A National Prayer Network Special Report

ISRAEL:

WHOREHOUSE OF THE MIDDLE EAST

By Rev. Ted Pike

My article “Israel: On the Way to Empire in the Mideast” documents from Scripture an astonishing fact: Israel today is the symbolic “Mother of harlots” described in Revelation 17 and 18. Ancient Israel was first to be spiritually “married” to God and first to prostitute that unique relationship. Her forehead was branded “mother of harlots,” an epithet which has never been removed.

Today, Israel lives up to her name as an international hub of prostitution and white slavery in the Mideast.

Amnesty International, in its 2005 Report on Discrimination Against Women in Israel says:

Trafficking of women for forced prostitution has occurred over a number of years but appears to have been compounded in the past 15 years by several factors, including increased links between traffickers in Israel and former Soviet republics, in the wake of the large wave of immigration of citizens of these countries to Israel…

…Many women are lured to work in Israel under false pretense and are then forced into the sex industry. While many are reportedly aware that they will be working as sex workers, they are not aware they will be subject to violent and exploitative environments, working seven days a week and up to 18 hours a day for extremely low salaries or no salaries at all. Many are subjected to other serious human rights violations, including rape, deprivation of their liberty, and debt-bondage. Women forced to work as sex workers are reportedly also frequently subjected to threats of abuse and even murder. Half the women interviewed by the Hotline for Migrant Workers were effectively incarcerated by their “pimps” and, according to a 2003 survey, almost half of all women “sold” to pimps reported that policemen were among their clients.

According to a report by the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry on the Trafficking in Women (Summary Report) issued in early 2005, some 3,000 to 5,000 women are brought annually into Israel and forced to work as sex workers and some 10,000 were estimated to be currently in the country…

Most of the women known to have been trafficked into Israel are from Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Russia, and are brought into Israel through the Egyptian-Israeli border. In the course of their journey, many are reportedly raped before traffickers sell them for $8,000-$10,000…

1 Jewish Michael Specter, in his article, “Slave Traders Lure Slavic Women,” confirms Amnesty’s report:

[In Israel] police officials estimate that there are 25,000 paid sexual transactions everyday. Brothels are ubiquitous…Once they [the women] cross the border [into Israel] their passports will be confiscated [by pimps], their freedoms curtailed, and what little money they have taken from them…The Tropicana in Tel Aviv’s bustling business district, is one of the busiest bordellos. The women who work there, like nearly all prostitutes in Israel today, are Russian. Their bosses, however, are not. ‘Israelis love Russian girls,’ said Jacob Golan, who owns this and two other clubs, ‘….They are blond and good-looking and different than us…And they are desperate. They are ready to do anything for money.’ 2

Israel: Slow to Correct Problem

Prostitution and white slavery constitute a billion-dollar-a-year industry in Israel that expands virtually unrestrained.

About two to three thousand women from FSU (Former Soviet Union) countries annually enter Israel’s brothels. The US State Department, in its 2001 Trafficking in Persons Report, described Israel as among the very worst international offenders in allowing white slavery. They classed Israel in Tier 3, a group described as “not making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with the standards of the Dictums of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.” Israel was grouped with Albania, Gabon, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, and Pakistan, who also received an “F” for failing to protect human rights.

After this scathing 2000 report, Knesset finally passed a law criminalizing white slavery. 3 Enforcement programs and lesser statutes have been enacted, with increased police attention to the problem. In 2004, the courts actually handed down 28 convictions to white slavers. Such efforts caused the US State Department to elevate Israel’s offender status to Tier 2. 4

However, recent reports by Amnesty and the state department are full of criticisms of Israel: While laws against sex slavery are now on the books, Israel shamelessly neglects to protect and encourage ex-prostitutes in their attempts to testify against their oppressors. Victims are largely denied full legal education, rights, services, and protection against vengeful pimps. Without victims’ testimony, laws against white slavery can’t be enforced.

Amnesty says,

The authorities—and in particular the police—still overwhelmingly considered trafficked sex workers simply as “criminals” who violated the Entry into Israel law, rather than victims of grave human rights violations who should enjoy the effective protection and assistance from state institutions. Consequently, the authorities have focused their activities on deporting trafficked women instead of protecting their rights and addressing their needs.

In addition, the Israeli authorities do not carry out any risk assessment of the possible dangers which trafficked women who have testified against their traffickers face after being deported back to their countries, leaving them and their families vulnerable to further human rights violations, including reprisals and retrafficking. 5

If a woman files a complaint against her Jewish slave master, as an illegal alien she will be imprisoned. As a result, an infinitesimal number of ex-prostitutes testify against their pimps. Consequently, very few slavers are convicted.

As a result of Israel’s anemic response to the problem of white slavery, most slavers are able to mock anti-prostitution laws and white slavery continues to expand.

The government of Israel claims great difficulty in combating this problem. But Knesset hasn’t even made organized prostitution a crime. The sex trade enriches Israel yearly by perhaps hundreds of millions of tax dollars. This may be part of the reason the government seems in no great hurry to clean up the industry.

History of Oppression

Four hundred years ago, Jewish slave traders dominated the lucrative business of shipment and sale of African slaves to the new world. 6 For at least the last 125 years, Jews have also overwhelmingly controlled organized prostitution and white slavery in Europe, the United States, and South America.

Jewish historian Edward Bristow, in his book Prostitution and Prejudice: the Jewish Fight against White Slavery, 7 says:

Rooted largely in Eastern and Central Europe where they "dominated the international traffic out of the area," (p. 2) Jews were involved in prostitution rings that networked, wrote Arthur Mora (of London’s Jewish Association for the Protection of Girls and Women) in 1903, “to almost all parts of North and South Africa, to India, China, Japan, Philippine Islands, North and South America, and also to many of the countries of Europe.” (p. 1)

Jewish criminals trafficked women under their control virtually anywhere, also including the major cities of Bulgaria, Bosnia, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Ceylon, Manchuria, South Africa, Rhodesia, and Mozambique. (p.181)

“By 1900,” says Bristow, “Jewish commercial vice was largely incorporated in underworld elements and many of its participants were predators of the poor. (p. 89)

Jewish pimps, procurers, and traffickers, preyed mostly on non-Jewish women but even large numbers of Jewish women were a part of their stables. In 1872, for example, Jewish prostitutes in Warsaw numbered 17 percent of the known prostitution population, in Krakow, 27 percent, and in Vilna, 47 percent. (p. 23)

Within the Jewish community itself, it was not uncommon for recruiters to marry innocent Jewish young women and “deposit them in foreign brothels.”(p. 25)

Many of the Jewish criminal underworld figures apparently saw no gap between their day-to-day activities and their religious lives, often maintaining their religious obligations. A Warsaw thug, Shilem Letzsky, organized a small synagogue for “Jewish prostitutes, madams, pimps, and thieves.” This criminal community even had a rabbinical court “to settle disputes between pimps.” (p. 60)

Other authorities say:

In Constantinople, prostitutes contributed money to “have their pimps called to Torah on holidays.” 8

In Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Jewish pimp organization, called the Varsovia Society, “…ostensibly functioned as a neutral aid society…In fact, the Varsovi, consisted of pimps who wanted to maintain their businesses and still live a religious life…Varsovia associates established their own synagogues on Guemes Street in the midst of the traditional bordello district.” 9

Tradition of Prostitution Continues

In Israel today, the sale of human flesh continues. Jewish pimps and brothel-owners bring FSU girls to Israel to turn tricks in the thriving bordellos of Haifa and Tel Aviv.

Many of these women, though fair-haired, are undoubtedly Jewish “Ashkenazim.” They may well have taken advantage of airlifts of Jews out of the FSU, such as Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein's Wings of Eagles ministry, funded by idealistic evangelical Christians.

Most, however, are Gentiles. They may also have hitched a free ride to Israel on Wings of Eagles. The US State Department says: “In a new trend, traffickers in Ukraine reportedly have begun exploiting an Israeli law that allows all Jews to immigrate to Israel by providing victims with false identity documents.” 10

Specter's article says "elderly Jewish women in the Ukraine" were responsible for forging passports for Gentile prostitutes going to Israel. Presumably, these Jewish women received kickbacks from Jewish slavers in Haifa and Tel Aviv. With an FSU prostitute bringing in up to $100 thousand dollars annually, one suspects many of the "Jews" who are "ransomed" by gullible evangelical Christians are actually headed for white slavery in Israel.

The majority of FSU women who do not have the advantage of being labeled Jewish arrive in Israel through Cyprus and Egypt. Israeli customs police allow them to travel unhindered to slave auctions. Many are raped by pimps (testing the goods) and bought for $6 to $20 thousand dollars. In about 250 Israeli brothels, mostly in major cities, they satisfy the lust of Jewish businessmen, soldiers, tourists, etc. Servicing an average of 15 customers per girl per day, even a small brothel can make more than $8 thousand dollars per month from each woman. 11

Now virtual slaves to their Jewish pimps, these women pocket only a tiny percentage of their proceeds, most of which often go to support their families back in eastern Europe or Eurasia.

Double Standards

How can such vice and human bondage exist in what Christians consider God’s “Holy Land?” How can Orthodox Judaism, the official position of the state of Israel, tolerate such egregious human rights violations?

In my latest e-alert, “Talmud: Wellspring of Jewish Pornography Industry,” I document how the Talmud, the highest religious authority for observant Jews, sanctions adultery with Gentile “bondmaids” or slave girls. The Talmud gives Jewish men the right to rape them if they are found sleeping, or while they are awake if the rape is performed in a perverted manner, or if withdrawal occurs before climax is finished.

Judaism’s loopholes for adultery are nothing new. Both Christ and St. Paul accused the Pharisees and their followers of claiming to uphold God’s laws against sexual sin, yet violating them at the same time. (Matt. 12:39, Romans 9:22)

Judaism and Islam: Darkened Religions

Does Judaism alone among the world’s great religions provide moral exceptions to God’s laws against sexual vice? Of course not. Islam gives similar license. Many Moslems believe they can be “married” for as short as a minute or as long as 99 years. The brothels of Tehran are daily filled with “righteous” Moslem men involved in 20-minute “marriages” and “divorces” with prostitutes! 12

But there’s a big difference between religiously excused sex trades in Iran and in Israel: Islam does not claim to be part of the hallowed “Judeo-Christian” moral tradition. Most evangelicals believe rabbinic Judaism shares Christianity’s essential ethics. Indeed, it is their confidence in shared moral values that prompts their unconditional support of Zionism.

They have been massively deceived. Orthodox Judaism’s values could not be more distant from Christianity’s. In the streets of Israel’s major cities, sex slaves are brazenly flaunted and their pimps and slave masters go virtually unprosecuted. Why? The Talmudic ethics underlying the state of Israel endorse such degeneracy, especially with “goyim” women. The Talmud and Zohar regard Gentile women as chattel for Jewish men; they are “beasts of the earth,” not fully human. 13 (See, "Have You Read the Talmud Lately?")

