I’ll be honest with you — there are moments when I sit back and look at the state of the world and feel a deep, almost inexplicable unease. Wars spreading across Muslim lands, moral values being turned upside down, trust between people eroding, and natural disasters becoming more frequent and more devastating. And every time I find myself in that unsettled space, I return to what the Prophet ﷺ told us centuries ago. He described this time. He warned us about it. And the more I study the minor signs of the Day of Judgement, the more I realise that what we’re witnessing today is not random chaos — it is a timeline unfolding exactly as foretold.
The Prophet ﷺ mentioned many minor signs that would precede the Day of Judgement, and scholars of hadith have compiled these across authentic collections including Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Among the most striking signs that have clearly come to pass: the widespread prevalence of fornication, the drinking of alcohol becoming normalised, the decrease of knowledge and the increase of ignorance, women outnumbering men, and people competing in the construction of tall buildings. I remember reading that last one and thinking about the skylines of Dubai, Riyadh, and cities across the world — towers reaching into the sky as if in a race with the heavens. The Prophet ﷺ specifically mentioned that barefoot, poor shepherds would compete in building tall structures. Anyone who follows the news from the Arabian Peninsula knows this is no longer a metaphor.
But the signs I find most sobering are the ones relating to trust and leadership. It is narrated that among the signs of the Last Hour is that the most trustworthy people will be deemed untrustworthy, and the most untrustworthy will be given authority. Look at global leadership today. Look at how truth has become negotiable, how honesty in public life feels almost extinct. There’s also the sign of time feeling compressed — that hours will feel like minutes and days like hours. Subhanallah, I genuinely feel this. The years are flying past in a way my grandparents never described. Scholars explain this as both a physical and spiritual compression — a sign that the world is winding toward its conclusion.
What this knowledge is supposed to do to us — and this is something I had to personally reckon with — is not frighten us into paralysis, but awaken us into action. The Prophet ﷺ did not share these signs so we would despair. He shared them so we would recognise them, hold tighter to our deen, increase our dhikr, strengthen our salah, and turn back to Allah ﷻ before the door of tawbah closes. If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of Islamic eschatology and other areas of your faith in a structured, guided way, I’d genuinely recommend exploring the Online Islamic Institute — they offer courses and resources that have helped many brothers and sisters across the world build a more grounded and informed relationship with their deen.
There are signs yet to come — the major signs — that have not yet appeared. The emergence of the Dajjal, the descent of Prophet Isa (AS), the rising of the sun from the West. These are not myths or folklore. These are matters of aqeedah — firmly established through mutawatir narrations. And knowing they are ahead of us should recalibrate how we spend our time, how we raise our children, and what we prioritise in this dunya.
I want to close with something personal. Learning about the signs of Qiyamah didn’t make me anxious — it actually gave me clarity. It reminded me that this world was never meant to last forever, that every difficulty I see around me has a context larger than politics or economics, and that my role as a Muslim is to remain firm, remain hopeful, and remain connected to Allah ﷻ. For those who are finding it emotionally and spiritually heavy to navigate these times, the Islahi Majlis is a resource I personally find valuable — a platform rooted in Islamic reformation and spiritual counselling that helps ground you when the world feels overwhelming.
The signs are not meant to scare us. They are mercy from Allah ﷻ — advance notice, so that those with eyes to see can prepare. May Allah ﷻ make us among those who recognise the truth, hold firm to it, and meet the Day of Judgement with hearts at peace.