Chapter Three: The Minor Signs of the Hour

The minor signs of the Hour mentioned by scholars are exceedingly numerous. Here, I have included those established by the Sunnah as minor signs of the Hour and omitted those that, to the best of my limited knowledge, have not been established. I did so after examining these hadiths and the scholars’ assessments of their authenticity or weakness. There may also be established signs for which I have not encountered any sound hadith.

I have listed these signs without a fixed order because I have not found any hadith—or group of hadiths—that explicitly states their sequence. I first mentioned those which scholars have stated already occurred and passed. In mentioning the remaining signs, I then endeavored to place first those which the course of events requires to precede others. For example, the emergence of tribulations precedes the loss of religious knowledge, because tribulations appeared during the time of the Companions. I placed the battle against the Romans before the conquest of Constantinople because the report presents them in that order. I likewise placed the conquest of Constantinople before the battle against the Jews in the time of Jesus, peace be upon him, because its conquest will occur before the Antichrist appears, whereas Jesus, peace be upon him, will descend after the Antichrist’s appearance—and so forth. Some signs must be mentioned last because they will appear only after the major signs, such as the destruction of the Kaaba