condemn US torture of Dr Afia Siddiqui
What with murders, wars, theft, fraud, deceipt, infidelity, the rush for instant gratification ... does'nt the world looks like having gone mad. However if you submit to the One and Only God, the Creator and Sustainer of all, the One without any blemish, weakness or relatives, you have nothing to worry about. *** I bear witness that there is no God other than Allah, Lord of the Worlds, unique in His Person and Actions. Allah's peace and blessings be upon Muhammad (the last Messenger and Prophet of Allah) and all those who follow his Sunnah.

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Sunday, December 11, 2005

My Beloved

My Beloved* June 28, 2005

There was a time in my youth,
When Islam was only a custom.
They said, “Say la ilaha illa-llah
And pray you’ll go to Heaven.”

Ah, how simple, no struggle in this.
Just a word, and simple act.
Thereafter, I’m absorbed in this world again
With my “assured” place in Paradise intact.

But this was not to be my fate
For Allah chose to guide my heart.
I learnt of a man who struggled so hard
When his mission was from the start.

The story of someone who had morals,
Spoke gently; kindness he knew.
Never fearing to say what’s right,
His conviction in Islam was true.

The touch of his hand was as soft as silk
To comfort a crying child
To mend his clothes or do the chores,
Never complaining, he always smiled.

His smell was always of musk,
And cleanliness he kept at his best.
Stark contrast with the heroes of today,
Who stink of beer and sweat.

He held the hands of his Companions,
Unashamed to play with many children.
So modest, so humble, a perfect example
That strangers could not recognize him.

His eyes slept little for nights were precious,
His prayers he treasured much greater.
To pray Tahajjud in the depths of night,
Seeking forgiveness, and nearness to his Creator.

He broke his tooth for me at Uhud
And bled for me at Ta’if.
He cried for me, tears of concern,
Just so I could have this belief.

His enemies admired his teachings,
Uniting every religion, every clan.
Till Islam came to every corner of the world,
O, but indeed he was only a man.

To own a house or build his wealth,
Was not his main priority.
To establish Islam was more essential,
To bring us under a higher authority.

Don’t you want him to plead for your case
When before Allah the Judge you stand?
Don’t you wish to be around his fountain,
A burning desire to drink from his hand?

So I love him more than all creation,
My leader, my humble Prophet.
Muhammad was a mercy to all mankind
And to me he is my beloved.





*Excerpted from: http://members.cox.net/arshad/islam.html

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Hadith exegesis: - I (early collections)

Hadith exegesis

For more discussion on Hadith, see the whole article above

THE SAHIFA (COLLECTION) OF ABDULLAH IBN AMR (Radhiallaahu Ánhu)

Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) is the greatest narrator of Hadith. Despite this he says, "No person has learnt more Hadith than me. However, Abdullah bin Amr (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) used to write the Hadith and I should not write." This is clear evidence that Hadith used to be written in that era. Hadhrat Abdullah bin Amr (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) possessed a collection that exceeded one thousand Ahaadith. Ibnr-Rushd has mentioned in his Kitaab Asadul Ghaaba (vol. 3 pg. 233) that, this collection was named As-saadiqah.

THE SAHIFA (COLLECTION OF HADHRAT ALI (Radhiallaahu Ánhu)

Imaam Bukhari (RA) has mentioned in this Sahifa in the chapter of "Ilm" (vol. 1 pg. 21) and he has mentioned it in four places. The narrator Abu Juhaifa reports that, "I enquired from Hazrat Ali (R.A.), do you possess a book?" He replied: "No, except the Book of Allah or the understanding granted to a Muslim or what is in this Sahifa." I asked him, "What is in this Sahifa?" He replied, "Orders relating to 'Diyat' (penalty or murder) - the freeing of prisoners and no Muslim will be killed in lieu of a kaafir." This Sahifa contained orders regarding, murder, compensations, capital punishments, details of Zakaat and matters relating to non-Muslim citizens in an Islamic State.

KITABUS - SAQAH

This collection was personally dictated by the Holy Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam). It contained details regarding Zakaat, Ushar etc. According to some reports it seems as though this was written for the Zakaat collectors. However, the Holy Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) left this world before it was sent to them. This kitaab remained with Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar (R.A.). Eventually Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz memorized it and thereafter Ibn Shihaab Zohri memorised it.

SAHIFA IBN ABBAS (R.A.)

Ibn Saad (R.A.) mentions in his kitaab "Tabaqaat" that the slave of Ibn Abbas (R.A.) said, "He found a large collection of the kitaabs of Ibn Abbas equal to a camel-load."

SAHIFA JAABIR IBN ABDULLAH (Radhiallaahu Ánhu)

Imaam Muslim has reported that Hadhrat Jaabir (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) had compiled a book on Hajj. Imaam Bukhari mentioned this is his Taarikh-e-Kabeer vol. 7 pg. 186) - Hadhrat Qataaqda bin De'aama as-Sodusi had memorised this Sahifa.

SAHIFA SAMURA IBN JUNDOB (Radhiallaahu Ánhu)

Hafiz ibn Hajar (RA) reports that Hadhrat Samoora (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) has narrated a big (volume) chapter from his father. Imaam Muhammad ibn Sireen (RA) reports that the Kitaab which Hadhrat Samoora (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) has written for his children contains great knowledge.

SAHIFA SAAD IBN UBADA

Ibn Saad reports in Tabaqaat that Hadhrat Saad (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) had a collection of Ahaadith.

SAHIFA ABU HURAYRA (Radhiallaahu Ánhu)

Imaam Hakim mentions in Mustadrak that once Hadhrat Hassan ibn Umar narrated a Hadith to Hadhrat Abu Hurayra (Radhiallaahu Ánhu). Hadhrat Abu Hurayra denied the Hadith. Hadhrat Hassan told him, "I have narrated this Hadith from you". He replied, "If I have narrated it, it will definitely be written down." He had written down all his Hadith in the end.

SAHIFA IBN MAS'OOD

Hafiz ibn Abdul-Barr (RA) mentions in his Kitaab, Jaame Bayaan nul-Ilm that ibn Mas'ood (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) took out one Kitaab and swore an oath that it was compiled by him.

SAHIFA AMR IBN HAZAM (Radhiallaahu Ánhu)

When the Holy Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) appointed Hadhrat ibn Hazam (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) as a governor of Najran, he gave him a Sahifa which was written by Hadhrat Ubayy bin Ka'ab. It contained orders regarding cleanliness, purification, Salaat, Hajj, Umra, Jihaad, etc.

SAHIFA IBN MUBAARAK

Hadhrat Sa'eed ibn Hilaal says, "When we frequented Hadhrat Anas bin Maalik he took out a volume and said, 'I heard these from the Holy Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam). I have written it and preserved it.'" (Mustadrak Hakim vol. 3 pg. 54) There are many other small Sahifas which the holy Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) sent to the kings; and, other compilations which have been omitted for the sake of brevity.

Hadith Exegesis - II

Hadith Exegesis::

Hadith Technically   • Preservation of Quran And Sunnah   • Quran explains Sunnah via Verses !   • Old Manuscripts of Hadith and Misconceptions about Hadith   • The Science of Hadith [concise version]   • Hadith: Rules for Acceptance and Transmission   • Modern Historical Methodology vs. Hadeeth Methodology   • Revelation Besides the Quran   • Any Need for Hadith?   • Prophet Muhammad [s.a.w]commanded to write Hadith   • Allah's promise to protect Quran includes the protection of Hadith as well   • Hadith Database   • Hadith Research   • Sunni hadith versus Shia hadith   • Holding Fast To Quran And Sunnah   • Adhering to the sunnah of the prophet   • Sahih Bukhari Hadith Explains Quran   • Sahih Muslim Hadith Explains Quran   • Agreed Upon Hadith Collection   • The term Sunnah present in Quran   • The term sunnah present in hadith   • Quranic Verses With Contextual Hadith   • The term hadith present in Hadith   • The term Hadith present in Quran   • Did Prophet forbid writing of Hadith?   • Examples of prophet Muhammad [pbuh] Abraham [a.s]   • The so called flawed belief of practicing tradition only  


Scholars Of Hadith::
The life & works of Imam Bukhari [r.a]   • Brief Biographies of the eminent Scholars of Hadeeth   • Were Hadiths Inserted Posthumously In The Sahih Of Al-Bukhari?   • Lie against Bukhari hadith refuted  


Refutations For Hadith Misconception::
Hadith of Monkey Stoning   • Adult nursing Hadith   • Did the Prophet endorse suicide bombing/sucide in jihad?   • Hadith about Chess is Forbidden   • Killing of rabid dogs in Hadith   • Were Men Really 60 Cubits Tall?   • Hadith of the Fly and cure -Bacteriophages   • Hadith of camel urine its cure for illness   • Hadith About Muta Marriage [Temporary Marriage]   • Did Prophet Muhammad[pbuh] Kissed Torah?   • Hadith about Music is haraam[prohibited]in Islam   • Salat-ul-Eid as well as Salat-ul Jumuah on same day   • Three versions of the final sermon?   • Hadith about standing when the bier passes   • Hadith on Evil & Good Innovations   • Was Najashi A Muslim?   • Surah Taubah Without Bismillah   • Prayer[Salat] In Hadith   • The Six Great Ones From Persia [Iran]   • Punishment In Grave Via Quran & Hadith   • Adhere to the large group[community] of Muslims   • Abrogation Theory In Quran & Hadith   • The Last Prophet Is Muhammad[Pbuh]   • The greatest Sura in the Quran   • Prophet Prophesied Traits Of Deviants   • Jinn In Quran In Hadith   • Previous Scriptures Are Corrupted   • Jesus Will Return[Quran & Hadith]  


Women::
Are majority of women in hell?   • Hijab With Niqab In Hadith   • Are Women Ill Omen ?   • Are women deficient in intelligence and religion?  


Khilafah::
Khilafah In The Manner Of Prophethood   • Prophesy on Syria & The coming Khilafah !!!  

Saturday, October 29, 2005

The Truth about Jesus (pbuh)

The Sunnah Islamic Page
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by Dr. Maneh Al-Johani


Quotations from the Holy Qur’an

· Say: 'O People of the Book, come to common terms as between us and you: that we worship none but God; that we associate not aught with Him; and do not some of us take others as Lords, apart from God. And if they turn their backs, say: 'Bear witness that we are Muslims’. (3:64)

· They say, ‘God taken to Him a son.' Glory be to Him. He is all-sufficient; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth; you have no authority for this. Do you say concerning God what you do not know? (10:68)

· People of the Book! why do you disbelieve in God's signs, which you yourselves witness? (3:70)

· People of the Book! why do you confound the truth with falsehood and conceal the truth knowingly? (3:71)

Quotations from Hadith:

· Abu Hurairah reported Allah's Messenger (PBUH) as saying, "I am the nearest of kin to Jesus, son of Mary, in this world and the next. The prophets are brothers, sons of one father by co-wives. Their mothers are different but their religion is one. There has been no prophet between us". (Bukhari and Muslim).

