OMG! Is Arabia turning green?

By Faraz Omar | Saudi Life

Tuesday, 16 March 2010 21:05

JEDDAH – On our way back from Makkah, we could not help but notice the "greenery" that had spread across the desert sands and mountains on both sides of the highway. At first we looked cursorily, "ah, some green offshoots." Then we just couldn't stop looking. A long stretch of the highway, for God knows how many kilometers, had unmistakably become quite green with desert grass.

In my years of uncountable number of travels to Makkah (Alhamdulillah @ the blessing!), I – or my family – have never ever witnessed this.

I got excited! Is Arabia turning green? We've been listening since childhood the prophecy of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who was the last Prophet of God to the entire humankind, that one of the (minor) signs of the Last Day is that Arabia will become green.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "The Hour will not be established until the land of the Arabs returns to being pastures and rivers." (Sahih Muslim)

It was like, "Subhan Allah! Has this started happening?" I returned and spoke to some people and many had noticed this. So, I decided to call some of our own "wizards of ooze" and see what they have to say about it.

"They are doing that to prevent sand storms," said Prof. Magdy Yousef Yousef Shamy of King Abdul Aziz University. He's from the department of environmental sciences.

Hmm, so a human effort, is it? "Yes, yes, it's human effort," he replied confidently.

Interesting and quite good, I thought. Indeed, the desert sands can be quite lethal during sandstorms for motorists.

But that doesn't mean the prophecy is not coming true. Human beings do what they have to do, but it's up to Allah to bless that effort with the fruit or to not bring out any result out of it.

Moreover, the Islamic prophecy of the return of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), the Messiah, is that he will descend near the white minaret east of Damascus.

"...he will descend to the white minaret in the east of Damascus, wearing two garments dyed with saffron, placing his hands on the wings of two angels." (Sahih Muslim)

[See: Signs of Day of Judgment by Ibn Katheer]

A Side Point: Not only did the mosque not exist when the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that, but Damascus also was under the rule of Romans. It was not a Muslim territory. In fact, it was conquered after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

So, the white minaret is a human effort made possible by Allah's blessing. The point is the prophecy will become true Insha Allah when its time comes to pass, but only Allah knows if this phenomenon is the sign of it. The greenery may sustain or may not sustain.

When I mentioned our professor's input to a colleague at work, he said, "I've never seen any work going out there. And what about the amount of water it would require to sustain it?"

Hmm, neither did I see any work being carried out, nor did I read any report that "concerned authorities" were doing this.

But that doesn't mean work wasn't done, because I and he are not at the highway 24 hours everyday, and we do not read every single report in the newspaper. Nevertheless, it's a valid concern to verify if the government is really doing this.

So, stay tuned till we get more information from more "experts" to know if Arabia is really turning green. Till then, ma'assalamah!