The Bedouins and the race for skyscrapers
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“[The Hour will come] when you see the barefooted, the destitute, the shepherds of sheep competing in constructing tall buildings.”Reported by Muslim (no. 8) and Al-Bukhari (no. 50)
Claiming that these Bedouins would compete in constructing buildings is already a bold prophecy in itself. But another prediction also explains how they could finance such a rivalry:
“The Hour will not come until wealth becomes abundant and overflows to the point where a man will take out the zakat from his wealth and find no one to accept it from him, and until the land of Arabia returns to being meadows and rivers.”Reported by Muslim (no. 157)
A self-fulfilling prophecy?
This objection is the most illogical. It supposes that entire nations orchestrated a rivalry costing trillions, with the aim of fulfilling a prophecy.
Moreover, this prophecy is a sign of the end times, an event no believer is supposed to want to hasten. Finally, this objective would have remained a total secret, since no ruler or builder has ever justified these projects in such terms. This makes the self-fulfilling explanation closer to a poorly supported conspiracy theory than anything else.
And Arabia returning to meadows and rivers?
The same hadith that announces the abundance of wealth contains a second prediction:
“[...] and until the land of Arabia returns to being meadows and rivers. ”Reported by Muslim (no. 157)
This second prophecy contains two claims:
- The land of Arabia will return to being a place of meadows and rivers.
- It has therefore already been so in the past.
1. It is turning green today
In the 7th century, Arabia was one of the most arid regions in the world.
And yet, today, the trend is reversing. Science is observing a major climate change with a significant increase in rainfall.
- The return of water and vegetation to ancient riverbeds.
- Spectacular floods in desert areas.
- A progressive greening confirmed by satellites.
2. It was green in the past
The prophecy does not only predict a green future — it affirms a green past. This knowledge was inaccessible at the time.
It is only recently that science confirmed the extent of this humid past. Geological research has revealed:
- More than 10,000 ancient lakes and rivers across Arabia.
- Fossils of savanna animals: hippos, elephants, crocodiles…
Source: Nature Middle East, “Unraveling Arabia's green past”, 2018