65/79.1. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4936 — The Prophet and the Hour
Hadith About the Nearness of the Last Hour
Sahih Bukhari : 4936
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4936
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْمِقْدَامِ، حَدَّثَنَا الْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو حَازِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سَهْلُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ بِإِصْبَعَيْهِ هَكَذَا بِالْوُسْطَى وَالَّتِي تَلِي الإِبْهَامَ " بُعِثْتُ وَالسَّاعَةَ كَهَاتَيْنِ ".
Sahl bin Sa`d Narrated from:
I saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) pointing with his index and middle fingers, saying. "The time of my Advent and the Hour are like these two fingers."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4936In-book reference : Book 65, Hadith 457USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 458
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4936
This Hadith is short but powerful. Sahl bin Sa'd said that he saw Allah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم pointing with his index and middle fingers and saying that his advent and the Hour were like those two fingers. The Hadith does not give a date for the Hour, and it should not be used to guess one. Its direct message is that the coming of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the Last Hour are close in comparison, shown by the closeness of the two fingers. The main topic is the Last Hour. It reminds the reader to take the Hereafter seriously because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used a simple visible sign to make the message easy to understand.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used his index and middle fingers to explain the nearness of the Hour.
- The Hadith does not name a date or exact time for the Hour.
- The comparison makes the message simple and memorable.
- Belief in the Last Hour is kept alive through this clear reminder.