Talmudic denial of the humanity of Gentile women causes many Orthodox men in Israel to take advantage of the Talmud’s rationalization that sex with the Gentile “shiksa” (whore, abomination) is morally neutral.

Moment magazine, the “Magazine of Jewish Culture and Opinion,” says paid sex with blond Russian girls is a “national institution.” Even rabbis, says Moment, visit these “shiksas” in whorehouses.

A good percentage of the customers or johns, in the lingo, are ultra-Orthodox Jews, pious men whose lives are guided by halaka (religious law), which tells them when they can or cannot have sex with their wives. So, on Thursday afternoons (boys’ night out in Israel), busloads of Orthodox Jews travel from Jerusalem, Haifa, and points beyond, to Tel Aviv, for a few precious moments of passion in a massage parlor, behind a sand-dune, or in an alleyway. Other customers are accountants, lawyers, policemen, and politicians. “The entire spectrum of Israeli society is keeping the hookers in business,” claims detective Shackar, a cynical veteran of the Tel Aviv vice detail… 14

Israel does not vigorously enforce its new law against white slavery for a simple reason: The Talmud repeatedly upholds the right of rabbis to sexually violate their “designated bondmaids” or sex slaves, free of punishment or moral guilt. The government of Israel can’t effectively enforce a law forbidding what the Talmud permits.

Without strong, vehement, righteous indignation against prostitution (such as true Christian activism provides) the government of Israel, from Supreme Court to local police, remains largely powerless to stop the burgeoning sex slave industry.

What’s Next?

I’ve described the past and present of the harlot Israel. What of her future?

The book of Revelation tells us Israel, the great harlot, will continue her spiritual and physical whoredom, until, through Jewish control of world media, government, finance, and commerce, she dominates not only the Mideast but the world. Ultimately, she will enter a “covenant” of spiritual marriage with her false messiah, the one-world leader, anti-Christ (Daniel 9:2). The “beast” is a substitute husband for her true spouse, Jesus, whom she crucified 2,000 years ago.

The harlot will ruthlessly persecute Christianity, being “drunk with the blood of the saints of Jesus” (Rev. 17:6). The beast will continue such onslaught against the church, given power to “make war with the saints and to overcome them…” (Rev. 13:7).

Yet at the apex of Israel’s power, the beast will throw Jerusalem off his back, and with his confederation of world armies, kill at least two-thirds of world Jewry (See, “Bible Prophecy Made Simple”). A remnant, however, will survive until Christ’s coming in glory. Christ, from the heavens, will judge the nations who attempted to destroy the Jews. Realizing how Christ has saved them from extinction, a beleaguered, astonished remnant will at last understand the magnitude of their father’s apostasy. They will “look upon me (Christ) whom they have pierced” (Zech. 12:10). In national repentance and mourning, they will turn at last from their harlotry.

Thirty-five hundred years ago, Christ rescued Israel from the garbage heap of Egyptian bondage, choosing her as His bride and washing her of her blood and uncleanness. In the same way, someday, Christ will purify these repentant Jewish survivors. He will spiritually remarry Israel, joining her with His other spiritual bride, the Christian church. These Jews, at last giving Christ the obedience He demands, will finally be allowed to legitimately dwell in the land promised to the obedient descendents of Abraham. It will be a truly holy land.

At that time, He says, “You shall not play the harlot…but afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king (Christ) and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days” (Hosea 3:5).

Endnotes:

1 Amnesty International, Israel: Briefing to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, June 2005

2 Michael Specter, New York Times Newsservice p. 1, January 11, 1998

3 “In 2000, the Israeli Penal Code was amended to explicitly criminalize traffickers in persons for the purpose of prostitution…” Amnesty, 2005 Report

4 US State Dept. 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report

5 Amnesty International, 2005 Report

6 Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 13, in its article on “Jews,” p. 57, says, “In the Dark Ages, the commerce of western Europe was largely in his [the Jew’s] hand, in particular the slave trade.” A History of the Jews from Babylonia Exile to the End of World War Two, published by the Jewish Publication Society of America, says, “Jews were among the most important slave dealers [in European society].” Marc Raphael’s Jews and Judaism in the United States: a Documentary History states, “Jewish merchants played a major role in the slave trade. In fact, in all the American colonies…Jewish merchants frequently dominated.” These are only a few of many reputable sources establishing Jewish predominance in the American slave trade.

7 Edward J. Bristow, Prostitution and Prejudice. The Jewish Fight against White Slavery, 1870-1939, Schocken Books, New York, New York, 1983

8 Susan Wheidman Schneider, Jewish and Female: Choices and Changes in our Lives Today, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1984, p. 225

9 Donna Guy, Sex and Danger in Buenos Aires: Prostitution, Family and Nation in Argentina, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London, 1989, p. 22

10 US State Department, op cit p. 1

11 Jerusalem Post, Jan. 13, 1998

12 New York Times, Oct. 4, 2000

13 Zohar, Bereshith 47a says, "….'living soul' refers to Israel, who have holy living souls from above, and 'cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth' to the other peoples are not 'living soul'…"

14 Moment, “Hookers in the Holy Land,” April 1998, p. 45-78

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rev. Ted Pike is director of the National Prayer Network, a Christian/conservative watchdog organization.

Learn much more about the threat of liberal Jewish activism at http://video.google.com/. Google's video site shows Rev. Pike's videos, Zionism and Christianity: Unholy Alliance, The Other Israel, Hate Laws: Making Criminals of Christians, and Why the Mid-East Bleeds, in their entirety, free of charge

TALK SHOW HOSTS: For interview with Rev. Pike on this subject, call 503-631-3808.

Please visit www.truthtellers.org

NATIONAL PRAYER NETWORK, P.O. Box 828, Clackamas, OR 97015

YANGON, (AP): Sectarian violence spread to a new region of Burma, with a mob burning down a mosque, a Muslim orphanage and shops in a northeastern town after rumors spread that a Muslim man had set fire to a Buddhist woman, authorities said Wednesday.

There were no reported fatalities, according to a police officer and a Buddhist monk in Lashio, the remote northern town near China’s border where the violence erupted Tuesday night. The full extent of the unrest was still unclear, with no immediate reports of how many people may have been injured.

Deadly sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims has occurred since last year in other parts of the country, first in a western region and then in central towns. The new flare-up will reinforce doubts that President Thein Sein’s government can or will act to contain the violence.

The government quickly condemned the violence in a statement Wednesday that urged the public to stay calm.

“Damaging religious buildings and creating religious riots is inappropriate for the democratic society we are trying to create,” presidential spokesman Ye Htut said on his Facebook page. The message cautiously noted that “two religious buildings and some shops” In Lashio were burned, without specifying if they were Muslim or Buddhist.

“Any criminal act will be dealt with according to the law,” the statement said.

A Lashio police officer and a Buddhist monk contacted Wednesday morning by telephone said the town’s largest mosque and a Muslim orphanage were among the buildings set afire after an irate mob of about 150 people rampaged through the town. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared for their safety.

The town was calm Wednesday morning after authorities imposed a security measure than bans gatherings of more than five people, the police officer said.

A politician in Lashio in Shan state, Sai Myint Maung, said the mob had initially gathered outside a police station demanding that the alleged culprit in the unconfirmed immolation be handed over.

According to the rumors, the man doused the woman with gasoline and set her alight. The attack could not be confirmed, but a Muslim-oriented news website that described it said the attacker was not Muslim.

The website of the Muslim-oriented M-media Group said Lashio’s biggest mosque was torched by a mob while firefighters stood by, and a Muslim school and orphanage was also burned down. It did not say if there were any casualties. Its report acknowledged the burning of the woman but said the perpetrator was not a Muslim.

The website’s accounts of past violence against Muslims in Burma were subsequently reported in other media. Several photos circulating on Facebook also showed what was purported to be the mosque in flames.

The sectarian violence began in western Rakhine state last year, when hundreds died in clashes between Buddhist and Muslims that drove about 140,000 people, mostly Muslims, from their homes. The violence had seemed confined to that region, but in late March, similar Buddhist-led violence swept the town of Meikthila in central Burma, killing at least 43 people.

Several other towns in central Burma experienced less deadly violence, mostly involving the torching of Muslim businesses and mosques.

Muslims account for about 4 percent of the nation’s roughly 60 million people. Anti-Muslim sentiment is closely tied to nationalism and the dominant Buddhist religion, so leaders have been reluctant to speak up for the unpopular minority.

Thein Sein’s administration, which came to power in 2011 after half a century of military rule, has been heavily criticized for not doing enough to protect Muslims.

He vowed last week during a U.S. trip that all perpetrators of the sectarian violence would be brought to justice, but so far, only Muslims have been arrested and sentenced for crimes connected to the attacks.

Muslims, however, have accounted for far more of the victims of the violence, and rights groups have accused certain authorities of fomenting a campaign of ethnic cleansing.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/05/28/burma-violence/2368321/

IMEMC & Agencies: Israeli police officers kidnapped, Tuesday, one of the guards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied East Jerusalem, after he tried to stop some extremist Israeli settlers from breaking into the yards of the mosque through the Al-Magharba Gate.

Eyewitnesses have reported that the police kidnapped Samer Qweider, after he asked the settlers to leave the mosque area as they marched in the provocative manner, the Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) has reported.

They added that the settlers were marching in the eastern yard of the Al-Aqsa mosque, and were heading to towards the mosque itself.

The Police attacked Qweider, cuffed him, and took him to a nearby Israeli Police station.

In related news, Israeli Policemen invaded the Dome of the Rock mosque, near the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and obstructed renovation work conducted by personnel of the Department of Islamic Waqf and Endowment, the Palestinians News & Info Agency (WAFA) has reported.

http://imemc.org/article/65572

IMEMC News: The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem, reported that the Israeli Police released an 11-year-old child, identified as Saif Roweidi, after kidnapping and interrogating him for several hours.

His mother told the Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan that he was placed under house arrest until May 30, and that the Police is claiming that he hurled stones and empty bottles at settlers’ vehicles in Silwan.

Saif was kidnapped on Thursday as he and his sister, were walking back home from school; he was beaten by the soldiers causing cuts and bruises.

His sister, 15, said that her brother was crying and screaming, and was telling her “tell my dad…”

“My child was scared, he saw an Israeli Border Police vehicle driving fast, and suddenly stopping in middle of the street”, his mother said, “He tried to run away, but the Police chased him, beat him, and slammed him against the wall”.

His father went to a Police station West Jerusalem, but could not get information about the location of his son. One hour later, the father received a phone call from the Police telling him that his son is held at the Police station in Salah Ed-Deen Street in East Jerusalem.

Both parents of the child went to the Police station where there child was under interrogation without an attorney or a parent present, but the Police only allowed the mother to be attend the interrogation.

