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Hadith #2: The Hadith of Jibreel Why is it that the knowledge of the Hour has not been given to mankind? Allah knows best, but there may be two important aspects related to this fact. First, for the individual, the more important matter is not the occurrence of the Hour but the occurrence of his own individual Hour. That is, the more important issue is for the person to realize that he is going to face death. When his death occurs, this is his "Hour," as his deeds will have come to an end and after that there will be only reckoning. This important aspect was alluded to by the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he once asked by a bedouin about the time of the Hour and he pointed to the youngest boy among them and said, J J ,,... > ~ 0 ,... c.. r _;; r I ;s-/ j 1.l.A म 01 "If this [boy] should live, he will not become old and decrepit until your Hour has already been established for you." (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) Again, the time of the Hour is not what is important. The second important aspect is how one spends one's life in preparation for the final Hour. On another occasion, a bedouin asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) when the Hour would come and his response was, "Woe to you! What have you prepared for it?" (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) Hence, the individual is required to prepare for the Hour by faith and good deeds. He has no obligation with respect to when and how it will occur. He said, "Tell me about its signs 1 ." He answered ... The Importance of the Signs of the Hour No one can know when the Day of Judgment will occur. However, Allah has mercifully taught His messengers some of the signs that alert one to the fact that the Hour is approaching. These signs play a very important role, especially for those who live at a time distant from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and who did not experience first hand his teaching and example. These 1 The question was about "signs," in the plural. In the response, the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned only two signs. This is problematic because, in Arabic, the minimum of a plural is generally considered to be three rather than two, which is a dual form only. A response to this is that two can be considered a plural. Another response is that in other narrations of the hadith, three signs are mentioned. (Cf., ibn Hajr, Fath, vol. 1 , p. 166.) The third sign that is mentioned in the other hadith is that the barefoot, scantily clothed, ignorant people will become the leaders of the people. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi signs reinforce one's belief in the Prophet (peace be upon him). More importantly, these signs, if one takes the time to reflect upon them, are a reminder of the Day of Judgment. They should revive the heart of the person and make him recall what he is doing on this earth and to where all this is heading. There is a very direct and clear relationship between the signs of the Hour and ihsaan. When one witnesses these signs around him, they should be clear reminders of Allah and one's future meeting with Allah. They should be a reminder that Allah has foreknowledge of everything that is occurring in this worldthis is how He could convey those signs to His messenger. Therefore, Allah also has knowledge of everything the person is doing. Allah is watching and aware of every act of His creatures. At the very least, this consciousness, which comes about through witnessing the Signs of the Hour, should make the person worship and fear Allah knowing full well that He is seeing him. This is that level of ihsaan known as al-muraaqabah, which was explained earlier. The signs of the Hour can be divided into two types. First are those that occur as part of the changes in everyday life. The second are the extraordinary or supernatural events that will occur just before the actual Hour. In his reply, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) only mentioned some signs of the former category. Perhaps, Allah knows best, this is because these are the signs that have much more of an effect on one's ihsaan in everyday worship, although the recognition of these signs are sometimes more difficult or subtle. Why it is Called "the Hour" The "Hour"1 refers to the Last Day or the Day of Judgment. There are a number of explanations for why it is called the Hour. Some say it is called the "Hour" because, although it will last for a very long time, it will be established suddenly, to the point that a person who is holding some food in his hand will not be able to taste it. For example, Allah says in the Quran, '(. J. ,,,. b,e Ȅ ,,,. /. J.