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In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
End of Israel in 2022 (1443 H) A Prophecy Or Numerical Coincidence by Bassam Nihad Jarrar
Published in Arabic by Biqaa’ Modern Library, Lebanon
To read the original Arabic version of Bassam Jarrar's book, click here: زوال إسـرائيل عام 2022م
First Edition 1415 AH (1995) Second Edition 1417 H (1996) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Note from DiscoveringIslam.org: This is our translation of Bassam Jarrar's book as published in Arabic. It is a modified version of a translation done by Bassam Jarrar. Our version more accurately captures the essence of the original book in Arabic. We have also modified the translation of some of the verses (Bassam Jarrar used Yusuf Ali's translation of the Quran). Furthermore, we have added Quranic verses in Arabic whereas Bassam Jarrar's translation mentions only English translation of the verses. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Apology The idea of this study matured shortly before the deportation of a number of Islamic activists, including myself, by Israel on 17 December 1992. However, I was able to write it down in this brief book while in exile near the village of Marj Ezzuhoor in South Lebanon. Under those conditions I was unable to go through the formalities of consulting sources and references beyond those available in that desolate place.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
إِنْ أَحْسَنتُمْ أَحْسَنتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا فَإِذَا جَاء وَعْدُ الآخِرَةِ لِيَسُوؤُواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُواْ الْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَلِيُتَبِّرُواْ مَا عَلَوْاْ تَتْبِيرًا [If you do good, you do good for your own selves, and if you do evil, it is for yours (your selves). So when the Promise of the End (second of the warnings) comes to pass, We permit your enemies to disfigure (or disgrace) your faces and to enter the Mosque as they have entered it before and to ravage (destroy) all that falls into their power]. (Sura Al-Israa 17: 7)
Introduction Humans tend to have a strong desire to know the future and reveal the hidden. God has willed to reveal some of the unseen to His servants for certain reasons. Thus came the prophecies brought by Prophets and apostles to furnish evidence of the truth of their prophecies or messages and to show God’s omniscience so that people would come to realize some of the secrets of fate. When God willed to complete the messages by sending the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم , He retained veritable visions which penetrate the unseen so that people would come to know that which they failed to conceive of, namely, that God comprehends all things even before they exist and to make humans realize that their failure to perceive things does not negate their existence. Examples of prophecies are abundant in the Qur’an and Sunna, the Prophetic literature of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم . For example in the Qur’an one reads: غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ فِي أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ وَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ لِلَّهِ الْأَمْرُ مِن قَبْلُ وَمِن بَعْدُ وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنصُرُ مَن يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ [The Romans have been defeated in a land close by: But they even after this defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious within a few years - With Allah is the command of the former and the latter. On that Day shall the believers rejoice, with Allah’s help to victory…] (30: 2-5) In another chapter of the Qur’an comes the verse: لَقَدْ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ رَسُولَهُ الرُّؤْيَا بِالْحَقِّ لَتَدْخُلُنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ إِن شَاء اللَّهُ آمِنِينَ مُحَلِّقِينَ رُؤُوسَكُمْ وَمُقَصِّرِينَ لَا تَخَافُونَ فَعَلِمَ مَا لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا فَجَعَلَ مِن دُونِ ذَلِكَ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا [Truly did Allah fulfil the vision of His Messenger: Ye shall enter the sacred Mosque, if Allah wills, with minds secure, heads shaved, hair cut short, and without fear. For He knew what Ye knew not, and He granted, besides this, a speedy victory.] (48:27) In the Prophetic literature is a Prophetic saying, which says: “The Hour will not come until Muslims fight the Jews….” There are numerous sayings on this theme. It is not the intention of this book to discuss at length the wisdom behind foretelling the future and the role it plays in people’s lives. Yet some maintain that prophecies lead to fatalism and disempowerment. Though this view makes sense at the reasoning level it is far from reality because prophecies have proven to boost the morale, remove despair from hearts, and motivate people into action. The Biography of the Prophet’s companions is the best testimony to this claim. Did the Prophet’s companions slacken from conquering Persia knowing from Muhammad’s صلى الله عليه وسلم prophecy that they would capture it for sure? Muslims are not to desist from duty just because their ultimate goal is that Allah be well pleased with them in the first place. As to the results, a Muslim hopes to achieve these, but they are not his final goal. Suppose I slackened because of knowing the result that would obtain, what could I reap if by doing so I have lost my soul?! This life is a life of trial and temptation and not an everlasting abode for requital. وَأَلَّوِ اسْتَقَامُوا عَلَى الطَّرِيقَةِ لَأَسْقَيْنَاهُم مَّاء غَدَقًا لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيهِ وَمَن يُعْرِضْ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِ يَسْلُكْهُ عَذَابًا صَعَدًا [If they (the pagans) had only remained on the (right) Way, We should certainly have bestowed on them rain in abundance that We might test them thereby…] (72:16-17).
