The Real History of the End of the World (13 page)

The Mayan civilization that built pyramids and wrote astronomical texts ended in about 900 C.E. There are many theories as to what caused their cities to be abandoned, but none that dominates. It may have been a combination of wars, bad harvests, natural disasters, and disease. The Maya people, however, still exist, living in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize. They speak twenty-two languages, all descendants of that spoken by the Olmecs more than two millennia ago. Some live in cities and are fully acculturated to the dominant culture. Some live in remote villages, speak no Spanish, and follow their old religion with only a thin layer of Christianity. I have not discovered any reports that any of them are preparing for any sort of Apocalypse in the near future.

On that day there shall be a blast on the trumpet, and
all that are in the heavens, and all that are on the earth
shall be terror-stricken, save him whom God pleaseth
to deliver; and all shall come to him in humble guise.

—The Qur'an, Sura 27:89

 

 

 

 

I
slam is the last of what are known as the three great monotheistic religions. It was founded by Muhammad b. Ali, who was born in Arabia about 570 C.E. He was a merchant by trade but also a seeker after spiritual answers. He would go to a cave near Mecca, where he lived, to meditate. One day, when he was about forty, he received a vision and heard a voice telling him “Recite! Recite!” The voice, which he later learned was that of the angel Gabriel, then gave him, over a period of many years, the messages for humankind that were later written in the Qur'an. The first message, Sura 96, ends with the command, “adore and draw near to God.”

It was some time before Muhammad acted on these messages, except for telling his wife and a few friends about them. Eventually, he began to preach but was not well received in Mecca. In 622, after the death of his wife, he and his followers moved to Medina. This is known as the
hegira,
and the Muslim calendar begins from this date.

Muhammad died in 10 AH/632 C.E. In his time the Qur'an was not written down, but memorized by the faithful as Muhammad received the word of God through Gabriel. When he died, it was understood that, as he was the final prophet, there would be no more revelations. There are several traditions as to when the Qur'an was put together and written down but, once it was, it was agreed that, because it had been divinely written, no changes were to be made to it, ever.

The Qur'an speaks often about the end times. In Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, there is a promise of an end to this world and a final day of judgment. But there is no one Sura (chapter) in the Qur'an that describes the end in minute detail the way that is done in Daniel or Revelation. Nor is there any hint as to the end time. Sura 53:58 is unequivocal on this, “The day that must draw nigh, draws nigh already: and yet none but God can reveal its time.”
^gf
In short, God knows; we don't. Get over it.

Therefore Islamic scholars have not spent years trying to calculate the end, freeing them for other philosophical activities. Of course, there are always a few people who have to try. Some believed that the year 125 AH (743-744 C.E.) would be the time of
fitan
(wars) and
malahim “
apocalyptic woes and tribulations.”
^gg

The end of time is mentioned most fully in Sura 18:40: “And call to mind the day when we shall cause the mountains to pass away, and you shall see the earth a leveled plain, and we will gather mankind together, and not leave of them any one.”
^gh

In this passage, the earth is destroyed. Each person is given a book containing their deeds and misdeeds. Then a trumpet will sound, and infidels will be cast into a fiery hell. Those who believe will ascend into one of the seven heavens where there are cool drinks, soft clothing, and shade where one may recline in comfort.

By the way, in the West there is a popular notion that women don't go to heaven and men get to have unbridled sex with supernatural
houri
. However Sura 36:50 states that in paradise the saved will recline on bridal couches where “they and their spouses” will be served fruit and whatever else they need.”
^gi
And Sura 44:70, states, “Enter [paradise] you and your wives.” These say to me that women are among the saved. Even clearer is Sura 4:124. “But whoever does the things that are right, whether male or female, and he or she a believer—these shall enter Paradise.”

The
houri
are a bit trickier. They are mentioned only in Sura 56. The translation I have could certainly be read that they are there for sex. But another line says that they are “dear to their spouses” (56:39). So this is something that can be open to many interpretations and has been. Islamic traditionalists have elaborated on the
houri
, describing their clothes and jewels. They are perfect women. They “do not sleep, do not get pregnant, do not menstruate, spit or blow their noses and are never sick.”
^gj
Apart from the lack of sleep, I like it.

But many Islamic scholars interpret the
houri
differently. Some suggest that they are the women who go to paradise or that the
houri
are there to serve both men and women.
^gk
Others see them as allegorical, a symbol of the delights of heaven. One scholar laments that critics mock the Muslims because they think that the
houri
are there for sex as between a man and a woman. But he tells these scoffers that “the pleasure received from the
houri
in Paradise is an appearance or a representation of a supreme delight that is impossible for human comprehension.”
^gl

Shade and cool drinks in paradise are mentioned more times than
houri
in any case, which makes sense in a religion that began in the desert.

But what happens in heaven comes after the end of the world. Since Islam is said to be the culmination of monotheistic tradition, the Jewish and Christian books are drawn on for this as for other traditions. Muhammad never stated that his revelations were new, only that they were the most accurate. Moses and Jesus are considered prophets who are forerunners of Muhammad. None of the three is divine. Jesus, called Isa, is given an important role in the end times. He announces the “sign of the last hour” (Sura 43:61), punishes the wicked, and paves the way for God to pronounce judgment.

While not in the Qur'an, there are very early traditions of an Antichrist in Islam. He is known as the Dajjal. His coming will signal the end times. He will be a giant, blind in one eye, who rides an enormous ass: “he will be accompanied by mountains of bread, and by rivers of fire and water. He will work false miracles and claim to be God. Great numbers of Jews will follow him.”
^gm
The story developed over time, and there are variants to it, but it is generally agreed that, until the end, Al-Dajjal is chained up in a monastery on an island in the ocean. When he is freed, he can be defeated only by Isa.
^gn

All Muslims have a core belief in the Five Pillars of Islam: God is the only god and Muhammad is his Prophet, prayer must be made five times daily, the poor and needy must be cared for, during the month of Ramadan all must fast, and once in one's lifetime one must make a pilgrimage to Mecca.

