8 March 2015 - Prophet Dawud* and Final Signs of the End of the World

8 March 2015 - Prophet Dawud* and Final Signs of the End of the World

Lives of the Prophets - Prophet Dawud* (continued)

Fasting of Dawud*

The Prophet* said, "The most beloved prayer to Allah was the prayer of Prophet Dawud*, and the most beloved fasting to Allah was the fasting of Prophet Dawud*. He used to sleep the (first half) of the night and pray for one third of it and then sleep one-sixth of it, and he used to fast on alternate days and would not flee on facing the enemy."

In addition to his melodious voice, Prophet Dawud*, was fast in reciting his Book, the Zabur (Psalms). Imam Ahmad reports that The Prophet* said: "The reciting (of the Psalms) was made easy for Prophet Dawud*. He used to order that his riding animal be saddled, and would finish reciting the Qur’an before it was saddled. And he would never eat except from the earnings of his manual work. " The word 'Qur'an' in this Hadith refers to the Psalms which Allah revealed to him. Allah the Almighty says: "And We gave to Dawud* (the gift of) the Psalms." (AI Israa': 55)

As for Allah's saying, "We strengthened his kingdom", it means that Allah granted him great power and authority and respected, sound judgement.

Allah says: "O Dawud! We did indeed make thee a vicegerent (Khalifah) on earth: so judge thou between men in truth (and justice): nor follow thou the lust (of thy heart), for it will mislead thee from the Path of Allah: for those who wander astray from the Path of Allah, is a Penalty Grievous, for that they forget the Day of Account." (Saad: 26)

Ibn Kathir maintains: This speech of Allah has been directed to Dawud*, yet it is also directed to all rulers and commanders. They are all commanded to abide by justice and follow the truth revealed by Allah, not their whims and desires. Then Allah warns them that if they deviated from Allah's path, they would suffer a grievous chastisement on the Day of Judgement.

Dawud* set the best example of justice and sincere and intense worship to Allah. He offered several extra devotional acts and made his family follow his example. Thus Allah praises them saying, "Work ye, Sons of Dawud*, in thanks! But few of My servants are grateful." (Saba': 13)

The Age of Dawud*:

There is a Hadith reported about the creation of Adam mentions that when Allah drew from Adam's back his descendants and showed him the Prophets among them, Adam saw amongst them a light shining brightly (man with a shining face), so he asked, 'O my Lord! Who is this man'?' Allah said, 'This is your son, Dawud.' He asked, 'O my Lord! How old will be he?' Allah said, '60 years.' He said, 'O my Lord! Increase his age.' Allah said, 'I will not increase it except out of your own age.' (Adam had known from Allah that his own age would be one thousand years) so he granted Dawud* 40 years of his age. When Adam's life came to an end, the angel of death came to take his soul. Then (Adam) said, 'There still remain 40 years of my age.' He forgot that he had gifted Dawud* with them.

Death of Prophet Dawud*

The Prophet* said: "(Prophet) Dawud* was a very private man. When he left his house, he used to lock it up so that none may enter it until he returned. One day he went out and locked up the house. Then while his wife was walking in the house, she found a man standing in the middle of the house. She asked those who were in the house (i.e. its inhabitants), 'How did this man enter the house though it is locked up? By Allah, Dawud* will reproach us today.' When Dawud* came back, he found the man standing in the middle of the house. He asked him, 'Who are you?' He (the man) replied, 'I am the one who does not fear nor be prevented by gatekeepers. Dawud* said, 'By Allah, you are the angel of death. Welcome to Allah's command. Dawud* remained until the angel took his soul. After he was washed and wrapped in the shroud, the sun rose over him. Solomon said to the birds, 'Give Dawud* shade.' They did so till it became dark. Then Solomon said to the birds, 'Hold one wing in. ' Abu Hurairah said that Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, began to show us how the birds held a wing in and held his arm in and the falcons gave him more shade than other birds that day. "

Lessons from Life of Dawud*

Sins Make You Become Weak

Bani Israel became weak because of their sins. The Philistines took away from them the ark of the covenant. The Philistines were able to defeat them.

Even Though Bani Israel didn’t like to fight They Admitted That Jihad Was The Solution To Their Problems

They asked a king to be appointed to lead them in jihad. The Prophet* said: “Whenever a people abandon Jihad, Allah envelopes them with His punishment” [Tabarani]

Bani Israel Objected To Talut (Saul) As Their King Because Of His Poverty

When you are poor, people use it to look down on you.

Historically, Bani Israel Have A Problem With Allah's Decisions

They had a problem with Talut being appointed as the king. They rebelled and said they have more wealth than him so he can't be their king.

Humans Cannot Tell Allah Who To Bless

The people of Mecca used to ask why Allah sent the Quran down on Muhammad*. You can't tell Allah who to bless. But Allah chooses for His Mercy whom He wills. And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty. (Al-Baqarah 2:105)

Hypocrites Sometimes Join The Caravan/Crowd for ulterior motives

Talut realised there were hypocrites in the army. This took place in the time of the Prophet* as well. They want the booty or right hand possess. Only a few passed the test of not drinking water.

Always Have Tawakkul When You Go To The Frontline

But those who knew with certainty that they were to meet their Lord, said: "How often a small group overcame a mighty host by Allah's Leave?" And Allah is with As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.). (TMQ 2:249)

Always Make A Dua Before You Fight The Enemy

The Prophet* did it at Badr. King Talut did it before he fought the Philistines. And when they advanced to meet Jalut (Goliath) and his forces, they invoked: "Our Lord! Pour forth on us patience, set our feet firm and make us victorious over the disbelieving people." (TMQ 2:250) Always make a dua before you take on the enemy.

Youth Are Effective On The Battlefield

A lot of the sahabas were teenagers when they went to the battlefield. Dawud* killed Goliath when he was a teenager. When Tariq bin Ziyad conquered Spain, he was only 18. When Muhammad al Fateh conquered Turkey in 1453, he was only 19.

Dawud* Didn't Allow Fame To Get To His Head

He didn't allow the fame to get to his head because of his taqwa. When fame gets to your head, you are no longer sincere.

Allah Elevated Dawud* Because He Remained Humble

Dawud* didn't let the fame get to him.

Always Listen To Both Sides Of The Story

Dawud* had to make tawba because he only listened to one side of the story when he was tested by two angels.

