Fiqh Ashrat al-Sa'a
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- al-Dār al-ʻĀlamīyah lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʻ
Fiqh Ashrat al-Sa'a (The Understanding of the Signs of the Hour) is a contemporary treatise on Islamic eschatology by the Egyptian scholar Muhammad Ismail al-Muqaddim (b. 1371 AH / 1952 CE), focusing on the critical methodology and principles governing the interpretation of prophetic texts regarding the signs of the Hour and end-time tribulations .
Background and Purpose
The author completed the work in Alexandria on Saturday, 10 Dhu al-Qi'da 1424 AH (3 January 2004 CE) . He composed the book to address what he described as the widespread phenomenon of "tampering with the signs of the Hour" (ظاهرة العبث بأشراط الساعة), marked by an influx of publications, lectures, and articles attempting to arbitrarily map scriptural texts onto contemporary and anticipated events .
Al-Muqaddim identified several factors driving this phenomenon, including pseudo-scholarship, religious illiteracy among educated circles, the proliferation of tribulations, and the uncritical reliance on weak or fabricated hadiths, obscure narrations, and both classical and modern Judeo-Christian traditions (Isra'iliyyat) influenced by Western millennialism . The book aims to analyze this trend and formulate overarching methodological rules for interpreting eschatological texts in light of orthodox Sunnī tradition .
Structure and Contents
The work is organized into thematic sections addressing both theoretical foundations and practical applications:
- Part One (الباب الأول): Warns against pretense to knowledge and the unhealthy appetite for strange and anomalous narrations, and defines the conditions under which a jurist (mujtahid) is excused or rewarded . It examines the linguistic and theological definitions of the signs (ashrāṭ) and the Hour (al-sāʿah), noting the classical division of the Hour into the Minor Hour (individual death), Intermediate Hour (the demise of a generation), and Major Hour (the general resurrection) . It also highlights the spiritual and practical fruits of believing in the signs of the Hour, such as fulfilling a pillar of faith, discerning authentic guidance during crises, and providing hope to believers .
- Part Two (الباب الثاني): Critically documents and refutes the specific areas where unwarranted speculation, fabricated extrapolations, and sensationalist claims have distorted the understanding of eschatological prophecies .
- Part Four (الباب الرابع): Details systematic guidelines (ḍawābiṭ) for handling texts of tribulations and signs of the Hour, emphasizing adherence to the Quran and authentic prophetic reports, respect for the boundaries of unseen knowledge (ghayb), and the precise criteria required before any text can be prudently correlated with real-world occurrences .
Publication
The work has seen multiple printings, including a sixth edition published in 1429 AH / 2008 CE by al-Dār al-ʿĀlamiyyah lil-Nashr wal-Tawzīʿ .
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