Fitnah & End Times
The signs of the Hour, the Dajjal, the return of Isa, and surviving trials.
- What does "the slave woman will give birth to her master" and "barefoot shepherds competing in tall buildings" mean? These are two signs of the Hour the Prophet ﷺ gave in the famous hadith of Jibril. Scholars explained the first in several ways: most classical commentators took it to mean that slave-concubines and their children would become numerous, the child of a master counting as a master; others saw children treating their mothers like servants, or the social order being turned upside down. The second describes poor, humble people becoming rich and competing in showy buildings.
- What are the minor signs of the Day of Judgment? The minor signs are warnings the Prophet ﷺ gave about changes in people and society before the Hour: religious knowledge disappearing, ignorance spreading, alcohol and open zina becoming common, killing increasing, trust being lost, and people competing in tall buildings. They are reminders to prepare, not a countdown.
- When will the Day of Judgment come, and are we living in the end times? Only Allah knows when the Hour will come; not even the Prophet ﷺ knew its time. The Quran says it is near and will come suddenly, and the Prophet ﷺ said his own coming and the Hour are as close as two fingers. So anyone who gives a date is speaking without knowledge.
- What is the Beast of the Earth (Dabbat al-Ard)? The Beast of the Earth is a creature that Allah will bring out near the Hour. The Quran says it will speak to people about their lack of certainty in Allah's signs, and the Prophet ﷺ counted it among the major signs after which new faith no longer benefits. The authentic texts say little about its appearance.
- What are the major signs of the Day of Judgment? The Prophet ﷺ said the Hour will not come until ten great signs appear: the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast of the earth, the sun rising from the west, the descent of Isa son of Maryam (AS), Ya'juj and Ma'juj, three great landslides (in the east, the west and Arabia), and a fire from Yemen that drives people to their gathering.
- What happens when the sun rises from the west? Is repentance still accepted? The sun rising from the west is one of the major signs before the Hour. When people see it, everyone will believe, but by then faith and repentance will no longer be accepted from those who did not believe or repent before. Until that day, the door of repentance stays open.
- Can the Dajjal enter Makkah and Madinah? No. The Prophet ﷺ said the Dajjal will reach every land except Makkah and Madinah, whose entrances will be guarded by angels. He will camp outside Madinah, the city will shake three times, and every disbeliever and hypocrite will leave it and go out to him.
- How will the Dajjal be killed, and who will kill him? Isa son of Maryam (AS) will kill the Dajjal. After Isa descends, he will pursue the Dajjal and catch him at the gate of Ludd, where he will kill him. The Prophet ﷺ said the Dajjal will begin to melt at the sight of Isa like salt in water.
- How can I be protected from the Dajjal? The Prophet ﷺ taught clear protections: memorise the first ten verses of Surat al-Kahf, seek refuge from the Dajjal in every prayer after the tashahhud, stay far away from him if he appears, and hold on to the signs he gave, above all that Allah is not one-eyed and no one sees Allah before death.
- What will the Dajjal do? Why is his fitnah so dangerous? The Dajjal will claim to be Lord and will be given apparent powers as a test: commanding rain and crops, bringing out treasures, and seeming to kill and revive a man. He will bring what looks like Paradise and Hell, but his "Paradise" is really fire. His fitnah is dangerous because it looks like proof.
- Who is the Dajjal? The Dajjal (the great deceiver, al-Masih ad-Dajjal) is a man who will appear before the Hour and claim to be Allah. The Prophet ﷺ called his trial the greatest from Adam until the Hour, and described him clearly: blind in one eye, with "kafir" written between his eyes, so that believers can recognise him.
- Was Isa (Jesus) crucified, or is he still alive? The Quran states that Isa (AS) was neither killed nor crucified; it was only made to appear so, and Allah raised him up to Himself. Mainstream Sunni scholars hold that he was raised alive and will return before the Hour, after which he will die a natural death.
- Will Isa (Jesus) come back before the Day of Judgment? Yes. The Quran calls Isa (AS) a sign of the Hour, and the Prophet ﷺ swore that the son of Maryam will descend as a just ruler. He will kill the Dajjal, break the cross, kill the pig and abolish the jizyah, and he will live on earth for a time before he dies and the Muslims pray over him.
- What will happen when Ya'juj and Ma'juj come out? After Isa (AS) kills the Dajjal, Allah will release Ya'juj and Ma'juj. They will sweep down from every height, drink lakes dry, and no one will be able to fight them. Isa and the believers will take refuge on the mountain and pray, and Allah will destroy them all in one night with worms in their necks.
- Who are Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog)? Ya'juj and Ma'juj are two great nations from the descendants of Adam, described in the Quran as corrupters in the land. Dhul-Qarnayn built a barrier of iron and molten copper that holds them back until the time Allah has set, near the Hour, when it will be levelled and they will pour out. Their emergence is one of the major signs.
- How do I keep my faith strong when fitnah and trials are everywhere? The Prophet ﷺ gave a clear plan: hurry to do good deeds before trials overtake you, keep worshipping Allah even when people are distracted, ask Allah constantly to keep your heart firm, stay with the believers and hold to the Quran and Sunnah, and seek refuge from every fitnah, open and hidden.
- Should I stay away from people and conflicts in times of fitnah? In fitnah where truth is unclear and Muslims fight each other, the Prophet ﷺ praised keeping away: the one who sits is better than the one who stands. But this is not permission to abandon good or the community: in normal times Muslims must stay together and still forbid wrong when they can.
- Why does Allah test believers with fitnah and hardship? Allah tests people to show who is truthful in faith and to wipe away believers' sins. Tests come through both hardship and ease, including wealth and children. For the believer, patience in hardship and gratitude in ease both turn the test into good.