Prophetic Miracles in the Return of the Arabian Peninsula to Meadows and Rivers: A Sharia and Scientific Perspective

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

The Hour will not be established until wealth increases and overflows, until a man takes the Zakat of his wealth and finds no one to accept it, and until the land of the Arabs returns to being meadows and rivers.

Narrated by Imam Muslim in his Sahih.

Anyone contemplating the reality of the Arabian Peninsula today clearly notices those climatic and environmental shifts, from torrential floods to mountains being clad in greenery, which evokes wonder and reflection. However, the Prophetic miracle in his saying ﷺ: and until it returns carries a profound geological and historical significance; it indicates that the land of the Arabs was, in ancient times, meadows and rivers, and that it will revert to its former state before the establishment of the Hour.

In a recent scientific confirmation of this Prophetic report, a study conducted by Oxford University in 2012 revealed the existence of a massive and complex network of ancient rivers and lakes buried beneath the sands of the Arabian Peninsula. This discovery clearly demonstrates the truth of the Prophethood, as the Prophet ﷺ informed of geological facts that were not known in his era, nor revealed except by the latest technologies in the modern age.