Ten thousand pagans besieged Medina until their “hearts gaped up to their throats” and the Companions “imagined various vain thoughts.” Under such conditions the glad tidings came from Allah, so Prophet Mohammad صلى الله عليه وسلم announced: “…Allahu Akbar, I have been given Kisra's (King of Persia) keys… Allahu Akbar, I have been given Caesar’s (Roman Emperor) keys."
We must not let people come to the point of absolute despair: وَلاَ تَيْأَسُواْ مِن رَّوْحِ اللّهِ إِنَّهُ لاَ يَيْأَسُ مِن رَّوْحِ اللّهِ إِلاَّ الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ [No one despairs of Allah’s soothing Mercy except those who have no faith.] (12: 87). Humans must not oscillate between fear and hope, for they are neither in despair nor feeling over-confident. Today people have become so despondent that they automatically respond with the catchphrase “What’s the alternative?!” Against such a reality we ought to carefully improve their morale to such an extent that they will not be inclined towards sorcery and fortune telling because Islam is aware against all kinds of divination. In this book we try to interpret the Qur’anic prophecy mentioned in Sura 17 according to the surface structure of the text and in conformity with historical reality. We then supplement it with a new approach based on the world of numbers which we will call “mathematical interpretation” or “numerical interpretation”. I believe that numbers will surprise the reader as they did me when they led me down an unexpected path. That path was signposted 19 and the reader will find that number 19 is the basis of this interpretation. The obvious question is: Why number 19?! It is a long story. Talk of number 19 and the debate and doubts it has raised requires some detail which I have delineated in my book The Miracle of Nineteen between the Backwardness of Muslims and the Deviations of Pretenders, the first edition of which appeared in 1991. Then, with Allah’s help, I was able to produce the second edition in Marj Ezzuhoor. It is expected that the book will be published by Dar Ennafa’es, Beirut soon. In that work, after discussing the essence of the research of Rashad Khalifa and the part of his thinking that was true, I introduced the reader to what is right and what is wrong in the theme of number 19 in the Holy Qur’an. The matter is inductive and mathematical, not subject to hearsay or to the whims of “those in whose hearts is perversity”, including the Bahais and others. There is a spectacular mathematical configuration and a consequential miracle. No one can separate us from seeing what God wills to disclose of His precious Book. [Allah has decreed that it is I and My messengers who must prevail.] (58:21) I did my best to leave this trust to the custody of Muslim scholars because I know this matter is beyond the capacity of an individual or even a group. I have great hope that firm-willed people will shoulder the responsibility so that Muslims and all humanity will enjoy the blessing. Those who have read the book devoted to number 19 will clearly perceive that the historical equation in this book is based on number 19. To those who have not read the book I say that there is an astonishing mathematical structure - connected to the Qur’anic words and letters - based on number 19. There is also evidence to show that this number is the foundation of astronomy. You will be surprised to discover in this booklet that this number is also a historical law. This book comprises two chapters. The first chapter is an interpretation of the Qur’anic prophecy in Sura 17 pertaining to the decline of the state of Israel in the blessed land in the past and, significantly, in the future. Chapter 2 is a numerical interpretation of this prophecy along the lines of the interpretation in Chapter 1, with the addition of mathematical evidence. This is a new approach, which we hope to serve as a key to further blessings. Bassam Jarrar 5 August 1993 Marj Ezzuhoor-South Lebanon
Part 1 of Chapter 1 The Prophecy One year before the Hijra (means migration) of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم from the city of Mecca to the city of Medina, the event of the Israa and Mi’raj occurred. In this journey of one night , Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم visited the Holy Land and Al-Aqsa Mosque […whose precincts God has blessed]. He set off from […that at Bakka (Mecca) full of blessing…] to that [whose precincts We did bless.] It was a journey from [the first house of worship appointed for men] to the [second house of worship appointed for men.] At the time of this journey, Jerusalem was under the Romans and Al-Aqsa mosque was nothing but ancient deserted ruins. Despite its condition at that time, Al-Aqsa retained its special status as a mosque, a status that will remain until the Day of Judgment. During that time, the Jews had no significant existence in Mecca nor had they had any existence in Jerusalem since 135 AD. When the Roman emperor Titus destroyed their second temple, plowed its ground, chased away the Jews and dispersed them throughout the Roman Empire, he had prohibited their return to, or residence in, Jerusalem. At the time of the Apostle’s night journey, it had been 500 years since these events, a period long enough to make people forget that the Jews had ever lived in the blessed land. After the event of Israa, the opening verses of Sura 17 (formally called Sura Israa, but also known as Sura Bani Israel) were revealed. What is noticeable is that the entire event of Israa and Mi’raj is contained in a single verse: [Glory to God Who took His servant for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose precincts We did bless, in order that We might show him some signs: for He is the One who heareth and seeth all things.] This is followed by: [We gave Moses the Book and We made it a Guide to the Israelites, [commanding]: “Take not other than Me as Disposer of your affairs.”