· Abu Hurairah reported Allah's Messenger(PBUH) as saying,"By Him in whose hand my soul is, the son of Mary will soon descend among you as a just judge. He will break crosses, kill swine and abolish the jizya (a tax payable by a commuinty which accepts the protection of a Muslim ruler but whose members do not embrace Islam), and wealth will pour forth to such an extent that no one will accept it, and one sajda (the position in Muslim’s prayer where the forehead is placed on the ground), will be better than the world and what it contains". (Bukahri and Muslim).

PREFACE

The controversy about the personality of Jesus Christ is the major difference between Islam and Christianity. This difference keeps the followers of the two religions apart. Muslims look at Jesus Christ as a great Prophet of God and love and respect him as much as they love and respect Abraham, Moses and Muhammad. Christians on the other hand consider Jesus as God or son of God, a concept that Muslims cannot accept. Islam teaches that Jesus never made such a claim for himself. As a matter of fact all the cardinal doctrines of Christianity that are rejected by Islam center around the personality of Jesus. Specifically these are:

1. The Trinity

2. The Divinity of Jesus

3. The Divine Sonship of Christ

4. Original Sin, and

5. Atonement.


It is clear that all these dogmas are the result of over-exhalting Jesus Christ above what God wants him to be. These differences focusing on the personality of Jesus have overshadowed the many similarities between Christianity and Islam. Some examples are the moral system and the emphasis on human principles. They have even over shadowed the beliefs that Muslims associate with Jesus Christ such as the Virgin Birth of Jesus, being able to speak in the cradle, performing miracles,and the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The following two articles aim at presenting a true picture of Jesus in Islam and explaining why the Christians deviated from his original teachings. The first article also indicates that many scholars and thinkers, who are still within the fold of Christianity, are gradually coming to agree with the Islamic points of view about Jesus, in many cases without realizing it. This corresponds to my conviction that the more scientific and biblical studies advance, the more they will agree with Islam. In other words, the Islamic truth is more evident with the passage of time. God in the Holy Quran hints to this in the following verse:

We shall show them our signs in the horizons and in themselves, till it is clear to them that it is the truth. (41:53)

INTRODUCTION

The Islamic view of Jesus lies between two extremes. The Jews, who rejected Jesus as a Prophet of God, called him an impostor. The Christians on the other hand, consider him to be the son of God and worship him as such. Islam considers Jesus as one of the great Prophets of God and respects him as much as Abraham, Moses and Muhammad. This is in conformity with the Islamic point of view of the oneness of God, the oneness of Divine guidance, and the complimentary role of the subsequent messages of God’s messengers. The essence of Islam, which is the willing submission to the will of God, was revealed to Adam who passed it on to his children. All following revelations to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and finally Muhammad were in conformity with that message in addition to some elaboration to define the relation between Man and God, man and man, man and his environment, and to live according to God’s instructions. Thus, any contradiction among revealed religions is viewed by Islam as a man-made element introduced into these religions. The position of Jesus in the three major religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, should not be an exception.

Although the Qur’an does not present a detailed life-account of Jesus, it highlights the important aspects of his birth, his mission, his ascension to heaven and passes judgements on the Christian beliefs concerning him.

MARY

The Qura’nic account of Jesus starts with the conception of his mother, Mary. The wife of Imran, Mary’s mother, vowed to dedicate her child to the service of God in the temple. Zacharia, who took charge of Mary, used to find food with Mary. When he asked her how she got it she answered that it was from God. The Quranic verses read:

When the wife of Imran said, 'Lord, I have vowed to you, in dedication, what is within my womb. Please accept it from me. you are the Hearer and knower'. And when she gave birth to her she said, 'Lord, I have given birth to her, a female... And I have named her Mary end commend her to you with her seed, to protect them from the accursed Satan.'Her Lord received the child with gracious favor, and by His goodness she grew up comely, Zacheria taking charge of her. Whenever Zacharia went to her in the Sanctuery, he found her provisioned. 'Mary', he said, 'how comes this to you? ''From God', she answered. Truly God provisions for whomsoever He will without reckoning. (3:95-7)

GLAD TIDINGS AND JESUS'S BIRTH

When Mary became a woman, the Holy Spirit (the Archangel Gabriel) appeared to her as a man bringing her the news of a son. We read the following dialogue in the Qur'an between Mary and the angels:

When the angels said, 'Mary. God gives you good tidings of a Word from Him whose name is Messiah Jesus, son of Mary; high honored shall he be in this world and the next, near stationed to God. He shall speak to men in the cradle, and of age, and righteous she shall be.' 'Lord', said Mary, 'how shall I have a son seeing no mortal has touched me? 'Even so' he said, 'God creates what He will.' When He decrees a thing He does but say to it, "Be", and it is.' (3:45-7)

Mary conceived the child miraculously and retired to a distant place where she awaited her delivery. The Qur'an in a chapter entitled 'Mary’ tells us how Mary felt and what the Jews told her when she brought the child home:

She conceived him and withdrew with him to a distant place. And the birthpangs surprised her by the trunk of the palm-tree. She said, 'would I had died before this. and become a thing forgotten.' The one from below her called to her, 'Do not grieve; see, your Lord has set below you a rivulet. Shake also toward you the palmtrunk. and there shall come tumbling upon you dates fresh and ripe. Eat therefore, and drink, and be comforted; and if you should see any mortal, say. "I have vowed to the All-Merciful a fast, and today I will not speak to any man." Then she brought the child to her folk carrying him; and they said, ‘Mary, you have surely committed a monstrous thing. Sister of Aaron, your father was not a wicked man, nor was your mother a woman unchaste.' Mary pointed to the child. but they said, 'How shall we speak to one who is still in the cradle, a little child?' He said, 'Lo, I am God's servant; God has given me the Book and made me a Prophet. Blessed he has made me, wherever I may be; and he has enjoined me to pray. and to give the alms, so long as I live, and likewise to cherish my mother; he has not made me arrogant or wicked. Peace be upon me, the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I am raised up alive.' (19:22-23)

NOT THE SON OF GOD

In the same chapter, following the above quotation, God assured Muhammad and the whole world that what was mentioned above is the truth about Jesus although the Christians might not believe it. Jesus is not the son of God. He was, obviously enough, the son of Mary. The verses continue:

That is Jesus, son of Mary, in word of truth, concerning which they are doubting. It is not for God to take a son unto Him. Glory be to Him! When He decrees a thing. He but says to it "Be". and it is. (19:34-5)

After this strong statement about the nature of Jesus, God directed Muhammad to call the Christians to a fair deal: to worship the one God:

Surely God is my Lord, and your Lord, so serve Him. This is the straight path. (19:38).

The rejection of the idea of God having a son is reported later in the same chapter with even stronger words:

And they say, 'The All-merciful has taken unto Himself a son.' You have indeed advanced something hideous. The heavens are well nigh rent of it and the earth split asunder, and the mountains well nigh fall down crashing for that they have attributed to the All-merciful a son; and it behoves not the All-merciful to take a son. None is there in the heavens and earth but he comes to the All-merciful as a servant. (19:88-93)

The Qur’an recognizes the fact that Jesus had no human father but this does not make him the son of God or God Himself. By this criterion Adam would have been more entitled to be the son of God because he had neither a father nor a mother. So the Qur'an draws attention to the miraculous creation of both in the following verse:

Truly the likeness of Jesus, in God's sight, is as Adam's likeness; He created him of dust. then said He unto him, "Be", and he was. (3:59)

The Qur'an rejects the concept of the Trinity as strongly as it rejects the Sonship of Jesus. This is because God is One. This is the essence of all monotheistic revelations. Three, by reason and by simple arithmetic, are not one. The Qur'an addresses the Christians in the following verses in the chapter entitled "Women".

People of the Book, go not beyond the bounds in your religion, and say not as to God but the Truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only the Messenger of God, and His Word that He committed to Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers, and say not, 'Three'. Refrain. better is it for you. God is only One God. Glory be to Him — that He should have a son! To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth, God suffices for a guardian.

The Messiah will not disdain to be a servant of God, neither the angels who are close to Him. Whosoever disdains to serve Him and waxes proud. He will assuredly muster them to Him, all of them.

As for the believers, who do deeds of righteousness, He will pay them their rewards in full, and He will give them more, of His bounty; as for them who disdain and wax proud, them He will punish with a severe punishment, and they shall not find for them, apart from God, a friend or helper. (4:171-3)

The verses continue to draw the attention of people, all people, to the proof which Muhammad brought. God knows that people frequently inherit certain ideas and beliefs which include, among other things, the mistakes and interpretations of previous generations. They have no way of discovering such mistakes for themselves. Thus God presents the Qur’an as a proof to such people. He says:

O men, a manifest proof has now come to you from your Lord; we have sent down to you a clear light. As for those who believe in God, and hold fast to Him, He will surely admit them to mercy from Him, and bounty, and will guide them to Him on a straight path. (4:173-5)

The denial of Jesus' divinity (and for that matter Mary's divinity) is presented in the Qur’an as a topic of dialogue at the Day of Judgement between God Almighty and Jesus. All the messengers and the nations will be gathered in front of God and He will ask the messengers how they were received by their peoples and what they said to them. Among those who are going to be questioned is Jesus:

And when God said, 'O Jesus son of Mary, did you say unto men, "Take me and my mother as gods. apart from God?” He said, 'To you be glory! It is not mine to say what I have no right to. If I indeed said it, you knew it, knowing what is within my soul, and I do not know what is within your soul. you know the things unseen. I only said to them what you did command me: "serve God, my Lord and your Lord." And I was a witness over them, while I remained among them; but when you did take me to yourself, you were yourself the watcher over them; you are the witness of everything. If you punish them, they are your servants, if you forgive them, you are the Almighty, the All-wise.' God said, ‘This is the day the truthful shall be profited by their truthfulness. For them await gardens underneath which rivers flow therein dwelling forever, God being well-pleased with them end they well-pleased with Him; That is the mighty triumph'.

JESUS'S MISSION

Now one might ask: If the Qur'an denies the Trinity and the Sonship of Jesus, what was the real mission of Jesus according to the Qur'an?