It Is Possible For People To Promise You Something And Then Change Their Mind

Adam* did it to Dawud*. Adam* promised to give Dawud* 40 of his years. Narrated Abu Hurairah: that the Prophet* said: He (Adam) said: 'O Lord! Add forty years from my life to his.' So at the end of Adam's life, the Angel of death of came to him, and he said: 'Do I not have forty years remaining?' He said: 'Did you not give them to your son Dawud?'" He said: "Adam denied, so his offspring denied, and Adam forgot and his offspring forgot, and Adam sinned, so his offspring sinned." [at-Tirmidhi] When the angel of death came to him, Adam* changed his mind.

Prophet Dawud* Was Skilful With Time Management.

As a believer, you need to respect time He divided his day into four parts:

·         1/4 to earn a living

·         1/4 to take rest and ibada

·         1/4 to listen to the problems of the people and to adjudicate in matters

·         1/4 to give classes to the people.

You learn from Prophet Dawud* that he did not waste his time. He used to have a night routine too:

·         sleep the (first half) of the night and

·         pray for one third of it and

·         then sleep one-sixth of it,

Also, he used to fast on alternate days and would not flee on facing the enemy.

Prophet Dawud* Was Very Patient With His Flock

The litigants jumped over the wall. A litigant is a person who takes his case to the courthouse and demand; his rights because he assumed his oppressed. The litigants jumped over the wall to see Prophet Dawud*. Prophet Dawud* quickly passed the verdict before hearing the complete story and realized they were angels. He begged Allah to forgive him.

Judging Between People Is A Spiritual Status

For someone to pass judgement, you have to be pious. Disputes are a never-ending thing until the day of judgement. “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well­ Acquainted with what you do.” (An-Nisa 4:135)

This verse is hung up at Harvard University. Harvard University is impressed by this verse No other verse can surpass this verse in regards to justice. 

Even Though The Litigants Had Bad Manners, He Still Had To Give Them The Correct Verdict

Prophet Dawud* was still obligated to give the right verdict even though they had bad manners.

Even Prophets Are Tested

The two men who jumped over wall to complain to Prophet Dawud*, was a test because he listened to only one side of the story. They came in the form of men but they were angels and itt was halal for them to jump over the wall because they were angels': angels have no human desires. They came to test Prophet Dawud*

To Have A Sweet Voice Is A Great Blessing From Allah

When Prophet Dawud* use to recite the psalms all the animals would gather around Allah does not like the harsh voice; harsh voice is referred to as the voice of the donkey. Abu Huraira is reported to have heard The Prophet* as saying: Allah does not listen to anything, (more approvingly) as He listens to a Prophet reciting loudly the Qur'an in a sweet voice. [Bukhari]

"And be moderate (or show no insolence) in your walking, and lower your voice. Verily, the harshest of all voices is the voice (braying) of the ass." (Luqman 31:19)

Main Topic: Final Signs of the Day of Judgement

·         The Smoke

·         Rise of the Sun from the West

·         The Beast

·         The Fire

The Smoke

There is an entire surah in the Qur’an – Surah ad-Dukhaan. Allah says: “Wait until smoke comes down from the heavens.” This smoke is punishment for the non believers. We don’t know more about the smoke. It will come down on the earth as a punishment for the non-believers.

Rise of the Sun from the West

Allah says, “When some of the signs of Allah approach, then a soul that did not believe, their belief will not do them any good.” The tafsir of this ayah is the rise of the sun from the west.

“Do they then wait for anything other than that the angels should come to them, or that your Lord should come, or that some of the Signs of your Lord should come (i.e. portents of the Hour e.g., arising of the sun from the west)! The day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his Faith. Say: “Wait you! we (too) are waiting.”

The Prophet* says, the day of judgment will not occur until the sun rises up from the west. When that happens, everyone would believe. That is when belief would not give them any good. [Bukhari] There is a finality about this sign – such that people see this extra-ordinary sign there is no other explanation for it and it marks the ‘End of the World’ or the ‘End of Time’ as any deeds done after that will not count as the ‘book of deeds’ is already closed. People will know that death is imminent and final and there is no time for repentance. Al-Qurtubi explains this and says that when the sun rises from the west, people would know it is the end. Therefore, it is just like death. When people are dying and they see the angel of death and they cannot make tawbah (repentance)  because it is too late.

If someone becomes a Muslim in that moment, their iman will not do any good. That means, if someone who claims to be a believer but was not doing good, their good will not do them any good after the sun rises from the west. Therefore, after the sun rises from the west, your record of deeds will remain the same. If you were doing righteous deeds, the reward of those deeds would continue even if the sun rises from the west.

The Beast

Allah says: “And when the decree of Allah (or the Word of Allah) befalls them, we would send out to them a beast from the earth. It would talk to them. The people do not believe in Our signs.” The scholars say that the Beast will either talk to them or mark them. This beast would come out and talk to people: “You are a believer” “You are a non-believer” and it would stamp them on the faces.

Abu Hurayrah says that The Prophet* says, “Three things, when they occur, no soul would benefit from imaan/belief after that. 1) Rise of the sun from the west. 2) ad-dajjaal. 3) the beast.” During the time of ad-dajjaal, because there will be so much fitna. In the time of the beast, you will be stamped as a believer or a non-believer.

The Prophet* said, “The beast would come out carrying the seal of Suleiman [Solomon] and the stick of Musa [Moses]. It would mark the face of the believer with Musa and would stamp the face of the nonbeliever with the seal of Suleiman. People would be eating together and they would say, ‘Give me this, believer’ or ‘Hand me this non-believer.’” [at-Tarmidhi]

Everybody has it written on their face. People would call each other, “ya kaafir” or ”ya mu’min.”

The Fire

The final sign of the Day of Judgment is the fire. The Prophet* says, “And in the end, a fire would come out from Yemen, sending the people towards al-mahshar.” This is a fire that will push all of the people towards the holy land. This fire will continuously follow them until they go to Palestine/Syria. People will be running from it. Whoever is left behind, it will burn them. It follows them day and night.

The Prophet* pinpointed the area and said it will come from the basin of Adan.

The Prophet* pointed towards ash-Shaam and said, “This is where you would be assembled.” In another hadith in Abu Dawud, The Prophet* said, “There will be hijra after hijra. The best of people of the world will be in the place of the hijra of Ibrahim.”

