Ahadith on Qiyamah – and the Day of Judgement

i.  The meaning is that tawhid (monotheism) has come and shirk (polytheism) has left. And, as the hadith predicts, and another fixes the place also, polytheism will never come back to the Arab Peninsula. Islam is well-established in the Arab heartland. Kufr will never come back here, even if in some phases of history transgressions may be reported.

ii.`Isa (asws) will follow the Imam of the Muslims because he will be arriving for a certain purpose after fulfilling which he will die. His prophetic period is over. He will be following the Shari`ah revealed to our Prophet (saws) whose prophetic period – and so his Shari`ah– will last until the Last Hour.

His second coming will be to destroy Dajjal and his followers, most of whom will be Jews who are expecting the Messiah to come and give them victory over the nations of the world i.e., primarily, Christians and Muslims. It is the same expectation of the Christians. And it is yet the same expectation of the Muslims. And judging from the predictions made by the Prophet that have so far come true, we know whose expectation is right and on whose side the Messiah will be.

However, before the Messiah comes, Allah (swt) will send Masih Ad‑Dajjal, the Anti‑Christ, whom all those with no true faith will blindly follow, chiefly the Jews, but also the Christians and some of the Muslims weak in faith. With these as his followers – and they making the bulk of his army –Dajjal will go about spilling lot of human blood and causing misery. It is when the division of the evil and the virtuous would have taken place with both sides locked in a fierce life and death battle, that `Isa (asws) will appear, descending into Damascus with the help of two angels at the time prayers would be just beginning to be held. The Imam of the Muslims will ask him to lead, but he will decline and ask him to continue to lead in the prayers. He will then join the Muslim forces that would have gathered there for another battle with the Dajjali forces. He will chase Dajjal from place to place, defeating him in battle after battle, until they will finally meet in a place called Ludd (now an air‑force base in Israel). There `Isa (asws) will kill him and Muslims will finish off his followers. Thus the evildoers will be destroyed and a long peaceful period will follow. WaAlhamdulillahi rabbi al‑alamin.

iii. By the people of the pail is perhaps meant the people of Hejaz whose chief occupation continues to be agriculture which involves irrigation where the pail is an important tool.

iv. This is yet another prediction about the people of the Arabian Peninsula. However, a condition is attached viz. those who do their five daily prayers. This should also tell us how important it is for every Muslim to do his five daily prayers.