In the
Name of Allah; the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful
Invocations of peace and blessings upon our
beloved Prophet Muhammad and upon his family, companions and pure progeny.
By the grace of Allah جلَّ
جلاله I am beginning
a new series on my blog concerning the Apocalypse and End Times prophecy which
will focus on the reality of Ya’juj wa Ma’juj (Gog and Magog).
Most Muslims are deeply uninformed about
Gog and Magog. The ignorant masses imagine that Gog and Magog are some kind of
supernatural force. Some even believe they are not human beings, but monstrous
creatures that are hiding somewhere. There are many other fantastic notions
regarding this subject but have no basis in reality. However, majority of the ‘Ulama
(Islamic scholars) say that Gog and Magog are human beings, from the children
of Adam, but are concealed in some remote area of the world and have not yet
emerged.
It is my thesis that most the present-day ‘Ulama
are woefully wrong and have regrettably neglected this crucial subject. Some, like
Imran N. Hosein, have reawakened an interest among common Muslims. Sheikh Imran
correctly informs his listeners and readers that Gog and Magog have already
been released into the world. But even Sheikh Imran is forced to give credit to
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1839-1908), founder of the Ahmadiyyah movement, for being
the first person to correctly reveal this fact in the modern age, and for
correctly identifying who exactly Gog and Magog are. Sheikh Imran writes: “a
man named Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, correctly located Gog and Magog in the nations of
modern Western civilization. Indeed, this false Prophet was amazingly correct
on several other very important issues.” (An Islamic View of Gog and Magog
in the Modern World; p. 70)
To understand this crucial subject and its
significance for the present era in which the world of Islam is experiencing
all sorts of disasters and tribulations, we must analyze the nations of Gog and
Magog from a historical perspective.
The first mention of Magog (but not Gog) is
found in the Book of Genesis: “The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and
Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.” (Genesis; 10: 2) The
children of Japeth, including Magog, are located in the “isles of the Gentiles”
or “maritime nations” (Genesis; 10: 5). The Christian theologian, Albert Barnes
(1798-1870), in his commentary of this verse writes: “Thus, we have discovered
the ancient seats of Japheth, Iapetos - , around the Caspian, the Euxine, the
Aegean, and the north of the Mediterranean. From these coastlands they seem to
have spread over Europe, northern, western, and southern Asia, and, both by
Behring's Straits and the Atlantic, they at length poured into America. So true
is it that Japheth was enlarged, and that by them were ‘the isles of the
nations divided.’”
More detailed mention of Gog and Magog is
found in the Book of Ezekiel:
וּבָאתָ מִמְּקוֹמְךָ, מִיַּרְכְּתֵי צָפוֹן--אַתָּה,
וְעַמִּים רַבִּים אִתָּךְ: רֹכְבֵי סוּסִים כֻּלָּם, קָהָל גָּדוֹל וְחַיִל רָב
And thou shalt come from thy place out of the
uttermost parts of the north, thou, and many peoples with thee, all of them
riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty army (Ezekiel 38:15, and
Ezekiel 39:2)
This indicates that the nations of Gog and
Magog are from the colder, northern regions of the world, i.e., northern
Eurasia, or the lands of Russia and Europe that are remote and distant from the
perspective of the Holy Land of Israel or Judea. The word “isles” refers,
according to Biblical scholars, to the distant and remote regions of the world,
beyond the coast (against from the perspective of Judea).
According to the Holy Qur’an, Gog and Magog
were located in a mountainous region, and the mighty ruler Zul-Qarnain (peace
be upon him) cut off their access by building a wall composed of iron between
two mountains:
فَمَا اسْطَاعُوا أَن يَظْهَرُوهُ وَمَا
اسْتَطَاعُوا لَهُ نَقْبًا
So
[Gog and Magog] were unable to pass over it, nor were they able [to effect] in
it any penetration. (18: 97)
Many Islamic scholars and historians,
including Sheikh Imran N. Hosein, inform us that this wall was constructed
somewhere in the Caucasus mountainous region, between the Black Sea and Caspian
Sea. We can conclude, therefore, based on these religious texts, history, and archaeology,
that Gog and Magog are nations that are located in regions north of the Middle
East, beyond the mountainous region of the Caucasus, in Russia, Europe,
Siberia, and other northern and remote regions of Asia.