Ash-Shaam is the area of Jerusalem, Syria, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. The most holy of it is Jerusalem. There are many ahadith where The Prophet* praised that place. In one hadith in Musnad Imam Ahmad, Abu Dardaa reports that The Prophet* says, “I was sleeping and I saw a dream where the pillar of the Book [Qur’an] was taken away from me. And I thought it would be taken away from me. So I followed it and saw it placed in Ash-Shaam. In the time of trials and tribulations (fitan), that is where Imaan will be.”

In another hadith in Tabarani, The Prophet* says, “When I was in the trip of al Isra`, I saw a white pillar like a banner of war taken away from me and I asked the angels, ‘Where are you taking it?’ They said, ‘We are going to take it and place it in Ash-Shaam.’”

This is the end of the signs of the Day of Judgment. It is important to reiterate that altough these are going to happen in the future, probably not in our lifetime, we still have an obligation to know and to prepare for our End because our Day of Judgment begins when we die.

We talked about the hadith of the Prophet* where the man asked him about the Hour: a Bedouin came into the masjid and asked the Prophet*, “When is the Hour?” He came in and interrupted the Prophet* when he was giving a speech. RasulAllah* kept on going and didn’t give him any attention. The man insisted and asked a second and a third time. By now, the sahabah are upset and want him to calm down. They thought that RasulAllah* is not responding because he doesn’t like the question. When RasulAllah* was done with his speech, he said, “Where is the one who was asking about the Hour?” He then asked the Bedouin, “What have you prepared for it?” The man then said, “I did not prepare for it a lot of fasting and prayer, but I have prepared for it with love for Allah and His Messenger.” The Prophet* said, “You will be with the ones that you love.”

InshaAllah, we make du’a that we also have love for Allah and the Prophet* and are also with the ones we love on the Day of Judgment. Ameen

22 February 2015: Prophet Dawud and between the Grave and the Hour

22 February 2015: Prophet Dawud* and between the Grave and the Hour

Lives of the Prophets: The Story of Prophet David* (Dawud)

Background

Ibn Katheer states: Prophet Dawud*, belongs to Judas, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham. He is Allah's servant, messenger and vicegerent in Jerusalem. As previously mentioned, when Prophet Dawud* killed Goliath. Bani Israel loved Prophet Dawud* and were attached to him. He succeeded Talut (Saul) as a king and Allah granted him prophethood as well. Thus, he became both a king and a prophet and a messenger.

Allah says: "And David slew Goliath; and Allah gave him power and wisdom and taught him whatever (else) He willed. And did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed be full of mischief: but Allah is full of bounty to all the worlds." (TMQ 2:251) This means were Allah not to appoint kings to rule people, the strong amongst them would humiliate the weak. Thus it is reported, the king resembles Allah's shade on earth. The Caliph Uthmaan Ibn Affaan said, Allah establishes by means of the ruler what He may not establish by means of the Qur'an.
 
Miracles of Dawud
Allah says: "We bestowed Grace aforetime on David from Ourselves: 'O ye Mountains! sing ye the Praises of Allah with him, and ye birds (also)!' And we made the iron soft for him - (commanding), 'Make thou coasts of mail, balancing well the rings of chain armor, and work ye righteousness; for be sure I see (clearly) all that ye do." (Saba': 10-11)
Allah further says: "It was Our Power that made the hills and birds celebrate our praises, with David: it was We who did (all these things). It was We who taught him the making of coasts of mail for your benefit, to guard you from each other's violence: will ye then be grateful?" (AI Anbiyaa': 79-80)
Allah also says: "And remember Our servant David, the man of strength: for he ever turned (to Allah). It was We that made the hills declare in unison with him, Our praises, at eventide and at break of day, and the birds gathered (in assemblies): all with him did tum (to Allah). We strengthened his kingdom, and gave him wisdom and sound judgement in speech and decision. "(Saad: 17-20)

Dawud’s voice and Dhikr (with mountains and birds)
Allah has granted David a very pleasant voice. When he recited his Book, the Psalms, in a pleasant voice, the birds gathered in assemblies to recite with him and the hills declared in unison with him Allah's praises in the evening and at dawn. Once Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, passed by Abu Musa AI-Ashari at night while he was reciting the Qur'an. He (Abu Musa) had a very pleasant voice so the Prophet stopped to listen to his recitation and said, "He has been gifted with one of Prophet Dawud*'s psalms." Abu "Uthmaan An-Nahdi said: I have heard the lute and wood-wind instrument, but I have never heard a more pleasant voice than that of Abu Musa AI-Ashary.

Dhikr
We also talked about what it means for creation to worship Allah. Allah made the birds and mountains repeat the Dhikr of Prophet Dawud* in a fashion that people could comprehend and this was one of the many special miracles that was given to Prophet Dawud*. That aside, we must realise that the creation is in constant remembrance of Allah but in a fashion or a dimension that we cannot comprehend.

For example, it is mentioned in the Qur’an that the lightning glorifies Allah. But how can we perceive this and we talked about the scientific explanation behind the production of thunder and its relationship to the generation of lightning. And we compared this to somebody observing human beings whilst they were praying and the scientific explanation for the production of sound from the chest and vocal cords through the mouth is very different to standing the words meaning behind saying 'SubhanAllah' or 'Allahu Akbar'. The difference in perception around we see of creation and how reality it managed to glorify praise Allah.
Hence the importance of trying to undertake as much Dhikr of Allah as we can in addition to the obligatory times we do the form remembrance when we pray five times a day.

Dawud – Iron Man
We also talked about the miracle of Prophet Dawud* being able to mould iron with his bare hands - the original 'Iron Man'! Not only that we talked about how Allah taught him to make new technological advancements in military equipment and technology. This was the production of chainmail armour in a fashion that gave military superiority to the army of Prophet Dawud*. Before this, armour was mainly sheets of metal which reduced flexibility and was quite heavy. Following this new invention it was clear that the chainmail allowed the soldiers for greater flexibility in movement as well as being much lighter to wear.

Being thankful for technology
This raises the important discussion point around general advancements in technology and learning and how, despite seeing all the technological advancements in our civilisation today, we tend to attribute and acknowledge the source of the use as being the inventors and we fail to give any real credit to Allah for facilitating these inventions. For example, how was the first loaf of bread made!? Hence, in our everyday life we should be constantly thanking Allah for all the technology and advancements that we see around ourselves and use all the time. We should also be thankful for the gifts and the knowledge that we have. We briefly talked about the student undertaking a PhD thesis and acknowledging that all the benefit comes from Allah and any mistakes in this piece of work from himself. In addition, if we do have special gifts from Allah we should be thankful for these and grateful for these and not too boastful that any achievements that we receive through these gifts are purely personal and we should realise that it is only through Allah facilitating these achievements that we managed to achieve whatever we do actually achieve! Hence, passing exams is not solely through our own hard work but is related to Allah supporting as in that process and giving as the talents and abilities to achieve them.


