1. The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentions the last sign of the arrival of the Last Hour, which is that whereby the sun rises from the west, which is the opposite of its normal rising place. In an authentic hadith, the Prophet says: ‘When the sun sets, it runs until it reaches its destination beneath the Throne, where it prostrates itself. It requests permission to do so and it is granted. However, a time will soon come when it is about to prostrate itself but it is prevented, and it requests permission but it is denied. It is told to go back to whence it came. It is then that the sun rises from the west’.[1]

2. When the sun rises from the west, all people will believe in God, Mighty and Exalted. However, this will be a belief by force, not by choice. What was kept from people’s knowledge will have been manifest and all people will realize that the Last Hour has arrived. They will declare their belief, hoping for safety.

3. However, the time for repentance will now be over. No repentance by any sinner will then be accepted, and no declaration of accepting Islam will be accepted from any unbeliever. The reason being that such belief is necessitated by this new happening. It is a fruitless belief, like that of he who is in his final death throes. God says: ‘Repentance shall not be accepted from those who indulge in their evil deeds and, when death comes to any of them, he says: I now repent”’. The Prophet said: ‘God will accept anyone’s repentance as long as he has not reached the point of death’.[2] It is the same as the belief of a person who is overwhelmed by God’s punishment. God refers to what Pharaoh said when he was about to drown: ‘And We brought the Children of Israel across the sea; but Pharaoh and his legions pursued them with tyranny and aggression. But as he was about to drown, Pharaoh said: ‘I have come to believe that there is no deity other than Him in whom the Children of Israel believe, and to Him I surrender myself’. (90) [But God said:] ‘Only now? But before this you were rebelling [against Us], and you spread corruption in the land’. (10: 90-91)

Implementation

1. God has concealed the timing of the Last Hour so that everyone should endeavour to take the necessary preparations for it at all times, increasing his devotion and improving his standing. Likewise, he kept the Night of Power unknown so that a believer should seek it throughout the last ten days of Ramadan. It does not benefit any person to know the exact time of the Last Hour. What will benefit him is to prepare for it by adding to his good deeds.

 2. It is important, therefore, to make sure to take the matter of the Last Hour very seriously. It is the time when the universal system is altered, and the sun will rise from the west. We should be mindful of this event and be apprehensive of its arrival.

 3. Everyone should hasten to repent of their sins before death overtakes them or prevents them from turning to God in repentance. Bakr al-Muzanī said: ‘Every day and every night God brings into this world give us the reminder to make the best use of them. They may be our last day or night and we may not have another after they have gone.[4]

 4. Imam al-Bukhari related this hadith, and he certainly made the best of his life. He used to repeat two well-known Arab maxims:

When you have time to spare, use it in voluntary prayer. You never know but your death might come all of a sudden.

Many a healthy person died without having suffered any illness.