Signs of the Day of Judgement
Fatwa No: 89152

Question

1) In what order if any will the following major signs of the Day of Judgement occur, the smoke (Dukhan) and will the people living in the west flock to the east i.e. the Muslim countries, also the three landslides and I am aware of one of these landslides taking place in the Arabian peninsula, where would the other two landslides occur, and lastly, the raising of the sun from the west and not in the east as normal. In the east as normal.
2) Will a man from the area of Abyssinia (currently Ethiopia/Somalia) will somehow destroy the Ka'bah in Mecca, will this be a major sign of the Day of Judgement or the sign of the Hour. Is it true?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

 

1) Imaam Muslim reported that Hutheyfah Ibn Al-Usyad said: "The Prophet saw us while we were discussing something and he asked us: "What are you discussing?" We replied: "We are discussing the Hour". Then the Prophet said: "The Hour will not take place until you see ten signs: "The smoke, the Dajjaal (Antichrist), the beast from the earth, the rising of the Sun from the West, the descent of 'Eesaa (Jesus), the appearance of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj (Gog and Mogog), three major landslides, one in the East, one in the West and one in the Arabic peninsula, and the last sign is a fire that will come out in Yemen and will drive the people to the place of their resurrection."

Imaam Muslim also reported that the Prophet said: "The people will be gathered in three ways: The first batch are those who will seize the opportunity and take a means of transportation hoping for salvation and fleeing from tribulations and trials. The second batch will be those who get on the same means of transportation as the first batch due to the shortage of means of transport. The third batch (the rest of the people) will fail to get a means of transportation, among them will be those who will walk or be drugged or be forced by the fire to gather, and this fir will accompany them at the end 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."

Imaam An-Nawawi commenting on the narration reported by Imaam Muslim said: 'The scholars said: "This gathering will take place in this world before the Hereafter, and before the blowing of the trumpet. The evidence is the saying of the Prophet : "…the rest of the people will be urged to gather by the fire which will accompany them ...and will be with them in the afternoon wherever they may be then." This is the last sign of the Hour as reported by Muslim counting this as a sign of the signs of the Hour as he quoted: "The last sign is a fire which will come from Adaan and which will drive the people out of their homes." As regards the sequence of these events, there is no authentic narration which exactly states all of them in order. However, some narrations were reported mentioning that some signs will take place before others like the appearance of the Dajjaal (the Antichrist) before the descent of 'Eesaa (Jesus) the son of Maryam, who will kill him. Then the appearance of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj (Gog and Mogog), and then the rising of the Sun from the West. As regards the gathering of the people from the West to the East, it is not as stated in the narration. In the Prophetic narration, it says that the fire will gather the people from the East to the West; what is meant by the West (Al-Maghrib) is Ash-Shaam (Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon) as stated in other narrations. If the questioner means the Maghreb (northwest Africa), Europe and America, and the like, then this is something of the unseen and it is only Allaah who knows it.

As regards the three landslides that will occur, their whereabouts have already been mentioned in the previous narration but there is no evidence of their exact place.

2) With regard to the demolition of the Ka'bah, it is a sign of the nearness of the Hour. The Prophet said: "Dhu Assuwiyqatayni (small-legged) from Ethiopia will demolish the Ka'bah." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] In the narration reported by Imaam Ahmad, it says: 'He will take all its jewellery and treasures. He is a bald, thin legged man who will hit it with his axe and his pick.' Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar stated that this incident will not take place except at the end of the time before the Hour.

Allaah knows best.

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