Hour of
Doom

Q258 :I have read two Hadiths in a book, but their
full text is not given. I wonder whether you could mention where I
could find them in their full texts. The first speaks of the end of the
world and that it is preceded by a fight between two groups claiming
the same thing. The other speaks of the country where the horn of Satan
will appear.


A258 : Both Hadiths are authentic. The first is No.
7121 in the ‘Saheeh’ of Al-Bukhari. Abu-Hurairah quotes the Prophet as
saying: “The Hour does not strike until two great groups making the
same claim have fought each other ferociously, and until there has been
liars and impostors, around 30 in number, each one of them claiming
that he is Allah’s messenger. (Prior to the strike of the Hour)
learning will benete scarce, earthquakes frequent, time short and
strife will prevail. There would be much killing and such abundance of
wealth that people would be at pains to find someone to accept their
zakah. They would offer it to others, but the latter would tell them
that they have no need for it. Moreover, people would construct high
rising buildings; a man would pass by the grave of another and say: I
wish I was in his place; the sun would rise at the west, and when it
has risen and been seen by people, they would all declare themselves
believers. At that time, no one can benefit by accepting the faith
unless he has already been a believer or has earned good deeds as a
result of his faith. When the Hour strikes, two people may be holding a
garment between them, but they neither netplete the deal nor put the
garment away. The Hour will strike when a man has milked his she-camel,
but does not drink it. The Hour will strike when a man has repaired his
water basin and he does not drink anything out of it. The Hour will
strike when a man has lifted some food to his mouth but does not eat
it.” As you realize the Hadiths mention several signs of the impending
arrival of the Hour of Doom, making it clear that the Hour strikes all
of a sudden, when people would be engaged in their daily activities,
unmindful of its arrival, but when it strikes, they cannot netplete
what they have started, not even finishing a bite one may have lifted
to his mouth. The other Hadith is No. 7093 in the ‘Saheeh’ of
Al-Bukhari. Abdullah ibn Umar quotes the Prophet as having said that he
was facing the East: “Strife and discord lie there, where the horn of
Satan appears.” There is no indication that the Prophet meant any
particular place, but he simply pointed an easterly direction. We
cannot, therefore, pinpoint the Hadith as meaning any particular place
or country.


Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )