When the Sun Rises in the West

My name is Azizz Abdul Hakeem. It’s the 10^th day of Dhul-Hijjah in the Hijri year 1525 (January 10^th 2102 AD). The 1^st Muharram 1526 is just 3 weeks away. The smoke has finally cleared from the sky, and the sun is shining brightly this morning for the first time in 30 months. The brightness hurts my eyes after being so long without sunlight so I pull down the blinds to filter it. I learned in my youth that this had already happened in history long ago, in the Hijri year -89 to -88 (536 AD), before the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) as a result of 2 enormous and simultaneous volcanic eruptions. However, this time was even worse; 5 volcanoes, Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland, Vesuvius in Italy, that had exploded like a shaken up champagne bottle, Nyiragongo in the Congo, Galeras in Columbia, and Taal in the Philippines had all erupted at the same time. It was as if the Earth was revolting against life itself. The result was two and a half years of darkness. No photosynthesis so plant life died everywhere and the worldwide temperatures dropped drastically. All of this came after the Great War that had already wiped out about half the population of the earth. My grandfather Sif Jihad had been a valiant warrior in the last years of the Great War, and had proved his value. The Muslims triumphed, and peace had reigned on Earth under the joint guidance of Issa (PBUH), whom the Christians call Jesus, and The Mahdi for 40 years. My grandfather was appointed Governor of the Maghreb Region of Africa, which occupies what once was Morocco, Northern Mali down to Timbuktu, Mauritania all the way to Senegal, and a large part of Western Algeria. There had been peace for 4 years when my father Sif Eddine was born. Then 36 years later Gog and Magog came forth from the bowels of the Earth, and my father and I both fought against them. My father died in Battle when he was 45, and I became the Governor two years ago after Sif Jihad, who was already 70. The Governors of the regions are the descendants of those appointed unless deemed unworthy by our leaders. Many women are Governors also, and marriages are encouraged between governing families in different regions of the Earth to promote a sense of togetherness and unity. There are no wars and very few minor disputes between people.

Gog and Magog were finally defeated, but as a result both of the Great War and the battle against them, there are now fifty women for every one man alive on the planet, about 4.5 billion women and less than 90 million men. This demographic shift has brought about many changes in behavior and organization. There is no military, because we know from prophesies that there will be no more wars before the end of time. Many woman serve in the forces of order, the police, because there are so few men. Also, up until after the Great War and then the defeat of Gog and Magog, Muslim men had the right to take four wives, providing that they had the means to support them and that the other wives agreed. Now, because of the enormous difference between the population of men and women, Muslim men are allowed to take up to 40 wives, and they do not need to provide for them, as everyone in a family works to sustain the household. It is still forbidden for a man to marry sisters. Children are home-schooled, and families are like big communities. It goes without saying that there are still many disputes and jealousies, because we are all human. Non-Muslims are left to organize their families as they wish, as long as they do not disturb the public order.

Just a few years after the fall of Gog and Magog there were three successive solar eclipses, and then came the smoke that thrust the entire world into darkness. Despite the fact that Issa (PBUH) and The Mahdi continued to reign with benevolence and justice and had led the battles, all of this has been a terrible trial for mankind. We knew it was coming, but no one imagined how long it would last or how hard it would be. Because of the wisdom of Issa (PBUH) and The Mahdi, humankind was prepared for the smoke. Enough food had been stored for the world’s population of 4.6 billion, and vitamin D was mass produced and distributed freely to the world population. Modern technology allowed for the continuation of the 5 mandatory prayers at the right times from dawn to dusk even if we couldn’t see the sun. Every day in my prayers throughout the time of the smoke I reminded myself that God proves His Love through giving hard trials as tests.

