And this was among the signs of the intermediate Hour: the spread of ignorance, the removal of knowledge, and the prevalence of unlawful sexual intercourse.

It is established in an authentic report from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that by “the Hour” he sometimes meant the passing away of a generation and the occurrence of evils and afflictions through which people are punished. The universal Hour, however, is when people rise from their graves. The former meaning occurs in statements such as:

“If this boy lives out his lifespan, old age will not overtake him before the Hour comes.”

By this he meant the passing away of that generation. Likewise, the term “resurrection” has been used to mean a person’s death, as in the words of al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah:

“O people, you keep saying, ‘The Resurrection! The Resurrection!’ Yet whoever dies, his resurrection has already begun.”

Al-Baghawī accordingly gave a chapter in his book al-Masābīh (The Lamps) the heading: “Chapter: Whoever