Islamic eschatology (al-Qiyamah, meaning 'the Resurrection') is a core component of Islamic belief, recorded in the Quran and Hadith (the collected sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad). It describes a series of signs that will appear before the Day of Judgment (Yawm al-Qiyamah), as well as the events of Judgment Day itself.
The signs are divided into two categories: minor signs (ashrat al-sa'ah al-sughra) describe the gradual moral, environmental, and behavioral decline before the end times; major signs (al-ashrat al-kubra) are supernatural events immediately preceding the Hour, including the appearance of the Dajjal (Antichrist), the coming of the Mahdi, the return of Isa (Jesus), the release of Gog and Magog, and more.
These prophecies come from authoritative Hadith collections including Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and Sunan Abu Dawud, and have been believed by nearly 2 billion Muslims worldwide for over 1,400 years. This site compiles the most representative eschatological prophecies and evaluates verifiable minor signs against reality.
Core Message
"The Hour will not come until you see ten signs: smoke in the East, smoke in the West, smoke in the Arabian Peninsula, the Dajjal, the Beast, Gog and Magog, the sun rising from the West, and a fire from Yemen that drives people to their place of assembly." — Sahih Muslim
Minor Signs — Gradual signs: moral decay, loss of knowledge, prevalence of lies, acceleration of timeMajor Sign: Mahdi — The guided leader who restores justice and faith before the endMajor Sign: Dajjal — The one-eyed Antichrist who deceives with false miraclesMajor Sign: Return of Isa — Jesus returns, defeats the Dajjal, establishes justiceMajor Sign: Gog & Magog — Destructive forces unleashed before the endDay of Judgment — The trumpet sounds, the dead rise, Allah judges all humanity
Prophecies primarily sourced from Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and other authoritative Hadith collections (Sunnah.com )
Quranic citations reference multiple translations (Quran.com )
Eschatological framework referenced from Wikipedia (Wikipedia: Islamic Eschatology )
Verification based on public news reports and historical records
Editorial opinions do not represent academic consensus or any sectarian position
Site icon: crescent and star — the most widely recognized visual symbol of Islamic civilization
Islamic Eschatology All Prophecies 18 Q&A entries in total
Minor Sign: Loss of Knowledge and Spread of Ignorance
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "Among the signs of the Hour: knowledge will be taken away, and ignorance will prevail." — Sahih al-Bukhari
Minor Sign: Prevalence of Alcohol Consumption
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "Among the signs of the Hour: drinking of alcohol will be widespread, and people will consider it lawful." — Sahih al-Bukhari
Minor Sign: Competition in Building Tall Structures
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "You will see barefoot, naked, destitute shepherds competing in constructing tall buildings." — Sahih Muslim (Hadith of Gabriel)
Minor Sign: Contraction of Time
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "The Hour will not come until time contracts — a year will be like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour, and an hour like the burning of a palm leaf." — Jami' al-Tirmidhi
Minor Sign: Increase in Killing
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "The Hour will not come until killing increases." The Prophet was asked about the increase in killing, and he said: "It will be so prevalent that the killer will not know why he killed, and the victim will not know why he was killed." — Sahih Muslim
Minor Sign: Betrayal of Trust and Unqualified Leadership
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "When trust is lost, then wait for the Hour." Someone asked: "How will trust be lost?" The Prophet said: "When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the Hour." — Sahih al-Bukhari
Minor Sign: Communication from Afar
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "Among the signs of the Hour: a man's whip or the strap of his shoe will tell him what his family has been doing in his absence." — Jami' al-Tirmidhi
Minor Sign: Prevalence of Usury (Riba)
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "There will come a time when people will not care whether what they earn is lawful or unlawful." — Sahih al-Bukhari. Also: "A time will come when everyone will consume riba (usury/interest), and even those who do not consume it will be touched by its dust." — Sunan Abu Dawud
Minor Sign: Great Battle with the Romans (the West)
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "You will fight the Romans, and those before you will also fight them... You will fight them under eighty banners, each banner with twelve thousand soldiers." — Sahih Muslim
Major Sign: Coming of the Mahdi
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "Even if only one day remains of the world, Allah will lengthen that day until He sends a man from my descendants, whose name matches mine and whose father's name matches my father's name. He will fill the earth with justice and equity, just as it had been filled with injustice and oppression." — Sunan Abu Dawud
Major Sign: Appearance of the Dajjal (Antichrist)
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "There is no tribulation from the creation of Adam to the Hour greater than the Dajjal. He is a one-eyed man whose eye looks like a protruding grape. He will roam the earth for forty days — one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of his days like your days." — Sahih Muslim
Major Sign: Descent of Isa (Jesus)
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, the son of Maryam (Isa/Jesus) will shortly descend among you as a just judge. He will break the cross, kill the swine, abolish the jizyah tax, and wealth will be so abundant that no one will accept it." — Sahih al-Bukhari
Major Sign: Release of Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog)
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "Ya'juj and Ma'juj will be released, and they will swoop down from every elevation." — Quran 21:96. Also: "They will pass by the Lake of Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) and drink all its water. The last of them will pass by and say: 'There was once water here.'" — Sahih Muslim
Major Sign: The Sun Rising from the West
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "The Hour will not come until the sun rises from the West. When it rises from the West, all people will believe, but at that point faith will no longer be accepted." — Sahih al-Bukhari. The Quran also states: "The day some signs of your Lord come, faith shall not benefit a soul that had not believed before." — Quran 6:158
Major Sign: The Beast of the Earth (Dabbat al-Ard)
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "When the Word is fulfilled against them, We will bring forth a beast from the earth to speak to them, because people did not believe in Our signs." — Quran 27:82. Hadith narrations state the Beast will mark believers' faces with the staff of Musa (Moses) making them bright, and mark disbelievers' faces with the ring of Sulayman (Solomon) making them dark.
Major Sign: Three Great Landslides
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "Before the Hour there will be three great landslides (khusuf): one in the East, one in the West, and one in the Arabian Peninsula." — Sahih Muslim
Major Sign: Fire from Yemen
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "The Hour will not come until a fire emerges from Yemen, illuminating or driving the camels' necks in Busra, Syria." — Sahih al-Bukhari. Also: "A fire will emerge from the bottom of the sea of Aden in Yemen, driving people toward the gathering place." — Sahih Muslim
The End: The Trumpet and Day of Judgment
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "The Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and the earth will fall dead except whom Allah wills. Then it will be blown again, and they will stand, looking on." — Quran 39:68. "On that Day, people will be like scattered moths, and the mountains will be like carded wool." — Quran 101:4-5
Prophecy Verification Evaluating predictions against reality for expired time points
Minor Sign: Loss of Knowledge and Spread of Ignorance
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "Among the signs of the Hour: knowledge will be taken away, and ignorance will prevail." — Sahih al-Bukhari
The 'knowledge' in the Hadith refers specifically to religious knowledge (ilm). While secular education has never been more widespread, religious knowledge has indeed declined in many Muslim communities. Islamic scholars generally consider this sign to be gradually manifesting.
Minor Sign: Prevalence of Alcohol Consumption
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "Among the signs of the Hour: drinking of alcohol will be widespread, and people will consider it lawful." — Sahih al-Bukhari
Global alcohol consumption grew steadily through the 20th century. WHO data shows per capita pure alcohol consumption was about 6.2 liters for people aged 15+ in 2019. Even in Muslim-majority countries, alcohol consumption exists to varying degrees.
Minor Sign: Competition in Building Tall Structures
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "You will see barefoot, naked, destitute shepherds competing in constructing tall buildings." — Sahih Muslim (Hadith of Gabriel)
Descendants of Bedouin nomads on the Arabian Peninsula have built the world's tallest structures. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai (828m, completed 2010) is the world's tallest building, and Saudi Arabia's Jeddah Tower is planned to exceed 1,000m. The Gulf states' skyscraper race is the most commonly cited real-world fulfillment of this Hadith.
Minor Sign: Contraction of Time
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "The Hour will not come until time contracts — a year will be like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour, and an hour like the burning of a palm leaf." — Jami' al-Tirmidhi
Islamic scholars offer two interpretations: literal acceleration of physical time (a supernatural phenomenon near the end) or subjective perception of time speeding up. The accelerated pace of modern life and information overload creating a sense of time compression are seen by many as fulfillment. However, some scholars argue this describes a supernatural event yet to occur.
Minor Sign: Increase in Killing
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "The Hour will not come until killing increases." The Prophet was asked about the increase in killing, and he said: "It will be so prevalent that the killer will not know why he killed, and the victim will not know why he was killed." — Sahih Muslim
The 20th-21st centuries saw unprecedented scale of warfare and massacre (two World Wars, genocides). In modern terrorist attacks and mass shootings, victims often indeed 'do not know why they were killed.' However, in terms of per capita violent death rates, scholars like Steven Pinker argue human society has overall become safer.
