This is an explanation of two ahadith regarding the signs of Qiamah.

I have tried to
summarize the explanations given by scholars about different events mentioned in
these ahadith.
I have selected only those ahadith which are authenticated by
Hadith scholars, so, In shaa Allah, there will be no problem with the authenticity of
ahadith.
First Hadith:
Narrated by Abu Huraira:
Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "The Hour will not be
established
(1) till two big groups fight each other whereupon there will be a great number of
casualties on both sides and they will be following one and the same religious
doctrine,
(2) till about thirty Dajjals (liars) appear, and each one of them will claim that he is
Allah's Messenger ,
(3) till the religious knowledge is taken away
(4) Earthquakes will increase in number
(5) time will pass quickly,
(6) afflictions will appear,
(7) Al-Harj, (i.e., killing) will increase,
(8) till wealth will be in abundance ---- so abundant that a wealthy person will worry
lest nobody should accept his Zakat, and whenever he will present it to someone,
that person (to whom it will be offered) will say, 'I am not in need of it,
(9) till the people compete with one another in constructing high buildings,
(10) till a man when passing by a grave of someone will say, 'Would that I were in
his place
(11) and till the sun rises from the West. So when the sun will rise and the people
will see it (rising from the West) they will all believe (embrace Islam) but that will be
the time when: (As Allah said,) 'No good will it do to a soul to believe then, if it
believed not before, nor earned good (by deeds of righteousness) through its Faith.'
(6.158). [Saheeh al Bukharee]
Explanation:
1. Till two big groups fight each other: Most scholars believe that war
mentioned in the Hadith is Battle of Siffin which was fought between the armies of

Hadhrat Ali and Muawiyah [May Allah be pleased with both of them]. The creed of
Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah is to refrain from arguing about what happened among
the Companions of the Prophet [Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam], to pray to Allaah, The
Almighty, that He may be pleased with them, and to believe that they exerted
efforts in adhering to the right. Whoever among them made Ijtihaad (sincerely
exerted efforts in their judgments and rulings) and was right, he would get a double
reward. And whoever made Ijtihaad and was wrong would be rewarded once.
2. till about thirty Dajjals (liars) appear: Thirty Dajjals mentioned in the Hadith
are 30 false prophets who would follow by large number of people and had a
reputation. Those who are not like them are excluded. Below is the list of some of
the pro claimers of prophet hood who got wide recognition in their time:
1. Musaylimah al Kazzab: killed in battle of Yamama.
2. Aswad al-Ansi : Killed by Fairouz ad-Delami.
3. Tulayha ibn Khuwaylid ibn Nawfal al-Asadi: Tulayha was another of the false Prophets
who appeared during the time of the Prophet [Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]
and his companions, but later repented and returned to the fold of Islam.
4. Sajah bint al-Harith ibn Suaeed: After the Battle of Yamama where Musaylimah was killed, Sajah
returned to Islam.

5. al-Mukhtr ibn Ab Ubayd Allah al-Thaqafi: defeated by Mus'ad Ibn Al-Zubayr and
killed.
6. Harith Bin Saeed: Killed on the orders of Abdul Malik Bin Marwan.
7. Muhammad ibn Saeed: He is considered as one of the four infamous forgers
of hadith. He distorted the hadith: "I am the seal of prophets and there is no
prophet after me" by adding: "unless Allah wills {otherwise}". He was
executed by crucifixion by Aboo Jafar.
8. Mahmud ibn al-Faraj: He was executed on the orders of al-Mutawakkil.
9. al-Mirza Ali Muhammad Rida al-Shiraazi: He faced a series of imprisonment,
trials, and indignities before being shot dead by a firing squad in 1850.
10.Mizra Ghulam Ahmad: He invited Hafidh Sanaullah Amratsari, to a prayer
duel. He advertised his supplication to Allah pleading Him to annihilate the
liar amongst the two in the lifetime of the truthful one, by Cholera or by
Plague. He considered them to be the sign of Divine Anger and Punishment.
Mirza subsequently died of cholera a year later.
Hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad indicates that Dajjal e Akbar [the Antichrist] will be
the last of these 30 liars.
3. Knowledge will be taken away: What is meant by knowledge will be taken
away is the death of scholars as mentioned in another narration which says: "Allah
will not deprive you of knowledge after he has given it to you, but it will be taken
away through the death of the religious learned men with their knowledge.
[Saheeh al Bukharee].
4. Earthquakes will increase in number: Sheikh al Areefi wrote: What is meant
by occurrence of numerous earthquakes is that they will occur everywhere and
happen all the time. This may be a mercy for the Ummah and expiation for its sins.

Or it may be a punishment for a people who have indulged in a great amount of

corruption.
5. Time will pass quickly: Shaykh Ibn Baaz said, in his commentary on Fath alBaari : the time passing quickly mentioned in the hadeeth may be interpreted in the
sense of what has happened nowadays, where the distances between cities and
regions have grown shorter and it takes less time to travel between them, because
of the invention of planes, cars, broadcasting, etc. And Allaah knows best.
6. Afflictions will appear: In our times, afflictions have increased and multiplied,
turning many away from their deen (religion). Some of these fitan are as follows:
1) The fitnah of wealth: It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:"The Messenger
of Allah said: 'There will come a time when a man will not care where his wealth
comes from, whether (the source is) Halal(lawful) or Haram(unlawful)." [Sunan
an-Nasa`ee] Many people seek to gain wealth in any possible way, caring not if
that wealth is lawful or unlawful. What matters to them, instead, is attaining
wealth, thinking it is the means to meet their needs. That is why people are in
strong competition to earn money and to have more and more of it. This is a
very
dangerous
fitnah
and
is
spreading.
2) The fitnah of women: Narrated Usama bin Zaid:The Prophet (Sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam) said, "After me I have not left any trial more severe to men than
women."
[Saheeh
al
Bukharee]
3) Emergence of Deviant sects: Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr: that the Messenger
of Allah (Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: Indeed the children of Isra'il split into
seventy-two sects, and my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects. All of them
are in the Fire Except one sect." He said: "And which is it O Messenger of Allah?"
He said: "What I am upon and my Companions." [Jami at Tirmidhi].
Below is the description of some of the major deviant groups which emerged in
the past and their beliefs are present among us in one form or the other.
a) Qadariyyah: Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: The Prophet (Sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam) said: The Qadariyyah are the Magians of this ummah. If they are ill, do
not pay a sick visit to them, and if they die, do not attend their funerals. [Sunan
Abi Dawood] Qadarites denied destiny and declared human will free and human
action independent of Allaahs will and power. The first to openly make this claim
was Mabad al-Juhanee who did so towards the end of the era of the
Companions. He learned it from a Magian in Basrah. This sect consists of two
main branches. One extreme branch which denies Allaahs knowledge, will and
power, and His creation of human actions. This branch has virtually died out over
the centuries. The other less extreme branches believe in Allaahs prior
knowledge of human actions but deny that human actions occur according to His
will, by His power and due to His creation. This philosophical school of thought

settled

on

the

latter

position.

b) Jahmiyyah: The Jahmiyyah are the followers of Jahm ibn Safwan. Jahm was
the first major propagator of the createdness of the Qur'n. He believed that the
Speech of God is created, since all attributes that are ascribed to God and which
are shared by the creation are created too. There can be no sharing in name or
attribute, according to Jahm, for that would necessitate assimilation (al-tashbh).
He therefore denied each and every attribute mentioned in the scriptures like he
denied The Throne, The Kursi, and denied that Allah is above the Throne, above
the heavens; And he say that Allah is everywhere, existing even in dirty places,
Exalted
Be
Allah
from
what
he
say.
c) Mutazilah: The Mutazilites are followers of Waasil ibn Ataa who excluded
himself from the circle of al- Hasan al-Basree and affirmed that sinners are in
limbo between belief and disbelief and that they will remain forever in the
hellfire. Amr ibn Ubayd followed him in this belief. They denied the divine
attributes like the Jahmites, and denied Allaahs Qadar relative to human actions
like the Qadarites, and claimed that one who does major sins will be eternally in
hell
like
al
Khawarij.
d) Al Khawarij: al-Khawarij believes that a person who commits a major sin is
not a Muslim. In addition they speak evil of some companions of the Prophet
(Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) and even believe that some companions are not
Muslims. al-Khawarij do not believe that believers will see Allah, The Great and
Almighty, in the Hereafter. They also deny the stoning punishment in Islam. They
further held that it was a religious duty to revolt against an Imaam that has
sinned.
e) Raafidis: They are called Raafidis because they rejected (rafada) most of the
Sahaabah and they rejected the leadership of the two Shaykhs Abu Bakr and
Umar, They are called Ithna Asharis (Twelvers) because they believe in the
imamate of twelve men from the Prophets family (ahl al-bayt), the first of whom
was Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) and the last of whom was Muhammad
ibn al-Hasan al-Askari, the supposed hidden imam. They exaggerate about their
imams, claiming that they are infallible, and they devote many acts of worship to
them such as supplication, seeking help, offering sacrifices and tawaaf
(circumambulating their tombs). They say that the Holy Quraan has been
distorted, and that things have been added and taken away. They regard most of
the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) as kaafirs, and disavow them,
and they seek to draw closer to Allaah by cursing and reviling them. They claim
that they apostatized after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) except very few (only seven). They attribute badaa to
Allaah, i.e., forming a new opinion that was not held before. This implies
attribution
of
ignorance
to
Allaah,
may
He
be
exalted.

