The signs of qiyamah

[kamalhussain]

Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Is there a hadith that details the signs of qiyamah that I can reference in an essay? What is the correct spelling cos I've seen a number of variations, including qiyamat, qayyamat, etc. Also what is the literal meaning of the word 'qiyamah' - is it comparable to the Christian 'apocapypse'?
Please forgive me if my etiquette of greetings and salutations falls short in anyway, and point out what I ought to do and say. Jazak-allah khair.

Wa-salam.

[Imam]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Wa'alaykum 'Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu


All Praise be to Allah who is the Lord of the Worlds, and may Endless Blessings be showered upon His Most Beloved, and Final Messenger of Islam, Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa aalihi wa Sallam)



Jazak'Allah for your question. There are many ahadith, which detail the signs of 'qiyamah' that you may be able to reference in your essay. One of the most famous ones, appears in the Muslim Shareef, and also the Mishkat Shareef, and is as follows:


'It is narrated from Hadrat Umar Ibn-e-Khattab (Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu), that one day we were sitting in the presence of the Beloved Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), that a man appeared in front of us, whose clothes were very white, and his hair was very black. He had no sign in him of travelling. Nor did any one of us recognise him, to the extent that he went and sat by the Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam). His knees were touching the knees of the Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam). He then placed his hands upon his thighs, and stated:


'Oh Muhammad, tell me about Islam.'

The Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) repied that:


'Islam is that you testify, that there is no deity except Allah, and that Muhammad (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) is the Messenger of Allah. That you stand in prayer, give alms, fast during the month of Ramadhan, and perfom the Hajj of the Ka'bah, if you have the means to do so.'


He then replied: 'You are stating the truth.'


We were amazed to see that, he was asking, and he was confirming. He then said: 'Tell me about the faith.'


The Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) replied:


'To believe in Allah and His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and in the Last Day, and to believe in the decree of good and bad.'


He then stated : 'You are telling the truth.'


Then he said : 'Tell me about obligation (ihsan).'


The Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) replied:


'To worship He, as though you are seeing Him, if you are unable to do this, then to think that He is watching you.'


He then stated : 'Give me some news of the Last Day.'


The Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) replied:


'He whom you are asking, knows no more than what the questioner is asking.'


He then said: 'Tell me about some of the signs of the Last Day.'


The Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) replied:


'The slavegirl shall give birth to her master. You will see the bare footed, and the naked destitutes, the goat herders become proud in great palaces.'


The narrator then stated that the questioner then, went away. I waited for a while. The Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) said:


'Oh 'Umar, do you know who this questioner was?'


I said 'Only Allah and His Messenger know the best.'


The Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) stated that:


'That was Jibra'il, who came to teach you, your religion'.[/i] (Muslim Shareef)


Abu Hurayrah (Radi Allahu anhu), had also narrated it, but with a slight difference. In his narration, it states:


'When you see the bare footed, the naked, the deaf and dumb to be the kings of the earth. These are the five things, which no one knows save Allah.'


Then He recited the verse: 'It is He who knows the knowledge of the Day, and it is He, who makes it rain.'[/b] (Muslim, and Bukhari Shareef).[/b]


The correct way to spell the word is 'Qiyamah', but not necessarily with a capital. It can be spelled in other ways, although there is no hard and fast spelling. 'Qiyamah' means to erect, to ressurect, or the standing. It is normally referred to the Last Day, when everything that is dead or alive, shall come to His presence. Everything that is dead, shall be ressurected, and stood in front of Him, and thus the decisions upon deeds shall be made. It could in some ways be compared to the Christian term apocalypse, although it is also known as the Last Day, the Day of Rising, Ressurection Day, and the Day of Reckoning.


You may Also note from the above mentioned hadith, that the Beloved Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), had the full knowledge of when this day was going to be, what its signs were, who will be of the hellfire and who will be in paradise.


That Our Noble Messenger (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), had been given such knowledge by the Almighty, and that it was in His possession, that He discloses it to whom He wills, and does not, to whom He wills, and most importantly, that this hadith does not stand as proof for the denial of the knowledge, which was bestowed upon the Messenger of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), by Allah the Almighty.


May Allah the Almighty, give us all the tawfiq, to say what is true, and to practice upon it. Once again I thank you for the question you have asked. May Allah the Almighty make you prosper, in your life, in your works, and in the hereafter. (Amin)


Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab



M. Waseem Ashrafi