FRIDAY LEARNING ZONE FROM WESSEX JAMAAT
13th Muharram 1428 AH / 2nd February 2007
No. 5
NO ONE except Allah (SWT) knows when QIYAMAH will commence. He (SWT) says in the Holy Quran: “The people question you about the Hour; Say: Its knowledge is only with Allah”. (33:63)
It is narrated that:
The Quraysh in Makkah sent three people to learn few things from the Jews and Christians of Madina, and then question about those things to the Holy Prophet (saww) to check if he knew the answers. The scholars of the Jews and Christians trained the three people of Quraysh to ask three questions to the Holy Prophet (saww). They also said, “Go and ask him these questions. If he (saww) is able to answer them then he (saww) is most certainly the awaited prophet as predicted in the Tawrat”. They also added one more question and said “Ask him when is QIYAMAH? If he (saww) tells you the day, then know that he (saww) is a liar because no one except Allah (SWT) knows about it!”
The three people of Quraysh came to the Holy Prophet (saww) and put all their questions to him including the one on QIYAMAH. Jibrael (as) descended with revelation of Suratul-Kahf, which had answer to all their three questions. In addition to this, there was also a reply for them about QIYAMAH. “They ask you concerning the Hour, when will it set in? Say: Its knowledge is only with my Lord”. (7:187) (Tafseer-e-Nu’mani)
It is reported from Imam Ja’ffar as-Sadiq (as) that Prophet ‘Issa (as) once asked Jibrael, “When will the day of QIYAMAH set in?” When Jibrael heard the name of QIYAMAH, he fainted out of fear. When he got up, he told Prophet ‘Issa (as), “O Spirit of Allah! The one whom you have asked this question does not know more than the one who has asked. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth belong to Him; QIYAMAH will not set in but suddenly”. (Bihar al-Anwaar)
All these show that the knowledge of QIYAMAH is with no one except Allah (SWT). He (SWT) alone knows when it will occur!