Even though I’m aware that the end is rapidly approaching and almost all of the signs have already come about, the joy of seeing the glow and feeling the warmth of the Sun after its seemingly interminable absence is overwhelming. SubhanAllah, All Glory be to God! I am truly grateful to be among the few men left alive to see the Sun shining brilliantly again today. All throughout the darkness, my conviction that the Sun would return never left me, still, these last thirty months seemed like as many years. I’m only 23, but I feel as if I’m 50. The next sign will be the rising of the Sun in the West. This was mentioned in the Qur’an long before scientists discovered that one day the Earth would flip on its axis and the poles would reverse, thus fulfilling the prophesy. In fact this phenomenon has happened at least a dozen times in the past 2.5 million years, the last pole reversal being about 780,000 years ago during the Stone Age. The enormous volcanic activity that caused the smoke to blot out the Sun will likely contribute to the flipping of the poles, but when will it happen? The last sign, just after the Sun rises in the West, will be the appearance of Dābbat al-Arḍ, The Beast of The Earth, who will bring on the death of all the true believers and the complete removal of the Qur’an from the world. The believers will thus not have to suffer the horrible terrors to follow before the end of the world. All this means that our time is near.

Only Allah knows how much time we have before the Sun rises in the West and likewise after that, before the Beast of The Earth appears. Allah’s time is not comparable to ours. These events could just as well happen in a matter of days or hours as months, years, or much longer. Still, I am afraid. If I live to see The Beast, will I be a good enough Muslim to have my life taken? Or will I be condemned to remain on Earth and suffer with the unbelievers? I know that I’m a good man, I try very hard to follow the right way, and to be kind, compassionate, and respectful to everyone, even to the unbelievers as this is the way taught by the prophets Issa (PBUH) and Mohamed (PBUH). My mind is nonetheless tortured, because I have a fault in myself that I cannot seem to overcome. I love the beauty of women, and even though I have twelve wives already with a great diversity of age, origin, and physical and personal characteristics, it seems that every time I see a beautiful woman (and they are all beautiful to me) I want to make love with her. I’m truly worried about this weakness. Will it be my downfall? I always succeed in suppressing my desires and doing the right thing, but what about my thoughts? Is it not evil to have this constant obsessional desire? I pray daily to Allah for help, courage, and guidance. I do not want to be left behind on this Earth if I live to meet The Beast.

There’s a knock on my door, and I bid the person outside to enter. Youssra, my nineteen-year-old fiancé, bursts into my bedroom, where the morning Sun is casting its rays through the slits in the blinds, and throws herself into my arms without restraint. Her strawberry-blond curls bounce around her tender round face and tumble freely over her soft plump shoulders. If I were not such a powerfully built man, her weight would knock me over. She’s one of the many daughters of the governor of the neighboring region to the East, which was once Eastern Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, and she is living with our family already, in advance of our wedding, for which we have not yet set the date.

“Let’s get married today! Now! It’s the most beautiful day of my life!” she exclaims jubilantly, her eyes mirroring my own joyful regard. I delight in seeing her, as she is like a sunbeam herself, spreading happiness everywhere she goes. Throughout the days of darkness she illuminated our lives with her unshakable good humor. She undoubtedly has Baraka, a natural quality of personal blessedness and spiritual force, and we can assume that she inherited this from her ancestor Ahmad Zarruq, who is considered to be a saint.

“Haste makes waste Youssra Habiba! I’m impatient too, but what about your family, don’t you want them to be present? Tell you what, let’s set the date now for the 1^st of the year Insha Allah, that’s only 3 weeks away. Your family can come and they can stay tor Ashura afterwards. That will give us time to prepare a proper wedding.”

“Of course Azizz Hibibi, I’m just so thrilled to see the sun again!”

“You are our sunshine my dear, your smile lights up everyone’s hearts, but I agree, isn’t it marvelous! It’s been so long! Hamdullah! SubhanAllah!”

The three weeks pass like three days, as all of the household buzzes with excitement. All of my dozen other wives gleefully help Youssra to prepare herself, and they all love her. There is not a trace of jealousy or ill will to be found. Youssra’s parents arrive from Tripoli accompanied by her one brother Ali, several of his wives, and a throng of her sisters and step-sisters of all ages. I’m happy to see Ali, he has Baraka like his sister, and as much as I love women, it’s really nice to have a man of my age in the house for once. We spend a lot of time together, and we talk about many things, but more than anything, the Sun rising in the West and the coming of Dābbat al-Arḍ.

