Page 249 - The Prophet Muhammad (saas)

What the Prophet (saas) Said of the Future

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In the hadiths that have come down to us from the Prophet (saas),
news is given concerning the end times and the Golden Age of Islam.
When we compare these signs with the things that are taking place in
our time, we can see many indications that we are living through the
End Times and which also herald the arrival of the Golden Age of
Islam.
We must make it clear that some of the signs pointed to in the ha-
diths that we have been considering in this chapter may have been wit-
nessed to one extent or another throughout the 1,400-year history of
Islam, in some part of the world. That does not mean, however, that
those were the end times. Because, in order to describe one period as
the End Times, all the signs of the last day need to happen at the same
time, one after the other. That situation is referred to in a hadith:
"Signs following one another like bits of a necklace falling one
after the other when its string is cut." 257
In the hadiths, the beginning of the End Times is described as
when discord grows, and war and conflict are on the increase, when
there is chaos and moral degeneration rears its head and people turn
away from the morality of religion. At the time in question, natural dis-
asters will occur all over the world, poverty will reach unseen levels,
there will be a large increase in the crime rate, and murder and brutal-
ity everywhere. Yet this will be only the first stage. During the second
phase, Allah will rescue mankind from this chaos and replace it with a
blessed existence full of plenty, peace and security.

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