Al-Irshad ila Sahih al-Itiqad - Salih Al-Fawzan - (223)

Among them as well was the murder of the believer ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (may Allah be pleased with him). Hudhayfah said, “The first of the tribulations was the killing of ʿUthmān,” and he went on to mention the battles that later erupted among the Muslims and the rise of deviant factions such as the Khārijites and the Rāfiḍah. He further added, “Another sign is the appearance of impostors—lesser dajjāls—each of whom will claim to be a prophet.”

Another sign is the disappearance of Arab dominion, recorded by al-Tirmidhī.
Another is the abundance of wealth, reported by the two Ṣaḥīḥs and others.
Yet another is the proliferation of earthquakes, land-swallowings, metamorphoses, and stones hurled from the sky…

There are many other matters the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) foretold as portents of the Hour; they have already appeared, passed, and come to an end.

The intermediate signs

These are the signs that have indeed manifested but have not yet ceased; rather, they continue to increase in frequency and intensity, and they are very numerous.

• Among them is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): “The Hour will not come until the happiest of people in worldly terms is lukaʿ ibn lukaʿ,” narrated by Imām Aḥmad, al-Tirmidhī, and al-Ḍiyāʾ al-Maqdisī from Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him). Lukaʿ means a slave, a fool, or a base person; that is, the Hour will not come until the ignoble and the foolish become the leaders of the people.

• Another sign is his saying (peace be upon him): “A time will come upon people when the one who remains steadfast upon his religion will be like someone holding a live ember,” related by al-Tirmidhī from Anas.

• And his saying (peace be upon him): “The Hour will not come until people boast with one another about their mosques,” narrated by Imām Aḥmad; Abū Dāwūd, Ibn Ḥibbān, and Ibn Mājah also transmit it from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him).

• And his saying (peace be upon him): “Toward the end of time there will be worshipers who are ignorant and reciters who are profligate,” and in another wording:

ومنها: قتل المؤمنين عثمان بن عفان ﵁؛ قال حذيفة: "أول الفتن قتل عثمان"، وذكر الحروب التي وقعت بين المسلمين بعد ذلك، وظهور الفرق الضالة كالخوارج والرافضة، ثم قال: "ومنها: خروج كذابين دجالين، وكل منهم يدعي أنه نبي". ومنها: زوال ملك العرب؛ رواه الترمذي. ومنها: كثرة المال؛ رواه الشيخان وغيرهما. ومنها: كثرة الزلازل والخسف والمسخ والقذف ... وغير ذلك مما أخبر عنه النبي ﷺ أنه من أمارات الساعة؛ فظهر ومضى وانقضى. الثانية: الأمارات المتوسطة. وهي التي ظهرت ولم تنقض، بل تتزايد وتكثر، وهي كثيرة جدًا: منها قوله ﷺ: "لا تقوم الساعة حتى يكون أسعد الناس بالدنيا لكع ابن لكع"، رواه الإمام أحمد والترمذي والضياء المقدسي من حديث حذيفة ﵁، واللكع: العبد والأحمق واللئيم، والمعنى: لا تقوم الساعة حتى يكون اللئام والحمقى ونحوهم رؤساء الناس. ومن الأمارات: قوله ﷺ: "يأتي على الناس زمان الصابر على دينه كالقابض على الجمر"، رواه الترمذي عن أنس. وقوله ﷺ: "لا تقوم الساعة حتى يتباهى الناس في المساجد"، رواه الإمام أحمد ولأبو داود وابن حبان وابن ماجه عن أنس ﵁. وقوله ﷺ: "يكون في آخر الزمان عباد جهال وقراء فسقة"، وفي لفظ: