgment or is it a different assembly? Some of the scholars, like AlGhazaali, say that this is the assemble of the Day of Judgment. Most of the scholars, however, say that there are two assemblies: one that will be in this dunya and then the assembly in akhirah. They say that this assembly is in dunya. The people will be assembled in ashShaam, then that will be the end of the world. Then the people will be assembled in the akhirah. They use the ayah as proof: “When the earth will be replaced.” On the Day of Judgment, the earth and sun and everything will be replaced.

7. The Beast

Allah says: “And when the decree of Allah (or the Word of Allah) befalls them, we would send out to them a beast from the earth. It would talk to them. The people do not believe in Our signs.” Tukallimuhum can be explained as talk to them or mark them. Ibn Abbaas says that both meanings are correct. This beast would come out and talk to people: “You are a believer” “You are a nonbeliever” and it would stamp them.

What does it mean ‘the word of Allah would befall them’? AlQurtubi says, “The word of Allah befallas them means it is time for the punishment of Allah. Because of their extremism in corruption and evil and arrogance, and because they ignored the Signs of Allah and did not contemplate in them.”

Ibn Mas’ood says, “The word of Allah comes on them is when the scholars die and the knowledge dies and the Qur’an is lifted.”

Abu Hurayrah says that RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, “Three things, when they occur, no soul would benefit from imaan after that. 1) Rise of the sun from the west. 2) ad-dajjaal. 3) The beast.” During the time of ad-dajjaal, because there will be so much fitna. In the time of the beast, you will be stamped as a believer or a non believer.

There are more details in the following hadith, which can be found in Ahmad and AtTirmidhi, RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “The beast would come out carrying the seal of Sulayman [Solomon] and the stick of Musa [Moses]. It would mark the face of the believer with Musa and would stamp the face of the nonbeliever with the seal of Sulayman. People would be eating together and they would say, ‘Give me this, believer’ or ‘Hand me this non-believer.’” Everybody has it written on their face. People would call each other, “ya kaafir” or “ya mu’min.”

Shaykh Ahmad Shaakir says that the hadith is authentic. Shaykh Albaani says that the hadith is da’eef because Albaani considers one of the narrators of the hadith to be weak, but Shaakir considers him to be strong and he says that AtTirmidhi and Ahmad have narrated from this man. Wallahu ‘Alam.

6. Rise of the Sun from the West

Allah says, “When some of the signs of Allah approach, then a soul that did not believe, their belief will not do them any good.” The tafsir of this ayah is the rise of the sun from the west.

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.”

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, the Day of Judgment will not occur until the sun rises up from the west. When that happens, everyone would believe. That is when belief would not give them any good.  [Bukhaari]

If someone becomes a Muslim in that moment, their imaan will not do any good. That means, if someone who claims to be a believer but was not doing good, their good will not do them any good after the sun rises from the west. Therefore, after the sun rises from the west, your record of deeds will remain the same. If you were doing righteous deeds, the reward of those deeds would continue even if the sun rises from the west.

AlQurtubi explains this. He says that when the sun rises from the west, people would know it is the end. Therefore, it is just like death. When people are dying and they see the angel of death - can they make tawbah (repentence)? It is too late, the same thing here. When the sun rises from the west, people will know it is the end of the world. The door of tawbah is closed. No more tawbah will be accepted.

5. The Smoke

There is an entire surah in the Qur’an – Surah ad-Dukhaan. Allah says: “Wait until smoke comes down from the heavens.” This smoke is punishment for the non believers. We don’t know more about the smoke. It will come down on the earth as a punishment for the non believers.

4. Sinking of the Earth

The sinking of the earth could be an earthquake that is so violent that part of the earth is swallowed. In this hadith in Muslim, which mentions the ten signs of the Day of Judgment, RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, “Three sinkings of the earth. One in the east, one in the west and one in the Arabian Peninsula.”

These are major earthquakes. It could take entire parts of the world off of the face of the earth. For example, the continental divide is a very dangerous/unstable place. These events don’t just happen like that, like most people think. They are predestined by Allah. Allah is testing the people; it is punishment for their sins.

Once there was an earthquake in Madinah. Then there was a second and third. They were very small earthquakes. ’Umar ibn AlKhattab stood on the mimbar and said to the people of Madinah, “Either you stop sinning or I will leave Madinah.” ‘Umar understood that this was because of the sins of the people. If it happened now, people would say that the second and third were aftershocks. ‘Umar was saying it was because of their sins. Once the mountain of Uhud shook, RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Don’t move because on top of you is a nabiy, a siddiq and two shuhadaa`.”

3. Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj

Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj [Gog and Magog] are two tribes. Are they human beings, or are they a different creation? Are they sons of Adam? They are definitely sons of Adam. The evidence is in Bukhaari:

The Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “On the day of Resurrection Allah will say, ‘O Adam!’ Adam will reply, ‘Labbaik our Lord, and Sa’daik.’ Then there will be a loud call (saying), Allah orders you to take from among your offspring a mission for the (Hell) Fire.’ Adam will say, ‘O Lord! Who are the mission for the (Hell) Fire?’ Allah will say, ‘Out of each thousand, take out 999.’ At that time every pregnant female shall drop her load (have a miscarriage) and a child will have grey hair. And you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet not drunk, but severe will be the torment of Allah.” (22.2) (When the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam mentioned this), the people were so distressed (and afraid) that their faces got changed (in colour) whereupon the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “From Gog and Magog nine-hundred ninety-nine will be taken out and one from you. You Muslims (compared to the large number of other people) will be like a black hair on the side of a white ox, or a white hair on the side of a black ox, and I hope that you will be one-fourth of the people of Paradise.” On that, we said, “Allahu-Akbar!” Then he said, “(I hope that you will be) one-third of the people of Paradise.” We again said, “Allahu-Akbar!” Then he said, “(I hope that you will be) one-half of the people of Paradise.” So we said, “Allahu Akbar.”[Bukhaari, 6/60/265]

Ya’juj and Ma’juj multiply so much that there is a narration that when one of them dies, they leave behind 1,000 descendents. This is a narration and it could be weak. Anyways, they multiply so much. Allah has mentioned in the Qur’an: “And when ya’juj and ma’juj come out, they would pour from every direction.” Their numbers are huge.

Some other hadith that talk about ya’juj and ma’juj:

He ['Eesa] would then search for him (Dajjal) until he would catch hold of him at the gate of Ludd and would kill him. Then a people whom Allah had protected would come to Jesus, son of Mary, and he would wipe their faces and would inform them of their ranks in Paradise and it would be under such conditions that Allah would reveal to Jesus these words: “I have brought forth from amongst My servants such people against whom none would be able to fight; you take these people safely to Tur”, and then Allah would send Gog and Magog and they would swarm down from every slope. The first of them would pass the lake of Tibering and drink out of it. And when the last of them would pass, he would say: “There was once water there.” Jesus and his companions would then be besieged here (at Tur, and they would be so much hard pressed) that the head of an ox would be dearer to them than one hundred dinirs and Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would supplicate Allah, Who would send to them insects (which would attack their necks) and in the morning they would perish like one single person. Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then come down to the earth and they would not find in the earth as much space as a single span which is not filled with their putrefaction and stench. Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then again beseech Allah, Who would send birds whose necks would be like those of bactrin camels and they would carry them and throw them where God would will.

Then Allah would send rain which no house of clay or (the tent of) camels’ hairs would keep out and it would wash away the earth until it could appear to be a mirror. … [Muslim B.41, #7015]

Qur’an tells us the story of dhul-Qarnayn. He was a king who lived thousands of years ago. He is not even in the books of history. These are very early times. Dhul Qarnayn is a king who ruled the inhabited part of the world at that time; that is how he has that name. Dhul Qarnayn means “two horns” and some mufassireen say that means he rules the east and the west. Allah tells us the story in the Qur’aan of when he visited three places: the east, the west, and an area between two mountains.