The Qur'an is considered to be sacrosanct. Every word is from God. But, like the Bible, not all of it is straightforward. Some parts seem to be allegorical, others cloaked in mystical symbols. Unlike the case of Bible, no church councils or schools emerged in Islam to explain the meanings. It was, and is, up to each believer to find the meaning in the text. As happened in Europe when the Bible was made available to everyone, this resulted in many different, and sometimes opposing, views.

In the first decades after Muhammad's death, it became clear that more was needed to regulate a society according to Islam. So those who had known him began to compile a list of the Prophet's
sunna,
or “customs.” They remembered things Muhammad had told them and his actions. These were put together in a collection known as the
Hadith
(Sayings). After a short time, there were thousands of apocryphal
hadith
in circulation. About two hundred years after Muhammad, scholars set about filtering the false
hadith
from the true. There are now two collections that are considered
sahih,
or “without flaws.” There are also other collections that are not as reliable but are accepted for the most part.
^go
Many of the legends concerning the end of the world are in these.

As is well known, there are many sects in Islam, the two main ones being the Sunni and the Shi'ite. The division between these two came very early in the history of the religion and involved, not doctrine, but the right of leadership. But the different outlooks of the sects led to the development of a messiah-like figure, known as the Mahdi.

At the death of Muhammad, his son-in-law and cousin, Ali, was considered by some to be the leader of Islam. Others preferred Abu Bakr, an early companion of Muhammad and his father-in-law. Abu Bakr was selected by the majority, but the followers of Ali refused for some time to accept him. They felt that Ali had been passed over because when the succession was decided he had been in Medina, arranging for Muhammad's burial.
^gp
This would eventually lead to the Sunni, followers of Abu Bakr, and the Shi'ite, followers of the family of Ali and Fatima.

After the deaths of the first three caliphs, Abu Bakr (632-634), Umar ibn al-Khattab (634-644), and ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (644-656), Ali assumed leadership. He spent most of his time fighting the growing power of the Umayya family. When Ali was assassinated, the Umayya took over, becoming the Umayyad Dynasty. They would develop into the Sunni, whose leaders were chosen to be secular administrators, rather than religious.

Ali's son Husain tried to regain power but he died in battle against the Umayyad. He is still considered the first of the Shi'ite martyrs. It is from his line that the belief in the Mahdi would come. The Shi'ites accept only descendants of the Prophet as
imams
, through his grand-sons, Husan and Husain, usually the latter. The family was hunted down and killed by the dominant Sunni, but some of them and their followers survived. In Shi'ite society the
imam
is both a religious and a secular leader, whose word is law with no chance of appeal.

The Mahdi (guided one) is mentioned in an early
hadith
, one of those compiled with the most care.
^gq
In it, Muhammad is said to have predicted that the Mahdi would be from his family. In other
hadith,
he states that the Mahdi will appear at the end of time, to fight Al-Dajjal alongside Jesus.

Most Sunni accept the idea of the Mahdi as a harbinger of the end of days, although some scholars consider it a folk tale.

However, in Shi'ite teaching, the Mahdi exists and is even now in occultation, hidden from view until the time is right for his return. The largest group of Shi'ites are called “Twelvers,” for they believe that the twelfth
imam
after Muhammad is the one who will return. “Thenceforth, no aspect of Shi'i history has remained unaffected by the everlasting hope for the return of the Mahdi, or the rightly guided.”
^gr

There is only one Mahdi at the end of time, but there have been many mahdis who have appeared throughout time to revitalize Islam when its followers have deviated from the path. In Syria, one of these is known as the Sufayana, who appeared in 130 AH/752 C.E. and was defeated but is still expected to return one day.

The idea of the rightly guided savior who will clean society of its corruption is a powerful one in all cultures. Men calling themselves mahdi have appeared throughout Muslim history and continue to do so today. Many are charlatans, some are devout reformers. Whenever a ruler died without a clear heir, the mahdis seemed to appear. For instance, medieval Morocco attracted a number, when the death of the caliph al-Mansur gave rise to rumors that he would soon return as the Mahdi.
^gs

So a mahdi is a messiah who might come at any time, straighten out society, and vanish until needed again, but the Mahdi is part of the Muslim Apocalypse, a savior who will fight in the final battle against evil.

As in Judaism and Christianity, millennial hopes among Muslims have fueled uprisings throughout history. We shall look at a few of them later.

It is almost evening. We have been brought
to the sunset of this life.

—Joachim of Fiore, Letter to the Abbot of Vadona

 

 

 

 

T
he life and experiences of Joachim of Fiore (or Flora) demonstrate the drastically different attitudes of the twelfth century toward the Apocalypse compared to those of later centuries. Joachim's radical, new interpretations were generally welcomed by popes, nobility, and commoners—that is, as much as anyone understood them.

He was born in 1135 in the Italian town of Calabria. His father, Mauro, was a notary attached to the Sicilian court, at that time one of the most diverse and open-minded in Europe. I've found no reference to prove this but, if Joachim's father was really named Mauro, it might indicate that he was a Muslim convert to Christianity. It has also been suggested that the family had converted from Judaism, mainly because of a sermon directed against Joachim by the Cistercian monk Geoffrey of Auxerre in which he accuses Joachim of having been born a Jew and hiding his Jewish identity. However, there is no evidence for either possibility, and it has been concluded that Geoffrey was just trying to discredit Joachim's writings.
^gt