Islamic eschatology
aspect of Islamic theology concerning the end times and afterlife
Islamic eschatology is the aspect of Islamic beliefs, predictions, and narratives dealing with End Times. Not unlike some other Abrahamic religions, it includes both prophecies of the end of the natural world, of the dramatic events ("signs") signifying its approach; and the afterlife where the dead wait behind barzakh until they are resurrected to be judged by God (ḥisbā) for their conduct during their life on earth, and sent to their reward in either Jannah (also called heaven, paradise or the garden) or Jahannam (also called hell, the fire or hellfire).
An estimated one tenth of the Quran—the holy book of Islam—is devoted to "matters eschatological". Parts of hadīth literature and some of commentaries of various medieval Muslim scholars, including al-Ghazali, Ibn Kathir, and Muhammad al-Bukhari, among others, are devoted to the subject. Apocalyptic speculation has been strongest in mainstream Shia Islam (Twelver Shi'ism), as well as in Sunni Islam.
In Islamic eschatology, Jesus and the Mahdi are believed to appear together during the events of the End Times. Jesus will kill al-Masih ad-Dajjal (the False Messiah), after which the ancient tribe of Gog and Magog (Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj) will emerge and spread across the earth. After God destroys them, Jesus will rule the world, establish peace and justice, and eventually die a natural death. He will be buried alongside Muhammad in the fourth reserved tomb at the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, associated with Jesus' return in the Second Coming, is highly revered by both Muslims and Christians.
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