بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The topic about signs of the ‘Hour’ interests many people. Lets review the ayahs related to ‘the Hour’ in Quran:

7:187  يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا ۖ قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِندَ رَبِّي ۖ لَا يُجَلِّيهَا لِوَقْتِهَا إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ ثَقُلَتْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ لَا تَأْتِيكُمْ إِلَّا بَغْتَةً ۗ يَسْأَلُونَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِيٌّ عَنْهَا ۖ قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِندَ اللَّهِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

They ask thee (the messenger) about the (final) hour – when will be it’s appointed time? Say. “The knowledge thereof is with my Lord. None but He can reveal as to when it will occur. It is heavy on the heavens and the earth. It will come to you, suddenly”. They ask thee as if thou wert eager in search thereof. Say, “The knowledge thereof is with Allah (alone), but most people don’t know.”

The ayat 7:187 states that people asked the messenger (pbuh) about the ‘Hour’. However, messenger’s response to the question was that the knowledge of ‘the Hour’ is with Allah, no one but Allah can reveal its timings. There are however, tons of narrations attributed to the messenger (pbuh) about the final ‘Hour’. This ayat makes these narrations doubtful as the messenger has categorically replied that the knowledge of the ‘Hour’ is only with Allah.

In this post we will see ayahs of Quran, related to the ‘Hour’ as below:

47:18  فَهَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا السَّاعَةَ أَن تَأْتِيَهُم بَغْتَةً ۖ فَقَدْ جَاءَ أَشْرَاطُهَا ۚ فَأَنَّىٰ لَهُمْ إِذَا جَاءَتْهُمْ ذِكْرَاهُمْ

Do they then only wait for the ‘Hour’,- that it should come on them suddenly? But already have come some conditions thereof, and when it (actually) is on them, how can they benefit then by their admonitions?

The ‘Hour’ will arrive suddenly. Some of its conditions will manifest in time. Lets see what are these conditions in Quran.

44:10-11  فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُّبِينٍ  يَغْشَى النَّاسَ ۖ هَٰذَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

Then be on the watch for a day when the sky shall come with a smoke (or mist) plainly visible, enveloping the people. This is a grievous penalty.

Smoke and pollution is en-gulfing people in major industrial cities and causing lots of health problems. Near the ‘Hour’ smoke will become a major problem.

30:41  ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

Violence/Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of deeds of the hands of people, that (Allah) may give them a taste of some of their deeds, in order that they may turn (towards Him)

No land, sea or air is going to be safe because of the weapons of mass destruction mankind has made.

27:82  وَإِذَا وَقَعَ الْقَوْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَخْرَجْنَا لَهُمْ دَابَّةً مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ تُكَلِّمُهُمْ أَنَّ النَّاسَ كَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا لَا يُوقِنُونَ

And when the ‘Word’ is fulfilled on them, We shall bring out for them , a creature from the earth to speak to them, for that mankind did not believe in Our signs.

Creature of earth could be a reference to computer technology, as computer chips are sometimes referred to be made of silica (As in Silicon Valley), an ingredient of sand. With advancement of AI, we will be seeing advanced AI forms such as ‘Siri’ of Apple and ‘Alexa’ of Google and robots, talking to people intelligently.

 

54:1  اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ

The Hour (of Judgment) is near, and the moon is spilt.

Could be a prophesy for the future i.e near the Sa’aa/hour the moon will be spilt (a supernova happening within 30 light-years from Earth could annihilate earth and moon) or could be an expression of a predicament, that in modern times, when information about moon positions is not be a secret any more, still in many cities of world, the celebration of Eid will be spilt among factions of Muslims, i.e they will spilt in their judgment about the moon’s position and celebrate Eid on different days, while still living in the same city. This is as if the moon is spilt for them. While it is possible to calculate several hundred years in advance, when a lunar and solar eclipse will happen and in which parts of the World it can be seen. In this age, differences of people’s opinion for normal start of the lunar month is incomprehensible. Allah says that the Moon is for calculation of years and months and for ‘Muwaqeet’/scheduling/calendar (2:189 يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ ۖ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ ) (They ask thee about the Moon phases. Say,  they are schedules/fixed periods of time for people, and for Hajj).  And in 10:5    (    هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ ۚ ) (It is He Who made the sun to be a shining and the moon to be a light, and measured out stages for it; that you may know the count of years and the calculation...). In the present situation can we schedule any event/meeting with Lunar calendar a few months in advance in different parts of the world? with the uncertainty of date depending upon if the moon will be visible with naked eye or not in these cities?

