Jabir b. Samura told that he heard the Prophet say, "Before the last hour there will be great liars, so beware of them." Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira told that while the Prophet was talking a nomadic Arab came and asked when the last hour would come, to which he replied, "When the practice of honouring a trust is lost expect the last hour." He asked how it could be lost and he replied, "When rule is given to people who are unworthy of it, expect the last hour." Bukhari transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "The last hour will not come before wealth is abundant and overflowing, before a man brings the zakat on his property and cannot find anyone to accept it from him, and before the land of the Arabs becomes meadows and rivers." In a version by him he said, "the dwellings reach to Ihab or Yihab[*]." *Either two places in the neighbourhood of Medina, or alternative names for the same place. Cf, Yaqut, Mu'jam, 1:408. Muslim transmitted it.

Jabir reported God's messenger as saying, "In the last days there will be a Caliph who will distribute wealth without reckoning it." In a version he said, "Among the last of my people there will be a Caliph who will pour out wealth without counting it." Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "The Euphrates is soon to uncover a treasure of gold, but those who are present must not take any of it." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's messenger as saying, "The last hour will not come before the Euphrates uncovers a mountain of gold for which people will fight, ninety-nine out of each hundred of whom will be killed; but every man among them will say that perhaps he will be the one who will escape." Muslim transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "The earth will vomit oblong `pieces of its liver like columns of gold and silver, and the murderer will come and say it was for this he committed murder, the breaker of family ties will come and say it was for this he broke them, and the thief will come and say it was for this his hand was cut off. They will then leave it and not take any of it." Muslim transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "By Him in whose hand my soul is, the world will not pass away before a man comes by a grave and rolls on it saying he wishes he were, in the place of the occupant of that grave, not for religious reasons, but because of tribulation." Muslim transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "The last hour will not come before there issues from the land of the Hijaz a fire which will illuminate the necks of the camels in Busra." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Anas reported God's messenger as saying, "The least of the signs of the last hour will be a fire which will gather mankind from the East to the West." Bukhari transmitted it.

Anas reported God's messenger as saying, "The last hour will not come before time contracts, a year being like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour, and an hour like the kindling of a fire." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

God's messenger sent us on foot to get spoil, but we returned without getting any. When he saw the signs of distress on our faces, he stood up among us and said, "0 God, do not put them under my care, for I would be too weak to care for them; do not put them in care of themselves, for they would be incapable of that; and do not put them in the care of men, for they would choose the best things for themselves." He then placed his hand on my head and said, "Ibn Hawala, when you see the Caliphate has settled in the holy land, earthquakes, sorrows and serious matters will have drawn near, and on that day the last hour will be nearer to mankind than this hand of mine is to your head." . . .transmitted it[*]. *The name of the source is omitted in the text. The tradition is in Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad (Cairo, 1313), vol. 5 p. 288, and Abu Dawud, Jihad, 35.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, ``When the booty is taken in turn,[*] property given in trust is treated as spoil, zakat is looked on as a fine, learning is acquired for other than a religious purpose, a man obeys his wife and is unfilial towards his mother, brings his friend near and drives his father far off, voices are raised in the mosques, the most wicked member of a tribe becomes its ruler, the most worthless member of a people becomes its leader, a man is honoured through fear of the evil he may do, singing-girls and stringed instruments make their appearance, wines are drunk, and the last members of this people curse the first ones, look at that time for a violent wind, an earthquake, being swallowed Up by the earth, metamorphosis, pelting rain, and signs following one another like bits of a necklace falling one after the other when its string is cut." *Cf. Quran, 59:7 Tirmidhi transmitted it.