.. And We gave clear warning to the Israelites in the Book [Torah], that twice would they do mischief on the earth...When the first of the warnings came to pass...When the second of the warnings came to pass.... ] What is the relationship between Moses and the Israelites, and this incident and that visit?! What is the relationship between the prophecy that came in the Torah nearly 1800 years before and this event?! Does anyone expect that the early interpreters had ever envisioned a return of a state for the Jews in the blessed land?! The Ummayad, the Abbasid, and the Ottoman empires were superpowers in their own respective times. Which interpreter would suspect that the second Jewish state had not yet come?! Even if it had occurred to him, would he have been emotionally prepared to record such a prophecy which predicted the fall of Jerusalem into the hands of those alienated, homeless and oppressed Jews?! Thus we find the early commentators on the Qur’anic text indicate that both aspects of the prophecy of the Torah referred to in the above verses had already taken place, centuries before Islam. people of today can understand why those interpreters adopted that approach, but at the same time we are aware of its weakness and its deviance from the truth. Hence, we find that many contemporary interpreters maintain that the second state is that of 1948. In the end, the most credible interpreter of authentic prophecies is reality because a truthful prophecy must come true in reality. Therefore, we have to rely on history as much as possible to reach an understanding in line with the surface structure of the Qur’anic text so as to avoid resorting to the type of interpretation referred to by early and contemporary commentators. Here we do not give full credibility to history because it is known to us that conjecture is the rule in history, but we do not have the alternative that makes our interpretation closer to the truth; we are trying to approximate the truth. God decreed in the Torah that the Israelites would enter the blessed land of Palestine and establish their own state. They will then indulge in corruption so great that Allah will punish them for it by sending unto them another people who will invade their homeland, their corruption will crop up again, Allah will send unto them the same people who will kill and destroy whatever fell under their power. Here is an illustration of that: When Moses died, the Israelites entered the Holy Land, led by their new leader Joshua Bin Noon: يَا قَوْمِ ادْخُلُوا الأَرْضَ المُقَدَّسَةَ الَّتِي كَتَبَ اللّهُ لَكُمْ وَلاَ تَرْتَدُّوا عَلَى أَدْبَارِكُمْ فَتَنقَلِبُوا خَاسِرِينَ [O my people! Enter the Holy Land, which Allah hath assigned unto you, …] (Qur’an 5: 21). Thereby the promise of entry and establishing a community of the people of Israel was fulfilled.
The Prophet–King David conquered Jerusalem and established a Kingdom. Hence, we find the First Book of Kings of Old Testament opens with the description of David’s old age and death. Although the Old Testament ascribed to King David deeds inappropriate to his rank, it nevertheless described him as a righteous person, contrary to his son and successor Solomon (peace be upon him). It is stated in First Book of Kings in the Bible that: [ For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as David his father had done. ] (Kings 11 : 4-6) Although we, as Muslims, agree with the scribes of the Old Testament that David indeed had a son called Solomon who had great wisdom and became a king after his father’s death, yet we have a different perception of him. His image is as described in the Holy Qur’an: وَوَهَبْنَا لِدَاوُودَ سُلَيْمَانَ نِعْمَ الْعَبْدُ إِنَّهُ أَوَّابٌ [To David We gave Solomon, how excellent in Our service ever did he turn.] (Quran 38: 30) One, therefore, can conclude that corruption in the first Kingdom started to appear after Solomon’s death, when the Prophetic kingdom was divided into two clashing states. Corruption and moral degradation spread. In the prologue to the First Book of Kings[2] it is stated: “The First Book of Kings indicates, in a special way, the drastic effect of the social corruption on the spiritual life of the nation.” Following the death of King Solomon in 935 BC, ten of the eleven tribes of the Israelites rebelled and appointed Jeraboam (Yarba’am Bin Nabat) as a king of Israel in the north. Only one tribe, Judah (Yahotha), remained under the rule of Rahaboam (Rahba’am), Solomon’s son. Thus, emerged the Kingdom of Israel in the north and the Kingdom of Judah (Yahotha) in the south with Jerusalem as its capital. Corruption spread throughout the two kingdoms and the land was invaded by enemies who raided the two kingdoms in waves of attacks started by the Egyptians; the Assyrians took the lead on themselves and so did the Babylonians who came from the Euphrates area. It is stated in the introduction to the Second Book of Kings: “… In 722 BC, the Assyrians attacked the Northern Kingdom of Israel and destroyed it; and in 586 BC, the Babylonian Army marched onto the Kingdom of Judah (Yahotha) in the South and annihilated it...and in this book, we see how God used the Assyrians and the Babylonians to punish the deviated and corrupt people of the two kingdoms. It is important to note here that a sinful deed results in a humiliating punishment for the nation and on the contrary, a righteous deed results in God blessings. The Second Book of Kings confirms that God does not punish a people before giving them guidance and warnings. So, He sent his Prophets first to guide the nations and to give them ample warnings of the Lord’s punishment.” It can be noticed that the Northern Kingdom contained most of the nation (10 tribes) and they were responsible for the rupture of Solomon’s state and for the disunity in the integrated nation. That is why God punished them by destroying the northern Kingdom 136 years before the southern Kingdom of Judah (Yahotha). After the extinction of the two states, the Israelites tried in vain to restore the former glory of their vanished kingdoms. Some of their revolts against their enemies did not go beyond a limited autonomy and or a self-rule under the Roman Empire. Therefore, we find the history books agree that the disappearance of the Southern Kingdom of Judah (Yahotha) marks the complete vanishing of the last independent Jewish state. This state was not reborn for the second time until 1948 AD. The prophecy relating to the rise and fall of the state of Israel was first revealed in the Torah. WHERE? Then, after nearly 1800 years, it was revealed again in the Qur’an. What is the reason for this second revelation? The reference to the prophecy in the Holy Qur’an comes in Sura 17, which is the same chapter that talks about the event of Israa and Mi’raj. With this in mind, one would argue: ‘Had the prophecy been completely fulfilled before Islam, then it would have been difficult to understand its association in the Qur’an with the journey of Israa and Mi’raj.’ However, an alternative conclusion is that the first part of the prophecy had taken place before Islam - and this is indeed what happened in reality- and the second part will take place in the future time of Muslims. This is also understandable especially when we are witnessing the second existence of a powerful Israeli state (the second rise).
