A Summary of the Concepts of Ahl al-Sunnah
The Signs of the Hour
The signs of the Hour are the portents of the Day of Judgment that precede it and indicate its proximity.
They are of two types:
First, the minor signs.
These are the ones that precede the Hour by long periods of time.
And they are of a kind that is usual for people.
Such as the withdrawal of knowledge and the spread of ignorance.
And the boasting in building construction.
Some of these signs have already appeared and passed.
And some have appeared.
And they continue to follow one another and recur.
Such as the boasting in building construction.
And some have not yet appeared.
Second,
The major signs.
These are the momentous events that appear near the Day of Judgment.
And they are unusual for people.
And they are the ten signs mentioned in the hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Regarding the coming of the Hour.
And in it:
"It will not come to pass,
until you see ten signs before it."
So he mentioned the smoke,
and the Dajjal (Antichrist),
and the Beast,
and the rising of the sun from its west,
and the descent of 'Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary),
and Gog and Magog,
and three landslides:
a landslide in the east,
and a landslide in the west,
and a landslide in the Arabian Peninsula.
And the last of that is a fire that will emerge from Yemen,
driving people to their place of gathering.
Narrated by Muslim.
Some scholars add the Mahdi to these signs.
And some consider them among the minor signs that accompany the major signs.
The clearest order for these ten signs
is the appearance of the Dajjal,
then the descent of 'Isa ibn Maryam, peace be upon him,
then the emergence of Gog and Magog,
then the three landslides,
then the smoke,
then the rising of the sun from its west,
then the Beast,
then the fire that will gather people.
A Summary of the Concepts of Ahl al-Sunnah