The Smoke: A Major Prophecy
I seek refuge in God from Satan the rejected.
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
One of the signs that remain before the end of the world is the prophecy of The Smoke (referenced in Sura 44).
The Smoke: A Major Prophecy*
[44:10] Therefore, watch for the day when the sky brings a profound smoke.*
*44:10 Only two signs are yet to be fulfilled, this smoke and Gog and Magog (Appendix 25).
[44:11] It will envelop the people; this is a painful retribution.
[44:12] "Our Lord, relieve this retribution for us; we are believers."
God's Messenger of the Covenant*
[44:13] Now that it is too late, they remember! An enlightening messenger had come to them.*
*44:13 The sum of sura and verse numbers (44+13) is 57, 19x3, and this Quranic code was proclaimed by God's Messenger of the Covenant (Appendices 1, 2, & 26).
[44:14] But they turned away from him, saying, "Well educated, but crazy!"
[44:15] We will relieve the retribution for awhile; you will soon revert.
We learn that the Smoke (44:10): occurs after God’s Messenger of the Covenant has delivered the unified message and proclaimed Submission (Islam) as the only religion acceptable by God.
What will happen? (adapted from the March 1990 Submitters Perspective)
- A massive asteroid will hit somewhere in Middle East.
- The resulting heat will burn living organisms within a 100 mile radius.
- Total devastation will envelope the Arab world, main opponents of God, His miracle, and His Messenger of the Covenant (9:97, 3:81, 33:7).
- The Quranic prophecy in 44:10-15 will come to pass: A giant dust cloud will envelope the whole world and obscure the sun for a few months.
- In fulfillment of 17:92, the Arabs will mock and ridicule this prophecy.
- When will this happen? I do not know when; but I have a strong feeling that this will take place before the end of 1990. Only God knows the exact time.
For more details, please see the March 1990 Submitters Perspective.
Has the Smoke occurred yet?
While some people believe the smoke prophecy has been fulfilled (e.g., through wars, oil well fires, forest fires, etc.), others feel (as of mid 2010s) the prophecy has not taken place.
The Quran says that there will be a terrible retribution not long after God's messenger of the covenant (34:46). However, time in the Quran is relative (e.g., "a day" at God is like a "thousand years" for humans):
[22:47] They challenge you to bring retribution, and GOD never fails to fulfill His prophecy. A day of your Lord is like a thousand of your years.
[70:4] The angels, with their reports, climb to Him in a day that equals fifty thousand years.
[70:5] Therefore, you shall resort to a gracious patience.
[70:6] For they see it far away.
[70:7] While we see it very close.
Do the 1991 oil-fires in Kuwait fulfill all the criteria in the Quran?
There has been some debate on this topic. On the one hand: the fires lit by Iraq did occur within a year of the martyrdom of God's messenger of the covenant, did generate significant smoke locally for Arabs, ended in a humiliating defeat for Iraq and cost Kuwait a large amount of money and had other negative impacts.
On the other hand, most people think of Kuwait and its allies as winning the war (although at a large cost). The people most associated with the Iraq war and Kuwait invasion and oil fires are likely George Bush or Saddam Hussein. The average person studying God's message does not connect them to the Quranic prophecy or the advent of God's Messenger of the Covenant. Arguably also, the environmental impact of the fires was limited by God's grace, and the effects described in 44:10-14 do not seem to have occurred. As a result, people around the world (and in Arabia) do not seem to have associated the Iraq war with God's message and the messenger of the Covenant in contrast with what is described in 44:13.
Another question that arises is the nature of the retribution. Many see the Iraq war and oil-fires as human-conflict, not divine retribution (the Quran conceptually distinguishes between the two: 29:10). The Quran lists different kinds of retribution that follow after a messenger, e.g., winds, quakes, earth-swallowing the people, drowning (29:40), rocks or masses falling from the sky (11:82, 52:40), lightning (51:44), etc. Natural disasters or "Acts of God" is a pattern people associate with retribution. The oil well fires were lit by Saddam Hussein's retreating forces and will be seen as an act of Satan.
Further, if we consider 17:92 (the fifth bullet in the article quoted above), an element of the prophecy as explained by God's messenger, is that the disbelievers/Arabs will mock the idea that masses from the sky (an asteroid) will affect them. Given that no asteroid-like object has hit the middle-east (to our knowledge, yet), the Arabs are likely still in the mocking stage and are not likely to have submitted themselves to God and expressed remorse at not having accepted God's messenger (as described in 44:12-13).
[17:92] "Or unless you cause masses from the sky, as you claimed, to fall on us. Or unless you bring GOD and the angels before our eyes.
Why didn't it occur in 1990 (just after the martyrdom of God's messenger of the covenant)?
Retribution and its timing is controlled only by God. Even the messengers make it clear they do not know the future (unless God specifically gives them that news).
[6:50] Say, "I do not say to you that I possess the treasures of GOD. Nor do I know the future. Nor do I say to you that I am an angel. I simply follow what is revealed to me." Say, "Is the blind the same as the seer? Do you not reflect?"
[72:25] Say, "I do not know if what is promised to you will happen soon, or if my Lord will delay it for awhile."
As discussed earlier, the Quran teaches us that the length of time is relative. What appears to be a long time for us is not so for God. Also, the Quran has multiple examples of disbelievers mocking and impatiently challenging the "delay" of retribution. We have examples of this in the Quran:
[8:32] They also said, "Our god, if this is really the truth from You, then shower us with rocks from the sky, or pour upon us a painful punishment."
[8:33] However, GOD is not to punish them while you are in their midst; GOD is not to punish them while they are seeking forgiveness.
[11:8] And if we delay the retribution they have incurred―for we reserve it for a specific community―they say, "What is keeping Him?" In fact, once it comes to them, nothing can stop it, and their mocking will come back to haunt them.
How will we know when it happens?
The best one can say is that God will make it clear to people. This is a major prophecy for all people (a sign before the end of the world). As we see in 44:10-11, the resultant smoke/dust/debris in the atmosphere will be profound, i.e., clearly seen by all. It will envelop the people to whom this prophecy is directed (44:11).
Further, it will be a time when people will believe God's message of Submission, and will pray to God for relief (44:12).
They will remember that God had sent His messenger to them but he had been disregarded as a well educated but crazy person (44:14).