It’s the 1^st Muharram 1526, the first day of the New Year, and I’m marrying my 13^th wife and bringing Baraka into my household at the same time. In the middle of the wedding ceremony I’m caught completely off guard and suddenly struck deep by the bewitching regard of Leila, one of Youssra’s step-sisters with West African origins. If Youssra is the Sun, Laila is the full moon. Slim, cool, and mysterious, with deep black eyes. While everyone else’s attention is on the bride, Leila’s flirtatious eyes succeed in captivating mine for a brief moment and I quickly avert them, as we must do. This is the “Hijab” of men, to look away and resist temptation. I am certain that no one noticed the exchange, and it only lasted a second, but it was so strong that I am troubled and longing. My oh-so-feared weakness is overpowering and I’m completely bewildered. As I kiss Youssra to seal our marriage my mind is possessed with Leila and I can’t shake it. Youssra senses my lightheadedness and smiles, obviously believing that it is because of our union and the honey-moon night that lies before us.

It’s late in the evening during the celebration, and Youssra is busy with all of the women. I decide to go up to the rooftop terrace to admire the night sky. Our palace is an ancient stone fortress by the beach on the Atlantic coast, far from the metropolises. Before the smoke blotted out the sky I used to stargaze from the rooftop every night, and it’s become my habit again like before. As it’s the first night of the New Year, the moon is at its first sliver of a crescent. As I’m taking in the amazing wonder of the universe a very soft, cool voice calls my name just behind me. I turn to see Laila as she takes off her headscarf, revealing her long silky black hair. I’m suddenly under her charm. As she draws near to me I cannot move away, and within seconds her body is pressed close to mine, her jasmine perfume invades my senses and our lips join. I’m powerless to resist. Just as I start to let myself go in the pleasure of the moment I’m brought back to reality by the sound of Ali’s angry voice.

“Laila! What are you doing! Put your Hijab on, now, and go back downstairs with the others! I’ll talk to you later about this.”

Startled, Laila obeys her step-brother, and I rejoice at Ali’s saving intervention. As she disappears, Ali stays to talk to me. “I noticed her eyeing you at the wedding, I was sure that she was up to no good. Don’t worry, she’ll be severely punished for her indecency and impudence.”

“Thank you for saving me my brother, as you can see I was weak and couldn’t resist her. I would have been lost if you hadn’t come in time. As for punishing her, I don’t want Youssra to know that anything happened, and if you punish her, everyone will know what happened. Allah is the best judge, and if she is to be punished, please, let it be by her final judgement. I am afraid for my own judgement my friend. I’m afraid to meet Dābbat al-Arḍ. What if I’m left on this Earth with the unbelievers?”

“It was not your fault Azizz. Fear not, I know that you are a good man, but a handsome one too, and the women all want to be with you. Fortunately most of them fear the punishment of our laws and the final judgement. I know all of my sisters well, and I know Laila. She only thinks of the pleasures of this world, and she doesn’t care that your wife is her sister. I would say that she is doomed except, as you know well, Allah is the only final judge. Perhaps she will repent and change her ways. We must pray for her.”

We stay a while talking and we pray together on the terrace before rejoining the celebration.

The night is almost a sleepless one, and once we’ve all retired to our rooms, Youssra is with me. We make love tenderly sleep just an hour and it’s already almost the hour for the Morning Prayer so we shower and do our ritual cleansing. There’s a small mosque within the confines of the fortress and we go for the prayer, the women separately so that the men are not disturbed by their presence. Men are weak and Allah in all wisdom has ordained that we not be near a woman during the prayer so that we may not be distracted and can concentrate fully on praising Him.

When the prayer is over we return to our rooms, as everyone is tired from the celebration. I don’t sleep, and I wait to watch the sunrise from my bedroom. At the hour of dawn I don’t see the Sun, although there is a faint light. I wake Youssra, and we rush to the rooftop terrace. In the West, on the horizon of the Atlantic Ocean, the Sun is rising. There is a small black speck which gets larger and larger as it flies towards us, until we can make out its form. It is not a bird, nor is it like anything we have ever seen. The Beast of The Earth has come with the first Western sunrise.

As it arrives overhead, I feel myself lifted up into the air, Youssra is with me, and we’re joining a host of people as we’re taken up far from the Earth. I have never known a joy so overwhelming. I have not been left behind.