101 Reasons Why We Left Islam – Chapter 5: Failed Prophecies– Reason 60
People who are embarrassed or uncomfortable with the fact that the Hadith has two authentic narrations that suggest “The last hour” is near may resort to questioning the authenticity of the Hadith. And this happens as more and more people turn ‘Quranist only’ to stick to what they perceive as the core and more authentic source – The Quran! But what if I told you that the Quran makes similar claims of the ‘Last Hour’ or ‘Resurrection Day’ being very close or nearby? Here is the list in the Quran, in chronological order, that would have appeared to people at the time:
- Quran (53:57): “The Hour has drawn near.”
- Quran (54:1): “The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has been split.”
- Quran (6:31): “Lost indeed are those who deny the meeting with Allah until the Hour comes upon them suddenly.”
- Quran (20:15): “Indeed, the Hour is coming—I almost conceal it—so that every soul may be recompensed according to that for which it strives.”
- Quran (21:1): “The time of their account has approached for the people, while they are in heedlessness turning away.”
- Quran (22:7): “And the Hour is coming, there is no doubt about it, and Allah will resurrect those in the graves.”
- Quran (43:66): “Are they waiting for anything except the Hour to come upon them suddenly?”
- Quran (42:17): “It is Allah who has sent down the Book with truth and the Balance. And what will make you perceive? Perhaps the Hour is near.”
- Quran (33:63): “People ask you concerning the Hour. Say, ‘Knowledge of it is only with Allah.'”
- Quran (70:6-7): “Indeed, they see it [the Hour] as distant, but We see it as near.”
Unless you are brainwashed, it is not hard to see a clear theme here. Had you been born in the 7th Century, you would have been absolutely convinced that the hour is coming very soon. Coupled with the Hadith, you would be confident this is happening in your lifetime or soon after. We put this same argument to three AI systems and asked them a hypothetical question: If you were born in the 7th century Arabia and you read these verses, what impression would you have about the End of Time? Is it nearing or is it 1000s of years to come?
All three responded unequivocally, saying that it gives a clear impression that it is happening now.
Most Islamists, when presented with these facts, will go to Quran 33:63, which indicates people were asking the Prophet when the Last Hour was, and the Quran responded, ‘Knowledge of it is only with Allah’. Furthermore, the verses say that the end is near, but that ‘near’ is a relative term. For Allah, who is eternal, it could be around 2000 or 7000 years.
Here is how we challenge this. Do the verses mean it is not nearby? No. Do they mean it is long into the future? No. Was Allah trying to mislead people? Of course, no. And if that knowledge is with Allah, why does Allah repeat statements such as: “…drawn near; …drawn near; …comes upon them suddenly; The Hour is coming…; Has approached…; The Hour is coming…; The Hour to come upon them suddenly; … Perhaps the hour is near; …We see it as near!”
The most telling of these verses is the Quran (54:1): “The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has been split.” A closer examination shows that a ‘sign of the End of Time’ was clearly linked to the split of the Moon. What you get is that the ‘miracle’ of the splitting of the Moon was supposedly a sign from Allah that He is ready to call that day. But that day did not happen. And we are 1400 years later and still waiting. This further shows that it was not only the Prophet who got it wrong, but the Quran also misled people. And yet, as we will see next, this misleading claim has had a real-world impact that devastated the lives of millions. In fact, it is being recycled again, which makes it very dangerous. And we need to be on the lookout for it as we conclude this chapter with the last reason, the Jihad to ‘instigate’ the end of time.