"Ali reported God's messenger as saying, "When my people do fifteen things trial will alight on them." He enumerated these things, but did not mention that learning would be acquired for other than a religious purpose. He said, "shows kindness to his friend and repulses his father." He also said, "wine is drunk and silk is worn." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Umm Salama told that she heard God's messenger say, "The Mahdi will be of my family, of the descendants of Fatima." Aba Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported God's messenger as saying, "The Mahdi will be of my stock and will have a broad forehead and a prominent nose. He will fill the earth with equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and will rule for seven years." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

He reported the Prophet as saying in the course of the story about the Mahdi that a man will come to him and say, "Give me, give me, Mahdi," and he will pour into His garment as much as he is able to carry. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Umm Salama reported the Prophet as saying, "Disagreement will occur at the death of a Caliph and a man of the people of Medina will come forth flying to Mecca. Some of the people of Mecca will come to him, bring him out against his will, and swear allegiance to him between the Corner[1] and the Maqam.[2] An expeditionary force will then be sent against him from Syria, but will be swallowed up in the desert between Mecca and Medina, and when the people see that, the high saints[3] of Syria and the best people of al-`Iraq will come to him and swear allegiance to him. Then will arise a man of Quraish whose maternal uncles belong to Kalb and send against them an expeditionary force which will be overcome by them, and that is the expeditionary force of Kalb. He will then govern the people by the sunnah of their Prophet and establish Islam in the earth. He[4] will remain seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him." 1. The corner of the Ka'ba containing the black stone. 2. i.e., Maqam Ibrahim. 3. The word is abdāl. These are righteous people whose number never diminishes, as each one is replaced when he dies. Abdal is the plural of badal which ordinarily means a substitute. I have used a free translation because a literal translation of the word would not convey any conception of the meaning. 4. i.e., the Mahdi. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id told that God's messenger mentioned a trial which would afflict this people so that a man would find no place of refuge to which he could go from oppression, saying, "God will then send a man of my stock and family by whom He will fill the earth with equity and justice as it had been filled with oppression and tyranny. Those who dwell in heaven and those who dwell on earth will be pleased with him. The sky will not cease to give any of its rain, but will pour it forth copiously and the earth will not cease to produce any of its plants, but will bring them forth so that the living will wish the dead were alive in that period of seven, eight, or nine years." Al-Hakim transmitted it.

`Ali reported God's messenger as saying, "A man called al-Harith, a farmer, will come forth from Ma Wara' an-Nahr whose army will be led by a man called Mansur who will establish (or, consolidate) things for Muhammad's family as Quraish consolidated them for God's messenger. Every believer must help him." Or he said, "respond to his summons." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported God's messenger as saying, "By Him in whose hand my soul is, the last hour will not come before wild beasts speak to men, the end of a man's whip and the thong of his sandal speak to him, and his thigh informs him what his family have done since he left them." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Qatada reported God's messenger as saying, "The signs will come after the end of the second century.'' Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Thauban reported God's messenger as saying, "When you see the black standards have come from the direction of Khurasan go to them, for God's khalifa the Mahdi will be among them." Ahmad and Baihaqi, in Dala'il an-nubuwa, transmitted it.

Abu Ishaq told that `Ali looked at his son al-Hasan and said, "This son of mine is a sayyid as God's messenger named him, and from his loins will come forth a man who will be called by your Prophet's name and resemble him in nature but not in appearance." He then mentioned the story about his filling the earth with justice. Abu Dawud transmitted it, but did not mention the story.

Jabir b. `Abdallah told that no locusts were seen in one of the years of `Umar's Caliphate, the year in which he died, and becoming very anxious on this account he sent a rider to the Yemen, another to `Iraq and another to Syria to enquire whether any locusts had been seen. The rider who came from the Yemen brought him a handful and scattered it in front of him, and when `Umar saw it, he said, "God is most great," and told that he had heard God's messenger say, "God who is great and glorious created a thousand species, six hundred in the sea and four hundred on the land. The first species to perish will be the locusts, and when they perish the species will follow one another like beads on a string." Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-iman

