At-A-Glance

• Hear details about the signs of the end of time, both those that have already occurred and those to come, including the tribulations and battles, the Dajjal, the Mahdi, the return of Jesus upon him be peace, Gog and Magog, and final signs
• Learn about the end of the world, the Day of Judgment, the Hellfire, and Paradise
• Answer questions on the purpose of our lives, the reason for our existence, how to react when a calamity befalls us, and how everything fits into the biggest picture
• Be inspired with a sense that your life is a weighty matter with a mission
• Increase your religious conviction, as well as your religious determination and dedication
• Perfect for every Muslim, including those who have not had any formal religious study in the past

Details

People wander aimlessly through their lives like cattle, grazing here and there, entertaining themselves in every manner, not knowing why they are here and where they are going. If people really were cattle, this would be a fulfilling life. But people are not cattle and will psychologically self-destruct if they behave like cattle, particularly when the specter of death ever looms over them: they will thirstily and frantically chase one mirage after another and then fear—paradoxically—lest death stop their thirsty and frantic chase because they vainly hope to actually one day find something.

Most people never learn.

But some people do learn, and that’s what this course is all about.

The people who learn are people who listen to revelation and heed what their Creator is telling them. They learn that God does not act in vain, and that tremendous wisdom imbues everything that has ever happened and everything that ever will happen. This wisdom is the Grand and Momentous Story of Creation.

Well-written stories have a gripping plot and the Grand and Momentous Story of Creation has the most gripping plot of any story that was ever written. A good plot continually increases the excitement of the reader by leading him to the climax and then the grand finale, and in the Grand and Momentous Story of Creation, the excitement has been building up and the final drumroll began with the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace).

The climax and grand finale of the Grand and Momentous Story of Creation is the end of the world—followed by human resurrection, eternal bliss, and eternal damnation. This is what this course is all about.

In the Grand Finale: The End of Time & Your Eternal Fate, we will learn that the story is well in motion and that its momentum has picked up irreversibly. We cannot change the story, but fortunately, our job is not to change the story, but rather to find our places in the inevitable climax and grand finale by heeding what revelation has to tell us.

Course content is based on Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, along with their associated commentaries, and Ibn Kathir’s Nihaya al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, the last volume of his long work in history. In this series of works, Ibn Kathir spells out the story of the world, beginning with the story of how the world began to exist, what has happened since its creation until his time, and then how everything will come to an end. His book of history is thus unique because it has an ending—it tells the final ending of everything that will ever happen—while other books of history simply talk about what has happened in the past without regard for what will come in the future. Ibn Kathir’s approach is wonderful because knowing the end of the story helps put everything else into context.

The course covers the signs of the end of time in detail, the end of the world, the day of resurrection, the hellfire, and paradise. Course content will help us answer questions on the purpose of our lives, the reason for our existence, what we should be doing, how to react when a calamity befalls us, and how everything fits into the biggest picture. A large focus of the course will be on the practical aspects of the story, such as how knowing about the coming of the Dajjal and Mahdi should affect your life now. As part of this, you will receive weekly reflection questions, the answers of which will be reviewed by the instructor so you can receive personalized feedback.

By the end of this course, you will be inspired with a sense that your life is a weighty matter and not to be lived mimicking a cow entertaining yourself to no end. Your religious conviction will be increased, as well as your religious determination and dedication. You will leave the course with a sense of purpose that you are on a mission with a weighty goal needing to be fulfilled. This course is perfect for every Muslim, including those who have not had any formal religious study in the past. It is also a good supplement to those students who have previously taken courses in Belief.

Lesson 1: Introduction

• Sample Reflection Question: What is the meaning of life?

Lesson 2: Signs of the End of Time That Have Already Occurred

• Sample Reflection Questions: 1. Mention something from your life (whether past, present, or future) that pains you. Explain how this lesson helps you put it into context and relieve the pain. 2. Mention something from your life (whether past, present, or future) that excites you. Explain how this lesson helps you put it into context and relieve the excitement.

Lesson 3: The Fitan (tribulations) and Malahim (bloody battles) to Come

• Sample Reflection Question: Your friend has just watched the news of a ruthless massacre of Muslims in Gaza and is pent up with rage. She is angry at the whole world, snapping and frowning at everyone she meets. She keeps a blog on the Internet, and writes a post expressing her frustrations about the ineptness of the Muslims governments all over the world. She has a weekly class on tafsir that she teaches and she dedicates the next four weeks of class telling her students about how cruel the oppressors are, how biased the media is, and how worthless the Muslims are. What would you tell your friend?

Lesson 4: The Appearance of the Dajjal (Antichrist)

• Sample Reflection Question: You walk down a busy street in the middle of Karachi and your gaze falls on a homeless man lying asleep on the sidewalk. You look to your left, and you see a well-groomed man talking on his cell-phone as he drives past in his Mercedes. Feeling sorry for the poor man on the sidewalk, you put some money under his hand and walk on. The sharp contrast of poverty and wealth sets you thinking about the ups and downs of life. You wonder, “Which is better: poverty or wealth?” Complete this description by taking the thoughts that go through your mind to a reasoned conclusion.

Lesson 5: The Appearance of the Mahdi (righteous ruler) and the Descent of Jesus son of Mary

Lesson 6: Gog and Magog and the Beast of the Earth

Lesson 7: The Final Signs (Rains, Earthquakes, Sun’s Rising from the West, Deathly Smoke, and the Blowing of the Trumpet)

Lesson 8: Resurrection and the Great Intercession

Lesson 9: The Judgment, Reckoning, Scales, Books of Deeds, and the Bridge

Lesson 10: Hellfire

Lesson 11: Paradise

Lesson 12: Conclusion