مشكوة المصابيح
Mishkat al-Masabih
كتاب الفتن
The Book of Tribulations
(نِصْفُ يَوْمٍ يَعْدِلُ خَمْسَمِئَةِ سَنَةٍ)
(Half a day equals five hundred years)
Hadith 5514
وَعَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «إِنِّي لَأَرْجُو أَنْ لَا تَعْجِزَ أُمَّتِي عِنْدَ رَبِّهَا أَنْ يُؤَخِّرَهُمْ نِصْفَ يَوْمٍ» . قِيلَ لِسَعْدٍ: وَكَمْ نِصْفُ يَوْمٍ؟ قَالَ: خَمْسُمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ. رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُدَ
Sa'd b. Abu Waqqas reported the Prophet as saying, "I hope my people will not fail to maintain their position in the sight of their Lord if He delays them for half a day." Sa`d was asked how long half a day was and said it was five hundred years.[*] *Mirqat, 5:215, explains this as indicating that the last day would not occur within 500 years of the Prophet's time. He hoped his people would keep the faith during all that period. Abu Dawud transmitted it.
