When is the Hour? When amanah is lost
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : بَيْنَمَا النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي مَجْلِسٍ يُحَدِّثُ الْقَوْمَ، جَاءَهُ أَعْرَابِيٌّ فَقَالَ : مَتَى السَّاعَةُ ؟ فَمَضَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُحَدِّثُ، فَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ : سَمِعَ مَا قَالَ فَكَرِهَ مَا قَالَ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ : بَلْ لَمْ يَسْمَعْ؛ حَتَّى إِذَا قَضَى حَدِيثَهُ، قَالَ : ” أَيْنَ أُرَاهُ السَّائِلُ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ ؟ “
قَالَ: هَا أَنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ.
قَالَ: ” فَإِذَا ضُيِّعَتِ الْأَمَانَةُ فَانْتَظِرِ السَّاعَةَ “.
قَالَ: كَيْفَ إِضَاعَتُهَا؟
قَالَ: ” إِذَا وُسِّدَ الْأَمْرُ إِلَى غَيْرِ أَهْلِهِ فَانْتَظِرِ السَّاعَةَ “. رواه البخاري.
While the Prophet ﷺ was sitting in a gathering and speaking to the people, a Bedouin came and asked: “When will the Hour be?” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ continued his talk. Some of those present said: “He heard what was said, but he disliked it.” Others said: “No, he did not hear it.”
When the Prophet ﷺ finished his speech, he asked: “Where is the one who asked about the Hour?” The man replied: “Here I am, O Messenger of Allah.”
The Prophet ﷺ said: “When trust is lost, then await the Hour.”
The man asked: “How will it be lost?”
The Prophet ﷺ replied: “When authority is given to those who are not qualified for it, then await the Hour.” (Sahih al-Bukhari)
There are many lessons in this hadith alone. When you have a concern and things are not clear or you have a question in your mind, ask someone you trust to get the answer. In this hadith, the Bedouin was looking for the answer and so he asked.
Ibn Hajar al Asqalani said he searched, but could not identify of this man; as he is unnamed, it is classified as a mubham person. In other hadiths, the scholars knew the name of the person who asked a question, but regardless who he was, it was the core of his question which matters.
This man interrupted the Prophet ﷺ during his talk. Bedouins often did not have proper etiquette, so the Prophet ﷺ did not reply straightaway to teach him not to interrupt or waiting for wahy (revelation). When he ﷺ finished the talk, he ﷺ did not neglect to reply to his question.
Usually the ‘Hour’ refers to the Day of Judgement. The Prophet ﷺ was asked similar questions on many occasions and would answer it in different ways. For instance, he was often asked ‘Which is the best deed?’ (a common concern among the companions), and he gave different answers depending on who was asking.
Once, when he was asked, ‘When is the Hour’, he ﷺ replied ‘What have you prepared?’ However, on this occasion, he ﷺ replied that it will be the Hour ‘when the amanah is lost’. The man was perplexed by this answer, so he sought clarification, asking when amanah would be lost. The Prophet ﷺ explained that amanah is lost “when authority is given to those who are not qualified for it, then await the Hour.”
Signs of the Day of Judgement
The Prophet ﷺ was giving us hints about the signs that would precede the Day of Judgement. It does not mean that the Hour will start when amanah is lost, but that when amanah is lost, corruption will spread, and it will be towards the end of time.
When people are appointed to positions they do not deserve to be in, either due to bribery or favouritism, they are not qualified for that role. This is corruption and a dereliction of amanah. Amanah is a broad term which encompasses the trust between us and God, and the trust between us and others. When a leader is appointed not because of his character, manners, vision, track-record or qualifications, but because of his father or friends, then his decisions will not be in the best interests of the people. This is corruption and corruption leads to the Day of Judgement, as recorded in many hadith. The more corruption spreads, the closer we are to the Day of Judgment.
Corruption
When authority is given to those who are not qualified to deliver the trust, then there is corruption. Today the UN announced that there is a famine in Gaza. Yet world leaders are still hesitant to classify the deaths in Gaza as a genocide. When will they be sure? When everyone has been wiped out?
