Five Periods of the Ummah
In a very popular tradition, the Apostle of Allah (swt) has informed his disciples that:
Your religion originates with the prophethood and Allah’s mercy, and will remain as long as Allah (swt) wills so.
Then, Allah (swt) will replace it with the Caliphate ‘in the pattern of the prophet-hood’. Then Allah (swt) will end it.
Then, it will be succeeded by the tyrant kingship, which will last as long as Allah (swt) wills it! Then, Allah (swt) will end it also.
Then, there will be the reign of terror, which will stay as long as Allah (swt) wills so. Then, Allah (swt) will end it as well.
Then will return the same ‘Caliphate after the pattern of the prophethood’, which will administer the affairs of the people in pursuance of the Sunnah of the Prophet (sa), and Islam will take root on the Earth. This rule will please those who will belong to the heavens, and those who belong to the Earth. When it dominates, the heaven will generously shower its blessings, and the Earth will divulge all its treasures. (Musnad Ahmad)
According to this eye-opening Hadeeth, three eras have already passed. We are living between the fourth and the firth eras. The end of the entire universe is imminent.
Major Signs of the Qiyamah
The Prophet of Allah (sa) has predicted a number of signs before the first trumpet will be blown in the heaven. They may be classified into two categories:
(1) the minor signs and
(2) the major signs.
The major signs will affect the affairs of the entire world. Among the manifestations of those are:
- Dajjal;
- Imam Mahdi;
- Isa (as);
- The community of Gog Magog;
- Emergence of a vast and thick smoke;
- Revelation of a talking-beast on the Earth;
- Rising of the sun from the West;
- Waging of an ever bloody huge war against the Muslims;
- Re-victory of the Muslims of Constantinople;
- Imperialistic sanctions on Egypt and Iraq
- Erasing of the building of the sanctified Kabah.
Although the major signs will reshape the existing world totally in favour of the Muslims, no definite time has been predicted by the Prophet of Allah (swt). Which sign will appear first is, therefore, out of our jurisdiction. Thus, we cannot calculate the exact arrival time of the Dajjal, etc.
The writer is the Director, National Academy of Islamic Research, Karachi. He has authored multiple books on Dajjal and the end of times.
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