Hudhaifa b. Asid al-Ghifari told that the Prophet once came on them when they were discussing and asked the subject of their discussion. On being told that they were discussing the last hour he said, "It will not come till you have seen ten signs before it." He then mentioned the smoke,[1] the dajjal, the beast,[2] the rising of the sun in its place of setting, the descent of Jesus, son of Mary, Gog and, Magog,[3] three subsidences, one in the East, one in the West, and one in Arabia, at the end of which a fire will issue from the Yemen and drive mankind to their place of assembly. A version says that a fire will issue from the lowest part of Aden and drive mankind to the place of assembly. A version has about the tenth [sign] "a wind will cast mankind into the sea." Cf. Quran, 44:10. Cf. Quran, 27:82. Cf. Quran, 18:94; 21:96. Muslim transmitted it.

the smoke, the dajjal, the beast of the earth, the rising of the sun in its place of setting, the trial which will affect all mankind[*], and the one which applies more particularly to one of you." *The Arabic is amr al-'amma which I prefer to explain as in the translation above. It could mean the rule in the hands of the common people. Muslim transmitted it.

`Abdallah b. `Amr told that he heard God's messenger say, "The first of the signs to appear will be the rising of the sun in its place of setting and the coming forth of the beast against mankind in the forenoon. Whichever of them comes first will soon be followed by the other." Muslim transmitted it.

the rising of the sun in its place of setting, the dajjal, and the beast of the earth." Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Dharr told that at sunset God's messenger asked him if he knew where the sun went and that when he replied that God and His messenger knew best he said, "It goes and prostrates itself under the Throne, then asks permission to depart and this is granted; but it will soon prostrate itself and that will not be accepted from it, and will ask permission to depart and that will not be granted. It will be told to go back the way it came, and it will rise in its place of setting." That is the meaning of the words of Him who is exalted, "The sun runs to a determined limit[*]." He said that its determined limit is under the Throne. *Quran, 36:38 (Bukhari and Muslim.)

`Imran b. Husain told that he heard God's messenger say, "Between the creation of Adam and the coming of the last hour there is no more serious matter than the dajjal." Muslim transmitted it.

`Abdallah[*] reported God's messenger as saying, "God is not hidden from you, God most high is not one-eyed, but the antichrist is blind in the right eye, his eye looking like a floating grape." *i.e., Ibn Mas'ud (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Anas reported God's messenger as saying, "There is no prophet who has not warned his people about the one-eyed liar. I tell you that he is one-eyed, but your Lord is not one-eyed. On his forehead are the letters k, f, r." * *Meaning kufr (infidelity) to which he summons people. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "Let me tell you something about the dajjal which no prophet has told his people. He is one-eyed, and will bring with him something like paradise and hell, but what he calls paradise will be hell. I warn you as Noah warned his people about him." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Hudhaifa reported the Prophet as saying, "The dajjal will come forth having with him water and fire, and what mankind see as water will be fire which burns and what they see as fire will be cold, sweet water. Any of you who live till that time must fall into what they see as fire, for it is sweet, fresh water." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Muslim added, "The dajjal will have an eye obliterated over which there will be a coarse film, and `Infidel'[*] will be written on his forehead. Every Muslim who can write and those who cannot will read it." He reported God's messenger as saying, "The dajjal is blind in the left eye and has a great quantity, of hair. He will have his paradise and his hell, but his hell will be paradise and his paradise hell." *kafir The word is written in full in the text. In the tradition of Anas above the alif indicating the long vowel is not written. Muslim transmitted it.

