How do you think each of the inhabited continents will look in 2046? No unsubstantiated end-of-the-word predictions.?

Who knows because Russia appears to be wanting to retake the Soviet block countries and build an empire again. The Middle East is constantly being destroyed. America may not be here because it is following some evil ways and socialism. Notice Venezuela isn't doing to good in socialism and they are starving to death.

I suspect, based on the available evidence and current scientific knowledge, that a general trend toward industrialization and urbanization will continue, though it is quite possible that future industrialization and urbanization will be less impactful on the natural environment.

As such, most areas where people live will look more and more like urban utopias.

End of the word? You mean like a suffix?

Praise be to Allah.

The evidence that Allah is the only Creator of life may be found in many places in the Qur’an and Sunnah. For example:

"Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion, and He is Able to do all things,

Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed, and He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving."

[al-Mulk 67:1-2]

"Is, then, He Who creates as one who creates not?"

[al-Nahl 16:17]

"Yet they have taken besides Him other gods that created nothing but are themselves created . . ."

[al-Furqaan 25:3]

Allah challenged all of mankind to create even the most insignificant creature, i.e. a fly, but no one could do that and no one ever will. Allah says:

"O mankind! A similitude has been coined, so listen to it (carefully): verily! Those on whom you call besides Allah cannot create (even) a fly, even though they combine together for the purpose. And if the fly snatched away a thing from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. So weak are (both) the seeker and the sought."

[al-Hajj 22:73]

Imam al-Bukhari reported in his Saheeh from Abu Sa‘eed (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allah be upon Him) said: "There is no created being but Allah created it." In Arabic, the word "khalaqa" means to make out of nothing, which is something that only Allah can do; it is impossible for anyone except Allah to do this. It also carries the meaning of decreeing or foreordaining. [**]

See Fath al-Bari Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhari, 13/390.

The Religion of Allah (Islam) is proud and cannot be defeated by the kaafirs’ arrogance about the knowledge they possess. Allah says:

". . . [they] are deceived by the life of this world . . ."

[al-An‘aam 6:70]

"They know only the outside appearance of the life of this world, and they are heedless of the Hereafter."

[al-Rum 30:7]

We ask Allah to help us to be steadfast in our adherence to His Religion, and to make our end good. And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allaah.

The Signs of the Hour are the signs that will precede Yawm al-Qiyaamah (the Day of Judgement) and indicate that it is nigh.

The Hour (al-Saa'ah) means the time of reckoning, and is either:

1. Saa'ah sughra (the lesser hour), which is a person's death, whereupon his reckoning starts when he leaves this world and passes into the Hereafter;

2. Or Saa'ah kubraa (the greater Hour), which is when mankind will be resurrected from their graves to be judged and rewarded or punished accordingly.

When the word al-saa'ah is used on its own in the Qur'aan, it refers to the greater reckoning (the Day of Judgement), as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "People ask you concerning the Hour…" [al-Ahzaab 33:63]

The Signs of the Hour (i.e., the Day of Judgement) are of two types:

1. Ashraat al-Saa'ah al-Sughra (Minor signs of the Hour)

These are signs that will appear a long time before the Hour approaches, such as the decline of knowledge, the spread of ignorance, drinking of wine or alcohol, competition in the construction of tall buildings, and many others. The scholars have listed almost sixty signs, some of which will accompany the major signs, or will appear afterwards.

2. Ashraat al-Saa'ah al-Kubraa (Major Signs of the Hour)

These are major signs that will appear shortly before the Day of Judgement comes. These extraordinary events will be:

(1) The appearance of the Mahdi. At the end of time, a man from the descendents of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will appear, and Allaah will help him to make His religion prevail. He will take control of the land (or the earth) and fill it with justice just as it had previously been filled with wrongdoing and oppression. Under his rule, the ummah will be blessed as it has never been blessed before.

This man's name will be like the name of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and his father's namewill be like the Messenger's father's name. He will be a descendant of Faatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), through the line of al-Hasan ibn 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him). He will appear from the East. A number of saheeh ahaadeeth refer to the appearance of the Mahdi, including the following:

1. Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "During the last days of my ummah, the Mahdi will appear. Allaah will send rain for him, and the earth will bring forth its produce. He will give money sihaahan (according to one report, the Prophet was asked, "What is sihaahan?" and he said, "Equally among people." Reported by Ahmad), and livestock will increase… He will live for seven or eight" - meaning years. (Reported by al-Haakim, 4/557; he said it is saheeh according to the conditions of the two shaykhs [al-Bukhaari and Muslim]. Al-Dhahabi agreed with him. Shaykh al-Albaani said: its sanad is saheeh. Al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 711)

2. Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: 'The Mahdi will be of my family (according to one report: of the people of my household) [Reported by Ibn Hibbaan and by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak. He said: this hadeeth is saheeh according to the conditions of the two shaykhs, but they did not report it. Al-Dhahabi agreed with him] from the children of Faatimah." [Reported by Abu Dawood, 11/373 and Ibn Maajah, 2/1368. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', section 6610].

Al-'Allaamah al-Safaareeni said: "So many reports were narrated concerning the appearance of the Mahdi that they reached the level of Tawaatur in meaning, and this became so well known among the scholars of Sunnah that it is counted as one of their basic beliefs." (Lawaami' al-Anwaar al-Bahiyyah, 2/84).

[Tawaatur: a mutawaatir hadeeth is one that was narrated by so many people and transmitted by so many people that it is inconceivable that they could all have agreed on a lie. Translator]

Imaam al-Shawkaani said: "The mutawaatir ahaadeeth about the awaited Mahdi, which we managed to find and examine, number fifty, including saheeh, hasan and da'eef munjabir (weak ahaadeeth that are supported by corroborating evidence) reports. They are mutawaatir beyond any shadow of a doubt… The reports from the Sahaabah that speak about the Mahdi are also very many and are judged as having the status of marfoo' ahaadeeth (i.e., ahaadeeth whose isnaads go back to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because this is not an issue in which they would have made ijtihaad." (For more information, see Question #1252).

(2) Al-Maseeh al-Dajjaal (The "Antichrist")

Al-Maseeh al-Dajjaal is a man from the sons of Aadam. He has a number of features which were mentioned in the saheeh ahaadeeth, including the following: he will be a young man with a ruddy complexion and curly hair, and will be one-eyed, with his right eye looking like a floating grape. Between his eyes will be written "ka' fa' ra'" (in unjoined letters) or "kaafir" (disbeliever), which every Muslim, literate or illiterate, will be able to read. Another of his attributes will be that he is sterile, and will have no children. Among the ahaadeeth that describe him are the following:

1. Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whilst I was sleeping, (I dreamt that) I was doing Tawaaf around the House (the Ka'bah)." He mentioned that he saw 'Eesaa ibn Maryam, upon whom be peace, then he saw the Dajjaal, and he described him: "He is a well-built man, with a ruddy complexion and curly hair. He is one-eyed, with his eye looking like a floating grape. (Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in al-Fath, 6/485: i.e., it is sticking out. The word yatfaa, with no hamzah, is used to describe something that is on top of something else. It is likened to a grape which is part of the bunch but sticks out from the rest. Al-Nawawi said: the word has been narrated both with the hamzah and without the hamzah. With the hamzah it means that the light has gone out of the eye, and without the hamzah it means that it is sticking out.) They said: "This is the Dajjaal…" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 13/90, and Muslim, 2/237)