The Quran is the final revealed book of God. It was revealed to the last prophet, Muhammad (may peace be upon him), in the first quarter of the 7th century. The basic theme of the Quran is to warn man of God’s creation plan, according to which the present world has been built for a limited period. A time will come when this world is brought to an end, then Qiyamat, or the Day of Judgement, will occur. All human beings will be resurrected and presented before the Creator of the universe. Then, according to the record of their deeds on earth, their final fate will be decided upon.
The study of the Quran and Hadith tells us that before the end of human history on earth, some clear signs will appear, which will serve as the final warning for man. The chief signs heralding Doomsday will be the following appearance: 1. Yajooj and Majooj (Gog and Magog), 2. Dajjal (The Great Deceiver), 3. Climate Change, 4. Dukhan (Smoke), 5. Fitnah Duhaima (Age of Uttern Confusion), 6. Ikhwan-e-Rasool (Brothers of the Prophet) and 7. Idkhal-e-Kalima (Age of Global Divine Call).
After the emergence of these signs, God will command the angel Israfil to blow the trumpet. Then, suddenly, human history, having passed through its temporary phase, will enter its permanent phase. That is to say, the blowing of the trumpet will mark the end of the phase of action and the beginning of the phase of reward.
Gog (Yajuj) and Magog (Majuj)
Gog and Magog have been mentioned in the Quran in verses 94 of chapter 18 and 96 of chapter 21. They have also been mentioned on various occasions in the books of Hadith. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, At Tirmizi, Ibn Majah, Musnad Ahmad). Similarly, we find mention of them in the books of the Bible, e.g. in Ezekiel. In other religious books, such as the Puranas, one of the sacred books of Hinduism, they are also mentioned by Koka and Vikoka. Much has been written about them in commentaries on the Hadith and Quran (Tafsir).
However, no consensus has so far emerged regarding Gog and Magog. It is necessary to reach an opinion that is academically in accordance with the relevant data. In line with this principle, the writer has made an in-depth study of all the data and has come to certain conclusions, which are presented here.
The story of Gog and Magog is not a matter of mystery. It is something that can be understood by the inferential method. Here, avoiding technical discussions, It shall attempt to present an academic picture of my findings.
Application of the Names, Gog and Magog
Who are Gog and Magog? Scholars have expressed various opinions. I find Maulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri’s (d 1934) opinion the most appropriate, namely, that these terms apply to Russia, Britain, and Germany. He writes: It appears that by Gog and Magog are meant the western European nations. (Faiz al-Bari ala Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 4, p. 23)
The traditions about Gog and Magog are mostly in metaphorical language, which is why this subject has been found difficult to understand. If we keep this fact in view, it becomes almost certain that these refer to the developed European nations, including Russia and China.
The Quran tells us that Noah’s ark ran aground on Mount Judi, situated on the borders of ancient Turkey. Present-day Turkey is now regarded as a part of Europe. When Noah’s ark landed here, three of his sons Ham, Sam, and Yafis (Japheth) were with him. Ham and Sam began their new lives in Asia and Africa, while the children of Japheth initially settled in Russia, later spreading throughout different European and neighbouring countries and ultimately to Australia and America. Probably these children of Japheth who settled in Western countries, Russia and China are the people who are referred to as Gog and Magog. There was nothing mysterious about them. Nor were they destined to follow the wrong path. They were men just like any other men. All the situations they faced were explainable in common natural laws.
The Two Phases of Gog (Yajuj) and Magog (Majuj)
Gog and Magog have been mentioned in the Quran at various points, at one place with reference to Dhul-Qarnayn (18:94) and another without any such reference (21:96). A study of these verses reveals that the two phases of Gog and Magog will occur one after another.
It appears that the wall built by Dhul-Qarnayn pertains to the initial phase of Gog and Magog. It remained standing for a very long time and acted as a check to their malicious activities.
However, over the years, this wall built by Dhul-Qarnayn disintegrated, and then it became possible for the later generations descended from Gog and Magog to cross this boundary and spread out across the outer world. Subsequently, this aggressive race of Gog and Magog was replaced by a more moderate race. It was the second stage, when, passing through various phases, they made uninterrupted progress towards a more advanced civilisation.
