Middle East's Lifeline Disappearing, Prophet Muhammad Had Already Warned

The lifeline sustaining human civilisation for thousands of years in the Middle East is now threatened with disappearance. The Euphrates and Tigris, two major rivers that served as the birthplace of ancient Mesopotamian civilisations, are estimated to dry up by 2040 due to climate change and worsening water crises. This phenomenon has once again captured public attention as it aligns with a warning from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in a hadith regarding the Euphrates River. Archaeologists refer to the region between the Euphrates and Tigris as Mesopotamia, the birthplace of the world’s first cities such as Uruk and Babylon. The area, now in Iraq, was known for millennia as one of the most fertile regions on Earth. However, conditions have changed drastically in recent decades. The Euphrates-Tigris river system has experienced a significant decline in water flow due to prolonged droughts and extreme climate change. In a hadith narrated by Imam Muslim, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The Day of Judgement will not occur until the Euphrates River dries up and reveals a mountain of gold, causing people to fight and kill each other to obtain it” (HR Muslim No. 2894). The Euphrates River itself flows through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq before emptying into the Persian Gulf. Together with the Tigris, this region serves as the primary source of life for millions of residents in West Asia. However, a 2021 report from Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources warns that both rivers could dry up by 2040 if the water crisis continues to worsen. A report cited from IFL Science states that the decline in water levels is due to a combination of climate change, extreme temperatures, and prolonged droughts. Not only that, the water flow in the Euphrates-Tigris system has reportedly shrunk by nearly half in recent decades. Based on satellite imagery, approximately 144 cubic kilometres of fresh water have been lost between 2003 and 2013. This situation poses a serious threat to the lives of communities in the region. This is because around 60 million people in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq depend on the Euphrates-Tigris river system for drinking water, agriculture, and power generation.