Sinkholes, Disfigurement, and Stones from the Sky (Khasf, Maskh, Qadhf)
Partly
In brief
The Prophet ﷺ warned that three kinds of punishment would strike this ummah before the Hour: the earth swallowing people (khasf), people being disfigured (maskh), and stones raining from the sky (qadhf). When asked when, he said: when singing women and musical instruments appear and intoxicants are drunk.
This is a minor sign tied to the spread of open sin. Scholars separate local cases of the earth swallowing places, which can happen in this period, from the three great sinkings in the east, the west and Arabia, which are among the ten major signs near the end. Some commentators take maskh literally, others also as the twisting of hearts and character.
Enjoin good, forbid evil, and turn to Allah in repentance whenever natural calamities strike.
Where it sits in the sequence
The narrations do not put these in order, and many of them overlap. Sahih al-Bukhari 7121 lists several together.
Strongest narrations
Read all in the archive →Tags are automatic and unreviewed.
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا صَيْفِيُّ بْنُ رِبْعِيٍّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " يَكُونُ فِي آخِرِ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ خَسْفٌ وَمَسْخٌ وَقَذْفٌ " . قَالَتْ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَنَهْلِكُ وَفِينَا الصَّالِحُونَ قَالَ " نَعَمْ إِذَا ظَهَرَ الْخَبَثُ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ حَدِيثِ عَائِشَةَ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ . وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ تَكَلَّمَ فِيهِ يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ مِنْ قِبَلِ حِفْظِهِ .
Aishah narrated "The Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said:'In the end of this Ummah there will be a collapse, transformation, and Qadhf."' She said :"I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Will they be destroyed while they are righteous among them?' He said: 'Yes, when evil is dominant
حَدَّثَنَا عَبَّادُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الْكُوفِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْقُدُّوسِ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ هِلاَلِ بْنِ يِسَافٍ، عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " فِي هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ خَسْفٌ وَمَسْخٌ وَقَذْفٌ " . فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَتَى ذَاكَ قَالَ " إِذَا ظَهَرَتِ الْقَيْنَاتُ وَالْمَعَازِفُ وَشُرِبَتِ الْخُمُورُ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَقَدْ رُوِيَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَابِطٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مُرْسَلاً وَهَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ .
Imran bin Husain narrated that the Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said:"In this Ummah there shall be collapsing of the earth, transformation and Qadhf." A man among the Muslims said: "O Messenger of Allah! When is that?" He said: "When singing slave-girls, music, and drinking intoxicants spread
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُصْعَبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ أَبِي حَازِمِ بْنِ دِينَارٍ، عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ " يَكُونُ فِي آخِرِ أُمَّتِي خَسْفٌ وَمَسْخٌ وَقَذْفٌ " .
It was narrated from Sahl bin Sa’d that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:“At the end of my nation there will be the earth collapsing, transformations, and Qadhf.”
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ فُضَيْلٍ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " يَكُونُ فِي أُمَّتِي خَسْفٌ وَمَسْخٌ وَقَذْفٌ " .
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:“There will be among my nation collapsing of the earth, transformations, and Qadhf.”
Weak and ungraded reports on this sign
2
Shown for study, not as established. Includes Kitab al-Fitan of Nu'aym ibn Hammad, which is ungraded and weak overall.
Weak report. Shown for study, not as established.
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ الْوَاسِطِيُّ، عَنِ الْمُسْتَلِمِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ رُمَيْحٍ الْجُذَامِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِذَا اتُّخِذَ الْفَىْءُ دُوَلاً وَالأَمَانَةُ مَغْنَمًا وَالزَّكَاةُ مَغْرَمًا وَتُعُلِّمَ لِغَيْرِ الدِّينِ وَأَطَاعَ الرَّجُلُ امْرَأَتَهُ وَعَقَّ أُمَّهُ وَأَدْنَى صَدِيقَهُ وَأَقْصَى أَبَاهُ وَظَهَرَتِ الأَصْوَاتُ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ وَسَادَ الْقَبِيلَةَ فَاسِقُهُمْ وَكَانَ زَعِيمُ الْقَوْمِ أَرْذَلَهُمْ وَأُكْرِمَ الرَّجُلُ مَخَافَةَ شَرِّهِ وَظَهَرَتِ الْقَيْنَاتُ وَالْمَعَازِفُ وَشُرِبَتِ الْخُمُورُ وَلَعَنَ آخِرُ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ أَوَّلَهَا فَلْيَرْتَقِبُوا عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ رِيحًا حَمْرَاءَ وَزَلْزَلَةً وَخَسْفًا وَمَسْخًا وَقَذْفًا وَآيَاتٍ تَتَابَعُ كَنِظَامٍ بَالٍ قُطِعَ سِلْكُهُ فَتَتَابَعَ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ . وَهَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ .
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said:"When Al-Fai' is distributed(preferentially), trust is a spoil of war, Zakat is a fine, knowledge is sought for other than the(sake of the) religion, a man obeys his wife and disobeys his mother, he is close to his friend and far from his father, voices are raised in the Masajid, tribes are led by their wicked, the leader of the people is the most despicable among them, the most honored man is the one whose evil the people are afraid of, singing slave-girls and music spread, intoxicants are drunk, and the end of this Ummah curses its beginning- then anticipate a red wind, earthquake, collapsing of the earth, transformation, Qadhf, and the signs follow in succession like gems of a necklace whose string is cut and so they fall in succession
Not graded under this archive's policy. The verdicts recorded are listed.
حدثنا أبو العباس محمد بن يعقوب، ثنا الحسن بن علي بن عفان العامري، ثنا عبد الله بن نمير، ثنا الحسن بن عمرو الفقيمي، عن أبي الزبير، عن عبد الله بن عمر رضي الله عنهما، قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: «في أمتي خسف ومسخ وقذف» إن كان أبو الزبير سمع من عبد الله بن عمر، فإنه صحيح على شرط مسلم، ولم يخرجاه "
No translation yet. Arabic only.
AI draft, not reviewed by an editor. Read the Arabic for the meaning.
Bible · New Testament
Please note: these Bible passages are here for comparison and history only. In Islam, proof comes from the Quran and sahih hadith. Reports taken from earlier scriptures (Isra'iliyyat) are not treated as proof.
Revelation 8:1-13
The Seventh Seal and the Four Trumpets: Hail, Fire, the Star Wormwood, and Darkening of the Skies
Silence fills heaven for half an hour as seven angels are given seven trumpets. At the first trumpet, hail and fire mingled with blood burn a third of the earth and trees. At the second, a great burning mountain is thrown into the sea, turning a third of it into blood. At the third trumpet, a great burning star named Wormwood falls onto the rivers and springs, poisoning the waters so many die. At the fourth trumpet, a third of the sun, moon, and stars are darkened. An eagle flies through midheaven crying: 'Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth because of the remaining trumpets!'
καὶ ὁ τρίτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀστὴρ μέγας καιόμενος ὡς λαμπάς, καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν ποταμῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων. καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἀστέρος λέγεται Ὁ Ἄψινθος. καὶ ἐγένετο τὸ τρίτον τῶν ὑδάτων εἰς ἄψινθον,
The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch, and it fell on one third of the rivers, and on the springs of water. The name of the star is called 'Wormwood.' One third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters, because they were made bitter.
What scholars have said
Scholars cite it in part, or differ
Imam Al-Qurtubi & Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-AsqalaniAl-Qurtubi: d. 671 AH (600-671 AH)Ibn Hajar: d. 852 AH (773-852 AH)
Note that localized sinkholes (khasf), pelting from the sky (qadhf), and moral/physical disfigurement (maskh) are warned against when open sin, musical instruments, and wine are declared lawful, prefiguring the three great landslides of the major signs.
al-Tadhkirah; Fath al-Bari, on Kitab al-Fitan
Meaning and context
'In this ummah there will be sinking into the earth, transformation and pelting', when singing girls and instruments appear and wine is drunk (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2212). The scholars differ on whether these are literal or describe the ruin of hearts and character; no data can show either, so this panel gives their readings only.
Narrations behind this panel: Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2185 · Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2212 · Sunan Ibn Majah 4060
What the commentators said it means
- Most commentators take them literally, as real punishments that may strike some people of this ummah, while the ummah as a whole is protected from destruction: al-Mubarakpuri, Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi.
- Ibn Taymiyyah held that transformation will be real, and wrote that the hearts of some are transformed before their bodies.
Read with care
- Earthquakes, sinkholes and viral videos of 'people turned into animals' are not labelled here as this sign: tying a disaster to the sins of its victims is a judgement no scholar on this site makes.
Draft: figures and wording await a researcher's check and the scholar board.