This latter stage can be divided into two periods: pre-Renaissance and post-Renaissance. At this stage, according to the traditions of the Prophet of Islam, that event took place, which was referred to by the Prophet as ‘making a hole in the barrier of Gog and Magog’. Although the wall built by Dhul-Qarnayn was a material wall that disintegrated by a natural process after some time, the wall mentioned in the Hadith was probably not that material wall but was instead an intellectual barrier. With the destruction of the actual stone wall, Gog and Magog had the opportunity to spread throughout the neighbouring areas, but the destruction of the other “wall” is an event of far greater significance than the former, which allowed Gog and Magog to spread out globally. In the words of the hadith, a time will come when “they will eat everything, and they will drink all the water of the world.” (Ibn Majah, Hadith No. 4081) That is to say that they will come to possess the world’s entire resources.
What will happen after the breaking down of the physical barrier erected by Dhul-Qarnayn is recorded in the Quran in the chapter entitled “The Cave” (18:99):
“On that Day, We shall let them surge against each other like waves, and then the Trumpet will be blown, and We shall gather them all together.” (18:99)
Gog and Magog will surmount ancient geographical boundaries and interact with the rest of the world in general. The subsequent eating away of all the things and drinking all the water (i.e., using up all the resources) of the world (as referred to in the hadith mentioned above) relating to the events of the later phase when, after conquering nature, they would have ushered in the modern industrial age, thanks to which they would have the opportunity for global exploitation.
Chapters 18 and 21 of the Quran describe Gog and Magog’s first and second stages. There were three significant periods of Gog and Magog: the period of confinement, the age of interaction, and the age of science and industrial progress and development.
Gog and Magog were no mysterious community—‘they were men’ just like anyone else. In ancient times, banditry and violence as a means of survival became rife due to the widespread paucity of economic resources. Even in Arabia, such people were known as Sa‘ali-kul-Arab (Arab dacoits), and Gog and Magog initially belonged to one such group.
The Wall of Gog and Magog
In a tradition of the Prophet, we find a reference to the mighty wall that had acted as a barrier between Gog and Magog and the rest of humanity finally giving way, thus allowing them to wreak havoc on the world at large.
According to this tradition, when Makkah had been conquered and idolatry had been wiped out from Arabia, the Prophet, then living at Madina, had a dream. At that time, he was sleeping in his wife’s room, Zaynab bint Jahash (d. 641 A.D.). When he woke up, his face had turned red, and he said:
“There is no god but God, woe to Arabs, the evil which has drawn near! The barrier of Yajuj and Majuj has been dented today.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3346; Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2880)
An Intellectual Barrier
Judging from this tradition of the Prophet and the subsequent history, it seems that ‘barrier’ here does not refer to any physical obstacle but is instead an intellectual barrier—that of nature worship. The demolition of this belief is symbolised by the physical disintegration of the boundary, after which all the doors of progress and development were opened to Western countries. Consequently, they were able to dominate the rest of the outer world.
In reality, all the potential sources of development were hidden in nature, the discovery of which led to the birth of Western civilisation. These resources had existed in nature from the very outset, but human beings had given nature the status of God, leading to nature worship. Viewing nature as an object of worship, man did not at that time dare to conduct any research into it. However, in the first quarter of the 7th century, when Islam spread the revolutionary belief in the One God, nature worship was replaced by God worship; nature was no longer sacred. Now nature became something to conquer rather than to worship. It was the starting point of our modern materialistic civilisation.
It was by dint of the efforts of the Prophet of Islam that, for the first time in the history of monotheism (tawheed), the theoretical phase of this belief reached the stage of the revolution. In the 8th year of Hijra, Makkah was conquered, and the Kabah was rid of all idols. Soon afterwards, monotheism came to dominate the whole of Arabia. Then, after a very short period, nature worship fell into abeyance throughout almost all of the inhabited world and was ultimately confined to a few far-flung areas.
The fundamental nature of this revolution, established across the world by the Muslims, was religious. The secondary aspect of this revolution, which may be called secular, flourished mainly in Europe. The Europeans, now approaching their research into scientific matters in the spirit of secularism, climbed to the zenith of their development. The progress of this second aspect of the Islamic revolution began in Europe after the Crusades of the 14th century, and its effects continued into the beginning of the 21st century, when, thanks to its contribution, modern civilisation has peaked.