An-Nawwas b. Sam`a.n told that God's messenger mentioned the dajjal saying, "If he comes forth while I am among you I shall be the one who will dispute with him on your behalf, but if he comes forth when I am not among you a man must dispute on his own behalf, and God will take my place in looking after every Muslim. He will be a youth with curly hair and a floating eye whom I might compare to `Abd al- `Uzza b. Qatan. Those of you who live till his time should recite over him the opening verses of sura al-Kahf[1] (a version having `should recite over him the opening verses of sura al-Kahf, for they are your protection from his trial'). He will come forth on a road between Syria and al- `Iraq and do mischief right and left. Stand firm, servants of God." God's messenger was asked how long he would remain in the earth and replied, "Forty days, one like a year, one like a month, one like a week, and the rest of his days like yours." God's messenger was then asked if one day's prayer would suffice them in that day which would be like a year and replied, "No, you must make an estimate of its extent." He was asked how quickly he would go in the earth and replied, "Like rain driven along by the wind. He will come to people and summon them and they will believe in him. He will then give command to the sky and it will give rain and to the earth and it will produce crops. Then in the evening their pasturing animals will come to them with their humps as high as possible; their udders full of milk, and their flanks distended. He will then come to people and summon them, but they will reject what he says, so he will leave them. In the morning they will be destitute, possessing none of their property. He will pass the waste land and tell it to bring forth its treasures, and its treasures will follow him like swarms of bees. He will then summon a man in the prime of youth, strike him with a sword and cut him in two like a shot at a target, after which he will call him and he will come forward laughing with his face shining. But at that very moment God will send the Messiah son of Mary who will descend at the white minaret in the east of Damascus wearing two garments dyed with saffron and placing his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, it will drip and when he raises it beads like pearls will scatter from it. Every infidel who feels the odour of his breath will die, and his breath will reach as far as he can see. He will then seek him till ...

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported God's messenger as saying, "When the dajjal comes forth one of the believers will go towards him, and the armed men, those of the dajjal, will meet him and ask him where he is making for. He will reply that he is making for this man who has come forth, whereupon they will ask him whether he does not believe in their lord, and when he replies, `There is nothing hidden about our Lord,' they will say, `Kill him.' But they will ask one another whether their lord has not forbidden them to kill anyone without his knowledge, and so they will take him to the dajjal; and when the believer sees him, he will say, `0 people, this is the dajjal whom God's messenger mentioned.' The dajjal will then order that he be stretched out, saying, `Take him and stretch him out.' After he has been given many blows on his back and stomach, he will ask him if he does not believe in him, but he will reply that he is the false Messiah. He will then order him to be sawn with a saw from the parting of his hair to between his legs, after which the dajjal will walk between the two pieces and tell him to get up. When he stands up he will ask him if he believes in him, to which he will reply that he has simply received more insight into his true nature, adding, `0 people, no one will be treated thus after me.' The dajjal will then seize him to cut his throat, but the space between bis neck and his collar-bone will be turned into copper and he will find no way by which he can kill him, so he will take him by the hands and feet and throw him into the air, and the people will think he has thrown him into hell, but he will simply have been thrown into paradise." God's messenger said, "This will be the one who suffers the severest martyrdom in the sight of the Lord of the universe." Muslim transmitted it.

Umm Sharik reported God's messenger as saying, "People will fly from the dajjal till they get to the mountains." She asked where the Arabs would be in that day, and he replied that they would be few. Muslim transmitted it.

Anas reported God's messenger as saying, "The dajjal will be followed by seventy thousand Jews of Isfahan wearing Persian shawls." Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported God's messenger as saying, "The dajjal will come but will not be allowed to enter the mountain passes of Medina, so he will alight in one of the salt tracts which are near Medina. A man who is the best (or, one of the best) of the people will go out to him, and will say he testifies that he is the dajjal the report of whom was given them by God's messenger. The dajjal will then ask the people to tell him whether, supposing he kills this man and brings him back to life, they will have any doubts about the matter, and when they reply that they will not he will kill him and afterwards bring him back to life. The man will then say, `I swear by God that I have had no clearer insight into your true nature than I have to-day.' The dajjal will therefore want to kill him, but will not be given power over him." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "The Messiah[*] will come from the East making for Medina and will alight behind Uhud, but the angels will then turn his face towards Syria and he will perish there." *i.e., the dajjal (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Bakra reported the Prophet as saying, "The terror of the antichrist[*] will not enter Medina, which will on that day have seven gates with two angels at each gate." *i.e., the dajjal Bukhari transmitted it.

