The Signs of Qiyaamah – Part Three

Minor Signs Intensifying before the Major Signs

When viewing the minor signs of Qiyaamah recorded in the Mubaarak Ahaadith, one realizes that they are a catalyst to the coming of the major signs. Hence, in reality, the minor signs will increase in their intensity and gradually escalate, until finally, they will culminate in the coming of the major signs.

In certain Ahaadith, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) described the increasing intensity of the fitnahs by comparing them to the dark portions of a night which increase in darkness as the night progresses. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Hasten towards righteous actions before the commencement of fitnahs which will be like the portions of a dark night. A person will be a believer in the morning and become a disbeliever in the evening, or a person will be a believer in the evening and become a disbeliever by the morning. He will be prepared to sell his Deen for a paltry possession of the world.” (Saheeh Muslim #118)

Among the factors that will fuel the intensity of the fitnahs is the love for wealth. For the sake of wealth, people will sacrifice their Deeni values, modesty and shame. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said:

Before Qiyaamah, (you will see) people making salaam to only specific people, and (you will see) businesses prospering to the extent that women will come out of their homes to assist their husbands in the business, and (you will see) family ties being severed (due to the love of wealth)… (Musnad Ahmed #3870)

Five Destructive Fitnahs that Encompass all Fitnahs

When the fitnahs recorded in the various Ahaadith are examined holistically, they can be encapsulated in five destructive fitnahs. These five destructive fitnahs are so encompassing that they are the root causes for creating colossal harm to one’s Deen and they attract a host of other evils in their wake. These five destructive fitnahs are: (1) Emulating the Kuffaar, Jews and Christians (2) Loss of hayaa [shame and modesty] (3) Loss of respect for Deen and for the rights of people (4) Love for wealth and following carnal desires (5) Being opinionated and not wanting to subject oneself to Deen and the pious, rightly-guided Ulama.

Emulating the Kuffaar, Jews and Christians

From the five destructive fitnahs, the first is the fitnah of emulating the kuffaar, Jews and Christians. In one Hadith, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) prophesized that among the fitnahs before Qiyaamah that will contribute to the destruction of the ummah is that the ummah will emulate and idealize the ways of the disbelievers. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said:

“You (i.e. the ummah before Qiyaamah) will most certainly follow the ways of those before you, hand-span for hand-span, and arm’s length for arm’s length, to the extent that if they had to enter into a lizard’s hole, you would follow them into it.” Hearing this, the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) enquired, “O Rasul of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)! Are you referring to the Jews and Christians?” Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) replied, “Who else (am I referring to)?” (Saheeh Bukhaari #3456)

In the Qur’aan and Hadith, the believers are prevented from befriending the kuffaar. The reason for the ummah being prevented from befriending the kuffaar is that through befriending them, a believer will invariably begin to emulate them in their ways, dressing, outlook, culture and values. This will ultimately result in them neglecting or compromising their obligations which they owe to Allah Ta‘ala and the Muslims. Once a believer is inclined towards the disbelievers and their culture, he will begin to live like them and idealize their values, and ultimately, he will abandon his own Islamic culture and values.

Degeneration of Islamic Values

On one occasion, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) addressed the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) and enumerated various signs of Qiyaamah. When we closely examine the signs that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) enumerated, we find that they encompass the four remaining fitnahs mentioned above. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said:

“When spoils of war will be taken as people’s personal wealth to be circulated among them, when a trust will be regarded as booty (i.e. as public property), when zakaat will be viewed as a tax, when the knowledge of Deen will be acquired for motives besides that of Deen, when a man will obey his wife and disobey his mother, and keep his friend close to him and distance his father from him, and voices will be raised in the masaajid, and the open sinner of a tribe will become their leader, and the lowest person of a people will become their representative, and a man will be honoured out of fear of his evil, and singing girls and musical instruments will become rife, and wine will be consumed (openly), and the latter people of this ummah will curse the former people of this ummah (the Sahaabah, rightly-guided Imaams and the pious Ulama), (when these signs manifest) then the people should await hurricanes, earthquakes, people sinking into the earth, disfiguring of faces, stones raining from the sky and other similar signs that will follow in quick succession, just as the pearls in a string fall in quick succession when the string is cut.” (Sunan Tirmizi #2211)

The Solution for the Ummah being Safeguarded from the Fitnahs

Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) once addressed the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) saying, “Continue to command people with good and forbid them from evil, until a time will come when you will see greed for wealth being obeyed (by people of greed), and carnal desires being followed, and the dunya (being made the goal and) being given preference (over Deen), and every person being self-opinionated. At that time, you should be more concerned about saving yourself (from the fitnah which will be completely overwhelming), and leave associating with the people, as the days that will come thereafter will be days of sabr (i.e. even worse and more difficult in regard to safeguarding your Deen). During that period, firmly holding onto Deen will be as difficult as holding a burning ember. The person who carries out good deeds at that time will receive the reward of fifty people who carry out the same good deeds.” Hearing this, a Sahaabi asked, “O Rasul of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)! Will his reward be equivalent to the reward of fifty people of that era who carry out the same good deeds?” Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) replied, “No, his reward will be equivalent to the reward of fifty people who carry out the same good deeds from you (i.e. the Sahaabah).” (Sunan Abu Dawood #4341)

From this Hadith, we understand that at the critical time when fitnahs will be rampant in the world, then the solution is for the ummah to firmly hold onto Deen and not to associate with those involved in fitnahs.

It should be borne in mind that the reward being multiplied until it is equivalent to the reward of fifty Sahaabah is indeed a very great favor of Allah Ta‘ala upon this ummah. The Ulama explain that the multiplication is in respect to the quantity of the reward being multiplied, and not the quality. This is on account of the fact that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) mentioned, “If any of you has to spend gold equivalent to the mountain of Uhud in sadaqah, it will not be equal to one mudd or even half a mudd of grain which a Sahaabi spends in sadaqah.” (Saheeh Ibnu Hibbaan #6994)