The Signs of the Hour and the Events Before Resurrection

The Islamic eschatological tradition provides a detailed account of the major and minor signs that will precede the Day of Resurrection — events that signal the approaching end of the present age and the imminence of the divine accounting. These signs are drawn from an extensive body of authenticated hadith narrations and form an important part of Islamic eschatological belief. Their study not only provides knowledge about the future but also illuminates the present: many of the minor signs of the Hour are phenomena already observed in the contemporary world, and their recognition encourages the believer to redouble their spiritual vigilance.

The minor signs of the Hour are those that have already begun to appear or that will appear gradually before the major signs. The Prophet described numerous minor signs in various hadiths, including: the lifting of knowledge and the prevalence of ignorance; the prevalence of fornication; the consumption of intoxicants becoming widespread; the decrease in the number of men relative to women; people racing to construct tall buildings; the spread of earthquakes; and people competing in the decoration of mosques while their hearts are spiritually empty. Many of these phenomena are observable in the contemporary world, and their Prophetic identification serves as a confirmation of the divine knowledge of the Prophet and a reminder of the transience of the present age.

The major signs of the Hour represent a qualitatively different order of events — catastrophic, world-historical developments that mark the beginning of the final phase of human history. The scholars have compiled a list of ten major signs based on an authenticated hadith: the Dajjal (the Antichrist), the descent of Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus, peace be upon him), Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog), three great earthquakes (one in the east, one in the west, and one in the Arabian Peninsula), the smoke (dukhkhan), the rising of the sun from the west, the beast of the earth (dabbat al-ardh), the fire that will drive people to their final gathering place, and the blowing of the first trumpet that marks the end of the present world.

The figure of the Dajjal receives particularly extensive attention in the hadith literature. He is described as a one-eyed impostor who will claim divinity, who will perform apparent miracles, and who will lead a vast portion of humanity into apostasy. The Prophet warned his community about the Dajjal with more emphasis than about any other trial, instructing believers to seek refuge from him in prayers and to recite specific verses of Surah al-Kahf as protection against his influence. The Dajjal's appearance in the Holy Land, his forty-day reign of disruption, and his ultimate destruction by Isa ibn Maryam are described in considerable detail across multiple hadith narrations.

The descent of Isa ibn Maryam — the Islamic understanding of the return of Jesus — is affirmed in both the Quran and the Sunnah. The Quran states: 'And indeed, he will be a sign for the Hour, so be not in doubt of it' (43:61). The hadith literature describes Jesus descending near the White Minaret in Damascus, placing his hands on the wings of angels, killing the Dajjal with his spear, breaking the cross, killing the pig, and abolishing the jizya — establishing Islamic law for a period of his righteous reign. The role of Jesus as a Muslim prophet who returns to confirm Islam and who dies a natural death after his return is an important element of Islamic eschatology that distinguishes it from Christian end-times theology.

Badruddin Ahmad notes that the proper relationship to these eschatological signs is one of awareness and preparation rather than obsession or speculation. The Prophet warned against those who would predict specific dates for the Hour, declaring that its knowledge belongs to Allah alone. The believer who has genuinely prepared for the Hereafter through righteous conduct, sincere faith, and continuous spiritual development has nothing to fear from the signs of the Hour, however dramatic they may be.