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Abu Bakr al-Jazairi

Iqtarabat al-Saa fa Tubu Ayyuha al-Mudhnibun

Author died
1439 AH
Editions
Maṭābi‘ al-Rushd

Iqtarabat al-Saa fa Tubu Ayyuha al-Mudhnibun (The Hour Has Drawn Near, So Repent, O Sinners!) is an eschatological and hortatory treatise by the Algerian-born scholar Abu Bakr al-Jazairi (d. 1439 AH / 2018 CE), focusing on the signs of the Day of Judgment and the urgent necessity of repentance and communal reform.

Overview and Core Themes

The author opens the treatise by warning humanity of two impending "Hours": the hour of death (sa'at al-wafah) and the Hour of Resurrection (sa'at al-qiyamah). He underscores that personal death is tangible and can occur even sooner than the universal Day of Judgment, rendering preparedness and repentance immediately necessary. Safety from divine punishment in both realms is attained solely through genuine faith (iman) and God-consciousness (taqwa), leading to admission into Paradise, whereas disbelief and transgressions lead to eternal damnation in the Fire.

Signs of the Hour

The treatise categorizes eschatological events into minor and major signs, drawing upon Quranic verses and prophetic traditions.

Minor Signs

Al-Jazairi enumerates fifteen prominent minor signs that have already occurred, noting that they form part of more than sixty minor signs documented in classical scholarship:

  • The sending and death of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
  • The conquest of Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis).
  • Widespread mortality and plagues, such as the Plague of Amwas in Syria during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab in 18 AH.
  • Early civil strife (fitan), including the assassination of Uthman ibn Affan, the conflict between Ali ibn Abi Talib and Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, and the emergence of the Kharijites.
  • The rise of false claimants to prophethood, such as Musaylima and al-Aswad al-Ansi.
  • The fabrication of hadiths.
  • The fire from the Hejaz in 654 AH that illuminated the necks of camels in Busra.
  • Major land sinkings (khasf) and moral decay associated with female singers (qiyan), musical instruments, and the consumption of intoxicants.
  • The loss of public trust and assigning leadership to unqualified individuals.
  • The blind imitation of earlier nations such as the Persians, Byzantines, Jews, and Christians.
  • The prevalence of oppressive rulers and immodestly dressed women.
  • Destitute shepherds competing in the construction of tall buildings.
  • The decline of religious knowledge, the spread of ignorance, adultery, and an extreme imbalance in the ratio of men to women.
  • Foreign nations rallying against the Muslim community due to spiritual weakness (wahn), defined as love of the world and aversion to death.
  • The prevalence of the Byzantines/Europeans (al-Rum) and the widespread neglect of recommended practices (sunan), such as entering a mosque without performing two prayer units.

Major Signs

The text outlines ten major signs that will appear sequentially immediately prior to the Resurrection:

  1. The emergence of the Mahdi (Muhammad ibn Abd Allah), a descendant of Fatima, who will unite Muslims during a period of division.
  2. The arrival of the Antichrist (al-Masih al-Dajjal), who emerges from Khurasan in the east and is barred from entering Mecca and Medina.
  3. The descent of Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus) at the white minaret east of Damascus, who will slay the Dajjal, abolish the poll-tax (jizya), and rule justly for forty years.
  4. The release of Gog and Magog (Yajuj and Majuj), who will besiege believers until God destroys them through parasitic neck worms (naghaf) after Jesus's supplication.
  5. The demolition of the Kaaba by Dhu al-Suwayqatayn from Abyssinia.
  6. The appearance of the smoke (al-dukhan).
  7. The rising of the sun from the west, marking the irrevocable closing of the door of repentance.
  8. The emergence of the Beast from the earth (Dabbat al-Ard), which will mark believers and disbelievers on their noses.
  9. The lifting of the Quran and the passing of all remaining believers via a gentle, fragrant breeze.
  10. The driving of mankind to the land of Levant (al-Sham) by an all-consuming fire.

Program for Social and Religious Reform

Al-Jazairi concludes the work by laying out practical instructions for scholars (ulama) and preachers to counter moral decay and impending tribulations. He calls on scholars in every village and urban quarter to gather community members—men, women, and children—in central mosques daily after the evening (maghrib) prayer. Instruction should alternate nightly between explaining a single Quranic verse and a single hadith, fostering practical adherence and eradicating religious ignorance, polytheism (shirk), and unlawful innovations (bid'ah). Once grassroots education succeeds, scholars are directed to gently engage rulers and urge the full implementation of Islamic law.

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