Khutbah: The Hour is Nigh

Indeed, all praises and thanks are to Allah. We praise Him, we seek His help and we seek His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and from the sins of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can misguide. And whomever Allah misguides, none can guide. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May blessings and peace be upon him, and upon his family and companions.

To proceed:

Imam al-Bazzār narrated from Sayyidinā Anas ibn Mālik (radiy Llāhu ‘anhu) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave a speech to his companions one day, while the sun was about to set, saying:

وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا فِيمَا مَضَى مِنْهَا إِلَّا كَمَا بَقِيَ مِنْ يَوْمِكُمْ هذَا فِيمَا مَضَى مِنْه

"By He is whose Hand my soul is! Not much of this world is left compared to what has already passed of it, except as much as what is left in this day of yours compared to what has already passed of it."

O Slaves of Allah! This ḥadīth highlights to us a significant reality about the times we live in today: we are living very, very, very close to the Hour, i.e. to the day when the world will come to an end. Allah says:

فَهَلْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَّا السَّاعَةَ أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمْ بَغْتَةً ۖ فَقَدْ جَاءَ أَشْرَاطُهَا ۚ فَأَنَّىٰ لَهُمْ إِذَا جَاءَتْهُمْ ذِكْرَاهُمْ

"Are they waiting for the Hour to come upon them suddenly? For no doubt, its signs have already come. But when it actually comes upon them, of what benefit to them will their remembrance be?" (Qur’ān 47:18)

In other words, the Hour will not just come about all of a sudden. The Prophet ﷺ has informed us of signs that will indicate for us that the Hour is indeed near. And in reality, many of these signs have either already taken place or are taking place right before our eyes. I'll give you some examples.

Among the signs of the Hour is that zinā (adultery and fornication) will be widespread. Among the signs of the Hour is that ribā (interest) will be widespread. Among the signs of the Hour is that the masājid (mosques) will be decorated. Among the signs of the Hour is that people will compete in the construction of tall buildings. Among the signs of the Hour is that the worst of the people will be their leaders. Among the signs of the Hour is that a time will come where a person will pass by a grave and wish that they were in the place of that grave's inhabitant. Now compare that all to today's world.

Among the signs of the Hour is that bloodshed and killing will spread. The ḥadīth mentions that this killing will be Muslims killing each other. Among the signs of the Hour is that time will pass quickly; time will just fly. Among the signs of the Hour is that people will say about a man, "How smart is he!" and, "How cool is he!" whilst that man they're praising won't even have an atom-weight's worth of īmān in his heart. Don't we see this today?

Those are just some of the signs of the Day of Judgement. Just a few. But reflect on these few signs, and then reflect on the world you live in, and then allow yourself to let the reality sink in.

Dear brothers and sisters! These were just some of the minor signs of the Day of Judgement. The major signs are yet to appear, but know that when they do, it'll be a huge trial and tribulation (fitnah) for everyone. Your īmān during these times will be severely tested. It will be during these times that the greatest fitnah in the history of humanity will take place: the fitnah of al-Dajjāl (The False Messiah). A man who will call upon the desert to bring forth its treasures, upon which the treasures will come out and gather before him like a swarm of bees. A man who will call upon the skies to rain, upon which it shall rain, a rain that causes the earth to grow its crops. He will claim to be god and bring about extraordinary and supernatural events to occur, to which many of the people will believe his claim, although those firm in faith will recognise that he only brings about these occurrences through the Will of Allah, and that he is nothing but the one-eyed liar prophesied by the Prophet ﷺ, for Allah is not one-eyed – indeed, Allah is not composed of any organs or parts. Those who follow al-Dajjāl will enjoy lives of luxury and great comfort, whereas those who do not will suffer with barely a comfort to enjoy. Things are not gonna be easy for the believer. This will perhaps be the most difficult time in history for the people of Lā ilāha illā Allāh.

Dear Muslims, wake up! We are currently witnessing many of the signs of the Hour right before our eyes, as we've just heard earlier. And at a soon point in time, the greatest fitnah ever from the time of Prophet Adam until the Hour will take place. A fitnah so great that every Prophet warned about it. A fitnah so great that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us to seek refuge in Allah from it in our ṣalāh. So wake up and arm yourselves with the īmān and taqwā that will in shā’ Allāh get you through these trials and tribulations.