However, this region of the world is vast
and home to many different racial and ethnic groups. They are divided into
numerous nations, speaking numerous languages. This brings us to the next
important fact which is that Gog and Magog are described as being immensely
numerous. The Book of Ezekiel describes Gog and Magog as a “great horde”
consisting of many nations, all coming out from the north (Ezekiel 38: 15).
According to the Book of Revelation: “In number they are like the sand on the
seashore.” (Revelation 20: 8).
The Holy Qur’an states:
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فُتِحَتْ يَأْجُوجُ
وَمَأْجُوجُ وَهُم مِّن كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَنسِلُونَ
Until
when Gog and Magog are released, and they, from every elevation, descend (Sura
21: 96)
This Verse not only indicates the fact that
Gog and Magog will come from the northern, mountainous and elevated regions of
Eurasia, but that they will be large in number, as they are descending from “every”
high place.
The following Hadith graphically
illustrates this point:
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ ، قَالَ : قَالَ
النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، يَقُولُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ : " يَا آدَمُ ، يَقُولُ : لَبَّيْكَ رَبَّنَا
وَسَعْدَيْكَ ، فَيُنَادَى بِصَوْتٍ ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكَ أَنْ تُخْرِجَ
مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِكَ بَعْثًا إِلَى النَّارِ ، قَالَ : يَا رَبِّ ، وَمَا بَعْثُ
النَّارِ ؟ قَالَ : مِنْ كُلِّ أَلْفٍ أُرَاهُ ، قَالَ : تِسْعَ مِائَةٍ
وَتِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ ، فَحِينَئِذٍ تَضَعُ الْحَامِلُ حَمْلَهَا ، وَيَشِيبُ
الْوَلِيدُ ، وَتَرَى النَّاسَ سُكَارَى وَمَا هُمْ بِسُكَارَى وَلَكِنَّ عَذَابَ
اللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ سورة الحج آية 2 ، فَشَقَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى النَّاسِ حَتَّى
تَغَيَّرَتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
: " مِنْ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ تِسْعَ مِائَةٍ وَتِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ ،
وَمِنْكُمْ وَاحِدٌ ، ثُمَّ أَنْتُمْ فِي النَّاسِ كَالشَّعْرَةِ السَّوْدَاءِ فِي
جَنْبِ الثَّوْرِ الْأَبْيَضِ ، أَوْ كَالشَّعْرَةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ فِي جَنْبِ الثَّوْرِ
الْأَسْوَدِ ، وَإِنِّي لَأَرْجُو أَنْ تَكُونُوا رُبُعَ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ ،
فَكَبَّرْنَا ، ثُمَّ قَالَ : ثُلُثَ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ ، فَكَبَّرْنَا ، ثُمَّ
قَالَ : شَطْرَ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ ، فَكَبَّرْنَا "
Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: The Prophet
said, "On the day of Resurrection Allah will say, 'O Adam!' Adam will
reply, 'Labbaik our Lord, and Sa'daik ' Then there will be a loud call
(saying), Allah orders you to take from among your offspring a mission for the
(Hell) Fire.' Adam will say, 'O Lord! Who are the mission for the (Hell) Fire?'
Allah will say, 'Out of each thousand, take out 999.' At that time every
pregnant female shall drop her load (have a miscarriage) and a child will have
grey hair. And you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet not drunk, but
severe will be the torment of Allah." (22.2) (When the Prophet mentioned
this), the people were so distressed (and afraid) that their faces got changed
(in color) whereupon the Prophet said, "From Gog and Magog nine-hundred
ninety-nine will be taken out and one from you. You Muslims (compared to
the large number of other people) will be like a black hair on the side of a
white ox, or a white hair on the side of a black ox, and I hope that you will
be one-fourth of the people of Paradise." On that, we said,
"Allahu-Akbar!" Then he said, "I hope that you will be)
one-third of the people of Paradise." We again said,
"Allahu-Akbar!" Then he said, "(I hope that you will be)
one-half of the people of Paradise." So we said, Allahu Akbar."