“The Police ordered me to sign an affidavit vowing not to intervene in the interrogation, not by word or even by body language”, the mother said, “The police claimed he hurled stones and empty bottles at settlers in the town, and that a settler was injured, they asked him about his friends, timeframes of leaving home and heading back home from school, they were trying to intimidate him”.

She added that her son was interrogated for four hours, including an interrogation session that was held without a parent present.

On May 22, Israeli soldiers kidnapped five Palestinian children in Silwan after the army claimed that the children, 13 -15 yeas old, “attacked an Israeli settler”

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The Signs Before the Day of Judgement

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Contents

Âyat and Ahadîth about the Hour

General Description of the Fitan (Tribulations)

Divisions Within the Main Religious Groups

The Evils Which Will Befall the Muslim Ummah During The Last Days

Greater Signs of the Hour

The Mahdi

Trials and Tribulations

Signs and portents

The Battle with the Romans

Appearance of Dajjal

Ahadîth about the Dajjal

The Hadîth of Fâtimah bint Qays

Warning against the Dajjal

The Hadîth of An-Nuwas ibn Sam'an al-Kilabi

A Hadîth Narrated from Abû Umamah al-Bahili

A Test for the People at the End of Time

The Hadîth of al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah

More Ahadîth about the Dajjal

Protection Against the Dajjal

The Life and Deeds of the Dajjal

The Descent of Jesus at the End of Time

Description of the Messiah Jesus Son of Mary, Messenger of Allah

The Appearance of Gog and Magog

The Destruction of the Ka'bah

Madînah will remain inhabited at the time of the Dajjal

The Emergence of the Beast

The rising of the Sun from the West

The Smoke which will appear at the End of Time

The Hour will not come until ...

Description of the People who will be alive at the end of time

Âyat and Ahadîth about the Hour (Back to Contents)

Allah - subhânahu wa Ta’âla - said:

“They ask thee about the Hour, ‘When will be its appointed time?’ Wherein art thou (concerned) with the declaration thereof? With thy Lord is the Limit fixed thereof. Thou art but a Warner for such as fear it. The Day they will see it, (it will be) as if they had tarried but a single evening, or (at most till) the following morn!” (an-Nâzi’at 79:42-46)

“They ask thee about the (final) Hour - when will be its appointed time? Say: ‘The knowledge thereof is with my Lord (alone): none but He can reveal as to when it will occur. Heavy were its burden through the heavens and the earth. Only, all of a sudden will it come to you.’ They ask thee as if thou were eager in search thereof: say: ‘The knowledge thereof is with Allah (alone), but most men know not.’ ” (al-A‘râf 7:187)

There are many Âyat and Ahadîth concerning this subject: Allah said:

“The Hour (of Judgement) is nigh, and the moon is cleft asunder.” (al-Qamar 54:1)

The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, whilst pointing with his index and middle fingers, “The time of my advent and the Hour are like these two fingers.” In another report he said, “The Hour almost came before me.” This indicates how close we are, relatively speaking, to the Hour.

Allah said: “Closer and closer to mankind comes their Reckoning: yet they heed not and they turn away.” (al-Anbiyâ’ 21:1)

“(Inevitable) cometh (to pass) the Command of Allah: seek, ye not then to hasten it.” (an-Nahl 16:1)

“Only those wish to hasten it who believe not in it: those who believe hold it in awe, and know that it is the Truth.” (ash-Shûra 42:18)

In Sahîh al-Bukhârî, there is a Hadîth which states that a Bedouin asked the Prophet about the Hour. He said, “It will surely come to pass. What have you prepared for it?” The man said, “O Messenger of Allah, I have not prepared much in the way of prayer and good works, but I love Allah and His Messenger.” The Prophet said, “You will be with those you love.” The Muslims had never rejoiced as much they did when they heard this Hadîth.

Some Ahadîth report that the Prophet was asked about the Hour. He looked towards a young boy and said, “If he lives, he will not grow very old before he sees your Last Hour coming to you.” By this he meant their death and entering the Hereafter, because everyone who dies enters the Hereafter; some people say that when a person has died, his Judgement has begun. This Hadîth with this meaning is "correct" (Sahîh). Some heretics comment on this Hadîth and give it an incorrect meaning. The exact timing of the Great Hour (as-Sâ’at al-’Uzma) is something which Allah alone knows and which He has not revealed to anyone, as is clear from the Hadîth in which the Prophet said: “There are five things which nobody knows except Allah;” then he recited, “Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone). It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does anyone know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: Nor does anyone know in what land he is to die. Verily with Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things).” (Luqmân 31:34)

When Gabriel (Jibrîl) - ’alayhis salâm - came to the Prophet in the guise of a Bedouin, he asked him about Islam, Îmân (faith) and Ihsân (excellence of faith); and the Prophet answered his questions. But when he asked him about the Hour, he said, “The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner.” Jibrîl said, “Tell me about its signs.” Then the Prophet described them, as we shall see later when we quote this Hadîth and others in full.

Hudhayfah said: “The Prophet stood up one day to speak to us, and told us everything that was going to happen until the Hour, and left nothing unsaid. Some of the listeners learnt it by heart, and some forgot it; these friends of mine learnt it. I do not remember it completely, but sometimes it springs to mind, just as one might remember and recognise the face of a man whom one had forgotten, when one sees him.” (Abû Dâwûd, Muslim)

Imâm Ahmad reported via Abû Nudrah that Abû Sa‘îd said: “One day the Prophet led us in praying the afternoon prayer (Salâtul-’Asr). Then he stood and addressed us until sunset. He mentioned everything that was to happen until the Day of Resurrection, and left nothing unsaid. Some of us remembered it, and some of us forgot it. One of the things he said was: ‘O people, this world is full of attractive temptations. Allah has appointed you as vicegerents (Khalîfah) in this world, and He will see how you will act. So guard yourselves against the temptations of this world and of women.’ Towards the end of this speech, he said, ‘The sun is about to set, and what remains of this world, compared to what has passed, is like what remains of this day compared to what has passed.’ ”

'Alî ibn Zayd ibn Jad’an al-Timi narrated some Gharîb and Munkar Ahadîth - which could bring into question the validity of this Hadîth. But there are some reports which are similar to this Hadîth, and which were transmitted with different isnâds. Part of this Hadîth is in Sahîh Muslim, through Abû Nudrah on the authority of Abû Sa’îd. This Hadîth refers to something which is beyond any doubt: what remains of this world, compared to what has passed, is very little. In spite of that, no-one can know exactly how much time is left except Allah, and no-one can know exactly how much time has passed, except Allah.

General Description of the Fitan (Tribulations) (Back to Contents)

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said, "People used to ask the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - about good things, but I used to ask him about bad things because I was afraid that they might overtake me. I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, we were lost in ignorance (Jahiliyyah) and evil, then Allah brought this good (i.e. Islam). Will some evil come after this good thing?' He said, 'Yes' I asked, 'And will some good come after that evil?' He said, 'Yes, but it will be tainted with some evil' I asked, 'How will it be tainted?' He said, 'There will be some people who will lead others on a path different from mine. You will see good and bad in them." I asked, 'Will some evil come after that good?' He said, 'Some people will be standing and calling at the gates of Hell; whoever responds to their call, they will throw him into the Fire.' I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, describe them for us.' He said, 'They will be from our own people, and will speak our language.' I asked, 'What do you advise me to do if I should live to see that?' He said, 'Stick to the main body (jama'ah) of the Muslims and their leader (Imâm). I asked, What if there is no main body and no leader?' He said 'Isolate yourself from all of these sects, even if you have to eat the roots of trees until death overcomes you while you are in that state.'"

'Abdullâh ibn Mas'ud said: "The Prophet said, 'Islam began as something strange, and it will revert to being strange as it was in the beginning, so good tidings for the strangers.' Someone asked, 'Who are the strangers?' He said, 'The ones who break away from their people (literally, 'tribes') for the sake of Islam.' "

This Hadîth was narrated by Ibn Majah on the authority of Anas and Abû Hurayrah.

Divisions Within the Main Religious Groups

Abû Hurayrah reported that the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said: "The Jews have split into seventy-one sects, and my Ummah will divide into seventy-three."

'Awf ibn Malik reported that the Prophet said: "The Jews split into seventy-one sects: one will enter Paradise and seventy will enter Hell. The Christians split into seventy-two sects: seventy-one will enter Hell and one will enter Paradise. By Him in Whose hand is my soul, my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects: one will enter Paradise and seventy-two will enter Hell." Someone asked, "O Messenger of Allah, who will they be?" He replied, "The main body of the Muslims (al-Jama'ah)." 'Awf ibn Malik is the only one who reported this Hadîth, and its isnad is acceptable.

Anas ibn Malik said, "I shall tell you a Hadîth which I heard from the Messenger of Allah, and which no-one will tell you after me. I heard him say, 'Among the signs of the Hour will be the disappearance of knowledge and the appearance of ignorance. Adultery will be prevalent and the drinking of wine will be common. The number of men will decrease and the number of women will increase until there will be fifty women to be looked after by one man.' " This Hadîth was reported in the two Sahîhs from the Hadîth of 'Abd Rabbihi.

'Abdullâh said, "The Prophet said, 'Just before the Hour, there will be days in which knowledge will disappear and ignorance will appear, and there will be much killing.' " (Ibn Majah; also narrated by al-Bukhârî and Muslim, from the Hadîth of al-A'mash.)

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said, "The Prophet said, 'Islam will become worn out like clothes are, until there will be no-one who knows what fasting, prayer, charity and rituals are. The Qur'ân will disappear in one night, and no Ayah will be left on earth. Some groups of old people will be left who will say, 'We heard our fathers saying La ilaha illa Allah, so we repeated it.' Silah asked Hudhayfah, "What will saying La ilaha illa Allah do for them when they do not know what prayer, fasting, ritual and charity are?" Hudhayfah ignored him; then Silah repeated his question three times, and each time Hudayfah ignored him. Finally he answered, "O Silah, it will save them from Hell", and said it three times. (Ibn Majah)

This indicates that in the last days, knowledge will be taken from the people, and even the Qur'ân will disappear from the Mushafs and from people's hearts. People will be left without knowledge. Only the old people will tell them that they used to hear people saying La ilaha illa Allah; and they will repeat it to feel close to Allah, so it will give them some blessing, even if they do not have any good deeds or beneficial knowledge. Knowledge will be taken away from men and ignorance will increase during the last days, and their ignorance and misguidance will increase until the end, as in the Hadîth of the Prophet: "The Hour will not come upon anyone who says, 'Allah, Allah'; it will only come upon the most evil of men."

