Foreword
Scientists from all over the world are repeatedly emphasizing that global warming is the greatest danger of present times. Both print and electronic media inform people daily of this perilous situation. Reports based on the findings of international scientists, such as "Doomsday Not Far".
An international panel of 25,000 scientists from 130 countries organized under the aegis of the United Nations has submitted a detailed report on global warming, titled ‘Warning Signs’. I think the more appropriate title would have been, ‘Warning Signs of Doomsday’. Climate change taking place as a result of global warming in modern times has brought scientists to the conclusion that the life support system will be so disturbed that most probably all kinds of life will come to an end on earth by 2050.
The emergence of other signs, especially the Covid-19 pandemic, increasing floods, forest fires and the rise in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are all signaling the disturbance in the life support system. We learn from the Quran and Hadith that the present world is not an eternal world. A time will come when this world will be wound up and replaced by another world which will be eternal. Now both Quranic revelation and science are confirming that the end of human history, Qiyamah, has come very close.
Prophet Muhammad made it clear that human beings had not been settled on earth for all eternity; that a time would come when the present inhabited world would come to an end and be replaced by another world. Then all the evil people would be sent to the universal dustbin and all the good people, who obeyed God, would inhabit the eternal world of Paradise. Apparently, now the time has come when this world should be terminated and man should be brought to book and be held accountable on the Day of Judgement.
According to the Quran, God created this world and settled man on it as a testing ground to select suitable individuals to inhabit the eternal world of Paradise in the Hereafter. God created man as an eternal creature, and divided his life span into two periods: the pre-death period on earth, which is the time of trial for man, and the post-death period in the Hereafter, which is the time for receiving the rewards or punishment merited by one’s actions during one’s lifetime. These will take the form of eternal Paradise or eternal hell.
God created man with unlimited desires to be a seeker of eternal Paradise where his desires will be fulfilled. However, man throughout history has tried to make a Paradise for himself in this world of trial itself. On seeing the progress of modern civilization, man actually hoped that he would finally be able to create a Paradise for himself on this earth. However, the problem of global warming and now the coronavirus pandemic have shown to the last extent that Paradise cannot be made in this world.
It seems that the present world has almost reached its end. The time span set for the present world by its Creator, has now almost expired and the time will very soon come for this temporary world to be terminated, so that it may be replaced by the eternal world of the hereafter. God had made this world for a limited period of time for a test. This limited period of time is reaching its end. Now the time has finally come for man to awaken, to take lessons from the signs in nature and in history and plan his life in a way that avails him in his post-death period before Doomsday, Qiyamah.
Besides following the Quran, it is our duty to communicate its message to the people. This is mentioned in the Quran thus: ‘By means of this (Quran), strive with them, with the utmost strenuousness.’ (25:52) The purpose of the Quran is to make man aware of the creation plan of God, to guide man throughout his entire journey right from this life to the next in the Hereafter.
From the Quran and Hadith we also learn that, before the end of the world, the Final Divine Call will be given so that the human beings inhabiting this world finally come to know that they have to stand before the Creator of this world for the final reckoning, and that thereafter there will be either eternal heaven or eternal hell. This event, in its reality, would be so great that the Prophet observed, “In the eyes of God, this would be the greatest witness in the entire human history.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2938) Now the opportunities for this final call have fully come into existence with the availability of modern means of communication. What is required is for people to rise and fully avail of these opportunities and communicate the divine message throughout the world.
There is no doubt about the coming of the Qiyamah. The signs tell us that now the time has come very close. Now it is the last hour when every human being needs to awaken from his slumber, take lessons from the signs in nature and in history, seek forgiveness from God, rush to seek refuge in God’s mercy and re-plan his life in a way that avails him in his post-death period.
Furthermore, it is our duty to stand for God, and acquaint everyone with the Divine message in a language and style which is understandable to them, as the Prophet—and through him all the believers—is enjoined in the Quran: ‘O Messenger, proclaim all that is revealed to you from your Lord. Unless you do it fully, you have not conveyed His message (at all).’ (5:67)
Each one of us should avail of this last opportunity. One who loses this opportunity should know that another such opportunity is not going to come again.
Wahiduddin Khan
3rd April, 2021
New Delhi, India
