1387 - أشراطُ السّاعَةِ

1387. THE PORTENTS OF THE HOUR

(فَهَلْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلّا السَّاعَةَ أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمْ بَغْتَةً فَقَدْ جاءَ أَشْراطُها فَأَنَّى‏ لَهُمْ إِذا جاءَتْهُمْ ذِكْراهُمْ) .¹

“Do they await anything except that the Hour should overtake them suddenly? Certainly its portents have come. of what avail to them will their admonition be when it overtakes them?”²

(وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَصَعِقَ مَنْ فِي السَّماواتِ وَمَنْ فِي الأرْضِ إِلَّا مَنْ شاءَ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ نُفِخَ فِيهِ أُخْرَى‏ فَإِذا هُمْ قِيامٌ يَنْظُرُونَ) .³

“And the Trumpet will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens will swoon and whoever is on the earth, except whomever Allah wishes. Then it will be blown a second time, behold, they will rise up, looking on!”⁴

(إِذا زُلْزِلَتِ الأَرْضُ زِلْزالَها) .⁵

“When the earth is rocked with a terrible quake,”⁶

(كَلَّا إِذَا دُكَّتِ الأَرْضُ دَكَّاً دَكَّاً) .⁷

“No indeed! When the earth is crumbled into fragments,”⁸

(وَتَسِيرُ الْجِبالُ سَيْراً) .⁹

“and the mountains move with an awful motion.”¹⁰

(وَتَكُونُ الْجِبالُ كَالْعِهْنِ الْمَنْفُوشِ) .¹¹

“and the mountains will be like carded wool.”¹²

(وَإِذَا الْبِحارُ فُجِّرَتْ) .¹³

“and when the seas are merged.”¹⁴

(إِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ * وَإِذَا النُّجُومُ انْكَدَرَتْ) .¹⁵

“When the sun is wound up, and when the stars fall.”¹⁶

(وَإِذَا الْكَوَاكِبُ انْتَثَرَتْ) .¹⁷

“and when the stars are scattered.”¹⁸

(وَانْشَقَّتِ السَّماءُ فَهِيَ يَوْمَئِذٍ واهِيَةٌ) .¹⁹

“and the sky will be split open – for it will be frail that day.”²⁰

1386 - تَفَرُّدُ اللَّهِ بِعِلمِ السّاعَةِ

1386. ALLAH’S EXCLUSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOUR

(يَسْألُكَ النَّاسُ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ قُلْ إنَّما عِلْمُها عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَما يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ السَّاعَةَ تَكُونُ قَرِيباً) .¹

“The people question you concerning the Hour. Say, ‘Its knowledge is only with Allah.’ What do you know, maybe the Hour is near.”²

4660.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : قالَ عيسَى بنُ مَريَمَ عليهما السلام لِجَبرَئيلَ عليه السلام : مَتى‏ قِيامُ السّاعَةِ ؟ فَانتَفَضَ جَبرَئيلُ انتِفاضَةً اُغمِيَ عَلَيهِ مِنها ، فلَمّا أفاقَ قالَ : يا روحَ اللَّهِ ، ما المَسؤولُ أعلَمُ بِها مِنَ السّائلِ ، ولَهُ مَن فِي السَّماواتِ والأرضِ ، لا تَأتيكُم إلّا بَغتَةً .³

4660.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) narrated, ‘Jesus son of Mary (AS) asked Gabriel (AS), ‘When will the Hour come?’ upon which Gabriel started to tremble so severely that he fainted from it. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘O Spirit of Allah, the questioned one does not know that any more than the questioner does. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth, and it [the Hour] will take you all by surprise.’⁴