What is known as Western civilisation is a secular version of the revolution based on Islamic monotheism. The direct outcome of Islam’s task was removing nature from its pedestal as an object of worship. It led directly to the initiation of research and investigation into natural phenomena. Initially, this process was started in ancient Baghdad, Cordova, etc., among Muslims, but this task was carried out entirely by Europeans after the Crusades. For this reason, the existence of our modern materialistic civilisation is generally attributed by historians to the West.
The first half of the 7th century revolution was the starting point of a new age of scientific inquiry. The present age has seen the culmination of this process in a scientific revolution. This present scientific secular revolution is, in reality, an Islamic revolution.
The Quran, revealed in the first quarter of the 7th century, repeatedly mentions that in contemplating heavenly and earthly phenomena, you will find the signs of God in them. However, at the time of the revelation of the Quran, these signs of God were not fully exposed: they were hidden in nature. For this reason, there was no desired framework within which man could ponder over the Quran. God wished to provide man with such a framework.
The greatest hindrance to this happening was the ancient monarchical system. Imperialism, which ran counter to the scheme of God, had closed the doors to freedom of thought. Therefore, God Himself intervened in human history through the Companions of the Prophet. This, in essence, was not merely a political change: it was the initial stage of the forthcoming scientific revolution. The two big monarchical empires of the Byzantines and the Sassanids were dismantled by the Companions of the Prophet, resulting in the establishment of an open atmosphere of scientific research. (21:18). An ancient prophet prophesied the same revolutionary event in the Bible: He looked and startled the nations. And the everlasting mountains were scattered. (Habakkuk, 3:6)
Here “the everlasting mountains” means those political ‘mountains’ that existed from ancient times in the form of imperial powers. The renowned French historian, Henri Pirenne, (d. 1935) refers thus to the demolition by Islam of this absolute imperialism: “Islam changed the face of the globe. The traditional order of history was overthrown.” (Henri Pirenne, History of Western Europe, p. 46)
Two Aspects of the Scientific Revolution
From one point of view, the west’s revelation of the secrets of nature gave expression to the signs of God’s creation. From another, more material point of view, the west’s discoveries enabled human beings to acquire almost unlimited material power. They were able to convert water into steam by which to power locomotives and invent automobiles and the aeroplane fuelled by petrol, and more recently, television and the internet, thus bringing global means of modern communication into existence.
Owing to this access to the natural sciences, which the western countries had, they were able to gain material dominance in the world. One relevant excerpt from the Quran, a verse in chapter no. 21 of the Quran, tells of what will happen when Gog and Magog are let loose: They will “swarm down from every hillside, and they spread out, (leaping across every barrier of land and sea).” (21:96) It points to the phenomenon known as modern communications. By their discoveries in Nature, the West and other developed countries like Russia and China produced highly improved means of communication, which speeded up sending messages, human journeys, and the transportation of goods. The discovery of nature’s secrets is difficult for religious people because they hold everything sacred. That is why Gog and Magog were selected for this purpose. They were secular in the complete sense. That is why they could freely undertake research into nature and unearth its secrets without having any inhibitions about doing so.
The Potential of Higher Realisation
God’s prophet, Abraham, was born in ancient Iraq in the pre-scientific age. The Quran tells us that God showed Abraham His kingdom of the heavens and the earth so that he might have certainty of faith. (6:76) This observation of the heavens was through divine revelation, in order that he might have full conviction in the truth revealed to him.
The observation of the kingdom of the heavens and the earth—in effect, the observation of creation—brings greater conviction regarding the Creator. However, such an observation could be achieved only through revelation in pre-scientific times.
When direct observation of the universe became possible for man through the telescope (1608) and the microscope (1676), a much greater degree of conviction was achieved in the present scientific age. Now, it has become possible, thanks to human knowledge itself, for everyone to directly see God’s signs spread out in the universe and thus have his belief confirmed. The modern scientific revolution has opened a new door that will enable all human beings to realise God. Now, it has become possible for any man to apprehend the evidence of the Creator through direct study and observation of creation. Through this scientific revolution, the divine signs revealed to man have made possible the achievement of a high degree of divine realisation.
