Kashf al-Minan fi Alamat al-Saa wa al-Malahim wa al-Fitan
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- Editions
- Maktabat Ibad Al-Rahman
Kashf al-Minan fi Alamat al-Saa wa al-Malahim wa al-Fitan (Unveiling the Graces Regarding the Signs of the Hour, Epic Battles, and Tribulations) is an Islamic eschatological treatise written by Mahmud Rajab Hamadi al-Walid, subtitled Ruʾyah li-Mustaqbal al-ʿAlam al-Islami fi Dawʾ al-Kitab wa-l-Sunnah ("A Vision for the Future of the Islamic World in Light of the Book and the Sunnah") . The work gathers and analyzes textual proofs concerning the minor and major signs of the Day of Judgment, historical and end-time tribulations (fitan), and apocalyptic battles (malahim) .
Composition and Publication
The author completed the manuscript on 16 Shaʿban 1421 AH (12 November 2000 CE), noting his locations in Ramadi, Iraq, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and signing under the kunya Mahmud Abu Umar . He stated that his motivation for writing was to provide contemporary Muslims with a comprehensive doctrinal reference on eschatology, responding to both skeptical dismissals or allegorical distortions of these doctrines and the speculative setting of precise dates for the Day of Judgment . The first edition of the book was published in 1423 AH (2002 CE) jointly by Maktabat ʿIbad al-Rahman in Egypt and Dar Ibn Hazm in Beirut, Lebanon .
Structure and Contents
The author divided the treatise into fourteen thematic sections :
- Introduction and Significance: Discussing the necessity of studying eschatological creed .
- Preamble and Classification: Defining the lexical and technical meanings of the "signs" (ashrat) and the "Hour" (al-saʿah), and classifying their sequence of appearance .
- Minor Signs of the Hour: Presenting the minor portents, with the author asserting that all minor signs have already been fulfilled, leaving humanity on the threshold of the major signs .
- Historical and Ongoing Tribulations: Outlining tribulations from the time of the assassination of Umar ibn al-Khattab through modern times, alongside the Prophet's guidance on seeking protection through the Qur'an .
- The Black Banners: Examining the narrations concerning black banners preconditioning the emergence of al-Mahdi .
- Signs Preceding al-Mahdi: Covering portents such as the Euphrates uncovering a mountain or treasure of gold and the swallowing of the hostile army at Dhu al-Hulayfah .
- Epic Battles (al-Malahim): Detailing conflicts between the Muslim armies and the Romans, the subsequent conquest of Constantinople and Rome, and the descent of Isa ibn Maryam .
- The Encounter with al-Dajjal: Describing the confrontation with al-Dajjal (the Antichrist) and his followers, leading to his destruction .
- The True Promise versus Fabricated Promises: Contrasting Islamic eschatological doctrine with prophecies promoted by Western political and religious leaders .
- Familiar Major Signs: Covering the remaining standard major portents .
- Unfamiliar Major Signs: Treating extraordinary portents accompanying the close of the world .
- Events Immediately Preceding the Hour: Examining final phenomena before the final destruction .
- The Final Generation: Identifying those upon whom the Hour will ultimately strike .
- Conclusion: A concise summary synthesizing the findings and doctrinal deductions of the work .
Methodology and Sources
The author structured the work around primary Islamic texts, utilizing the Qur'an, prophetic hadiths, and interpretations by classical exegetes, hadith commentators, and jurists . In hadith verification (takhrij), he primarily drew upon standard Sunnah compilations, while also citing edited contemporary secondary sources for hadith authentication due to practical constraints and self-acknowledged modest expertise in the technical science of hadith .
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