Muslims in Calgary http://muslimsincalgary.ca Signs of the Hour and Trials of the Grave Author : Younus Kathrada The Meaning of the Last Day Back to Basics: Pillars of Faith The Fifth Pillar: Belief in the Last Day The Last Day is the Day of Resurrection that everyone will be resurrected on for accounting and recompense. It is called the last because there is no day thereafter; the people of Paradise will then reside in their homes in Paradise, and the people of Hellfire will reside in Hellfire. The meaning of believing in the Last Day is to have http://muslimsincalgary.ca/signs-of-the-hour-and-trials-of-the-grave/ 1 / 9
complete conviction and affirmation in the Day of Resurrection. One must have faith and belief in everything Allah, the Exalted, mentioned in His Noble Book, and everything that His Truthful Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) mentioned with regards to what happens after death, until the people of Paradise enter Paradise, and the people of Hellfire enter Hellfire. The Obligation of Belief in the Last Day It is obligatory on the Muslim to have complete belief and conviction in that there is a day that Allah, the Exalted, has kept to His knowledge, wherein He will account people and recompense the slaves for all of their actions. During this day, there will be two groups of people, a group in Paradise and a group in Hellfire. One must believe in the end of this worldly life, and its end is the Last Day, wherein Allah, the Exalted, will gather the first and last of creation. One must know that their faith is not valid or complete unless they realize faith in the Last Day. Allah, the Exalted, said (what means), {And whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His Messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray.} (Quran 4:136) {Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the Prophets.} (Quran 2:177) In the hadith of Gabriel, may Allah exalt his mention, when he asked the Prophet (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) about faith, he (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) replied, "It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and the good and bad parts of predestination." (Reported by Muslim) The Signs of the Hour We must believe that the Hour is coming without a doubt, that only Allah, the Exalted, knows its timing, and that He kept it hidden from all people. Allah, the Exalted, said (what means), {They ask you, [O Muhammad], about the Hour: when is its arrival? Say, Its http://muslimsincalgary.ca/signs-of-the-hour-and-trials-of-the-grave/ 2 / 9
knowledge is only with my Lord. None will reveal its time except Him. It lays heavily upon the heavens and the earth. It will not come upon you except unexpectedly. They ask you as if you are familiar with it. Say, Its knowledge is only with Allah, but most of the people do not know. } (Quran 7:187) {They ask you, [O Muhammad], about the Hour: when is its arrival? In what [position] are you that you should mention it? To your Lord is its finality. You are only a warner for those who fear it. It will be, on the Day they see it, as though they had not remained [in the world] except for an afternoon or a morning thereof.} (Quran 79:42-46) {Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.} (Quran 31:34) It is established that Allah s Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) clarified many signs of the hour in various ahadith. Minor Signs of the Hour It is authentically narrated that the Prophet (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) mentioned that the hour has signs, most of which revolve around the corruption of people, the appearance of trials that occur between them, and deviance from the straight path. Of the minor signs of the hour are what has been mentioned in the hadith of Gabriel, may Allah exalt his mention, when he asked Allah s Messenger about the hour, and he (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) replied, "The one being asked about it does not know any more than the one asking." Angel Gabriel, may Allah exalt his mention, said, Tell me of its signs. He (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) said, "They are - that a bondswoman gives birth to her own master, and that you will find the barefooted, naked, poor shepherds competing with one another in the construction of higher buildings." (Reported by Muslim) Another minor sign of the hour is that when someone said to Allah s Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) When is the hour? He (may the Salah and http://muslimsincalgary.ca/signs-of-the-hour-and-trials-of-the-grave/ 3 / 9
Salam of Allah be upon him) replied, "If the trust is lost, then wait for the Hour." The man replied, How will it be lost? He (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) replied, "If matters are entrusted to those who do not deserve it, then await the hour." (Reported by al-bukhari) A sign of the hour is that Allah s Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) is sent, the moon split, trials increase, lying fabricators emerge and claim to be prophets, knowledge is taken away, ignorance becomes widespread, prey-animals and inanimate objects speak to humans, people cut the ties of the wombs, neighbors will become bad, corruption becomes widespread, earthquakes increase, and transformations and rocks falling from the sky will emerge, and Allah, the Exalted, will punish some of this Ummah with those punishments. Subscribe to our Newsletter: Major Signs of the Hour As for the major signs of the hour, then they are the major and close signs that are succeeded directly by the hour. In authentic narrations, the