Miracles in The Qur'an

Fulfilment of a Prophecy (2)

Fulfilment of a Prophecy (2)

The Drying up of Lake Tibriyah ( The Sea of Galilee)

Lake Tibriyah or the Sea of Galilee is the largest fresh water lake in current Israel. According to Wikipedia, it has a total area of 166 km2 (64 sq mi), and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m (141 feet). It is also the lowest freshwater lake in the world and the second lowest lake after the Dead Sea.

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The Prophet pbuh has prophesised that Lake Tibriyah would dry up in time to come and this would signal the emergence of Dajjal and the nearing for the End of Days. Following is the hadith:

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Amir ibn Sharahil Sha'bi Sha'b Hamdan reported that he asked Fatima, daughter of Qais and sister of Ad-Dahhak ibn Qais and she was the first amongst the emigrant women: Narrate to me a hadith which you have heard directly from Allah's Messenger pbuh and there is no extra link in between them. She said: Very well, if you like, I am prepared to do that, and he said to her: Well, do It and narrate that to me. She said:

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I heard the voice of an announcer making an announcement that the prayer would be observed in the mosque (where) congregational prayer (is observed). So I set out towards that mosque and observed prayer along with Allah's Messenger pbuh and I was in the row of the women which was near the row of men. When Allah's Messenger pbuh had finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit smiling and said: Every worshipper should keep sitting at his place. He then said: Do you know why I have asked you to assemble? They said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: By Allah. I have not made you assemble for exhortation or for a warning, but I have detained you here, for Tamim Dari, a Christian, who came and accepted Islam, told me something, which agrees with what I was telling you about Dajjal. He narrated to me that he had sailed in a ship along with thirty men of Bani Lakhm and Bani Judham and had been tossed by waves in the ocean for a month. Then these (waves) took them (near) the land within the ocean (island) at the time of sunset. They sat in a small side-boat and entered that Island. There was a beast with long thick hair which did not allow them to distinguish his front from his back. They said: Woe to you, who can you be? Thereupon it said: I am al-Jassasa. They said: What is al-Jassasa? And it said: O people, go to this person in the monastery as he is very much eager to know about you. He (the narrator) said: When it named a person for us we were afraid of it lest it should be a Devil. Then we hurriedly went on till we came to that monastery and found a well-built person there with his hands tied to his neck and having iron shackles between his two legs up to the ankles. We said: Woe be upon thee, who are you? And he said: You would soon come to know about me. But tell me who you.are. We said: We are people from Arabia and we embarked upon a boat but the sea-waves had been driving us for one month and they brought as near this island. We got into the side-boats and entered this island and here a beast with profusely thick hair met us and because of the thickness of his hair his face could not be distinguished his front from his back. We said: Woe be to thee, who are you? It said: I am al- Jassasa. We said: What is al-Jassasa? And it said: You go to this very person in the monastery for he is eagerly waiting for you to know about you. So we came to you in hot haste fearing that it could be the Devil. He (that chained person) said: Tell me about the date-palm trees of Baisan. We said: About what aspect of theirs do you seek information? He said: I ask you whether these trees bear fruit or not. We said: Yes. Thereupon he said: I think these would not bear fruits. He said: Inform me about the lake of Tabariyya ( Lake Tibriyah)? We said: Which aspect of it do you want to know? He said: Is there water in it? They said: There is abundance of water in it. Thereupon he said: I think it would soon become dry. He again said: Inform me about the spring of Zughar. They said: Which aspect of it you want to know? He (the chained person) said: Is there water in it and does it irrigate (the land)? We said to him: Yes, there is abundance of water in it and the inhabitants (of Medina) irrigate (land) with the help of it, He said: Inform me about the unlettered Prophet, what has he done? We said: He has come out from Mecca and has settled In Yathrib (Medina). He said: Do the Arabs fight against him? We said: Yes. He said: How did he deal with them? We informed him that he had overcome those in his neighbourhood and they had submitted themselves before him. Thereupon he said to us: Had it actually happened? We said: Yes. Thereupon he said: If it is so, then it is better for them that they should show obedience to him. I am going to tell you about myself and I am Dajjal and would be soon permitted to get out and so I shall get out and travel in the land. And will not spare any town where I would not stay for forty nights except Mecca and Medina as these two (places) are prohibited (areas) for me and I would not make an attempt to enter any one of these two. An angel with a sword in his hand would confront me and would bar my way and there would be angels to guard every passage leading to it. Then Allah's Messenger pbuh striking the pulpit with the help of the end of his staff said: This implies Taiba meaning Medina. Have I not told you an account like this? 'The people said: Yes, and this account narrated by Tamim Dari was liked by me for it corroborates the account which I gave to you in regard to him ( Dajjal) at Medina and Mecca. Behold he ( Dajjal) is in the Syrian sea (Mediterranian) or the Yemen sea (Arabian sea). Nay, on the contrary, he is In the east, he is in the east, he is in the east, and he pointed with his hand towards the east. I (Fatima bint Qais) said: I preserved It In my mind (this narration from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). ( Narrated in Sahih Muslim: Chapter, Topic on Jassasah, hadith 2942 )