The Qur’an Confirms the Prophecy وَقَضَيْنَا إِلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فِي الْكِتَابِ لَتُفْسِدُنَّ فِي الأَرْضِ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَلَتَعْلُنَّ عُلُوًّا كَبِيرًا فَإِذَا جَاء وَعْدُ أُولاهُمَا بَعَثْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ عِبَادًا لَّنَا أُوْلِي بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ فَجَاسُواْ خِلاَلَ الدِّيَارِ وَكَانَ وَعْدًا مَّفْعُولًا [And We decreed for the Israelites in the Book that they would commit corruption (mischief) on Earth twice and reach high levels of haughtiness. When Promise of the first (of warnings) was due, We sent against you Our servants of great might: they entered the very inmost part of your homes (lands), and it was a warning fulfilled.] (Qur’an 17: 4 - 5) [And We decreed for the Israelites...]: Reference here is made to Israel, the name given to Prophet Yaqoub (Jacob) as indicated in the Holy Qur’an (chapters 3, verse 93 and chapter 19, verse 58). The Children of Prophet Israel were 12 sons, from whom descended the 12 known tribes of the Semitic people of the people of Israel. The decree here is for all of them, as a community as inferred from the phrase [for the Israelites] and from the phrase [in the Book] i.e. the Torah. This interpretation is confirmed by the second verse of the same chapter: [We gave Moses the Book and made it a guide to the Israelites...]. It is a well-known fact that the Torah was revealed for the Israelites since every messenger was sent to his own people except Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم who was sent to all mankind. [that they would commit corruption (mischief) on Earth ...]: it is clear that the speech is about the future, and since the book is the Torah, the prophecy is about the future after the time of Torah and not after the revelation of the Holy Qur’an. The prophecy came in the Qur’an in the future form such as the word of Allah (s.w.t.) spoken by Adam’s son addressing his brother: [Be sure I will slay thee. ] [On Earth]: mischief in part of the Earth is mischief on the Earth, Corruption is perversity of the character or nature of things, deviation from the natural or normal function they were created to perform. Corruption of different degrees: small or large scale. […and reach high levels of haughtiness ...]: mischief resulting from elation and arrogance or from weakness and servility. The corruption foretold results from elation as can be explained by: إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ عَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَجَعَلَ أَهْلَهَا شِيَعًا يَسْتَضْعِفُ طَائِفَةً مِّنْهُمْ يُذَبِّحُ أَبْنَاءهُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيِي نِسَاءهُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ [ Pharaoh elated himself in the land and divided its people into sections depressing a group among them: their sons he slew, but he kept alive their females: for he was indeed an evil-doer] (Quran 28: 4). Such corruption of the society of the people of Israel will come as a result of elation, insolence, haughtiness and criminality. [Twice] confirms that mischief is a societal type in a specific time and place, while individual mischief happens all the time. [... When Promise of the first )of warnings was due...]: If mischief is done by the society of the people of Israel in the blessed land, and if the prophecy is fulfilled by this occurrence, then the awaited Divine punishment will be. [... We sent against you Our servants...]: Some contemporary interpreters went on to say that those referred to here are believers as indicated by the Allah’s words: [... Our servants...], describing them as servant of the Almighty God. This in turn, lead those commentators to conclude that the first of the prophecies was fulfilled when the Jews were expelled from the city of Medina in the days of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم , and thereafter, the entry to Jerusalem by the second Khalifa (Omar bin Al-Khatab). This, however, is far- fetched when considering the surface structure of the Qur’anic text, because the abundant available evidence suggests [our servants] could mean both believers and non-believers. Here is an illustration of the matter: 1. The expression [... Our servants...] did not appear in the entire Qur’an except in this verse. Of the early Qur’anic commentators, the language experts did not say that [... Our servants...] means believers. 2. If it is true (as narrated by Ibn Sa’d in his book Al-Tabaqat) that Omar bin Al-Khatab sent a letter to the Muslim army before they left for battle, then this document furnishes the evidence because it implies that the companions of the Prophet were capable of understanding the verse. In his letter, Omar stated: “...And do not say that our enemy is more devious than us, therefore they will not triumph over us, even if we do wrong. A people may indeed be defeated by an enemy more devious than them, as was the case with the Israelites when the un-believing Magi (Magians or Zoroasterians) entered the very inmost part of their homes, and it was a warning fulfilled.” Notice here how Omar bin Al-Khatab described the Magi as non-believers as he cited the first of the warnings. 3. We read the following verses in the Holy Qur’an: [... Doth God warn off His servants: ”O My servants! Then fear Me!] (Quran 39:16). [... It is thou that wilt judge between Thy servants...] (Quran 39: 46). [... We guide such of Our Servants as We will...] (Quran 42:42). [... For God is Assuredly with respect to His servants, well acquainted and fully observant...] (Quran 35:31). [... Was it Ye who led these My servants astray, or did they stray from the path themselves...] (Quran 25:17). Note that the words [عباده، عبادي، عبادك، عبادنا] in the preceding verses show that the intended audience is all mankind and not only the believer.
