Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Sounds Alarm of the Day of Judgment -- Part I
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
(Translated from Urdu by New Age Islam Edit Desk)
The Beginning of the End of the Human History
The Quran is the last divine book of God. It was revealed to Hadhrat Muhammad (PBUH) in the first quarter of the 7th century. The main purpose of the Quran is basically to make man aware of the creation plan of God. According to this creation plan, the present world has been created for a limited period of time. A time will come when this world will be terminated. After that the Day of Judgment will be set up. The entire human population will be made to appear before the creator of the universe, and according to the record of every individual, his eternal fate will be decided.
The study of the Quran and hadith shows that some prominent signs will appear before the end of history that will be like the final warning for man. After the signs have appeared, God will signal the angel Israfeel who will blow the soor and suddenly the world will usher in its eternal phase from its temporary phase. That is, it will be the end of the period of deeds and the beginning of the period of judgment. The signs that will appear before Day of Judgment will be mainly five. According to the Quran and hadith, they will be as follows:
1. The appearance of Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog - Arabic: يَأْجُوج وَمَأْجُوج Yaʾǧūǧ wa-Maʾǧūǧ)
2. The appearance of Dajjal (Anti-Christ)
3. The appearance of Mehdi
4. The second coming of Messiah
5. Changes in weather
Gog and Magog have been mentioned on two occasions in the Quran (Al Kahaf-94 and Al Anbiya-96). The mention of Gog and Magog is also found in the books of hadith (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Ibn e Maja, Masnad Ahmad). Similarly, in Bible too, Gog and Magog find mention in books like Ezkiel. Gog and Magog are mentioned in other religions as well. For example, in the sacred scripture of Hinduism, Puran, Gog and Magog are mentioned as Koka and Vikoka. A lot has been written about Gog and Magog in hadith and the Quran.
Nevertheless, no unanimous opinion of scholars has come to light on the matter of Gog and Magog. In this situation, it has become necessary to put all the material together and try to reach an understanding that conforms to the relevant data on this issue. Following this principle, I have studied the data about Gog and Magog. The opinion that I have reached after the study is being presented here.
The issue of Gog and Magog is not a mysterious one. It is an issue that can be understood through known logical method. Ignoring the technical aspects of this issue, I will try to present a scholarly picture of the issue here.
The reality of Gog and Magog
Who are meant by Gog and Magog? Many scholars have presented contradictory views. Personally, I considered Maulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri’s view (death 1934) more accurate. He has meant the nations of Russia, Britain and Germany by them. He writes: “Gog and Magog mean those western nations that populated Europe.
The data available on Gog and Magog point towards the European nations. The data are mostly in symbolic language and so people find it difficult to understand their meaning. If this truth is kept in mind, it appears almost without doubt that by Gog and Magog, European nations are meant. They belong to the generation of Yafith, the son of Hadhrat Nuh (Noah). Probably, they first settled in the Western Europe and later their generations spread across America and Australia.
The Quran tells us that Noah’s ark settled on the Mountain Judi (Hud: 44). Mountain Judi is situated on the border areas of ancient Turkey. Turkey is considered a part of Europe. When the Noah’s ark settled here, his three sons, Sam, Ham and Yafith were with him. First two inhabited Asia and Africa and the sons of Yafith first settled in Russia and then spread across various countries of Europe. Probably these settlers in Western countries are called Gog and Magog in ancient books. Gog and Magog were not mysterious people nor were they such people for whom God had decided to be misguided eternally. They were like other human beings. The situations that they faced befell them according to natural law.
Two Phases of Gog and Magog
The Quran mentions Gog and Magog on two occasions. On one occasion they are mentioned in relation to Zulqarnain (Al Kahaf: 94) and on the other, without the mention of Zurlqarnain(Al Anbiya: 96). It becomes evident from the study of the two verses that two phases of Gog and Magog are meant that will come one after the other.
Apparently, the wall constructed by Zulqarnain was related to the first phase of Gog and Magog. The wall became an obstruction against their misadventures. The situation persisted for a long time. After that the initial aggressive generation of Gog and Magog got terminated and the later generation that was comparatively moderate came into existence.
During all these years, the wall constructed by Zulqarnain gradually worn out developing rifts at places making it possible for the later generation of Gog and Magog to come out of the wall and spread in the world outside. This is the second phase in which they came in touch with civilization. This civilized phase gradually marched towards further advancement.
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