The Prophet's ﷺ Mission and Passing
Appeared
In brief
Scholars count the sending of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as the last messenger, and then his death, as the very first signs that the Hour is near. Since no prophet comes after him, his mission opens the last age of human history.
The Prophet ﷺ held up his index and middle fingers together and said: 'I and the Hour have been sent like these two.' During the Tabuk expedition he told Awf ibn Malik to count six things before the Hour, and the first was his own death, followed by the conquest of Jerusalem. He passed away in 11 AH (632 CE).
Classical scholars such as al-Qurtubi and Ibn Hajar explain the point: earlier nations had new prophets after them, but after Muhammad ﷺ there will be no other, so his coming begins the final stretch.
Hold fast to the Prophet's ﷺ Sunnah and remember that console in every calamity is found by remembering the calamity of his passing.
Where it sits in the sequence
Events the narrations foretold that scholars connect with the first centuries of Islam. No single narration puts them in order.
Verses of the Quran
ٱقۡتَرَبَتِ ٱلسَّاعَةُ وَٱنشَقَّ ٱلۡقَمَرُ١
1. The Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two]
Strongest narrations
Read all in the archive →Tags are automatic and unreviewed.
حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ ـ هُوَ الْجُعْفِيُّ ـ حَدَّثَنَا وَهْبُ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، وَأَبِي التَّيَّاحِ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةَ كَهَاتَيْنِ ".
Narrated Anas:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "I have been sent and the Hour (is at hand) as these two (fingers)
حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِي حَصِينٍ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةَ كَهَاتَيْنِ ". يَعْنِي إِصْبَعَيْنِ. تَابَعَهُ إِسْرَائِيلُ عَنْ أَبِي حَصِينٍ.
Narrated Abu Huraira:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I have been sent and the Hour (is at hand) as these two (fingers)
وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَجِيدِ، عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا خَطَبَ احْمَرَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ وَعَلاَ صَوْتُهُ وَاشْتَدَّ غَضَبُهُ حَتَّى كَأَنَّهُ مُنْذِرُ جَيْشٍ يَقُولُ " صَبَّحَكُمْ وَمَسَّاكُمْ " . وَيَقُولُ " بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةَ كَهَاتَيْنِ " . وَيَقْرُنُ بَيْنَ إِصْبَعَيْهِ السَّبَّابَةِ وَالْوُسْطَى وَيَقُولُ " أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَخَيْرُ الْهُدَى هُدَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَشَرُّ الأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلاَلَةٌ " . ثُمَّ يَقُولُ " أَنَا أَوْلَى بِكُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ مَنْ تَرَكَ مَالاً فَلأَهْلِهِ وَمَنْ تَرَكَ دَيْنًا أَوْ ضَيَاعًا فَإِلَىَّ وَعَلَىَّ " .
Jabir b. Abdullah said:When Allah's Messenger (may peace he upon him) delivered the sermon, his eyes became red, his voice rose, and his anger increased so that he was like one giving a warning against the enemy and saying: "The enemy has made a morning attack on you and in the evening too." He would also say: "The Last Hour and I have been sent like these two." And he would join his forefinger and middle finger; and would further say: "The best of the speech is embodied in the Book of Allah, and the best of the guidance is the guidance given by Muhammad. And the most evil affairs are their innovations; and every innovation is error." He would further say:, I am more dear to a Muslim even than his self; and he who left behind property that is for his family; and he who dies under debt or leaves children (in helplessness), the responsibility (of paying his debt and bringing up his children) lies on me
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ قَتَادَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةُ كَهَاتَيْنِ " . قَالَ شُعْبَةُ وَسَمِعْتُ قَتَادَةَ يَقُولُ فِي قَصَصِهِ كَفَضْلِ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الأُخْرَى فَلاَ أَدْرِي أَذَكَرَهُ عَنْ أَنَسٍ أَوْ قَالَهُ قَتَادَةُ .
