Q. What are the major signs of the Hour? Could you also tell us about Imam Mahdi: who is he? Where will he appear? What will be the relationship between him and Prophet Jesus on his second coming?
S. Kiduchi, Alkhobar
A. When the Prophet was asked by one of his companions about the Hour, which means the Day of Judgment, he answered by putting to him the question: "What have you prepared for it?" Thus, the Prophet directed the attention of his interlocutor to the need to prepare for what will happen on the Day of Judgment. The actual arrival of the Hour is very important indeed, and we must take care to put forward whatever good actions we can, so that the reward we earn may outweigh any sinful action we may be guilty of. In this way, we will earn God's forgiveness, if He so pleases, and be admitted to heaven by His grace.
This indication by the Prophet is absolutely the correct one, because the Hour is of two types: individual and universal. The individual Hour is the time of death of any one of us. That is because death means the end of what we can do to redeem ourselves on the Day of Judgment. The universal one is that when God brings about the end of life and asks all His creation to account for their deeds. For each one of us, death is closer than our jugular vein, as the Qur'an describes. It could happen any moment. Therefore, we need to be on the alert all the time.
The universal Hour has certain signs indicated in some Hadiths and Qur'anic verses. Among these is that "a slave girl gives birth to her mistress, and people who are normally so poor as to go about semi-naked and barefooted will become so rich that they could build very high buildings." Some of the universal signs are mentioned in the first 14 verses of Surah 81. These may be given in translation as follows: "When the sun is darkened; when the stars fall and disperse; when the mountains are made to move away; when the camels, ten months pregnant, are left untended; when the wild beasts are brought together; when the seas are set alight; when men's souls are paired like with like; when the infant girl, buried alive, is asked for what crime she was slain; when the records are laid open; when the sky is stripped bare; when Hell is made to burn fiercely; when Paradise is brought near and every soul shall know what it has put forward."
Another sign is mentioned in Verse 82 of Surah 27, which may be translated as follows: "When the word of truth stands revealed against them, We shall bring forth to them out of the Earth a creature which will tell them that mankind had no real faith in Our revelations." We do not know what sort of creature that will be. The Arabic word used signifies a "walking creature", but whether it is a human being or an animal, we simply do not know. But it will speak to people in the language they understand. We do not know anything further than that.
As for the Mahdi, there are certain Hadiths which speak about him and the second coming of Jesus. Most of these Hadiths do not aspire to a high degree of authenticity.
The matter is not really of much significance to dwell upon. The second coming of Jesus, according to some of these Hadiths, will be heralded by the Mahdi. When these events take place, people who have strong faith and act on their beliefs will be able to identify the Mahdi easily and follow him. Therefore, the important thing is to always be on the alert so that we keep to the path acceptable to God and His messenger.
Credit cards and late payment
Q.1. Is the use of credit cards permissible from the Islamic point of view? What about the late payment charge levied when payment is delayed; is it permissible?
Q.2. Can we equate the commission charged by banks with usury? When people use trickery to assume that what is unlawful has become lawful, are they cursed by God? Who is liable to greater punishment: the one who imposes such a charge, or the customer?
Badawi, Jeddah
A.1. To use a credit card is permissible if one pays all bills on time so as not to be charged any extras. In this way, a credit card is a useful means which facilitates transactions. Indeed most credit card holders use their cards in this way, even those who are not Muslims. They pay their bills on time, because the charge is too high for anyone to bear willingly. Muslims in particular should not delay full payment, because the transaction becomes usurious from the Islamic point of view. When Ibn Abbas, the Prophet's cousin and distinguished scholar, was asked to explain how usury was practiced, his description went as follows:
A man may have advanced to another an amount of money for an agreed period. On the day when settlement is due, he asks the borrower: Are you paying me or are you increasing the balance? That increase is usury. This is exactly what credit card companies do.
A.2. When people use tricks in order to give legitimate attire to something they know to be forbidden, they are cursed and rejected by God. This is just like the Jews who tried to put in place nettings to catch the fish which came to their shores in plenty on the day of the Sabbath. As the fish came in, they were trapped and the Jews went on the following Sunday to catch them. In this they were trying to deceive God. He punished them severely for their deception. If a bank changes the names and definition of a usurious practice in order to make it appear lawful to Muslims, that bank is attempting to deceive God and His servants. That is forbidden.
When you ask about punishments we cannot answer that specifically. However, normally a person does not borrow money and pay usury unless he is in desperate need. God will take that into consideration when He holds him to account, because God does not do injustice to anyone. Otherwise, the Prophet has cursed usury in every case, saying: "God curses the person who devours usury, the one who pays it, the one who writes the contract between them and the two witnesses to the contract."
Abortion, etc.
Q.1. A relative of mine underwent an abortion before she completed 40 days of pregnancy. That was the result of going through much pressure at the time. But both she and her husband have regretted what they did and they pray repeatedly for God's forgiveness. Is there any compensation to give?
Mrs. Iqbal, Jeddah
A.1. Deliberate abortion is a very serious matter. Abortion is permissible only when the pregnancy, if continued, is likely to expose the life of the mother to serious risks. Other situations are treated according to circumstances. When there is no serious medical cause for terminating a pregnancy, then it must not be terminated. Poverty, lack of help, a large family, etc. are no grounds for taking a life which God has created.
Some scholars suggest that pregnancy termination is not forbidden if done in the very early period, like in the case of our reader's cousin, but they have no solid evidence to support their view. They rely on the Hadith which mentions that the soul is breathed into the fetus after 4 months of pregnancy and consider this as the start of life. But their argument is weak and unsupported. Right from the moment of conception, a potential life has come into existence, and it is forbidden to terminate it except for medical reasons.
In the case we have here, repentance and seeking God's forgiveness is what the couple should do. Their repentance should be truly genuine and they must resolve not to revert to such an action again. Having said that, I should add that if the couple feel that they do not want to have children because of their difficult circumstances, they should resort to contraception. Once a pregnancy has taken place, it must not be terminated.