Until, when he reached between two mountains, he found, before (near) them (those two mountains), a people who scarcely understood a word. They said: “O Dhul-Qarnain! Verily! Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog) are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?” He said: “That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord had established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier. Give me pieces (blocks) of iron,” Then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, he said: “Blow,” till when he had made it (red as) fire, he said: “Bring me molten copper to pour over it.” So they [Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog)] were made powerless to scale it or dig through it. Dhul-Qarnain) said: “This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true.” And on that Day [i.e. the Day Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog) will come out], We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another, and the Trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together. [18:93-99]

Some of the speaker’s commentary on this ayah: (About the material poured on top of the damn/barrier). He poured on it Qitra. Now qitra is explained as either lead or copper. If you mix steel with lead or copper, you get either brass or bronze and both of them are better than if he left it as steel alone.

Allah says that he didn’t only build the sadd (damn), but he build radam – something that seals off completely. A sadd is a horizontal barrier, so they could climb over. The people asked Dhul Qarnayn to build a sadd. Dhul Qarnayn went further – he did ihsaan (perfection). He built a radam that sealed them off completely. Therefore, we cannot really see them now. They are sealed off somewhere underground. They are somewhere in the east because RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam told us. Dhul Qarnayn did such a good job.

Dhul Qarnayn says that even though it was the best he could do, one day they would be torn down.

We’ll continue with the hadith: RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says that every day ya’juj and ma’juj are piercing through this barrier. One night, when they have just a little bit left, their leader would say, “Let’s come back and finish it tomorrow.” They will come back to find out that it has been sealed again. So they will come back and dig it all the way until they’re almost there. They leave. The come the next day and they’ll find it sealed as if it’s new. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, until when their term is appointed. They would dig through it and their leader would say, “Tomorrow we’re going to come back and inshaAllah we’re going to complete digging it.” So they will say inshaAllah and they will open up the seal the next day and come out.

During the time of RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, a small opening occured in that seal. Because RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was smiling and suddenly his face changed. He said, “Today an opening was made in the seal of ya’juj and ma’juj.” Therefore, there’s already a small opening. One day, they will open it completely. [You can search it on the MSA site and you'll find loads of hadith talking about the small opening. Just search "gog and magog".]

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, they will come out and drink the water of the earth. People will run away from then. Then, when ya’juj and ma’juj think that they have killed everyone, they would point their weapons towards the sky and they would shoot. Their arrows would come back with blood on them and they would say, “We have killed everyone on earth and now we have killed everyone in the heavens.” Look at their arrogance! Then Allah subhaana wa ta’aala would send on them worms that would kill them all. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, the animals of the earth would eat so much from their bodies that they would be fat and grateful.

In terms of ya’juj and ma’juj’s location – we don’t know where they are. They are not any population on earth and they are people we do not know of. People like to label certain peoples as ya’juj and ma’juj.

The End of World

What will be the condition of the world during his time? There is a hadith in Muslim which says that after Ya`juj and Ma`juj: [...]Then Allah would send rain which no house of clay or (the tent of) camels’ hairs would keep out and it would wash away the earth until it could appear to be a mirror. [The speaker says: Allahu Alam this could mean that there would be so much water that it looks like a mirror or the earth would become so clean and as transparent as a mirror.] Then [Allah would give order to] the earth would be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing [The blessings are on earth, but we are the reason they don’t appear. Allah says that corruption appeared on earth – why? Because of what the hands of people have reaped.]  and, as a result thereof, there would grow such a big pomegranate that a group of persons would be able to eat that, and seek shelter under its skin and a cow would give so much milk that a whole party would be able to drink it. And the camel would give such a large quantity of milk that the whole tribe would be able to drink out of that and the sheep would give so much milk that the whole family would be able to drink out of that and at that time Allah would send a pleasant wind which would soothe people even under their armpits, and would take the life of every Muslim and only the wicked would survive who would commit adultery like asses and the Last Hour would come to them. [Muslim B.41, #7015]

