101 Reasons Why We Left Islam – Chapter 5: Failed Prophecies– Reason 56
Introduction:
A Prophet is understood as someone chosen by a divine entity to convey its messages or guidance to humanity. Prophecy, in this context, refers to anticipating future events or sharing divine revelations. These prophecies are intended to serve as evidence of the Prophet’s authenticity, divine connection, and mission. Accurate fulfilment of prophecies strengthens the claim of divine selection.
However, failed prophecies—events predicted by that Prophet that do end up happening—pose a significant challenge to their credibility. It suggests that they lack the divine insight expected of a true Prophet. Such inconsistencies may lead followers to question their legitimacy and the sacred source of their teachings. Prophecy is central to defining the role and authenticity of a Prophet. This chapter presents at least six prophecies that are either nonsense or can fail to deliver. We will also present the concept of the ‘moving goal post’, these prophecies made, and their dangerous implications.
Reason #56: Green Mecca is a sign of “End of Time!”
Every time it rains heavily in Mecca or experiences a flood, shortly after this event, the surrounding areas are transformed for a couple of weeks into beautiful meadows and rivers. Before you blink, social media is flooded with videos of Islamic Dawah recycling an old claim that this event is the sign: “Yum Al Qiyyama of near!!” meaning—the resurrection day is near.
Where does this claim come from? It comes from Sahih Muslim 157c.
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) as saying:
The Last Hour will not come before wealth becomes abundant and overflowing, so much so that a man takes Zakat out of his property and cannot find anyone to accept it from him and till the land of Arabia reverts to meadows and rivers.
https://sunnah.com/muslim:157c
For the following few weeks, social media is flooded with pictures of meadows, green mountains, green valleys, and even deserts covered with plants. You also get people panicking, people claiming this is the time, the time has come. Fast forward a few months, nothing happens, and everyone forgets. A few years later, the same phenomenon occurred, and the same “recycling” of the claim started again. What is the explanation for this? Is Arabia and Mecca turning green an unusual thing? Well, facts debunk this claim. First of all, in my lifetime alone, I have seen at least a dozen times floods and rains turn Mecca green. Doing my research shows the following:
Flooding and heavy rains have been recurring events since records began in Mecca due to its geographical location nestled around mountains, which funnel rainwater into the city. Historical records indicate that by 1965, Mecca had experienced 89 significant rainfalls, and the most recent severe flooding occurred in 1941. This flood saw water levels in the Grand Mosque area rise to approximately two meters, submerging parts of the Kaaba and prompting some worshippers to perform Tawaf by swimming. What happens after these floods or rains? The whole area turns lush green with meadows and rivers for weeks. This is not unique to Mecca or Saudi Arabia, as this phenomenon has been recorded in deserts worldwide. What is more, the issue of heavy rainfall prompted the Saudi government to build modern infrastructure and drainage to manage it. So, in other words, it is not unusual at all.
You may argue, the repeated floods and rains is a ‘recent’ event thus would that not be the “sign”. Not really. As we indicated, there have been at least 89 recorded floods and heavy rains. Here are some notable ones:
- The earliest recorded flood in the Islamic era occurred around 638 CE (17 AH) during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab, which inundated the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba area.
- 779 CE (162 AH) during the Abbasid era.
- 1039 CE, which caused one of the Kaaba’s walls to collapse.
- 1630 CE, floods damaged the Kaaba, leading to the complete reconstruction in 1631.
- 1941 CE, when floodwaters reached approximately 2 meters in the Grand Mosque area.
Source: DOMPETDHUAFA.ORG
And after each one of these events, there would have been people scaremongering that the ‘sign’ of end of time is here because the whole area around Mecca would have been transformed into meadows.
In recent decades, Mecca has continued to face heavy rain incidents reported in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2021, and as recently as January 2024. However, with social media invention, this scaremongering has been amplified with videos and images of the green Mecca as if this has never happened before and it is a sign of the doom!
Research shows that climate change has affected Saudi Arabia more so than many countries. Its average temperature has gone up by 2.5’C / 4.5’F in just 100 years and it is projected to continue to get higher and Saudi Arabia, and the country is going to get drier.
This prophecy we would classify as nonsense. It was never a real one to start with given that Mecca was expecting episodes of lush green meadows even as early as six years after the Prophet died. And for 1400 years, the same claim kept being recycled every time it experienced heavy rain—enough of this. Let’s move to the following claim.