f) Rejecters of Sunnah: Miqdam bin Ma'dikarib Al-Kindi narrated that: The

Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Soon there will come a
time that a man will be reclining on his pillow, and when one of my hadith is
narrated he will say: 'The Book of Allah is (sufficient) between us and you.
Whatever it states is permissible, we will take as permissible, and whatever it
states is forbidden, we will take as forbidden.' Most famous Hadith rejecters of
near past and present are Ghulam Ahmad Pervez, Javed Ahmad Ghamidi and his
student
Khalid
Zaheer.
4) Adornment of Masajid : Narrated by Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet (Sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam) said: The Last Hour will not come until people vie with one
another about masajid. [Abu Dawood] Prophet [Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]
forbade us from decorating our masajid . Abu Dawood narrated that Ibn Abbaas
said: The Messenger of Allaah [Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] said: I have not
been commanded to build lofty mosques. Ibn Abbaas said: You are going to
adorn (mosques) as the Jews and Christians adorn (their places of worship). Abu
darda said: "If you beautify your masaajid, and decorate your masaahif
(copies of the Qur'aan), then destruction is upon you."

8. Till wealth will be in abundance: The scholars differed as to whether this

sign has already occurred or not. Some said that this prophecy was fulfilled at
the time of Caliph Umar bin Abd ul Aziz. While others said it will occur at the
time of al Mahdi.
9. Till the people compete with one another in constructing high buildings:
Competing in constructing high buildings means building many storeys in a
house and making it high for the sake of boasting, showing off and arrogance.
Some narrations specifically mention that Arabs will start competing in
constructing high buildings.
10. Till a man when passing by a grave: This will be due to great amount of
injustice, calamities and tribulations. True Muslims will fear for their faith. It has
been narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah b. 'Amr b. al-'Aas who said: the Prophet
(Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: this Ummah of yours has its days of peace and
(security) in the beginning of its career, and in the last phase of its existence it will
be afflicted with trials and with things disagreeable to you. (In this phase of the
Ummah), there will be tremendous trials one after the other, each making the
previous one dwindle into insignificance. When they would be afflicted with a trial,
the believer would say: This is going to bring about my destruction. When at (the
trial) is over, they would be afflicted with another trial, and the believer would say:
This surely is going to be my end. Whoever wishes to be delivered from the fire and
enter the garden should die with faith in Allah and the Last Day and should treat the
people as he wishes to be treated by them. [Saheeh Muslim]

Second Hadith:
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah , that the Prophet (Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
There will be tribulations during which one who sitting is better than one who is
standing, and one who standing is better than one who is walking, and one who is
walking is better than one who is running. He who exposes himself to them will be
drawn to them and whoever find a refuge from them, let him seek protection
therein. [Saheeh al Bukharee]
Explanation:
What is meant by these tribulations is what will happen among the Muslims of
fighting, hatred and enmity, or disputes over worldly matters, without stating which
of the two parties is in the right or which is in the wrong.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the words one who sitting is better than one who is standing, Ibn alTeen narrated from al-Dawoodi that it seems that what is meant is those who are
fully involved in the turmoil and is part of it, i.e., some of them will be more involved
in that than others. The highest of them in that will be the one who is running, who
will be a cause of stirring them up; then comes the one who is keeping them going,
and he is the one who is walking. Then comes the one who is involved in them, and
he is the one who is standing. Then comes the one who is just looking on, and does
not fight, and he is the one who is sitting. Then comes the one who is avoiding it,
and is neither involved nor looking on, and he is the one who is lying down yet is
awake. Then comes the one who does not do any of that, but he accepts it, and he
is the one who is sleeping.
What is meant by this listing of who is superior in goodness is the one who is less
evil than the one above him in the details mentioned.
What we must do at the times of al Fitan:
1. Attaining the knowledge of Quran and Sunnah: The Prophet Muhammad
[Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] said: "I have left with you Two Things you hold
on firmly to them you will never go astray: The Book of Allah & my Sunnah."
[Al
Muwatta
Imam
Malik]
2. Adherence to the Sunnah and avoiding Bidah: Narrated Irbad ibn
Sariyah: Allahs Messenger [Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] said: I enjoin you to
fear Allah, and to hear and obey even if it be an Abyssinian slave, for those of
you who live after me will see great disagreement. You must then follow my
sunnah and that of the rightly-guided caliphs. Hold to it and stick fast to it.
Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an

error.