In another hadith by Imam Ahmad, “The Prophets are half brothers. Their religion is one, but their mothers are different.” In other words, all of the prophets are brothers, even though their law is different. The religion is the same and they are brothers. “And ‘Eesa is the closest one to me because there is no prophet between me and him. And he would descend. When he comes down, know him. He is average height and he has fair skin and he will be wrapped in two garments which have a yellowish colour. His hair looks as if it is wet and dripping with droplets of water, even though it’s dry.” Sometimes people have such beautiful hair – it might be so dark and black – that it looks wet. In the time of Islam, all of the religions will disappear except Islam. This will only happen during the time of Islam. Another honor to ‘Eesa ‘alayhis salaam is that during his time, ad-dajjaal will be eliminated, and peace would descend on earth. Peace isn’t hanging up there – it will be with the people. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, lions would accompany camels and tigers would accompany cows and wolves would accompany goats and children would play with snakes. There would be so much peace on earth; no one wants to harm anyone. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, he would stay for 40 years and then he would die and the Muslims would pray on him. He has to come down to earth, because Allah created us from this earth. We would live on this earth and die on this earth. ‘Eesa [Jesus] did not die yet. Allah would bring him down to achieve the final victory of Islam. SubhanAllah, this is a blessed Ummah – it begins with a prophet and ends with a prophet.

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says in the hadith that he would stay for 40 years, but in another hadith it says that he would stay for 7 years. Both hadith are authentic and in Muslim. The scholars found a way to explain this. 40 years is his total time on earth. He already lived 33 years on earth and he has 7 years left in his life, and he will spend the 7 years with this Ummah.

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, during those 7 years, there will be 7 years when no two people will have any animosity between each other. There will be so much peace during that time. And then, [RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says] a wind would blow from Ash-Shaam and it would take the soul of every believer. Even the ones with a single grain of imaan in his heart will die. That is the end of the story of this world. It started with Adam and ends with Islam.

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, “There will be so much blessing that if you throw a seed and throw them on a solid rock, it will grow.” And then that’s the end.

The souls of the believers will be taken away. Following that, the munafiqeen and the worst of people will remain. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says they would be corrupt and would have intercourse amongst each other like donkeys – like animals. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, these are the ones whom the Hour would occur on. Allahu Alam, that would continue for 40 years. There would be perversion and corruption and all types of evil.

2 The Descending of ‘Eesa ‘alayhis salaam

Location of arrival of Eesa ‘alayhis salaam

The second sign, in terms of order, is the descending of ‘Eesa ‘alayhis salaam. The location of the descending will be Damascus. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam pinpointed Damascus and said, next to the eastern white minaret. At the time, when RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said this, there wasn’t any masjid in Damascus; it was part of the Roman Empire; it was Christian. Nevertheless, RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said he [‘Eesa] will descend next to the eastern white minaret in Damascus.

 AlMasjid AlAmawi is the biggest of the masaajid of Damascus. It was a very important masjid in the history of the Muslim world, because the capital of the khilaafa moved to Damascus for quite awhile – about 100 years. The grand masjid was what we now call the Amawi masjid. The colour of the masjid wasn’t white. Ibn Katheer says that a few centuries later, the minarets of the masjid were rebuilt and the money that was used in rebuilding them was Christian money. Allahu Alam, Ibn Katheer didn’t say why, but he says that it was the Christians who paid for the renovation of the minarets. And in this renovation, the colour was made white. The minaret is still white. When it was first built, it wasn’t white, but it is white now – it is white marble. SubhanAllah Ibn Katheer says it is a miracle that Christians are the ones who financed and paid for the renovation of the masjid where ‘Eesa [Jesus] will descend.

