Prophet Muhammad’s Prediction of the Scientific & Technological Era

 Why did Prophet Muhammad ﷺ make these predictions?
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​A Prophet of Allah ﷻ is someone who comes to teach people what is beneficial for them in this world and the hereafter and become a source of gaining their Creator’s mercy and peace. While delivering the message of Allah ﷻ they also provide proofs of their prophethood by His permission that supports their claim and confirms the authenticity of their message. One of the proofs is that they not only reveal the knowledge of what happened in the past in regard to previous prophets and their nations but also what will happen in the hereafter including the near future events i.e. in this world. They share them so that even after they are gone their message continues to influence the hearts and minds of the people so they may turn towards their Creator before their own deaths. This has been the case with almost all previous Prophets and Messengers that have existed in humankind history including the last and final of them all, Messenger and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Since Prophet Muhammad is the final messenger his proofs continue to unfold even in this age of ours. Hence it is no surprise for believers that with many other knowledge of the future, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also, very clearly, predicted many modern inventions that we live and experience in today’s world. 

Use of Cellular or Mobile Phones – including instant messaging apps (Wats App, Skype)
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Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! The Hour will not be established until predators speak to people and until the tip of a man's whip and the straps on his sandal (shoes) speak to him, and his thigh informs him of what occurred with his family after him.”[1] This prediction is as bright as a daylight for our times as we notice voice assistant systems such as Siri and GPS, softwares that speak through our mobile phones and devices, help navigate when driving vehicles and provide online info without even having to type. The shoes speaking has also become a reality after google has come out with its smart shoes called google talking shoes. Amazingly the Prophet did not just mention shoes speaking, he specifically mentioned the "staps of the sandal" and the chip that communicates is connected to the shoe lace area. As for part of the hadith that mentions “man’s thigh informing him of what is happening to his family after him” meaning after leaving our homes people will have access to know what is going on in their absence. That “thigh” is obviously what we call a cellular phone device that keeps you informed and with new advancements such as Watsapp and Skype, you may even see your family while talking when you are away from home. Not to forget that we usually carry the mobile in our front pockets next to thigh and that is what most likely means "thigh informing".

Microphone & Loudspeakers

The Prophet ﷺ said: “voices will be raised in the Masajids (mosques).”[2] With modern technology and the introduction of loud speakers have caused this prediction to come true in the 20th century. But scholars also say this refers to the disputes and arguments in mosques that will happen due to divisions among Muslims, which is quite prevalent and also seems to be correct.

Portable Music Players & Headphones 

In a hadith Prophet Muhammad said "People among my nation will drink wine, calling it by another name, and musical instruments will be played on their heads and singers (will sing for them). Allah will cause the earth to swallow them up, and will turn them into monkeys and pigs.”[3] Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, a leading Islamic Scholar of North America and head of Zaytuna Institute states in his lecture that the Arabic wording of the hadith "يُعْزَفُ عَلَى رُءُوسِهِمْ بِالْمَعَازِفِ وَالْمُغَنِّيَاتِ" - can be translated as "their heads are played with musical instruments and singers" or "musical instruments will be played on their heads", a clear reference to the portable digital music players that began as walkman cd player and later evolved in to players such as Ipod. Its quite evident to see that those who are hooked on music through such devices, their hearts does not worry about what is right or wrong, they have become heedless like animals who are only concerned about their immediate desires. 

Online Business & Trade

Abu Huraira (r.a) narrated that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “The Hour will not begin until turmoil appears, a great deal of lying, the closeness of marketplaces, time passing quickly, and there is a great deal of Harj (i.e. killing). A leading Saudi scholar named Dr Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahmaan al-Areefi comments on this hadith: “The markets have come close in the following ways: The ability to quickly get info on the markets through online access which has cut our efforts to physically travel and reach there. The ability to travel from market to market for trade and business through medium of modern transportation such as airplanes, cars, trains etc. which has made cut the distance short. Thirdly there is no doubt that with internet access and television channels one can access all information on whatever markets one wants to know. Nevertheless, the words also imply that there will be much lying and manipulation of the forces who control the markets which is also very clear to see. The corporate elite controls our access to things in the market and even influence us by deceiving through marketing tactics.” [4] (al-Areefi 2010) 

As for "time passing quickly", the months of journey in to hours and hours work in to seconds has become possible with the advancement of technology and faster means of transportation. What used to take many months or several days to accomplish is now possible within few days or hours, or even seconds. 

Age of Information

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is reported to have said: “Shortly before the Last Hour people will greet only known persons, trade will be well spread till the woman helps her husband in trading, kin relations will be cut off, false witness will prevail, hiding the truth and widespread use of pen.” [5] The prevalence of "use of pen" refers to the age of information and literacy which is clearly visible in our times. The information is readily available on our fingertips because of the availability of literature through the printing and publishing on paper and digital format. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned false witness and hiding the truth along with the "spread of pen" which entails the disinformation that circulates through the digital world faster than authentic news and info, and how readily available literature and information will be exploited for personal benefit by people who will hold authority of writing and sharing such as columnists, journalists, media persons, political analysts, etc. 

Modern Aircrafts & Cloud Seeding

The Prophet ﷺ said, “The Dajjaal will appear at the end of time, when religion is taken lightly. He will have forty days in which to travel throughout the earth. One of these days will be like a year, another will be like a month, a third will be like a week, and the rest will be like normal days. He will be riding a donkey; the width between its ears will be forty cubits. He will say to the people: "I am your lord."[6] In another narration it is said that the companions inquired: "We asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, how quickly will he walk upon the earth?' He said, 'Like a cloud driven by the wind. He will come to the people and call them (to a false religion), and they will believe in him and respond to him. He will issue a command to the sky, and it will rain; and to the earth, and it will produce crops…”[7]
Its quite evident that Dajjal’s “donkey” must be a reference to a modern aircraft. If we accept the fact that this “donkey” is a reference to such an aircraft then the “forty cubits” distance between its “ears” must be a reference to the wings of the aircraft which are quite wide apart from each other, a requirement for its flight and takeoff. Its quite interesting to note that despite the presence of camels and even horses at that time, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned donkey in its example for Dajjal’s ride. The reason for that becomes clear if one observes the features of a donkey when comparing with horses & camels. A donkey’s ears are longer and thicker than a horse’s and camel’s ears. The donkey has the loudest noise as compared to a horses gentle neighing and a camel’s moaning. The donkey's bray is the product of the audible intake of air followed by the forceful outflow resulting in the "hee-haw" sound. A donkey is able to carry up to twice its own body weight, which means they are often preferred for manual labour - for example, pulling carts and carrying cargo as opposed to other animals. The modern aircrafts have two wings, that are long and big. Most modern aircraft’s operate via a turbofan or fanjet, a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft propulsion causing the loud noise. Most modern aircraft especially those used by airlines or military, carry passengers, luggage and cargo. Despite impossibility of a donkey flying in the skies the Prophet ﷺ said that Dajjal’s donkey would travel “like a cloud driven by the wind” indicating an aircraft’s flying at high altitude similar to a cloud, a view quite common in our times. Additionally, we notice that the Prophet ﷺ mentioned that Dajjal “will issue a command to the sky, and it will rain”. Its quite evident now that with the assistance of technology it is possible to produce artificial rain and modify the weather conditions through cloud seeding practices. Governments around the world have been making use of cloud seeding in the recent decades to modify their weather patterns either to produce rain in case of drought or modify harsh weather conditions such as hailstorm, snow fall etc. to clear the skies.

Communications Satellite Systems

Communications Satellites also called artificial satellites suspended into the earth’s orbit act as an intermediate for signals between transmitters and receivers at different parts of the globe. The Satellites help the flow of communications for the government and private organizations that use transmitters to operate radio, television, internet, cellular services and provide access to their end users (i.e. the receivers) throughout the globe. They are vital for the modern global communications system. As per Encyclopedia Brittanica, approximately 2,000 artificial satellites orbiting Earth relay analog and digital signals carrying voice, video, and data to and from one or many locations worldwide.[8]

With the emergence of this global communications setup and the devices connecting to them in our homes such as TV, radio, computer/laptops & mobiles, much of our daily time is spent on these devices and we have become less social in our physical interactions with our family, relatives, neighbors etc. Majority is hooked on cable, social media, online gaming etc. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ prophesied this phenomena when he stood over one of the high buildings of Madinah and then said (to the people): “Do you see what I see?”  They said, “No.” He said “I see afflictions falling among your houses as rain drops fall.”[9] According to the Islamic scholars Prophet’s companion Hudhayfa ibn Al-Yamani, known for narrating prophetic knowledge, also made reference to the modern day satellites when he said: "Soon evil will pour down on you from the sky until it reaches Al­ fayaafi." It was said, "What is Al -fayaafi, 0 Abu 'Abd-Allah?" He said, “The wilderness."[10] The Al-Fayaafi is the wilderness i.e. the desert and the modern communications system nowadays receives transmission from satellites not only in populated cities but also the deserts regions. In another narration recorded in the famous collection of Imam Tabarani, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ mentioned a sign of the end times “إن من أعلام الساعة وأشراطها أن تواصل الأطباق وأن تقاطع الأرحام” usually translated as “From among the signs of Qiyamah is that people will maintain ties with distant relatives and strangers but sever ties with close family.” Shaykh Hamza Yusuf however translates the Arabic wording little differently: “From among the signs of the hour is that Dishes will communicate and severing of the family ties.” He explains in his lecture that the part “أن تواصل الأطباق - an tawasil al atbaaq” where "tawasil" (also Mowasalat in modern Arabic) means “communication” and "al atbaaq" means “dishes”, translated as “dishes will communicate” and people will severe family ties because of such communication system. Sheikh Hamza states that tabaq or al atbaaq is a concave dish and due to the concave shape of a modern satellite dishes on rooftops, the people in North Africa also call it a tabaq. This is a clear prophecy of satellite dishes communicating between earth and space and people’s indulgence of their precious time in devices connected to this communication system, and ignoring rights of their family, relatives, neighbors etc.