Jesus was a link in a long chain of prophets and messengers sent by God to various societies and nations whenever they needed guidance or deviated from the teachings of God. Jesus was especially prepared by God to be sent to the Jews who had deviated from the teachings of Moses and other Messengers. As he was miraculously supported by God in conception, birth and childhood, he was also supported by numerous miracles to prove that he was a messenger from God. However, the majority of the Jews rejected his ministry. The Qur'an tells us about Jesus' mission in the following verses which are a continuation of the verses quoted earlier in which the glad tiding was brought to Mary:

And He will teach him the Book, the wisdom, the Torah, the Gospel and make him a Messenger to the children of Israel saying, “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I will create for you out of clay as the likeness of a bird; then I will breathe into It, and it will be a bird, by the power of God. I will also heal the blind and the leper and bring to life the dead, by the power of God. I will inform you too of the things you eat, and what you treasure up in your houses. Surely in that is a sign for you if you are believers. Likewise I will confirm the truth of the Torah that is before me, and to make lawful to you certain things that before were forbidden unto you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me. Surely God is my Lord and your Lord; so serve Him. This is a straight path". (3:45-51)

In another verse of the Qur’an, Jesus confirmed the validity of the Torah which was revealed to Moses and he also brought the glad tidings of the coming of a final messenger after him. This is clearly indicated in the following verse:

And when Jesus son of Mary said. 'children of Israel. I am indeed the Messenger to you, confirming the Torah that is before me, and giving good tidings of a Messenger who shall come after me, whose name shall be the praised one (note that this is translation of Ahmad which is Prophet Muhammad’s name). (61:6)

The messenger of whom Jesus gave glad tidings is referred to in both the old and new testaments of the Bible. The old testament contains several prophecies that apply only to the Prophet Muhammad. I quote only one of those which applies to none except Prophet Muhammad. This prophecy which was addressed to Moses said that God will send among the 'brethren' of the Israelites, a prophet like Moses who will be a founder, a leader, and an exemplar of a community of believers. We read this in the following verses of Deut. Ch. 18:

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not give heed to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. (Deut. 18:18-20)

Any one who is familiar with Prophet Muhammad's life, can easily see that no one fits the above description better than Prophet Muhammad. It was Prophet Muhammad, not Jesus, who like Moses was born from ordinary parents, got married, founded a faithful community, established a great law and died a natural death.

Careful study of the New Testament shows that this same prophet is referred to by Jesus in John 14:16,17:

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth.

Later in John specific description of this Spirit of Truth and his role is given as we read in John 16:13,14.:

When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me...

The terms of the prophecy do not warrant the conclusion usually attributed to this prophecy, namely that it refers to the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost explanation is excluded by a previous verse in John which reads:

Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantages that I go away, for if I do not go away, the counselor will not come to you.

It is clear from the Bible that the Holy Ghost used to visit men before and during the life-time of Jesus. John was filled with the Holy Ghost before he was born and Jesus himself received the Holy Ghost in the shape of a dove.

The characteristics of this counselor, as can be derived from the prophecy, are the following:

1. He will not come until Jesus leaves.

2. He will stay forever, with the believers.

3. He will glorify Jesus.

4. He will speak what he hears from God.


These characteristics are applicable only to Prophet Muhammad, as the following brief remarks show:

Prophet Muhammad was the only messenger that came after Jesus. There
was a period of six centuries between them. Jesus' mission was limited to
the "lost sheep of the children of Israel”, but Muhammad's was a universal message. This explains the second characteristic.

Only Prophet Muhammad's message was intended by God to be a universal and everlasting message. This agrees with the statement that the counselor will stay forever with the faithful.

No other prophet glorified Jesus as much as Prophet Muhammad did. The Jews called him an impostor and accused his mother of immorality. They tried to crucify him. Prophet Muhammad considered Jesus as great Prophet and the “Word of God". The Qur'an attributed to him miracles that are not mentioned in the Bible. Mary is considered the most chaste woman and the best of all women in paradise. Thus did Muhammad really glorify Jesus.

The fourth characteristic also applies neatly to Prophet Muhammad. The Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. When the angel finished reciting the Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad used to convey verbatim to his companions what he heard from the angel without adding, changing or forgetting anything. The Qur'an also describes Prophet Muhammad saying “He does not speak out of his own fancy. He utters what is revealed to him." (53:4,5). If we compare this with, "He will not speak on his own authority", we see the striking similarity between the characteristics of the counselor and those of Prophet Muhammad. These and other prophecies in the old and new testaments predict in unequivocal terms the advent of Prophet Muhammad who is rejected by the Jews and Christians on the basis of misunderstanding and bias rather than on the basis of careful study of the Bible, the Qur'an and modern findings in the field of comparative religion.

JESUS RAISED TO HEAVEN

It is a sad fact of history that not many follow "the straight path", to which people were called by Jesus. He was followed by a few disciples who were inspired by God to support him. Not only that, but the non-believers plotted (as they did to Muhammad six centuries later) to kill Jesus, but God had a better plan for him and his followers as the Qur'an tells us in the following verses:

And when Jesus perceived their unbelief, he said, 'who will be my helpers in the cause of God? The Apostles said, 'we will be helpers of God.' We believe in God; be witness of our submission. Lord, we believe in that you have sent down, and we follow the Messenger. Inscribe us therefore with those who bear witness.' And they devised, and God devised, and God is the best of devisers. When God said, 'Jesus, I will take you to me and will raise you to Me, and I will purify you of those who do not believe. I will set your followers above the unbelievers till the Ressurrection Day. Then unto Me shall you return, and I will decide between you, as to what you were at variance on. As for the unbelievers, I will punish them with a terrible punishment in this world and the next; they shall have no helpers.' (3:52-6)

As the above verses indicate, Jesus was raised to heaven before he died.

This means that according to the Qur'an he was not crucified. It was the plan of the enemies of Jesus to put him to death on the cross, but God saved him and somebody else was crucified. This plot and the false accusation of Mary are considered by the Qur'an to be some of the sins of the non-believing Jews. All this is clear in the following quotation:

And for their unbelief, and their uttering against Mary a mighty calumny, and for their saying, ‘We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the Messenger of God'... yet they did not slay him, neither crucified him, only a likeness of that was shown to them. Those who are at variance concerning him surely are in doubt regarding him, they have no knowledge of him, except the following of surmise; and they did not slay him of certainty... no indeed; God raised him up to Him; God is Almighty, All-wise. There is not one of the people of the Book but will assuredly believe in him before his death, and on the Ressurrection Day he will be a witness against them. (4:156-9).

Who was the person crucified instead of Jesus? The Qur'an does not elaborate on this point nor does it give any answer to this question. The interpreters of the Qur'an have suggested a few names. But all these are individual guesses not supported by the Qur'an or the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.

This means that Jesus will come back before the Day of Judgement. Again the Second Coming is not clearly mentioned in the Qur'an. However, the explanators of the Qur'an understood the last verse of the above quotation: there is not one of the people of the Book but will assuredly believe in him before his death, and on the Resurrection Day he will be a witness against them, to mean that Jesus will come back and all the Christians and the Jews will believe in him before he dies. This understanding is supported by authentic sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.

POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED

After reading this presentation a believing Christian might say "This is what the Muslims, whom we always considered as heathens or infidels, say about Jesus." But the point of view which the Qur'an presents deserves serious consideration, to say the least, by those who are really concerned about God, faith and even Christianity itself for the following reasons:

The Qur’an is the last version of God’s revelation and what it says is the ultimate truth. This might not mean much for those who do not believe in the Qur'an as such. However, the history of the Qur'an, modern textual criticism and scientific research of the content of this scripture leave no doubt about the truth it contains. The frequently made statements that the Qur'an is the word of Muhammad who copied his information from Jewish and Christian sources is made by people who do not know the history of the world, the Qur'an or Muhammad. The first Arabic translation of the Bible appeared two centuries after Muhammad's mission. If we add to this Muhammad's illiteracy and the scarcity of religious books in any language outside churches and temples in the sixth century we can understand the absurdity of this allegation.
The oneness and universality of God's message requires that people accept all the messengers of God. Rejecting one of them amounts to rejecting them all. The Jews reject Jesus's mission and Muhammad's mission; the Christians reject Muhammad's mission; whereas the Muslims accept them all, but reject incorrect historical interpretations and human elements in these missions.

Because of the Qur'an, Muslims love and respect Jesus as they love and respect the Prophet Muhammad. Moreover, the Qur'an reports some of Jesus's miracles which are not reported in the present gospel. For example, the Qur’an tells that Jesus spoke in the cradle and was able to tell people what they ate or treasured in their houses, to mention just a few.

It is common knowledge that the divinity of Jesus was introduced by Saint Paul and his followers and was established on the dead bodies of millions of Christians through history which evoked the Castillo's well-known remark "To burn a man is not to prove a doctrine."

The choice of the present four gospels was imposed in the conference of Nicea 325 C.E. under the auspices of the pagan Emperor Constantine for political purposes. Literally, hundreds of gospels and religious writings were considered apocrypha, i.e. books of doubtful authenticity. Some of those books were written by Jesus's disciples. If they were not more authentic than the four gospels they were of equal authenticity. Some of them still are available such as the Gospel of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas which agree with the Qur’an.

The Unitarian concept and the humanness of Jesus is not only held by Muslims but also by Jews and by some early groups of Christianity such as the Ebonite's, the Corinthians, the Basilidians, the Capocratians and the Hypisistarians to name several early sects. The Aryans, Paulicians and Goths also accepted Jesus as a prophet of God. Even in the modern age there are churches in Asia, in Africa, the Unitarian church, and Jehovah Witnesses who do not worship Jesus as God.
Most serious studies of the Bible have shown that it contains a large portion of additions which neither Jesus nor the writers of the gospels said. The church, as Heinz Zahrnt said, "put words into the mouth of Jesus which he never spoke and attributed actions to him which he never performed." Those conclusions were arrived at by some members of the church. However, they are kept secret or available only to the specialists. One of those, who has shown that most of what the church says about Jesus is baseless is Rudolf Augustein in his book Jesus Son of Man, (published in Germany 1972 and translated into English 1977).

The problem with present Christianity is the personality of Jesus which is completely misunderstood. Jesus' nature, mission and claimed death and resurrection, are all challenged by studies in the field. One of those is a book entitled The Myth of God Incarnate which appeared 1977 (edited by John Hick) and written by seven theologian scholars in England. Their conclusion is that Jesus was "a man approved by God, for special role within the divine purpose, and … the later conception of him as God incarnate … is a mythological or poetic way of expressing his significance for us." The best George Carey could say in his attempt to refute the findings of those theologians is that unless one takes Jesus as God Incarnate one won't be able to understand Jesus' mission or explain its impact on people. This definitely is a very weak argument because all great prophets such as Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad have had a tremendous impact on people and none of them claimed that he was God or a son of God.

The concept of the Trinity is not, of course, available even in the present Bible. There are statements which negate it such as "The Lord our God is one Lord (Math. 12:29) and many others.

It is worth noting that Jesus never claims divinity even in the present text of the Bible. The expression "Son of God" cannot be said to have come from Jesus himself. Hasting in The Dictionary of the Bible says "Whether Jesus used it of himself is doubtful." In my reading of the Bible, I found only two instances in John Chapter 5 and 11 where Jesus uses "son of God" to refer to himself. Other instances were used by others. Even those are very limited. However, even if the title "son of God" was used by Jesus himself one should remember the following points:

As a biblical scholar said, "Semitic usage would never have allowed literal sense even though such an expression would be interpreted literally in the Hellenistic world of Jesus followers".

The New Testament Greek words used for "son" are pias and paida, which means 'servant' or 'son in the sense of servant, are translated son in reference to Jesus and servant in reference to others in some translations of the Bible (Mufassir, P. 15).

The title "son of man" which is a self-designation of Jesus and occurs 81 times in the gospels is the clearest description and emphasis by Jesus on his humanity. The classical interpretation given to this title is that it is used to emphasize the human side of Jesus. Now the question which suggests itself is: Do contemporary Christians emphasize this aspect of Jesus?

THE POPE CONTRADICTS THE BIBLE

The traditional Biblical account of Jesus' crucifixion is that he was arrested and crucified by the orders and plans of the chief priest and Jewish elders. This account was denied in the 1960's by the highest Catholic Christian authority, the Pope. He issued a statement in which he said the Jews had nothing to do with Jesus' crucifixion. This definitely does contradict the Biblical account. You might say: This is a political decree. This agrees with what Muslims are saying: the church had introduced many elements into Christianity and was influenced by many factors which made its view of Christianity not only changeable but, by and large, contradict the early forms of Christianity.

RELIGION VS. SCIENCE

The religious views concerning God, the Bible, and Man s relation to God which the church presented forced people into an unfortunate choice: either science or God. Most educated people have come to the conclusion that one can't be a scientist or an educated person and be a Christian. Thus many philosophers, scientists and the majority of the people lost hope of reconciling religion and science. This unfortunate understanding later on was generalized to include every religion as a result of the influence of western civilization, which was mainly Christian. This whole issue would not have risen in the first place if the teachings of Jesus were not distorted or tampered with. This is because, as Islam views the matter, there is no contradiction whatsoever between religion and science. Scientific facts are just one source of our knowledge of God. The other source is revelation as it is contained in the original teachings of Jesus and in the present text of the Qur’an. Both religion and true scientific knowledge are from the same source: God. So He won't contradict Himself.

Thus, concepts like the Trinity, The Son of God, Original Sin, the Atonement etc.. which were the product of distortion and mis-understanding in the history of Christianity drove people away not only from Christianity but also from other religions, including Islam, which is not affected by these problems. This is due to the fact that many people think that because Islam is a religion (the meaning of the very word is limited in western languages) it must be similar to Christianity. Very few people will have the interest and the ability to discover the falsehood of this assumption.

EVIDENCE FOR THE QUR'ANIC ACCOUNT

This implicit assumption is one of the causes of hesitation and unwillingness of many people to accept the Qur'anic view of Jesus. This is in spite of the fact that this point of view is supported by:

The early history of Christianity which continued for three decades after Jesus’s disappearance as a sect within Judaism.

The practice of many Christian sects and scholars throughout the history of Christianity.

The findings of many Biblical scholars and scientific research which was applied to the Bible.

The instinct of many people (some of whom think they are Christians) who believe in the One God, but can't accept Jesus as God or The Son of God.
It is worth noting that the main differences between the Qur'anic account and what modern research and scholars have found is that the Qur'an said what it says now about Jesus and his mission fourteen centuries ago and never changed its stand.

REASONS HOLDING PEOPLE FROM ISLAM

Some of the other reasons which might account for the rejection of the Qur'anic account include:

The time-honored bias against Islam which was partly the product of the Crusades and partly the product of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East.

Confusion. Many people although they do not accept Christianity, do not know where the truth is.

Social Pressure and Academic Reputation. Many people were afraid to accept Islam because they felt they would be mocked, alienated from their relatives and peers if they openly rejected Christianity and accepted Islam. At the academic level, especially among orientalists, if one writes favorably about Islam and the Qur'an no body will review his work, quote from it or even consider it a scholarly work. He could be even destroyed professionally. The Washington Post (January 5, 1978) reported that a University of Richmond Professor, Dr. Robert Alley lost the chairmanship of the Department of Religion there because he holds the view that Jesus never claimed to be the son of God. After considerable research into newly found ancient documents, Dr. Alley concluded that:

The (Bible) passages where Jesus talks about the son of God are later additions..... what the church said about him. Such a claim of deity for himself would not have been consistent with his entire lifestyle as we can reconstruct. For the first three decades after Jesus' death Christianity continued as a sect within Judaism. The first three decades of its existence of the church were within the synagogue. That would have been beyond belief if they (the followers) had boldly proclaimed the deity of Jesus.

ISLAM: THE NATURAL CALL

Despite these factors, and some others which I did not mention, there have been many people who have submitted to truth. The Islamic point of view about Jesus and other major issues strikes those who get introduced to it as something which makes a lot of sense and something which they hold implicitly without knowing it. This, and other characteristics made Islam the fastest growing religion in the world throughout history. It appeals even to faithful Christians because they discover that:

Islam does not abolish Jesus, it rather puts him in the right position in the long line of men who brought real salvation to humanity. In reality they are adding a new dimension to their understanding of God, prophet-hood, and revelation.

When Christianity and Judaism (or for that matter any religion) are looked at from the Islamic perspective they fit in neatly in the universal framework of the oneness of God and His plans for mankind. Moreover, one will understand clearly why there are some gaps or discrepancies in the Biblical account about certain issues.
Islam does consider itself the final link in the long chain of revelation. It promises the followers of previous faiths great rewards if they add belief in Islam to their belief in their previous faith. The Prophet Muhammad said, "He who has believed in his religion then believed in what is revealed to me will be rewarded twice (by God)." That is once for believing in his faith and the other for recognizing truth and believing in Islam.

To sum up, Islam considers Jesus as one of God's great prophets. His mission was to preach the Oneness of God and to lead man to his Lord. He never claimed to be other than a servant and a Messenger of God. The Qur'anic account of his life and mission is supported by overwhelming evidence. The Muslims do believe in and are awaiting the Second Coming of Jesus. He will come back not as God to judge the non-Christians, but as Jesus, God's servant. His coming is to correct the misconception which people have developed about his personality and his mission. According to a saying of the Prophet Muhammad, he will stay for forty years which is going to be the happiest years of life on this earth. At that time everybody will believe in him as the messenger, not the Son of God. However, what about those who will not be able to live till his second coming? They better do it now!

FURTHER READINGS ON ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY

M. M. Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'an T. B.
Irving, et al., The Qur'an: Basic Teachings
Hammed Abdulati, Islam in Focus
M. Qutb, Islam: The Misunderstood Religion
B. A. Bawany, Islam: The First and Final Religion
Maurice Bucaille, The Bible, The Qur'an and Science
Maurice Bucaille, The Origin of Man
Lordsale and Laura Ragg, The Gospel of Barnabas
Muhammad Ata-ur-Rahman, Jesus: A Prophet of Islam
Rudolf Augustein, Jesus Son of Man
John Hick (ed), The Myth of God Incarnate
S. S. Mufassir, Jesus in the Qur'an.

Some of these books and others about Islam can be obtained from:

World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY)
P. O. Box 10845
Tel. (01)4641663
Riyadh 11443, Saudi Arabia

Or the nearest Islamic Center in your part of the world



http://www.al-sunnah.com/truth_aboutjesus.htm

Friday, October 28, 2005

Glory be! the Christian concept of God

please feel free to suggest corrections. I wrote this piece after my previous sole post was removed, and I was banned, as have been several others. The sole post that I wrote was asking why someone has been banned from the site.

this topic on christianity.com:

is Allah of the Quran the God of the Bible



What do we have
for God
in Christianity?
I will try
to summarise
what I understand

One God
but wait a minute
there are three Godheads
they are different,
yet they are One
they are separate
yet inseparable

amazing
don't call it stupid
call it incomprehensible
for Faith is amazing

One is the Father
don't call Him God yet
for He is one of three persons
Other is the Son
begotten of the Father
yet equal to Him
and both from Eternity
also eternal is the third
the Holy Ghost
together they make One
as also separately

now you can call Him God
without forgetting that
the Son is also God
the Holy Ghost is also God
yet they aren't three Gods

confused
no matter
call it
Faith

the Father sent His Son
100 percent man
and hundred % God
wait another minute
how can that be?
hundred percent of both

don't ask
call it Faith
it is lovely
isn't it?
Faith will always
rescue you

so the Father sent His Son
His only begotten Son
what does begotten imply?
sexual intercourse
but we can't have that
this begetting did not
involve sex at all

never mind
forget the meaning
of begotten
He begot
without
having sex

just take it on Faith
Faith,
that rescuer of all things
contradictory

God is free of sexuality
at least that is common
to Islam
and Christianity

so the Father sent His Son
for what, you ask
as a prophet?
to set mankind on the straight path?
once again?
like the prophets before him?

no, silly
not as a prophet
for then it would become
almost al-Islam
the religion and the way
prescribed by God
it would become the religion
of Abraham
it wouldn't allow worship
of man
while the whole idea is
to twist the mind of mankind
so that we can worship man
as equal to God
that is why
God has no Son

and the Son is Crucified
on the Cross he exclaimed
"why has't Thou forsaken me?"
he himself is God
if he is, why does he pray
to God
he is
inseparable from God
he is
equal to the Father
yet he prays to the Father

makes sense?
no!
doesn't matter
take it on Faith
Faith is all you need

the Son died on the Cross
Good News
for you and me
if only
we accept
that his sacrifice was
atonement for our sins
if only
we would accept
that God isn't Just
that He sacrificed
His Son
His only begotten Son
for us
(never mind the contradictions)
then we could
live a life of abandon
fornication, rape
exploitation, colonisation
drunkennness
murder, plunder, torture

now you understand where
colonialism comes from?
why are wars fought?
why are cities bombed?
why are babies killed?
and maimed?
why is there a Guantanamao?
and an Abu Gharaib?
and a Bagram?
and others?
why depleted Uranium shells
are rained on the land
of the weak?

for no matter what you do
if you accept
Jesus as the Son
his crucifixtion as atonement
for your sins
then Glory be
you are saved

don't call it
a fib
a story
a wishful thought

call it Faith

Glory be!

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Arabic for Urdu-ites/ Urdu-ers

from http://www.quranclub.org/

http://www.quranclub.org/pages/miftahlink.asp?CurPageNo=1/

change the PageNo=1 to PageNo=2 etc for other pages.

Click on the page thumbnails below for full image of the pages.

types of kalima, page 1

Monday, October 03, 2005

Masjide-Nabawi at night

And the following is a printed picture of the Masjide-Nabawi, as for the post below for Ka`aba.