By the way, there’s another amazing example here of colours. Masjid AnNabawi was first built from mud/clay, so it was beige or brown. It remained that way until it was renovated during the time of ‘Uthmaan RA, and then throughout Muslim history it was renovated. It never carried the colour white until the latest renovation that happened under the Saudi regime. They made the minarets white marble. It’s different colours, but it looks quite white in Madinah. I don’t think that this hadith was kept in mind when the renovation was done – engineers did it – and the intention was to make it look good. But there is a hadith of RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that ad-Dajjaal would stand over the mountain of Uhud and he will tell his army, “Do you see that white palace? That is the palace of Muhammad.” And he will point towards Masjid AnNabawi.

When He will Descends

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says in another hadith, mutafakh ‘alay, “What will your situation be when the son of Mary will descend amongst you and your Imam is from within yourselves?” Because when ‘Eesa arrives, he will walk in and the Muslims are about to pray – the ‘iqaamah was made in the masjid. When AlMehdi sees ‘Eesa, he will retreat and he will ask him (‘Eesa) to lead the prayer. But ‘Eesa ‘alayhis salaam will tell AlMehdi that the ‘iqaamah was made for you, therefore you lead the salah. This is a great honor for this Ummah – that ‘Eesa will pray behind one of the followers of Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Obviously, after that ‘Eesa will resume the responsibility, but at that time AlMehdi will led because the ‘iqaamah was made for him. Ibn Katheer says that these hadith are mutawaatir.

This hadith is in AtTirmidhi. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says ‘Eesa ibn Maryam would descend next to the eastern white minaret of the masjid. He has two yellow garments, and he will be placing his two hands on the wings of angels. That is how he will come down – placing his hands on the wings of two angels.

Which Law Would He Apply?

When ‘Eesa ‘alayhis salaam assumes the leadership amongst Muslims, what law would he apply? Because when ‘Eesa was sent to Bani Israel, he followed the Law of Moses (Musa) – the Torah. ‘Eesa would apply the law of Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. All of it is Islaam – the message of Musa, ‘Eesa and Muhammad(Peace be upon all of them). There were differences in particular details of the law, appropriate for their people. When ‘Eesa descends, he will follow the law of Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This is also an honor for RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that ‘Eesa would follow his law.

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said in another hadith to ‘Umar ibn AlKhattaab that if Musa was alive today, he would have to follow me.

How would that happen? AlQurtubi says that Allah will teach ‘Eesa, in the heavens, the law of Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the law of Qur’aan.

You might say that part of the law if jizya, why won’t he accept that anymore? The answer to that is that RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said that jizya would continue until the time of ‘Eesa; after ‘Eesa there will be no more jizya. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam stated that the law of jizya only applies till the time of ‘Eesa.

When ‘Eesa descends on earth, he will perform Hajj with the Muslims. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said in a hadith narrated by Muslim: “By Him in Whose Hand is my life. Ibn Maryam (Jesus Christ) would certainly pronounce Talbiya for Hajj or for Umra or for both (simultaneously as a Qiran) in the valley of Rauha.”

[Muslim, B.7, #2877]

2 The story of Harut and Marut

Sura Al-Baqarah, 102,103.

وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَىٰ مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ ۖ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَٰكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ ۚ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ ۖ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ ۚ وَمَا هُم بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمْ ۚ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ ۚ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْا بِهِ أَنفُسَهُمْ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ [٢:١٠٢]

