Minor Signs of the Hour
Allah SWT has instructed mankind that the demise of all life on Earth will come one day. And once that has happened, we will all be resurrected and the Day of Judgement will commence.
However, before this event occurs, there are indications that the final hour is approaching. These indications have been taught to us through various hadith of the Prophet SAWS and they can be split into two areas.
The first signs are the major signs. These are truly tremendous events that will indicate the final hour. Amongst these we will witness the return of Prophet Esa, aka Jesus Christ, peace be upon him.
However, before the handful of major signs are a larger number of smaller events that will occur as an indication to mankind that the final hour is approaching. These are referred to as the minor signs.
The imam reminded us of ayat from the Quran that remind us of this topic. Firstly, it’s the first ayat of Sura Al-Anbya which is translated to say:
˹The time of˺ people’s judgment has drawn near, yet they are heedlessly turning away.
And 18th ayat of Sura Muhammad which is translated to say:
Are they only waiting for the Hour to take them by surprise? Yet ˹some of˺ its signs have already come. Once it actually befalls them, will it not be too late to be mindful?
And so dear brothers, what are these minor signs? Todays reminder will outline a few of them to help illustrate where we are in the timeline towards the final hour.
The Prophet SAWS said: “When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour.” It was asked, “How will honesty be lost, O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)?” He said, “When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the Hour.”
Other minor signs are earthquakes increasing in number, bloodshed increasing, alcohol drunk in great quantities, time will feel to pass more quickly, authority will be given to people who do not deserve it.
Dear brothers, when we study these minor signs, it is easy to feel fearful of where we are at. Some scholars state that almost all of the minor signs have been achieved and that there is only the major signs left. However, the point isn’t about where we are at, the point is about what we do with this knowledge.
Allah SWT knows us better than we know ourselves. We were placed in this time and place by Him and His wisdom. It was always our destiny to be born and present in these times and so we use that awareness to remain calm and act accordingly.
And so this reminder concludes with 3 tips of what we should do regarding the information on the minor signs.
- Do not be in despair. This is the trick of the Shaitaan. We use these reminders to turn back to the protection of Allah SWT as He is the ultimate source of our peace and protection, regardless of where we are at in the timeline.
- Protect yourself from the events that have unfolded and are yet to unfold. For example, reciting the first ten ayat of Sura Kahf.
- Use this as a reminder that ultimately our return is to Allah SWT. Our role in this life is to worship Him through the permissible acts He has instructed us to do and to warn and guide others around us to do the same.
Nobody knows exactly where we are at in the timeline until the Hour. However, we can use whatever knowledge we do have to fulfil our role in the events and that is by being the best that we can be and support others to do the same.
