The signs are divided into minor signs (ongoing and increasing) and major signs (clear, sequential events near the end). Exact chronological order of every minor sign is not fixed, but the major signs follow a sequence.
Signs of the Last Day According to the Sunnah
Minor Signs
1. The Sending of the Prophet ﷺ
The Prophet ﷺ said:
بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةُ كَهَاتَيْنِ
“I and the Hour have been sent like these two.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6503 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2951]
2. The Death of the Prophet ﷺ
The Prophet ﷺ said:
...اعْدُدْ سِتًّا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ السَّاعَةِ, مَوْتِي
“Count six signs before the Hour, my death...”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3176]
3. Loss of Knowledge and Spread of Ignorance
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ انْتِزَاعًا وَلَكِنْ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ
“Allah does not take away knowledge by removing it from people, but He takes it by taking the scholars.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 100 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2673]
4. Increase in Killing
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ بَيْنَ يَدَىِ السَّاعَةِ لأَيَّامًا يَنْزِلُ فِيهَا الْجَهْلُ، وَيُرْفَعُ فِيهَا الْعِلْمُ، وَيَكْثُرُ فِيهَا الْهَرْجُ، وَالْهَرْجُ الْقَتْلُ
"Near the establishment of the Hour there will be days during which Religious ignorance will spread, knowledge will be taken away (vanish) and there will be much Al-Harj, and Al- Harj means killing."
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 7062]
5. Competition in Building Tall Structures
The Prophet ﷺ said:
وَأَنْ تَرَى الْحُفَاةَ الْعُرَاةَ الْعَالَةَ رِعَاءَ الشَّاءِ يَتَطَاوَلُونَ فِي الْبُنْيَانِ
“You will find barefooted, destitute goat-herds vying with one another in the construction of magnificent buildings..”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 8]
6. Time Passing Quickly
The Prophet ﷺ said:
يَتَقَارَبَ الزَّمَانُ
“time passes quickly...”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 7061]
Major Signs
1. The Mahdī Appears
The Prophet ﷺ said:
الْمَهْدِيُّ مِنِّي أَجْلَى الْجَبْهَةِ أَقْنَى الأَنْفِ يَمْلأُ الأَرْضَ قِسْطًا وَعَدْلاً كَمَا مُلِئَتْ جَوْرًا وَظُلْمًا يَمْلِكُ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ
“The Mahdi will be of my stock, and will have a broad forehead a prominent nose. He will fill the earth will equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years.”
[Sunan Abī Dāwūd 4285 | ḥasan]
2. The Dajjāl (False Messiah)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
مَا بَيْنَ خَلْقِ آدَمَ إِلَى قِيَامِ السَّاعَةِ خَلْقٌ أَكْبَرُ مِنَ الدَّجَّالِ
“There is no matter greater between the creation of Adam and the Hour than the Dajjāl.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2946]
3. The Descent of ʿĪsa
The Prophet ﷺ said:
وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، لَيُوشِكَنَّ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ فِيكُمُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ حَكَمًا عَدْلاً، فَيَكْسِرَ الصَّلِيبَ، وَيَقْتُلَ الْخِنْزِيرَ، وَيَضَعَ الْجِزْيَةَ، وَيَفِيضَ الْمَالُ حَتَّى لاَ يَقْبَلَهُ أَحَدٌ، حَتَّى تَكُونَ السَّجْدَةُ الْوَاحِدَةُ خَيْرًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا
“By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, surely (Jesus,) the son of Mary will soon descend amongst you and will judge mankind justly (as a Just Ruler); he will break the Cross and kill the pigs and there will be no Jizya (i.e. taxation taken from non Muslims). Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it, and a single prostration to Allah (in prayer) will be better than the whole world and whatever is in it.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3448 ]
4. The Emergence of Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj and their destruction
Allah says:
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فُتِحَتْ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ
“Until when Gog and Magog are released…”
[Qur’an 21:96]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
فَيُرْسِلُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهُمُ النَّغَفَ فِي رِقَابِهِمْ فَيُصْبِحُونَ فَرْسَى كَمَوْتِ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ
“Allah would send to them insects (which would attack their necks) and in the morning they would perish like one single person.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2937]
5. The Smoke (Ad-Dukhān)
Allah says:
فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُّبِينٍ
“Then watch for the Day when the sky will bring a visible smoke.”
[Qur’an 44:10]
6. The Beast (Dābbah)
Allah says:
وَإِذَا وَقَعَ الْقَوْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَخْرَجْنَا لَهُمْ دَابَّةً مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ
“When the word is fulfilled against them, We will bring forth for them a beast from the earth…”
[Qur’an 27:82]
7. The Sun Rising From the West
The Prophet ﷺ said:
لَا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّىٰ تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا
“The Hour will not be established until the sun rises from the west.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6506 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 157]
8. Three Major Landslides
The Prophet ﷺ said:
خَسْفٌ بِالْمَشْرِقِ وَخَسْفٌ بِالْمَغْرِبِ وَخَسْفٌ بِجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ
“Three landslides: one in the east, one in the west, and one in the Arabian Peninsula.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2901]
9. Fire Driving People to Their Gathering Place
The Prophet ﷺ said:
وَآخِرُ ذَلِكَ نَارٌ تَخْرُجُ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ تَطْرُدُ النَّاسَ إِلَىٰ مَحْشَرِهِمْ
“The last of that will be a fire emerging from Yemen that will drive people to their place of gathering.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2901]
How to Focus on Action, Not Just Signs
Thinking about the signs can wake you up. Staying stuck in them can distract you. The Sunnah does not teach obsession with events. It teaches preparation through action.
1. The Prophet ﷺ Directed Attention to Action
The Prophet ﷺ said:
بَادِرُوا بِالْأَعْمَالِ فِتَنًا كَقِطَعِ اللَّيْلِ الْمُظْلِمِ
“Hasten to do good deeds before trials like patches of a dark night.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 118]
He did not say track the signs. He said act before they overwhelm you.
2. Build a Daily Minimum of Good Deeds
The Prophet ﷺ said:
أَحَبُّ الْأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَدْوَمُهَا وَإِنْ قَلَّ
“The most beloved deeds to Allah are those that are consistent, even if small.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 783]
Focus on:
Your five daily prayers
Daily dhikr
Small charity
Qur’an engagement
This is preparation.
3. Turn Fear Into Structure
Instead of thinking “the end is near,” translate it into:
What did I do today that would matter if I died tonight?
Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ
“O you who believe, fear Allah, and let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow.”
[Qur’an 59:18]
Focus shifts from events to accountability.
4. Avoid Endless Speculation
The Prophet ﷺ discouraged excessive questioning that does not benefit.
Signs are clear in the Sunnah. Speculation adds nothing.
The end of the world is not your task to track.
Your task is to be ready when your world ends.