Anas b. Malik reported that Allah's Messenger (way peace be upon him) said:I and the Last Hour have been sent like this. Shu'ba said: I heard Qatada as saying in his narration: The excellence of one over the other. And I do not know whether he narrated it from Anas or Qatada himself said so
وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو غَسَّانَ الْمِسْمَعِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مُعْتَمِرٌ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ مَعْبَدٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةُ كَهَاتَيْنِ " . قَالَ وَضَمَّ السَّبَّابَةَ وَالْوُسْطَى .
Anas reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:I and the Last Hour have been sent like this and (he while doing it) joined the forefinger with the middle finger
حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلاَنَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو دَاوُدَ، أَنْبَأَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةَ كَهَاتَيْنِ " . وَأَشَارَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ بِالسَّبَّابَةِ وَالْوُسْطَى فَمَا فَضْلُ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الأُخْرَى . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ .
Anas narrated that the Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said:"The Hour and I were dispatched like these two" - and Abu Dawud(a narrator) indicated with his index and middle fingers- so, how much more(in length) is one then the other
Weak and ungraded reports on this sign
12
Shown for study, not as established. Includes Kitab al-Fitan of Nu'aym ibn Hammad, which is ungraded and weak overall.
Not graded under this archive's policy. The verdicts recorded are listed.
حدثنا يزيد، أخبرنا شعبة، عن قتادة، عن أنس بن مالك، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: " بعثت أنا والساعة كهاتين "، وأشار بالسبابة والوسطى
No translation yet. Arabic only.
AI draft, not reviewed by an editor. Read the Arabic for the meaning.
Not graded under this archive's policy. The verdicts recorded are listed.
حدثنا محمد بن جعفر، حدثنا شعبة، قال: سمعت قتادة يقول: حدثنا أنس بن مالك قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: " بعثت أنا والساعة كهاتين " قال شعبة: وسمعت قتادة يقول: في قصصه كفضل إحداهما على الأخرى، فلا أدري ذكره عن أنس، أم قاله قتادة
No translation yet. Arabic only.
AI draft, not reviewed by an editor. Read the Arabic for the meaning.
Not graded under this archive's policy. The verdicts recorded are listed.
حدثنا محمد بن جعفر، حدثنا شعبة، عن أبي التياح قال: سمعت أنس بن مالك يحدث، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: " بعثت أنا والساعة كهاتين " وبسط أصبعيه السبابة والوسطى "
No translation yet. Arabic only.
AI draft, not reviewed by an editor. Read the Arabic for the meaning.
Not graded under this archive's policy. The verdicts recorded are listed.
حدثنا بهز، حدثنا أبان، حدثنا قتادة، عن أنس بن مالك، أن نبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يقول: " بعثت أنا والساعة كهاتين "، ورفع أصبعيه السبابة والوسطى فضل إحداهما على الأخرى
No translation yet. Arabic only.
AI draft, not reviewed by an editor. Read the Arabic for the meaning.
What scholars have said
Scholars cite it as having appeared
Imam Al-Qurtubid. 671 AH (600-671 AH)
States that the very first sign of the Hour is the sending of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself, as no prophet comes between him and the Resurrection, followed by his passing as named first in the hadith of Awf ibn Malik.
al-Tadhkirah bi-Ahwal al-Mawta wa-Umur al-Akhirah, الباب في أشراط الساعة
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalanid. 852 AH (773-852 AH)
Explains that the Prophet's ﷺ comparison of his mission and the Hour to the index and middle fingers means there is no legislative gap or new prophetic dispensation separating them, and that his death was the first shattering calamity to strike the Ummah.
Fath al-Bari, on Sahih al-Bukhari 3176 & 6504
Present-day data
These numbers show the world today beside the narration. They do not decide whether the sign has appeared; that is shown only through named scholars, in the Scholars' views tab.
