THE SIGNS OF DOOMSDAY
Be Ready before It’s Too Late
A NUMBER of Hadith narrations informs us that as Doomsday approaches, many signs will appear. The report of the climate change shows that all the signs have already appeared. These signs are multifarious, but we shall describe only a few of them here.
1. According to a Hadith, “When the Doomsday approaches, the sun will come closer to man.” (Musnad Ahmad) As a result of this, great heat will be generated on earth. This Hadith tells us exactly what we have been told through science. The sun coming closer does not mean that the distance of the sun and the earth will become less, for in such a case life on earth would immediately come to an end. This coming closer, in fact, is symbolic of the heat of the sun becoming more intense, thereby raising the temperature.
2. What will happen to man when the sun’s heat increases? This has been expressed thus in the Hadith: “The people will be sweating. Some will sweat till their ankles; some till their knees, others till their waist and yet others till their faces. (Mishkat al Masabih) The Arabic word araq in this Hadith, which is used to mean sweat, literally means ‘squeezed water’. Sweat is called araq because it squeezes [or oozes] out of the human body.
This Hadith, in fact, symbolically tells us that during the Last Days, when the sun’s heat will increase and the glaciers of ice and the ice sheets at the polar caps of the Arctic and Antarctica will start melting, then the sea level will rise. As a result, the coastal settlements will be submerged in sea water. Some areas will be totally submerged, while others will be less affected, depending upon the altitude of the land mass affected.
According to an ongoing temperature analysis led by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), the average global temperature on Earth has increased by at least 1.1° Celsius since 1880.
3. Similarly according to a Hadith, ‘Smoke will rise before Doomsday which will fill the east and the west.’ (Al-Qurtubi) This Hadith clearly refers to the modern phenomenon of smog produced by air pollution. This kind of air pollution did not exist in ancient times. No one could even conceive of such a thing. This Hadith surely is a prediction of this modern phenomenon which is a product of industrial activity.
The burning of fossil fuels, emissions from transport, and the environmental impact of intensive farming have all contributed to high levels of CO2 in our atmosphere. And scientists say this is the fastest and largest increase in CO2 the world has ever seen.
The UN has warned that marine life faces irreparable damage from the millions of tonnes of plastic waste that ends up in the oceans every year.
Half of the world’s coral reefs have died in the last 30 years, and two thirds of the Great Barrier Reef have been damaged by coral bleaching— this happens when the sea temperature is too high.
The Quran says: ‘The Hour of Resurrection will certainly come. There is no doubt about it.’ (40: 59)
There is no doubt about the coming of the Qiamah. The signs tell us that now the time has come very close. Now it is the last hour when man may seek forgiveness from God and rush to seek refuge in God’s mercy.
Ignoring the Signs
A verse of the Quran reads: “Many are the signs in heaven and on earth, yet they pass them by, and they give no heed to them.” (12: 105)
This verse shows that such signs have continued to be shown by God throughout human history as may remind man of his limitations and draw his attention to the fact that he cannot build a successful life for himself without God’s guidance. But man, by ignoring these signs, does not learn any lessons from them and fails to be rightly guided.
For the last 5000 years, the great minds of the world have been endeavouring to arrive at the truth through philosophic pursuits, but after a long struggle, all that they have learned is that the discipline of philosophy is wholly inadequate to lead man to any certain destination.
After the emergence of modern science, man thought that he could discover the truth by scientific methods. Finally, he has come to the conclusion that scientific methods can lead man only to a knowledge of things, it cannot lead man to the knowledge of truth.
For the last several thousand years, man believed that he could arrive at the truth by employing spiritual methods. It was believed that man’s heart was a reservoir of reality. And by concentrating on the heart, truth could be discovered. But, finally, it was proved that the heart was only a means of circulating blood. It was not a treasure house of truths and realities.
Similarly, on seeing the progress of modern civilization, it was hoped that the journey of civilization would finally lead man to a perfect world, but the problem of global warming has shown that the present world has almost reached its end. It has not been possible, here in this world, to bring the much sought-after ideal civilization to its peak.
Such signs, both in nature and in history appear continually. It seems that the period—the time span set for the present world by its Creator, has now expired and the time has come for this temporary world to be terminated, so that it may be replaced by the eternal world of the Hereafter. These words of the Quran are indicative of this reality.
“On that Day We shall roll up the heavens like a scroll of parchment. As We originated the first creation, so shall We repeat it. This is a promise binding on Us. Truly, We shall fulfill it. (21: 104)
Only One Chance
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 benefits him in his post-death period. One who loses this opportunity should know that another such opportunity is not going to come again. Man has been given only one chance to build his future. It is now up to him whether he utilizes it or loses it forever. Those who make use of this chance have eternal Paradise in store for them, while those who fail to make use of this chance, will have a fate such as is described in the Bible:
“And they will be cast into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gashing of teeth for all eternity.” (Matthew 13:42)
Warning Signs of Doomsday
In the first week of June 2007 a conference of the G-8 nations was held in Berlin, Germany, in which the heads of the developed countries participated. The main issue on its agenda was global warming; but, even after lengthy discussions, no programme could be finalized to address this concern. The Times of India, New Delhi of June 10, 2007, published a report of this meeting titled: “Too broke to save the world.”
Given this state of affairs, it is the responsibility of the representatives of all religions to apprise the people of this great danger. They must tell people that the last chance to prepare themselves for the final reckoning is coming to an end. Now, with no further delay, they must rouse themselves and lead their lives in accordance with the divine plan.