Minor Sign: Betrayal of Trust and Unqualified Leadership
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "When trust is lost, then wait for the Hour." Someone asked: "How will trust be lost?" The Prophet said: "When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the Hour." — Sahih al-Bukhari
This prophecy is widely seen as manifesting in modern politics: the rise of populism, declining professionalism in political appointments, etc. However, the standard of 'undeserving' is subjective, and nepotistic governance has existed throughout history, not unique to modern times.
Minor Sign: Communication from Afar
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "Among the signs of the Hour: a man's whip or the strap of his shoe will tell him what his family has been doing in his absence." — Jami' al-Tirmidhi
Modern smartphones (handheld devices carried everywhere) allow people to call, video chat with, and monitor family from afar. Smartwatches and wearable devices even more closely match the metaphor of 'whip or shoe strap' — small personal items conveying information from a distance.
Minor Sign: Prevalence of Usury (Riba)
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "There will come a time when people will not care whether what they earn is lawful or unlawful." — Sahih al-Bukhari. Also: "A time will come when everyone will consume riba (usury/interest), and even those who do not consume it will be touched by its dust." — Sunan Abu Dawud
The modern global financial system is built on interest rate mechanisms. Nearly everyone participates in interest transactions directly or indirectly through bank deposits, loans, and credit cards. Even those who do not actively borrow are unavoidably affected by interest rates. While Islamic finance is growing rapidly, it remains a tiny fraction of the global financial system.
Minor Sign: Great Battle with the Romans (the West)
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "You will fight the Romans, and those before you will also fight them... You will fight them under eighty banners, each banner with twelve thousand soldiers." — Sahih Muslim
Major Sign: Coming of the Mahdi
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "Even if only one day remains of the world, Allah will lengthen that day until He sends a man from my descendants, whose name matches mine and whose father's name matches my father's name. He will fill the earth with justice and equity, just as it had been filled with injustice and oppression." — Sunan Abu Dawud
Major Sign: Appearance of the Dajjal (Antichrist)
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "There is no tribulation from the creation of Adam to the Hour greater than the Dajjal. He is a one-eyed man whose eye looks like a protruding grape. He will roam the earth for forty days — one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of his days like your days." — Sahih Muslim
Major Sign: Descent of Isa (Jesus)
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, the son of Maryam (Isa/Jesus) will shortly descend among you as a just judge. He will break the cross, kill the swine, abolish the jizyah tax, and wealth will be so abundant that no one will accept it." — Sahih al-Bukhari
Major Sign: Release of Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog)
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "Ya'juj and Ma'juj will be released, and they will swoop down from every elevation." — Quran 21:96. Also: "They will pass by the Lake of Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) and drink all its water. The last of them will pass by and say: 'There was once water here.'" — Sahih Muslim
Major Sign: The Sun Rising from the West
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "The Hour will not come until the sun rises from the West. When it rises from the West, all people will believe, but at that point faith will no longer be accepted." — Sahih al-Bukhari. The Quran also states: "The day some signs of your Lord come, faith shall not benefit a soul that had not believed before." — Quran 6:158
Major Sign: The Beast of the Earth (Dabbat al-Ard)
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "When the Word is fulfilled against them, We will bring forth a beast from the earth to speak to them, because people did not believe in Our signs." — Quran 27:82. Hadith narrations state the Beast will mark believers' faces with the staff of Musa (Moses) making them bright, and mark disbelievers' faces with the ring of Sulayman (Solomon) making them dark.
Major Sign: Three Great Landslides
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "Before the Hour there will be three great landslides (khusuf): one in the East, one in the West, and one in the Arabian Peninsula." — Sahih Muslim
Major Sign: Fire from Yemen
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "The Hour will not come until a fire emerges from Yemen, illuminating or driving the camels' necks in Busra, Syria." — Sahih al-Bukhari. Also: "A fire will emerge from the bottom of the sea of Aden in Yemen, driving people toward the gathering place." — Sahih Muslim
The End: The Trumpet and Day of Judgment
Prophet Muhammad & Hadith: "The Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and the earth will fall dead except whom Allah wills. Then it will be blown again, and they will stand, looking on." — Quran 39:68. "On that Day, people will be like scattered moths, and the mountains will be like carded wool." — Quran 101:4-5