Sun Rising from the West, Pre-existence of Prophet Muhammad, Ghusl Janabah

Q 1. Prophet Muhammad -peace be upon him- is reported to have said that one of the signs of the “last days” will be the sun rising in the West. What is the meaning of the “the sun rising in the West?

A 1. The Qur’an and Sunnah tell us that this world is not a permanent place. It will end. Just as individuals die, so this cosmic order will die. Every thing will be destroyed and then the Day of Judgment will take place. Allah will then create a permanent or eternal world. There are many Surahs of the Qur’an that speak about the end of this world. But only Allah knows when the end will be. Allah says in the Qur’an, “Verily the Hour is coming - My design is to keep it hidden - for every soul to receive its reward by the measure of its Endeavor.” (Taha 20:15) Even the angel Gabriel (Jibril) and Prophet Muhammad -peace be upon both of them- did not know about the exact time of the Last Days. In the famous Hadith of Jibril, the Prophet -peace be upon him- was asked about the Last Hour and his answer to Jibril was “the one who is questioned does not know more than the questioner.”

But the Prophet -peace be upon him- told us many signs of the Last Days and the Last Hour. Some are minor signs and some major signs. The scholars have collected from the Qur’an and Sunnah more than seventy signs of the Last Days. Some signs are ominous or disastrous. One of the disastrous signs is the “rising of the sun from the West”. When this will happen it would indicate the end is very near. There are many Ahadith in almost all books of Hadith that speak about this sign of the Last Hour. There are many reports in Al-Bukhari and they all agree that this will be a terrible sign. There are many people, who when they will see this sign, would rush to believe in Allah, but it will be too late for them. The words of the Hadith are as follows:

Abu Hurairah -may Allah be pleased with him- said that the Prophet -peace be upon him- said, “The Hour will not come until the sun rises from the West. When people will see it then those who are on earth will believe but that is the time when its belief will not profit a soul which did not believe before that time. The Prophet -peace be upon him- then recited the Ayah: “Are they waiting to see if the angels come to them, or thy Lord (Himself), or certain of the Signs of thy Lord! The day that certain of the Signs of thy Lord do come, no good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its Faith. Say: ‘Wait ye: we too are waiting.’” (al-An’am 6:158) See al-Bukhari, Hadith 4269, 4270 and others. It is very strange that some Muslims now a days interpret this Hadith as a blessed sign. They say it means that before the end of the world Islam will spread in the Western countries. This Hadith does not indicate a blessed sign. It is not about the spread of Islam; it is actually against it. The Hadith says that when the sun will rise from the West, people’s faith will not be accepted. It is wrong to misinterpret the Hadith of the Prophet -peace be upon him. There are many other Ahadith that speak about the spread of Islam in the whole world -eastern as well as western. For example there is a famous Hadith in which the Prophet -peace be upon him- predicted that his message will reach to every place where the night and day has reached. Allah will not leave any home whether made of skin (i.e. a tent) or of bricks but the message of Islam will reach there. (See Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 16344)

Q 2. I heard that some Muslims believe that the first soul created by Allah -subhanahu wa ta’ala- was that of Prophet Muhammad. Then Allah asked Prophet Muhammad -peace be upon him- to choose from what element to make his body. Prophet Muhammad chose the earth because it was the most humble element. Is this true? Is there any Hadith or Ayat that talk about this? Jehovah’s Witnesses believe something similar about Prophet Jesus -peace be upon him. Have Muslims adopted a Christian teaching?

A 2. There is no verse in the Qur’an about this and I am not aware of any authentic Hadith that says what you have mentioned. However, there are two Ahadith of the Prophet -peace be upon him- on this subject mentioned in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad. The first Hadith says, “‘Irbad ibn Sariyah reported that the Prophet -peace be upon him- said, “I, the Servant of Allah, am indeed the Last of the Prophets even when Adam was in his clay form. Let me tell you that my father Abraham prayed for me. Jesus gave the good news about me. My mother saw me in her dream as the mothers of other Prophets saw them (in their dream). In another report ‘Irbad added “And when my mother delivered me she saw a light which spread all the way to the palaces of Syria.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith no. 16525)

In another report ‘Irbad ibn Sariyah al-Sulami reported, “I heard the Prophet -peace be upon him- saying, ‘I, the Servant of Allah, am indeed the Last of the Prophets in the Mother Book (Umm al-Kitab) even when Adam was in his clay form. Let me inform you the meaning of this. It is that my father Abraham prayed for me and Jesus gave the good news about me to his people. My mother saw in her dream that a light came out of her that shined the palaces of Syria. Thus used to see the mothers of the Prophets -peace be upon them.’” (Musnad Ahamd, Hadith no. 16537)

Q 3. What is the significance; if there is, of taking a complete Ghusl (whole body bath) after the performance of intercourse?

A 3. This Ghusl is called Ghusl Janabah according to the Shari’ah. It is obligatory to take a full bath after the sexual intercourse, or ejaculation (a wet dream or if the sperm comes out due to sexual desire ‘shahwah’). This is mentioned in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The purpose of this bath is to clean the body and refresh the spirit. The sexual emission is not just an ordinary matter like urination or passing the stool. When it happens the whole body, mind and sprit gets involved in it. After it one feels lazy and dull. The full shower makes a person fresh in body and spirit. There are many spiritual as well as physical and medical benefits in it. But for a Muslim it is the command of Allah and His Messenger and it must be followed.