"The Signs before the Day of Judgement" by Ibn Kathir

Author: Ibn Kathir
Title: "The Signs before the Day of Judgment" (96 p.)
Publisher: Dar Al Taqwa Ltd.
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“Draws near for mankind their reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness” (Surah Al-Anbiya 21:1).

According to Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet said: “By Him, Who sent me with the Truth, this earth will not pass away, until people are afflicted with landslides, are pelted with stones, and are transformed into animals.” The people asked: “When will that be, o Messenger of Allah?” He said: “When you see women riding in the saddle, when singers are common, when men lie with men and women with women.” (al-Haythami, “Kitab al-Fitan”)

High-rise buildings in the Middle East, break-up of family structure, increased frequency of earthquakes, divisions within the Muslim Ummah… What to expect next? Where do we stand at the moment in Allah’s magnificent plan for this world and the entire universe? What signs are yet to come before the hour of the final reckoning? Ibn Kathir’s “The Signs before the Day of Judgment” describes the events revealed by Allah and foretold by our Prophet (saw).

Ibn Kathir (701 - 774 AH), one of the leading Islamic scholars of the 8th century, was a student of Ibn Taymiya and Ibn al-Qayyim. Thanks to his excellent memory, he became known as Qadi, a master scholar of Hadeeths, and a Mufassir or Quran commentator. Based on narrations of authentic Hadeeths and Tafsir of the Companions, Ibn Kathir’s commentary on the Quran (“Tafsir ibn Kathir”) is among the best and most widely used ones today.

“The Signs before the Day of Judgment” is a translated into English extract from Ibn Kathir’s 14 volumes work under the name of “Al-Bidayah wa-Nihayah.” “Al-Bidayah” is a history book, consisting of three main sections: (1) pre-Islamic period of Jahiliyyah (ignorance), revelation of the Quran, and formation of the Muslim community; (2) period of the rightly guided Caliphs and Muslim dynasties, including the lifetime of the author; (3) predictions about the end of the world.

During translation, “The Signs before the Day of Judgment” have been edited and adapted to the relevance level of the modern English-speaking reader. The Hadeeths this book contains are carefully selected for specifically illustrating the signs, warnings, and disasters that will occur in the last days of this world. The book consists of 28 chapters, which describe such topics as the Fitan (tribulations) of the last days, the greater signs of the Hour, the appearance of Mahdi and Dajjal, the descent of Jesus, the appearance of Gog and Magog, the destruction of Kabah, and the emergence of the Beast. It describes also the natural signs of rising of the sun from the West, the smoke at the end of the times, and the heavy rain before the Day of Resurrection. The final chapter of the book pays special attention to the people, who will be alive at the end of time.

The fact that many signs mentioned in ibn Kathir’s work have already taken place indicates the alarming closeness of the last days. May Allah instill in the hearts of the believers a genuine wish to look beyond the events described in this book and prepare themselves for the meeting with the Lord of the Worlds.

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