--
From a lecture at Cambridge University
Islamic Society, Shawwal 1420 / January 2000.
The Signs are listed in roughly chronological order,
although the order is not necessarily precise, especially for those in the future.
This is a brief summary of the signs; there are many
books, articles, cassettes etc. which discuss these in greater detail. May Allah
enable us to recognise and heed the Signs, and strengthen us in the times of
tribulation.
"Are they waiting for anything except the Hour,
to come to them suddenly? But its Signs have already come!"
(Al-Qur’an, Surah Muhammad)
Past
1. Splitting of the Moon.
2. Death of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him
and grant him
peace.
3. A form of death which will kill thousands of Muslims.
(Understood to
refer to the plague of Amwas during the
caliphate of ‘Umar ibn
al-Khattab.)
4. A major fighting in Madinah (understood to refer to
the battle of
al-Harrah during the caliphate of Yazid, 63 AH).
5. The Muslim conquest of Jerusalem.
6. The Muslim conquest of Constantinople.
7. Two large groups of Muslims will fight in war.
8. A war between the Muslims and a reddish people with
small eyes, wearing
sandals made of hair (understood to refer to
the Mongol Tatar invasion of the
Islamic lands.)
9. A peace agreement between the Muslims and non-Muslims
from the yellow
race (Chinese, Mongols, etc.)
10. Thirty impostors (dajjal) will appear, each thinking
he is a
prophet.
Present?
11. Naked, destitute, barefoot shepherds will compete in
building tall
buildings.
12. The slave-woman will give birth to her master or mistress.
13. A trial (fitnah) which will enter every Arab household.
14. Knowledge will be taken away (by the death of people
of knowledge),
and ignorance will prevail.
15. Wine (intoxicants, alcohol) will be drunk in great
quantities.
16. Illegal sexual intercourse will become widespread.
17. Earthquakes will increase.
18. Time will pass more quickly.
19. Tribulations (fitan) will prevail.
20. Bloodshed will increase.
21. A man will pass by the grave of another and wish he
was in the
latter’s place.
22. Trustworthiness will be lost, i.e. when authority is
given to those
who do not deserve it.
23. People will gather for prayer, but will be unable to
find an imam to
lead them.
Future
24. The number of men will decrease, whilst the number
of women will
increase, until for every man there are 50 women.
25. The Euphrates will reveal a treasure of gold, and
many will die
fighting over it, each one hoping to be the one who gains
the treasure.
26. The Romans (Europeans) will come to a place called
A’maq or Wabiq, and an army of the best people will go forth from Madinah to face them.
27. The Muslim conquest of Rome.
28. The Mahdi (guided one) will appear, and be the Imam
of the Muslims.
29. Jesus Christ will descend in Damascus, and pray
behind the Mahdi.
30. Jesus will break the cross and kill the swine, i.e.
destroy the false
christianity.
31. The Antichrist (al-masih al-dajjal, the false
christ) will appear, with all his tools of deception, and be an immense
trial. He will be followed by 70,000 Jews from Isfahan (present-day
Iran).
32. The appearance of Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog),
and the associated tribulations.
33. The emergence of the Beast from the Earth, carrying
the Staff of Moses and the Seal of Solomon, who will speak to the people,
telling them they did not believe with certainty in the Divine Signs.
34. A major war between the Muslims (including Jews and
Christians who truly believe in Jesus after his return) led by the Imam Mahdi,
and the Jews plus other non-Muslims led by the Antichrist.
35. Jesus will kill the Antichrist at the gate of Ludd
(Lod in present-day Israel, site of an airport and a major Israeli military base).
36. A time of great peace and serenity during and after
the remaining
lifetime of Jesus.
37. Wealth will come so abundant that it will become
difficult to find
someone to accept charity.
38. Arabia will become a land of gardens and rivers.
39. Society will then decay.
40. The buttocks of the women of the tribe of Daws will
again sway in
circumambulation (tawaf) around the idol Dhul-Khulsah.
41. A great fire in the Hijaz, seen by the inhabitants of Busra.
42. Three major armies will sink into the earth: one in
the east, one in
the west, one in Arabia.
43. An Abyssinian leader with thin shins will destroy the Ka’bah.
44. The huge cloud of smoke.
45. The sun will rise from the west (its place of setting).
46. A gentle wind which will take the souls of the believers.
47. There is no-one left on the earth saying, "Allah,
Allah" or "There is
no god except Allah."
48. Eventually the Day of Judgment is established upon
the worst of the
people, who copulate like donkeys in public.
49. The blowing in the Trumpet by the Angel Israfil,
upon which everyone
will faint except as Allah wills.
50. The second blowing in the Trumpet, upon which
everyone will be
resurrected.
