The sending of the Prophet ﷺ
“I was sent, and the Hour, like these two [fingers]” (Bukhari 6503). The coming of the Prophet ﷺ is itself a sign that the Hour is near.
Bukhari 6503Ashrat as-Saʿa
The signs of the end of times
Islamic eschatology — from the minor signs already fulfilled to the ten great signs that announce the Hour. Sourced from the Qur'an and the authentic hadiths (Bukhari, Muslim).
إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ
“Indeed, Allah alone has knowledge of the Hour.”
— Qur'an, Surah Luqman (31), verse 34
The Prophet ﷺ did not reveal the exact moment of the Hour — no one knows it but Allah — yet he taught us its signs so that we stay prepared.
The minor signs (Ashrat as-Sughra)
Dozens of signs, many of them already fulfilled. Here are the most striking ones reported in the authentic hadiths:
The death of the Prophet ﷺ (632 CE)
“Count six before the Hour: my death, the conquest of Jerusalem, a plague that strikes you, an abundance of wealth, the trials, and the treachery of the Romans” (Bukhari 3176).
Bukhari 3176The conquest of Jerusalem (638)
Al-Quds taken by the caliph Omar — already fulfilled.
Bukhari 3176The plague of ʿAmawas (639)
A deadly epidemic during the caliphate of Omar.
Bukhari 3176An abundance of wealth
“The Hour will not come until wealth so increases that a man finds no one to accept it from him” (Bukhari 1412). Visible today.
Bukhari 1412Markets drawing close to one another
The markets will come near one another (global trade).
Ahmad 10898 (sahih)The loosening of morals
“You will see people's nakedness and their attachment to this world” — an epidemic of pornography and materialism.
Bukhari 2674Religious knowledge growing scarce
“Allah does not take knowledge away by snatching it, but by taking the scholars” (Bukhari 100).
Bukhari 100The spread of killing
“The Hour will not come until killing (haraj) becomes widespread” (Bukhari 6037).
Bukhari 6037Time contracting
“The Hour will not come until time contracts; a year will be like a month, a month like a week, a day like an hour” (Tirmidhi 2332, sahih).
Tirmidhi 2332The appearance of impostors (Dajjals)
“Thirty impostors will arise, each claiming to be a prophet” (Bukhari 3609).
Bukhari 3609Men becoming effeminate, women mannish
The Prophet ﷺ cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men (Bukhari 5885).
Bukhari 5885The prevalence of usury (riba)
“A time will come upon people when all will consume usury. Whoever does not consume it will be touched by its dust” (Abu Dawud 3331, sahih).
Abu Dawud 3331Shepherds competing in building tall buildings
Part of the hadith of Jibril (Bukhari 50). Today's Dubai and Makkah, with their giant towers, are visible signs.
Bukhari 50The slave woman giving birth to her mistress
Another part of the hadith of Jibril, understood as the widespread disobedience of children toward their parents.
Bukhari 50Arabia returning to meadows and rivers
“The Hour will not come until the land of the Arabs becomes meadows and rivers once more” (Muslim 157). Partly fulfilled by the Saudi projects.
Muslim 157The appearance of the Mahdi
The transition to the major signs.
Abu Dawud 4282The ten great signs (Al-ʿAlamat al-Kubra)
When these signs appear they will follow one another swiftly — “like beads slipping from a broken string” (Tirmidhi 2211, a chain Tirmidhi himself graded gharib).
An important note: The Prophet ﷺ did not give the exact chronological order. Scholars differ on it (notably regarding the Mahdi, the Dajjal and Jesus). The order shown here is the one held by the majority.
1
The Mahdi
الْمَهْدِيA descendant of the Prophet ﷺ through Fatima. He will bear the Prophet's name (Muhammad ibn Abdullah) and resemble him. He will rule seven or nine years, in which justice and wealth abound. He will appear amid great tribulation. Scholars differ on some details, but the substance is authenticated (Abu Dawud 4282, Tirmidhi 2230).
