Among the major signs of the day of judgement, which have been spoken of by Nabi SAW, are three huge landslides. These landslides will cause terror and have a great impact among the people.
What is a Landslide?
A landslide occurs when the ground splits open and whatever is on that piece of land disappears inside it. Any rocks, debris and earth moves down a sloped section of land. They are usually caused by volcanoes, rain and earthquakes.
During the past and present era, there have been many different kinds of landslides which varied in size and strength, however, the landslides referred to in the hadiths will be of a different nature and news of them will spread far and wide.
The Story of Yajooj and Majooj (Gog and Magog)
Hadiths about Landslides
Hudhaifa bin Usaid al-Ghifari reported:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) came to us all of a sudden as we were (busy in a discussion). He said: What do you discuss about? They (the Companions) said. We are discussing about the Last Hour. Thereupon he said: It will not come until you see ten signs before and (in this connection) he made a mention of the smoke, Dajjal, the beast, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent of Jesus son of Mary (Allah be pleased with him), the Gog and Magog, and land-slides in three places, one in the east, one in the west and one in Arabia at the end of which fire would burn forth from the Yemen, and would drive people to the place of their assembly.
Sahih Muslim
Hadith mentioning a particular landslide
Some ahadith mention the specific place and cause of one of the major landslides. This is the landslide which will occur in the Arabian Peninsula.
Umm Salamah RA, the wife of Prophet SAW narrates: Nabi SAW said,
There will be a dispute following the death of a caliph, and a man from Madinah will go out, fleeing to Makkah. Some of the people of Makkah will come to him and will bring him out against his will, and they will swear allegiance to him between the corner (i.e. Black stone) and the Maqaam. An army will be sent against him from Syria, which will be swallowed up by the earth in Al-Bayda, between Makkah and Madinah. When the people see that, the devoted worshippers from Syria and the best people from Iraq will come to him and swear allegiance to him.
Ibn Hibban – Sahih
40 Minor Signs of the Hour – Day of Judgement
Hadiths about other landslides that occurred as punishment for sin
It was narrated from Abu Umaamah RA that the Prophet SAW said:
Some people of this ummah will stay up at night, eating and drinking and being entertained, then in the morning they will have been transformed into pigs and the land will be made to swallow up some tribes of them along with their houses.
In the morning, (the people) will say: ‘The tribe of so-and-so was swallowed up by the earth last night, the house of the tribe of so-and-so was swallowed up by the earth.’ Stones will be sent against them, and a devastating wind will blow them away, as those who came before them were blown away because of drinking alcohol, consuming riba (usury), wearing silk, keeping singing girls and severing ties of kinship.
He [the narrator] said: and he mentioned something else but I forgot.
Al-Haakim
Dajjal the Antichrist – The End of the World
Explanation of this Hadith
Nabi SAW warned Anas RA against entering this city from its salt-marshes, wharves and marketplace in which people would gather to buy and sell. He also warned him against going to the gate of its unjust rulers, because of what would happen to the city of landslides, pelting with stones, shaking of the land and transformation.
He SAW advised to go to the outskirts of this city because they would be far away from the destruction.
Summary of the Three Landslides
In one hadith, there is a description of why and where one of these landslides will happen. In the case of the other two, all we know is that they will happen at the end of time. Allah knows best.
