Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2214
حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلاَنَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو دَاوُدَ، أَنْبَأَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةَ كَهَاتَيْنِ " . وَأَشَارَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ بِالسَّبَّابَةِ وَالْوُسْطَى فَمَا فَضْلُ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الأُخْرَى . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Maḥmūd ibn Ghaylān narrated to us; Abū Dāwūd narrated to us; Shu‘bah informed us, from Qatādah, from Anas, who said that the Messenger of Allah said: “I and the Hour were sent like these two.” Abū Dāwūd indicated with his index and middle fingers—how much longer one is than the other.
Abū ‘Īsā said: This is a ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ hadith.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The final comparison describes the small difference in length between the index and middle fingers, illustrating how near the Hour is to the Prophet’s mission.