The Last Moment

The next idea that is being introduced is the idea of what is called the sāʿah. And sāʿah means the end of time. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), in his understanding of himself, was that he was the first sign of the beginning of the end of the worldly existence of this Adamic species. He actually viewed himself as the first sign.

In other words, all traditions that were based on revelation, according to the Islamic tradition, were basically indicating that the human experience will come to an end. And this is why, within the Jewish tradition, there is an apocalyptic vision. Within the Jewish tradition, there is an apocalyptic vision. Within the Hindu tradition, there is an apocalyptic vision: the Kali Yuga period, the last period of man. Within the Buddhist tradition, there is an apocalyptic tradition. And in many of the more tribal-based traditions — within the Hopi tradition, Koyaanisqatsi, the last period in the Hopi tradition, when everything gets out of control; within the Mayan — all these different peoples had an idea of some apocalyptic end.

The apocalyptic ending in the Qurʾān is talked about in terms of a sāʿah, which is the last moment. It is the last moment. And the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) talked about signs, and the Qurʾān mentions signs of this time. Ultimately, the end of time for the Muslim, in reality, is the end of our own individual life. That is our end of time. When I die, my worldly time is over. And so, in a sense, the Qurʾānic view was trying to bring people into a type of presence of the imminence of death. Death is imminent. Death is not something in some distant future. So for thirteen years this was the focus.