67/111. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5231 — Signs of the Hour
Men will decrease and women will increase
وَقَالَ أَبُو مُوسَى عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «وَتَرَى الرَّجُلَ الْوَاحِدَ يَتْبَعُهُ أَرْبَعُونَ امْرَأَةً، يَلُذْنَ بِهِ مِنْ قِلَّةِ الرِّجَالِ وَكَثْرَةِ النِّسَاءِ».
Signs of the Hour Hadith: Knowledge, Ignorance, Zina, and Alcohol
Sahih Bukhari : 5231
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5231
حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ عُمَرَ الْحَوْضِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ لأُحَدِّثَنَّكُمْ حَدِيثًا سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لاَ يُحَدِّثُكُمْ بِهِ أَحَدٌ غَيْرِي، سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " إِنَّ مِنْ أَشْرَاطِ السَّاعَةِ أَنْ يُرْفَعَ الْعِلْمُ، وَيَكْثُرَ الْجَهْلُ وَيَكْثُرَ الزِّنَا، وَيَكْثُرَ شُرْبُ الْخَمْرِ، وَيَقِلَّ الرِّجَالُ، وَيَكْثُرَ النِّسَاءُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ لِخَمْسِينَ امْرَأَةً الْقَيِّمُ الْوَاحِدُ ".
Anas Narrated from:
I will narrate to you a Hadith I heard from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and none other than I will tell you of it. I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "From among the portents of the Hour are the following: Religious knowledge will be taken away; General ignorance (in religious matters) will increase; illegal Sexual intercourse will prevail: Drinking of alcoholic drinks will prevail. Men will decrease in number, and women will increase in number, so much so that fifty women will be looked after by one man."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5231In-book reference : Book 67, Hadith 164USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 62, Hadith 158
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5231
This hadith lists several signs of the Hour. Anas said he heard this from the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم). The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) mentioned that religious knowledge would be taken away, ignorance in religious matters would increase, illegal sexual intercourse would become common, and drinking alcoholic drinks would become common. He also said that men would decrease in number and women would increase until fifty women would be looked after by one man. The hadith about signs of the Hour is a serious reminder. It points to changes in faith, knowledge, morals, and society. The safe lesson is to value religious knowledge, avoid sinful behavior, and not take the spread of ignorance, zina, or alcohol lightly.
What we learn from this hadith
- Religious knowledge is valuable and should not be neglected.
- Ignorance in religious matters is mentioned as a sign of the Hour.
- The spread of zina and alcohol is warned against in the hadith.
- The hadith calls believers to take moral decline seriously.
