Approaching the West — Page 186
A pproaching the West—186 Do they say, ‘We are a victorious host?’ The hosts shall soon be routed and shall turn their backs in flight. Aye, the Hour is their promised time; and the Hour will be most calamitous for them and most bitter. Surely, the guilty are in manifest error and suffer from madness. On the day when they will be dragged into the Fire on their faces, it will be said to them, ‘Taste ye the touch of Hell. ’ (54:45-49) The symbol of the Arabs who opposed the Holy Prophet was the moon, and their power was doomed as the Holy Qur’ ā n prophesied: And the Hour has drawn nigh, and the moon is rent asunder. (54:2) The term ‘the Hour’ is also used in the Holy Qur’ ā n to indicate the termination of a Prophet’s dispensation. For example, Jesus has been called “the Hour” in the sense he was the last Prophet in the Mosaic dispensation. But verily he [Jesus] is a sign of the Hour. (43:62) No prophet appeared among the Jews after him, and the Muslim dispensation replaced the Mosaic dispensation. Signs of the Coming of the Hour There are several events mentioned in the Holy Qur’ ā n as signs of the Hour. They are to appear prior to the final destruction of the present life on the earth. For example, in