[yusufali] They followed what the evil ones gave out (falsely) against the power of Solomon: the blasphemers Were, not Solomon, but the evil ones, teaching men Magic, and such things as came down at babylon to the angels Harut and Marut. But neither of these taught anyone (Such things) without saying: "We are only for trial; so do not blaspheme." They learned from them the means to sow discord between man and wife. But they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah's permission. And they learned what harmed them, not what profited them. And they knew that the buyers of (magic) would have no share in the happiness of the Hereafter. And vile was the price for which they did sell their souls, if they but knew!		[bn.hoque] আর তারা তার অনুসরণ করে যা শয়তানরা সুলাইমানের রাজত্বে চালু করেছিল, আর সুলাইমান অবিশ্বাস পোষণ করেন নি, বরং শয়তান অবিশ্বাস করেছিল, তারা লোকজনকে জাদুবিদ্যা শেখাতো, আর তা বাবেলে হারূত ও মারূত এই দুই ফিরিশ্‌তার কাছে নাযিল হয় নি, আর এই দুইজন কাউকে শেখায়ও নি যাতে তাদের বলতে হয় -- “আমরা এক পরীক্ষা মাত্র, অতএব অবিশ্বাস করো না।” সুতরাং এই দুইয়ের থেকে তারা শিখেছে যার দ্বারা স্বামী ও তার স্ত্রীর মধ্যে বিচ্ছেদ ঘটে। কিন্তু তারা এর দ্বারা কারো ক্ষতি করতে পারে না আল্লাহ্‌র অনুমতি ব্যতীত। আর তারা তাই শেখে যা তাদের ক্ষতিসাধন করে, এবং তাদের উপকার করে না। আর অবশ্যই তারা জানে যে এটা যে কিনে নেয় তার জন্য পরকালে কোনো লাভের অংশ থাকবে না। আর আফসোস, এটা মন্দ যার বিনিময়ে তারা নিজেদের আ‌ত্মা বিক্রয় করেছে, -- যদি তারা জানতো!
﴿١٠٢﴾

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَمَثُوبَةٌ مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ ۖ لَّوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ [٢:١٠٣]

[yusufali] If they had kept their Faith and guarded themselves from evil, far better had been the reward from their Lord, if they but knew!		[bn.hoque] আর যদি তারা ঈমান আনতো ও ধর্মভীরুতা অবলন্বন করতো তাহলে আল্লাহ্‌র কাছ থেকে পুরস্কার নিশ্চয়ই বহু ভালো হতো, -- যদি তারা জানতো!
﴿١٠٣﴾

Narrated Al-`Ufi in his interpretation on the authority of Ibn `Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) pertaining to Allah's Statement of Sura Al-Baqarah, 102 When Sulaiman lost his kingdom, great numbers from among mankind and the jinn renegaded and followed their lusts. But, when Allah restored to Sulaiman his kingdom and the renegade came to follow the Straight Path once again, Sulaiman seized their holy scriptures which he buried underneath his throne. Shortly after, Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) died. In no time, the men and the Jinn uncovered the buried scriptures and said: This was a book revealed by Allah to Sulaiman who hid it from us. They took it as their religion and Allah the Almighty revealed His Saying: {And when there came to them a Messenger from Allah confirming what was with them, a party of those who were given the Scripture threw away the Book of Allah behind their backs as if they did not know!}. (Al-Baqarah, 101) and they followed what the devils gave out, i.e. musical instruments, play and all that blocks the remembrance of Allah.

Narrated Ibn Abu Hatim: I was told by Abu Sa' id Al-Ashaj after Abu Usamah after Al-A' mash after Al-Minhal after Sa'id Ibn Jubair after Ibn `Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) as saying: Asif was Sulaiman's scribe. He knew the Greatest Name of Allah and used to write what he was ordered to by Sulaiman, then, bury it underneath the throne. After Sulaiman's death, the devils got it out and wrote between each two lines magical and blasphemous things. They said: "this is what Sulaiman used to apply and act upon." The ignorant among the people regarded Sulaiman as a disbeliever and continued to insult him till Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was sent with the Glorious Qur'an that reads:

{They followed what the, Shayatin (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaiman (Solomon). Sulaiman did not disbelieve, but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved}.