4. The specific reference to [Our servants] in Sura Israa (17: 5) is meant to highlight their forthcoming characteristic [given to terrible warfare]. If one for example says: “My son is clever” then the topic of this sentence is son, while if one says, “A son of mine is clever”, the topic shifts to his intelligence. 5. Another piece of evidence that [Our servants] refers to both believers and non-believers alike can be found in one of the Prophet Muhammad’s صلى الله عليه وسلم sayings narrated in Saheeh Muslim's Book of Fitan regarding Gog and Magog: “... and while he was as such, God revealed to Jesus (peace be upon him): I have let out servants of mine ( Gog and Magog) that no one has the ability to fight them.” Note the phrase “servants of mine” [... Our servants given to terrible warfare...]: No one should assume that this attribute is confined to Muslims as indicated in [... Ye shall be summoned [to fight] against a people given to vehement war: then shall Ye fight or they shall submit...] (Quran 38:16). [... They entered the very inmost part of your homes...]: this part of the verse describes the method of the invaders’ entry into the homes of the people of Israel. The Arabic word “فجاسوا - fa’jaasoo“ is used here to describe the intensity of the destruction resulting from their entry into the homes of the Israelites. This, as we explained earlier, was a punishment for their corruption. Although it is not clear as to the exact nature of the destruction resulting from the entry of the invaders, one can imagine what an invading people with intense fighting capability and with no faith or mercy in their hearts would do to their victims.
As mentioned earlier, the corruption began when the Kingdom of the Israelites split into two main kingdoms, following the death of King Solomon in the year 935 BC. This was followed by the invasion of the Egyptians, then the Assyrians then the Babylonians. And when the scale of corruption increased, so did the intensity of the enemies’ destruction until the Northern kingdom (called Israel) was destroyed by the Assyrians completely in the year 722 BC. Thereby, ten of the twelve Jewish tribes were either killed or taken as slaves. The enemies' skirmishes and attacks continued against the Southern Kingdom (called Judah) despite some corrective measures especially those introduced by Yoshia (Josiah) in the year 621 BC[6] until it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. This marked the end of the last independent kingdom of the Israelites.
Those who study history notice the following: 1. Non-believers carried out back and forth skirmishes and attacks: the Egyptians, Assyrians and the Babylonians. Thus we note the accuracy of Qur’anic expression using an indefinite noun: عبادا “servants” which is a general term that may include those who don’t believe in God (Kafirs). 2. The three attacking nations were, as described in the Qur’an, strong and immensely powerful as testified by many historical narratives. 3. The armies of the attacking nations entered the very innermost parts of the homes of the people of Israel, without disrupting the infrastructure of their society. (In fact, they kept some of the Jewish kings on their thrones). The northern kingdom was destroyed during the reign of King Hoshea in 722 BC. He was the 19th king of the Northern Kingdom. The southern kingdom, Judah (Yahotha), on the other hand, was destroyed in the year 586 BC, during the reign of King Zedekiah, the 19th king of Judah. The destruction of the southern kingdom marked the end of the enemies’ movement through the land. Hence, we note the accuracy of the Qur’anic description of the method and nature of the enemy’s entry: [... they entered the very inmost part of your homes...] 4. The scale of corruption increased in the Northern and Southern kingdoms until it reached its peak in 722 BC and 586 BC respectively. This shows the accuracy of the Qur’anic phraseology وَقَضَيْنَا إِلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فِي الْكِتَابِ لَتُفْسِدُنَّ فِي الأَرْضِ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَلَتَعْلُنَّ عُلُوًّا كَبِيرًا [And We gave clear warnings to the Israelites in the Book that twice would they do mischief on the earth and be elated with mighty arrogance.] This was accompanied by an increase in the intensity of enemies’ attack and in the scale of punishment until the two kingdoms disappeared. Again, the Qur’anic description of such corruption and punishments is amazingly accurate. [And it was a warning [completely] fulfilled]: This is a promise of punishment from God, which must be fulfilled. The first prophecy had been accomplished following the disappearance of the two kingdoms, but some of the Jews returned to the blessed land, in stages, during the reign of King Cyrus of Persia who deliberately did not build a state for them. Then came the Greek occupation in 333BC, then the Nabateans and the Romans whose occupation of the blessed land lasted until 636 AD, the year in which Caliph Omar ibn El-Khattab conquered Jerusalem. The Jews returning from the Diaspora made several attempts to achieve independence or self-rule. Some of these attempts succeeded for short periods until the Jews were crushed by Titus, the son of the Roman emperor Vespasian, in the year 70 AD, and later after the last rebellion in 135 AD. Some scholars find the matter obscure and hold the view that the second mischief was in the years 70 AD and 135 AD because the first temple was destroyed in 586 BC and the second temple was destroyed in 70 AD and its remains were entirely obliterated in 135 AD.