Being thankful for knowledge
And the final point related to this is that all the knowledge that we have today is built upon knowledge from yesterday and the source of knowledge can be traced all the way back to Allah teaching Adam the names of everything. Hence, that is the source of all knowledge and we should be grateful for that. We have previously talked about this in greater detail when we talked about knowledge, source of knowledge and the feral child. This relates to the example of the first loaf of bread in civilisation many thousands of years ago!


 
Main Topic: The Minor and Major Signs of the Day of Judgment

Some of the Minor Signs of the Day of Judgment
In the hadith of Jibreel, when he asked about the Hour, the Prophet* said, “The one who is asked does not know any better than the one who is asking.” However, the Prophet* has told us many of its signs. In the area of the signs of the Day of Judgment, there are many weak ahadith and many strong ahadith – below are a selection from the stronger ahadith.
•    The Coming of The Prophet*
•    The Death of The Prophet*
•    The Opening of Jerusalem
•    Plague
The Prophet* said, a death that will eat you away like a certain illness that afflicts goats. This is referring to plague. It occurred in 18H.
•    The Abundance of Wealth
The Prophet* said, “Wealth will be so abundant that a man will be handed 100 dinar (a small weight of gold) and they wouldn’t be satisfied.”
•    Times of Trials and Tribulations
The Prophet* says in the hadith narrated by Muslim: “Do good deeds before the times of trials and tribulations that are like the darkness of night.” Do the good deeds before the trials and tribulations are like darkness of night, spreading all over. Then The Prophet* said that during those times, a man would be a believer in the morning, but a disbeliever by night time. And a man would be a believer at night time, but a disbeliever by the morning. The Prophet* said because they are selling their religion for a worldly benefit.
•    The Beginning of the Fitna: Assassination of ‘Uthmaan
•    The Battle of Al-Jamal
•    The Battle of Siffeen
•    Al-Khawaarij
•    Battle of Nahrawand
•    Death of Al-Hussain ibn Abi Talib
•    False Prophets
Abu Hurayrah narrated that The Prophet* said, “The Day of Judgement will not occur until 30 false prophets arise. Every one of them is claiming that he is a messenger.”
•    The Spread of Peace
The Prophet* says, “But Allah will complete this religion. Allah will give victory to this religion until the traveller will leave from sam’aa to Hadramawt, and not fear anyone but Allah and the wolf on their sheep.” The Prophet* said, “There will be a time when the land of the Arabs will be rivers and forests (it will be green). And the traveller would leave from Iraq to Makkah, fearing no one but getting lost.”
•    The Appearance of a Fire in Hijaaz
The Prophet* said, “The Hour will not be established until a fire will come out of the land of hijaaz that will throw a light on the necks of the camels of Busra.”.
•    The Wars with the Turks
The Prophet* said, “The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Turks. People with small eyes, round, red faces and flat noses. Their faces will look like shields coated with leather. The Hour will not be established until you fight with people whose shoes are made of hair.”
•    Loss of Trust
The Prophet* said, “If trust is lost, then wait for the Hour.” If there is no more trust, wait for the Hour; it’s the end of the Hour. The Sahabi asked The Prophet* asked, “How will trust be lost?” The Prophet* said, “When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the Hour.” When the leaders are sufahaa` (people with lack of understanding of religion).
•    Knowledge will Subside and Ignorance will Prevail
The Prophet* said, “Some of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that knowledge will be lifted up and ignorance will replace it.”
•    The Increase of Security Forces
The Prophet* said, “There will be a time when there will be security forces, they leave in the morning with the wrath of Allah on them, at night they come home with the wrath of Allah on them. Be careful, don’t be one of their associates.”
•    Zina (adultery) Prevails
The Prophet* said, “Zina will prevail.” The Prophet* said, “If zina will prevail until people will advertise for it in public, then Allah will inflict on them diseases which did not exist before.”
•    The Spread of Riba
The Prophet* said, “Approaching the Day of Judgement, approaching the hour, riba would be widespread.” [AtTabarani]
•    The Decoration of Mosques
The Prophet* said, “A time will come when people will be proud of – or will compete – in building mosques.
•    Construction of Tall Buildings
The Prophet* said, “You will find the barefoot, naked, poor shepards of goats and sheep competing in building tall buildings.” [Muslim]
•    The Slave Woman gives birth to her Owner
This is the famous hadith of Jibreel, in Bukhari and Muslim. Jibreel asked The Prophet* about the signs of the day of judgment. The Prophet* said that one of the signs is that the woman would give birth to her master, or that the slave would give birth to her master.
•    Bloodshed Spreads
The Prophet* says, “A time will come when haraj will be widespread.” The Sahabah asked, “What is haraj?” The Prophet* said, “It is an Abyssinian word (from habasha). It means killing.” [Bukhari]
•    The Shrinking of Time
Bukhari, Abu Hurayrah said that The Prophet* said, “Approaching the Day of Judgement, time will shrink.” The Prophet* said, “The Day of the judgement will not occur until time shrinks. The year will be like a month, and a month will be like a week, and a week will be like a day, and a day will be like an hour and an hour would be like burning a leaf.”
•    The Proximity of Markets
The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgment is that markets will be close to each other.”
•    Spread of Trade
The Prophet* said, “Business and trade will be so widespread.” The Prophet* said, “Businesses will be so widespread, to the point where the woman will be helping her husband with the business.”.
•    Appearance of Shirk
The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that some tribes would follow disbelievers and some would worship idols (pagan worship).”
•    Zalzaal (Earthquakes)
The Prophet* said in a hadith, “Earthquakes will be frequent.” In another hadith by Ahmad, The Prophet* said, “O son of Hawaala (a companion), if you see khilafaa appraoach the holy land (Palestine), then the time for earthquakes and disasters and great issues is approaching. And the Hour, at that time, will be closer to the people than the my hand to your head.”
•    Sinking, Stoning and Turning into Animals
At-Tirmidhi, The Prophet* said, “In the end of this Ummah, there will be sinking, stoning and turning into animals.”
•    Rise of the Low
Ibn Maajah, Abu Hurayrah said that The Prophet* said, “There will be tricky (wicked) years, where the liar will be believed and the truthful will not be believed. The untrustworthy will be trusted and the trustworthy will not be trusted. The Ar-Ruwaybadah will speak.” The Sahabah asked, “Who are the Ar-Ruwaybadah?” The Prophet* said, “The low person.”
•    You will Give Salaam Only to those You Know
The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that you will give salaam only to those you know.”
•    Women Who are Dressed, but Naked
Muslim, The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that there will be women who are dressed, but naked. Their heads are like the humps of camels [referring to the hairstyle]. They will not enter jannah or even smell it, enough though the smell of jannah can be smelled from a long distance (in another hadith: a distance of 70 years).”
