English
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “Among the signs of the Hour are that knowledge will be lifted 1, ignorance will increase, adultery will increase, wine-drinking will increase, men will decrease, and women will increase until one man will be responsible for fifty women.” In another narration: “Knowledge will decrease, and ignorance will appear.”
Possible references (unverified, pending editorial review)
- Candidate: Sahih al-Bukhari 81 (unverified) 98% confidence
- Candidate: Sahih al-Bukhari 5231 (unverified) 97% confidence
- Candidate: Sahih Muslim 2671b (unverified) 96% confidence
Confidence and text similarity are not editorial verification.
Commentary and footnotes (2)
Note 1
(1) His statement: “knowledge will be lifted” means it will be removed, either by the death of scholars or by their humiliation before rulers. His statement: “adultery will increase” is due to a lack of modesty. His statement: “one man will be responsible” means solely responsible for their affairs, not that they are his wives, but includes mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and maternal aunts. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)
Note 1
(۱) قوله: يرفع العلم أي يرتفع إما بقبض العلماء وإما بخفضهم عند الأمراء. وقوله: «ويكثر الزنا» أي لأجل قلة الحياء. وقوله: «القيم الواحد أي المنفرد لمصالحهن، وليس المراد أنهن زوجات له، بل أعم منها، ومن الأمهات والجدات والأخوات والعمات والخالات. كذا في «المرقاة».