When we say Akhri Zamana, what exactly is that content? We know it started from Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. And what period of, what time scale it will have? This Akhri Zamana only means latter days. As compared to an early period, a particular period would follow. That is called latter days. So it’s a term, it does not mean the end of the time. It means a particular period of some significance in religious history which would follow as a second chapter, as a sequence to the first chapter.
So the latter days in relation to Judaism was the time of Hazrat Masih, the first Messiah. Former days were the days of Hazrat Moses A.S. and the latter days were the days of Hazrat Masih. So in the same way, Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. was revealed a new law, a new Shari’ah came with him. So his days were the former days. And in his Shari’ah too, like in the Shari’ah of Moses, there were to be, they were destined to be latter days. So when you translate this term as Akhri Zamana, you are likely to be misguided, to be misled into believing something different. You may tend to believe that by Akhri Zamana it means it is the end of the time, after that the time would end or the mankind would be wiped out.
There is no such thing, not in the near future anyway. Akhri Zamana means, comparative to the first manifestation, the first great series of victories of Islam all over the world, or at least in half of the world, a new wave of the same victorious onslaught by Islam would start in a period much later. In that period of Islamic war, that would not be war of swords, but war fought by the Holy Qur’an. In that particular period, when the conquest of the entire world is destined, that is called latter days. Huzoor, is there any Hadith which mentions what period it will be?
The Holy Qur’an also, Wa Akhrin, Akhrin, Akhrin, it repeatedly mentions this. Why have you missed that? Wa Akhrina minhum lamma yaghfubihim. And so, in other places, Sullatun minal awwaleen, wa sullatun minal akhrin, Qaleelun minal awwaleen, no, Sullatun minal awwaleen, wa qaleelun minal akhrin, all these phrases are coined by Allah in the Holy Qur’an, are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. So why do you miss them? As far as the Holy Prophet ﷺ is concerned, he himself has also mentioned the word of Akhrin.
So this Akhrin means people of the latter days. And this is why we believe that in the very first verse of Surah Baqarah, when it is mentioned, Wa bil-aqiratihum yuqinoon, in the second verse, this is the meaning. This is one of the meanings. That in that great event of the new surge for the victory of Islam, which would occur in the latter times, they believe, they firmly believe that this is going to happen, Islam is going to end up victorious in the end, in the latter days.