Prophet (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) mentioned ten of them, such as the hadith of Huthaifah ibn Usaid al-ghifari who said, Allah s Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) entered upon us while we were discussing and engaging in mutual study, and he said, "What are you discussing?" They said, We are discussing the hour. He (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) said, "It will not come until you see ten signs before it [ ] the smoke, the antichrist, the beast, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent of Jesus, son of Mary, may Allah exalt his mention, the Gog and Magog, land-slides in three places, one in the east, one in the west and one in Arabia at the end of which fire would burn forth from the Yemen, and would drive people to the place of their assembly. " (Reported by Muslim) Trials of the Grave http://muslimsincalgary.ca/signs-of-the-hour-and-trials-of-the-grave/ 4 / 9
It is when the dead person is asked after being buried about his lord, religion, and prophet. Allah, the Exalted, will make steadfast those who believed with a firm word, and they will say, My Lord is Allah, my religion is Islam, and my Prophet is Muhammad (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) but Allah will misguide the wrongdoers and they will say, Oh, oh, I do not know. The hypocrite or one with doubts will say, I do not know, I heard people saying something and I said it. Allah, the Exalted, said (what means), {Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word, in worldly life and in the Hereafter. And Allah sends astray the wrongdoers. And Allah does what He wills.} (Quran 14:27) Punishment of the Grave and its Bliss The punishment would be for the wrongdoing hypocrites and disbelievers. Allah, the Exalted, said (what means), {And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah or says, It has been inspired to me, while nothing has been inspired to him, and one who says, I will reveal [something] like what Allah revealed. And if you could but see when the wrongdoers are in the overwhelming pangs of death while the angels extend their hands, [saying], Discharge your souls! Today you will be awarded the punishment of [extreme] humiliation for what you used to say against Allah other than the truth and [that] you were, toward His ayaat, being arrogant. } (Quran 6:93) Allah, the Exalted, also said regarding the family and followers of Pharaoh (what means), {The Fire, they are exposed to it morning and evening. And the Day the Hour appears [it will be said], Make the people of Pharaoh enter the severest punishment. } (Quran 40:46) Zaid ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) said, While the Prophet (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) was in a garden belonging to the offspring of [the family of] al-najjar, riding a pony, and we were with him, it shied away and almost caused him to fall. At that location, there were six, five, or four graves. He (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) said, "Who knows the residents of these graves?" http://muslimsincalgary.ca/signs-of-the-hour-and-trials-of-the-grave/ 5 / 9
A man said, I do. He (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) said, "When did they die?" He replied, They died as polytheists. He (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) said, "These people are passing through the ordeal in the graves. If it were not the reason that you would stop burying (your dead) in the graves on listening to the torment in the grave which I am listening to, I would have certainly made you hear that." Then turning his face towards us, he said, "Seek refuge with Allah from the torment of Hell." They said: We seek refuge with Allah from the torment of Hell. He said, "Seek refuge with Allah from the torment of the grave." They said: We seek refuge with Allah from the torment of the grave. He (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) said, "Seek refuge with Allah from turmoil, its visible and invisible (aspects)." They said: We seek refuge with Allah from turmoil, its visible and invisible aspects. He (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) said, "Seek refuge with Allah from the turmoil of the Dajjal (antichrist)." They said: We seek refuge with Allah from the turmoil of the Dajjal. (Reported by Muslim) In contrast, the bliss of the grave is exclusive to the believers who are true in their faith. Allah, the Exalted, said (what means), {Indeed, those who have said, Our Lord is Allah and then remained on a right course - the angels will descend upon them, [saying], Do not fear and do not grieve but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were promised. } (Quran 41:30) {Then why, when the soul at death reaches the throat And you are at that time looking on - And Our angels are nearer to him than you, but you do not see - Then why do you not, if you are not to be recompensed, Bring it back, if you should be truthful? And if the deceased was of those brought near to Allah, Then [for him is] rest and bounty and a garden of pleasure.} (Quran 56:83-89) http://muslimsincalgary.ca/signs-of-the-hour-and-trials-of-the-grave/ 6 / 9
