Qiyamat

Before his death, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had told his companions many things in advance about what would happen in the world after his departure. And one day, Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and the rest of the companions (may Allah be pleased with him) were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the Prophet’s Mosque when suddenly a very dignified and handsome man entered the mosque. His clothes were very white and his hair was completely black. No one had seen him in Medina before that day, meaning he was not a resident of Medina, and his clothes and hair did not indicate that he had come to Medina from afar. All the companions sitting in the mosque were watching this man. That man came straight to the Prophet’s Mosque and sat right in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, “O Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), tell me about Islam.” After the man left, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked the companions, “Have you accepted this man?” They recognized him. He was Gabriel (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and had come to teach you your religion. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told Gabriel about Islam, which means believing in none but Allah, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah, and prayer, fasting, charity and pilgrimage. Gabriel said, “You have spoken the truth.” Then Gabriel asked him about faith. He replied, “Believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His prophets, the Hereafter and destiny.” Gabriel said, “You have spoken the truth.” Gabriel also asked him about good conduct. Gabriel asked, “When will the Hour come?” He replied, “I know as much as you know, meaning that no one knows when the Hour will come except Allah.” Then Gabriel asked, “Tell me about some of the signs of that Day?” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) explained what had happened so far in this discussion, because this incident occurred shortly before his death, when almost the entire Quran had been revealed.

qiyamat

Signs of the Day of Judgment (Qiyamat)

But after that, the signs of the Hour that he (PBUH) had told were not known to anyone more than he (PBUH) because these signs were not known to anyone more than he (PBUH). He (PBUH) said that the companions did not see them fulfilled in their lifetime, but today we are seeing those signs, which means that Gabriel (PBUH) was not only for the companions but also for the Muslims of today. He wanted to teach the important signs of the Hour. The Prophet (PBUH) replied to Gabriel (PBUH) that when a slave girl gives birth to her master, which is the belief of many scholars that when children will consider their parents as slaves and when these poor barefoot shepherds will compete with each other in building tall buildings. Gabriel (PBUH) then said that you are right and got up and went to the left. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) sent his companions to go and look for this man, but after that day no one saw this man. Now you (peace be upon you) have mentioned those barefoot poor shepherds whom the Arabs called Bedouins at that time, who always lived far away from the rest of the tribes of Arabia and never stayed in one place, but always traveled with their animals, that is, they lived a nomadic life. This was very strange because the Arabs were all over Arabia. They were among the poorest tribes. Not only at that time but even a thousand years after this hadith, these Arabs were the lowest class of Arabia. So the companions were amazed that how the poorest class of our society could compete with each other in building tall buildings. After the spread of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) everywhere, the Caliphate became the greatest superpower in the world. Not only among the Muslims, but until that time it was the greatest empire in the history of mankind, much larger than the empires of Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire. Taking advantage of this, these Bedouins spread all over the world, but still their largest population was in this area of Arabia. Gradually, time passed and their culture did not change at all. These Bedouins continued to live their lives in the same way.

Ottoman Caliphate

Finally, 1,000 years later, during the last period of the Ottoman Empire, the world began to transition from traditional methods to a new industrial age. In response, Sultan Abdul Hamid of the Ottoman Empire implemented major reforms to modernize the Muslim world. Among these measures was an ambitious plan to build a railway from Istanbul to Medina. However, a major obstacle was the Bedouin, who had previously attacked and killed 200 pilgrims, delaying the railway project that began in 1757.

In an effort to modernize, the Ottoman Empire attempted to transform the Bedouin culture, encouraging them to move from a nomadic lifestyle to settled communities. However, the Bedouin tribes were largely opposed to these reforms. Eventually, Ibn Saud, the first king of Saudi Arabia, united the Bedouins and formed an army to resist the Ottoman Empire. With the help of the British, they were able to conquer the region within a few years. Today, the area is recognized as a major oil deposit, marking a clear change for the Bedouins, who previously held little status.