The Destruction of the Ka'ba


At the end of time, Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn, who will come from Abyssinia (al-Habash), will destroy the Ka'ba in order to steal its treasure and Kiswah (cloth covering). The Ka'ba is the ancient building which was built by Abraham, and whose foundations were laid by Adam.
As Tafsir (interpretation) of the Surah 21.Al-Anbiya (The Prophets) Ayah 96:
"Until the Gog and Magog (people) are let through (their barrier), and they swiftly swarm from every hill"

,it was reported from Ka'b al-Ahbar that Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn will first emerge at the time of Isa (Jesus), son of Mary.

Allah will send Isa (Jesus) at the head of a vanguard of between seven and eight hundred. While they are marching towards Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn, Allah will send a breeze from the direction of Yemen, which will take the soul of every believer. Only the worst of people will be left, and they will begin to copulate like animals. Ka'b said: "At that time, the Hour will be close at hand." 'Abdullah Ibn 'Amr said, "I heard the Prophet say, 'Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn from Abyssinia will destroy the Ka'ba and steal its treasure and Kiswah. It is as if I could see him now: he is bald-headed and has a distortion in his wrists. He will strike the Ka'ba with his spade and pick-axe.' " (Ahmad)

It was reported from 'Abdullah Ibn 'Omar that the Prophet said, "Leave the Abyssinians alone so long as they do not disturb you, for no-one will recover the treasure of the Ka'ba except Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn from Abyssinia." (Abu Dawud, in the chapter on the prohibition of provoking the Abyssinians)

Ibn 'Abbas narrated that the Prophet said, "It is as if I can see him now: he is black and his legs are widely spaced. He will destroy the Ka'ba stone by stone." (Ahmad) The Prophet said, "The Hour will not come until a man from Qahtan appears and rules the people." (Muslim; similar Hadith in al-Bukhari) This man could be Dhu'l-Suwayq, someone else, because this man comes from Qahtan, while other reports say that Dhu'l-Suwayqatayn comes from Abyssinia; and Allah knows best. Abu Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'Day and night will not come to an end until a freed man called Jahjah holds sway'" (Ahmad)

This could be the name of Dhul-Suwayqatayn from Abyssinia; and Allah knows best. 'Omar Ibn al-Khattab reported that he heard the Prophet say: "The people of Makkah will leave, and only a few people will pass through it. Then it will be resettled and rebuilt; then the people will leave it again, and no-one will ever return."

Madina will remain inhabited at the time of the Dajjal :

It has been proven in the Saheeh Hadith, as already stated, that the Dajjal will not be able to enter Makkah and Madina, and that there will be angels at the gates of Makkah to ward him off and prevent him from entering. It was reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said, "Neither the Dajjal nor plague will be able to enter Madina." As mentioned above, the Dajjal will camp outside Madina, and it will be shaken by three tremors. Every hypocrite and sinner will go out to join the Dajjal, and every believer and Muslim will stay. That day will be called the Day of Purification (Yawm al-Khalas). Most of those who go out to join the Dajjal will be women. As the Prophet said, "Verily it (Madina) is good; its evil will be eliminated and its goodness will be obvious."

Allah (swt) said:

Surah 24.An-Noor (The Light), verse 26
"Women impure are for men impure, and men impure for women impure and women of purity are for men of purity, and men of purity are for women of purity: these are not affected by what people say: for them there is forgiveness, and a provision honourable"

Madina will remain inhabited during the days of the Dajjal, and during the time of Jesus son of Mary  until he dies and is buried there. Then it will be destroyed. 'Omar Ibn al-Khattab said, "I heard the Prophet say, 'A rider will go around Madina and say, There used to be many Muslims here' " (Ahmad)


The Emergence of the Beast

It will be very strange in appearance, and extremely huge; one cannot even imagine what it will look like. It will emerge from the earth and shake the dust from its head. It will have with it the ring of Solomon and the rod of Moses. People will be terrified of it and will try to run away, but they will not be able to escape, because such will be the decree of Allah. It will destroy the nose of every unbeliever with the rod, and write the word "Kafir" on his forehead; it will adorn the face of every believer and write the word "Mu'min" (true believer) on his forehead, and it will speak to people.

Allah said Surah 27.An-Naml (The Ant) 82:
"And when the Word is fulfilled against them (the unjust), we shall produce from the earth a beast to (face) them: He will speak to them, for that mankind did not believe with assurance in Our Signs."

Ibn 'Abbas, al-Hasan and Qutadah said that "It will speak to them" (tukallimuhum) means that it will address them. Ibn Jarir suggested that it means that the Beast will address them with the words Surah 27.An-Naml (The Ant), verse 82:
"And when the Word is fulfilled against them (the unjust), we shall produce from the earth a beast to (face) them: He will speak to them, for that mankind did not believe with assurance in Our Signs."

Ibn Jarir reported this from 'Ali and 'Ata' It was reported from Ibn 'Abbas that tukallimuhum means that the Beast will cut them, i e, it will write the word "Kafir" on the forehead of the unbeliever. It was also reported from Ibn 'Abbas that he will both address them and cut them; this suggestion incorporates both of the previous suggestions; and Allah knows best. We have already mentioned the Hadith of Hudhayfah ibn Usayd, in which the Prophet is reported to have said, "The Hour will not come until you see ten signs: the smoke; the Dajjal; the Beast; the sun rising from the West; the descent of Jesus son of Mary; Gog and Magog; and three landslides - one in the East, one in the West, and one in Arabia, at the end of which fire will burst forth from the direction of Aden (Yemen) and drive people to the place of their final assembly."

Abu Hurayrah said: "The Prophet said, 'Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the West, the smoke, the Dajjal, the Beast, the (death) of one of you or general tribulation.' " (Muslim.) Baridah said: "The Prophet took me to a place in the desert, near Makkah. It was a dry piece of land surrounded by sand. The Prophet said, 'The Beast will emerge from this place. It was a very small area.' " (Ibn Majah)

It was reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said, "The Beast of the Earth will emerge, and will have with it the rod of Moses and the ring of Solomon." It was also reported that he said, "(The Beast) will destroy the noses of the unbelievers with the ring, - so that people seated around one table will begin to address one another with the words "O Believer!" or "O Unbeliever!" (i e, everyone's status will become clear). (Ibn Majah.)

Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "I memorised a Hadith from the Prophet which I have not forgotten since. I heard the Prophet say, 'The first of the signs (of the Hour) to appear will be the rising of the sun from the West and the appearance of the Best before the people in the forenoon. Whichever of these two events happens first, the other will follow immediately.' " (Muslim).

That is to say, these will be the first extraordinary signs. The Dajjal, the descent of Isa (Jesus), the emergence of Gog and Magog, are less unusual in that they are all human beings. But the emergence of the Beast, whose form will be very strange, its addressing the people and classifying them according to their faith or unbelief, is something truly extraordinary. This is the first of the earthly signs, as the rising of the sun from the West is the first of the heavenly signs.