The Hour draws near; the cleaving of the Moon

Allah informs,

اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ

The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft asunder.

Allah informs about the approach of the Last Hour and the imminent end and demise of the world,

أَتَى أَمْرُ اللَّهِ فَلَ تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ

The Event ordained by Allah will come to pass, so seek not to hasten it. (16:1),

اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَـبُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِى غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ

Draws near for mankind their reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness. (21:1)

Hadiths about the Last Hour

There are several Hadiths with this meaning.

Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr Al-Bazzar recorded that Anas said that one day, when the sun was about to set, the Messenger of Allah gave a speech to his Companions, saying,

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

By He in Whose Hand is my soul! 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.

Anas said, "We could only see a small part of the setting sun at the time."

Another Hadith that supports and explains the above Hadith is recorded by Imam Ahmad that Abdullah bin Umar said,

"We were sitting with the Prophet while the sun was rising above Qu`ayqa`an, after `Asr. He said,

مَا أَعْمَارُكُمْ فِي أَعْمَارِ مَنْ مَضَى إِلاَّ كَمَا بَقِيَ مِنَ النَّهَارِ فِيمَا مَضَى

What remains of your time, compared to what has passed, is as long as what remains of this day compared to what has passed of it."

Imam Ahmad recorded that Sahl bin Sa`d said that he heard the Messenger of Allah say,

بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةُ هكَذَا

I was sent like this with the Last Hour.

and he pointed with his middle and index finger.

The Two Sahihs also recorded this Hadith.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Wahb As-Suwa'i said that the Messenger of Allah said,

بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةُ كَهذِهِ مِنْ هذِهِ إِنْ كَادَتْ لَتَسْبِقُنِي

I was sent just before the Last Hour, like the distance between this and this; the latter almost overtook the former.

Al-A`mash joined between his index and middle fingers while narrating this Hadith.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-Awzai said that Ismail bin Ubaydullah said,

"Anas bin Malik went to Al-Walid bin Abdul-Malik who asked him about what he heard from the Messenger of Allah about the Last Hour.

Anas said, `I heard the Messenger of Allah say,

أَنْتُمْ وَالسَّاعَةُ كَهَاتَيْن

You and the Last Hour are as close as these two (fingers)."'

Only Imam Ahmad collected this Hadith.

There is proof to support these Hadiths in the Sahih listing, Al-Hashir (literally the Gatherer), among the names of the Messenger of Allah; he is the first to be gathered, and all people will be gathered thereafter (for the Day of Judgement).

Allah's statement,

وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ

and the moon has been cleft asunder.

It occurred during the time of Allah's Messenger, according to the authentic Mutawatir Hadiths the scholars agree that the moon was cleft asunder during the lifetime of the Prophet, and it was among the clear miracles that Allah gave him. Hadiths mentioning that the Moon was split

The Narration of Anas bin Malik

Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas bin Malik said,

"The people of Makkah asked the Prophet for a miracle and the moon was split into two parts in Makkah.

Allah said,

اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ

The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft asunder."

Muslim also collected this Hadith.

Al-Bukhari recorded that Anas bin Malik said,

"The people of Makkah asked the Messenger of Allah to produce a miracle, and he showed them the splitting of the moon into two parts, until they saw (the mount of) Hira' between them."

This Hadith is recorded in the Two Sahihs with various chains of narration.

The Narration of Jubayr bin Mut`im

Imam Ahmad recorded that Jubayr bin Mut`im said,

"The moon was split into two pieces during the time of Allah's Prophet; a part of the moon was over one mountain and another part over another mountain. So they said, `Muhammad has taken us by his magic.'

They then said, `If he was able to take us by magic, he will not be able to do so with all people."'

Only Imam Ahmad recorded this Hadith with this chain of narration.

Al-Bayhaqi used another chain of narration in a similar Hadith he collected in Ad-Dala'il.

The Narration of `Abdullah bin `Abbas

Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn Abbas said,

"The moon was split during the time of the Prophet."

Al-Bukhari and Muslim collected this Hadith.

Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn Abbas commented on Allah's saying:

اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ

وَإِن يَرَوْا ايَةً يُعْرِضُوا وَيَقُولُوا سِحْرٌ مُّسْتَمِرٌّ