•    Cars
Ahmad, The Prophet* said, “In the future, there will be men of my Ummah sitting over surooj [saddle] on things that are similar to camels, but not exactly camels. And they descend from these vehicles at masaajid but their wives are dressed, but naked. Curse them, for they are cursed.”
•    True Dreams of the Believers
The Prophet* said in a hadith narrated by At-Tirmidhi, “Towards the end of time, the dream of the believer almost never lie.”
•    Spread of Qalam
The Prophet* said, “Approaching the Day of Judgement, the pen will prevail.”
•    Expansion of the Crescent (Hilaal)
The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that the crescent will be bloated.”
•    Lies and Fabrication in Religion
The Prophet* said, “Approaching the end of time, there will be dajjaloon (people who pretend to be something they’re not – imposters). They present you with talk that you did not hear and your fathers never heard before. Beware of them. Don’t let them mislead you and misguide you.”
•    Shayateen Coming
Muslim, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al ‘Aas said, “There are some devils imprisoned in the ocean. They were imprisoned by Sulaymaan. A time will come when they will come out and they will recite to people Qur’an and they are going to claim that it is Qur’an and Sacred Books.”
•    False Witnessing
The Prophet* says, in a hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad, “Approaching the Day of Judgement will be false witnessing and concealing the true witness.”
•    The Woman to Man Ratio will Increase
The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that the number of women would increase and the number of men would decrease so there would be 50 women for 1 man.”
•    Sudden Death
At-Tabarani, The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that sudden death would occur frequently.”
•    Hostility Between the People
The Prophet* was asked about the Hour. The Prophet* said, “Only Allah know, but I will tell you some of the signs. There will be fitna and haraj.” The Sahabah asked, “What is haraj?” The Prophet* said, “It means, in the language of Abyssinia, Killing.” Then he said, “People would not know each other.”
•    The Arabian Peninsula becomes Green with Rivers Again
Imam Muslim narrates that the Prophet* said, “The Day of Judgement will not occur until the land of the Arabs becomes gardens and rivers again.”
•    Lots of Rain, but Nothing Grows
The Prophet* said, “The Day of Judgement will not occur until a widespread rain will fall over the people, but nothing will grow.”
•    Euphrates Uncovers a Mountain of Gold
The Prophet* said, “Soon the river Euphrates will disclose the treasure (the mountain) of gold, so whoever will be present at that time should not take anything of it.” Bukhaari, Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet* said, “The Last Hour would not come before the Euphrates uncovers a mountain of gold, for which people would fight. Ninety-nine out of each one hundred would die but every man amongst them would say that perhaps he would be the one who would be saved (and thus possess this gold.)” [Muslim]
•    Animals and Objects Speaking
There was a shepherd with his sheep. A wolf attacked and took one of the sheep. The shepherd followed it and took his sheep back. The wolf sat back, with his legs in the air – like a person – and said, “Itiqillah (fear Allah). You are taking away food from me that was sent to me by Allah.” The shepherd said, “What an amazing thing! A wolf sitting like a man and speaking to me!” The wolf said, “I will tell you something more amazing. The Prophet* is in Yathrib [what Medina was called at the time], and he is teaching the people about the nations before.” The shepherd, who was not Muslim at the time, went to Medina and went to The Prophet* and told him what happened. The Prophet* gathered all of the sahabah and told the shepherd, “Tell them what you heard.” The shepherd told them and then the Prophet* said, “The Day of Judgement will not occur until the beasts will speak to you…..and your legs would speak to you.”
•    Desire of Dying
The said Prophet*, “The Hour will not be established till a man passes by a grave of somebody and says, ‘Would that I were in his place.’” [Bukhari]
•    Population of the Romans Increases
Muslim, the Prophet* said, “The Day of Judgement will occur and the Romans are the largest nation, in terms of number.”
•    Opening of the Constantinople
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Apostle* saying, “You have heard about a city the one side of which is in the land and the other is in the sea (Constantinople).” They said: “Allah’s Messenger, yes.” Thereupon he said: “The Last Hour would not come unless seventy thousand persons from Bani lsrail would attack it. When they would land there, they will neither fight with weapons nor would shower arrows but would only say: “There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest,” that one side of it would fall. Thaur (one of the narrators) said: I think that he said: “The part by the side of the ocean.” Then they would say for the second time: “There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest” that the second side would also fall. And they would say: “There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest” then the gates would be opened for them and they would enter therein and, they would be collecting spoils of war and distributing them amongst themselves that a noise would be heard and It would be said: “Verily, Dajjal has come.” And thus they would leave everything there and would turn to him. [Muslim,]
•    Reign of Qahtaan
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet* said, “The Hour will not be established until a man from Qahtaan appears, driving the people with his stick.” [Bukhaari
•    Medina Expelling the Evil
The Prophet* said, in a hadith by Bukhari, that a time would come when a man would call his cousin and his relative, telling him, “Come to the luxurious life. Come to the luxurious life.” Prophet* said, “Medina is better for them, if they know.” Then the Prophet* said, “In the name of the One in Whose Hand is my soul Allah], anyone who leaves Medina and gives it up, Allah will replace in Medina someone better than him.” Then the Prophet* said, “Al-Medina is like a furnace that separates the impurities and Medina will expel all of the impurities out.”
•    A Blessed Wind Taking the Souls of the Believers
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that The Prophet* said: “Verily Allah would make a wind to blow from the side of the Yemen more delicate than silk and would spare none but cause him to die who has faith equal to the weight of a grain. [Muslim]
•    Destruction of the Ka’bah
The Prophet* said, “The ones who will transgress against the sanctity of Al-Ka’bah will be its people (meaning the Ummah).” No enemy can destroy the Ka’bah. The only transgression against it will be when this Ummah transgresses it. The Prophet* says, “When that happens, don’t ask about the perishing of the Arabs.” Then The Prophet* says, “Abyssinia would come and they would destroy al-Ka’bah and they would take out the treasures of the Ka’bah.”
•    Al-Mehdi
The Prophet* says that there will be one of your khulafaa` that will give out money without counting. Muslim and Imam Ahmad. Abu Sa’eed AlKhudri reported that the Prophet* said, “I am giving you the good news of Al-Mehdi, who will be sent to Ummah during times of disputes. And there will be a lot of earth problems. He will replace the oppression and injustice of the world with justice. And he will fill the hearts of the Ummah of Muhmmad* with satisfaction and content.”


The Major Signs of the Day of Judgment

The Prophet* says, “The major signs are deeds in a string. When the string is cut, all of them would fall down.” [Ahmad].
 
This hadith is in Muslim. These signs are not in chronological order. Hudhaifa ibn Usaid Ghifari reported: Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) came to us all of a sudden as we were (busy in a discussion). He said: “What do you discuss about?” They (the Companions) said, “We are discussing about the Last Hour.” Thereupon he said: “It will not come until you see ten signs before and (in this connection) he made a mention of the smoke, Dajjal, the beast, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent of Jesus son of Mary (Allah be pleased with him), the Gog and Magog, and land-slidings 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 Yemen, and would drive people to the place of their assembly [the land of mahshar].” [Muslim]
 
•    Ad-Dajjaal
Narrated ibn ‘Umar: Once Allah’s Apostle* stood amongst the people and then mentioned the Dajjal saying, “l warn you against him (i.e. the Dajjal) and there was no prophet but warned his nation against him. No doubt, Noah warned his nation against him but I tell you about him something of which no prophet told his nation before me. You should know that he is one-eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed.” [Bukhari]
The Prophet* said: “I have told you so much about the Dajjal (Antichrist) that I am afraid you may not understand. The Antichrist is short, hen-toed, woolly-haired, one-eyed, an eye-sightless, and neither protruding nor deep-seated. If you are confused about him, know that your Lord is not one-eyed.” [Abu Dawood]
The Prophet* said that nothing from the time Adam was created until akhirah is a greater fitna than ad-dajjaal. Hudhaifa and Ibn Mas’ud met together. Hudhaifa said: I know more than you as to what there would be along with the Dajjal. There would be along with him two canals (one flowing with water) and the other one (having) fire (within it), and what you would see as fire would be water and what you would see as water would be fire. So he who amongst you is able to see that and is desirous of water should drink out of that which he sees as fire. [Muslim]
One day, The Prophet* talked about the ad-dajjaal so much, we thought that he was just outside of Medina. When we went to go meet The Prophet*, he knew that. He felt that we were worried. The Prophet* said, “What’s wrong with you?” They said, “You have talked about him so much – up and down- that he thought that he’s next to the palm trees of Medina.” The Prophet* said, “If he comes out and I am with you, then I’ll take care of him for you. If he comes out and I am not with you, then everybody is responsible for himself. And I ask Allah to protect every Muslim. He’s a young man and one of his eyes is bulging out. If you ever live to his time and see him, read on him the first ayah of surah al-Kahf.” That is the protection. Abu Darda’ reported Allah’s Apostle* as saying: “If anyone learns by heart the first ten verses of the Surah al-Kahf, he will be protected from the Dajjal.” [Muslim]
The Prophet* said that he will come out between ash-Shaam and Iraq, and he will corrupt the whole world, right and left. Then The Prophet* said, he will stay on earth for 40 days. One day is like a year; one day is like a month; one day is like a week and then the rest of his days are like your regular days.
The Prophet* said…. “He would appear on the way between Syria and Iraq and would spread mischief right and left. O servant of Allah! adhere (to the path of Truth).” We said: “Allah’s Messenger, how long would he stay on the earth?” He said, “For forty days, one day like a year and one day like a month and one day like a week and the rest of the days would be like your days.” We said: “Allah’s Messenger, would one day’s prayer suffice for the prayers of day equal to one year?” Thereupon he said: “No, but you must make an estimate of time (and then observe prayer).” We said: “Allah’s Messenger, how quickly would he walk upon the earth?” Thereupon he said: “Like cloud driven by the wind.
“He would come to the people and invite them (to a wrong religion) and they would affirm their faith in him and respond to him. He would then give command to the sky and there would be rainfall upon the earth and it would grow crops. Then in the evening, their posturing animals would come to them with their humps very high and their udders full of milk and their flanks stretched. He would then come to another people and invite them. But they would reject him and he would go away from them and there would be drought for them and nothing would be left with them in the form of wealth.
“He would then walk through the waste, land and say to it: Bring forth your treasures, and the treasures would come out and collect (themselves) before him like the swarm of bees. He would then call a person brimming with youth and strike him with the sword and cut him into two pieces and (make these pieces lie at a distance which is generally) between the archer and his target. He would then call (that young man) and he will come forward laughing with his face gleaming (with happiness)
 
How to Protect Yourself from Ad-dajjaal

• Imaan.
• Al Isti’aadah – Seek refuge in Allah from him. One of the du’aa that The Prophet* would say after Salah very frequently: ‘O Allaah, I take refuge in You from the punishment of the grave, from the torment of the Fire, from the trials and tribulations of life and death and from the evil affliction of the Al-Maseeh Ad-Dajjaal.’
• Read the opening of Surah al-Kahf or the last part of Surah al-Kahf.
• Avoiding him. The Prophet* said: “Let him who hears of the Dajjal (Antichrist) go far from him for I swear by Allah that a man will come to him thinking he is a believer and follow him because of confused ideas roused in him by him. [Abu Dawood]

No one will be able to fight him. AlMehdi will have no way of competing with him. He will be with the believers in Jerusalem, hiding with them in their forts. There will be no way for them to confront ad-dajjaal, until ‘Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary), descends. Then Isa ibn Maryam, just like Allah has given ad-dajjaal these supernatural abilities, Allah will give Isa a miracle and that is: he will have the power of killing ad-dajjaal by his vision. In one hadith, his vision, and in another, his breath. The vision and breath of Isa will be enough to make ad-dajjaal melt like a piece of ice melts. And that is a miracle that Allah will give Isa. In a hadith narrated by Ahmad, Isa ibn Maryam will kill ad-dajjaal at Baab-lud (in Palestine).
 
•     The Coming of Isa (Jesus)
The second sign, in terms of order, is the descending of Isa*. The location of the descending will be Damascus. The Prophet* pinpointed Damascus and said, next to the eastern white minaret. At the time, when The Prophet* said this, there wasn’t any masjid in Damascus; it was part of the Roman Empire; it was Christian. Nevertheless, The Prophet* said he [Isa] will descend next to the eastern white minaret in Damascus. Al-Masjid Al-Amawi is the biggest of the masaajid of Damascus.
 “And he [Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)] shall be a known sign for (the coming of) the Hour (Day of Resurrection) [i.e. 'Isa's (Jesus) descent on the earth]…”
The Prophet* says in another hadith: “What will your situation be when the son of Mary will descend amongst you and your Imam is from within yourselves?” Because when Isa arrives, he will walk in and the Muslims are about to pray – the ‘iqaamah was made in the masjid. When Al-Mehdi sees Isa, he will retreat and he will ask him (Isa) to lead the prayer. But Isa* will tell Al-Mehdi that the ‘iqaamah was made for you, therefore you lead the salah. This is a great honor for this Ummah – that Isa will pray behind one of the followers of Muhammad*. Obviously, after that Isa* will resume the responsibility, but at that time Al-Mehdi will led because the ‘iqaamah was made for him.
In At-Tirmidhi. The Prophet* says Isa ibn Maryam would descend next to the eastern white minaret of the masjid. He has two yellow garments, and he will be placing his two hands on the wings of angels.
There is a hadith in Muslim which says that after Ya`juj and Ma`juj: [...]Then Allah would send rain which no house of clay or (the tent of) camels’ hairs would keep out and it would wash away the earth until it could appear to be a mirror. Then [Allah would give order to] the earth would be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing and, as a result thereof, there would grow (such a big) pomegranate that a group of persons would be able to eat that, and seek shelter under its skin and milch cow would give so much milk that a whole party would be able to drink it. And the milch camel would give such (a large quantity of) milk that the whole tribe would be able to drink out of that and the milch sheep would give so much milk that the whole family would be able to drink out of that and at that time Allah would send a pleasant wind which would soothe (people) even under their armpits, and would take the life of every Muslim and only the wicked would survive who would commit adultery like asses and the Last Hour would come to them. [Muslim]
In another hadith by Imam Ahmad, “The Prophets are half-brothers. Their religion is one, but their mothers are different. And Isa is the closest one to me because there is no prophet between me and him. And he would descend. When he comes down, know him. He is average height and he has fair skin and he will be wrapped in two garments which have a yellowish color. His hair looks as if it is wet and dripping with droplets of water, even though it’s dry. He will crush the cross. And he will rid the earth from pigs. And he will abandon jizya. And he would call all mankind to Islam. All of the religions, Allah will destroy them in his time, except for Islam.” The Prophet* says, he would stay for 40 years and then he would die and the Muslims would pray on him. He has to come down to earth, because Allah created us from this earth. We would live on this earth and die on this earth.
 
•    Yajuj and Majuj
Yajuj and Majuj [Gog and Magog] are two tribes. The Prophet* said, “On the day of Resurrection Allah will say, ‘O Adam!’ Adam will reply, ‘Labbaik our Lord, and Sa’daik.’ Then there will be a loud call (saying), Allah orders you to take from among your offspring a mission for the (Hell) Fire.’ Adam will say, ‘O Lord! Who are the mission for the (Hell) Fire?’ Allah will say, ‘Out of each thousand, take out 999.’ At that time every pregnant female shall drop her load (have a miscarriage) and a child will have grey hair. And you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet not drunk, but severe will be the torment of Allah.” (22.2) (When the Prophet mentioned this), the people were so distressed (and afraid) that their faces got changed (in color) whereupon the Prophet* said, “From Yajuj and Majuj nine-hundred ninety-nine will be taken out and one from you. You Muslims (compared to the large number of other people) will be like a black hair on the side of a white ox, or a white hair on the side of a black ox, and I hope that you will be one-fourth of the people of Paradise.” On that, we said, “Allahu-Akbar!” Then he said, “I hope that you will be) one-third of the people of Paradise.” We again said, “Allahu-Akbar!” Then he said, “(I hope that you will be) one-half of the people of Paradise.” So we said, “Allahu Akbar.”[Bukhari]

Some other hadith that talk about Yajuj and Majuj: [...] He ['Eesa] would then search for him (Dajjal) until he would catch hold of him at the gate of Ludd and would kill him. Then a people whom Allah had protected would come to Jesus, son of Mary, and he would wipe their faces and would inform them of their ranks in Paradise and it would be under such conditions that Allah would reveal to Jesus these words: “I have brought forth from amongst My servants such people against whom none would be able to fight; you take these people safely to Tur”, and then Allah would send Yajuj and Majuj and they would swarm down from every slope. The first of them would pass the lake of Tiberius and drink out of it. And when the last of them would pass, he would say: “There was once water there.” Jesus and his companions would then be besieged here (at Tur, and they would be so much hard pressed) that the head of the ox would be dearer to them than one hundred dinirs and Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would supplicate Allah, Who would send to them insects (which would attack their necks) and in the morning they would perish like one single person. Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then come down to the earth and they would not find in the earth as much space as a single span which is not filled with their putrefaction and stench. Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then again beseech Allah, Who would send birds whose necks would be like those of bactrin camels and they would carry them and throw them where God would will. Then Allah would send rain which no house of clay or (the tent of) camels’ hairs would keep out and it would wash away the earth until it could appear to be a mirror. … [Muslim]

Qur’an tells us the story of Dhul-Qarnayn. He was a king who lived thousands of years ago: Until, when he reached between two mountains, he found, before (near) them (those two mountains), a people who scarcely understood a word. They said: “O Dhul-Qarnain! Verily! Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog) are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?” He said: “That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord had established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier. Give me pieces (blocks) of iron,” Then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, he said: “Blow,” till when he had made it (red as) fire, he said: “Bring me molten copper to pour over it.” So they [Yajuj and Majuj] were made powerless to scale it or dig through it. Dhul-Qarnain) said: “This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true.” And on that Day [i.e. the Day Yajuj and Majujwill come out], We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another, and the Trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together. [18:93-99]

[ I have not gone into any details about these signs outlined above but I have covered them before in the Study Circle and will do the following signs next time, InshaAllah. Please visit the website for more details: www.harborneislam.blogspot.com ]

•    Sinking of the Earth
•    The Smoke
•    Rise of the Sun from the West
•    The Beast
•    The Fire

1 June 2014 Dhul-Kifl, Intro to Musa, Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog)

1 June 2014

- Dhul-Kifl
- Intro to Prophet Musa
- Dhul-Qarnayn
- Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog)



Prophet Musa (Moses)
This is the longest story on the Qur’an of any Prophet, mentioned in 30 different places (124 times). The Prophet* saw Musa on his night journey (Isra) prying in his grave and in the Ascension (Miraj) where Musa is on the 6th heaven.
2 phases of the life of Musa:

• With Pharaoh

• With Bani Israel

Important to study both as:

• This is the last Ummah before the Ummah of Prophet Muhammed

• Full of useful learning for us in terms of their journeys and mistakes

• Conflicts faced by Bani Israel similar to today issues

• Pharaoh is the archetypal tyrant / ruler / oppressor symbolised in the Qur’an (and we have many tyrants here today!)