That Muhammad ﷺ lived, preached in Arabia and died in 632 CE is not only Muslim tradition. Christian writers of his own generation name him, radiocarbon dating puts Quran manuscripts within decades of his life, and coins and inscriptions bear his name before the end of the first Islamic century. History can show that he lived and was followed as a prophet; that he was sent by Allah is a matter of faith.
Narrations behind this panel: Sahih al-Bukhari 6504 · Sahih al-Bukhari 3176
c. 634 CE · 13 AHDoctrina JacobiGreek Christian text, Palestine/CarthageA Jewish convert writes that 'a prophet has appeared, coming with the Saracens'.Written within about two years of his death
A hostile witness: the writer rejects the prophet, yet confirms that the Arab armies entering Palestine followed a man they called a prophet.
- Studied by
- Robert Hoyland, Seeing Islam as Others Saw It (1997)
- Sources
- Wikipedia: Doctrina Jacobi
c. 640 CE · 19 AHChronicle of Thomas the PresbyterSyriac chronicle, SyriaRecords a battle on 4 February 634 'between the Romans and the Arabs of Muhammad' near Gaza.The earliest surviving mention of him by name outside Islam
Thomas was a Christian priest writing in the same decade, with no reason to invent a Muslim leader.
- Studied by
- Robert Hoyland; Andrew Palmer, The Seventh Century in the West-Syrian Chronicles (1993)
568-645 CE (radiocarbon)Birmingham Quran manuscriptمصحف برمنغهامCadbury Research Library, University of BirminghamTwo parchment leaves with parts of Surahs 18-20, dated at Oxford with 95.4% probability.Overlaps the Prophet's ﷺ lifetime (c. 570-632)
Radiocarbon dates the death of the animal whose skin became the parchment, so the writing is at or soon after that date. The text matches today's Quran.
- Studied by
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit; Alba Fedeli
c. 660s CE · 40s AHHistory attributed to SebeosArmenian chronicleDescribes an Ishmaelite named Muhammad, a merchant, who taught the Arabs to worship the God of Abraham.An independent account from outside the Arab and Byzantine worlds
It gets details of his teaching broadly right: one God, the religion of Abraham, and a law given to his followers.
- Studied by
- Robert Thomson and James Howard-Johnston (1999)
- Sources
- Wikipedia: Sebeos
before c. 671 CE (radiocarbon)Sana'a palimpsestمخطوطات صنعاءGreat Mosque of Sana'a, YemenQuran leaves found in 1972; the parchment was dated to before about 671 CE with high probability.Within forty years of his death
Its lower, erased text has small variants in wording and order that scholars study; its surahs and verses are those of the Quran.
- Studied by
- Behnam Sadeghi and Uwe Bergmann (2010)
- Sources
- Wikipedia: Sanaa manuscript
66 AH · 685-686 CECoin with 'Muhammad rasul Allah'بسم الله محمد رسول اللهBishapur mint, Fars, IranAn Arab-Sasanian silver drachm carries the words 'In the name of Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah'.The earliest dated object to name him
Coins are dated by their mint year, so they fix a point in time without relying on any later report.
- Studied by
- Numismatic catalogues of Arab-Sasanian coinage
72 AH · 691-692 CEDome of the Rock inscriptionقبة الصخرةJerusalemA mosaic band of Quranic verses names Muhammad as the servant and messenger of Allah.Still in place, the oldest dated monumental Quran text
Built by the caliph Abd al-Malik and dated in its own inscription.
- Studied by
- Oleg Grabar; Estelle Whelan
- Sources
- Wikipedia: Dome of the Rock
Read with care
- These sources prove that he lived, led the Arabs and was followed as a prophet. They cannot prove prophethood, which is a matter of faith (Quran 48:29).
- Radiocarbon gives a range for the parchment, not the exact day it was written. Dates of the early non-Muslim texts are as their editors give them.
Draft: figures and wording await a researcher's check and the scholar board.