The Evils Which Will Befall the Muslim Ummah During The Last Days

'Abdullâh ibn 'Umar said, "The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - came to us and said, 'O Muhajirun, (emigrants from Makkah to al-Madînah) you may be afflicted by five things; God forbid that you should live to see them. If fornication should become widespread, you should realise that this has never happened without new diseases befalling the people which their forebears never suffered. If people should begin to cheat in weighing out goods, you should realise that this has never happened without drought and famine befalling the people, and their rulers oppressing them. If people should withhold Zakat, you should realise that this has never happened without the rain being stopped from falling; and were it not for the animals' sake, it would never rain again. If people should break their covenant with Allah and His Messenger, you should realise that his has never happened without Allah sending an enemy against them to take some of their possessions by force. If the leaders do not govern according to the Book of Allah, you should realise that this has never happened without Allah making them into groups and making them fight one another.' " (Ibn Majah).

'Alî ibn Abi Talib said, "The Prophet said: 'If my Ummah bears fifteen traits, tribulation will befall it.' Someone asked, 'What are they, O Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'When any gain is shared out only among the rich, with no benefit to the poor; when a trust becomes a means of making a profit; when paying Zakat becomes a burden; when a man obeys his wife and disobeys his mother; and treats his friend kindly whilst shunning his father; when voices are raised in the mosques; when the leader of a people is the worst of them; when people treat a man with respect because they fear some evil he may do; when much wine is drunk; when men wear silk; when female singers and musical instruments become popular; when the last ones of this Ummah curse the first ones - then let them expect a red wind, or the earth to swallow them, or to be transformed into animals.'" (at-Tirmidhî)

'Alî ibn Abi Talib said, "The Prophet led us in praying Salat al-Fajr (the morning prayer). When he had finished, a man called to him: 'When will the Hour be? The Prophet reprimanded him and said 'Be quiet!' After a while he raised his eyes to the sky and said, 'Glorified be the One Who raised it and is taking care of it.' Then he lowered his gaze to the earth and said, 'Glory be to the One Who has outspread it and has created it.' Then the Prophet said, 'Where is the one who asked me about the Hour?' The man knelt down and said, 'I asked you.' The Prophet said, 'The Hour will come when leaders are oppressors, when people believe in the stars and reject al-Qadar (the Divine Decree of destiny) when a trust becomes a way of making a profit, when people give to charity (Sadaqah) reluctantly, when adultery becomes widespread - when this happens, then your people will perish.'"

'Imran ibn Husayn said, "The Prophet said, 'Some people of this Ummah will be swallowed up by the earth, some will be transformed into animals, and some will be bombarded with stones.' One of the Muslims asked, 'When will that be, O Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'When singers and musical instruments will become popular, and much wine will be drunk.'" (Narrated by at-Tirmidhî)

[Note: "The main body of the Muslims (al-Jama'ah) means the people of the Qur'ân, Hadîth, Fiqh and other sciences, who have agreed to follow the Traditions of the Prophet in all circumstances without introducing any changes or imposing their own confused ideas.]

Greater Signs of the Hour

AFTER the lesser signs of the Hour appear and increase, mankind will have reached a stage of great suffering. Then the awaited Mahdi will appear; he is the first of the greater, and clear, signs of the Hour. There will be no doubt about his existence, but this will only be clear to the knowledgeable people. The Mahdi will rule until the False Messiah (al-Masih al-Dajjal) appears, who will spread oppression and corruption. The only ones who will know him well and avoid his evil will be those who have great knowledge and îmân (faith).

The false Messiah will remain for a while, destroying mankind completely, and the earth will witness the greatest Fitnah (tribulation) in its history. Then the Messiah Jesus (alayhe sallam) will descend, bringing justice from heaven. He will kill the Dajjal, and there will be years of safety and security.

Then the appearance of Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog) will take mankind by surprise, and corruption will overtake them again. In answer to Jesus faithful prayer to Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala), they will die, and safety, security, justice and stability will return.

This state of affairs will continue for some years, until the death of Jesus. The Ulama differ concerning the order in which the other greater signs of the Hour will come about. They are:

The destruction of the Ka'bah and the recovery of its treasure.

The rising of the sun from the west.

The emergence of the Beast from the earth.

The smoke.

A wind will take the souls of the believers.

The Qur'ân will be taken up into heaven.

A fire will drive the people to their last gathering place.

The Trumpet will be sounded: at the first sound everyone will feel terror; at the second sound all will be struck down; at the last sound all will be resurrected.

The Mahdi

THE Mahdi will come at the end of time; he is one of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs and Imâms. He is not the Mahdi who is expected by the Shiah, who they claim will appear from a tunnel in Samarra. This claim of theirs has no basis in reality nor in any reliable source. They allege that his name is Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Askari, and that he went into the tunnel when he was five years old. The matter we intend to discuss has been proven by Ahadîth narrated from the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam -: that the Mahdi will appear at the end of time. I believe that he will appear before Jesus the son of Mary comes down, as the Ahadîth indicate.

Hajjaj said that he heard 'Alî say, The Prophet said, "Even if there were only one day left for the world, Allah would send a man from among us to fill the world with justice, just as it had been filled with oppression and justice." (Ahmad).

'Alî said, The Prophet said, "The Mahdi is one of us, from among the people of my household. In one night Allah will inspire him and prepare him to carry out his task successfully." (Ahmad and Ibn Majah.)

'Alî said, whilst looking at his son al-Hasan, This son of mine is a Sayyid (master), as the Prophet named him. Among his descendants there will be man named after your Prophet. He will resemble him in behaviour but not in looks. Then he told them the report which mentions that the earth will be filled with justice. (Abû Dâwûd)

Abû Dâwûd devoted a chapter of his Sunan to the subject of the Mahdi. At the beginning of this chapter he quoted the Hadîth of Jabir ibn Samrah, in which the Prophet said, "This religion will remain steadfast until twelve caliphs have ruled over you." (According to another report he said, "This religion will remain strong until twelve caliphs have ruled over you.")

Jabir said, The people cheered and shouted Allâhu akbar! Then the Prophet whispered something. I asked my father What did he say? My father said, He said, All of them will be from Quraysh. Another report says that when the Prophet returned to his house, Quraysh came to him and asked, What will happen after that? He said, Then there will be tribulation and killing.

Abû Dâwûd reported a Hadîth from 'Abdullâh ibn Masud: The Prophet said, "If there were only one day left for the world, that day would be lengthened until a man from among my descendants or from among the people of my household, was sent; his name will be the same as my name, and his fathers name will be the same as my fathers name. He will fill the earth with justice and fairness, just as it will have been filled with injustice and oppression. The world will not end until a man of my household, whose name is the same as mine, holds away."

'Abdullâh said, The Prophet said, "A man from my household, whose name is like mine, will take power." (at-Tirmidhî.) In another report, from Abû Hurayrah, the Prophet said, "If there were only one day left for this world, Allah would lengthen it until he took power." Abû Said said, The Prophet said, "The Mahdi will be one of my descendants; he will have a high forehead and a hooked nose. He will fill the earth with justice and fairness just as it was filled with injustice and oppression, and he will rule for seven years. (Abû Dâwûd)

Umm Salamah reported that the Prophet said, "People will begin to differ after the death of a Khalifah. A man from the people of Madînah will flee to Makkah. Some of the people of Makkah will come to him and drag him out against his will; they will swear allegiance to him between al-Rukn and al-Maqam. An army will be sent against him from Syria; it will be swallowed up in the desert between Makkah and Madînah. When the people see this, groups of people from Syria and Iraq will come and swear allegiance to him. Then a man from Quraysh whose mother is from Kalb will appear and send an army against them, and will defeat them; this will be known as the Battle of Kalb. Whoever does not witness the spoils of this battle will miss much! The Mahdi will distribute the wealth, and will rule the people according to the Sunnah of the Prophet. Then he will die, and the Muslims will pray for him." (Abû Dâwûd)

'Alî said, The Prophet said, "A man named al-Harith ibn Hirath will come from Transoxania. His army will be led by a man named Mansur. He will pave the way for and establish the government of the family of Muhammad, just as Quraysh established the government of the Messenger of Allah. Every believer will be obliged to support him." (Abû Dâwûd)

'Abdullâh ibn al-Harith ibn Juz al-Zubaydi said, The Prophet said, A people will come out of the East who will pave the way for the Mahdi. (Ibn Majah.)

'Abdullâh said, Whilst we were with the Prophet, some young men from Banu Hashim approached us. When the Prophet saw them, his eyes filled with tears and the colour of his face changed. I said, We can see something has changed in your face, and it upsets us. The Prophet said, "We are the people of a Household for whom Allah has chosen the Hereafter rather than this world. The people of my Household (Ahl al-Bayt) will suffer a great deal after my death, and will be persecuted until a people carrying black banners will come out of the east. They will instruct the people to do good, but the people will refuse; they will fight until they are victorious, and the people do as they asked, but they will not accept it from them until they hand over power to a man from my household. Then the earth will be filled with fairness, just as it had been filled with injustice. If any of you live to see this, you should go to him even if you have to crawl across ice."

This text refers to the rule of the Abbasids, as we have mentioned above in the text referring to the beginning of their rule in 132 AH. It also indicates that the Mahdi will appear after the Abbasids, and that he will be one of the Ahl al-Bayt, a descendant of Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet, through Hasan, not Husayn, as mentioned in the Hadîth from 'Alî ibn Abi Talib; and Allah knows best.

Thwaban said, The Prophet said, "Three men will be killed at the place where your treasure is. Each of them will be the son of a Khalifah, and none of them will get hold of the treasure. Then the black banners will come out of the East, and they will slaughter you in a way which has never been seen before. Then he said something which I do not remember; then, If you see him, go and give him your allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice, because he is the Khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi." (Ibn Majah.)

The treasure referred to in this text is the treasure of the Ka'bah. Towards the end of time, three of the sons of the Khalifahs will fight to get hold of it, until the Mahdi appears. He will appear from the East, not from the tunnel of Samarra, as the Shiah claim; they believe that he is in this tunnel now, and they are waiting for him to emerge at the end of time. There is no evidence for it in any book or Saheeh tradition, and there is no benefit in believing this.

The truth of the matter is that the Mahdi whose coming is promised at the end of time will appear from the East, and people will swear allegiance to him at the Ka'bah, as some Ahadîth indicate. At the time of the Mahdi, there will be peace and prosperity, with Abûndant crops and wealth, strong rulers, and Islam will be well-established.

Abû Said said, By Allah every ruler we have had has been worse than the previous one, and every year has been worse than the year before, but I heard the Prophet say, Among your rulers will be one who will give out wealth freely, without counting it. A man will come and ask him for money, and he will say take; the man will spread his cloak out and the ruler will pour money into it. The Prophet spread out a thick cloak he had been wearing, to demonstrate the mans actions; then he gathered it up by its corners and said, Then the man will take it and leave. (Ahmad)

Trials and Tribulations

Zaynab bint Jahsh said, The Prophet (sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam) got up from his sleep; his face was flushed and he said, "There is no god but Allah. Woe to the Arabs, for a great evil which is nearly approaching them. Today a gap has been made in the wall of Gog and Magog like this (Sufyan illustrated this by forming the number of 90 or 100 with his fingers)." Someone asked, "Shall we be destroyed even though there are righteous people among us?" The Prophet said, "Yes, if evil increases." (al-Bukhârî).

Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet said, One night the Prophet got up and said, "Subhan Allah! How many tribulations have come down tonight, and how many treasures have been disclosed! Go and wake the dwellers of these apartments (i e his wives) for prayer. A well-dressed soul in this world may be naked in the Hereafter." (al-Bukhârî)

Usamah ibn Zayd said, Once the Prophet stood over one of the battlements of al-Madînah and asked the people, "Do you see what I see?" They said, "No." He said, "I see afflictions falling upon your houses as raindrops fall." (al-Bukhârî, Muslim.)

Abû Hurayrah (radiAllâhu anhu) said, The Prophet said, "Time will pass rapidly, knowledge will decrease, miserliness will become widespread in peoples hearts, afflictions will appear, and there will be much Harj." The people asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what is Harj?" He said, "Killing, killing!" (al-Bukhârî)

Al-Zubayr ibn Adi narrated, We went to Anas ibn Malik and complained about the wrong we were suffering at the hands of al-Hajjaj. Anas ibn Malik said, "Be patient, For no time will come but that the time following it will be worse, until you meet your Lord. I heard the Prophet say that." (al-Bukhârî)

Abû Hurayrah said, The Prophet said, "There will come a time of afflictions when one who sits will be better than one who stands; one who stands will be better than one who walks; and one who walks will be better than one who runs. Whoever exposes himself to these afflictions, they will destroy him. So whoever can find a place of protection or refuge from them, should take shelter in it." (al-Bukhârî and Muslim.)

Hudhayfah said, "The Prophet told us two Hadîth, one of which I have seen fulfilled, and I am waiting for the fulfilment of the other. The Prophet told us that honesty came down into mens hearts (from Allah); then they learnt it from the Qur'ân, and then from the Sunnah. The Prophet told us that honesty would be taken away. He said, Man will be overtaken by sleep, during which honesty will be taken away from his heart, and only its trace will remain, like traces of a dark spot. Then man will be overtaken by slumber again, during which honesty will decrease still further, until its trace will resemble a blister such as is caused when an ember is dropped onto ones foot: it swells, but there is nothing inside. People will be carrying on with their trade, but there will hardly be any trustworthy persons. People will say, There is an honest man in such-and-such a tribe. Later they will say about some man, What a wise, polite and strong man he is! - although he will not have faith even the size of a mustard-seed in his heart. Indeed, there came a time when I did not mind dealing with any one of you, for if he were a Muslim his Islam would compel him to pay whatever he owed me, and if he were a Christian, the Muslim official would compel him to pay it. But now I do not deal with anyone except so-and-so and so-and-so." (al-Bukhârî)

Ibn Umar said, The Prophet stood beside the pulpit, facing the east, and said, "Afflictions will verily emerge from here, where the top of Satans head will appear." (al-Bukhârî)

Abû Hurayrah said that he had heard the Prophet say, "The Hour will not come until a man passes by someone's grave and says, Would that I were in his place!" (al-Bukhârî)

Abû Hurayrah said, I heard the Prophet say, "The Hour will not come until the buttocks of the women of Daws* move whist going around Dhu l-Khalasah." Dhu l-Khalasah was an idol worshipped by the tribe of Daws during the Jahiliyyah. (Hadîth from al-Bukhârî)

Abû Hurayrah also said, The Prophet said, "The Euphrates will disclose a golden treasure. Whoever is present at that time should not take anything of it." Abû Hurayrah said, The Prophet said, "The Hour will not come before the Euphrates uncovers a mountain of gold, for which people will fight. Ninety-nine out of every hundred will die, but every one among them will say that perhaps he will be the one who will survive (and thus possess the gold)." (Muslim.)

Abû Hurayrah said, The Prophet said, "The Hour will not come until the following events have come to pass: two large groups will fight the another, and there will be many casualties; they will both be following the same religious teaching. Nearly thirty Dajjals will appear, each of them falsely claiming to be a Messenger from Allah. Knowledge will disappear, earthquakes will increase, time will pass quickly, afflictions will appear, and Harj (ie killing) will increase. Wealth will increase, so that a wealthy man will worry lest no-one accept his Zakat, and when he offers it to anyone, that person will say, I am not in need of it. People will compete in constructing high buildings. When a man passes by someones grave, he will say, Would that I were in his place! The sun will rise from the west; when it rises and the people see it, they will believe, but, "No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith..." (Al-Anam 6:158) The Hour will come suddenly: when a man has milked his she-camel and taken away the milk, but he will not have time to drink it; before a man repairing a tank for his livestock will be able to put water in it for his animals; and before a man who has raised a morsel of food to his mouth will be able to eat it." (al-Bukhârî)

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said, "Of all the people, I know most about every tribulation which is going to happen between now and the Hour. This is not because the Prophet told me something in confidence which he did not tell anyone else; it is because I was present among a group of people to whom he spoke about the tribulations (al-Fitan). The Prophet mentioned three tribulations which would hardly spare anybody, and some which would be like storms in summer; some would be great and some would be small. Everyone who was present at that gathering has passed away, except me." (Muslim.)

Abû Hurayrah said, I heard the Prophet say, "If you live for a while, you will see people go out under the wrath of Allah and come back under His curse, and they will have in their hands whips like the tail of an ox." (Ahmad, Muslim.)

Abû Hurayrah said, The Prophet said, "There are two types among the people of Hell whom I have not yet seen. The first are people who have whips like the tails of oxen, with which they beat people, and the second are women who are naked in spite of being dressed; they will be led astray and will lead others astray, and their heads will look like camels humps. These women will not enter Paradise; they will not even experience the faintest scent of it, even though the fragrance of Paradise can be perceived from such a great distance."

Anas ibn Malik said, The Prophet was asked, "O Messenger of Allah, (what will happen) when we stop enjoining good and forbidding evil?" He said, "When what happened to the Israelites happens among you: when fornication becomes widespread among your leaders, knowledge is in the hands of the lowest of you, and power passes into the hands of the least of you." (Ibn Majah.)

Abû Hurayrah said, The Prophet said, "Woe to the Arabs from the great evil which is nearly approaching them: it will be like patches of dark night. A man will wake up as a believer, and be a kafir (unbeliever) by nightfall. People will sell their religion for a small amount of worldly goods. The one who clings to his religion on that day will be as one who is grasping an ember - or thorns." (Ahmad)

Abû Hurayrah said, I heard the Prophet saying to Thawban, "O Thawban, what will you do when the nations call one another to invade you as people call one another to come and eat from one bowl?" Thawban said, May my father and my mother be sacrificed for you. O Messenger of Allah! Is it because we are so few The Prophet said, "No, on that day you (Muslims) will be many, but Allah will put weakness (wahn) in your hearts." The people asked, What is that weakness, O Messenger of Allah? He said, "It is love for this world and dislike of fighting." (Ahmad)

The Prophet said, "There will be a tribulation in which one who is sleeping will be better than one who is lying down, one who is lying will be better than one who is sitting, one who is sitting will be better than on who is standing, one who is standing will be better than one who is walking, one who is walking will be better than one who is riding, and one who is riding will be better than one who is running; all of their dead will be in Hell." The Companion of the Prophet who narrated this Hadîth said, O Messenger of Allah, when will that be? He said, "That will be the days of Harj." He asked, When will the days of Harj be? The Prophet said, "When a man will not trust the person to whom he is speaking." The Companion asked, What do you advise me to do if I live to see that? He said, "Restrain yourself, and go back to your place of residence." The Companion then asked, O Messenger of Allah, what should I do if someone enters my neighbourhood to attack me? He said, "Go into your house." The Companion asked, What if he enters my house? He said, "Go into the place where you pray and do this - and he folded his arms, - and say My Lord is Allah, until you die."

Abû Bakrah said, The Prophet said, "There will be a tribulation during which one who is lying down will be better than one who is sitting, one who is sitting will be better than one who is standing, one who is standing will be better than one who is walking, and one who is walking will be better than one who is running." Someone asked, O Messenger of Allah, what do you advise me to do? He said, "Whoever has camels, let him stay with them, and whoever has land, let him stay in his land." Someone asked, What about someone who does not have anything like that? He said, "Then let him take his sword and strike its edge against a stone, then go as far away as possible." (Abû Dâwûd; similar Hadîth in Muslim.)

At the time of the Fitnah of Uthman ibn Affans Khilafah (Caliphate), Sad ibn Abi Waqqas said, I bear witness that the Prophet said, "There will come a tribulation during which one who sits will be better than one who stands, one who stands will be better than one who walks, and one who walks will be better than one who runs." Someone asked, What do you advise if someone enters my house to kill me? He said, "Be like the son of Adam (ie resign yourself)." (Muslim, at-Tirmidhî.)

Abû Musa al-Ashari said, The Prophet said, "Before the Hour comes, there will be a tribulation like patches of dark night. A man will get up a believer and go to sleep a kafir, or will go to sleep a believer and get up a kafir. The one who sits will be better than one who stands, and one who walks will be better than one who runs. Break your bows, cut their strings, and strike your swords against stones. If someone comes to kill any of you, then be like the better of the two sons of Adam." (Abû Dâwûd)

Abû Dharr said, The Prophet was riding a donkey and sat me behind him. He said, "O Abû Dharr, if the people were suffering from such severe hunger that you could not even get up from your bed to go to the mosque, what would you do?" I said, Allah and His Messenger know best. He said, "Be decent and restrain yourself." Then he said, "O Abû Dharr, if the people were suffering from severe death (i e if a man were worth no more than a grave), what would you do? If the people were killing one another, until Hajarat al-Zayt (an area of Madînah) were submerged in blood, what would you do?" I said, Allah and His Messenger know best. He said, "Stay in your house and lock the door." I asked, What if I am not left alone? He said, "Then be one of them." I said, Should I take up my sword? He said, "If you did that, you would be joining them in their activities. No - if you fear that the brightness of the shining sword will disturb you, then cover your face with part of your clothing, and let him carry his own sin and your sin." (Ahmad)

'Abdullâh ibn Amr said, We were on a journey with the Prophet...When the Prophet's caller called for prayer, I went there. The Prophet was addressing the people, saying: "O people, it has been the duty of every Prophet before me to guide his people to whatever he knew was good for them, and to warn them against whatever he knew was bad for them, but this Ummah has its time of peace and security at the beginning; at the end of its existence it will suffer trials and tribulations, one after the other. Tribulation will come, and the believer will say, This will finish me, but it will pass. Another tribulation will come, and he will say, This is it, but it will pass, and a third will come and go likewise. Whoever wishes to be rescued from Hell, and enter Paradise, let him die believing in Allah and the Last Day, and treat the people as he himself wishes to be treated. If anyone gives allegiance to an Imâm, then let him obey him if he can (or on one occasion he said: as much as you can)."

