The Proximity of the Hour

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) indicated the closeness of the Day of Judgment by showing his index and middle fingers, demonstrating that his advent and the Final Hour are as near as these two adjacent fingers. This serves as a profound reminder of the fleeting nature of worldly life and the urgency of preparation for the Hereafter.

Scholarly Commentary

Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani explains in Fath al-Bari that this hadith emphasizes the relative proximity between the Prophet's mission and the Hour, not necessarily chronological immediacy. The "closeness" refers to the fact that no other prophet will come between them, making his era the final chapter before resurrection.

Al-Qurtubi notes that such expressions in the Qur'an and Sunnah about the Hour's nearness serve to keep hearts attentive and deter procrastination in righteous deeds. The two-finger gesture symbolizes inseparable connection - just as fingers work together, the Prophet's message and the Hour are fundamentally linked.

Spiritual Implications

This narration from Sahih al-Bukhari's "To make the Heart Tender (Ar-Riqaq)" chapter (Hadith 6503) softens hearts by reminding believers of life's transience. Scholars stress that while the exact timing remains with Allah, every soul lives in its own "hour" - death being the individual's personal resurrection.

The continuous chain of signs preceding the Hour - moral decay, disappearance of knowledge, and appearance of ignorance - further confirms this proximity in the cosmological timeline. Thus the wise are those who live each day as if it were their last.