[Sunan

Abi

Dawood]

3. Sticking to the group of Muslims and their Imam: Narrated Hudhaifa bin
Al-Yaman: Allahs Messenger [Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] said: (there will be)
some people calling at the gates of the (Hell) Fire, and whoever will respond
to their call, will be thrown by them into the (Hell) Fire." I said, "O Allah s
Apostle! Will you describe them to us?" He said, "They will be from our own
people and will speak our language." I said, "What do you order me to do if
such a state should take place in my life?" He said, "Stick to the group of
Muslims and their Imam (ruler)." I said, "If there is neither a group of Muslims
nor an Imam (ruler)?" He said, "Then turn away from all those sects even if
you were to bite (eat) the roots of a tree till death overtakes you while you
are in that state." [Saheeh al Bukharee]
What is meant by keeping away or withdrawing from people at the time of
division is what was mentioned by al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have
mercy on him) in al-Fath, narrating from al-Tabari, who said: when the people
do not have an imaam (leader) and they split into sects and parties, do not
follow any of these groups; keep away from all of them if possible, lest one
fall into evil.
4. Avoid Fighting during the time of al Fitan: Udaisah bint Uhban said:
When Ali bin Abu Talib came to Basrah, he entered upon my father and said:
O Abu Muslim, will you not help me against these people? He said: Of
course. So he called a slave woman of his and said: O slave woman, bring
me my sword. So she brought it, and he unsheathed it a span, and (I saw
that) it was made of wood. He said: My close friend and your cousin
(Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) advised me, if tribulation (Fitnah) arose among
the Muslims, that I should take a sword of wood. If you wish I will go out with
you. He said: I have no need of you or of your sword. [Sunan ibne Majah]
It was narrated from Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam) said: What will you do when killing befalls the people so that
Hijaratuz-Zait is covered with blood? I said: Whatever Allah and His
Messenger choose for me. He said: Stay with those whom you belong to.
He said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, should I not take my sword and strike
those who do that? He said: Then you will be just like the people. Rather
enter your house. I said: O Messenger of Allah, what if they enter my
house? He said: If you are afraid that the flashing of the sword will dazzle
you, then put the edge of your garment over your face, and let him carry his
own sin and your sin, and he will be one of the people of the Hellfire. [Sunan
ibne Majah]
Narrated Abu Musa al-Ash'ari: The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alayhi wa

sallam) said: Before the Last Hour there will be commotions like pieces of a
dark night in which a man will be a believer in the morning and an infidel in
the evening, or a believer in the evening and infidel in the morning. He who
sits during them will be better than he who gets up and he who walks during
them is better than he who runs. So break your bows, cut your bowstrings
and strike your swords on stones. If people then come in to one of you, let
him be like the better of Adam's two sons. [Sunan Abi Dawood]
Narrated Ubadah ibn as-Samit: The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam) said: If a man kills a believer unjustly, Allah will not accept any action
or duty of his, obligatory or supererogatory.
Khalid bin Dihqan said: I asked Yahya b. Yahya al-Ghassani about the word
i'tabata bi qatlihi spoken by him (as mentioned in the previous tradition). He
said: It means those people who fight during the period of Fitnah,
and one of them kills (the other people) presuming that he is in the
right, so he does not beg pardon of Allah of that (sin). [Sunan Abi
Dawood]

May Allah save us from trials and tribulations of this world and Hereafter. Let our
feets stand firm and our hearts unchanged. Aameen.

Sources:
1. Ashraat us Saaah by Shaykh Yousuf bin Abdullah [Urdu translation by
Muhammad Muqeem bin Hamid Faizi]
2. Jami at Tirmidhi
3. Islamqa.info
4. Islamweb.net
5. Saheeh al Bukharee
6. Saheeh Muslim
7. Sunan Abi Dawood
8. Sunan an Nasaaee
9. Sunan Ibne Majah
10.The End of the World by Shaykh Muhammad al Areefi