The Beast & The Smoke: Signs of the Last Hour

Answered by Sidi Salman Younas

Question: Could you please explain the meaning of the Smoke and the
Beast, which are from among the signs of the last day?

Answer: Assalamu `Alaykum

I pray you are well.

The Smoke and the Beast are among the signs of the Day of Judgment,
mentioned in the Qur’an and in rigorously authentic narrations.

The Smoke

Allah Most High states, “So be on the watch for a day when heaven shall bring a
manifest smoke covering the people; this is a painful chastisement.” [44: 10-11]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The Hour will not rise
until you have seen ten signs: the rising of the sun from the west, the smoke, the
beast…” [Muslim]

There is a difference of opinion regarding whether the “smoke” mentioned in the

verse of the Qur’an refers to the smoke that was foretold as one of the signs of the
Hour. `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud was of the opinion that it did not, while ibn `Abbas,
`Ali, ibn `Umar, and others affirmed that it referred to the same smoke mentioned
in the Prophetic narratives. [Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim; Qurtubi, Jami` al-
Ahkam al-Qur’an]

Imam Qurtubi mentions that the smoke will cover the earth for a period of forty
days, effecting both the believers and disbelievers. The former will be effected as if
suffering from a common cold, whereas the latter will suffer harder. [Jami` al-
Ahkam al-Qur’an]

The Emergence of the Beast

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Allah Most High states, “We shall bring forth for them out of the earth a beast
that shall speak unto them.” [27: 82] The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him
peace) said, “The first of the signs [the Hour] to appear will be the rising of the
sun from the west and the appearance of the Best before the people in the
forenoon.” [Muslim]

There scholars differed greatly regarding the details related to the Beast, which,
though not important to know, can be mentioned briefly as follows:

(a) Appearance: Some scholars, such as Imam Qurtubi, held that the beast is the
she-camel of the Prophet Salih (Allah bless him). Others stated that it was an
animal that is a hybrid of many different animals. Another opinion states that it
is an actual human being, which is a very weak opinion. [Qurtubi, Tadkhira]

(b) Place of Emergence: Some stated that the Beast will emerge from Makka,
basing it on a narration of Hudhayfa (Allah be well-pleased with him). Others
stated that it will emerge from a desert, then disappear, then emerge from a
village, then disappear, then finally from the Masjid al-Haram in Makka. There is
another opinion that states it will emerge from Ta’if. [Qurtubi, Tadkhira; Alusi,
Ruh al-Ma`ani]

(c) It’s Speech: The Beast will address the people with the words of Allah,
“Mankind did not believe in our signs.” [27: 82] Others stated, quoting ibn
`Abbas, that “speaking” refers to the action of the Beast in differentiating the
believers and disbelievers.

(d) It’s Role: The Beast will be tasked to differentiate the believers from the
disbelievers. Abu Hurayra (Allah be well-pleased with him) narrates that the
Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The Beast of the earth will
emerge and have with it the staff of Moses and the ring of Solomon.” [Abu Dawud,
Ibn Majah, Musnad Ahmad] It will use these to mark off the believers from the
disbelievers. [Qurtubi, Jami` al-Ahkam al-Qur’an]

An important point to note is that many of the opinions regarding the beast may
not have sound basis in the texts. As such, believing in these subtle details is not
necessary, except that which has come in the authentic narratives of the Prophet
(Allah bless him). This includes, first and foremost, believing in the coming of the
Beast itself, a point established decisively in the Qur’an, as well as it being a sign
of the Last Hour, its speaking to people, and its task of differentiating the
believers from the disbelievers.

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Details regarding its appearance, where it will arise from, what it will say, and so
forth, are matters of secondary importance. The safest route is to consign these
modalities and details to Allah, while realizing that ultimately we will all return to
Him to be judged for what we did in our worldly life.

Wasalam
Salman

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani