Chapter 1.2 — Ummatan Wasathon: Witnesses to the Transition Between the World and the Akhirah

The Quran states:

وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِّتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا

“And thus We have made you a middle Ummah so that you may be witnesses over humanity, and the Rasul may be a witness over you.”

— Al-Baqarah 2:143

أُمَّةً وَسَطًا — Ummatan Wasathon is the Ummah positioned in the midst of the transition between realms:

WORLDLY REALM → TRANSITION OF QIYĀMAH → AKHIRAH REALM

They carry a trust: to receive the warning from the Rasul, convey the Risalah of Tawhid, prepare the path of salvation, provide an opportunity for repentance, and bear witness that humanity has been given a chance.

WHY DO THEY BECOME WITNESSES?

The Quran states:

فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ شَهِيدًا

“How will it be when We bring from every Ummah a witness, and We bring you as a witness over them?”

— An-Nisa’ 4:41

And:

وَيَوْمَ نَبْعَثُ فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْهِم مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ

“And on the Day when We raise within every Ummah a witness over them from among themselves.”

— An-Nahl 16:89

A witness is present with the event being witnessed.

Ummatan Wasathon witnesses that:

the Risalah has been conveyed,

the warning has been given,

human beings have been given a choice,

the transition of Qiyāmah is taking place,

and human beings are facing the consequences of their own choices.

QIYĀMAH = RISING AND TRANSITION

Surah Al-Qiyāmah begins:

لَا أُقْسِمُ بِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۝ وَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ

“I swear by the Day of Qiyāmah. And I swear by the self-reproaching nafs.”

— Al-Qiyāmah 75:1–2

Qiyāmah is immediately connected with the human nafs.

Therefore, the signs of Qiyāmah must be examined within:

the self, humanity, the earth and nature.

Human beings should not wait for an image of the entire earth being destroyed simultaneously while ignoring the warnings already unfolding before them.

THE TEN MAJOR SIGNS OF QIYĀMAH

The hadith of Hudzaifah bin Usaid رضي الله عنه states:

إِنَّهَا لَنْ تَقُومَ حَتَّى تَرَوْنَ قَبْلَهَا عَشْرَ آيَاتٍ

“Indeed, it will not occur until you see ten signs before it.”

— Sahih Muslim

The ten signs are:

الدُّخَان — ad-Dukhan
Smoke.

الدَّجَّال — ad-Dajjal
Dajjal.

الدَّابَّة — ad-Dabbah
Dabbah.

طُلُوعُ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا
The sun rising from the west.

نُزُولُ عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ
The descent of Isa ibn Maryam عليه السلام.

يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ
Ya’juj and Ma’juj.

خَسْفٌ بِالْمَشْرِقِ
Khusuf in the east.

خَسْفٌ بِالْمَغْرِبِ
Khusuf in the west.

خَسْفٌ بِجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ
Khusuf in the Arabian Peninsula.

نَارٌ تَخْرُجُ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ تَطْرُدُ النَّاسَ إِلَى مَحْشَرِهِمْ

“A fire emerging from Yemen that drives people towards their place of gathering.”

The important words in the hadith are:

حَتَّى تَرَوْنَ — until you see.

The signs must be seen, recognised and warned about, not merely preserved as a memorised list.

AD-DUKHAN

الدُّخَان — smoke

Human beings must examine atmospheric changes, smoke, ash, gases and natural phenomena associated with this warning.

The warning does not wait for human beings to agree with it first.

DAJJAL AND THE PATTERN OF PHARAOH

Dajjal carries a pattern of concealing and reversing the truth.

Pharaoh becomes an important sign.

As he was drowning, he said:

آمَنتُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا الَّذِي آمَنَتْ بِهِ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ

“I believe that there is no ilah except the One in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am among the Muslims.”

— Yunus 10:90

Then:

آلْآنَ وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ قَبْلُ وَكُنتَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ

“Now? When previously you had disobeyed and were among those who caused corruption.”

— Yunus 10:91

Then:

فَالْيَوْمَ نُنَجِّيكَ بِبَدَنِكَ لِتَكُونَ لِمَنْ خَلْفَكَ آيَةً

“So today We will preserve you with your body so that you may become a sign for those who come after you.”

— Yunus 10:92

Within the Witnessing reading, Pharaoh becomes central to the pattern of al-Masih Dajjal: the concealment of truth, the preservation of life, and human beings following a system of deception until the end of the transition.

AL-MASIH AND HUMAN BEINGS ENTERING THE QIYĀMAH OF THE SELF

Al-Masih is read as a state of being preserved and still continuing in life.

Ummatan Wasathon witnesses human beings entering a state in which life and death become intertwined, regret intensifies, and human beings ultimately realise that their own choices have led them to those consequences.

Pharaoh becomes the head of that pattern.

THE SUN RISING FROM THE WEST

طُلُوعُ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا

This sign is connected with the moment when awareness comes too late.

