This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Hafiz Mubashir Hussain Lahori's book Signs of the Day of Judgment in the Light of Authentic Hadith.
Sign of the Day of Judgment: Righteous People Will Become Extinct
عن مرداس الأسلمي رضى الله عنه قال قال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم : يذهب الصالحون الأول فالأول ويبقى حفالة كحفالة الشعير أو التمر ، لا يباليهم الله بالة
It is narrated from Hazrat Mardas Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: The righteous people will depart one after another, and the worthless people will remain, just as the chaff of barley or the leftover date refuse remains, and Allah Almighty will not care for them.
Reference: Bukhari: Book of Softening the Hearts: Chapter on the Departure of the Righteous (6434)
عن عمرو بن شعيب عن أبيه عن جده عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : يأتى على الناس زمان يغربلون فيه غربلة يبقى منهم حثالة قد مرجت عهودهم وأماناتهم واختلفوا فكانوا هكذا وشبك بين أصابعه
Hazrat Amr bin Shu'aib narrates from his father, and he from his grandfather (Abdullah bin Amr, may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: A time will come upon the people when they will be thoroughly sifted and purified, and the worthless people will remain (while the righteous will be eliminated). Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) joined the fingers of both his hands and said: In this way, their promises and trusts will become mixed up and they will fall into disputes.
Reference: Ahmad (289/2 - 291) Abu Dawood: Book of Tribulations and End Times (4342) Ibn Majah (4005) Hakim (481/4) Al-Targhib (124/1) Mushkil al-Athar (219/3)
A similar narration is also reported from Hazrat Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them) with the addition: O Messenger of Allah! What should we do at that time? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Fear Allah, do good deeds, avoid evil, and especially care for yourself rather than others.
Hazrat Zainab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) says: Once the Prophet (peace be upon him) woke up from sleep with a red face and recited لا اله الا الله (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah) and said: Destruction is near for the Arabs from this evil that is approaching. He was asked: Will we be destroyed while there are righteous people among us? He said: Yes! When wickedness increases greatly.
Reference: Bukhari: Book of Tribulations: Chapter on the Saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him) "Woe to the Arabs from an evil that is near" (7059)
It is narrated from Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Among the signs of the Hour is that the humiliated and despicable people will dominate the world.
Reference: Ahmad (535/5) Majma' al-Zawa'id (630/7) Abdul Razzaq (316/11) Al-Silsilah al-Sahihah (9/4)
عن عبد الله بن مسعود رضى الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : لا تقوم الساعة إلا على شرار الناس
It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: The Hour will not be established except over the worst of people. (It will be established when the righteous are eliminated)
Reference: Muslim: Book of Tribulations: Chapter on the Nearness of the Hour (2949) Ahmad (492/1) Sharh al-Sunnah (461/7) Ibn Hibban (6836)
It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: The worst people are those over whom the Hour will be established during their lifetime.
Reference: Bukhari: Book of Tribulations: Chapter on the Appearance of Tribulations (7067) Ahmad (506/1)
Benefits:
➊ The disappearance of righteous people is a sign of the Day of Judgment.
➋ In the current circumstances, this mentioned sign of the Day of Judgment has become very clear.
➌ Allah Almighty likes only the righteous and pious people among His creation, and when gradually the end of the righteous and noble people comes, the Day of Judgment will be established, as Allah Almighty says:
Allah will not punish them while they seek forgiveness.
Reference: Surah Al-Anfal: 33
➍ The business of the world is sustained due to righteous people.
➎ The sign of frivolous people is mentioned as their being deprived of noble qualities and good morals such as honesty, trustworthiness, keeping promises, truthfulness, and straightforwardness.
➏ In the present era, performing the duty of preaching Islam is difficult, let alone practicing Islam itself.
➐ When the roots of discord, corruption, disagreements, and practical misguidance become strong among people, in such circumstances, caring for one’s own religion and faith is more necessary than reforming others.
➑ If circumstances permit, serving the cause of preaching religion to the best of one’s ability is an extremely beloved act in the sight of Allah Almighty.
➒ Righteous people will not suddenly disappear from society (the world), rather this regrettable condition will gradually appear, and experience shows that religious families are rapidly falling prey to moral misguidance.
➓ The mentioned sign of the Day of Judgment is true, but we should present the example of righteous and pious individuals through our own behavior, and to keep the name and mark of goodness alive, we should provide all opportunities for our new generation to benefit from religious education and training.