A significant number of God’s servants have achieved the realisation of God through these signs. However, evil forces are always at work in this world alongside good forces. Zoarashtra (d. 55 BC) expressed it thus: “The world is a perpetual battleground of good and evil forces.”
Indeed, certain influential minds were born in this next stage of human history whose ideas were responsible for taking people away from God-realisation. The Prophet forewarned this when he stated that a great deceiver would be born in later times who would put people on the wrong path by his outwardly alluring ideas (some traditions mention 30 deceivers who will appear in the later phase of human history). What is meant by deception? It means, in fact, intellectual misguidance through misinterpretation of religion. In this age, this kind of misguidance will become widespread.
The Zenith of the West
The Western nations set up modern communications after a long and arduous struggle. It was natural to receive the lion’s share of their benefits. These technological advances, coming soon after they colonised a significant part of the world, gave the whole world the status of a global village. Naturally, the western countries became the masters of this modern world.
The Prophet predicted another aspect of this matter. It is explained metaphorically in a long tradition that tells Gog and Magog’s story. A part of this tradition is as follows:
According to Abu Saeed Khudri, the Prophet of Islam said that Gog and Magog would be unleashed, and then they would descend upon the people. As is mentioned in the Quran, they would overwhelm the people from every hillside, leaping across every barrier of land and sea, and the believers would retreat to their cities and strongholds, bringing their flocks with them. Gog and Magog would drink all the water of the land; passing a river, they would drink it dry. Then those who came after them would pass by that place and would say, “There used to be water here once.” Then one of them would say, “We are done with the people of the earth. Now the people of heaven are left.” One of them would shake his spear and hurl it into the sky, and it would come back stained with blood as a test and a trial for them. (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 11731)
A Clarification
This tradition points out the reality that gradually emerged globally after the Renaissance in Europe. After that, a new phenomenon appeared in the financial world—an “economic explosion.” Control of this development was totally in the hands of developed nations. Thus, they contrived to gain a monopoly over all the world’s material resources. The more significant part of these lay in the eastern world, but their consumption was mainly in Western and other industrialised nations. That is why developed nations took away most of the natural resources and used them to their advantage.
The Hadith further tells us that Gog and Magog would direct their gaze upon the sky after drinking all the water on earth. It perhaps alludes to different kinds of space rockets. At different times, the Western nations have sent many rockets into space searching for some planet like the earth. These rockets, equipped with sophisticated equipment and cameras, failed to find any earth-like planet in the vastness of space despite intensive efforts. This hadith clearly describes in a symbolic language all these efforts made by the western countries in present times, which have changed the world.
The Great Event of History
The establishment of world order through the efforts of Gog and Magog is a very significant event in human history in terms of its consequences. Through this evolution for the first time in human history, nature has become a subject of investigation instead of being an object of veneration. Consequently, all the earth’s resources will continue to be exploited. It has been referred to thus in a hadith: “The earth will deliver all its treasures, leaving nothing inside.” (Mustadrak al Haakim, Hadith No. 8504)
This process of discovering the hidden material secrets in nature is performed by Western secular scientists, who are indifferent to religious matters, displaying neither a positive nor a negative attitude. However, the philosophers and thinkers will use their research for their respective purposes. In this way, two groups will be formed—secular thinkers and religious thinkers. After the advent of the age of science, the perverted ideas produced in the world have resulted not from science but atheism.
The Approach of Doomsday
According to the Quran and Hadith, Doomsday will be very near at the time of the appearance of Gog and Magog. A long tradition has been recorded in the books of hadith: “At the time of the appearance of Gog and Magog, Doomsday will be so close, that it could be likened to a pregnant woman whose pregnancy has fully matured, and whose child may be delivered at any time, day or night.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 3556)
The appearance of Gog and Magog and the subsequent events are no simple matters. It is, in fact, the time for the final call of Truth before the end of human history. Such circumstances will come into existence as will enable the believers to perform the task of calling people to the truth in its most superior form. This will be like the trumpet of dawah prior to the trumpet of Doomsday. In such a situation, the appearance of the great deceiver would be indicative of man having finally lost any justification for his inhabiting the present earth any longer.
