the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—a hadith that I have never forgotten since. I heard the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—say: “The first signs to emerge will be the rising of the sun from the west and the emergence of the Beast among the people in the forenoon. Whichever of the two occurs first, the other will follow closely on its heels” (1).
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The hadith of Hudhayfa ibn Usayd concerning the major signs of the Hour was cited earlier. He mentioned the Beast among them; in one narration, it is called “the Beast of the Earth” (2).
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Imam Ahmad narrated from Abu Umāma—may Allah be pleased with him—who traced it back to the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—that he said: “The Beast will emerge and mark people on their noses (3). They will then become numerous among you (4), until a man buys a camel and is asked, ‘From whom did you buy it?’ He will reply, ‘From one of those marked on the nose’” (5).
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Muslim narrated from Abu Hurayra—may Allah be pleased with him—that the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—