The Prophet* stated, 'Do not prefer me over Musa. On the Day of Rising, people will faint, and I will faint with them. I will be the first to regain consciousness, and there will be Musa grasping the Throne. I do not know whether he will be among those who fainted and came to before me, or if he was one of those that Allah excepted.’

The Prophet* said, "I was shown the nations, and I saw a Prophet passing by with his Ummah, another with a band of followers, another with ten followers, another with five, and another who was alone. I looked and saw a huge crowd of people, and I asked, "O Jibreel, are these my Ummah?" , "I hoped that this would be my Ummah, but I was told that this was Musa and his people." Jibreel then said, "No look at the horizon." I looked and saw a vast multitude. He said, "These are your Ummah, and the seventy thousand in front will not be brought to account or be punished."



Other Prophets:
Allah destroyed other nations before Musa’s time which are mentioned in the Qur’an but not much details about the stories / Prophets (People of Ar-Raas, of Ya-Seen).


Dhul-Kifl
Dhul-Kifl has been mentioned twice in the Holy Qur'an:
And (remember) Isma'il, Idris, and Zul-kifl, all (men) of constancy and patience. We admitted them to Our mercy: for they were of the righteous ones. [TMQ 21:85-86]
And commemorate Isma'il, Elisha and Zul-Kifl: Each of them was of the Company of the Good. [TMQ 38:48]
Some say he is the same as Ezekiel mentioned in the Bible – but no definitive proof.


Dhul-Qarnayn
Literally "the possessor of two horns" or "the one who impacts upon two ages or generations". Some people think he Cyrus the Great and others Alexander the Great – unlikely to be the latter as he believed in many gods. No definitive historical proof.
The story of Dhul-Qarnayn appears in fifteen verses of the Quran, specifically verses 18:83-98:
They will ask thee of Dhul-Qarnayn. Say: "I shall recite unto you a remembrance of him. Lo! We made him strong in the land and gave him unto every thing a road. And he followed a road. Until, when he reached between two mountains, he found, before (near) them (those two mountains), a people who scarcely understood a word. They said: “O Dhul-Qarnain! Verily! Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog) are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?” He said: “That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord had established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier. Give me pieces (blocks) of iron,” Then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, he said: “Blow,” till when he had made it (red as) fire, he said: “Bring me molten copper to pour over it.” So they [Ya'juj and Ma'juj] were made powerless to scale it or dig through it. Dhul-Qarnain) said: “This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true.” And on that Day [i.e. the Day Ya'juj and Ma'juj will come out], We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another, and the Trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together.”
The Quraysh had sent a delegation to Medina to try to find out if Mohammed could be a Prophet and the Jews told them to ask three questions: about the Traveller to the East & West, the men in the cave and what is the Ruh (Spirit) and these verses were then revealed (found in Surah Kahf).


Main Topic: Ya'juj and Ma'juj and Dhul-Qarnayn
Ya'juj and Ma'juj are humans alive today but buried somewhere that will appear towards the end of time, after ad-Dajjal and the re-appearance of Isa. Dhul-Qarnayn  didn’t only build the sadd (damn – vertical barrier), but he build radam – something that seals off completely.
The Prophet* said: "Ya'juj and Ma'juj dig into the barrier every day, until when they almost see the light of the sun, the one in charge of them says: "Go back home and dig again tomorrow." So they go home, and it returns to being as thick as it was before.  Then when their time has come, and Allah wishes to send them upon the people, they will dig until when they almost see the light of the sun, the one in charge of them will make an exception by saying: "Go back home and dig again tomorrow, if Allah wills (InshaAllah)." Then they will come back to it and find it as they had left it. So they will dig through it, and come out upon the people. They will drink all the water, and the people will go for protection to their fortresses…So they [i.e. Ya'juj and Ma'juj] will shoot their arrows into the sky, and they will come back with the appearance of having blood on them. So they will say: "We have overcome the inhabitants of the earth, and conquered the inhabitants of the heaven." Then, Allah will send down upon them an-naghf in their necks which will kill them…Isa (Jesus) and his companions will then come down (from Tur mountain) and they will not find as much space as a single span that is not filled with decomposed remains of Ya'juj and Ma'juj’s  corpses. Isa and his companions will then make du’a to Allah who will send birds whose necks would be like those (the necks) of Bactrian camels and they will carry them (Ya'juj and Ma'juj) away and throw them where Allah wills.
Then Allah will send rain which no house of mud-bricks or (tent of) camel-hair will keep out and it will wash the Earth until it resembles a mirror. Then, the Earth will be ordered (by Allah) to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing and, as a result thereof, pomegranate will grow that will be enough for a group of people to eat and seek shelter under its skin. A dairy cow will give so much milk that (will be enough for) a group of people to drink. The milking camel will give so such milk that a whole tribe will be able to drink from it..."
Numbers:
The Prophet* said, "Allah divided mankind into ten parts. Nine tenths constitute Ya'juj and Ma'juj while the remaining one tenth constitutes the rest of mankind."  (Ibn Hajar Asqalani)
"On the Day of Judgement, Allah will tell Adam to pick out the Jahanamis (people destined to Hell) from his progeny. Adam will ask, "O Allah, who are they?" Allah will say,"999 out of 1000 are Jahanamis while one is a Jannati (people destined to Paradise)." On hearing this, the Sahaba over taken by fear asked, "Who will the ONE Jannati (people destined to Paradise) be?" The Prophet  replied, "Do not grieve, the 999 will be Yajuj and Ma'juj, while you will be the one Jannati (people destined to Paradise)."   (Bukhari, Muslim)