(Sahih al-Bukhari)
This Hadith explicitly states that by the
time of Judgment Day, 99.9% of humanity will be categorized as from among the
nations of Gog and Magog, destined for the Hellfire. Incidentally, the Hadith
reveals that Gog and Magog are corrupt and faithless masses of mankind
(children of Adam).
The fact that Gog and Magog are so large in
number necessitates that they are already released and prominent in the world
today. It is not possible that such a large number of mankind remains concealed
somewhere in the remote regions of the mountains and the rest of us are simply
unaware of them. Consequently, the traditionalist ‘Ulama desperately need to
re-evaluate their teachings concerning Gog and Magog and awaken from their
slumber, before they become even more irrelevant than they already are.
In another Hadith, Lady Zaynab bint Jahsh
narrates that once the Prophet (peace be upon him) awoke from his sleep with a
flush red face and said:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا
اللَّهُ وَيْلٌ لِلْعَرَبِ مِنْ شَرٍّ قَدِ اقْتَرَبَ ، فُتِحَ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ
رَدْمِ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مِثْلُ هَذِهِ ، وَعَقَدَ سُفْيَانُ تِسْعِينَ أَوْ
مِائَةً
None
has the right to be worshipped but Allah! Woe to the Arabs, from the great evil
that is nearly approaching them. Today a gap has been made in the wall of Gog
and Magog like this." (Sufyan illustrated by this forming the number 90 or
100 with his fingers)
(Sahih
al-Bukhari)
This Hadith is very significant in that it
reveals the fact that during the very lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) Gog and Magog had already succeeded in penetrating the wall that had been
built by Zul-Qarnain. Remember the Holy Qur’an clearly states that Gog and
Magog will be unable to scale the wall or penetrate it until the promise of the
Lord comes and the wall shall be leveled (Sura 18: 98), which plainly indicates
that the wall of Zul-Qarnain was breached in the very lifetime of the Prophet
(peace be upon him).
Some of the traditionalist ‘Ulama argue
that Gog and Magog are a Sign of the Hour and they cannot be released until
after the Messiah slays the Dajjal (Antichrist) and his forces in a
great battle. They base this reasoning on the following Hadith which states:
إِذْ بَعَثَ اللَّهُ الْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ ،
فَيَنْزِلُ عِنْدَ الْمَنَارَةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ شَرْقِيَّ دِمَشْقَ بَيْنَ
مَهْرُودَتَيْنِ ، وَاضِعًا كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى أَجْنِحَةِ مَلَكَيْنِ إِذَا طَأْطَأَ
رَأْسَهُ قَطَرَ ، وَإِذَا رَفَعَهُ تَحَدَّرَ مِنْهُ جُمَانٌ كَاللُّؤْلُؤِ ،
فَلَا يَحِلُّ لِكَافِرٍ يَجِدُ رِيحَ نَفَسِهِ إِلَّا مَاتَ وَنَفَسُهُ يَنْتَهِي
حَيْثُ يَنْتَهِي طَرْفُهُ ، فَيَطْلُبُهُ حَتَّى يُدْرِكَهُ بِبَابِ لُدٍّ ،
فَيَقْتُلُهُ ثُمَّ يَأْتِي عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ قَوْمٌ قَدْ عَصَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ
مِنْهُ ، فَيَمْسَحُ عَنْ وُجُوهِهِمْ وَيُحَدِّثُهُمْ بِدَرَجَاتِهِمْ فِي
الْجَنَّةِ ، فَبَيْنَمَا هُوَ كَذَلِكَ إِذْ أَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى عِيسَى إِنِّي
قَدْ أَخْرَجْتُ عِبَادًا لِي لَا يَدَانِ لِأَحَدٍ بِقِتَالِهِمْ ، فَحَرِّزْ
عِبَادِي إِلَى الطُّورِ ، وَيَبْعَثُ اللَّهُ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ وَهُمْ مِنْ
كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَنْسِلُونَ ، فَيَمُرُّ أَوَائِلُهُمْ عَلَى بُحَيْرَةِ طَبَرِيَّةَ
، فَيَشْرَبُونَ مَا فِيهَا وَيَمُرُّ آخِرُهُمْ ، فَيَقُولُونَ : لَقَدْ كَانَ
بِهَذِهِ مَرَّةً مَاءٌ ، وَيُحْصَرُ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ عِيسَى ، وَأَصْحَابُهُ