Fatima, daughter of Qais told that she had heard God's messenger's crier calling to congregational prayer, so she went out to the mosque and prayed along with God's messenger. When he had finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit laughing and told everyone to remain where he had said the prayer. He then asked them if they knew why he had assembled them, and when they replied that God and His messenger knew best, he said, "I swear by God that I have not assembled you for some pleasant purpose or because of fear, but I have assembled you because Tamim ad-Dari, a Christian who came and accepted Islam, told me something which agrees with what I was telling you about the antichrist. He told me that he had sailed in a ship along with thirty men of Lakhm and Judham and that they were storm-tossed for a month. They drew near to an island when the sun was setting and going into the ship's small boats they went ashore where they were met by a very hairy beast whose hair was so abundant that because of it they could not tell its front from its back. They said, `Woe to you! What can you be?' and it replied, `I am the Jassasa.1 Go to this man in the monastery, for he is anxious to get news of you.' He said that when it named a man to them, they were afraid of it lest it should be a she-devil so they went off quickly and entered the monastery where they found a man with the hugest and strongest frame they had ever seen with his hand joined to his neck and in irons from the knees to the ankles. They said, `Woe to you! Who are you?' and he replied that they had had the opportunity of knowing about him, so they must tell him who they were. They said they were Arabs who had sailed in a ship and after having been storm-tossed for a month had landed on the island where they were met by a very hairy beast which informed them that it was the jassasa and told them to go to this man in the monastery, so they had come to him quickly. He asked them to tell him about the palm trees of Baisan whether they were producing fruit, and when they told him that they were, he said they would soon cease to bear fruit. He asked them to tell him about the lake of Tiberias whether there was water in it, and when they replied that it contained a great quantity of water he said that its water, would soon disappear. He asked them to tell him about the spring of Zughar[2] whether there was any water in the spring and whether the people carried on agriculture with the spring water, to which ...

`Abdallah b. `Umar reported God's messenger as saying, "Last night I found myself in a vision at the Ka`ba and saw a ruddy man like the most good-looking of that type that you can see with the most beautiful lock of hair you can see. He had combed it out, and it was dripping with water. He was leaning on the shoulders of two men and going round the House. When I asked who he was I was told that he was the Messiah, son of Mary. Then I saw a man with short, woolly hair who was blind in the right eye, his eye looking like a floating grape. I have never seen anyone more closely resembling Ibn Qatan. He was placing his hands on the shoulders of two men and going round the House. I asked who this man was and was told that he was the antichrist." In a version he said about the dajjal that he was a red, fleshy man with woolly hair, blind in the right eye, Ibn Qatan being the one who resembled him most closely. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Fatima, daughter of Qais told in the tradition of Tamim ad-Dari that he said, "Then I saw a woman who was trailing her hair and asked who she was. She replied that she was the jassasa and told me to go to that castle. I went to it and found a man with trailing hair, bound in fetters, leaping between heaven and earth, and when I asked him who he was he replied that he was the dajjal.'' Abu Dawud transmitted it.

`Ubada b. as-Samit reported God's messenger as saying, "I have told you so much about the dajjal that I am afraid you may not understand. The antichrist is short, hen-toed[*], woolly-haired, one-eyed, an eye sightless and neither protruding nor deep-seated. If you are confused about him, know that your Lord is not one-eyed." *It may also mean 'bandy-legged. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu `Ubaida b. al-Jarrah told that he heard God's-messenger say, "There has been no prophet after Noah who has not warned his people about the dajjal, and I warn you of him." He then described him to them, saying, "Perhaps some who have seen me or heard my words will live till his time." God's messenger was asked what the condition of their hearts would be on that day, and he replied, "Like what they are (meaning at the time he was speaking), or better.' Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

`Amr b. Huraith quoted Abu Bakr as-Siddiq as saying that God's messenger told them the dajjal would come forth from a land in the East called Khurasan followed by peoples whose faces resemble shields covered with skin. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

`Imran b. Husain reported God's messenger as saying, "Let him who hears of the dajjal go far from him, for I swear by God that a man will come to him thinking he is a believer and follow him because of confused ideas which he rouses in him." Abu Dawud transmitted it.