The pattern of Pharaoh has already shown:

“Now I believe” is not necessarily accepted once the truth has become fully manifest.

That is why Ummatan Wasathon gives warning before the door of choice closes.

ISA IBN MARYAM

The hadith states:

نُزُولُ عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ

Within the structure of Witnessing, Isa عليه السلام is al-Masih who is preserved and continues in life.

This event is connected with the unveiling of truth during the transition towards the Akhirah Realm.

YA’JUJ AND MA’JUJ

يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ

They must be examined on the scale of both nature and the self.

The method remains:

وَفِي الْأَرْضِ آيَاتٌ لِّلْمُوقِنِينَ ۝ وَفِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ

“And on the earth are signs for those who possess certainty. And within yourselves; will you not then see?”

— Adh-Dhariyat 51:20–21

THE THREE KHUSUF

East. West. Arabian Peninsula.

The earth itself becomes a field of warning.

Changes in the land, tremors and geological phenomena must be observed as part of the language of signs, rather than being completely separated from the warnings of Qiyāmah.

THE FIRE FROM YEMEN

The hadith states:

نَارٌ تَخْرُجُ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ

“A fire emerges from Yemen.”

And:

تَطْرُدُ النَّاسَ إِلَى مَحْشَرِهِمْ

“driving people towards their place of gathering.”

Notice:

مِنَ الْيَمَنِ — FROM Yemen,

not “the whole of Yemen must be burning.”

MISUNDERSTANDING THE REALM OF THE GRAVE

Human beings have also inherited the idea that the realm of the grave must begin when the physical body is placed into a hole in the ground.

Yet the Quran uses:

بَرْزَخ — Barzakh

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ ۝ لَعَلِّي أَعْمَلُ صَالِحًا فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ … وَمِن وَرَائِهِم بَرْزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ

“When death comes to one of them, he says, ‘My Lord, return me so that I may do righteousness concerning what I left behind’ … and before them is a Barzakh until the Day they are raised.”

— Al-Mu’minun 23:99–100

The Quran mentions Barzakh, a barrier leading towards resurrection.

Those who die at sea, are burned, whose bodies disappear, or who are never buried still undergo the same journey.

Therefore, the grave cannot be confined to a hole in the ground.

PHARAOH AND THE STATE BEFORE AL-SĀ‘AH

The Quran states:

النَّارُ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ أَدْخِلُوا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ أَشَدَّ الْعَذَابِ

“They are exposed to the Fire morning and evening; and on the Day when al-Sā‘ah is established: ‘Admit the people of Pharaoh into the severest torment.’”

— Ghafir 40:46

The verse distinguishes the state before al-Sā‘ah from the state when al-Sā‘ah is established.

This indicates a transition, rather than a single immediate leap from the world directly to the final state.

WHAT DOES UMMATAN WASATHON WITNESS?

They bear witness that:

The Risalah of Tawhid has been conveyed.

The Rasul has given warning.

The ten signs of Qiyāmah have been explained.

Human beings have been warned not to wait for the earth to be destroyed before they believe.

Barzakh has been explained as a transition after death.

Qiyāmah takes place within the self and the world.

The event of al-Masih takes place upon humanity.

Pharaoh becomes a sign and the head of the pattern of concealing the truth.

The closing of the door of repentance has been warned about.

Human beings have been given a choice.

If human beings say:

“We were never told,”

Ummatan Wasathon bears witness:

“The message was conveyed.”

If they say:

“We thought Qiyāmah was still far away,”

the answer is:

“The signs were shown and the warning was given.”

THE RASUL BECOMES A WITNESS OVER UMMATAN WASATHON

Return to Al-Baqarah 2:143:

وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا

“And the Rasul becomes a witness over you.”

The structure is:

RASUL

↓

UMMATAN WASATHON

↓

HUMANITY

The Rasul bears witness that Ummatan Wasathon received the trust.

Ummatan Wasathon bears witness that humanity received the warning.

THE PATTERN OF NUH عليه السلام

Nuh عليه السلام gave warning.

Nuh prepared the Ark.

Human beings were given a choice before the change reached its culmination.

Likewise, the trust of Ummatan Wasathon:

RISALAH

↓

WARNING

↓

ARK OF SALVATION

↓

OPPORTUNITY FOR REPENTANCE

↓

WITNESSING

CONCLUSION

UMMATAN WASATHON is the witnessing Ummah positioned in the midst of the transition between the Worldly Realm and the Akhirah Realm.

They witness Qiyāmah.

They witness its signs.

They witness human beings making their choices.

They witness the event of al-Masih.

They witness the pattern of Pharaoh/Dajjal.

They convey the correction concerning Qiyāmah and the realm of the grave.

And they bear witness that humanity was warned before it was too late.

THEY DO NOT WAIT FOR QIYĀMAH.

THEY WITNESS QIYĀMAH AS IT IS TAKING PLACE.

AND THEY BEAR WITNESS THAT THE MESSAGE HAS BEEN DELIVERED.