THE SIGNS OF DOOMSDAY

levels of CO2 in our atmosphere. And scientists say this is the fastest and largest increase in CO2 the world has ever seen. The UN has warned that marine life faces irreparable damage from the millions of tonnes of plastic waste that ends up in the oceans every year. Half of the world’s coral reefs have died in the last 30 years, and two thirds of the Great Barrier Reef have been damaged by coral bleaching— this happens when the sea temperature is too high. The Quran says: ‘The Hour of Resurrection will certainly come. There is no doubt about it.’ (40: 59) There is no doubt about the coming of the Qiamah. The signs tell us that now the time has come very close. Now it is the last hour when man may seek forgiveness from God and rush to seek refuge in God’s mercy. Ignoring the Signs A verse of the Quran reads: “Many are the signs in heaven and on earth, yet they pass them by, and they give no heed to them.” (12: 105) This verse shows that such signs have continued to be shown by God throughout human history as may remind man of his limitations and draw his attention to the fact that he cannot build a successful life for himself without God’s guidance. But man, by ignoring these signs, does not learn any lessons from them and fails to be rightly guided. For the last 5000 years, the great minds of the world have been endeavouring to arrive at the truth through philosophic pursuits, but after a long struggle, all that they have learned is that the discipline of philosophy is wholly inadequate to lead man to any certain destination. After the emergence of modern science, man thought that he could discover the truth by scientific methods. Finally, he has come to the conclusion that scientific methods can lead man only to a knowledge of things, it cannot lead man to the knowledge of truth. The time has finally come for man to awaken, to take lessons from the signs in nature and in history and plan his life in a way that benefits him in his post-death period.