Abd al-Rahman (one of the narrators of this Hadîth) said, When I heard that, I put my head between my knees and said, But your cousin Muawiyah is ordering us to squander our wealth among ourselves in vanity, and to kill each other, although Allah has said, "O ye who believe! Squander not your wealth among yourselves in vanity..." (Al-Nisa 4:29)

'Abdullâh (another narrator) put his head in his hands and paused awhile, then he raised his head and said, "Obey him in that which is obedience to Allah and disobey that which is disobedience to Allah." I asked him, Did you hear that from the Prophet? He said, "Yes, I heard it with my ears and understood it in my heart." (Ahmad, Abû Dâwûd, al-Nasai, Ibn Majah.)

'Abdullâh ibn Amr said, I heard the Prophet say, "If you see my Ummah fearing a tyrant so much that they dare not tell him that he is a tyrant, then there will be no hope for them." The Prophet said, "Among my Ummah, some will be swallowed up by the earth, some bombarded with stones, and some transformed into animals." (Ahmad).

FOOTNOTE:

Daws: a tribe in Yemen; Dhul-Khalasah: a house full of idols - it is so called because they believed that whoever worshipped it or went around it would be purified (khallasa). This Hadîth means that the tribe of Daws will become apostates from Islam and will go back to idol worshipping; even their women will exert themselves in worshipping the idol and running around it, so that their flesh will quiver.

Signs and portents

Abd'Allâh ibn 'Amr said, "I went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) one day whilst he was performing Wudu' (ablution) slowly and carefully. He raised his head, looked at me and said, 'Six things will happen to this Ummah: the death of your Prophet - 'and when I heard that I was aghast,' - this is the first. The second is that your wealth will increase so much that if a man were given ten thousand, he would still not be content with it. The third is that tribulation will enter the house of every one of you. The fourth is that sudden death will be widespread. The fifth is a peace-treaty between you and the Romans: they will gather troops against you for nine months - like a woman's period of childbearing - then they will be the first to break the treaty. The sixth is the conquest of a city.' I asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, which city?' He said, 'Constantinople.' " (Ahmad)

Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the West, the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast, the (death) of one of you, or general tribulation.' " (Ahmad, Muslim.)

Hudhayfah ibn 'Ubayd said, "The Prophet came upon us whilst, we were busy in discussion He asked us, 'What are you talking about?' We said, 'We are discussing the Hour.' He said, 'It will not come until you see ten signs: the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast, the sun rising from the West, the descent of Jesus son of Mary, Gog and Magog, and three land-slides - one in the East, one in the West, and one in Arabia, at the end of which fire will burst forth from the direction of Aden (Yemen) and drive people to the place of their final assembly.' " (Ahmad)

THE BATTLE WITH THE ROMANS:

After the battle with the Romans, which ended with the conquest of Constantinople, the Dajjal will appear, and Jesus son of Mary will descend from Heaven to the earth, to the white minaret in the east of Damascus, at the time of Salat al-Fajr (the morning prayer), as we shall see in the Saheeh Traditions.

Dhu Mukhammar said, "The Prophet (pbuh) said, 'You will make a peace-treaty with the Romans, and together you will invade an enemy beyond Rome. You will be victorious and take much booty. Then you will camp in a hilly pasture; one of the Roman men will come and raise a cross and say "Victory to the Cross", so one of the Muslims will come and kill him. Then the Romans will break the treaty, and there will be a battle. They will gather an army against you and come against you with eighty banners, each banner followed by 10,000 men.' " (Ahmad, Abû Dâwûd, Ibn Majah.)

Yusayr ibn Jabir said, "Once there was a red storm in Kufah. A man came who had nothing to say except, 'O 'Abdullâh ibn Mas'ud, has the Hour come?" 'Abdullâh was sitting reclining against something, and said, 'The Hour will not come until people will not divide inheritance, nor rejoice over booty.' Pointing towards Syria, he said. 'An enemy will gather forces against the Muslims and the Muslims will gather forces against them.' I asked, 'Do you mean the Romans?' He said, 'Yes. At that time there will be very heavy fighting. The Muslims will prepare a detachment to fight to the death; they will not return unless they are victorious. They will fight until night intervenes. Both sides will return without being victorious; then many will be killed on both sides. On the fourth day, the Muslims who are left will return to the fight, and Allah will cause the enemy to be routed. There will be a battle the like of which has never been seen, so that even if a bird were to pass their ranks, it would fall down dead before it reached the end of them. Out of a family of one hundred, only one man will survive, so how could he enjoy the booty or divide any inheritance? While they are in this state, they will hear of an even worse calamity. A cry will reach them: "The Dajjal has taken your place among your offspring." So they will throw away whatever is in their hands and go forward, sending 10 horsemen as a scouting party. The Prophet said, 'I know their names, and the names of their fathers, and the colours of their horses. They will be the best horsemen on the face of the earth on that day.' " (Ahmad, Muslim).

Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'The Hour will not come until the Romans camp at al-A'mash or Dabiq. An army, composed of the best people on earth at that time, will come out from Madînah to meet them. When they have arranged themselves in ranks, the Romans will say, 'Do not stand between us and those who took prisoners from amongst us. Let us fight with them.' One-third will run away, and Allah will never forgive them. One-third will be killed, and they will be the best of martyrs in Allâh's sight. One-third, who will never be subjected to trials or tribulations, will win, and will conquer Constantinople. Whilst they are sharing out the booty, after hanging their swords on the olive-trees, Satan will shout to them that the Dajjal has taken their place among their families. When they come to Syria, the Dajjal will appear, while they are preparing for battle and drawing up the ranks. When the time for prayer comes, Jesus the son of Mary will descend and lead them in prayer. When the enemy of Allah (i.e. the Dajjal) sees him, he will start to dissolve like salt in water, but Allah will kill him.' " (Muslim.)

The Prophet said, "The Hour will not come until the furthest border of the Muslims will be in Bula." Then he said, "O 'Alî!" 'Alî said, "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you!" The Prophet said, "You will fight the Romans, and those who come after you will fight them, until the best people among the Muslims, the people of al-Hijaz, will go out to fight them, fearing nothing but Allah. They will conquer Constantinople with Tasbih and Takbir (saying "Subhan Allah" and "Allâhu Akbar"), and they will obtain booty the like of which has never been seen - they will share it out by scooping it up with their sheilds. Someone will come and say, 'The Dajjal has appeared in your land', but he will be lying. Anyone who takes notice of him will regret it, and anyone who ignores him will regret it." (Ibn Majah.)

Nafi' ibn 'Utbah said, "The Prophet said, 'You will attack Arabia, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will attack Persia, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will attack Rome, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will attack the Dajjal, and Allah will enable you to conquer him.' " (Muslim)

When Mustawrid al-Qurashi was sitting with 'Amr ibn al-'As, he said, "I heard the Prophet say, 'The Hour will come when the Romans will be in the majority.' 'Amr asked him, "What are you saying?" He said, "I am repeating that which I heard from the Prophet." 'Amr said, "If you say this, it is true, because they have four good characteristics: they are the most able to cope with tribulation, the quickest to recover after disaster and to return to the fight after disaster, and are the best as far as treating the poor, weak and orphans is concerned. They have a fifth characteristic which is very good; they do not allow themselves to be oppressed by their kings." The Prophet said, "You will fight the Romans, and Believers from the Hijaz will fight them after you, until Allah enables them to conquer Constantinople and Rome with Tasbih and Takbir ("Subhan Allah" and "Allâhu Akbar"). Its fortifications will collapse, and they will obtain booty the like of which has never been seen, so that they will share it out by scooping it up with their shields. Then someone will cry, 'O Muslims! the Dajjal is in your country, with your families', and the people will leave the wealth. Anyone who takes notice will regret it and anyone who ignores it will regret it. They will ask, 'Who shouted?' but they will not know who he is. They will say, you will hear about his deeds.' So they will go and see, and if they see that everything is normal, they will say, 'No-one would give a shout like that for no reason, so let us go together to Ilya'.' If we find the Dajjal there we will fight him together, until Allah decides between us and him. If we do not find the Dajjal, we will go back to our country and our families.' "

Mu'adh ibn Jabal said, "The Prophet said, 'The building of Bayt al-Maqdis (in Jerusalem) will be followed by the destruction of Yathrib (Madînah), which will be followed by the conquest of Constantinople, which will be followed by the appearance of the Dajjal.' Then he put his hand on the thigh or the shoulder of the one with whom he was speaking (i.e. Mu'adh), and said, 'This is as true as the fact that you are here (or as true as you are sitting here).' "

This does not mean that Madînah will be destroyed completely before the appearance of the Day, but that will happen at the end of time, as we shall see in some authentic Ahadîth. But the building of Bayt al-Maqdis will be the cause of the destruction of Madînah, as it was proven in the Hadîth that the Dajjal will not be able to enter Madînah. He will be prevented from doing so because it is surrounded by angles bearing unsheathed swords. Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said about Madînah: 'Neither plague nor the Dajjal can enter it.' " (al-Bukhârî)

Appearance of Dajjal

First of all, we will quote the reports which mention the liars and "dajjals" who will precede the coming off the Dajjal, or Antichrist, who will be the last of them; may Allah curse them and punish them with Hell-fire.

Jabir ibn Samurah said, "I heard the Prophet say, 'Just before the Hour there will be many liars.'" Jabir said, "Be on your guard against them." (Muslim).

Jabir said, "I heard the Prophet say, 'Just before the Hour there will be many liars; among them is the one in al-Yamamah, the 'Ansi in San'a', the one in Himyar, and the Dajjal. This will be the greatest fitnah.''' (Ahmad)

Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, "The Hour will not come ... until nearly 30 "dajjals" (liars) appear, each one claiming to be a messenger from Allah.'" (al-Bukhârî Muslim.)

Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'The Hour will not come until 30 "dajjals" appear, each of them claiming to be a messenger from Allah, wealth increases, tribulations appear and al-Harj increases.'" Someone asked, 'What is al-Harj?' He said, 'Killing, killing.' (Ahmad)

Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'The Hour will not come until 30 "dajjals" appear, all of them lying about Allah and His Messenger." (Abû Dâwûd)

Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'Just before the Hour, there will be 30 "dajjals", each of whom will say, I am a Prophet.'" (Ahmad)

Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'There will be "dajjals" and liars among my Ummah. They will tell you something new, which neither you nor your forefathers have heard. Be on your guard against them, and do not let them lead you astray.'" (Ahmad)

Thawban said, "The Prophet said, 'There will be 30 liars among my Ummah. Each one will claim that he is a prophet; but I am the last of the Prophets (Seal of the Prophets), and there will be no Prophet after me.'" (Ahmad)

The Prophet said, "Verily before the Day of Resurrection there will appear the Dajjal, and 30 or more liars." (Ahmad)

Ibn 'Umar said, "I heard the Prophet say, 'Among my Ummah there will be more than 70 callers, each of whom will be calling people to Hell-fire. If I wished, I could tell you their names and tribes.'"