What is the Second Prophecy? By considering the above events, some historians concluded that the second prophesy had already taken place in the year 70 AD or 135 AD as a result of the second destruction of the temple. The first time the temple was destroyed was in 586 BC. Their conclusion was clearly based on linking the destruction of the temple with the prophecies. In any case, by referring to the Qur’anic text, we can detect a disambiguating definition of the second mischief as follows: The Arabic word ثم ‘thumma’, which appears in the Arabic text of this verse, implies an undefined time lapse: one year…decades…millennia… no one knows exactly. In Chapter 17 of the Quran, verse 6 says: ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَا لَكُمُ الْكَرَّةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَمْدَدْنَاكُم بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ أَكْثَرَ نَفِيرًا [Then we turned to you the power to attack them and supplied you with money (wealth) and sons (or children) and we made you more in manpower (number of individuals/soldiers)] This indicates that the Jews will regain power over whoever destroyed their first independent state. This has not happened in history except in 1948 AD if we consider that the Jews regained power over those who destroyed their first [independent] state. The ones who moved back and forth through [the land in the aftermath of] the first mischief were the Egyptian, the Assyrians and the Babylonians, but total destruction was at the hands of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. By looking into the history of the Jews, both past and present, one can conclude that this return of power had indeed taken place (for real) in 1948 AD when the current state of Israel was declared. The people over whom the Jews regained power are the present-day Arabs, whose ancestors: the Egyptians, the Assyrians and Babylonians were responsible for the destruction of the first kingdom of the Israelites. It is worth mentioning at this point that the Assyrians and the Babylonians could have been Arab tribes that migrated from the Arabian Peninsula to the Euphrates river area and later spread throughout until they gained control over what is now known as Iraq and Greater Syria. What is more certain is that hundreds of years later, after Prophet Mohammad صلى الله عليه وسلم started preaching Islam and Islam stated to spread beyond the Arabian Peninsula, most of the descendants of the Assyrians and Babylonians embraced Islam and became Arab Muslims. The same happened with the people of Egypt. The Greeks and the Romans, on the other hand, had no significant contribution to the destruction of the Jewish kingdom, nor had the Jews ever gained control over the Greeks or Romans. Nor were the Jews more numerous in manpower. This is not to say that there were no confrontations between the Jews and these two powers, but such a conflict had never resulted in either a destruction of a Jewish independent state nor the rise of a Jewish kingdom that gained dominance over the Greeks or the Romans. In some cases, however, the Jews had gained limited self-rule, but for a short period of time only. For a state to be dominant and powerful, it naturally needs two main resources: money and men, and for these two resources to be directed towards building a well-equipped and trained army. This is indeed what is referred to in the remaining part of the above verse. The resource of financial wealth is evident ever since the modern Jewish State was declared with the help of many western powers. The state of Israel is still one of largest recipient of financial and technical aids from the West, a common knowledge to all and something that does not need elaboration. The other element of this power is the supply of necessary human resources. Notice the Qur’anic verse refers to [sons] or men of youthful age, which is needed for the building of a strong fighting army. That is not to say women will not be part of such an army, but their contribution will not to significant level as the men. As a matter of fact, I have read in a book titled "The Victims of the Holocaust State Their Accusation", which is written by a number of Jewish scholars, that Hitler’s government offered to free 30,000 Jewish prisoners if the Jewish Agency pays $50,000. The Agency refused to do this despite its knowledge that the prisoners would be killed. The authors of the book explain that the reason for such a refusal is due to the fact that the prisoners in question were mostly women, children and elderly people not fit for fighting in Palestine. The Agency, they say, was keen on releasing and transferring, to Palestine, young men capable of carrying arms and ready to join the army. [ و جعلناكم اكثر نفيرا] which means we made you more numerous in man-power. In this Quranic verse, نَفِيرًا refers to a mobilized force ready to enter the battlefield. Despite the fact that the Arabs were of a larger number than the Jews in 1948, the Jews had mobilized an army of 67,000 strong while the Arabs had only 20,000, which is less than a third of the Jewish forces. There are six main elements that led to the creation and rise of the Jewish State (the latter in the prophecy). All of these are mentioned in the Qur’an. Although the Qur’anic revelation was made more than 1400 years ago, one will be astonished to see these elements are indeed the same elements that helped the creation of today's Jewish state, Israel. 1. The Jews building a powerful state that dominates over those responsible for the destruction of their first kingdom (the Arabs). This second state had never existed in the history of the Jews until 1948. 