Narrated Ibn Jarir: I was told by Abu As-Sa'ib Salamah Ibn Junadah As- Sawa'i after Abu Mu`awiyah after Al-A`mash after Al-Minhal after Sa`id Ibn Jubair on the authority of Ibn `Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) as saying: When Sulaiman wanted to answer the call of nature or to make love with any of his wives, he used to give his ring to a woman called Al-Jaradah. When Allah the Almighty wanted to afflict Sulaiman, he gave his ring to that woman. Afterwards, Satan came to her in the form of Sulaiman and took the ring from her. When Satan put the ring on, all mankind, the jinn and Devils submitted to him. Then, Sulaiman came seeking his ring from her and she said: "You are a liar, you are not Sulaiman." Thus, Sulaiman knew that it was a test from Allah the Almighty. Upon this, the devils were free to do whatever they wished. So, they wrote down books of black magic and blasphemy which they buried underneath the throne of Sulaiman. After Sulaiman's death, they uncovered these books and said to the people: Verily, Sulaiman used to prevail with the help of these books. Consequently, the people declared their innocence of Sulaiman and declared him to be a disbeliever till the advent of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) who came with the Qur'anic Verse that reads: {Sulaiman did not disbelieve, but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved}.

Then, Ibn Jarir said: I was told by Ibn Hamid after Jarir after Husain Ibn `Abdur Rahman after `Imran as saying: While we were with Ibn `Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them), a man came and Ibn `Abbas asked him: Where do you come from? The man said: from Iraq. Ibn `Abbas asked: which city? The man said: Kufa. Ibn `Abbas asked: What is the latest news there? The man said: I left them talking about `Ali's departing for them. Ibn `Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: how dare you say so! If we felt that (he is departing us for the people of Kufa), we would not marry his women, or divide his properties among us. However, I will tell you the truth: the angels used to descend on the clouds and mention this or that matter decreed in the Heaven. The devils listen stealthily to such a matter, come down to inspire the soothsayers with it, and the latter would add to it one hundred lies of their own. The people believe in them and regard them trustworthy. Allah the Almighty informed Sulaiman with the matter and enabled him to bury these lies under his throne. After his death, one of the devils said: I can lead you to Sulaiman's dearest and most precious treasure. It is under his throne. Consequently, they uncovered it and said: this is magic. Afterwards, it continued to be copied and acted upon and what the Iraqi people practice nowadays is nothing but its remnants. Allah the Almighty revealed: Sura Al-Baqarah, 102  {They followed what the Shayatin (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaiman (Solomon).

Narrated Ar-Rabi' Ibn Anas: the Jews used to ask Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) about matters from the Torah, and every time they ask him, Allah reveals to him that with which he defeats and overcomes them. Thereupon, they said: Muhammad knows what has been revealed to us better than we do! Then, they asked him about sorcery and Allah revealed His Statement: {They followed what the Shayatin (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaiman (Solomon). Sulaiman did not disbelieve, but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Harut and Marut}. And He informed His Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) that the devils wrote a book about sorcery and soothsaying and buried it under Sulaiman's throne. Verily, Sulaiman was not knowledgeable about the Unseen. When he died, the devils got that magic out and deceived the people by saying: this is the knowledge which Sulaiman used to secretly keep from you. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) informed the Jews of that narration and they went out lowering their heads defeated and humiliated.

Sa'id Ibn Jubair said: Sulaiman used to look for and capture the magic of the devils and keep it buried under his throne. The devils could not reach it and thus they inspired to the people that it is the knowledge with which Sulaiman was able to overcome the Jinn, the wind, etc., and that it is buried under his own throne. Afterwards, the people got it out and practiced it. Later, the people of the Hejaz said: Sulaiman used to practice sorcery. Upon this, Allah the Almighty revealed His Saying: {They followed what the Shayatin (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaiman (Solomon). Sulaiman did not disbelieve, but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Harut and Marut}.

