Gog
and Magog in other Scriptures
It is only when one is convinced that one
has penetrated and understood the subject as explained from the blessed Qur’an
as well as from the supporting data provided by Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu
‘alaihi wa sallam) that additional material located in previous scriptures
can be included in the study of the subject. Such material, located in the
Bible as well as in such Hindi scriptures as the Kalki Purana (which
makes mention of Koka and Vikoka who will fight against Kalki) should be very carefully studied and analyzed
to determine harmony or discord with the system of meaning derived from
the Qur’an and Ahadith. Only thus can such data be
validated, and only then can such data shed legitimate additional light on the
subject.
EXPLAINING
TERMINOLOGY
An example of this is the critically
important verse which identifies ‘someone’ or ‘something’ as the ‘Ilm
(i.e. knowledge) of the Sa‘ah. That ‘someone’ or ‘something’
therefore constitutes the veritable key with which to both unlock the subject
of the Last Hour as well as to recognize the Sa‘ah when it
arrives and it is from that ‘Ilm that we derive the core of the system
of meaning of our subject.
The subject of Gog and Magog is located in al-Sa‘ah
(i.e. the Last Hour) and that term is itself linked to a number of other
related terms which must be understood before we can explain Gog and Magog in
the modern age. Let us therefore attempt to explain those terms as well as
distinguish between them.
Youm al-Qiyamah is generally used in the Qur’an
to refer to the Day of Resurrection (i.e. Youm al-B’ath) but it has also
been used to refer to the Day of Judgment (i.e. Youm al-Din).
However, the material universe must first end with what is known as the Sa‘ah,
or Last Hour, before the resurrection and judgment can take place. The Sa‘ah,
Youm al-B’ath, Youm al-Qiyamah, Youm al-Din, etc., are, in
turn, all contained in yet another term, Youm al-Akhir or the
Last Day.
Before the material universe ends with the Sa‘ah
or Last Hour, however, Allah Most High has ordained that a number of ‘Signs’
would unfold in the world. These are known as the ‘Alamat al-Saah
(i.e. ‘Signs of the Last Hour’) and have generally been recognized
to consist of ‘major’ and ‘minor’ Signs.
Among the so-called ‘minor’ Signs (although
this writer recognizes nothing minor about them) are “women dressing and yet being
naked”, “women dressing like men”, “men dressing like women”, “people engaging
in sexual intercourse in public like donkeys”, “the worst people become the
rulers”, “the worst member of a tribe becomes the ruler and people obey him out
of fear of his evil”, and other such Signs. But the ‘major’ Signs are generally
understood to have been mentioned in the following Hadith that
was previous quoted in this book:
“Hudhaifa bin Usaid Ghifari reported that
Allah’s Messenger came to us all of a sudden as we were (busy in a discussion).
He asked: “What are you discussing about?” They (the Companions) said, “We are
discussing about the Last Hour”. Thereupon he said: “It will not come until you
see ten signs” and (in this connection) he made mention of the ‘Smoke’, ‘Dajjal’,
‘the Beast’, ‘rising of the Sun from the West’, ‘the Descent of Jesus the son
of Mary’, ‘Gog and Magog’, and Sinking of the earth in three places, one in the
East, one in the West and one in Arabia at the end of which fire would burn
forth from Yemen and would drive people to their place of assembly.” (Sahih
Muslim)
Our readers should carefully note that there
is no evidence that the blessed Prophet (sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)
made mention of these ten Signs in the chronological sequence in which they
would occur, hence the mention of ‘Gog and Magog’ after ‘the return of Jesus
the son of Mary’ does not imply that they would be released into the world
after his return.
Now the blessed Prophet (sallalahu
‘alaihi wa sallam) once experienced a vision which revealed to him that a
hole had been made in the barrier built by Dhul Qarnain implying
that the Divinely-ordained release of Gog and Magog had commenced:
Zainab bint Jahsh said: "...once the
Messenger of Allah awoke from such a sleep that his face was red and these
words were on his tongue: 'There is none worthy of worship except Allah.
Destruction is upon the Arabs on account of the evil which has come close to
them. Today a hole as big as this has opened up in the barrier of Ya'jooj and
Ma'jooj and the Prophet indicated the hole by forming a ring with his index
finger and thumb." (Bukhari and Muslim)
“Narrated Zainab bint Jahsh: One day Allah’s
Apostle entered upon her in a state of fear and said: None has the right to be
worshipped but Allah! Woe to the Arabs from the Great evil that has approached
(them). Today a hole has been opened in the barrier of Gog and Magog like this.
The Prophet made a circle with his index finger and thumb. Zainab bint Jahsh added:
I asked: O Allah’s Apostle! Shall we be destroyed though there will be
righteous people among us? The Prophet said: Yes (it will come to pass) when
wickedness increases (i.e. scum, evil, disgusting conduct, sexual perversity,
etc., overtakes the world).” (This indicates not only political, economic and
military oppression of Arabs but also, they would be demonized in every conceivable
obscene and malicious way.) (Sahih Bukhari)
The Prophet (sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)
also once raised two of his fingers and declared about Youm al-Qiyamah
as follows:
“I and Youm al-Qiyamah are like these two
(and he showed his index and middle fingers).”
