Question:
Assalamualaikum w.b.t. Can you explain what is the first major sign of the doomsday?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
In answering this issue, we cite from the book Asyrat al-Sa’ah by Dr Yusuf bin Abdullah bin Yusuf al-Wabil which stated: “Imam Ahmad and Imam Muslim narrate a hadith from Abi Zur’ah which says:
There were three groups of Muslims who came to meet Marwan bin al-Hakam in Medina, then they heard that he was telling about the last signs of doomsday by saying that the first sign is the appearance of Dajjal. Then, Abdullah ibn ‘Amr R.Anhuma said, Marwan did not say anything. Verily, I memorize a hadith of the Prophet PBUH in which I never forget. I heard he said:
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ الآيَاتِ خُرُوجًا طُلُوعُ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا وَخُرُوجُ الدَّابَّةِ عَلَى النَّاسِ ضُحًى وَأَيُّهُمَا مَا كَانَتْ قَبْلَ صَاحِبَتِهَا فَالأُخْرَى عَلَى إِثْرِهَا قَرِيبًا
The first sign (out of the signs of the appearance of the Dajjal) would be the appearance of the sun from the west, the appearance of the beast before the people in the forenoon and which of the two happens first, the second one would follow immediately after that.
Sahih Muslim (5238) and Musnad Ahmad (6881) with a tahqiq from Ahmad Syakir
According to the narration of Ahmad, he added: And Abdullah said that while reading the book and I am of the opinion that the first sign would be the rise of the sun from the west.
Ibn Hajar combines between the appearance of Dajjal and the rise of the sun from the west as the first sign: “From that narration, we can conclude that the appearance of Dajjal as the first sign of the doomsday which indicates that there is a change in the world. And this ends with the death of Prophet Isa AS.”
While the rise of the sun from the west indicates the change in nature and this ends with the coming of the doomsday and emergence of Dabbatul Ard. It probably happens on the same day as the rise of the sun from the west.
The wisdom is, when the sun rises from the west, the door of repentance is closed, then there is the emergence of Dabbatul Ard of which its emergence is to distinguish between mukmin and kafir as the completion of the closing of the door of repentance. While the first sign is the fire which gathers all humans. (See Fath al-Bari, 11/353)
Al-Hafiz Ibn Katir is of the opinion that the emergence of the animals from the centre of the earth is the first major sign of the doomsday. Wallahua’lam.
The final and strong opinion is the opinion of al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar which is the appearance of Dajjal.
We believe in the unseen including in the hereafter. May Allah make us firm in this faith to the end of our breath.