INTRODUCTION

 

 Bismillāhir Rahmānir Rahīm, As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh. Peace be upon you brothers and sisters.

 

 Welcome back to the Muslim Converts Channel! Many of the world religions have some kind of a vision as to what the end of the world will look like. Of these religions, a common theme is the idea of an end of times savior who will battle against evil and bring about God’s new order on earth.

 

 Islam has a fairly detailed account as to how the final battle for Armageddon will be like. This battle will include such figures such as Jesus (as) and Imam al-Mahdi (aj). In this lesson, and to the best of our knowledge, we will look over some of the events that will happen in the end of times.

 

 BODY OF TEXT

 

 The Messenger of Allah (s) once said:

 

 “Those of you who live up to the Dajjal’s time should recite over him the opening verses of Surat al–Kahf, for they are your protection from his trial. We [the Prophet’s companions] asked: How long will he remain on the earth? He replied: Forty days, one like a year, one like a month, one like a week, and rest of his days like yours. We asked: Messenger of Allah, will one day’s prayer suffice us in this day which will be like a year ? He replied: No, you must make an estimate of its extent. Then Jesus son of Marry will descend at the white minaret to the east of Damascus. He will then catch him up at the gate of Ludd and kill him”

 

 The Islamic hadiths site a number of events that will act as signs for the end of times. Some of these signs are as follows:

 

1.  The number of men will decrease and the number of women will increase.
2.  Men will marry men, and women will marry women.
3.   Women will wear clothes but it will be as if they are wearing nothing.
4.   Buildings will be taller than mountains
5.  Alcohol will be drunk in large quantities
6.   Knowledge will be taken away and replaced with ignorance
7.   The worst people will be the clerics of Islam
8.   Fornication will be widespread
9.  Time will pass more quickly
10.   Trustworthiness will be lost
11.   Injustice will be widespread, so will bloodshed.
12.   People will stop praying
13.   Dishonesty will be the new way of life
14.   Usury will be permissible and seen as good
15.   Elderly people will be forgotten and disrespected
16.  People will openly worship Satan. This will be common around the world.
17.   People will dance all night with musical instruments on their heads (or ears).
18.   People will be able to see and communicate with each other although there is an ocean separating them.
19.   People’s pockets will notify them of what is going on in their homes when they are away from home.
20.   People will pierce tunnels through mountains.
21.  People will travel very fast

 

 When these signs appear, we will be near the end of times. When corruption reaches its climax, the battle for Armageddon will begin. There are a number of major events that will happen. Remember that the hadiths on the subject are plenty and it is often difficult to put an exact chronological date on the sequence of events. Here we will do our best to outline them.

 

 At the climax of evil, two major antagonists are reported to emerge in the end of times. These two antagonists are the Dajjal and the Sufyani. The Sufyani will be a descendent of Banu Ummaya (Tribe of Ummaya) and will be responsible for the murder of many followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (as). He will take over Greater Syria and parts of Iraq and rule from Damascus.

 

 It is reported that the 12th Imam, Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (aj) will battle the Sufyani until he submits to al-Mahdi’s order. Other reports, however, state that the Dajjal, a more global and more powerful evil, will succeed in eliminating the Sufyani by invading his land and consolidating his evil reign on earth.

 

 The Dajjal, is also known as the Anti-Christ (the full name is al-Masih al-Dajjal, which literally means “the Lying Messiah”). He will establish a new world order around the globe towards the end of times, as opposed to the Sufyani who will yield power in Greater Syria only. Once the Sufyani is put down, the final battle will take place between the Dajjal and Imam al-Mahdi (aj).

 

 The Dajjal will claim to be a god on earth. Many Muslims will flock to him and fall to his deception. The Dajjal will kill a great portion of the world’s Muslims. He will reign down food to his friends from the sky and punish his enemies by sending down ‘smokeless fire.’ Some have interpreted this to be sophisticated missiles that don’t leave smoke trails.

 

 Part of the Dajjal’s power will be from famine. Much famine will take over the world along with lack of water. The Dajjal will offer food and water to his allies.

 

 The Dajjal is said to be one eyed and a recognizable sign on his forehead stating that he is an ingrate or kafir. For this reason, some scholars have opted to say that the Dajjal is a system and not a person. Others have stated that he is a demon or jinn under the orders of Satan and will operate from behind the scenes by guiding powerful governments to kill innocent people and spread corruption on earth.

 

 At that moment, Jesus (as) is to reappear on earth. On earth, he will reveal the truth about himself in that he is not Allah and will repudiate the notion of the trinity, like many Christians believe. Jesus will pledge his allegiance to Imam al-Mahdi and pray behind him. According to Prophetic traditions, Jesus will appear before Imam al-Mahdi (aj).

 

 Along with Jesus, Imam al-Mahdi will gather 313 generals and go to the final battle of Armageddon against the Dajjal. He will defeat the Dajjal and the Dajjal will perish thereafter. At this moment, Imam al-Mahdi (aj) will fill the earth with good and justice whereas previously it was filled with evil, corruption and oppression.

 

 Imam al-Mahdi (aj) will reign on the earth for a few years and afterwards he will die. Some traditions report that he will be killed by a woman. When Imam al-Mahdi (aj) dies, the world will finally end. The Angel Israfil (pronounced Isrāfīl) will blow the trumpet of light and end all life in the world, including that of Satan. With another blow to the trumpet, Israfil will bring the world back and resurrect humankind and the jinn.

 

 At this point, the Day of Judgment will begin. God will exact His punishment on evil doers by sending them to hell whereas He will bless and forgive the innocent as well as those who have redeeming qualities in them.

 

 Until Next Time, Thank you for watching. As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh