JAKARTA — Muslim believes what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said about the existence of golden mountains in the hadith concerning the Euphrates River.
In the hadith about the end of times, the question of the Euphrates River, which will cause the rise to the golden mountain, everlanstingly debated. To this time, there is not yet evidence of the existence of the golden mountain. This question is limited to speculation by scientists about its existence. The Prophet Muhammad said:
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه مرفوعاً: «لا تقوم الساعة حتى يحسر الفرات عن جبل من ذهب يُقْتَتَلُ عليه، فَيُقْتَلُ من كل مائة تسعة وتسعون، فيقول كل رجل منهم: لعلي أن أكون أنا أنجو
Abu Hurairah (peace be upon him) said, “The Day of Resurrection will not happen before the Euphrates River dries up and reveals a mountain of gold so that people kill each other (fight) to get it. So 99 of the 100 men who will fight were killed and every one of them said, 'May I be the only survivor. “(HR Muslim).
This hadith is undoubtedly the truth and will happen. The problem is, no one knows exactly about the exactly location of the golden mountain. It is still hidden because it is a sign of the apocalypse.
In this regard, Ibn Hajar said that the receding of the Euphrates River would occur before the appearance of al-Mahdi. Similarly it is mentioned in the book of Al-Burhan. So there is a time set by Allah when He will reveal it. No one will know it until it is completely cast out by Allah Himself.
In addition, some speculations from scientists and scholars have varied interpretations. Some interpret that the golden mountain is just a metaphor. It will be a mountain of gold can be connected with petroleum because both have the same value of benefits. This was stated by Abu Ubaidah in his ta'liq against the book An-Nihayah fi al-Fitan (1:208) by Ibn Katsir.
There are also scholars who stick to the authenticity of the text, it is really a mountain of gold that will appear. Scholars such as Sheikh Yusuf al-Wabil disagree if the mountain of gold is interpreted with petroleum.
The reason is that petroleum is not the same as gold. The hadith mentioned that the water of the river will reveal the golden mountain that people will see. Meanwhile, petroleum can only be obtained by digging from the bowels of the earth than by using equipment.
Then, where is the golden mountain prediction intended? In Arabic, “eufrat” or “al-Furat” means the freshest water. According to Dr Shauqi Abu Khalil in Athlas Al-Hadith Al-Nabawi, the Euphrates is a river flowing from northeastern Turkey.
He said the 2,375-kilometre-long river bisects the Toros River, passes through Syria at Jarablus City, passes through Iraq at al-Bukmal City, and meets the Tigris River at al-Qurnah, which empties into the Arabian Gulf.
Like many other major rivers, the Euphrates has several tributaries, the al-Balikh and the al-Khabur. However, now both of these tributaries have dried up. “The length of the Euphrates River is 2,375 km,” said Syauki, who is also the author of the bestselling book, Atlas of the Quran.
Since centuries ago, the Euphrates River has been a source of life for the people living around it.