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Will We Go Back to The Dark Ages?

22 February, 2017
Q Salam alaikum, my question is about a lot of hadiths about signs of qiyamah (the end of times) most of those hadiths talk about horses, sword. like the hadith in which the prophet said I know the 10 horsemen and the colour of theirs, they are the best of horsemen in that time, so my question is are we gonna go back to the dark age with no electricity and no technology.

Answer

Walaikum Asalam,

Thank you for contacting About Islam with your question. It shows that you are very astute and keen to know your religion. 

Indeed there are many Prophetic traditions that discuss the battle of the end of times and the signs of the coming of the Day of Judgment. The following is one that mentions the use of swords:

The Last Hour would not come until the Romans would land at al-A’maq or in Dabiq. An army consisting of the best (soldiers) of the people of the earth at that time will come from Medina (to counteract them). […] And as they would be busy in distributing the spoils of war (amongst themselves) after hanging their swords by the olive trees, the Satan would cry: The Dajjal has taken your place among your family. They would then come out, but it would be of no avail. […]. (Sahih Muslim)

Obviously, in the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) time, there was no word for a tank, drone, or machine gun, etc. So, it may be that the Prophet was using the language he and his companions would understand about weaponry and transportation.

So, the use of the word “sword” or “horses” may be symbolic and used in place of the weapons and means of transport that we know today or will know at the end of times.

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In that way, the words used could be understood by all who read the tradition because we today know what a sword or a horse is and what it can be symbolic of, but the people in the Messenger’s day would have no idea what a tank or a machine gun would be.

And even further in the future, there may be different weaponry that we, today, do not know the language for. 

However, it is also possible that technology will decline. There have, in the past, been civilizations that advanced in technology; and all they achieved was lost when their civilization declined for one reason or another. It could be that climate change, or wars, or any means Allah wills could bring about a huge shift in the way we are able to produce and use technology. 

But all of this is conjecture. 

We can’t know the future. As Allah says in the Quran:

{Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone). It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does anyone know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: Nor does anyone know in what land he is to die. Verily with Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things).}  (Quran 31:34)

Many times people write in with questions like yours, wanting to know where Gog and Magog are, who Dhul Qarnayn was, or what historical person was this or that Prophet, etc. But if Allah has not told us, we are not meant to know these things.

These stories and people are spoken about in the Quran and the Hadith so that we can take lessons from them.

And the lesson we should be taking from these kinds of hadith you have queried about is that we do not know when the end of days will be, nor do we know when the end of our own life will be. So, we must be prepared and follow the messenger now while we still have a chance to earn good deeds, and seek forgiveness while we still have the opportunity.

{This is My Path and it is straight, so follow it. Do not follow other ways or you will become cut off from His Way. That is what He instructs you to do, so that hopefully you will have God consciousness.} (Quran 6:153)

I hope this helps. Please keep in touch.

Salam.

Please continue feeding your curiosity, and find more info in the following links:

5 Tips to Remain Safe during the End of Times

Jesus Will Return: Why Not Muhammad?

https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/armageddon-battles-end-times/