. J ; ; ;J; : ,;I•; (cont.)

• :ii ॱ . • Jƀ ;.. ("'"' -.....,.-;.-; ঩ "/ / " Ȓ .....:...> Ƌy.. /.)ॴ / " 0 J "' J ,,. ,,. ,,. .. I / I /" l· -·- 1 / ௞/ " " . /" , ;;; ., I / / / " ' · · 1 " "ॳ . ' ফব' " .,a • '-""-:'.' ॲ.r- (/· Q.) ୪ "But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept them with full submission" (al-Nisaa 65). The believer should realize that the sending of messengers for the benefit and guidance of mankind is a great blessing from Allah. The knowledge that they conveyed is knowledge that is beyond the grasp of the human intellect by itself since it deals with matters of the unseen. Any cursory study of history would demonstrate that mankind is not able to find the absolute and complete truth with respect to God and the worship of Him except through a reliable source that has the necessary knowledge from the proper source, and that is the messenger receiving his knowledge from Allah alone.3 1 Abdullah al-Muslih and Salaah al-Saawi, Ma La Yasa'u al-Muslim Jahla (Islamic Foundation of America, 1995), p. 59. 2 Abdur-Rahmaan Abdul-Khaliq, The General Prescripts of Belief in the Quran and Sunnah (The Majliss of al-Haqq Publication Society, 1986), p. 1 8. 3 Cf., Qutb, pp. 226-7. Hadith #2: The Hadith of Jibreel Indeed, mankind is in more need of their guidance than they are in need of food and drink. If they are void of food and drink for any period of time, they will die, implying loss of this life. But if they are refusing Allah's guidance through the messengers, they will lose the everlasting bounties of the Hereafter. Unfortunately for humans, in every era and in every generation, many of them think that they possess a great mind and intellect, therefore, they are not in need of any other human to guide themeven if that human were a messenger of Allah. They think they can find their own way. This arrogance and attributing to their intellects what is well beyond its reach will lead to their final destruction-- unless they repent, accept the messengers, believe in what they brought and follow their guidance. "the Last Day" "The Last Day" is called such because there will be no new day after it, as the people of Paradise shall be in their abode as will the people of Hell. Among its other names are "The Day of Resurrection," "The Reality," "The Event," "The Day of Judgment," and "The Overwhelming." This is the greatest day that mankind shall pass through. Indeed, it will be the gravest and most fearful day. A person's new life will be decided on that day. It will mark a new beginning for each and every soul. This new step may lead to eternal bliss or eternal damnation. 1 Belief in the Last Day implies belief in everything that the Quran or the Prophet (peace be upon him) has stated about the events of that Day and thereafter. There are some general aspects (resurrection, judgment and reward, Paradise and Hell) that every Muslim should be aware of and believe in with certainty. There are also more detailed aspects that the Quran or the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentioned. The more one has knowledge of that Day and its surrounding events, the greater the effect this belief will have on him. Hence, it is highly recommended for each individual Muslim to learn about the events that occur prior to and on the Day of Resurrection. As recorded in Sahih Muslim, before the Day of Judgment and the destruction of this earth, Allah will send a wind softer than silk, coming from Yemen, that will take the souls of every individual who has even the slightest amount of faith in his heart. Therefore, the events of the end of the earth will only be lived through by the worst of people, those with no faith whatsoever. One of the first events to occur is the sun rising from the West. At that time, all those people will declare their faith but it will be of no avail to them. Then the Hom shall be blown and all on this earth shall die. Allah says, 1 For Quranic/rational arguments for the existence of the Hereafter, see Idris, pp. 1 1-16. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi i-ԮT ;11 ;. ԯ԰jԱԲT J, ;.j ԳpT J, ;. J./.a/• )\\ J, ԍj / ,,,. ,,,. ,,,. "And the trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth will swoon away, except him whom Allah wills" (al-Zumar 68). This earth and heaven shall then be destroyed.