2. The Jewish State receives a huge and continuous financial aid that helps it to exist and rise in power. This is indeed what we see clearly nowadays and in such a way that no other independent state the world over enjoys a similar position. 3. The Jewish State receives a huge number of Jewish immigrants every year, mostly of youthful age that is capable of building and defending the state of Israel. It is worth mentioning that the flood of immigration, which began even before the declaration of the state of Israel, had never stopped. On the contrary, it had increased many folds and is still growing. 4. There is a marked difference in number and weaponry between the Israeli and the Arab armies. This was evident in 1948 when the Jewish army was more than three times that of the Arabs despite the fact the number of the Arab population was and still is larger. 5. The Jews are gathered to Palestine from different parts of the world. This, again, is one of the foretold events, which appear in the verses of the second prophecy. This is a fact, which indeed has been taking place with the continuous Jewish immigration (more about this later). 6. When the Jews are brought together to create their second independent state in Palestine, they come from different races and origins. This is in contrast with the state of indigenous Israelites of the first Kingdom when the Jews were descendents of Prophet Jacob, also called "Israel", (peace be upon him). But, today we find that the Israeli Jewish people originate from more than 70 nationalities. By looking at the above six factors, one can see that they represent a complete set, there is no need for even one extra factor. The only reference to the second prophecy in the Holy Qur’an was in Chapter 17 (Al-Israa). It occurs in two places: The first mention is at the beginning of the chapter, in verse 7: إِنْ أَحْسَنتُمْ أَحْسَنتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا فَإِذَا جَاء وَعْدُ الآخِرَةِ لِيَسُوؤُواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُواْ الْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَلِيُتَبِّرُواْ مَا عَلَوْاْ تَتْبِيرًا [If you do good, you do good for your own selves, and if you do evil, it is for yours (your selves). So when the Promise of the End (second of the warnings) comes to pass, We permit your enemies to disfigure (or disgrace) your faces and to enter the Mosque as they have entered it before and to ravage (destroy) all that falls into their power].
The second mention was made later in the chapter, in verse 104: وَقُلْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِ لِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اسْكُنُواْ الأَرْضَ فَإِذَا جَاء وَعْدُ الآخِرَةِ جِئْنَا بِكُمْ لَفِيفًا [And We said thereafter to the Israelites, "Dwell in the land (of promise)", but when the Promise of the End comes to pass, We gather you together in a mixed crowd] Both the first and second prophecies refer to the two states of rise and fall experienced by the Israelites after they left Egypt. In Chapter 17, verse 103 -104 say: فَأَرَادَ أَن يَسْتَفِزَّهُم مِّنَ الأَرْضِ فَأَغْرَقْنَاهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُ جَمِيعًا وَقُلْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِ لِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اسْكُنُواْ الأَرْضَ فَإِذَا جَاء وَعْدُ الآخِرَةِ جِئْنَا بِكُمْ لَفِيفًا [So he resolved to remove them from the face of the earth: But We did drown him and all that were with him. And We said thereafter to the Israelites [Dwell securely in the land (of promise): but when the second of the warnings came to pass, We gathered you together in a mixed crowd]. That is, we permitted the Israelites (after Pharaoh was drowned) to dwell in the blessed land, and thereby the promise of the first warning is fulfilled. It is decreed that the two corruptions occur after exodus from Egypt. Verse 104 of chapter 17 implies that at the start of the second prophecy, the Jews will be a dispersed people, scattered around the Globe. This leads to the conclusions we mentioned above No. 5 and No. 6: you will be gathered together from different parts of the world, as you will be, at the time, descendent from several origins.” This is the meaning of [We gathered you together in a mixed crowd]. God knows best ! It has been stated earlier that the ground for the two prophecies will be the blessed Land of Palestine. This conclusion is based on the clear reference made in Sura Al-Araf (Chapter 7) of the Quran, verses 136 and137 about the army of Pharaoh versus the Jews: فَانتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ فِي الْيَمِّ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَذَّبُواْ بِآيَاتِنَا وَكَانُواْ عَنْهَا غَافِلِينَ وَأَوْرَثْنَا الْقَوْمَ الَّذِينَ كَانُواْ يُسْتَضْعَفُونَ مَشَارِقَ الأَرْضِ وَمَغَارِبَهَا الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ الْحُسْنَى عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ بِمَا صَبَرُواْ وَدَمَّرْنَا مَا كَانَ يَصْنَعُ فِرْعَوْنُ وَقَوْمُهُ وَمَا كَانُواْ يَعْرِشُونَ [So We exacted retribution upon them: We drowned them in the sea because they rejected Our signs, and failed to take warning from them. And we made a people, who used to be subjugated, inheritors of the East and West of the Earth that We have blessed and thus the good word (promise) of your Lord was fulfilled on the Israelites for exhibiting of patience and we destroyed what Pharaoh and his people have accomplished and built. ] Hence, we can use history to delimit the boundaries of the blessed land from the east and from the west.