Muhammad Ibn Ishaq Ibn Yasar said: when the devils knew of the death of Sulaiman, they wrote down types of sorcery (magic) as thus: to fulfill such and such matters, practice such and such (procedures). They gathered all these in a book and sealed it with a ring bearing the inscription found on Sulaiman's ring and titled it with: This is what was written by Asif Ibn Barkhiya by order of King Sulaiman Ibn Dawud. Then, they buried it under the throne (of Sulaiman). After some time, the Children of Israel got it out and said: Verily, Sulaiman ruled over us only with this and they diffused sorcery among the people. When Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) mentioned Sulaiman Ibn Dawud as one of the former Messengers sent by Allah the Almighty, the Jews in Madinah said: Amazingly Muhammad claims that Sulaiman Ibn Dawud was a Prophet, by Allah, he was nothing but a sorcerer. Thereupon, Allah the Almighty revealed His Saying: {They followed what the Shayatin (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaiman (Solomon). Sulaiman did not disbelieve, but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved.

It is true that magic existed before the time of Sulaiman Ibn Dawud (Peace be upon them) because magicians were found in the lifetime of Musa (Moses) (Peace be upon him) and that Sulaiman came after Musa (Peace be upon them both). Allah the Almighty says: {Have you not thought about the group of the Children of Israel after (the time of) Musa (Moses)? When they said to a Prophet of theirs, "Appoint for us a king and we will fight in Allah's Way." He said, "Would you then refrain from fighting, if fighting was prescribed for you?" They said, "Why should we not fight in Allah's Way while we have been driven out of our homes and our children (families have been taken as captives)?" But when fighting was ordered for them, they turned away, all except a few of them. And Allah is All-Aware of the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers)}. (Al- Baqarah, 246) then, Allah mentioned the story in which, {and Dawud (David) killed Jalut (Goliath), and Allah gave him [Dawud (David)] the kingdom [after the death of Talut (Saul) and Samuel] and Al-Hikmah (Prophethood), and taught him of that which He willed}. (Al-Baqarah,251) and, the people of Salih who existed before Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) said to their Prophet Salih: {You are only of those bewitched!}. (Ash-Shu' ara', 153)

The Related Hadith(And Comments)

Narrated Imam Ahmed (May Allah rest his soul) in his Musnad: I was told by Yahya Ibn Bakir after Zuhair Ibn Muhammad after Musa Ibn Iubair after Nafi after `Abdullah Ibn `Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) that he heard Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) as saying: "When Adam (Peace be upon him) was put down on earth, the angels said: 0 Lord! {Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, -while we glorify You with praises and thanks and sanctify You}. (Al-Baqarah, 30) They continued: Our Lord! We obey You more than man does. Allah the Almighty said to them: Appoint two angels from amongst you to descend to earth. The angels said: Our Lord! (We chose) Harut and Marut. They went down to earth where the flower appeared to them in the form of the most beautiful woman on earth. They asked her to have sexual intercourse with them. But, she said: only after you disbelieve in Allah. They refused and she went away for a while. Then, she came back holding a child in her arms and they asked her for the second time. She said: first, you must kill this boy. They refused to and she went away for a while and then, came back holding a glass of wine. They asked her for the third time. She said: First, you must drink this glass of wine. They drank the wine, committed adultery with her and finally killed the boy. When they restored their conscience, the woman said: By Allah! After you had drunk the wine, you committed all that which you refused to do at first. Thereupon, they were given

the choice between receiving the torment of this like or that of the Hereafter. They' chose that of the present life."

Many scholars and transmitters narrated various stories and narrations pertaining to the story of Harut and Marut, but all the details they mentioned could be traced down to the narrations made by the Children of Israel. However, there is not a single Hadith or Narration that can be traced down to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), the infallible one who says nothing but the truth. In addition, the text of the Glorious Qur'an does not relate this story in details, and thus we believe in what is mentioned in the Glorious Qur'an as it is without any increase or decrease. Finally, Allah knows best!