Space Exploration Technology

With the invention and development of space exploration technology in early 20th century, countries like USA, Russia, China, began sending their satellites attached with rockets into the space and even setup a space station for further studying our space and its environment. With further advancement scientists also grasped the dangers lurking in our earth’s neighborhood such as the impact of the extremely hot sun, neighboring planets, asteroids and meteorites. A small meteor in 2013 hit Russian city of Chelyabinsk with its impact injuring 1200 people. With potentially huge impact of such objects, nuclear detonation to destroy them or change their course are options on the table depending on how sooner they are detected. But, as per scientists the most viable solution for asteroids on short notices such as recent killer Asteroid-2019 OK also called the “sneaky” space rock, is only through missiles or nuclear weapons. Astronomers at NASA missed the killer object approach and came to know when it was going to pass  us in less than 24 hours.[11] Allah ﷻ says in the Quran 52:44: “AND YET, if they [who refuse to see the truth] were to see part of the sky falling down, they would [only] say, "[It is but] a mass of clouds!” Hence, leave them alone until they face that [Judgment] Day of theirs…the Day when none of their scheming will be of the least avail to them, and they will receive no help...” Modern Astronomy accepts the dangers of these objects and their impacts but ignores that Allah ﷻ sends them to teach a lesson, especially to godless, of His Might & Existence. Interestingly Prophet Muhammad ﷺ mentioned this tendency about a people called Gog & Magog, about whom he said: “...will shoot their arrows towards the sky and they will come back with blood on them, and they will say: "We have defeated the people of earth and dominated the people of heaven.”[12] Gog & Magog (Yajuj wa Majuj in Arabic) are humans and mentioned in the Bible as descendants of Prophet Noah (Nuh). Considering the fact that these people will shoot their “arrows towards the skies” and boast of their invincibility may be a reference to the advancement in technology allowing them to destroy near earth objects. An illustration of this prediction happened when a Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 has “bombed” a speeding asteroid called Ryugu, 187m miles (300m km) from Earth in an attempt to retrieve material of the object. Additionally it is also correct that major powers like Russia, China, USA etc. are setting up space stations as military outposts in the earth's orbit in case of a conflict like a world war. Any future destruction of these outposts housing military astronauts, from the ground by advanced rockets may be a reference to the "throwing of arrows towards the sky and they will come back with blood on them"  and Allah ﷻ knows best.

References:
[1] Jami at-Tirmidhi 2181 – Sunnah.com
Google Talking Shoes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SU6X1d0YUg 
[2] Jami at-Tirmidhi 2211 - Sunnah.com 
[3] Sunan Ibn Majah 4020 - Sunnah.com  
[4] al-Areefi, Dr. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahmaan. 2010. The End of the world - The Major and Minor Signs of the Hour. Riyadh: Darussalaam.
[5] Musnad Imam Ahmad - Hadith # 3870​
[6] Ahmad, Musnad, 3/367, 368 – THE SIGNS BEFORE THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT - Al Hafidh Ibn Kathir - pg 36-69. 
[7] Sahih Muslim 2937 a - Sunnah.com 
[8]https://www.britannica.com/technology/satellite-communication/Development-of satellite-communication
[9]  Sahih al-Bukhari 7060 - Sunnah.com 
[10] Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded in Al-Musannaf  with a Saheeh isnad - al-Areefi, Dr. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahmaan. 2010. The End of the world - The Major and Minor Signs of the Hour. Riyadh: Darussalaam.
[11] A “Sneaky” Asteroid Narrowly Missed Earth This Summer. Internal Emails Show How NASA Scientists Totally Missed It - Buzz Feed News  https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/danvergano/nasa-emails-asteroid-2019-ok 
Remember When Japan Blasted an Asteroid? Here’s What We Learned - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/science/japan-hayabusa2-asteroid-ryugu.html 
[12] Sunan Ibn Majah 4080​ - Sunnah.com