This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Hafiz Mubashir Hussain Lahori's book Signs of the Day of Judgment in the Light of Authentic Hadith.
The Sign of the Day of Judgment: The Earth Splitting in the East, West, and Arabian Peninsula
عن حذيفة بن أسيد رضى الله عنه قال : اطلع النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم علينا ونحن نتذاكر فقال : ما تذكرون ؟ قالوا : نذكر الساعة ، قال : إنها لن تقوم حتى ترون قبلها عشر آيات فذكر الدخان والدجال ....... وثلاثة خسوف : خسف بالمشرق و خسف بالمغرب وخسف بجزيرة العرب
It is narrated from Hazrat Hudhaifa bin Asid (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) came to us while we were engaged in discussion. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: What are you talking about? The people said: We are talking about the Day of Judgment. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The Day of Judgment will never occur until you see ten signs before it. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) counted them: smoke, the Dajjal, and three landslides (people sinking into the earth, Landslide) — one landslide in the east, one in the west, and one in the Arabian Peninsula.
Reference: Muslim, Book of Tribulations, Chapter on the Signs Before the Hour 2901; Tirmidhi 2183; Abu Dawood 4311; Sharh al-Sunnah 7/432; Hilyat al-Awliya 1/355
عن أم سلمة رضي الله عنها قالت سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول : سيكون بعدي خسف بالمشرق وخسف بالمغرب وخسف فى جزيرة العرب ، قلت : يا رسول الله : أيخسف بالأرض وفينا الصالحون ؟ قال لها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : إذا أكثر أهلها الخبث
Hazrat Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) says that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say that after me there will be a landslide in three places: the east, the west, and the Arabian Peninsula. I said: O Messenger of Allah! Will people be swallowed by the earth while there are righteous people among us? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Yes, when the people of the earth increase in wickedness.
Reference: Majma' al-Zawa'id 8/11
عن بغيرة امرأة القعقاع تقول : سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على المنبر وهو يقول : إذا سمعتم بجيش قد خسف به قريبا فقد أظلت الساعة
Hazrat Baqira (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the companion Qaqa, says that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while he was delivering a sermon from the pulpit: When you hear about an army that has been swallowed by the earth somewhere nearby, then remember that the Day of Judgment is near.
Reference: Musnad Ahmad 6/325; Musnad Humaydi 1/170; Al-Silsilah al-Sahihah 3/340
عن أم سلمة رضي الله عنها قالت سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول : يعوذ عائذ بالبيت فيبعث إليه بعث فإذا كانوا ببيداء من الأرض خسف بهم فقلت : يا رسول الله فكيف بمن كان كارها ؟ قال : يخسف به معهم ولكنه يبعث يوم القيامة على نيته
Hazrat Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) says that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: A man will take refuge in the Kaaba, and an army will advance towards him. When they reach the place called Bidaa near Medina, the earth will swallow them. I said: O Messenger of Allah! What about the man who disliked this uprising? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: He will also be swallowed with the army, but on the Day of Judgment, he will be raised according to his intention.
Reference: Muslim, Book of Tribulations, Chapter on the Landslide of the Army Approaching the House 2882; Ahmad 6/329; Abu Dawood 4289; Hakim 4/475; Abu Ya'la 12/439; Al-Silsilah al-Sahihah 4/577
Benefits:
➊ The earth splitting open and people being swallowed by the ground in three places: the East, the West, and the Arabian Peninsula, is one of the major signs of the Day of Judgment.
➋ This mentioned sign of the Day of Judgment has not yet appeared, but several partial incidents of people being swallowed by the earth have occurred multiple times.
As Imam Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) has written: We heard from some of our elders that in Eastern Andalusia, a mountain fell on a village called Qatar Daniyah, and all of them were crushed under it.
Reference: Al-Tadhkirah p. 545
Similarly, Sharif Barzanji (may Allah have mercy on him) states: An incident of the earth swallowing people occurred in the East. In the West, thirteen villages were swallowed by the earth. In Talqan, Khorasan, one hundred and fifty villages were swallowed by the earth, and similarly, this punishment was seen in many other areas.
Reference: For details see: Al-Isha'ah La Sharat al-Sa'ah 84-85, Al-Iza'ah Lama Kan wa Ma Yakun Bayna Yaday al-Sa'ah Nawab Siddiq Hasan: 81
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) says that earth swallowing has been found in many places, but the swallowing in the three mentioned places is apart from these, and it is possible that it will be a greater and more severe event than the previous swallowings.
Reference: Fath al-Bari: 13/84
➌ People being swallowed by the earth along with their villages and homes is not only possible but is a type of worldly punishment from Allah Almighty. In the past, Allah has afflicted many of His disobedient servants with such punishments, just as Qarun was swallowed by the earth.
Allah Almighty says:
فَخَسَفْنَا بِهِ وَبِدَارِهِ الْأَرْضَ
"Finally, We caused the earth to swallow him and his house."
Reference: Surah Al-Qasas: 81
Similarly, in a hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that a man was being hanged on his land. Allah did not like his arrogance, so He caused him to be swallowed by the earth, and he will continue to be swallowed by the earth until the Day of Judgment.
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Clothing, Chapter: Whoever drags his garment out of pride 5790
➍ From other hadiths, it is understood that generally those who will be afflicted by the punishment of being swallowed by the earth are those who exceed all limits in immorality, debauchery, obscenity, adultery, and dancing and singing. As narrated from Hazrat Abu Aamir (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: In my Ummah, some evil people will appear who will make adultery, silk clothing, alcohol, and music lawful. Some of them will live on mountains. Their shepherds will bring livestock morning and evening and then take them away. If a poor person comes to them for his need, they will delay him by saying come tomorrow. But Allah will destroy them overnight, will cause mountains to fall on them, and will transform the survivors among them into monkeys and pigs until the Day of Judgment.
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Drinks, Chapter: What has been narrated about those who make wine lawful and call it by other names 5590
➎ The hadith does not specify the East and West, so this divine punishment will rain down without specification somewhere to the east and west of Madinah, and the third place will be somewhere in the Arabian Peninsula. Other hadiths indicate that this will be the Bada' plain near Madinah, where the army that is coming to arrest the righteous person seeking refuge in the House of Allah, probably Imam Mahdi, will be swallowed by the earth. May Allah protect us from all kinds of His punishments. آمين
