سُوْرَةُ مُحَمَّدٍ
Surah Muhammad (47) — Ayah 18
فَهَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا ٱلسَّاعَةَ أَن تَأْتِيَهُم بَغْتَةً ۖ فَقَدْ جَآءَ أَشْرَاطُهَا ۚ فَأَنَّىٰ لَهُمْ إِذَا جَآءَتْهُمْ ذِكْرَىٰهُمْ ﴿18﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Do they then await (anything) other than the Hour, that it should come upon them suddenly? But some of its portents (indications and signs) have already come; and when it (actually) is on them, how can they benefit then by their reminder?
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَهَلْ
fahal
Then do
يَنظُرُونَ
yanẓurūna
they wait
إِلَّا
illā
but
ٱلسَّاعَةَ
l-sāʿata
(for) the Hour
أَن
an
that
تَأْتِيَهُم
tatiyahum
it should come to them
بَغْتَةًۭ ۖ
baghtatan
suddenly
فَقَدْ
faqad
But indeed
جَآءَ
jāa
have come
أَشْرَاطُهَا ۚ
ashrāṭuhā
its indications
فَأَنَّىٰ
fa-annā
Then how
لَهُمْ
lahum
to them
إِذَا
idhā
when
جَآءَتْهُمْ
jāathum
has come to them
ذِكْرَىٰهُمْ
dhik'rāhum
their reminder
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
Are they, then, just waiting for the Hour to come upon them suddenly? Its signs [21] have already come. So when it does arrive, what good will their reminder be to them then?
[21]
Signs of the Day of Judgment:
The greatest sign of the Day of Judgment is the advent of the Prophet ﷺ himself, because he is the Seal of the Prophets. In addition, his ﷺ statement also indicates the nearness of the Day of Judgment. Pointing towards his index and middle fingers, the Prophet ﷺ said: “My advent and the Hour are like these two.” [بخاري۔ كتاب الرقاق۔ عنوان باب]
This hadith has two meanings: one is that just as there is no third finger or anything between these two fingers, likewise, there will be no prophet between me and the Day of Judgment. And this meaning is clearly indicated by the word “my advent.” The second meaning is that just as the middle finger extends beyond the index finger, so much of the world’s age remains; then the Day of Judgment will come. Furthermore, among the signs of the Day of Judgment is the splitting of the moon, which occurred during the Prophetic era. Also, in many of his statements, the Prophet ﷺ described the signs of the Day of Judgment, some of which are mentioned in the following ahadith:
Sayyiduna Hudhaifah bin Asid says that once we were discussing among ourselves when the Prophet ﷺ looked towards us and asked: “What are you discussing?” We said: “The Day of Judgment.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “It will not be established until you see ten signs before it: the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast of the earth, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent of ‘Isa son of Maryam, Gog and Magog, and three (places) where the earth will sink: in the east, in the west, and in the Arabian Peninsula. And the last sign will be a fire that will emerge from Yemen and drive people to their gathering place.” [مسلم۔ کتاب الفتن۔ باب فی الآیات تکون قبل الساعۃ]
Sayyiduna Anas ؓ says that I heard the Prophet ﷺ say: “Some of the signs of the Day of Judgment are: knowledge will decrease, ignorance will spread, wine will be drunk in abundance, adultery will become widespread, women will increase and men will decrease, to the extent that one man will be responsible for fifty women.” [بخاري۔ كتاب العلم۔ باب رفع العلم وظهور الجهل]
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Religious knowledge will be taken away, ignorance and tribulations will spread, and ‘harj’ will become abundant.” The Companions ؓ asked: “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, what is ‘harj’?” The Prophet ﷺ gestured by moving his hand sideways to indicate killing. [بخاری۔ کتاب العلم۔ باب الفتیا باشارۃ الید والراس]
And it is also established from the clear statements of the Quran that when the time of death comes, or when such a clear sign appears which is a precursor to the Day of Judgment, such as the rising of the sun from the west, or if someone believes at the coming of the Day of Judgment, it will not benefit him.
[21]
Signs of the Day of Judgment:
The greatest sign of the Day of Judgment is the advent of the Prophet ﷺ himself, because he is the Seal of the Prophets. In addition, his ﷺ statement also indicates the nearness of the Day of Judgment. Pointing towards his index and middle fingers, the Prophet ﷺ said: “My advent and the Hour are like these two.” [بخاري۔ كتاب الرقاق۔ عنوان باب]
This hadith has two meanings: one is that just as there is no third finger or anything between these two fingers, likewise, there will be no prophet between me and the Day of Judgment. And this meaning is clearly indicated by the word “my advent.” The second meaning is that just as the middle finger extends beyond the index finger, so much of the world’s age remains; then the Day of Judgment will come. Furthermore, among the signs of the Day of Judgment is the splitting of the moon, which occurred during the Prophetic era. Also, in many of his statements, the Prophet ﷺ described the signs of the Day of Judgment, some of which are mentioned in the following ahadith:
Sayyiduna Hudhaifah bin Asid says that once we were discussing among ourselves when the Prophet ﷺ looked towards us and asked: “What are you discussing?” We said: “The Day of Judgment.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “It will not be established until you see ten signs before it: the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast of the earth, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent of ‘Isa son of Maryam, Gog and Magog, and three (places) where the earth will sink: in the east, in the west, and in the Arabian Peninsula. And the last sign will be a fire that will emerge from Yemen and drive people to their gathering place.” [مسلم۔ کتاب الفتن۔ باب فی الآیات تکون قبل الساعۃ]
Sayyiduna Anas ؓ says that I heard the Prophet ﷺ say: “Some of the signs of the Day of Judgment are: knowledge will decrease, ignorance will spread, wine will be drunk in abundance, adultery will become widespread, women will increase and men will decrease, to the extent that one man will be responsible for fifty women.” [بخاري۔ كتاب العلم۔ باب رفع العلم وظهور الجهل]
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Religious knowledge will be taken away, ignorance and tribulations will spread, and ‘harj’ will become abundant.” The Companions ؓ asked: “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, what is ‘harj’?” The Prophet ﷺ gestured by moving his hand sideways to indicate killing. [بخاری۔ کتاب العلم۔ باب الفتیا باشارۃ الید والراس]
And it is also established from the clear statements of the Quran that when the time of death comes, or when such a clear sign appears which is a precursor to the Day of Judgment, such as the rising of the sun from the west, or if someone believes at the coming of the Day of Judgment, it will not benefit him.