21:96  حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فُتِحَتْ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ وَهُم مِّن كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَنسِلُونَ

Until the Gog and Magog, are released, and they swiftly swarm from every height.

The fast moving invaders shall be released. Most probably two nations from the Eastern region, of China/Mongolia/Korea, who will start war and surge into one another. They shall be swift in coming down from heights.  . (Please see related to topic of Zalqarnain   https://topicsfromquran.com/2018/09/22/zal-qarnain-dual-qarnain/)

The Hour is horrific occurrence that will suddenly overtake mankind. Also, see ayahs 12:107, 22:55, 43:66, also.

6:31  قَدْ خَسِرَ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِلِقَاءِ اللَّهِ ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَتْهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً قَالُوا يَا حَسْرَتَنَا عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِيهَا وَهُمْ يَحْمِلُونَ أَوْزَارَهُمْ عَلَىٰ ظُهُورِهِمْ ۚ أَلَا سَاءَ مَا يَزِرُونَ

Losers indeed are those who belie meeting with Allah,- until ‘the Hour’ is on them suddenly, and they say. “Ah! woe unto us that we took no heed of it”; for they bear their burdens on their backs, and evil indeed are the burdens that they bear?

The ‘Hour’ is accompanied with a mighty convulsion.

22:1-2  يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ السَّاعَةِ شَيْءٌ عَظِيمٌ  يَوْمَ تَرَوْنَهَا تَذْهَلُ كُلُّ مُرْضِعَةٍ عَمَّا أَرْضَعَتْ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا وَتَرَى النَّاسَ سُكَارَىٰ وَمَا هُم بِسُكَارَىٰ وَلَٰكِنَّ عَذَابَ اللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ

O Mankind! fear your Lord! for the Earth quake/Convulsion of the Hour will be a mighty thing!: The Day ye shall see it, every mother giving suck shall forget her suckling-babe, and every load bearing one shall drop her load. Thou shalt see mankind as if drunk, while they are not drunk. but dreadful is the punishment of Allah.

21:1  اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ

Closer has come to mankind their accountability yet they turn away in oblivion.

Actually the accountability of everyone is as close to a person as his time of death. With every passing second one is getting closer to his appointed time of death. An example is like that of fixed length rope which is slowly burning at one end and getting shorter with passage of time, eventually reaching to its end. Similarly is the life-time of every person, slowly reaching to its end. As soon as one dies, his account is closed and when he will open his eyes again, it will be the time for accountability.

35:37  وَهُمْ يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا غَيْرَ الَّذِي كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ ۚ أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُم مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَاءَكُمُ النَّذِيرُ ۖ فَذُوقُوا فَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍ

Therein will they cry aloud (for assistance). “Our Lord! Bring us out. we shall work righteousness, not the (deeds) we used to do!” – “Did We not give you long enough life-time so that he that should receive admonition? and (moreover) the warner came to you. So taste (the fruits of your deeds). for the wrong-doers there is no helper.”

Those who will be unfortunate to be destined to fire, will cry therein pleading to the Lord to give them a second chance, however, Allah will ask them a question, which we should honestly ask ourselves now, ‘is the life time we have been given on earth, is not enough for  one to study Allah’s Book and take heed from it.?”

32:21 وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَىٰ دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

And indeed We will make them taste of the nearer/smaller penalty  prior to the supreme penalty, in order that they may (repent and) return.

Allah will send smaller calamities with the intention that people mend their ways and heed what wrong they are doing in the world and have a chance to correct themselves before the final calamity falls on them. 

32:22 وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن ذُكِّرَ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِ ثُمَّ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهَا ۚ إِنَّا مِنَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ مُنتَقِمُونَ

And who does more wrong than one, who is reminded with ayahs/signs of his Lord, and then he turns away from them? Verily from those who transgress We shall exact (due) retribution.