(Sahih Muslim)
The above two incidents reveal that the Last
Age which is the age that would conclude with the Sa‘ah and Youm
al-Qiyamah commenced in the blessed Prophet’s lifetime. This in turn
implied that other Signs of the Sa‘ah (Last Hour) would
continuously unfold in the world from the time of the advent of the last
Prophet. This writer has argued in his book entitled ‘Jerusalem in the Qur’an’
that the release of Dajjal the false Messiah or Anti-Christ also
took place in the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam).
The Qur’an has warned, time
and again, that mankind would experience divinely-ordained tests and trials
meant to determine whether or not they had any faith in Allah Most High. Those
tests and trials are described in the Qur’an as ‘Fitnah’:
“And beware of tests, trials, temptations to
evil which would not target only those among you who commit acts of injustice
and wickedness, to the exclusion of others; and know that Allah is severe in
punishment.” (Qur’an, al-Anfal, 8:25)
But Allah Most High also delivers other
warnings known as ‘Wa’ad’, i.e. Divine prophecies conveying
warnings of that coming Fitnah in the form of specific events that would
occur. The Qur’an declared quite ominously, for example, that the
Israelite people would face a special trial and punishment at that time since
Allah Most High would raise against them those who would inflict upon them,
“until the very end of Youm al-Qiyamah, the worst possible punishment”:
“And lo! Thy Lord-God made it known that He
would most certainly raise against them (i.e. the Israelite people), up to the
Day of Qiyamah, those who would afflict them with the worst possible
punishment: verily, your Lord-God is swift in punishment - yet verily He is
(also) much forgiving, a dispenser of grace.” (Qur’an, al-A‘raf, 7:167)
Other than Gog and Magog, there can be no
other people so divinely raised, whose mission of inflicting punishment on the Israelite
people would continue up to the Day of Qiyamah.
The Sa‘ah or Last Hour is a
period of time with a beginning and an end between which, a series of events
would occur that would result in the end of the historical process, i.e.
history as we know it would end. That end of history, which precedes
the end of the world would witness the dramatic culmination of the struggle
between ‘truth’ and ‘falsehood’ in the historical process with final and
conclusive victory for ‘truth’ over all its rivals. The Sa‘ah would
then conclude with ‘the end of the material universe’ as we know it when
the mountains would become the equivalent of pieces of wool that are blown
hither and thither and the dead are resurrected from their graves. The Qur’an
has warned mankind that the event which would result in the end of the material
universe would be something truly awesome:
“O men! Be conscious of your Lord-God: for
verily the violent convulsion of the Last Hour will be an awesome thing! (Qur’an, al-Hajj, 22:1)
After the Sa‘ah has reached
its culmination in the end of the material universe, the Day of Qiyamah
would continue to its own culmination in the events of Judgment Day. At that
time every human being would be resurrected and then be taken for judgment. That
day, in turn, is also described as the day when the way of life based on truth
would prevail over all rivals.
Among the events of the Day of Judgment as
described in the Qur’an is a test of weight in which mankind
would each be put on a scale in order to be weighed for faith and righteousness
of conduct. Each would then be handed his or her book of deeds and ordered to
read that book. Finally each would be ordered to cross a bridge which takes one
to heaven but beneath which is the hellfire. The bridge is narrow and the place
is so dark that when those without their own (internal) light put their hands
before their faces they would not be able to see their own hands. Allah Most
High bestows that light with which to see on that day upon the hearts of those
who have faith in Him and whose conduct is righteous. It is not sold in the
stock market!
No one but Allah Most High knows when the Sa‘ah
would take place (i.e. from the beginning of the Sa‘ah with which
history would culminate, to the end of the Sa‘ah when the
material universe would end, the resurrection takes place and judgment
delivered):
“They will ask thee (O Prophet) about the
Last Hour: "When will it come to pass?" (literally, when will it set
anchor and land, as with a ship that is sailing) Say: "Verily, knowledge
thereof rests with my Lord-God alone. None but He will reveal it in its time.
Heavily will it weigh on the Samawat and the Earth; (and) it will
not fall upon you otherwise than of a sudden." They will ask you - as if
you could gain insight into this (mystery) by dint of persistent inquiry! Say:
"Knowledge thereof rests with my Lord-God alone; but (of this) most people
are unaware." (Qur’an, al-‘Araf,
7:187)
Nor does anyone know how brief or how long a
period of time would elapse after the end of history before the material
universe ends. It could even be as long as a few hundred years. But the religion
of Islam has provided a description of the end of the material universe as well
as ‘Signs of the Last Hour’ with specific information through which it is
possible for us to recognize the approach of that moment in the Sa‘ah
which would be the end of history – the subject matter of this book.
to be continued . . . .