Source: Abu Dawud 4282, Tirmidhi 22302
Ad-Dajjal (the Antichrist)
الدَّجَّال“The deceiver”. An impostor claiming to be God. Blind in the right eye, with “kafir” written on his forehead. He will travel the earth swiftly, except Mecca and Medina. He will seduce people with apparent miracles. He will rule forty days (one like a year, one like a month, one like a week, the rest ordinary days). He will be killed by ʿIssa at the gate of Lodd (in present-day Palestine). The Prophet ﷺ taught protection through reciting the first ten verses of Al-Kahf every Friday (Muslim 809).
Source: Muslim 2934, 29373
The descent of ʿIssa (Jesus)
نُزُولُ عِيسَىJesus (Issa ibn Maryam) will descend by the white minaret east of Damascus. He will kill the Dajjal at the gate of Lodd. He will rule by the Qur'an and the sharia of Muhammad ﷺ. He will break the cross (declaring his crucifixion false), kill the swine (abrogating its lawfulness), and abolish the jizya (as everyone becomes Muslim). He will marry, have children, live about forty years, then die and be buried in Medina.
Source: Muslim 2897, Bukhari 34484
Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog)
يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُTwo peoples mentioned in the Qur'an (18:94, 21:96). They are now held back behind the barrier built by Dhul-Qarnayn. They will come out after the Dajjal, in the time of Jesus. Innumerable, they will ravage the earth. Jesus and the believers will take refuge on Mount Toor. Allah will send worms that kill Yajuj and Majuj in a single night.
Source: Qur'an 18:94, Muslim 29375
Three landslides
ثَلَاثَةُ خُسُوفٍThree great sinkings of the earth: one in the East, one in the West, one in the Arabian peninsula. Major geological events of the end of times.
Source: Muslim 29016
The smoke (dukhan)
الدُّخَانA smoke that envelops the earth for forty days. It will affect the disbelievers in particular, like an intoxication. Mentioned in Qur'an 44:10-11.
Source: Muslim 2901, Qur'an 44:10-117
The sun rising in the west
طُلُوعُ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَاThe sun will rise from the west. At that moment the door of repentance closes: no disbeliever will be able to convert any more (Qur'an 6:158). The chief signal that the Hour is very near.
Source: Bukhari 4635, Muslim 1578
The beast of the earth (Dabbat al-Ard)
دَابَّةُ الْأَرْضA beast that will come out of the earth and mark people — believer or disbeliever — in a way that cannot be forged. Mentioned in Qur'an 27:82.
Source: Qur'an 27:82, Muslim 29019
The fire that drives people to the place of gathering
النَّارُ الَّتِي تَسُوقُ النَّاسَA great fire will break out from Yemen (or the region of Aden) and drive people toward the final gathering place (mahshar). The last sign before the end.
Source: Muslim 290110
The blast of the Trumpet (Sur)
النَّفْخُ فِي الصُّورThe angel Israfil blows the Trumpet. At the first blast all die (save whom Allah wills). At the second (forty years later) all rise for the Judgement.
Source: Qur'an 39:68, Muslim 2940How to prepare spiritually
The Prophet ﷺ gave us tools of protection and preparation:
- 1Recite Al-Kahf every Friday: specific protection against the Dajjal (Muslim 809).
- 2Memorise the first ten verses of Al-Kahf: “Whoever learns them will be protected from the Dajjal” (Muslim 809).
- 3Ask Allah in every prayer: “O Allah, protect me from the Dajjal” (Bukhari 1377, in the final tashahhud).
- 4Keep away from the Dajjal: if you hear of his appearance, flee to the mountains (Abu Dawud 4319).
- 5Strengthen your faith and your deeds: authentic Islam is the best protection against any trial.
“Work for this world as though you will live forever, and work for the hereafter as though you will die tomorrow.”
— Attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib (r.a.)
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