حَتَّى يَكُونَ رَأْسُ الثَّوْرِ لِأَحَدِهِمْ خَيْرًا مِنْ مِائَةِ دِينَارٍ
لِأَحَدِكُمُ الْيَوْمَ فَيَرْغَبُ نَبِيُّ اللَّه عِيسَى وَأَصْحَابُهُ
فَيُرْسِلُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمُ النَّغَفَ فِي رِقَابِهِمْ ، فَيُصْبِحُونَ فَرْسَى
كَمَوْتِ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ ، ثُمَّ يَهْبِطُ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ عِيسَى وَأَصْحَابُهُ
إِلَى الْأَرْضِ ، فَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَوْضِعَ شِبْرٍ إِلَّا مَلَأَهُ
زَهَمُهُمْ وَنَتْنُهُمْ ، فَيَرْغَبُ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ عِيسَى وَأَصْحَابُهُ إِلَى
اللَّهِ ، فَيُرْسِلُ اللَّهُ طَيْرًا كَأَعْنَاقِ الْبُخْتِ ، فَتَحْمِلُهُمْ
فَتَطْرَحُهُمْ حَيْثُ شَاءَ اللَّهُ
Allah would send Christ, son of Mary, and
he will descend at the white minaret in the eastern side of Damscus wearing two
garments lightly dyed with saffron and placing his hands on the wings of two
Angels. When he would lower his head, there would fall beads of perspiration
from his head, and when he would raise it up, beads like pearls would scatter
from it. Every non-believer who would smell the odour of his self would die and
his breath would reach as far as he would be able to see. He would then search
for him (Dajjal) until he would catch hold of him at the gate of Ludd and would
kill him. Then a people whom Allah had protected would come to Jesus, son of
Mary, and he would wipe their faces and would inform them of their ranks in
Paradise and it would be under such conditions that Allah would reveal to Jesus
these words: I have brought forth from amongst My servants such people against
whom none would be able to fight; you take these people safely to Tur, and then
Allaah would send Gog and Magog and they would swarm down from every slope.
The first of them would pass the Lake of Tiberias and drink out of it. And when
the last of them would pass, he would say: There was once water there. Jesus
and his companions would then be besieged here (at Tur, and they would be so
much hard pressed) that the head of the ox would be dearer to them than one
hundred dinars and Allah's Prophet, Jesus, and his companions would supplicate
Allah, Who would send to them insects (which would attack their necks) and in
the morning they would perish like one single person. Allah's Prophet, Jesus,
and his companions would then come down to the earth and they would not find in
the earth as much space as a single span which is not filled with their
putrefaction and stench. Allah's Prophet, Jesus, and his companions would then
again beseech Allaah, Who would send birds whose necks would be like those of
bactrin camels and they would carry them and throw them where God would will.
(Sahih Muslim)
According to this Hadith, the armies of Gog
and Magog will descend into the Holy Land after the destruction of the Dajjal.
This Hadith does not at all state that the wall of Zul-Qarnain will be levelled
at that time, for we have already proven that the wall of Zul-Qarnain was
already penetrated by Gog and Magog during the very lifetime of the Prophet
(peace be upon him) some fourteen centuries ago.
Furthermore, the Hadith states that during
the invasion of Gog and Magog into the Holy Land, they will come in waves and
drink up all the remaining water of Lake Tiberias also known as the Sea of Galilee.
It is quite interesting that at present the Sea of Galilee has a very low
threshold of water and is quickly drying up. But the Lake will only be
completely drained and dried up when Gog and Magog launch their invasion.
No comments:
Post a Comment