A Blessed Land on Earth The land of Palestine is referred to as a Blessed Land 5 times in the Qur’an, but it was referred to as a Holy Land once. (a) Chapter 7, verse 137: [And we made a people considered weak inheritors of lands in both east and west, lands whereon We sent down Our blessings... ] (b) Chapter 17, verse 1: [To the Farthest Mosque whose precincts We did bless...] (c) Chapter 21, verse 71: [But We delivered him and Lut (Prophet Lot) to the land which We have blessed for the nations] (d) Chapter 21, verse 81: [It was Our power that made the violent unruly wind flow (tamely) for Solomon, to his order, to the land which We had blessed; for We do know all things] (e) Chapter 34, verse 18: [Between them and the cities on which We had poured Our blessings, We had placed cities in prominent positions...] (f) Chapter 5, verse 21: [O my people! Enter the Holy Land.] The first verse talks about the land that was inhabited by the Israelites after they left Egypt and the drowning of the Pharaoh of their time. This is the Holy Land of Palestine, which they were promised to enter in the 6th verse. The second verse talks about the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is commonly known to be located in Palestine. The third verse talks about the escape of Prophet Abraham and Prophet Lot from their homeland (that was ruled by a tyrant non-believer) to the blessed land of Palestine. Historians agree that Prophet Lot lived in the area of Jericho while Prophet Abraham lived in Hebron and is buried there. The fourth verse is about Solomon whose kingdom is known to have been in Palestine with its capital Jerusalem. The fifth verse talks about the relation between the Kingdom of Saba (Sheba) in Yemen and the kingdom of Solomon in Palestine. It is known that Solomon’s kingdom transcended the boundaries of modern Palestine. Yet, Palestine was the central part of his kingdom.
The Conclusion of the Second Prophecy Details of the predicted downfall of the powerful State of Israel is depicted clearly in verse 7of chapter 17 of the Holy Qur’an: إِنْ أَحْسَنتُمْ أَحْسَنتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا فَإِذَا جَاء وَعْدُ الآخِرَةِ لِيَسُوؤُواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُواْ الْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَلِيُتَبِّرُواْ مَا عَلَوْاْ تَتْبِيرًا [If you do good, you do good for your own selves, and if you do evil, it is for yours (your selves). So when the Promise of the End (second of the warnings) comes to pass, We permit your enemies to disfigure (or disgrace) your faces and to enter the Mosque as they have entered it before and to ravage (destroy) all that falls into their power]. [So when the second of the warnings came to pass] means when the prophesied second Jewish Corruption occurs, the Jews who spread corruption and their State will be punished. He saidليسوءوا وجوهكم to disfigure (or disgrace) your faces instead ofليسوؤن وجوهكم. In the former phrase, the grammatical apodosis of the article إ ذ ا is the verbبعثنا. Where is the apodosis of إذ ا in the second phrase? It is the same verb بعثنا. The meaning is: When the second warning came to pass we sent them to achieve three objectives: to disfigure, to enter, and to visit with destruction They (the Arab Muslims) will disrepute you, or will hurt you in such a way that insult will be shown on your faces. It is also probable that the meaning is: their well-crafted image, created through the media, will be destroyed; that is, they will be exposed before the nations who had been fooled by them for many years. This results in their shame and embarrassment. All this will be at the hands of those whom God sends to carry out the second prophecy. [And to enter the Mosque] means the Arab Muslims will re-enter the Al-Aqsa mosque for the second time, after destroying the might of the Jewish state. [As they have entered it before] is a reminder that the end of each warning is the entry to the Aqsa Mosque. We have pointed out earlier that the end of the first entry of the Arabs to the Al-Aqsa Mosque was in 586 BC when Judea was destroyed and its capital, Jerusalem, fell in the hands of the Arab Babylonians. Nowadays, the modern Jewish State has declared Jerusalem as its capital. Therefore, the Qur’an is hinting that the fall of Jerusalem leads to the fall of the Jewish state. Undoubtedly the fall of the capital of Israel, which is the symbol of the conflict, is the greatest event in the second Jewish Corruption which God called the second or last, a designation. This implies that the fall of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state will only take place twice; the first of which had already taken place. […And to ravage (destroy) all that falls into their power] means that the forces that will re-enter Jerusalem will destroy, kill and tear apart every thing that comes under their control. The verse depicts a picture of violent resistance on parts of the Jews. This resistance however will be met by a more violent reaction by the invading force that results in wide spread destruction and killing. One question springs to mind at this point: Will the destruction and killing take place throughout the blessed land or just in some parts of it? There is no explicit reference in the Qur’anic text to the size of the ground over which destruction will take place. However, it can be noticed that destruction is mentioned in the verse after the entry into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which leads us to conclude that the destruction will take place around the city of Jerusalem. It is worth mentioning however that the Arabic letter “و” which means “and” in English does not imply order or succession of events. This means that destruction could precede the entry to Jerusalem or both events could take place concurrently. It is difficult to say however that destruction will take place after the entry to Jerusalem. Click here to go to continue reading about the End of Israel on Page 2 (Part 2 of Chapter 1) |
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