THE QUR'AN STATES THAT THERE
ARE SIGNS OF THE HOUR
The appointed time when the universe and every
creature in it, from microorganisms to human beings, including
stars and galaxies, will come to an end, is called the “Hour”
in the Qur’an. This “Hour” refers to not
just any hour; but is a word used specifically in the Qur’an
to refer to that time when the world will come to an end.
First, it must be stated that it is clear from
a number of verses of the Qur’an, that the subject of
the inevitable end of the world has excited interest in every
period of history. In certain verses, it is related that people
had asked the Prophet Muhammad (saas) about when the end of
the world would come:
They will ask you about the Hour: when
is it due?… ( Surat al-A‘raf: 187)
They ask you about the Hour: “When
will it come?” (Surat an-Nazi’at: 42)
Allah commanded the Prophet (saas) to answer this
question in the following way: “… Knowledge
of it rests with my Lord alone...” (Surat al-A‘raf:
187), meaning that only He knows the date of the Hour. From
this verse we understand that knowledge about when the Hour
will come is hidden from human beings.
There must be a divine reason why our Lord keeps
the time of the Hour a secret. For example, it is good for
all people, whatever century they live in, to be “…
apprehensive about the Hour” (Surat al-Anbiya’:
49), and to consider the greatness and unbounded power of
Allah. Before that day of horrible anguish overtakes them
all of a sudden, they should understand that, apart from Allah,
there is no place of refuge. If the time of the Hour were
known, people living before the present era would not have
felt compelled to think seriously about the end of the world;
they would have been unmindful of the final events described
in the Qur’an.
But, it must be pointed out that there are many
verses that tell of the Hour, and when we examine them we
encounter a great truth. The Qur’an does not indicate
the time of the Hour, but it describes those events that will
happen prior to it. One verse related that there are several
signs of the Hour:
What are they awaiting but for the Hour
to come upon them suddenly? Its Signs have already come.
What good will their Reminder be to them when it does arrive?
(Surah Muhammad: 18)
From this verse we learn that the Qur’an
describes signs that announce the coming of the Last Day.
In order to understand the signs of this “great announcement”
we must reflect upon these verses. Otherwise, as the verse
indicates, our thinking will be of no use when the Last Day
is suddenly upon us.
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