When appointing leaders we need to make sure they are just, have knowledge and experience. If they are being appointed to a religious position, their personal piety is important. In addition, leaders should have a good team for shura (consultation), to help make the right decisions. Sometimes you need those with expertise to help inform you on what is the best decision.
Qualities of good leaders
Scholars of Quran and Sunnah explained that those entrusted with leadership must embody certain qualities. Firstly, they must be trustworthy:
إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ ٱسْتَأْجَرْتَ ٱلۡقَوِىُّ ٱلۡأَمِينُ
“Indeed, the best one you can hire is the strong and the trustworthy.” (al-Qasas 28:26)
Without integrity, authority becomes vulnerable to betrayal, corruption, and misuse.
Alongside this is competence, which includes knowledge, sound management, and wise decision-making. As Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) said:
ٱجۡعَلۡنِى عَلَىٰ خَزَآئِنِ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِنِّى حَفِيظٌ عَلِيمٞ
“Appoint me over the storehouses of the land; indeed, I am a knowledgeable guardian.” (Yusuf 12:55)
Justice is another essential condition, as leaders must act fairly and avoid bias or favouritism. Allah commands:
وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُم بَيْنَ ٱلنَّاسِ أَن تَحْكُمُوا بِٱلْعَدْلِ
“When you judge between people, judge with justice.” (al-Nisa 4:58)
Finally, Islam emphasises shura, mutual consultation, as a safeguard against tyranny and poor decision-making, for Allah describes the believers as those whose:
وَأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَىٰ بَيْنَهُمْ
“Their affairs are conducted by mutual consultation among them.” (al-Shura 42:38)
Weak leaders
Not everyone has what it takes to be a good leader. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned to Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) that he ﷺ loved for him what he ﷺ loved for himself, and therefore as Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) was weak, he ﷺ would not appoint him as a leader, as he would not be able to carry the amanah.
Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, “O Abu Dharr, I see that you are weak and I like for you what I like for myself. Do not rule over (even) two persons, and do not manage an orphan’s property.” [Muslim]
I said, “O Messenger of Allah, will you not appoint me (to a position of authority)?” The Prophet ﷺ struck his hand on my shoulder and said: “O Abu Dharr, you are weak, and it (authority) is a trust. And verily, on the Day of Resurrection it will be a cause of disgrace and regret, except for the one who takes it with its due right and fulfills the responsibilities that are upon him in it.”
[Muslim]
Unfortunately, we see weak leaders today, both on a national and international level. They do not act, because they are weak. This is why we are seeing the spread of corruption, which is one of the signs of the Day of Judgement.
We need to appoint the right leaders to the right positions. We also need to bring up our children to be good leaders; instil in them good character and a strong personality, so they rule in a way that pleases Allah, that delivers justice, goodness, and fairness to people. Otherwise, we have weak leaders, who are unable to do the right thing.
Be active
The Prophet ﷺ told us that awaiting the Hour does not mean be passive and do nothing. Rather it means that when corruption starts, you must do your best to fight it. Be active. We have to be strong enough to stand our ground and tell those involved in corruption that they are wrong and where we can, we should take them to court.
إِنَّا عَرَضۡنَا ٱلۡأَمَانَةَ عَلَى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱلۡجِبَالِ فَأَبَیۡنَ أَن یَحۡمِلۡنَهَا وَأَشۡفَقۡنَ مِنۡهَا وَحَمَلَهَا ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنُۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ ظَلُومࣰا جَهُولࣰا﴿ ٧٢ ﴾
Indeed, We offered the trust to the skies and the land and the mountains, but they refused to carry it and were apprehensive of it, but man carried it; he has always been constantly unjust, constantly ignorant. Al-Aḥzāb, Ayah 72
Carrying the amanah is a heavy duty to the extent that Allah offered it to the mountains but they refused, but we have to fulfil our covenant with Allah, starting with our relationship with Him, ensuring we fulfil our duties to Him, and do not skimp in our worship. We also have to ensure we fulfil our amanah to our families by making sure we carry out our responsibilities to the best of our abilities.
Let’s be active and strong and we ask Allah to enable us to carry the amanah in the best way. Ameen.
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 22nd August 2025