Abû Bakrah said, "The people spoke a great deal against Musaylimah before the Prophet said anything about him. Then the Prophet got up to give a speech and said: '...as for this man about whom you have spoken so much - he is one of the 30 liars who will appear before the Hour, and there is no town which will not feel the fear of the Antichrist.'" (Ahmad)

In another version of this report, the Prophet said, "He is one of the 30 liars who will appear before the Dajjal. There is no town which will escape the fear of the Dajjal, apart from Madînah. At that time there will be two angels at every entrance of Madînah, warding off the fear of the Antichrist." Anas ibn Malik said, "The Prophet said, 'The time of the Dajjal will be years of confusion. People will believe a liar, and disbelieve one who tells the truth. People will distrust one who is trustworthy, and trust one who is treacherous; and the Ruwaybidah will have a say.' Someone asked, 'Who are the Ruwaybidah?' He said, 'Those who rebel against Allah and will have a say in general affairs.'" (Ahmad)

Ahadîth about the Dajjal

'Abdullâh ibn 'Umar said, "'Umar ibn al-Khattab went along with the Prophet and a group of people to Ibn Sayyad, and found him playing with some children near the battlement of Banu Maghalah. At that time Ibn Sayyad was on the threshold of adolescence; he did not realise that anybody was near until the Prophet struck him on the back. The Prophet (S) said to him: 'Do you bear witness than I am the Messenger of Allah?' Ibn Sayyad looked at him and said, 'I bear witness that you are the Prophet of the unlettered.' Then Ibn Sayyad said to the Prophet, 'Do you bear witness that I am the Messenger of Allah?' The Prophet dismissed this and said, 'I believe in Allah and His Messengers.' Then the Prophet asked him, 'What do you see?' Ibn Sayyad said, 'Sometimes a truthful person comes to me, and sometimes a liar.' The Prophet said to him, 'You are confused', then he said, 'I am hiding something from you.' Ibn Sayyad said, 'It is Dukh.' The Prophet said, 'Silence! You will not be able to go beyond your rank.' 'Omar ibn al-Khattab said, 'O Messenger of Allah, shall I cut off his head?' The Prophet said, 'If he is (the Dajjal) you will not be able to overpower him, and if he is not, then killing will not do you any good.'"

Salim ibn 'Abdullâh said, "I heard 'Abdullâh ibn 'Omar say, 'After that, the Prophet and Ubayy ibn Ka'b went along to the palm trees where Ibn Sayyad was. The Prophet started to hide behind a tree, with the intention of hearing something from Ibn Sayyad before Ibn Sayyad saw him. The Prophet saw him lying on a bed, murmuring beneath a blanket. Ibn Sayyad's mother saw the Prophet hiding behind a tree, and said to her son, "O Saf (Ibn Sayyad's first name), here is Mohammad!" Ibn Sayyad jumped up, and the Prophet said, "If you had left him alone, he would have explained himself.''

Salim said, "'Abdullâh ibn 'Omar said, The Prophet stood up to address the people. He praised Allah as He deserved to be praised, then he spoke about the Dajjal: 'I warn you against him; there is no Prophet who has not warned his people against him, even Noah warned his people against him. But I will tell you something which no other Prophet has told his people. You must know that the Dajjal is one-eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed.'"

Ibn Shihab said: "'Omar ibn Thabit al-Ansari told me that some of the Companions of the Prophet told him that on the day when he warned the people about the Dajjal, the Prophet said: "There will be written between his eyes the word Kafir (unbeliever). Everyone who resents his bad deeds - or every believer- will be able to read it." He also said, "You must know that no one of you will be able to see his Lord until he dies.'" (Muslim, al-Bukhârî). Ibn 'Omar said, "The Prophet mentioned the Dajjal to the people. He said, "Allah is not one-eyed, but the Dajjal is blind in his right eye, and his eye is like a floating grape.'" (Muslim) Anas ibn Malik said, "The Prophet said, 'there has never been a Prophet who did not warn his people against that one-eyed liar. Verily he is one-eyed and your Lord is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the letter Kaf, Fa, Ra (Kafir).'" (Muslim, al-Bukhârî)

Hudhayfah said, "The Prophet said, 'I know more about the powers which the Dajjal will have than he will know himself. He will have two flowing rivers: one will appear to be pure water, and the other will appear to be flaming fire. Whosoever lives to see that, let him choose the river which seems to be fire, then let him close his eyes, lower his head and drink from it, for it will be cold water. The Dajjal will be one-eyed; the place where one eye should be will be covered by a piece of skin. On his forehead will be written the word Kafir, and every believer, whether literate or illiterate, will be able to read it.'" (Muslim)

Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'Shall I tell you something about the Dajjal which no Prophet has ever told his people before me? The Dajjal is one-eyed and will bring with him something which will resemble Paradise and Hell; but that which he calls Paradise will in fact be Hell. I warn you against him as Noah warned his people against him.'" (al-Bukhârî, Muslim)

Mohammad ibn Munkadir said: "I saw Jabir ibn 'Abdullâh swearing by Allah that Ibn Sayyad was the Dajjal, so I asked him, 'Do you swear by Allah?' He said, 'I heard 'Omar swear to that effect in the presence of the Prophet, and the Prophet did not disapprove of it.'" Some 'ulama' (scholars) say that some of the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) believed Ibn Sayyad to be the greater Dajjal, but that is not the case: Ibn Sayyad was a lesser dajjal. Ibn Sayyad travelled between Makkah and Madînah with Abû Sa'id, and complained to him about the way that people were saying that he was the Dajjal. Then he said to Abû Sa'id, "Did not the Prophet say that the Dajjal would not enter Madînah? I was born there. Did not he say that he would not have any children? - I have children. Did not he say that he would be a Kafir? - I have embraced Islam. Of all the people, I know the most about him: I know where he is now. If I were given the opportunity to be in his place, I would not resent it.'" (al-Bukhârî, Muslim)

There are many Ahadîth about Ibn Sayyad, some of which are not clear as to whether he was the Dajjal or not. We shall see Ahadîth which indicates that the Dajjal is not Ibn Sayyad, as in the Hadîth of Fatimah Bint Qays al-Fahriyyah, although this does not mean that he was not one of the lesser Dajjal; but Allah knows best.

THE HADĪTH OF FATIMAH BINT QAYS:

'Amir ibn Sharahil Sha'bi Sha'b Hamdan reported that he asked Fatimah bint Qays, the sister of Dahhak ibn Qays, who was one of the first Muhajirat, "Tell me a Hadîth which you heard directly from the Prophet with no narrator in between." She said, "I can tell you if you like." He said, 'Yes, please tell me," she said, "I married Ibn al-Mughirah, who was one of the best of the youth of Quraysh in those days. But he fell in the first Jihad on the side of the Prophet. "When I became a widow, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, one of the companions of the Prophet sent me a proposal of marriage. The Prophet also sent me a proposal of marriage on behalf of his freedman Usamah ibn Zayd. I had been told that the Prophet had said, 'He who loves me should also love Usamah.' When the Prophet spoke to me, I said, 'It is up to you: marry me to whomever you wish.' "The Prophet said, 'Go and stay with Umm Sharik.' Umm Sharik was a rich Ansari (Muslim originally from Madînah) woman, who spent much in the way of Allah and entertained many guests. I said, 'I will do as you wish.' Then he said, 'Don't go. Umm Sharik has many guests, and I would not like it if your head or leg were to become uncovered accidentally and people saw something you would not wish them to see. It is better if you go and stay with your cousin 'Abdullâh ibn 'Amr ibn Umm Maktum' ('Abdullâh was of the Banu Fihr of Quraysh, the same tribe as that to which Fatima belonged).

"So I went to stay with him, and when I had completed my 'Iddah (period of waiting), I heard the Prophet's announcer calling for congregational prayer. I went out to the mosque, and prayed behind the Prophet. I was in the women's row, which was at the back of the congregation. When the Prophet had finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit, smiling, and said, 'Everyone should stay in his place.' Then he said, 'Do you know why I had asked you to assemble?' The people said, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' "He said, 'By Allah, I have not gathered you here to give you an exhortation or a warning. I have kept you here because Tamim al-Dari, a Christian man who has come and embraced Islam, told me something which agrees with that which I have told you about the Dajjal. He told me that he had sailed in a ship with 30 men from Banu Lakhm and Banu Judham. The waves had tossed them about for a month, then they were brought near to an island, at the time of sunset. They landed on the island, and were met by a beast who was so hairy that they could not tell its front from its back. They said, "Woe to you! What are you?" It said, "I am al-Jassasah." They said, "What is al-Jassasah?" It said, "O people, go to this man in the monastery, for he is very eager to know about you." Tamim said that when it named a person to us, we were afraid lest it be a devil." Tamim said, 'We quickly went to the monastery. There we found a huge man with his hands tied up to his neck and with iron shackles between his legs up to the ankles. We said, "Woe to you, who are you?" He said, "You will soon know about me. Tell me who you are." We said, "We are people from Arabia. We sailed in a ship, but the waves have been tossing us about for a month, and they brought us to your island, where we met a beast who was so hairy that we could not tell its front from its back. We said to it, "Woe to you! What are you? and it said , "I am al-Jassasah." We asked, "What is al-Jassasah?" and it told us, "Go to this man in the monastery, for he is very eager to know about you." So we came to you quickly, fearing that it might be a devil.' "The man said, "Tell me about the date-palms of Baysan.' We said, 'What do you want to know about them?" He said, 'I want to know whether these trees bear fruit or not.' We said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Soon they will not bear fruit.' Then he said, "Tell me about the lake of al-Tabariyyah [Tiberias, in Palestine].' We said, 'What do you want to know about it?" He asked, 'Is there water in it?' We said, 'There is plenty of water in it.' He said, 'Soon it will become dry.' Then he said, 'Tell me about the spring of Zughar.' We said, 'What do you want to know about it?' He said, 'Is there water in it, and does it irrigate the land?" We said, 'Yes, there is plenty of water in it, and the people use it to irrigate the land.' "Then he said, "Tell me about the unlettered Prophet ' what has he done?' We said, 'He has left Makkah and settled in Yathrib.' He asked, 'Do the Arabs fight against him?' We said, 'Yes.' He said, 'How does he deal with them?' So we told him that the Prophet had overcome the Arabs around him and that they had followed him. He asked, 'Has it really happened?' We said, 'Yes.' He said, 'It is better for them if they follow him. Now I will tell you about myself. I am the Dajjal. I will soon be permitted to leave this place: I will emerge and travel about the earth. In 40 nights I will pass through every town, except Makkah and Madînah, for these have

[Drummer Lee Rigby of 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers has been named as the soldier who was brutally murdered in Woolwich, London]

British police have made two further arrests following the murder of a soldier in London. Earlier, the media revealed the identity of the suspects arrested at the scene as well as that of the victim.

