Three Methods of Ulama Divide Judgment Signs

Bismillah was shalatu was greeting ‘ala Rasulillah, wa ba’du,

There are 3 methods of scholars in dividing the signs of the end,

First, the distribution of apocalypse marks is based on the process of events and time.

Based on this method, they divide the apocalypse sign into 3:

[1] Sign of the Resurrection that has happened and has passed, according to what the Prophet preached ﷺ. Like, the sending of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, his death, the conquest of Baitul Maqdis, the emergence of a great fire around Medina, and several events which are signs of the end that have occurred and have passed, in the sense that they will not happen again.

[2] Signs of Resurrection that have occurred and continue to occur. And this is the most. Such as: frequent earthquakes, wasted trusts, surrendering affairs to non-experts, mosques being used as a way for passersby traffic, the lifting of knowledge, the spread of ignorance, and other signs.

[3] Sign of the great apocalypse that will only occur when approaching the end of events. Like, the departure of the Dajjal, the descent of the Prophet Isa alaihis salam, the exit of Ya'juj and Majuj, the issuance of Dabbah (creeping creatures that can speak), the rising of the sun from the west, etc. (Asyrath as-Sa'ah, Abdullah al-Ghufaili, p. 41)

Among the scholars who did the distribution with this method was al-Hafidz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani.

He explained,

ما أخبر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بأنه سيَقع قبل أن تقوم الساعة على أقسام:

أحدها: ما وقع على وَفق ما قال. الثاني: ما وقعت مباديه ولم يستحكم. الثالث: ما لم يقع منه شيء ولكنه سيقع

Events that the Prophet preached ﷺ which will appear before the end of the world, there are 3 types:

First, what has happened as he said.

Second, events that have already begun, but have not ended.

Third, events that have never happened and will occur. (Fathul Bari Syarh Shahih Bukhari, 13/83).

Second, the division of the apocalypse is based on the place of occurrence.

Based on the approach of the scene, the apocalypse is divided into 2:

[1] Sign of the Resurrection (heaven sign)

Like, the split of the moon at the time of the Prophet ﷺ, the size of the new moon enlarged, so that when the new moon rises, people thought it had entered the 2nd, even though it was only the 1st. Including the rising sun from the west.

[2] Sign of Resurrection ardhiyah (earth sign)

There are a lot of them, such as the departure of the Dajjal, Dabbah, the issuance of a great fire around Medina, including the wind that will bring all believers to life.

Among the scholars who did the distribution with this method was al-Hafidz Ibn Kathir.

He wrote,

أما خروج الدابة على شكل غريب غير مألوف ومخاطبتها الناس ووسمها إياهم بالإيمان أو الكفر, فأمر خارج عن مجاري العادات, وذلك أول الآيات الأرضية, كما أن طلوع الشمس من مغربها على خلاف عادتها المألوفة أول الآيات السماوية

Dabbah's exit with strange forms, extraordinary events, and he can talk to humans, and give a sign of faith and infidelity, then this is an event outside normal conditions. That is the first ardhiyah sign. As the sun rises from the west, which is outside normal conditions, is the beginning of the samawiyah sign. (an-Nihayah fi al-Fitan wa al-Malahim, 1/214).

Third, the method of distribution is based on the level of awesomeness and how far it is called extraordinary events. Based on this division, the apocalypse is divided by 2:

[1] Signs of sughra doomsday (small). That is the event that is a sign of the end and has long been happening since the past, so people consider it still in its normal level.

Like, people are competing to raise buildings, spread ignorance, the number of earthquakes, etc.

[2] The apocalypse of the cubro (large). That is an extraordinary event that will only occur when approaching the end.

Like, the departure of the Dajjal, Ya'juj & Majuj, the descent of the Prophet Isa ‘alaihis salam, including the rising of the sun from the west.

Among the scholars who divided the signs of the Resurrection with this method is al-Hafidz al-Baihaqi rahimahullah. He said,

وهذه الأشراط صغار وكبار ؛ فأمَّا صغارها فقد وُجد أكثرها ، وأما كبارها فقد بدت آثارها ...

The signs of the doom are big and some are small. Sign of the small apocalypse (sughra), most of it has happened. While the sign of the doomsday (large) cube, its characteristics have appeared ... (al-Ba'ts wa an-Nusyur, al-Baihaqi, p. 128).

So, Allahu 'alam.