Ka`aba at night

The following is a printed picture of the Ka`aba, with holes in it for the lights. The picture was framed with a 20W (2 ft long) fluorescscent (not incandescent, as I wrote earlier) light (tubelight) behind it so that the light shows through the holes. Then this picture was taken.







Friday, June 24, 2005

Learning from Sheikhs

Recognising, respecting and learning from Sheikhs

The Jumma Khutba


why is it that we are dismissive of what is commonly at hand?

Every Friday we should be able to attend a khutba, for which the Maulvi Sahib takes great pains to study, research and deliver. It may be on any one of a range of subjects: like Tafsir of the Quran, the fiqh of the current or coming religious events Ramadan, Hajj, Eids, etc. It may cover recent events like tensions between communities or groups. It may be on our practical departure from the Quran and Sunnah, on social evils and their rectification, etc.

In short, everything that sheikhs are supposed to teach.

In every mosque, there is time set aside for a dars of the Quran and Hadith.

With the travel for tableegh or dawah, there is opportunity to meet and help fellow Muslims who have given up the comforts of home to undertake dawah.

So the Maulvi Sahibaan are our sheikhs, if we only look upon them with the right attitude. We have downgraded our religious scholars, courtesy of the colonial attitude.

If we make our centre the mosque, there are great opportunities to develop ourselves spiritually, as well as to build the community.

Today's khutba was about need to keep away from sins, . The example of Yusuf (as) was used to explain.

say La haula wa la quwwata illa billah (after Fajr)
Build our Taqwa.
make the niyyah and a determination to avoid sinning.
after we have been successful in avoiding sin, say alhamdulillah.

So this is what I have learnt. I have sheikhs all around me, only I have failed to recognise them, because of my shortsightedness in looking down upon them.

Then the three steps in becoming Muttaqi.

Saturday, May 07, 2005

Signs of the Qiyamah

The Signs of the Last Day

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When is the last day? How will it all end? These are the questions that we ask ourselves the most and naturally, we tend to loathe them. However, the world must and will end. I cannot tell you when, but I can inform you of the signs that will signal it.

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Contents:

SITE

Foreword 1
Foreword 2
The Importance of The Signs
The Minor Signs

The Major Signs
Who Is Dajjal?
Who Are The Yajooj and Majooj?
Who Is Imam Mahdi?
Who Is Hadhrat Isa (A.S.)?

---------------------------------------------------------
Foreword 1
---------------------------------------------------------

All praise is due to Allah, the Creator and Sustainer, and may His choicest Peace and Blessings be upon His pious servants, foremost among them Our Beloved Nabi, Sayyidena Mohammed (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam).

The Quraan reminds us time and again that this universe has been created temporarily and at an appointed time it will surely be annihilated, "Everyone thereon will be annihilated and only the Countenance of your Mighty and Glorious Sustainer shall remain." The exact date and time of this event, termed as Qiyamah, is known to Allah Alone, "Verily Allah Alone has the knowledge of the Hour," (Quraan). The Quraan and the Hadeeth have however informed us about various signs which will occur prior to Qiyaamah and which will be indicative of the closeness of the event. It is indeed very unfortunate to note that despite having before us the various warnings and signs regarding Qiyaamah which have been mentioned by none other than Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), and handed down to us via the authentic of the noble companions, yet certain people professing to be Muslims attach no importance whatsoever to these teachings. Instead, they show deep interest in the baseless vague predictions of some Kaafir. Inaccurate and being capable of interpreted in various ways these predicitinos hold no Shari importance. It was because of this sad state of affairs which undoubtedly is the result of weak Imaan, that this book "SIGNS OF QIYAMAH" has been compiled, through which, it is hoped that the noble teachings of Our Belove Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) are presented before us so that we may reform ourselves and attain eternal bliss.

This extremely sinful servant of Allah earnestly appeals to the Ulama to inform him about any errors and misrepresentations which are found in this book. It is the dua of this sinner that may Allah accept this humble effort and make it a meansof salvation for himself, his parents, Asatiza, relatives, and those who assisted in making this publication possible. Aameen.

(by Mohammed Ali Ibn Moulana Zubair Ali (1/1/1412)
SIGNS OF QIYAMAH

---------------------------------------------------------
Foreword 2
---------------------------------------------------------

All Praise is to Allah Ta'ala, our Creator and Provider. Salaam on His best of Rasuls, Hazrat Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), the Universal Guide who expounded the Deen-ul-Islam which provides salvation in this world, the grave and the Aakhirat. Blessing be upon the Sahabah (R.A.) who were living examples displaying the practicality of our beautiful Shariat.

Man obtains knowledge and information via three basic sources viz.

1. The five senses.
2. Imagination and "Aqal" (Intellect).
3. Inner Illumination (Kashf, Ilham, Wahy).


These are various forms of spiritual inspirations:
"Wahy" - Divine and protected revelation that is only granted for the guidance of mankind through
the Ambiyaa (A.S.) and come in three ways:

1. "Wahy Qalbi" - related to the heart.
2. "Kalam-Illahi" - direct speech with Allah Ta'ala.
3. "Wahy Malaki" - via the angels.


(Faizal Bari p4-8 of Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri and Uloom-ul-Qur'an p31-32 of Moulana M.
Taqi Osmani).

Further "Wahy" can be divided into two types:

1. Matloo - often recited (Qur'an).
2. Ghair Matloo - not often recited (ahadith - Sayings of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi
Wasallam)).


Kashf and Illham are two separate entities. According to Imam Rabbani, Kashf is termed sensation while Ilham is closer to intuition. Ilham is more accurate than Kashaf because the latter is the lifting of the veil from something and the former is a direct inspiration into the heart. (Faiz-ul-Bari. Vol. 1 p19)

Imam Ghazali (R.A.) states: "Kashf is bestowed on a pious person who is steadfast in Zikr. Piety is the gateway to Zikr and Zikr is gateway to Kashf" (Ihya-ul-Uloom. vol.3), whilst it is recorded in Faiz-ul-Bari vol. 1 p17 "What the aulias see through Kashf and the Ambiya via their insight while awake, cannot be seen by others".

However, in relation to dreams, Fatah-ul-Bari vol.12 p315 reads: "Dreams can be interpreted in a number of ways and according to certain rules. While every human being dreams, Ilham is vouchsafed only to the virtuous and chosen few".

Concerning the preditions etc. of non-believers, Allah Ta'ala says: "Lo! the devils do inspire their minions" sura 6 verse 122. This proves that the devil whispers into their hearts. Further Allah Ta'ala says: "Shall I inform you upon whom the devil descend! They Descend on the evil, sinful and false ones." Sura 26 verses 221/2. The inspiration of the devil is confined to those who are steeped in apostasy, heresy, and shirk.

The simple and fundamental guideline is: "Every Kashf, Ilham or dream shall be judged in the light of the Qur'an and Sunnah and if contrary to the Qur'an and Sunnah they shall be rejected."

The Signs of Qiyamat thus form an integral part of Iman. Rejection of it is Kufr.

The Signs of Qiyyamat are divided into two sections:

1. Minor: These are the signs from the birth of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) to the time of the appearance of Hazrat Imam Mahdi.
2. Major: These are the signs from the appearance of Imam Mahdi to the Blowing of the Trumpet.


I have only translated the text of Aalalaat-e-Qiyyamat aur Nuzul-e-Essa - If one is interested in references then refer to the original text.

I pray to the Almighty Allah to grant us the taufeeq to awaken us from the deep slumber we are in and to shrug off the thick sheer cloak of neglect which presently enshrouds us and to take the responsibility to show the path of salvation to the whole of mankind.

By the grace of Allah Ta'ala, this booklet was translated in Masjid-un-Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), Madina Munawwara, during my Haj trip to The Blessed Land. May Allah make this a source of illumantion in the darkness of the grave Insha-Allah. (Ameen).

(Completed on 4 Zil-Qada 1413 (25/04/1993)
MAJOR SIGNS OF QIYAMAT
by Mufti Afzal Hoosen Elias)

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The Importance of the Signs
---------------------------------------------------------

All the previous Ambiyaa (A.S.) informed their respective Ummats about the signs of Qiyamah, but Our Beloved Nabi Sayyidena Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) informed his Ummat about these signs in much greater detail. The reason being that there is no Nabi to come after him and his Ummat is closest to the advent of Qiyamah, hence they need to make greater preparation for it by reforming their spiritual selves, controlling their passions and diligently carrying out the orders of Allah Ta'ala.

According to a hadeeth appearing in Sahih Muslim, Sayyidena Abi Zaid (R.A.) says, " Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) once led the Fajr Salaat after which he ascended the pulpit and addressed us till Zuhr Salaat. He alighted from the pulpit, performed Zuhr Salaat and ascended the pulpit. He then addressed us till Asr and descended from the pulpit. He performed Salaat and ascended the Mimbar. He then addressed us till sunset (In these sermons) He informed us about those incidents which had occured as well as those which are yet to occur. Those with stronger memories amongst us remembered most of them."

The above hadeeth as well as other Ahadeeth indicate the importance attached to the imparting of information pertaining to Qiyamah. It is further reported that the Noble Companions used to teach the Ahadeeth to their children instructing them to convey it to others.

It will be noticed that while some Ahadeeth mention very briefly certain signs of Qiyamah, other ahadeeth again mention certain signs in greater detail eg. the coming of Sayyidena Eesa (A.S.), Imaam Mahdi (A.S.) and the advent of Dajjal. This is so because of the fact that these signs are a greater test for one's Imaan.

Another important point is that despite the large collection of Ahadeeth which exists in regard to the signs of Qiyamah there is no specific order mentioned in as far as the occurance of many of the events is concerned. The exact period between each sign is also generally unknown.

Further, certain signs have been mentioned very briefly, thus making it difficult to specify exactly as to whether or not a certain event which has occred or is occuring is the same one which the Ahadeeth has mentioned. The reason for all these above factors is to disable anyone from reckoning the exact time of Qiyamah which Allah has said will occur suddenly... "It will come upon you suddenly." (Quran)

Mohammed Ali Ibn Moulana Zubair Ali (1/1/1412)

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The Minor Signs of The Last Day
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Hadhrat Abu Musa Ash'ari (R.A.) narrates that Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alayhii Wassallam) said, "Qiyamah will come...

* When it will be regarded as a shame to act on Quranic injunctions.
* When untrustworthy people will be regarded as trustworthy and the trustworthy will be regarded as untrustworthy.
* When it will be hot in winter (and vice versa).
* When the length of days is stretched, i.e. a journey of a few days is covered in a matter of hours.
* When orators and lecturers lie openly.
* When people dispute over petty issues.
* When women with children come displeased on account of them bearing offspring, and barren women remain happy on account of having no responsibility of offspring.
* When oppression, jealousy, and greed become the order of the day.
* When people blatantly follow their passions and whims.
* When lies prevail over the truth.
* When violence, bloodshed and anarchy become common.
* When immorality overtakes shamelessness and is perpetrated publicly.
* When legislation matters pertaining to Deen is handed over to the worst elements of the Ummat, and if people accept them and are satisfied with their findings, then such persons will not smell the fragrance of Jannat.
* When the offspring become a cause of grief and anger (for their parents).