Police raided houses across London Thursday, with authorities saying they had arrested a man and a woman, both 29, on conspiracy to commit murder.

A day earlier 25-year-old Lee Rigby was hacked to death with knives and meat-cleavers outside a London army barracks. Police quickly shot and arrested the two murder suspects and took them to separate hospitals.

The men aged 28 and 22, are believed to be Britons of Nigerian origin. Both are in stable condition and police say their injuries are not life threatening.

One of the suspects was named by acquaintances and British media as 28-year-old Londoner Michael Adebolajo – a British-born convert to radical Islam. The other has been named by British media as 22-year-old Michael Adebowale, also from London.

Soldier identified

The 25-year-old Rigby served with 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. He had served in Afghanistan.

The two men used a car to run down Rigby on a London street in broad daylight. They tried to behead him with a meat cleaver and knives, witnesses said, shouting that they acted in revenge for British wars in Muslim countries.

Images of one of the blood-soaked suspects were published on the front pages of Thursday’s newspapers.

New arrests

On Thursday police searched five properties in London and a sixth in a village in eastern England, in addition to arresting to the latest suspects.

“This is a large, complex and fast-moving investigation which continues to develop,” police said in a statement. “Many lines of inquiry are being followed by detectives, and the investigation is progressing well.”

Officers are currently going through witness statements, social media and security camera footage, while forensic experts have been investigating the scene of the murder in Woolwich for evidence.

Violence condemned

Prime Minister David Cameron appealed for calm after Rigby’s murder, while an extra 1,200 officers were deployed around London to reassure the public.

“[The number of extra police] will be assessed on a rolling basis depending on the picture,” A police spokesman said. “I’m sure there will be heightened numbers for a little while to come.”

“This was not just an attack on Britain and the British way of life,” Cameron said outside his Downing Street office. “It was also a betrayal of Islam and the Muslim communities who give so much to our country.”

The Muslim Council of Britain described the murder as “a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam.”

dr,jm/ch (AFP, AP, Reuters)

By Saed Bannoura

IMEMC & Agencies: In documents released on Thursday to the High Court of Justice, the Israeli government has admitted what Palestinians have been saying for decades: that the Israeli government has taken over 99.3% of the West Bank, allocating most of the land to illegal Israeli ‘Jewish only’ settlements.

The Israeli designation of 1.3 million acres of Palestinian land in the West Bank as ‘Israeli state land’ flies in the face of past Israeli claims that they are willing to negotiate in good faith with the Palestinians on the status of land in the West Bank.

The documents were released as part of a lawsuit filed by Israeli human rights group Yesh Din that challenged the construction of the illegal settlement of Hayovel on stolen Palestinian land. The Israeli government argues that the settlement and the road leading to it are on ‘uncultivated land’, and have declared that such lands are subject to takeover by the Israeli government.

After 1979, the Israeli government began widescale takeovers of Palestinian land using a law that passed in the Israeli Knesset authorizing the Israeli government to take over any Palestinian land that had not been cultivated in ten years.

A study by Israeli researcher Dror Etkes found that the Israeli government has used land surveys that are meant to determine which land is cultivated and which is not as a political tool to take over nearly all of the land in the West Bank.

His report stated that his findings “prove the claims that Palestinian landowners have been consistently presenting over the past few decades: Under the aegis of the broad declaration of lands as state lands, which includes almost a million dunams, Israel has taken over extensive cultivated areas, which were stolen from their owners through administrative decisions over which public and legal oversight is minimal, because they were supposedly not cultivated.”

In the recent case of the outpost of Derech Ha’avot, the largest Israeli outpost colony in the West Bank, the Israeli High Court ruled that the takeover of private Palestinian land by the Israeli settlers was acceptable, leading the lawyers for Yesh Din (the Israeli human rights group representing the Palestinian landowners) to declare;

“Not only is the state reconciling itself to the breaking of the law, but it is also ultimately granting the usurped land to the lawbreakers. It is particularly outrageous that all the state authorities joined forces to accept the breaking of the law and are now attempting to provide an umbrella of state support, rather than combating organized ideological crime that violates human rights on a daily and hourly basis.”

Scientists in the United States have recovered human stem cells from cloned human embryos, in what is a world first. They have described it as a “significant step forward” in medicine.

Scientists have been trying to obtain stem cells from cloned human embryos for more than a decade, without success. It’s understood that in previous attempts, the embryos stopped developing before producing the cells.

Stem cells are able to turn into any cell of the body, and scientists have long held an interest in using them to create transplant tissue for treating conditions like Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and blindness. But since transplants run the risk of rejection, scientists instead decided to create tissue that used the patient’s own DNA through cloning.

The technique, described in the journal Cell by researchers from Oregon State University, involves transplanting an individual’s DNA into an egg which itself has been stripped of all genetic material.

“A thorough examination of the stem cells derived through this technique demonstrated their ability to convert just like normal embryonic stem cells, into several different types, including nerve cells, liver cells and heart cells,” said Shoukhrat Mitalipov, senior scientist at the Oregon National Primate Research Center.

Mitalipov said that because the reprogrammed cells use the patient’s genetic material, there was no concern about transplant rejection.

The technique, a variation of a method called somatic cell nuclear transfer, was used to produce Dolly the cloned sheep in 1996. Dolly was the first mammal to be cloned.

“While there is much work to be done in developing safe and effective stem cell treatments, we believe this is a significant step forward in developing the cells that could be used in regenerative medicine,” Mitalipov said.

He added that human cells in the study appeared even more fragile than those of monkey cells having undergone the same technique, which has so far not successfully produced any monkey clones.

This means it is unlikely the method could be used to create human clones, said Mitalipov.

“While nuclear transfer breakthroughs often lead to a public discussion about the ethics of human cloning, this is not our focus, nor do we believe our findings might be used by others to advance the possibility of human reproductive cloning,” he said.

Some of the UK’s best-known executives have written that “the economic case to stay in the EU is overwhelming” in an open letter, while Prime Minister David Cameron walks an EU tightrope placed by his own Conservatives.

A group of business leaders from the UK wrote in the left-leaning Independent newspaper on Monday that anyone arguing in favor of an EU exit was “putting politics before economics,” saying there was a clear economic incentive for Britain to stay in the bloc.

“The economic case to stay in the EU is overwhelming,” the group wrote. “To Britain, membership is estimated to be worth between 31 billion pounds (36.7 billion euros, $47.1 billion) and 92 billion pounds per year in income gains, or between 1,200 and 3,500 pounds for every household.”

The signatories included the previous and current presidents of the Chamber of British Industry, as well as Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson and the chairmen of Deloitte, telecommunications firm BT and Lloyds. They supported Cameron’s stated aim to revise the terms of EU membership, saying some alterations were needed to support the country’s financial sector, but concluded that such change was best secured from within.

“What we should now be doing is fighting hard to deliver a more competitive Europe, to combat the criticism of those that champion our departure. We should push to strengthen and deepen the Single Market to include digital, energy, transport and telecoms, which could boost Britain’s GDP by 110 billion pounds,” they wrote.

Cornered by conservative comrades

Britain’s ruling Conservatives have been rocked by EU infighting over the past few weeks, with Prime Minister David Cameron trying to play intermediary. Cameron, who says he is seeking renegotiated terms of EU membership more favorable for Britain and the bloc, has pledged to hold an “in/out” referendum in 2017 if he wins re-election.

After last month’s difficult showing in local elections, marked by a rise in fortunes for the anti-EU United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), Cameron has come under further pressure. One motion from within his own party proposed anchoring the potential referendum in law as a Conservative plan. Another motion said that the Queen should have mentioned the renegotiation of EU terms in her speech at the formal opening of parliament.

Former Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Geoffrey Howe recently wrote in the Observer newspaper that Cameron’s Conservative Party was “running scared” of its own backbenchers on the issue.

“Sadly, by making it clear in January that he opposes the current terms of UK membership of the EU, the prime minister has opened a Pandora’s box politically and seems to be losing control of his party in the process,” the former foreign and finance minister wrote.

The UK already opts out of the single European currency, the Schengen open border zone, and only partially accepts the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and a joint policing zone.

UKIP’s rise threatens the Conservatives’ monopoly on right-of-center politics in Britain. But business leaders on Monday wrote that when it came to the EU: “The benefits of membership overwhelmingly outweigh the costs, and to suggest otherwise is putting politics before economics.”

A man peers through the wreckage in Shawnee, Oklahoma, theUnited States, May 20, 2013. Tornadoes ravaged portions of central Oklahoma on Sunday, according to media reports. (Xinhua/Marcus DiPaola) ]

HOUSTON, (Xinhua): A powerful tornado struck the southern suburbs of Oklahoma City, capital of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, on Monday afternoon, killing at least 51 people and injuring at least 140 others, officials said.

At least 20 of the dead were children, including at least seven from Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, which lies directly in the path of the monster storm’s wall of wind. Of the wounded, 70 were also children, according to media reports.

The tornado reportedly ripped through Moore in the southern part of the Oklahoma city metropolitan area Monday afternoon, devastating homes and buildings. The monster twister was estimated to be at least two miles (3.2 km) wide at one point as it moved through the area.

Video coverage from CNN affiliates showed a funnel cloud stretching from the sky to the ground, kicking up debris. Areas of metropolitan Oklahoma city appeared to be in ruins after the tornado moved through the region.

Block after block lay in ruins in Moore, a community of 41,000 people. Homes were crushed into piles of broken wood while cars and trucks were left crumpled on the roadside.

Briarwood Elementary School in Moore reportedly received a “direct hit” from the storm and was severely damaged. Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore was also on the twister’s path.

Speaking to reporters Monday night, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said officials are doing everything they can to help find people who may be lost or injured.

More than 32,000 electricity users in Oklahoma were left without power early Monday evening, local power providers said.

The tornado followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the region in May 1999. It was the fourth tornado to hit Moore since 1998. A twister also struck in 2003.

Monday afternoon’s tornado in Moore came after tornadoes and powerful storms ripped through Oklahoma and the Midwest on Sunday and earlier Monday.

Two people, both in their 70s, were confirmed dead after tornadoes hit Oklahoma on Sunday, officials said Monday.

As many as 28 tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois and Iowa, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.

A combination of factors, including strong winds and warm, moist air banging against dry air, means severe weather could continue sweeping across a wide swath of the U.S. for days, according to CNN