with his companions to the plain below, and they will not find a hand-span of earth that is not filled with the putrid fat and stench of those corpses. The Prophet of Allah, Jesus ﷺ, together with his followers will again implore Allah, so Allah will send birds whose necks are like those of Bactrian camels. The birds will lift the bodies and cast them wherever Allah wills.

Next Allah will send a rain that spares no house of stone or goat-hair tent; it will wash the earth until it is left as smooth as glass. Then it will be said to the earth, “Bring forth your fruits and restore your blessing.” On that day a single pomegranate will suffice an entire group, and they will shade themselves beneath its rind. The milk will be so blessed that one milch camel will satisfy a great host of people, one milch cow will suffice a large gathering, and one milch sheep will provide for a whole clan.

While they are enjoying this state, Allah will send a gentle wind that takes hold beneath their armpits and seizes the soul of every believer and every Muslim. The vilest of people will remain, copulating in the open like donkeys; upon them the Hour will be established. Narrated by Muslim.

Explanation of wording:
• His phrase “a khulla between Syria and Iraq” means a road that lies between the two regions.
• The word ʿātha—spelled with an un-dotted ʿayn and a dotted thāʼ—denotes the most intense form of corruption.
• al-Dhurāʼ (with ḍamma on the letter dhāl) is the plural of dhurwah and refers to the highest points of the camels’ humps.
• al-Yaʿāsīb are the male bees.
• Jazlatayn means two pieces or chunks.
• al-Gharaḍ is the target at which arrows are shot; the comparison means that he strikes him as an archer strikes his mark.
• al-Mahrūdah (with an undotted dāl) is a dyed garment.
• His statement “lā …”