Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
It is authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “I was sent and the Hour is like these two,” and he gestured with his index and middle fingers. The intended meaning is to demonstrate the closeness between his mission ﷺ and the establishment of the Hour.
This does not necessarily mean that the Hour would occur after a short period according to human calculations. Rather, the hadith has several correct meanings, including the following:
His mission ﷺ was the final prophetic mission. There is no prophet between him and the establishment of the Hour. Therefore, his mission is one of the signs that the Hour is approaching.
Ibn Hibban رحمه الله explained that the meaning is that the Prophet ﷺ and the Hour are like the index and middle fingers, with no other prophet between them, because he is the Seal of the Prophets, and the Hour will come upon his الأمة.
A period that a human being considers long may be short in relation to the lifespan of previous nations and to what Allah تعالى has decreed.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
“Indeed, they see it as far away, but We see it as near.”
The Prophet ﷺ also informed us that the remaining period of this الأمة in comparison with previous nations is like the time between the afternoon prayer and sunset, indicating that humanity is in the final stage of the life of this world.
Therefore, the passage of more than fourteen hundred years does not contradict describing the Hour as near, because the Prophet ﷺ did not specify a particular period for its occurrence and did not reveal its date.
Allah تعالى says:
“The reckoning of the people has drawn near, while they are heedlessly turning away.”
He سبحانه also says:
“The Hour has drawn near and the moon has split.”
And He تعالى says:
“And what can make you know? Perhaps the Hour is near.”
The intended meaning is that a person should treat the Hour as near and should not be deceived by the length of time, because its exact time is known only to Allah.
As for artificial rainmaking, it does not mean that human beings have become capable of causing rain to fall independently. A person may use certain means, but causing rain to fall and determining its place, time, and amount are matters that only Allah controls.
Likewise, knowing the sex of a fetus through medical equipment does not contradict the statement of Allah تعالى:
“Indeed, Allah has knowledge of the Hour, sends down the rain, and knows what is in the wombs.”
The verse does not mean that the sex of the fetus alone is something whose knowledge Allah has exclusively reserved for Himself. Rather, it includes comprehensive knowledge of what is in the wombs: the details of creation, lifespan, provision, deeds, happiness and misery, and other matters that human beings cannot fully comprehend.
Thus, doctors knowing some characteristics of a fetus at a particular stage does not mean that they have complete knowledge of everything concerning it.
Cloning does not contradict the texts of revelation. A human being’s ability to perform certain scientific procedures does not mean that he creates something from nothing or possesses independent creative power.
Complete human cloning did not occur in the manner some people imagine. What human beings are able to do by transferring cells or manipulating certain biological processes is merely using causes and materials that Allah has created; it is not independent creation from nothing.
The hadith “I was sent and the Hour is like these two” does not mean that the Hour would occur after a specific number of years or centuries. Rather, it indicates that the mission of the Prophet ﷺ came during the final stages of human history, that there would be no prophet after him, and that the Hour is closer in relation to the portion of human history that has already passed.
A Muslim should not become preoccupied with trying to determine the date of the Hour or object to the revealed texts because of an apparent difficulty. Rather, he should believe what Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have informed us and prepare to meet Allah. For a person’s death is his own personal Hour, and no one knows when it will come.
And Allah knows best.