Al-Bara ibn `Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) said, We went out with the Prophet (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) during the funeral of a man, and he had not been wrapped in a shroud yet. Allah s Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) sat, and we sat beside him; it was as if the birds were on our heads [due to our stillness in sitting and listening]. In his hand was a piece of wood with which he was striking the floor. Then, he raised his head, and said, "Seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave." He said this two or three times and then, he (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) said, "A believing slave, when they are on the verge of being severed from this life and proceeding to the Hereafter, an angel from the heavens descends on them. The angel would have a white face, as if their face was the sun. The angel would have a casket and shrouds from Paradise. They would sit as far as one s eyes can see, then the Angel of Death, may Allah exalt his mention, would come and sit at his head, and say, O pure soul, leave to the mercy and pleasure of Allah. Then, it will flow out of the body as water flows from a bottle. Then, they take [the soul]. When he seizes it, they do not leave it in his hand for an instant before they take it and put it in that shroud with that perfume, and there comes from it a fragrance like the finest musk on the face. Then, they ascend with the soul, and they do not pass with it by a group of angels but that the angels say, Whose soul is this good soul? They respond, It is so-and-so, the child of soand-so, and they call them by the best of their names that they used to be called by in this world, until they reach the lowest heaven. They ask for it to be opened to them and it is opened, and (the soul) is welcomed and accompanied to the next heaven by those who are closest to Allah, until they reach the seventh heaven. Then Allah says: Record the book of My slave in `Illiyyun in the seventh heaven, and return him to the earth, for from it I created them, to it I will return them and from it I will bring them forth once again. So, their soul is returned to their body and there come to them two angels who make them sit up and they say to them, Who is your Lord? They say, Allah. They say, What is your religion? They say, My religion is Islam. They say, Who is this man who was sent among you? They say, He is the Messenger of Allah (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him). They say, What did you do? They say, I read the Book of Allah and I believed in it. Then a voice calls out from heaven, My slave has spoken the truth, so prepare for them a bed from Paradise and clothe them from Paradise, and open for them a gate to Paradise. Then there comes to them some of its fragrance, and their grave is made wide, as far as they can see. Then there comes to them a man with a handsome face and handsome clothes, and a good fragrance, who says, Receive the glad tidings that will http://muslimsincalgary.ca/signs-of-the-hour-and-trials-of-the-grave/ 7 / 9
bring you joy this day. They say, Who are you? Your face is a face which brings glad tidings. He says, I am your righteous deeds. They say, O Lord, hasten the Hour so that I may return to my family and my wealth. But when the disbelieving slave is about to depart this world and enter the Hereafter, there comes down to them from heaven angels with black faces, bringing sackcloth, and they sit around him as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits by their head, and he says, O evil soul, come forth to the wrath of Allah and His anger. Then their soul disperses inside his body, and then comes out cutting the veins and nerves, like a skewer passing through wet wool. When he seizes it, they do not leave it in his hand for an instant before they take it and put it in that sackcloth, and there comes from it a stench like the foulest stench of a dead body on the face of the earth. Then they ascend and they do not pass by any group of angels but they say, Who is this evil soul? they say, It is so-and-so the child of so-and-so, calling them by the worst names by which they were known by in this world, until they reach the lowest heaven. They ask for it to be opened to them and it is not opened." Then, Allah s Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) recited, {The gates of Heaven will not be opened for them, nor will they enter Paradise until a camel enters into the eye of a needle.} (Quran 7:40) "Then Allah says, Record the book of My slave in Sijjin in the lowest earth, and return them to the earth, for from it I created them, to it I will return them and from it I will bring them forth once again. So their soul is cast down" Then, Allah s Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) recited: {And he who associates with Allah - it is as though he had fallen from the sky and was snatched by the birds or the wind carried him down into a remote place.} (Quran 22:31) "Then their soul is returned to their body, and there come to them two angels who make them sit up and they say to them, Who is your Lord? They say, Oh, oh, I don t know. The angel says, What is your religion? They say, Oh, oh, I don t know. Then a voice calls out from heaven, Prepare for them a bed from Hell and clothe them from Hell, and open for them a gate to Hell. Then there comes to them some of its heat and hot winds, and their grave is constricted and compresses them until their ribs interlock. Then there comes to them a man with an ugly face and ugly clothes, and a foul stench, who says, Receive the bad news, this is the day that you were promised. They http://muslimsincalgary.ca/signs-of-the-hour-and-trials-of-the-grave/ 8 / 9
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) say, Who are you? Your face is a face which forebodes evil. He says, I am your evil deeds. They say, O Lord, do not let the Hour come. " (Reported by Ahmad and al-albani ruled it as authentic) Subscribe to our Newsletter: http://muslimsincalgary.ca/signs-of-the-hour-and-trials-of-the-grave/ 9 / 9