Theres been much talk over the years regarding yet more doomsday theories. The next "attempt" is Friday 21st December 2012.
The Islamic view on this issue is crystal clear:
Allah سبحانه و تعالى says,
"They ask you, [O Muhammad], about the Hour: when is its arrival? Say, "Its knowledge is only with my Lord. None will reveal its time except Him. It lays heavily upon the heavens and the earth. It will not come upon you except unexpectedly." They ask you as if you are familiar with it. Say, "Its knowledge is only with Allah , but most of the people do not know." (7:187)
"Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted."(31:34)
"People ask you concerning the Hour. Say," Knowledge of it is only with Allah . And what may make you perceive? Perhaps the Hour is near." (33:63)
"To him [alone] is attributed knowledge of the Hour. And fruits emerge not from their coverings nor does a female conceive or give birth except with His knowledge. And the Day He will call to them, "Where are My 'partners'?" they will say, "We announce to You that there is [no longer] among us any witness [to that]." (41:47)
"They ask you (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)) about the Hour, - when will be its appointed time? You have no knowledge to say anything about it." (79:42:43)
On the authority of Umar bin Al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه), who said :
One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no signs of journeying were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down by the prophet. Resting his knees against his and placing the palms of his hands on his thighs, he said:
"O Muhammad, tell me about Islam".
The messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
"Islam is to testify that there is none worthy of worship but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, to perform the prayers, to pay the zakat, to fast in Ramadhan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so."
He said:"You have spoken rightly", and we were amazed at him asking him and saying that he had spoken rightly.
He said: "Then tell me about Iman."
He (the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:"It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and to believe in divine destiny, both the good and the evil thereof." He said:"You have spoken rightly".
He said: " Then tell me about Ihsan."
He (the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: "It is to worship Allah as though you are seeing Him, and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you".
He said: "Then tell me about the Hour."
He (the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: "The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner."
He said: "Then tell me about its signs."
He (the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: "That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and that you will see the barefooted, naked, destitute herdsman competing in constructing lofty buildings." Then he took himself off and I stayed for a time. Then he said: "O Umar, do you know who the questioner was?" I said: "Allah and His messenger know best". He said: "He was Jibreel (Gabriel), who came to you to teach you your religion."
[Sahih Muslim]
Mufti Muhammad Shafi رحمه الله writes: "The exact time of the Doom is not known, and shall never be made known to any one. It is a divine secret which shall disclose itself by it's sudden occurence, as has been decided by the Qur'anic phrase "It shall not come upon you but suddenly." [Ma'ariful Qur'an]
It should also be remembered that there are many major signs yet to take place, like the appearance of the Dajjal, the appearance of Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him), the descent of Sayyiduna Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him), the rising of the sun from the west, Ya'juj wa Ma'juj (the gog and the magog), the beast, etc.
When the Day Of Judgement will take place is from the knowledge of the unseen. Only Allah the Exalted knows when it will take place.
Praise be to Allah.
It is not permissible for anyone to claim to have knowledge of the unseen. The one who makes such a claim is a kaafir. And it is not permissible to believe that anyone has knowledge of the unseen. The one who believes that is also a kaafir.
Allaah has told us that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) does not have knowledge of the unseen, and that the jinn do not have knowledge of the unseen.
What we are referring to here is the unseen in absolute terms, which no one knows except Allaah. As for the relative unseen - which some people know and others do not - some people may find a way to know this, so we have to find out how they know it; some may find out by spying and some may find out through the jinn. Both are ways which it is forbidden for us to use.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:
Do the jinn have knowledge of the unseen?
He replied:
The jinn do not have knowledge of the unseen because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (Unseen) except Allaah"
[al-Naml 27:65]
"Then when We decreed death for him [Sulaymaan (Solomon)], nothing informed them (jinn) of his death except a little worm of the earth which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his stick. So when he fell down, the jinn saw clearly that if they had known the Unseen, they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment"
[Saba' 34:14]
So whoever claims to have knowledge of the unseen is a kaafir, and whoever believes the one who claims to have knowledge of the unseen is also a kaafir, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (Unseen) except Allaah"
[al-Naml 27:65]
No one knows what is unseen in the heavens and the earth except Allaah alone. Those who claim to have knowledge of the unseen future are all fortunetellers, and it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever goes to a fortuneteller and asks him (about anything), his prayer will not be accepted from him for forty days." And if he believes him then he is a kaafir because if he believes that he has knowledge of the unseen, then he has disbelieved in the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (Unseen) except Allaah"
[al-Naml 27:65].
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 1 Shawwaal, no. 115.
And Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on one who claims to have knowledge of the unseen. He replied:
The ruling on one who claims to have knowledge of the unseen is that he is a kaafir, because he has disbelieved in Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (Unseen) except Allaah, nor can they perceive when they shall be resurrected"
[al-Naml 27:65]
If Allaah has commanded His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to proclaim to all that no one in the heavens or on earth has knowledge of the unseen except Allaah, then whoever claims to have knowledge of the unseen has denied what Allaah has told us here.
We say to them: How can you possibly have knowledge of the unseen when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not have knowledge of the unseen? Are you better or the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? If they say, "We are better than the Messenger" then they become kaafirs by saying that. If they say, "He is better," then why was the unseen concealed from him but you have knowledge of it?? Allaah says of Himself (interpretation of the meaning):
"(He Alone is) the All‑Knower of the Ghayb (Unseen), and He reveals to none His Ghayb (Unseen).
27. Except to a Messenger (from mankind) whom He has chosen (He informs him of the Unseen as much as He likes), and then He makes a band of watching guards (angels) to march before him and behind him."
[al-Jinn 72:26]
The second verse attests to the kufr of the one who claims to have knowledge of the unseen. And Allaah commanded His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to announce to all (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): I don't tell you that with me are the treasures of Allaah, nor (that) I know the Unseen; nor I tell you that I am an angel. I but follow what is revealed to me"
[al-An'aam 6:50]
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 1 Shawwaal, no. 22.
The one who predicts the future is called a kaahin (fortuneteller, soothsayer), and it is not permissible to ask questions of such a person or to go to him or her. If their predictions are sometimes correct, that is either a coincidence or because the jinn have intercepted the news and conveyed it to the fortuneteller, but they add a hundred lies to it.
It was narrated that 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: Some people asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about fortunetellers. He said: "They are nothing." They said: "O Messenger of Allaah, sometimes they tell us something and it is true." The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "That is a word of the truth that they learn from the jinni which he whispers into the ear of his familiar, but they mix a hundred lies with it." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5429; Muslim, 2228.
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said:
Al-Qurtubi said: During the Jaahiliyyah they used to consult the fortunetellers about events and rulings, and follow what they said. Then the fortunetellers stopped when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sent. But there are still some who resemble them. It is forbidden to go to them, so it is not permissible to go to them or to believe them.
In the version narrated by Yoonus the phrase "sometimes they tell us something and it is true" appears as "they tell something and it turns out to be true." This phrase has confused the questioner because of the general meaning of the phrase "They are nothing", which he has understood to mean that they never get anything right. But the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commented that although they sometimes coincidentally get things right, it is never completely right for it is always contaminated with many lies.
Al-Khattaabi said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained that the reason why the fortuneteller sometimes gets it right is that the jinni tells him of something that he has heard by eavesdropping on the angels, and he adds lies to that to embellish what he heard. So occasionally he gets it right but usually it is wrong. Fath al-Baari, 10.219, 220. http://islamqa.info/en/ref/45569
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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