The following is part of a lengthy Hadith narrated by Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Mas'ood (R.A.) when he inquired from Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) about the SIGNS OF QIYAMAH.

* Music and musical instruments will be found in every home.
* People will indulge in homosexuality.
* There will be an abundance of illegitimate children.
* There will be an abundance of critics, tale-carriers, back- biters and taunters in society.
* People will establish ties with strangers and sever relations with their near and dear ones.
* Hypocrites will be in control of the affairs of the community and evil, immoral people will be at the helm of business establishments.
* The Masjid will be decorated, but the hearts of the people will be devoid of guidance.
* The courtyards of Masjids will be built beautifully and high mimbars (pulpits) will be erected.
* Gangsters and evil people will prevail.
* Various wines will be consumed excessively.

IRAQ and SYRIA

Abu Nadhrah says: "We were sitting in the company of Jabir bin Abdullah (R.A.) when he said: 'Soon the people of IRAQ will neither receive any food (grain) nor any money.'" We asked, "Why would such a thing happen?" He replied, "Because of the non-Arabs." (i.e they will prevent food from going into Iraq, in the form of "sanctions" to this day.) He then said: "Soon the people of Shaam (SYRIA) will neither receive any money nor grain." We asked as to why this would happen. He replied: "Because of the Romans (christians)."

CONCEITED PEOPLE:

Hadhrat Abbas (R.A) narrates that Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) has said, "Islam will spread far and wide, across the seas. Horses will cross the land and seas in the cause of Jihaad. Then a time will come wherein a group of people will emerge which recites the Quraan. They will claim,

'We have recited the Quraan and is there anyone who understands the Quraan better than us? There is NO ONE more proficient than us in the study of the Quraan.'
Then Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) asked the Sahaba, "Do you see any good in their claims?" The Sahaba replied, "No". Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) said, "But these conceited claimants will be from my Ummah and will be the fuel of the Fire."
(from "Signs of Qiyamah" (excerpts)
by Mohammed Ali Ibn Zubair Ali)

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The Major Signs of The Last Day
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Auf bin Malik (R.A.) says: I came to Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) while he was in his skin tent during the Tabuk expedition. He said to me, "Count six things before the advent of Qiyamah:

* My death
* The conquest of Jerusalem
* Mass deaths amongst you people, just as when sheep die in large numbers during an epidemic
* Abundance of wealth to such an extent that if a person were to be given a hundred Dinars he will still not be satisfied
* General anarchy and bloodshed, that no Arab household will be spared from it
* Then a life of peace as a result of a peace agreement between you and the Banil Asfaar
(Romans) which they will break and attack you with a force consisting of eighty flags and under each flag will be an army of twelve thousand men."
(Bukhari).

Signs Before the Major Signs (i.e. before the emergence of Imam Mahdi)

Christian Rule Will be dominant

ANOMALOUS INCIDENTS WILL OCCUR
Occurrence of red winds, disfiguration of faces (man to pig), and people being swallowed into the ground.

GENOCIDE
A man from Abu Sufyaan’s progeny massacres descendents of Nabi (S.A.W) and rules over Syria and Egypt.

WAR
A major war between Muslims and Christians: Half the Christian army will sign a peace treaty with the Muslim army, while the second half of the Christian army remains the common enemy.

ISTANBUL CONQUERED BY CHRISTIANS
The enemy half of the Christian army conquers Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey.

ISTANBUL RECONQUERED JOINTLY BY MUSLIM AND CHRISTIANS
The Muslims and the good half of the Christian army conquer Constantinople together, against the enemy Christians. Thereafter, a Christian will say the victory was due to the cross, and the Muslim will say it was due to Islam. A battle between both sides will ensue, and the Muslim Ruler will be martyred.

SYRIA CONQUERED BY CHRISTIANS
The two Christian armies reunite, conquering Syria.

CHRISTIAN DOMINATION
Christians dominate the world up to Khaiber (near Madinah), and they will pursue Muslims with 80 flags, with 12,000 men under each flag.

MUSLIMS AWAIT IMAM MAHDI

TOTAL ECLIPSE
A total eclipse of the sun and moon will occur in Ramadhan, prior to Imam Mahdi’s emergence.

The Major Signs:

IMAM MAHDI EMERGES
At age 40, Imam Mahdi appears in Makkah, then flees to Madinah.

MUSLIM ARMY MARCHES
The army of Mansoor from Khurasaan will head towards Makkah to aid Imam Mahdi. They will win many battles on the way. No force will be able to stop them. They will carry black flags.

SUFYAANI ARMY SWALLOWED BY THE EARTH.
The Sufyaani army (an Anti-Muslim force) from Syria singles out Imam Mahdi for execution. On the way to Makkah, they get swallowed into the ground. A second Sufyaani army is created with 960,000 men (of 80 nations).

CONFRONTATION IN SYRIA
Imam Mahdi and the Muslim army go to Syria to confront the Christians. The Christians, before the battle, will ask Muslims for the return of their prisoners-of-war. The Muslims will refuse. The battle will begin. One-third of Imam Mahdi’s army will flee (their repentance will not be accepted), one-third will be martyred, and one-third will gain victory over the Christians.

MUSLIM ARMY UNDER IMAM MAHDI CONQUERS PALESTINE

JIHAAD ON INDIA
A jamaat of Muslims wages Jihaad on India and be successful.

SYRIA UNDER MUSLIM RULE
Imam Mahdi returns to Syria and establishes Muslim rule over the lands he passes.

ANIMOSTIY RIFE AMONGST THE PEOPLE
At this time, Muslims will be weak and there will be very few pious people.

3 RUMORS OF EMERGENCE OF DAJJAL... 3 YEARS OF DROUGHT
Before the emergence of Dajjal there will be three years of drought. The first year, the skies will retain 1/3 of its water, the second year 2/3, and all of its water the third year.

DAJJAL APPEARS
Dajjal appears. His followers, the Yahudis, will number 70,000 and will wear expensive silk attire and carry double edged swords.

HADHRAT ISA (A.S.) (JESUS) APPEARS
Hadhrat Isa (A.S.)descends during the lifetime of Imam Mahdi.

DAJJAL KILLED AT THE GATE OF HUDD
Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) kills Dajjal at the Gate of Hudd, near an Israeli airport, in the valley of “Ifiq.” The final war between the Yahudi's will ensue, and the Muslims be victorious.

TOTAL PEACE
With the death of Dajjal, all wars will end. Jihad will be stopped; peace, harmony, and tranquility will be on earth. The earth will produce abundant crops and fruit. The people will follow Islam.

HADHRAT ISA RECEIVES REVELATION
The revelation tells that the Yajooj and Majooj will soon be released and the believers should be taken to Mt. Toor (Sinai).

YAJOOJ AND MAJOOJ ("Gog and Magog") RELEASED
The Yajooj and Majooj surge forth in large numbers. They destroy everything in their path in their effort to conquer the world. They will be released in two groups.

YAJOOJ AND MAJOOJ REACH JERUSALEM
When they reach Mount Khamrin in Jerusalem, they will proclaim to have conquered the world. Then the will shoot arrows into the sky to conquer the heavens. The arrows will return blood stained.

HARDSHIPS ON MOUNT TOOR
Scarcity of provisions and hardships will afflict the Muslims. Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) and the Muslims will pray for the removal of the calamity.

YAJOOJ AND MAJOOJ KILLED BY INFECTIONS
Their prayers were answered and the Yajooj and Majooj develop boil infections, causing them to burst simultaneously as a result.

EARTH FULL OF STENCH OF CORPSES
Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) and his companions pray again and huge birds are sent to pick up the Yajooj and Majooj corpses and dispose of them in Nahbal (according to Tirmidhi), the ocean or elsewhere.

PEACE ON EARTH
It will rain for forty days and the earth will be cleansed. Muslims will burn the bows and arrow of Yajooj and Majooj for 7 years. Life will be peaceful while Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) is alive. The earth will be bountiful. Hadhrat Isa will live 19 years after marriage.

HADHRAT ISA PASSES AWAY AND BURIED NEXT TO MUHAMMED (S.A.W.)

OTHER LEADERS FOLLOW AFTER HADHRAT ISA (A.S.)
Jahjaan from Qahtaan, from a tribe in Yemen, will rule as the next Khalifa. Muquad, from a tribe of Banu Tamim will also be a deputy. SOCIETY SLOWLY DECAYS AND KUFR SETS IN

The Final Signs of Qiyaamah:

1 THE CAVING IN OF THE GROUND
The ground will cave in: one in the east, one in the west, and one in Hejaz, Saudi Arabia.

2 THE FORTY DAY SMOKE/FOG
Fog or smoke will cover the skies for forty days. The non-believers will fall unconscious, while Muslims will be ill (develop colds). The skies will then clear up.

3 THE NIGHT OF THREE NIGHTS
A night three nights long will follow the fog. It will occur in the month of Zil-Hajj after Eidul-Adha, and cause much restlessness among the people.

4 THE RISING OF THE SUN IN THE WEST
After the night of three nights, the following morning the sun will rise in the west. People’s repentance will not be accepted after this incident.

5 THE BEAST FROM THE EARTH APPEARS
One day later, the Beast from the earth will miraculously emerge from Mount Safaa in Makkah, causing a split in the ground. The beast will be able to talk to people and mark the faces of people, making the believers’ faces glitter, and the non-believers’ faces darkened.

6 THE BREEZE FROM THE SOUTH
A breeze from the south causes sores in the armpits of Muslims, which they will die of as a result.

7 DESTRUCTION OF THE KA’ABA
The Ka’aba will be destroyed by non-Muslim African group. Kufr will be rampant. Haj will be discontinued. The Qur’an will be lifted from the heart of the people, 30 years after the ruler Muquad’s death.

8 FINAL SIGN OF QIYAAMAH: FIRE IN YEMEN
The fire will follow people to Syria, after which it will stop.

COMMENCEMENT OF QIYAAMAH
Some years after the fire, Qiyaamah begins with the Soor (trumpet) being blown. The year is not known to any person. Qiyaamah will come upon the worst of creation.

(excerpts from... "Signs of Qiyamah"
by Mohammed Ali Ibn Zubair Ali

and "MAJOR SIGNS OF QIYAMAT"
by Mufti Afzal Hoosen Elias)
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Who is Dajjal?
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Hadhrat Imraan bin Husain (R.A.) relates that, "I heard Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) saying: "Since the birth of Adam (A.S.) till the advent of Qiyamah there is no fitnah (evil, test) much greater that of Dajjal."

(Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) has exhorted the regular recital of Suratul Kahf which will most certainly save one from the Evils of Dajjal.)

Hadhrat Huzaifah (R.A.) says, Dajjal will be blind in his left eye. He will have very thick hair on his body and he will also have his own type of Jannat and Jahannam with him: Although his Jannat will appear as Jannat, in reality it will be Jahannam and likewise though his Jahannam will appear to be Jahannam, in reality it will be Jannat.
(Muslim)

Imraan bin Husain (R.A.) says Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "Those who hear about Dajjal should stay far from him. By Allah! A person will approah him thinking him to be a Believer, but on seeing his amazing feats he will become his follower."

Ubadah bin Saamit (R.A.) once said, "I have explained Dajjal to you but I fear that you might not have understood. Maseeh Dajjal will be short, and his legs will be crooked. The hair on his head will be extremely twisted. He will have one eye (with which he can see, and this is the protruding eye about which other ahadeeth inform us) while his other eye will be totally flat. It will neither be deep (in its socket) nor protruding.

If you still have any doubt regarding him then remember that your Sustainer (Rabb) is not one-eyed. (Because Dajjal will eventually claim to be Allah). In a lengthy Hadith narrated by Abu Saeed (R.A.), Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is reported to have said: "Dajjal will come but it will be prohibited and impossible for him to enter Madina. He will set up camp in a barren land outside Madina. One person who will be the best of persons will confront him by saying: "I bear witness that you are the very Dajjal about whom Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) has informed us."

Dajjal will say to his followers, "If I kill this person and then revive him, you people will still doubt me?"

They will reply, "No."

He will then kill this person, (according to another narration he will split this person in two) and thereafter revive him. This person will say, "I am totally convinced more than ever before that you definitely are Dajjal."

Dajjal will attempt to kill this person again but his efforts will now be in vain.

(According to a hadith, after this incident, Dajjal will not be able to harm anyone.)

Hadhrat Anas (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "Dajjal will come and finally reach the outskirts of Madina. There will be three tremors. At that time, all the disbelievers and hypocrites will flee (from Madina).

In this way Madina Munawwarah will be purified of all the evil hypocrites.

Hadhrat Asma bint Yazeed (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) once came to my house and there he spoke about Dajjal. He said that before the emergence of Dajjal there will be three spells of drought. In one year the skies will withold one third of its rains, causing the earth to withold one third of its produce. In the second year the skies will withold two thirds of its rains, causing the earth to withold two thirds of its produce. In the third year, the skies will withold all its water and there will be no crops that year. All animals, be they hooved or toothed, will die as a result. The greatest evil of Dajjall will be to approach anyone and ask him: "If I bring your camel back to life, will you then believe that I am your Rabb?"

This person will reply, "Most certainly."

Thereafter Shaytaan (from the many Shayateen who will always accompany Dajjal) will appear before this person in the form of his camel with a fat hump and fully laden udders.

Likewise Dajjal will appear before another person whose father and brother have long passed away and ask him, "If I bring your father and brother back to life will you believe that I am your Rabb?"

This person will reply, "Why not?"

Shaytaan will once again take on the appearance of his brother and father...
(Ahmad)

Hadhrat Mughira ibn Shu'ba (R.A.) says that, "No one asked Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) about Dajjal as much as myself. Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) said to me, "How can he possibly harm you?"

I said: "People are saying that he will have with him a mountain of bread (provisions) and a river of water."

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) said: "In the sight of Allah he is much more disgraced than that. (i.e. Allah knows full well that in reality Dajjal has nothing with him, and all that which appears to be with him is but deception). (Bukhari and Muslim).

Other Ahadeeth regarding Dajjal inform us that:
He will emerge between Shaam and Iraq, and his emergence will become known when he is in Isfahaan at a place called Yahudea.
The Yahudis of Isfahaan will be his main followers.
Apart from having mainly Yahudi followers, he will have a great number of women followers as well.
He will have with him fire and water, but in reality the fire will be cold water while that what appears to be cold water will in reality be a blazing fire.
Those who obey him will enter "his Jannat" while those who disobey him will enter "his Jahannam."
There will be a thick fingernail-like object in his left eye.
The letters "Kaa" "Faa" "Raa" will appear on his forehead and will be deciphered by all Mu'mineen regardless of them being literate or not.
He will have a wheatish complexion.
He will travel at great speeds and his means of conveyance will be a gigantic mule. It is said that he will play beautiful music which will attract the music lovers.
Dajjal will lay claim to prophethood.
He will then lay claim to Divinity.
He will perform unusual feats.
He will travel the entire world. He will send down rains upon those who believe in him, which in turn will cause good crops to grow, trees to bear fruit and cattle to grow fat.
He will cause drought to those who disbelieve in him, resulting in starvation and hardship for them.
During those trying times the Mu'mineen will satiate their hunger through the recitation of Subhanallah and La'ilaha Ilallahu.
The hidden treasures will spill forth at his command. He will stay on this Earth for a period of forty days; the length of the first day will be one year, the second day will be equal to one month, the third day will be equal to a week and the remaining days will be normal.
He will be unable to enter Makkah because the Malaikah will be guarding the Holy City and nor will he be able to enter Madina because there will be Malaikah guarding each of the seven entrances to Madina; From Madina he will proceed towards Shaam where Imaam Mahdi will be stationed.
Finally Isa (A.S.) will descend from the heavens and pursue him and eventually kill him at present day Lydda (Baad Lud).

(from: "Signs of Qiyamah"
by Mohammed Ali Ibn Zubair Ali)
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Who are the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj?
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The Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj

During the reign of Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) people will live an extremely peaceful life filled with prosperity and abundance. Then the wall which imprisons Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj will break and they will surge forth in large numbers.

"But when Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are let loose and they rush headlong down every hill"
(Quran 21:97)
Who are the Ya'jooj and Majooj?

Zul Qarnain (A.S.) who was a pious and just Ruler travelled to many lands and conquered them, establishing justice and the Law of Allah therein. Allah Ta'ala provided him with all forms and material strength through which he was able to carry out his conquests and missions.

He once carried out a mission in three directions, the far west, the far east, and then in a northerly direction. It was here that he came across a tribe of people who complained to him about the tribes of Ya'jooj and Majooj which inhabited the land behind two huge mountains and often emerged from behind these mountains to perpetrate acts of anarchy and plunder among them. They requested Zul Qarnain (A.S.) to erect a barrier between themselves and the tribes of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj so that they could be saved from their atrocities. With the material strength at his disposal, Zul Qarnain (A.S.) enlisted their physical labor and set about erecting a high wall between the two mountains. The height of the wall or its exact length is unknown. What is known is that the height of this wall reaches that of the summit of both mountains. It is made with blocks or sheets of iron, which is further strengthened by molten lead. In this manner Ya'jooj and Majooj are unable to scale the wall, or cross it, except when it is the will of Allah.

"And when the promise of my Rabb approaces, He will level it to dust"
(Quran 18:98)
They are situated in a land of ice which is hidden from our gazes and the exact location of which is unknown. Though many interpretations do exist in this respect, none of these can be said to absolute.

Ya'jooj and Majooj are human beings and according to a narration they are from the progeny of Yafith ibn Nooh (A.S.).

Some Ahadith...

In a lengthy hadith by Hadhrat Nawwas ibn Sam'aan (R.A.) Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is reported to have said:

"...Allah will send revelation upon Eesa (A.S.) that 'Such a creation of mine is now going to emerge that no power will be able to stop them. Therefore take my servants and ascend the Mount of Toor.' Then Ya'jooj and Majooj will emerge and surge forth in all their fury. When those from among them who constitute the former part of their army pass the lake of Tiberias (which is in northern Palestine), they will drink up all the water of that lake and by the time those that constitute the latter part of that same army pass the lake, they will say, "There used to be water here (long ago). When they reach the Mount of Khamr in Jerusalem, they will arrogantly proclaim: 'We have conquered the people of the earth, now we will annihilate those in the sky.' So saying they will fire their arrows towards the sky. When the arrows return to the ground they will be blood stained.
In the meantime, Eesa (A.S.) will be on the Mount of Toor with his followers. At that time the head of and ox will be as valuable as is a hundred dinars to you in this day. [This indicates the scarcity of provisions]. Faced with these hardships, Eesa (A.S.) and his followers will make dua unto Allah (to remove this calamity). As a result, Allah will cause sores to appear on the necks of each and every individual of these people which will cause their death suddenly. When Eesa (A.S.) and his followers descend from the Mount of Toor there will not be a single space on the land where the dead rotting bodies of these people is not littered, giving off a horrendous odour. Eesa (A.S.) and his followers will once more supplicate unto Allah as a result of which Allah will send down huge birds whose necks will be as thick as that of the necks of camels, and they will dump these bodies in a place where Allah wills. (According to a narration by Tirmidhi, they will be dumped at a place called Nahbal).

Allah Ta'ala will then send down a heavy rain, the waters of which will flow in every part of the earth cleansing it thoroughly. It will rain for a period of forty days.

The Muslims will then burn the bows and arrows of the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj for a period of seven years.

Allah will order the earth to yield forth its crops in abundance and there will be such blessing and prosperity that one pomegranate will be sufficient for a whole group while the peel thereof will suffice to cast a shadow over them. The milk of one camel will be sufficient for many groups while one milk giving cow will be sufficient for a whole tribe. One milk giving goat will be sufficent for a whole family..."

(Muslim)
Hadhrat Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said:

"On the day of Qiyamah Allah will say to Adam (A.S.) to pick out the Jahannamis from his entire progeny. Adam (A.S.) will ask: 'O Rabb, who are they?'
Allah will say: 'Nine hundred and ninety nine of a thousand are Jahannami while the one is a Jannati.'

On hearing this the Sahaba were overtaken by fear and they asked "O Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), who will that one Janniti be?'

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: 'Do not grieve, the nine hundred and ninety nine will be Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj while you will be the Jannati."' (i.e. your numbers in relation to them will be one in a thousand).

(Bukhari and Muslim)
Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Umar (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said:

"Allah Ta'ala divided mankind into ten parts. Nine tenths constitute Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj while the remaining tenths constitutues the rest of mankind."
Hadhrat Zainab bint Jahsh (R.A.) says: "...once Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) awoke from such a sleep that his face was red and these words were on his tongue: 'There is none worthy of worship except Allah. Destruction is upon the Arabs on account of the evil which has come close to them. Today a hole as big as this has opened up in the wall of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj.' ..and Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) indicated the size of the hole forming a ring with his index finger and thumb."

(Bukhari and Muslim)
Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (R.A.) narrates that every day Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj break (dig) through the wall erected by Zul Qarnain (A.S.) until they reach the end of it to that extent that they can actually see the light on the other side. They then return (home) saying that 'We will break through tomorrow.' But Allah Ta'ala causes the wall to revert to its original thickness and the next day they start digging through the wall all over again, and this process continues each day until as long as Allah wills them to remain imprisoned. When Allah wishes them to be released, then at the end of the day they will say, "If Allah wills, tomorrow we will break through." The following day they will find the wall as they had left it the previous day (i.e. it will not have returned to its orginal state) and after breaking the remaining part of it they will emerge."

(Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)

Commenting on the above hadith, Allamah Ibn Arabi says, Three miracles are evident in this Hadith:

1.) It never occurs to these tribes that they must continue work during the night. After all, they are in such large numbers that they can easily delegate the work among themselves and work in shifts. But Allah does not allow this thought to occur to them.
2.) It never occurs to them that they can merely cross the mountains or scale the wall, which they can do through the aid of equipment and implements wich they possess in large numbers. According to a narration by Wahab ibn Munabbah it is known that these tribes are agriculturists and artisians possessing various types of equipment.

3.) The thought of saying "If Allah wills" never enters their minds and it will only occur to them to say it when Allah wills that they be released.

(from: "Signs of Qiyamah"
by Mohammed Ali Ibn Zubair Ali)
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Who Is Imam Mahdi?
--------------------------------------------------------
Please do not confuse Imam Mahdi with Hadhrat Isa (Jesus) Alayhis Salaam. They are two different persons, and both will come during the last days. According to Hadeeth, Imam Mahdi will appear first, and Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) will appear during Imam Mahdi's lifetime. Furthermore, only Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) will be able to kill Dajjal (the "anti-Christ").

The term "MAHDI" is a title meaning "The Guided one".

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Mas'ood (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, "This world will not come to an end until one person from my progeny does not rule over the Arabs, and his name will be the same as my name." (Tirmidhi)

Hadhrat Ali (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, "Even if only a day remains for Qiyamah to come, yet Allah will surely send a man from my family who will fill this world with such justice and fairness, just as it initally was filled with oppression." (Abu Dawood)

His Features

Hadhrat Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A.) relates that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, "Al Mahdi will be from my progeny. His forehead will be broad and his nose will be high. He will fill the world with justice and fairness at a time when the world will be filled with oppression. He will rule for seven years."

Other ahadeeth inform us that:

* He will be tall
* He will be fair complexioned
* His facial features will be similar to those of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)
* His character will be exactly like that of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)
* His father's name will be Abdullah
* His mother's name will be Aamina
* He will speak with a slight stutter and occasionally this stutter will frustrate him causing him to hit his hand upon his thigh.
* His age at the time of his emergence will be forty years
* He will receive Knowledge from Allah.
His Emergence and Rule
Hadhrat Umme Salmah (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, " After the death of a Ruler there will be some dispute between the people. At that time a citizen of Madina will flee (from Madinah) and go to Makkah. While in Makkah, certain people will approach him between Hajrul Aswad and Maqaame Ibraheem, and forcefully pledge their allegiance to him.

Thereafter a huge army will proceed from Syria to attack him but when they will be at Baida, which is between Makkah and Madina, they will be swallowed into the ground.

On seeing this, the Abdaals of Shaam as well as large numbers of people from Iraq will come to him and pledge their allegiance to him. Then a person from the Quraish, whose uncle will be from the Bani Kalb tribe will send an army to attack him, only to be overpowered, by the will of Allah. This (defeated) army will be that of the Bani Kalb. Unfortunate indeed is he who does not receive a share from the booty of the Kalb. This person (Imam Mahdi) will distribute the spoils of war after the battle. He will lead the people according to the Sunnat and during his reign Islam will spread throughout the world. He will remain till seven years (since his emergence). He will pass away and the Muslims will perform his Janazah salaat." (Abu Dawood)

According to a Hadeeth, Sayyidena Eesa (A.S.) will lead the Janaazah of Imam Mahdi (A.S.).

While the people will be pledging their allegiance to Imaam Mahdi, a voice from the unseen will call out:

"This is the representative of Allah,
The Mahdi, listen to him and obey him"
This announcement which will be heard by all those present will establish his authenticity. Another sign which will indicate the authenticity of Imaam Mahdi wil be that in the Ramadhaan prior to his emergence an eclipse of the sun and moon will occur.
Hadhrat Abu Umamah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "There will be four peace agreements between you and the Romans. The fourth agreement will be mediated through a person who will be from the progeny of Hadhrat Haroon (A.S.) and will be upheld for seven years."

The people asked: "O Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), who will be the Imaam of the people at the time?"

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "He will be from my progeny and will be forty years of age. His face will shine like a star and he will have a black spot on his left cheek. He will don two "Qutwaani" cloaks and will appear exactly as a person from the Bani Israeel..." (Tabrani)

According to hadith narrated by Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A.) Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "...(regarding the rule of Imaam Mahdi) the skies will rain down in abundance and the earth will yield forth its crop in abundance, and those alive will desire that those who have already passed away should have been alive to enjoy this prosperity..."

Hadhrat Buraidah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "There will be many armies after me. You must join that army which will come from Khurasaan." (Ibn Adi)

Abu Hurairah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "(Armies carrying) black flags will come from Khurasaan. No power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela (Baitul Maqdas) where they will erect their flags."

(from: "Signs of Qiyamah"
by Mohammed Ali Ibn Zubair Ali)
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Isa (A.S.)
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The Physical Features of Hadhrat Isa (A.S.)

He will resemble the famous Sahabi (A.S.) Hadhrat Urwa bin Masoodi (R.A.). He will be of average height and red and white in colour. His hair spread to the shoulders, straight, neat and shining as after a bath. On bending his head, it will seem as if pearls are falling. He will have an armour on his body. He will be wearing two pieces of cloth light yellow in color.

His Descension

He will descend on a Jamaat (group) that will be righteous at the time and comprising of 800 men and 400 women. The people will be preparing for war at the time against Dajjal (the anti-Christ). It will be time for Fajr prayers, and Imam Mahdi will be the Amir (leader). From the darkness of the dawn, a sound will suddenly be heard that "one who listens to your pleas has come" -- the righteous people will look everywhere and their eyes will fall on Isa (A.S.). Briefly, at the time of Fajr, Isa (A.S.) will descend. When descending, Isa (A.S.)'s hands will be on the shoulders of two angels (according to another source (Kab Abrar), a cloud will carry him). On their insistence Hadhrat Isa will introduce himself. He will inquire about their enthusiasm and thoughts on Jihad against Dajjal. Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) will descend on the eastern side near the Minaret in Damascus (or in Baitul-Muqaddus by Imam Mahdi). At the time Imam Mahdi will have proceeded forward to lead the Fajr Salaat. The Iqamat of the Salaat would have been said (already recited) and Imam Mahdi will call Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) for Imamat (to lead the prayer), but he (Hadhrat Isa (A.S.)) will instead tell Imam Mahdi to lead the prayer since the Iqamat of that Salaat has already been said for him. Thus Imam Mahdi will lead the prayer, and Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) will follow him. After the ruku, he will make this statement: "Allah has killed Dajjal and the Muslims have appeared."

The Killing of Dajjal and the Victory of the Muslims

After the completion of Fajr Salaat, Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) will open the door behind him where Dajjal accompanied by 70,000 Yahudis will be. He will indicate with his hand to move away between him (Hadhrat Isa (A.S.)) and Dajjal. Dajjal will then see Hadhrat Isa (A.S.). At that time every Kafir on whom the breath of Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) will reach, will die. His breath will reach up to the distance of his eyesight. The Muslims will then come down from the mountains and break loose on the army of Dajjal. There will be war, Dajjal will retreat, and Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) will pursue Dajjal. Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) will have two flexible swords and one shield with him and with these he will kill Dajjal at the Gate of Hudd. He willl show the Muslims the blood of Dajjal which will get on his shield. Eventually the Yahudis will be selected and killed. The swine will be killed and the cross broken. People will revert to Islam. Wars will end, and people will return to their respective countries. One Jamaat (group) of Muslims will remain in his service and companionship.

Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) will go to Fajr Rawha and perform Haj or Umrah (or both) from there. He will also go to the grave of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and present his greetings and Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) will reply. People will live comfortable lives. The wall of Yajooj and Majooj will then break.

The Blessings of Hadhrat Isa (A.S.)

1 Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) will descend and stay on earth.
2 His descension will be in the last era of the Ummat.
3 He will be a just ruler and a fair judge.
4 His ummat will be the Khalifa (deputies) of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam).
5 He will act himself and instruct others on the Qur'an and Hadith (Shariat of Islam).
6 He will lead people in Salaat.
7 He will stay on earth for a period of 40 years after descending. This will be the best era of the Ummat after the first era of Islam.
8 Allah will protect his companions from Jahannam.
9 Those who will save the Deen of Islam by associating themselves with Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) will be amongst the most loved by Allah Ta'ala.
10 During this period all other religions and mazhabs besides Islam will perish, hence there will be no kuffaars in the world.
11 Jihad will be stopped.
12 No Khiraaj will be taken.
13 Nor Jizya (protection) money from the kafirs.
14 Wealth and property will be in surplus to such an extent that there will be no one to accept the wealth of the other (everyone will be independent).
15 Receiving Zakaat and Saadaqa will be discarded.
16 The people will love the sajda (prostration) more than the world and what it consists of.
17 All types of Deeni and worldly blessings will descend on earth (many halaal (lawful) things will be created).
18 There will be peace, harmony and tranquility during the time of Hadhrat Isa (A.S.)'s stay in the world.
19 There will be no animosity for a period of seven years, even between two persons.
20 All hearts will be free from miserliness, envy, hatred, malice and jealousy.
21 For a period of forty years no one will fall ill or die.
22 Venom will be taken out of all venomous animals.
23 Snakes and scorpions will not harm anyone to the extent that if a child put his hand in its mouth, he will not be harmed.
24 Wild animals will not harm anyone.
25 If a man will pass a lion, he will not be troubled or harmed, or even if any girl will open its mouth to test if it will do anything.
26 The camels will graze among lions, cheetahs with cattle and the jackals with goats.
27 The fertility of the land will increase to such an extent that even if a seed is planted in a hard rock, it will sprout.
28 A pomegranate will be so huge that a jamaat will be able to eat it and the people will use its peel as shade.
29 There will be so much barakaat (blessing) in milk that a camel will suffice for a huge jamaat, a cow for a tribe and a goat for a family.
30 In short, life will be most pleasant after the descension of Hadhrat Isa (A.S.).

His Marriage, Death and Deputies

After his descension on earth, Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) will marry. He will have children, and he will remain on earth 19 years after marriage. He will pass away and Muslims will perform his Janaza Salaat and bury him net to Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). (Tirmidhi)

(from "Major Signs of Qiyamat"
translated by M. Afzal Hoosein Elias
from the original (with references): "Aalalaat-e-Qiyyamat aur Nuzul-e-Eesa.")
Taken directly from :

http://www.siliconfusion.com/Islam